MULTI-LEVEL PARALLEL PHASE CONVERTER

• US 20110235376A1
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Said, Waleed M., Feng, Frank Z.
• Granted Patent: US 8,374,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/65
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0043 Converters switched with a phase shift, i.e. interleaved non-isolated DC/DC converters H02M3/1586
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0085 Partially controlled bridges
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/483 Converters with outputs that each can have more than two voltages levels
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/493 the static converters being arranged for operation in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A multi-level parallel phase power converter has a power source, a converter, and an electrical node. The converter includes multiple converter modules. Each of the converter modules has multiple multi-level power converters, a poly-phase interphase inductor, and a set of poly-phase power summing connections. The summed power of each of the multiple converter modules are connected together to form a single poly-phase power converter.

Claims

1. A multi-level parallel phase power converter comprising:

a power source;

a power converter coupled to said power source and having a plurality of converter modules comprising multi-level power converters, a poly-phase interphase inductor, and poly-phase output connections, each of said multi-level power converters having a power line connected to said poly-phase interphase inductor; and

an electrical node connecting each of said poly-phase output connections, thereby forming a single poly-phase power converter output.

2. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 1, wherein said power converter includes two of said converter modules.

3. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 1, wherein each of said converter modules has a number of multi-level power converters equal to a number of output phases of the multi-level power converter.

4. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 1, wherein said single poly-phase power converter is a three phase power configuration.

5. The multi-level power converter of claim 4, wherein each of said converter modules has three of said multi-level power converters.

6. The multi-level power converter of claim 4, wherein each of said converter modules is connected in parallel.

7. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 1, wherein said power converter is capable of converting AC power to DC power.

8. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 1, wherein said power converter is capable of converting DC power to AC power.

9. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 8, wherein said power converter additionally is capable of converting AC power to DC power, said converter being arranged such that power may be connected at either an AC or DC input.

10. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 1, wherein said poly-phase interphase inductors are configured to remove a carrier phase component from each of said connected power lines.

11. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 10, wherein each of said poly-phase interphase inductors has a leakage inductance, and each of said leakage inductances are configured to remove said carrier phase component from each of said connected lines.

12. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 1, further comprising redundant converter modules such that said power converter can function while at least one converter module is inoperable.

13. The multi-level parallel phase power converter of claim 1, wherein each of said power converter modules is operated at a given switching frequency and an output noise frequency on said electrical node is equal to at least two times the number of converter modules multiplied by the given switching frequency.

14. A method for converting power comprising the steps of;

inputting a DC power into a multi-level parallel phase converter comprising a plurality of converter modules;

each of said converter modules converting said DC power signal into a poly-phase staircase wave power signal;

combining each of said poly-phase staircase wave power in an interphase inductor, thereby creating an output power; and

filtering said output power signal in a passive filter, thereby creating a filtered output power.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of combining each of said poly-phase staircase wave power in an interphase inductor comprises removing current circulating between the plurality of converter modules.