SWITCH WEAR LEVELING

• US 20130188397A1
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Utah State University
• Original Assignee: Utah State University
• Inventors: Wu, Hunter, Sealy, Kylee, Gilchrist, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 9,123,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/17
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/53871 with automatic control of output voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus for switch wear leveling includes a switching module that controls switching for two or more pairs of switches in a switching power converter. The switching module controls switches based on a duty cycle control technique and closes and opens each switch in a switching sequence. The pairs of switches connect to a positive and negative terminal of a DC voltage source. For a first switching sequence a first switch of a pair of switches has a higher switching power loss than a second switch of the pair of switches. The apparatus includes a switch rotation module that changes the switching sequence of the two or more pairs of switches from the first switching sequence to a second switching sequence. The second switch of a pair of switches has a higher switching power loss than the first switch of the pair of switches during the second switching sequence.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a switching module that controls switching for two or more pairs of switches in a switching power converter, the switching module controlling each of the two or more pairs of switches closed and open based on a duty cycle control technique, the switching module closing and opening each switch of the two or more pairs of switches in a switching sequence, wherein the two or more pairs of switches connect to a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a direct current (“

DC”

) voltage source, and wherein for a first switching sequence a first switch of a pair of switches has a higher switching power loss than a second switch of the pair of switches; and

a switch rotation module that changes the switching sequence of the two or more pairs of switches from the first switching sequence to a second switching sequence wherein the second switch of a pair of switches has a higher switching power loss than the first switch of the pair of switches during the second switching sequence.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a switch wear module that tracks switching sequences, wherein the switch rotation module changes the switching sequence based on tracking of the switching sequences.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the switch wear module tracks the switching sequences by tracking an amount of time switching using each switching sequence.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the switch wear module tracks the switching sequences by tracking an amount of switching cycles for each switching sequence.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the switch rotation module uses tracking of the switching sequences to switch between switching sequences to balance an amount of switching for each switching sequence.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switching module controls three pairs of switches and the switch rotation module changes the switching sequence between the first switching sequence, the second switching sequence, and a third switching sequence.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switch rotation module changes the switching sequence during a startup condition.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the switch rotation module changes the switching sequence by changing which pair of switches is first to be switched in a switching sequence.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the switch rotation module orders switching of the two or more pairs of switches so that a first pair of switches is first in a first switching sequence and a second pair of switches is first in a second switching sequence.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switching power converter is a full-bridge derived topology.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the topology of the switching power converter is one of a voltage driven H-bridge, a current driven H-bridge, and a three-phase voltage driven H-bridge.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the topology of the switching power converter comprises an LCL converter.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duty cycle control technique comprises one or more of symmetric voltage cancellation (“

SVC”

) control, asymmetric voltage cancellation (“

AVC”

) control, fixed conduction angle with variable voltage control, and fixed conduction angle control.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switches of the two or more pairs of switches comprise semiconductor switches.

15. A system comprising:

a switching power converter;

a switching module that controls switching for two or more pairs of switches in the switching power converter, the switching module controlling each of the two or more pairs of switches closed and open based on a duty cycle control technique, the switching module closing and opening each switch of the two or more pairs of switches in a switching sequence, wherein the two or more pairs of switches connects to a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a direct current (“

DC”

) voltage source, and wherein for a first switching sequence a first switch of a pair of switches has a higher switching power loss than a second switch of the pair of switches; and

a switch rotation module that changes the switching sequence of the two or more pairs of switches from the first switching sequence to a second switching sequence wherein the second switch of a pair of switches has a higher switching power loss than the first switch of the pair of switches during the second switching sequence.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the switching power converter comprises an LCL converter in an induction power transfer system.

17. A method comprising:

controlling switching for two or more pairs of switches in a switching power converter by controlling each of the two or more pairs of switches closed and open based on a duty cycle control technique, each switch of the two or more pairs of switches closing and opening in a switching sequence, wherein the two or more pairs of switches connect to a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a direct current (“

DC”

) voltage source, and wherein for a first switching sequence a first switch of a pair of switches has a higher switching power loss than a second switch of the pair of switches; and

changing the switching sequence of the two or more pairs of switches from the first switching sequence to a second switching sequence wherein the second switch of a pair of switches has a higher switching power loss than the first switch of the pair of switches during the second switching sequence.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising tracking the switching sequence, wherein changing the switching sequence is based on tracking of the switching sequence.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein tracking the switching sequence comprises one or more of tracking an amount of time switching using each switching sequence and tracking an amount of switching cycles for each switching sequence.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising balancing an amount of switching for each switching sequence based on tracking of the switching sequences.