Cell Based DC/DC Converter

• US 20130099572A1
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ABB Technology AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Technology AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Norrga, Staffan
• Application Number:
  US13/714,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20130099572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/43
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0095 Hybrid converter topologies, e.g. NPC mixed with flying capacitor, thyristor converter mixed with MMC or charge pump mixed with buck
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/335 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33569 having several active switching elements H02M3/3353 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33584 Bidirectional converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/483 Converters with outputs that each can have more than two voltages levels
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4835 comprising two or more cells, each including a switchable capacitor, the capacitors having a nominal charge voltage which corresponds to a given fraction of the input voltage, and the capacitors being selectively connected in series to determine the instantaneous output voltage

Abstract

A DC/DC converter including a first conversion branch stretching between a first and a second DC terminal, a first controllable voltage source in a first half of the first conversion branch, a second controllable voltage source in a second half of the first conversion branch, a conversion unit converting between AC and DC and at one end connected to a third and a fourth DC terminal, and a transformer with a primary winding connected in a first interconnecting branch stretching between a first junction at which the first and second controllable voltage sources are connected to each other and a first potential that lies in the middle between the potentials of the first and second DC terminal, and a secondary winding connected to another end of the conversion unit.

Claims

1. A DC/DC converter comprising

a first conversion branch stretching between a first and a second DC terminal,

a first controllable voltage source in a first half of the first conversion branch,

a second controllable voltage source in a second half of the first conversion branch,

a conversion unit converting between AC and DC and at one end connected to a third and a fourth DC terminal, and

a transformer with

a primary winding connected in a first interconnecting branch stretching between a first junction at which the first and second controllable voltage sources are connected to each other and a first potential that lies in the middle between the potentials of the first and second DC terminal, and

a secondary winding connected to another end of the conversion unit,

wherein

the first controllable voltage source is made up of a first group of series-connected cells and the second voltage source is made up of a second group of series-connected cells, where each cell is controllable to provide a voltage contribution in the conversion branch, and

the first and second voltage sources are controllable to provide a common-mode DC voltage to the first and second DC terminals and a differential mode AC voltage to said junction.

2. The DC/DC converter according to claim 1, wherein each cell has a unipolar voltage contribution capability.

3. The DC/DC converter according to claim 2, wherein the cells of a voltage source are of different types alternately placed in the series-connection.

4. The DC/DC converter according to claim 2, wherein the structure of the first and second voltage sources are the same.

5. The DC/DC converter according to claim 1, further comprising a first reactor connected in the first half of the first conversion branch and a second reactor connected in the second half of the first conversion branch.

6. The DC/DC converter according to claim 1, further comprising a first capacitor bank connected between the first and second DC terminals and wherein the interconnecting branch stretches between said first junction and this first capacitor bank midpoint.

7. The DC/DC converter according to claim 6, comprising a further reactor in the interconnecting branch.

8. The DC/DC converter according to claim 7, wherein the inductance of the further reactor together with the capacitances of the first capacitor bank are chosen to form a series-resonance circuit.

9. The converter according to claim 8, wherein the resonance circuit has a tuning frequency set according to the frequency used by the conversion units.

10. The DC/DC converter according to claim 1, wherein said conversion unit is a voltage source conversion unit comprising a second conversion branch stretching between the third and fourth DC terminal, a third controllable voltage source in a first half of the second conversion branch and a fourth controllable voltage source in a second half of the second conversion branch, where the secondary winding of the transformer is arranged in a second interconnecting branch stretching between a second junction at which the third and fourth controllable voltage sources are connected to each other and a second potential that lies in the middle between the potentials of the third and fourth DC terminals.

13. The DC/DC converter according to claim 10, further comprising a control unit configured to control the power flow through the DC/DC converter through controlling a difference between said differential mode AC voltage, which appears at the primary winding of the transformer, and a corresponding voltage appearing at the secondary winding of the transformer.

14. The DC/DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the conversion unit is a diode rectifier.

11. The DC/DC converter according to claim 11, further comprising a second capacitor bank connected between the third and fourth DC terminals and where the secondary winding of the transformer is connected between said second junction and this second capacitor bank midpoint.

12. The DC/DC converter according to claim 11, further comprising a third reactor connected in the first half of the second branch and a fourth reactor connected in the second half of the second branch.