AC VOLTAGE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20110199061A1
• Filed: 10/28/2008
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Merstech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Merstech, Inc.
• Inventors: Shimada, Ryuichi
• Application Number:
  US13/125,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20110199061A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/237
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/445 being transistors in series with the load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4208 Arrangements for improving power factor of AC input
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/293 using semiconductor devices only
• 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

Provided is an AC voltage control device for adjusting the voltage of a load to be connected with an AC power source, by a convenient method.

In this AC voltage control device, a magnetic energy recovery switch including a capacitor and an AC switch circuit connected in parallel is connected between the AC power source and the load. The AC switch circuit is turned on several ms from such a timing of a zero capacitor voltage as occurs twice for one current cycle, so that a capacitor current is bypassed to reduce a reactance voltage thereby to adjust the voltage of the load.

Claims

1. An AC voltage control device that is inserted between an AC power source and an inductive load, performs a control operation to increase and decrease a load voltage, and has a variable reactance voltage generating function, the AC voltage control device comprising:

a variable reactance voltage generator circuit that includes an AC switch circuit and a capacitor that is connected in parallel to the AC switch circuit, the AC switch circuit including two reverse-conductive field effect transistors (hereinafter referred to as the FETs), a source of a first FET of the two FETs being connected to a source of a second FET of the two FETs, the capacitor storing magnetic energy of the inductive load as electrostatic energy of charges;

a control unit that supplies a control signal to respective gates of the first and second FETs, and controls switching the AC switch circuit on and off; and

a capacitor-voltage zero detection circuit that detects time when a voltage of the capacitor becomes almost zero, and transmits an ON signal about the AC switch circuit to the control unit,

wherein

a capacitance of the capacitor is set so that a resonance frequency determined by the capacitance of the capacitor and an inductance of the inductive load becomes higher than a frequency of the AC power source, and the capacitor has enough capacity to store the magnetic energy of the inductive load as the electrostatic energy of the charges,

the control unit causes the capacitor to charge and discharge the magnetic energy of the inductive load as the electrostatic energy in the form of charges to generate a reactance voltage by simultaneously switching the two FETs of the AC switch circuit off a predetermined period of time after simultaneously switching the two FETs on at the time of receipt of the ON signal, the control unit adjusting an increase and a decrease of the load voltage by varying the reactance voltage through adjustment of the predetermined period of time, the predetermined period of time being equal to or longer than a period of time required for the charging and discharging of the capacitor, the predetermined period of time being equal to or shorter than half a cycle of the AC power source.

2. The AC voltage control device according to claim 1, wherein the AC switch circuit is replaced with an AC switch circuit that includes diode bridges and a self-turn-off semiconductor switch such as a GTO thyristor, an IGBT, an IEGT, a GCT thyristor, or a power MOSFET, the self-turn-off semiconductor switch being connected between DC terminals of the diode bridges.

3. The AC voltage control device according to claim 1, wherein the AC switch circuit including the two FETs is replaced with an AC switch circuit that includes a triac or two thyristors connected in anti-parallel to each other.

4. The AC voltage control device according to claim 1, wherein a surge absorber circuit formed by connecting a resistor and a coil in parallel to each other is connected in series to the capacitor in the variable reactance voltage generator circuit.

5. A lighting control system that controls brightness of an electric-discharge lamp with the AC voltage control device according to claim 1, the inductive load being the electric-discharge lamp having inductive properties, such as a fluorescent lamp, a mercury lamp, or a sodium vapor lamp.

6. An electric motor control system which controls outputs of the electric motor with the AC voltage control device according to claim 1, wherein the inductive load is the electric motor.

7. A multiphase AC power source stabilizing system which eliminates an unbalanced voltage, the AC voltage control device according to claim 1 being connected to each phase of a multiphase AC power source such as a three-phase AC power source.

8. A harmonic generation preventing system which eliminates current triple harmonic through star-delta transform, the AC voltage control device according to claim 1 being connected to each phase of a three-phase AC power source.

9. The AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 2, wherein a surge absorber circuit formed by connecting a resistor and a coil in parallel to each other is connected in series to the capacitor in the variable reactance voltage generator circuit.

10. The AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 3, wherein a surge absorber circuit formed by connecting a resistor and a coil in parallel to each other is connected in series to the capacitor in the variable reactance voltage generator circuit.

11. A lighting control system that controls brightness of an electric-discharge lamp with the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 2, the inductive load being the electric-discharge lamp having inductive properties, such as a fluorescent lamp, a mercury lamp, or a sodium vapor lamp.

12. A lighting control system that controls brightness of an electric-discharge lamp with the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 3, the inductive load being the electric-discharge lamp having inductive properties, such as a fluorescent lamp, a mercury lamp, or a sodium vapor lamp.

13. A lighting control system that controls brightness of an electric-discharge lamp with the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 4, the inductive load being the electric-discharge lamp having inductive properties, such as a fluorescent lamp, a mercury lamp, or a sodium vapor lamp.

14. An electric motor control system which controls outputs of the electric motor with the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 2, wherein the inductive load is the electric motor.

15. An electric motor control system which controls outputs of the electric motor with the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 3, wherein the inductive load is the electric motor.

16. An electric motor control system which controls outputs of the electric motor with the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 4, wherein the inductive load is the electric motor.

17. A multiphase AC power source stabilizing system which eliminates an unbalanced voltage, the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 2 being connected to each phase of a multiphase AC power source such as a three-phase AC power source.

18. A multiphase AC power source stabilizing system which eliminates an unbalanced voltage, the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 3 being connected to each phase of a multiphase AC power source such as a three-phase AC power source.

19. A multiphase AC power source stabilizing system which eliminates an unbalanced voltage, the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 4 being connected to each phase of a multiphase AC power source such as a three-phase AC power source.

20. A harmonic generation preventing system which eliminates current triple harmonic through star-delta transform, the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 2 being connected to each phase of a three-phase AC power source.

21. A harmonic generation preventing system which eliminates current triple harmonic through star-delta transform, the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 3 being connected to each phase of a three-phase AC power source.

22. A harmonic generation preventing system which eliminates current triple harmonic through star-delta transform, the AC voltage control device according to any one of claim 4 being connected to each phase of a three-phase AC power source.