Power control system for an A.C. induction motor

• US 5,304,911 A
• Filed: 12/14/1992
• Issued: 04/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Energy Consortium, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Energy Consortium, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US07/990,565
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 318/727, 318/729, 318/798, 318/799, 318/800, 318/801, 361/76
• US Class Current: 318/729
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/1892 the arrangements being an integral part of the load, e.g. a motor, or of its control circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 23/26 Power factor control [PFC]

Abstract

A power factor control system for an A.C. induction motor determines the difference in phase between the voltage applied to the motor and the current drawn by the motor. Based upon this difference in phase, an integrator generates an error signal. The error signal is compared with a ramp wave to derive a pulse signal which controls the voltage applied to the motor, which in turn controls the amount of current supplied to the motor, in order to reduce the power consumed by the motor. The integrator includes a dual-path feedback filter having a polarized capacitor in each path. A power supply is used to quickly provide the full operating bias voltages required by several of the components contained in the control system.

Claims

1. A power control system for an A.C. induction motor, comprising:

a voltage/current phase difference generator for determining a difference in phase between a voltage applied to the motor and a current drawn by the motor, and for generating a phase difference signal as a function of the determined difference in phase; and

an integrator, the integrator receiving the phase difference signal and generating an error signal for controlling an amount of power supplied to the motor as a function of the phase difference signal;

the integrator including a feedback filter having first and second feedback paths, the first feedback path including a first polarized capacitor, the second feedback path including a second polarized capacitor and a resistor.

2. The power control system according to claim 1, wherein the integrator further includes a comparator coupled to the feedback filter, the comparator receiving the phase difference signal and a feedback signal from the feedback filter, and generating the error signal as a function of the phase difference signal and the feedback signal.

3. The power control system according to claim 1, wherein a negative terminal of the first polarized capacitor is coupled to a negative terminal of the second polarized capacitor.

4. The power control system according to claim 1, further comprising means for providing a fixed bias voltage to an input of the integrator.

5. The power control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for generating a ramp wave;

a comparator for comparing the ramp wave and the error signal and for generating a firing pulse signal as a function thereof; and

a triac for receiving the firing pulse signal and for controlling the amount of power supplied to the motor as a function thereof.

6. A power control system for an A.C. induction motor, comprising:

a voltage/current phase difference generator for determining a difference in phase between a voltage applied to the motor and a current drawn by the motor, and for generating a phase difference signal as a function of the determined difference in phase;

means for controlling an amount of power supplied to the motor as a function of the phase difference signal;

an electrical power supply, including;

a current-limiting component;

a discharge capacitor coupled to the current-limiting component;

a rectifier coupled to the discharge capacitor; and

a filter capacitor coupled to the rectifier;

the rectifier is a full-wave rectifier including a first and second diode;

a terminal of the discharge capacitor is coupled to each of an anode of the first diode and a cathode of the second diode;

a positive terminal of the filter capacitor is coupled to a cathode of the first diode; and

a negative terminal of the filter capacitor is coupled to an anode of the second diode.

7. A power control system for an A.C. induction motor, comprising:

means for determining a difference in phase between a voltage applied to the motor and a current drawn by the motor, and for generating a phase difference signal as a function of the determined difference in phase;

an integrator, the integrator receiving the phase difference signal and generating an error signal for controlling an amount of power supplied to the motor as a function of the phase difference signal;

the integrator including a feedback filter having first and second feedback paths, the first feedback path including a first polarized capacitor, the second feedback path including a second polarized capacitor and a resistor; and

an electrical power supply, including;

a current-limiting component;

a discharge capacitor coupled to the current-limiting component;

a rectifier coupled to the discharge capacitor; and

a filter capacitor coupled to the rectifier.

8. The power control system according to claim 7, wherein the means for determining includes:

positive and negative voltage square wave generators for generating positive and negative voltage square wave signals, respectively, based upon an A.C. line voltage; and

positive and negative current square wave generators for generating positive and negative current square wave signals, respectively, based upon the current drawn by the motor.

9. The power control system according to claim 8, wherein the means for determining further includes:

means for summing the positive voltage square wave signal and the negative current square wave signal; and

means for summing the negative voltage square wave signal and the positive current square wave signal.

10. The power control system according to claim 7, wherein the integrator further includes a comparator coupled to the feedback filter, the comparator receiving the phase difference signal and a feedback signal from the feedback filter, and generating the error signal as a function of the phase difference signal and the feedback signal.

11. The power control system according to claim 7, wherein a negative terminal of the first polarized capacitor is coupled to a negative terminal of the second polarized capacitor.

12. The power control system according to claim 7, further comprising means for providing a fixed bias voltage to an input of the integrator.

13. The power control system according to claim 7, wherein the rectifier is a full-wave rectifier including a first and second diode.

14. A power controller for an A.C. induction motor, comprising:

a voltage/current phase difference generator for generating a phase difference signal indicative of a difference in phase between a voltage applied to the motor and a current drawn by the motor; and

an integrator coupled to the voltage/current phase difference generator for controlling an amount of power consumed by the motor as a function of the phase difference signal, the integrator including a feedback filter having at least one polarized capacitor.

15. The power controller according to claim 14, wherein the feedback filter is a dual-path feedback filter.

16. The power controller according to claim 15, wherein each path of the dual-path feedback filter contains a capacitor, and one path of the dual-path feedback filter contains a resistor.

17. A method of controlling an amount of power supplied to an A.C. induction motor, comprising the steps of:

determining a difference in phase between a voltage applied to the motor and a current drawn by the motor;

generating a phase difference signal as a function of the determined difference in phase;

generating a control signal from an integrator receiving the phase difference signal for controlling an amount of power supplied to the motor as a function of the phase difference signal;

providing a first feedback through a first polarized capacitor of the integrator; and

providing a second feedback through a second polarized capacitor and a resistor of the integrator.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of filtering a feedback of the integrator by separating the feedback into the first feedback and the second feedback.