Systems, Devices, and/or methods for Managing Drive Power

• US 20100076612A1
• Filed: 09/22/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Large Drives LLC (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Energy & Automation Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Robertson, Daniel W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,378,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0012 Control circuits using digital or numerical techniques in DC/DC converters H02M3/157, H02M3/33515; in DC-AC converters H02M7/53873
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/008 Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4208 Arrangements for improving power factor of AC input
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/4505 having a rectifier with controlled elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/4585 having a rectifier with controlled elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/493 the static converters being arranged for operation in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, and/or user interface adapted for, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise, via a predetermined information device, for a predetermined excavating machine comprising a plurality of Active Front Ends, each Active Front End electrically coupled to an AC power supply network of said predetermined excavating machine, each Active Front End adapted to provide DC power to a DC bus, said DC bus electrically coupled to a plurality of inverters, each inverter adapted to supply AC power to at least one operating motor, independently controlling a reactive power produced by each Active Front End.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

via a predetermined information device, for a predetermined excavating machine comprising a plurality of Active Front Ends, each Active Front End electrically coupled to an AC power supply network of said predetermined excavating machine, each Active Front End adapted to provide DC power to a DC bus, said DC bus electrically coupled to a plurality of inverters, each inverter adapted to supply AC power to at least one operating motor;

independently controlling a reactive power produced by each Active Front End.

2. A method comprising:

via a predetermined information device, for a predetermined excavating machine comprising a plurality of sets of Active Front Ends, each set of Active Front Ends electrically coupled to an AC power supply network of said predetermined excavating machine, each set of Active Front Ends adapted to provide a required DC bus power to a predetermined DC bus from a plurality of DC buses, each DC bus from said plurality of DC buses electrically coupled to a plurality of inverters, each inverter adapted to supply AC power to a plurality of operating motors;

responsive to identifying a failed Adaptive Front End from a first set of Active Front Ends, causing provision of said required DC bus power to be maintained while adaptively controlling a reactive power produced by each non-failed Active Front End from said first set of Active Front Ends to maintain a predetermined power factor for said AC power supply network.

3. A method comprising:

via a predetermined information device, for a predetermined excavating machine comprising a plurality of sets of Active Front Ends, each set of Active Front Ends electrically coupled to an AC power supply network of said predetermined excavating machine, each set of Active Front Ends adapted to provide a corresponding required DC bus power to a corresponding DC bus from a plurality of DC buses, each DC bus from said plurality of DC buses electrically coupled to a plurality of inverters, each inverter adapted to supply AC power to a plurality of operating motors;

responsive to identifying a failed Adaptive Front End from a first set of Active Front Ends serving a first DC bus from said plurality of DC buses, causing provision of a corresponding required DC bus power to said first DC bus to be maintained while adaptively controlling a reactive power produced by each non-failed Active Front End from each set of Active Front Ends to maintain a predetermined power factor for said AC power supply network without overloading any of said non-failed Active Front Ends.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying said failed Adaptive Front End.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying said non-failed Adaptive Front Ends.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining said required power factor of said AC power supply network.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a required total machine power to supply said plurality of DC buses.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

for each bus from said plurality of DC buses, determining said corresponding required DC bus power.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a VAR/Watt curve for each non-failed Active Front End.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an active power required to be delivered from each non-failed Active Front End.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a reactive power required to be delivered from each non-failed Active Front End.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an overload active power for each non-failed Active Front End.

13. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining an overload reactive power for each non-failed Active Front End.

14. A machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for activities comprising:

for a predetermined excavating machine comprising a plurality of sets of Active Front Ends, each set of Active Front Ends electrically coupled to an AC power supply network of said predetermined excavating machine, each set of Active Front Ends adapted to provide a corresponding required DC bus power to a corresponding DC bus from a plurality of DC buses, each DC bus from said plurality of DC buses electrically coupled to a plurality of inverters, each inverter adapted to supply AC power to a plurality of operating motors;

responsive to identifying a failed Adaptive Front End from a first set of Active Front Ends serving a first DC bus from said plurality of DC buses, causing provision of a corresponding required DC bus power to said first DC bus to be maintained while adaptively controlling a reactive power produced by each non-failed Active Front End from each set of Active Front Ends to maintain a predetermined power factor for said AC power supply network without overloading any of said non-failed Active Front Ends.