INVERTER SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE-MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONER

• US 20090230902A1
• Filed: 07/16/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakagami, Takashi, Niwa, Kazuki, Hattori, Makoto, Nakano, Koji, Asai, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,977,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/400.300
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/021 Inverters therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0006 Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

The object is to provide an inverter system for a vehicle-mounted air conditioner capable of reducing standby power requirements during nonuse. The voltage supply from a communication power source 80 is turned on and off on the basis of a signal from a communication driver 27a and an electric switch is changed over, whereby the voltage supply from a vehicle-mounted battery power source 50 to a DC-DC converter 26 is turned on and off and the voltage supply to a motor-control microcomputer 24 and a gate circuit 22 is turned on and off. As a result of this, during nonuse the operating state of the motor-control microcomputer 24 is shifted to a sleep mode by performing control by a host ECU 60, whereby the voltage supply is suspended and it becomes possible to reduce power consumption.

Claims

1. An inverter system for a vehicle-mounted air conditioner that controls the operation of a motor for driving a compressor constituting the vehicle-mounted air conditioner, the inverter system comprising:

a switching element for rotatably driving the motor;

a gate circuit for driving a gate of the switching element;

a control circuit that controls the supply of a current to the gate circuit;

an insulating DC-DC converter that converts a voltage supplied from a power source, which is insulated from the switching element, the gate circuit and the control circuit, to a prescribed voltage and applies the voltage to the gate circuit and the control circuit;

a communication section that operates at a voltage supplied from the power source and transmits a control signal from a host control circuit outside the inverter system to the control circuit; and

a sleep-mode shift control section that interrupts the application of a voltage from the DC-DC converter to the control circuit when a signal requiring the interruption of the application of a voltage to the control circuit has been received in the communication section from the host control circuit.

2. The inverter system for a vehicle-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, comprising:

signal output means that outputs a predetermined signal when a signal requiring the interruption of the application of a voltage to the control circuit has been received from the host control circuit; and

voltage application interrupting means that interrupts the application of a voltage from the DC-DC converter to the control circuit when the signal is received.

3. The inverter system for a vehicle-mounted air conditioner according to claim 2, comprising:

as the signal output means, a communication power source that converts a voltage supplied from the power source to a prescribed voltage and applies the voltage to the communication section; and

as the voltage application interrupting means, a switch that breaks a voltage supply circuit from the power source to the DC-DC converter depending on whether a voltage from the communication power source is applied or not;

characterized in that the sleep-mode shift control section suspends the application of a voltage to the communication section by the communication power source when the sleep-mode shift control section has received a signal requiring the interruption of the application of a voltage to the control circuit from the host control circuit.

4. The inverter system for a vehicle-mounted air conditioner according to claim 3, characterized in that the switch is provided between the communication power source and the DC-DC converter.

5. The inverter system for a vehicle-mounted air conditioner according to claim 3, characterized in that the switch is a transistor.

6. The inverter system for a vehicle-mounted air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that the inverter system for a vehicle-mounted air conditioner is insulated from a first power source that applies a first, predetermined voltage to the motor, and receives voltage supply from a second power source that applies a second voltage lower than the first voltage to the host control circuit.