Converter circuit having control means with capability to short-circuit converter output

• US 6,320,772 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2000
• Issued: 11/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Masanori, Ueda, Mitsuo, Doyama, Yoshiaki, Matsushiro, Hideo, Yoshioka, Kaneharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laxton, Gary L.
• Application Number:
  US09/573,824
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 363/84, 363/85, 363/88, 363/89, 363/125, 363/127
• US Class Current: 363/89
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0085 Partially controlled bridges
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4208 Arrangements for improving power factor of AC input
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

A converter circuit has a reactor connectable to an AC power supply. It further has a PWM converter circuit connected to the reactor, the PWM converter circuit including a high speed diode, a rectifier diode and a switching element connected in parallel to the rectifier diode. The converter circuit further has an input current detector for detecting an input current of the PWM converter circuit, a DC voltage level detector for detecting an output voltage of the PWM converter circuit, a voltage polarity detector connected to the AC power supply, and a control device. The control device measures a variation period of the output voltage measured by the voltage level detector to judge a power supply frequency. It then controls the PWM converter circuit based on a power supply frequency judgement result, a detection result from the voltage level detector, an input current detected by the input current detector, and an output voltage detected by the DC voltage detector.

Claims

1. A converter circuit comprising:

a reactor connected to an AC power supply;

a PWM converter circuit connected to the reactor, said PWM converter circuit having a high speed diode, a rectifier diode and a switching element connected in parallel to the rectifier diode;

an input current detection means for detecting an input current of said PWM converter circuit;

a DC voltage detection means for detecting an output voltage of said PWM converter circuit;

a voltage level detection means connected to said AC power supply, said detection means detecting whether or not an input voltage is at a constant level; and

a control means for measuring a variation period of a detection result of the voltage level detection means to judge a power supply frequency and for controlling said PWM converter circuit based on a judgment result for the power supply frequency, a detection result from said voltage level detection means, an input current detected by said input current detection means, and an output voltage detected by said DC voltage detection means.

2. A converter circuit according to claim 1 wherein said voltage level detection means has a photocoupler connected to said AC power supply, and wherein the detection result of said level detection means is a voltage on a secondary side of said photocoupler.

3. A converter circuit according to claim 1 wherein said control means has a sine-wave generation means for generating a sine-wave based on the detection result of said voltage level detection means and said control means consecutively measures a variation period Tac of the detection result of said voltage level detection means, a rise time Ton of the detection result of said voltage level detection means and a fall time Toff of the detection result of said voltage level detection means so as to set times of (2·

Ton+2·

Toff+Tac)/4 and (2·

Ton+2·

Toff+3·

Tac)/4 as a zero cross time of the AC power supply voltage for starting generation of the sine-wave.

4. A converter circuit according to claim 3 wherein said control means predicts a next Ton and Toff using said Tac and, in a case where Ton or Toff is not detected, a prediction result as the next Ton and Toff predicted by the control means is used and in a case where Ton or Toff is detected, the prediction result is modified by utilizing the detected value obtained based on where Ton or Toff is detected.

5. A converter circuit according to claim 3 or 4 wherein consecutive measurement and operation of a variation period Tac of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means, a rise time of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means and a fall time Toff of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means are carried out for each PWM control period of said PWM converter circuit.

6. A converter circuit according to claim 3, wherein, in the case of carrying out consecutive measurement and operation of a rise time Ton of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means and a fall time Toff of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means, the same condition is confirmed for n times continuously for each PWM control period of said PWM converter circuit to perform the calculation by advancing a time corresponding to (n−

1) times of said PWM control periods while carrying out said operation processing.

7. A converter circuit according to claim 3 wherein said control means PWM-controls said PWM converter circuit by utilizing said sine-wave as a standard wave form of the input current wave form, but multiplying an error between a predetermined output DC voltage set value and said detecting output voltage with the amplitude of said sine-wave so as to use the result as a set value of the input current wave form, and by utilizing an error between the set value of the input current wave form and the input current detected by said input current detection means and, in addition, adjusts a set value of the DC output voltage so that a PWM control duty of said PWM converter circuit is in a constant range.

8. A converter circuit according to claim 3 wherein:

said input current detection means has a current transformer using a lead from said AC power supply as a primary side; and

said control means uses a value gained by letting a secondary side output of said current transformer pass through a frequency characteristic correction means and an absolute value conversion means as a detection input current (|Iac|), and uses a multiplication result between an absolute value of an input voltage wave form or an absolute value of said sine-wave and a value based on an error of said output voltage as an input current set value (|Iac|*).

17. A converter circuit according to claim 4 wherein, in the case of carrying out consecutive measurement and operation of a rise time Ton of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means and a fall time Toff of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means, the same condition is confirmed for n times continuously for each PWM control period of said PWM converter circuit to perform the calculation by advancing a time corresponding to (n−

1) times of said PWM control periods while carrying out said operation processing.

18. A converter circuit according to claim 5 wherein, in the case of carrying out consecutive measurement and operation of a rise time Ton of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means and a fall time Toff of the detection result of said voltage polarity detection means, the same condition is confirmed for n times continuously for each PWM control period of said PWM converter circuit to perform the calculation by advancing a time corresponding to (n−

1) times of said PWM control periods while carrying out said operation processing.

9. A boost-type converter circuit comprising a reactor connectable to an AC power supply and a control means for charging current in said reactor by short circuiting a converter output with a switching element and for outputting current charged in said reactor through a diode by turning off said switching element,

said control means being provided, with respect to an error between an output DC voltage and its set value, with an integration operational function of the error and a proportion operational function of the error so that said control means sums outputs of said two operational functions and utilizes the resulting sum to determine an amplitude of an input current set value, and wherein when the error exceeds a certain value, said control means fixes the output of said integration operational function to a present value by forcing said switching element to turn off.

10. A boost-type converter circuit comprising a reactor connectable to an AC power supply and a control means for charging current in said reactor by short circuiting a converter output with a switching element and for outputting current charged in said reactor through a diode by turning off said switching element,

said control means being provided, with respect to an error between an output DC voltage and its set value, with an integration operational function of the error and a proportion operational function of the error so that said control means utilizes a multiplication result between a sum of outputs of said two operational functions and an absolute value of a voltage wave form of said AC power supply to determine an input current set value, and wherein when the input current set value based on the error exceeds a certain value, said control means uses a predetermined value for limitation.

11. A boost-type converter circuit comprising a reactor connectible to an AC power supply and a control means for charging current in said reactor by short circuiting a converter output with a switching element and for outputting current charged in said reactor through a diode by turning off said switching element,

said control means being provided, with respect to an error between an output DC voltage and its set value, with an integration operational function of the error and a proportion operational function of the error so that said control means utilizes a multiplication result between a sum of outputs of said two operational functions and an absolute value of a voltage wave form of said AC power supply to determine an input current set value, and said control means detects an absolute value of input current to gain an error between the absolute value and the input current set value for performing one of a proportional integration-type characteristics operation having an integral characteristic at low frequency with respect to the error between the absolute value and the input current set value, and a proportional integration type characteristics operation having an integral characteristic at a low frequency and having a flat characteristic at a high frequency, so as to gain on- and off-duties of said switching element.

12. A boost-type converter circuit comprising a reactor connectible to an AC power supply and a control means for charging current in said reactor by short circuiting a converter output with a switching element and for outputting current charged in said reactor through a diode by turning off said switching element,

said control means being provided, with respect to an error between an output DC voltage and its set value, with an integration operational function of the error and a proportion operational function of the error so that said control means utilizes a multiplication result between a sum of outputs of said two operational functions and an absolute value of a voltage wave form of said AC power supply to determine an input current set value, and said control means detects an absolute value of input current to gain an error between the absolute value and the input current set value for performing one of a proportional integration-type characteristics operation having an integral characteristic at low frequency with respect to the error between the absolute value and the input current set value, and a proportional integration type characteristics operation having integral characteristics at low frequency and having a moving averaging characteristic at high frequency, so as to gain on- and off-duties of said switching element.

13. A converter circuit according to claim 12 wherein said control means adds an operational result performed for said error with a value dff calculated out, for an absolute value |Vac| of the input voltage, an input current absolute value command |Iac|*, an output DC voltage set value Vdc*, an inductance L of said reactor and an input current absolute value command |Iac|* old at a time of a previous operation, according to the following equation, so as to gain on-and off-duties of said switching element:

14. A converter circuit according to claim 12 wherein said control means adds an operational result performed for said error with a value which is gained by multiplying a value smaller than 1 with a value dff calculated out, for an absolute value |Vac| of the input voltage, an input current absolute value command |Iac|*, an output DC voltage set value Vdc*, an inductance L of said reactor and an input current absolute value command |Iac|* old at a time of a previous operation, according to the following equation so as to gain on- and off-duties of said switching element:

15. A converter circuit according to claim 12 wherein said control means adds an operational result performed for said error with a value which is gained by multiplying 1 or a value smaller than 1 with a value dff calculated out, for an absolute value |Vac| of the input voltage and an output DC voltage set value Vdc*, according to the following equation, so as to gain on- and off-duties of said switching element:

16. A converter circuit according to any one of claims 13 to 15 wherein said control means uses an output voltage value Vdc instead of said output DC voltage set value Vdc* and/or uses actual input current value |Iac| and |Iac| old instead of the input current absolute value command |Iac|* and |Iac|* old.