UNIVERSAL SINGLE-STAGE POWER CONVERTER

• US 20130194846A1
• Filed: 01/31/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Engie Storage Services NA LLC (ENGIE SA)
• Original Assignee: Green Charge Networks LLC (ENGIE SA)
• Inventors: TADDEO, STEPHEN R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,823,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/123
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/10 Arrangements incorporating converting means for enabling loads to be operated at will from different kinds of power supplies, e.g. from ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1582 Buck-boost converters H02M3/1584 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/275 using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/53 using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal H02M7/4807, H02M7/493 and H02M7/4826 take precedence

Abstract

A universal electrical power converter having the combined capabilities of symmetrical and asymmetrical converters, bidirectionality, and simplicity is provided with methods for controlling it in single-stage conversion. In some cases, the converter charges an inductor connected in parallel between a regulated port and an unregulated port using energy stored by a capacitor positioned in parallel between the inductor and one of the ports until the inductor has a level of current stored that corresponds to the change in voltage desired at the regulated port, then discharges stored energy into the other port until a current cutoff threshold level is reached in the inductor. In some embodiments a single stage power converter is provided having three or more ports that can be connected and disconnected from the same inductor. Converters disclosed herein can convert AC signals when there is cross switching on at least one side or branch of the converter.

Claims

1. A single-stage power converter, comprising:

a. an inductor;

b. a first side of the converter comprising;

i. a first capacitive means connected in parallel to the inductor,

ii. a first port connected in parallel to the first capacitive means, and

iii. a plurality of first switching elements having a selectable open state and closed state, the first switching elements linking the first capacitive means and the inductor in such a manner that when the first switching elements are closed, a conductive loop is formed by the first capacitive means and the inductor;

c. a second side of the converter comprising;

i. a second capacitive means connected in parallel to the inductor,

ii. a second port connected in parallel to the second capacitive means, and

iii. a plurality of second switching elements having a selectable open state and closed state, the second switching elements linking the second capacitive means and the inductor in such a manner that when the second switching elements are closed, a conductive loop is formed by the second capacitive means and the inductor; and

d. a system controller able to control the state of the first switching elements and the second switching elements.

2. The single-stage power converter of claim 1, wherein:

a. at least two of the first switching elements are a continuous switching set and at least two of the second switching elements are a continuous-switching set.

3. The single-stage power converter of claim 2, wherein the controller only allows one set of said switching elements to be closed at once.

4. The single-stage power converter of claim 2, wherein:

a. at least two switching elements of either the first switching elements or the second switching elements are a cross-switching set.

5. The single-stage power converter of claim 4, wherein the controller only allows one set of said switching elements to be closed at once.

6. The single-stage power converter of claim 1, wherein the controller executes instructions comprising:

a. opening the first switching elements when at least one of the second switching elements is closed, and

b. opening the second switching elements when at least one of the first switching elements is closed.

7. The single-stage power converter of claim 1, further comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions embedded thereon, the instructions being executable by the controller, the instructions comprising:

a. opening the first switching elements when at least one of the second switching elements is closed, and

b. opening the second switching elements when at least one of the first switching elements is closed.

8. The single-stage power converter of claim 7, wherein one of the ports is a regulated port, the instructions further comprising:

a. sending a “

close”

command to the first switching elements to charge the inductor from the first capacitive means until an initial energy level is stored in the inductor, the initial energy level being equal to the change in energy between a present voltage of the regulated port and a target voltage,

b. sending a “

close”

command to the switching elements linking the regulated port to the inductor, and

c. opening the first switching elements and the second switching elements when the current in the inductor reaches a current cutoff threshold.

9. The single-stage power converter of claim 7, wherein:

a. at least two of the first switching elements and at least two of the second switching elements are continuous-switching sets, and

b. at least two switching elements of either the first switching elements or the second switching elements are a cross-switching set.

10. The single-stage power converter of claim 1, wherein the inductor has multiple coils.

11. The single-stage power converter of claim 1, further comprising an interrupt timer imposing a waiting period between conversion cycles performed by the converter.

12. A single-stage power converter, comprising:

a. an inductor;

b. one or more regulated branches of the converter, each regulated branch having;

i. a regulated-branch capacitive means connected in parallel to the inductor,

ii. a regulated-branch port connected in parallel to the regulated-branch capacitive means, and

iii. at least two regulated-branch switching elements having a selectable open state and closed state, the regulated-branch switching elements linking the regulated-branch capacitive means and the inductor in such a manner that when the regulated-branch switching elements are closed, a conductive loop is formed by the regulated-branch capacitive means and the inductor;

c. one or more unregulated branches of the converter, each unregulated branch having;

i. an unregulated-branch capacitive means connected in parallel to the inductor,

ii. an unregulated-branch port connected in parallel to the unregulated-branch capacitive means, and

iii. at least two unregulated-branch switching elements having a selectable open state and closed state, the unregulated-branch switching elements linking the unregulated-branch capacitive means and the inductor in such a manner that when the unregulated-branch switching elements are closed, a conductive loop is formed by the unregulated-branch capacitive means and the inductor; and

d. a system controller able to control the state of all of the switching elements of said branches.

13. The single-stage power converter of claim 12, wherein at least two switching elements in each of said branches form a continuous-switching set.

14. The single-stage power converter of claim 13, wherein at least two of the switching elements in one of said branches form a cross-switching set.

15. The single-stage power converter of claim 14, wherein all but one of said branches has at least two switching elements forming a cross-switching set.

16. The single-stage power converter of claim 12, wherein two or more said branches are paralleled branches, and said paralleled branches are either all regulated branches or all unregulated branches.

17. The single-stage power converter of claim 16, wherein the capacitive means of the paralleled branches have equal voltage.

18. The single-stage power converter of claim 12, wherein the capacitive means of each branch has a capacitance, and the capacitance of the capacitive means of a branch being regulated differs from the capacitance of the capacitive means of an unregulated branch.

19. The single-stage power converter of claim 12, wherein each individual capacitive means of each branch has a voltage rating, and the voltage rating of the capacitive means of a branch being regulated differs from the voltage rating of the capacitive means of an unregulated branch.

20. The single-stage power converter of claim 12, wherein the inductor has multiple coils.

21. The single-stage power converter of claim 12, further comprising an interrupt timer imposing a waiting period between conversion cycles performed by the converter.

22. A single-stage power converter capable of bidirectional symmetric and asymmetric conversion, comprising:

a. an inductor;

b. a first side of the converter, comprising;

i. a first capacitor connected in parallel to the inductor, the first capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal and second terminal forming a first port, and

ii. two continuous switches having a selectable open state and closed state, the continuous switches linking the first capacitor and the inductor in such a manner that when the continuous switches are closed, a conductive loop is formed by the first capacitor and the inductor that induces a positive rate of change of current through the inductor when the first terminal has a positive charge and the second terminal has a negative charge;

c. a second side of the converter, comprising;

i. a second capacitor connected in parallel to the inductor, the second capacitor having a third terminal and a fourth terminal, the third terminal and fourth terminal forming a second port, and

ii. two continuous switches linking the second capacitor and the inductor in such a manner that when the continuous switches are closed, a conductive loop is formed by the second capacitor and the inductor that induces a positive rate of change of current through the inductor when the third terminal has a positive charge and the fourth terminal has a negative charge, and

iii. two cross switches linking the second capacitor and the inductor in such a manner that when the cross switches are closed, a conductive loop is formed by the second capacitor and the inductor that induces a negative rate of change of current through the inductor when the third terminal has a positive charge and the fourth terminal has a negative charge; and

iv. a system controller able to control the state of the cross switches and the continuous switches of the first and second sides.