EFFICIENT PRE-CHARGING OF SECTIONS OF A DC VOLTAGE NETWORK

• US 20200136384A1
• Filed: 03/20/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: SCHIERLING, HUBERT
• Granted Patent: US 10,727,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/06 Two-wire systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/108 using diodes blocking reverse current flow H02J1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage

Abstract

The invention relates to a DC voltage network having a plurality of sections (1) which can be connected together and separated from one another individually or in groups via a respective switch element (5). A pre-charging circuit (10) has diode groups (11), a switch device (12), an energy transmission path (13), and a controller (14). Each of the sections (1) of the DC voltage network is coupled to the energy transmission path (13) via at least one respective diode group of the diode groups (11). The energy transmission path (13) is consistently the same for the diode groups (11). The controller (14) transmits a control signal (S) to the switch device (12) in order to pre-charge sections (1), and the switch device (12) thereby switches the energy transmission path (13) for all of the sections (1) coupled to the energy transmission path (13) so as to be conductive,

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A pre-charging circuit for a plurality of sections of a DC voltage network, wherein the DC voltage network is composed of sections or groups of sections and wherein the sections or groups of sections are connected to one another by switch elements configured to connect and separate the sections or groups of sections from each other, the pre-charging circuit comprising:

a plurality of diode groups, each diode group having two diodes connected in series at a node, with each node being connected to a single section or a single group of sections in one-to-one correspondence;

a switch device bridging the diode groups;

an energy transmission path, which is identical for the plurality of diode groups and which is coupled via the switch device and via at least one node of the diode groups to a respective sections of the DC voltage network; and

a controller transmitting to the switch device a control signal which controls the switch device and switches the energy transmission path to be conductive for all sections of the DC voltage network that are coupled to the energy transmission path, to pre-charge other sections of the DC voltage network that are separated from the pre-charging circuit by theft respective switch elements

15. The pre-charging circuit of claim 14, wherein the energy transmission path comprises an inductive element.

16. The pre-charging circuit of claim 14, wherein each section or each group of sections is connected to two potentials of the plurality of diode groups, with only one of the two potentials being coupled to the energy transmission path.

17. The pre-charging circuit of claim 16, wherein the switch device is arranged in the energy transmission path.

18. The pre-charging circuit of claim 14, wherein each section or each group of sections is connected to two potentials of the plurality of diode groups, with both potentials being coupled to the energy transmission path and with the energy transmission path being galvanically isolated from the diode groups.

19. The pre-charging circuit of claim 18, wherein the switch device comprises a plurality of partial switch devices, with each partial switch device being assigned to a separate diode group.

20. The pre-charging circuit of claim 19, wherein the controller activates the plurality of partial switch devices with a common control signal.

21. The pre-charging circuit of claim 19, wherein the control signal transmitted by the controller causes the partial switch devices to connect the section that is connected to the separate diode group to the energy transmission path so as to operate as an inverter.

22. The pre-charging circuit of claim 14, wherein the energy transmission path comprises a resistor and a further switch device connected in series with the resistor, causing the energy transmission path to operate as a load when the further switch device is closed.

23. A DC voltage network, comprising

a plurality of sections;

a switch element for each of the plurality of sections, with switch element configured to connect and separate a respective section of the plurality of sections from other sections of the plurality of sections; and

a pre-charging circuit comprising

a plurality of diode groups, each diode group having two diodes connected in series at a node, with each node being connected to a single section or a single group of sections in one-to-one correspondence,

a switch device bridging the diode groups,

an energy transmission path, which is identical for the plurality of diode groups and which is coupled via the switch device and via at least one node of the diode groups to a respective sections of the DC voltage network, and

a controller transmitting to the switch device a control signal which controls the switch device and switches the energy transmission path to be conductive for all sections of the DC voltage network that are coupled to the energy transmission path, to pre-charge other sections of the DC voltage network that are separated from the pre-charging circuit by their respective switch elements.

24. The DC voltage network of claim 23, wherein each section or each group of sections is connected to two potentials of the plurality of diode groups, and wherein at least a subset of the switch elements is designed such that, depending on a switching status of the respective switch element, the subset of the switch elements separate or connect only one of the two potentials of the sections from/to each other, while the other of the two potentials is permanently connected.

25. The DC voltage network of claim 23, wherein each section or each group of sections is connected to two potentials of the plurality of diode groups, and wherein at least a subset of the switch elements is designed such that, depending on a switching status of the respective switch element, the subset of the switch elements separate or connect both potentials of the sections from/to each other.

26. The DC voltage network of claim 23, wherein each of the switch elements has an electronic switch arrangement and an electromechanical switch connected in series at a tap, with the electromechanical switch disposed proximate to the respective section, wherein the plurality of sections are connected via the taps to the plurality of diode groups.