Power supply device for electromotive railcar

• US 6,388,904 B2
• Filed: 01/21/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nomura, Yoshihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laxton, Gary L.
• Application Number:
  US09/234,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20010012207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 363/34, 363/35, 363/37, 363/39, 363/40, 363/44, 363/45, 363/47, 363/65, 363/71, 363/97, 363/132
• US Class Current: 363/71
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0074 Plural converter units whose inputs are connected in series
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33573 Full-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/08 arranged for operation in parallel

Abstract

A power supply device for an electromotive railcar, including a series circuit composed of a plurality of first capacitors, connected to receive a first DC voltage from an electric power line; a plurality of DC/AC/DC converters. Each of the DC/AC/DC converters including an inverter bridge with an input thereof connected in parallel to one of the first capacitors and having a plurality of power transistors, an insulating transformer with a high carrier frequency and having a primary winding connected to an output of the inverter bridge, and a rectifier circuit connected to a secondary winding of the insulating transformer to output a DC voltage. The power supply device further including a smoothing circuit including a DC reactor and a second capacitor for smoothing the DC voltages output from the rectifier circuits of the DC/AC/DC converters, the smoothing circuit generating a second DC voltage; and a three-phase inverter including a bridge circuit having a plurality of power transistors, the three-phase inverter generating a three-phase AC voltage on the basis of the second DC voltage. The respective outputs of the rectifier circuits of the DC/AC/DC converters are connected to each other in parallel.

Claims

1. A power supply device for an electromotive railcar, comprising:

a plurality of first capacitors connected in series and adapted to receive a first DC voltage across said series connected capacitors from an electric power line;

a plurality of DC/AC/DC converters, each of said DC/AC/DC converters including an inverter bridge with an input of said inverter bridge connected in parallel to one of said first capacitors and having a plurality of power transistors, an insulating transformer with a high carrier frequency and having a primary winding connected to an output of said inverter bridge, and a rectifier circuit connected to a secondary winding of said insulating transformer to output a DC voltage;

a smoothing circuit including a DC reactor a second capacitor for smoothing the DC voltages output from said rectifier circuits of said DC/AC/DC converters, said smoothing circuit generating a second DC voltage;

a three-phase inverter including a bridge circuit having a plurality of power transistors, said three-phase inverter generating a three-phase AC voltage on the basis of said second DC voltage; and

an AC filter connected to an output of said three-phase inverter and including a series connected circuit comprising an AC reactor and an AC capacitor,

wherein one terminal of said AC capacitor is connected to a neutral point of said secondary winding of said insulating transformer, and

wherein respective outputs of the rectifier circuits of said DC/AC/DC converters are connected to each other in parallel.

2. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein a carrier frequency band of the insulating transformers of said DC/AC/DC converters is in the range of 1 to 6 KHz.

3. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of first capacitors comprise one of (i) two first capacitors and (ii) three first capacitors, and

said plurality of DC/AC/DC converters comprise one of (i) two DC/AC/DC converters and (ii) three DC/AC/DC converters.

4. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein the insulating transformers of said DC/AC/DC converters have a common core,

a number of turns of the primary windings of the insulating transformers of said DC/AC/DC converters are the same, and

a number of turns of the secondary windings of the insulating transformers of said DC/AC/DC converters are the same.

5. The power supply device of claim 1, wherein a capacitance of said second capacitor is larger than a sum of capacitances of said first capacitors.

6. The power supply device of claim 5, wherein a capacitance of said second capacitor is between three and six times a sum of capacitances of said first capacitors.

8. The power supply device of claims 1 or 7, further comprising:

a discharge circuit including a series connected circuit comprising a power transistor and a discharge resistor, said series connected circuit connected in parallel to said second capacitor of said smoothing circuit; and

a voltage surveillance circuit connected to said smoothing circuit for detecting said second DC voltage and for turning on said power transistor when said voltage surveillance circuit detects that said second DC voltage is greater than a predetermined voltage.

7. A power supply device for an electromotive railcar, comprising:

a first capacitor connected to receive a first DC voltage from an electric power line;

a DC/AC/DC converter including an inverter bridge with an input of said inverter bridge connected to said first capacitor and having a plurality of power transistors, an insulating transformer with a high carrier frequency and having a primary winding connected to an output of said inverter bridge, and a rectifier circuit connected to a secondary winding of said insulating transformer to output a DC voltage;

a smoothing circuit including a DC reactor and a second capacitor for smoothing said DC voltage output from said rectifier circuit of said DC/AC/DC converter, said smoothing circuit generating a second DC voltage;

a three-phase inverter including a bridge circuit having a plurality of power transistors, said three-phase inverter generating a three-phase AC voltage on the basis of said second DC voltage; and

an AC filter connected to an output of said three-phase inverter and including a series connected circuit comprising an AC reactor and an AC capacitor,

wherein one terminal of said AC capacitor is connected to a neutral point of said secondary winding of said insulating transformer, and

wherein a communication system of said inverter bridge is of a partial resonance type.