MULTI-CELL POWER CONVERSION METHOD WITH FAILURE DETECTION AND MULTI-CELL POWER CONVERTER

• US 20160261205A1
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Kolar, Johann, Deboy, Gerald, Kasper, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 9,755,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0074 Plural converter units whose inputs are connected in series
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0077 Plural converter units whose outputs are connected in series
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/285 Single converters with a plurality of output stages connected in parallel parallel operation of a plurality of converters in dc distribution networks H02J1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/458 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/49 Combination of the output voltage waveforms of a plurality of converters

Abstract

A power converter includes a plurality of first converter cells, a plurality of second converter cells, and a plurality of DC link capacitors. Each DC link capacitor links one of the plurality of first converter cells and one of the plurality of second converter cells. A failure management unit is configured to detect a faulty converter cell, and to deactivate the faulty converter cell while maintaining a power conversion operation of the power converter.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting a faulty converter cell in a power converter comprising a plurality of first converter cells, a plurality of second converter cells, and a plurality of DC link capacitors, wherein each DC link capacitor links one of the plurality of first converter cells and one of the plurality of second converter cells; and

deactivating the faulty converter cell while maintaining a power conversion operation of the power converter.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of first converter cells includes a cell input and each of the plurality of second converter cells includes a cell output, and

wherein the cell inputs of the plurality of first converter cells are connected in series at an input of the power converter.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the cell outputs of the plurality of second converter cells are connected in parallel at an input of the power converter, and

wherein detecting the faulty converter cell comprises detecting a faulty second converter cell, and

wherein deactivating the faulty second converter cell comprises disconnecting the cell output of the faulty second converter cell from the output of the power converter.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein deactivating the faulty second converter cell further comprises:

deactivating the first converter cell linked to the faulty second converter cell.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein deactivating the first converter cell comprises short-circuiting the cell input of the first converter cell.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein deactivating the faulty second converter cell further comprises:

operating the first converter cell linked to the faulty second converter cell at an average output power of zero and an instantaneous output power dependent on an input voltage received at the input of the power converter.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of first converter cells includes a cell input and each of the plurality of second converter cells includes a cell output, and

wherein the cell inputs of the plurality of first converter cells are connected in parallel at an input of the power converter.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the cell outputs of the plurality of second converter cells are connected in series at an output of the power converter, and

wherein detecting the faulty converter cell comprises detecting a faulty first converter cell, and

wherein deactivating the faulty first converter cell comprises disconnecting the cell input of the faulty first converter cell from the input of the power converter.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein deactivating the faulty first converter cell further comprises:

deactivating the second converter cell linked to the faulty first converter cell.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein deactivating the second converter cell comprises short-circuiting the cell output of the second converter cell.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein deactivating the faulty first converter cell further comprises:

operating the second converter cell linked to the faulty first converter cell at an average input power of zero and an instantaneous output power dependent on an output voltage received at the output of the power converter.

12. A power converter, comprising:

a plurality of first converter cells, a plurality of second converter cells, and a plurality of DC link capacitors, wherein each DC link capacitor links one of the plurality of first converter cells and one of the plurality of second converter cells; and

a failure management unit configured to detect a faulty converter cell, and to deactivate the faulty converter cell while maintaining a power conversion operation of the power converter.

13. The power converter of claim 12,

wherein each of the plurality of first converter cells includes a cell input and each of the plurality of second converter cells includes a cell output, and

wherein the cell inputs of the plurality of first converter cells are connected in series at an input of the power converter.

14. The power converter of claim 13,

wherein the cell outputs of the plurality of second converter cells are connected in parallel at an input of the power converter, and

wherein the failure management unit is configured to detect the faulty converter cell by detecting a faulty second converter cell, and to disconnect the cell output of the faulty second converter cell from the output of the power converter.

15. The power converter of claim 13, wherein the failure management unit is further configured to deactivate the first converter cell linked to the faulty second converter cell.

16. The power converter of claim 15, wherein the failure management unit is configured to deactivate the first converter cell by short-circuiting the cell input of the first converter cell.

17. The power converter of claim 14, wherein the failure management unit is configured to deactivate the faulty second converter by operating the first converter cell linked to the faulty second converter cell at an average output power of zero and an instantaneous output power dependent on an input voltage received at the input of the power converter.

18. The power converter of claim 12,

wherein each of the plurality of first converter cells includes a cell input and each of the plurality of second converter cells includes a cell output, and

wherein the cell inputs of the plurality of first converter cells are connected in parallel at an input of the power converter.

19. The power converter of claim 18,

wherein the cell outputs of the plurality of second converter cells are connected in series at an output of the power converter, and

wherein the failure management unit is configured to detect the faulty converter cell by detecting a faulty first converter cell, and to deactivate the faulty first converter cell by disconnecting the cell input of the faulty first converter cell from the input of the power converter.

20. The power converter of claim 19, wherein the failure management unit is configured to deactivate the faulty first converter by deactivating the second converter cell linked to the faulty first converter cell.

21. The power converter of claim 20, wherein the failure management unit is configured to deactivate the second converter cell by short-circuiting the cell output of the second converter cell.

22. The power converter of claim 19, wherein the failure management unit is configured to deactivate the faulty first converter cell by operating the second converter cell linked to the faulty first converter cell at an average input power of zero and an instantaneous output power dependent on an output voltage received at the output of the power converter.