Interleaved converter power factor correction method and apparatus

• US 6,690,589 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Valere Power, Inc. (Delta Electronics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Valere Power, Inc. (Delta Electronics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Marsh, Andrew, Marabell, Donald, Barnett, Rick L., Fasullo, Gregory H., Blair, Barry Olen
• Primary Examiner(s): HAN, YOUNGHUIE JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US10/085,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20030161167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 363/65, 363/69, 363/71, 363/72, 323/272
• US Class Current: 363/72
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4225 using a non-isolated boost converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/44 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel
• 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

Disclosed is an apparatus that equally distributes current from a rectifier circuit to a plurality of power factor correction circuit units by equal current magnitudes and lower component count advantages of peak current sensing with the lower harmonic distortion advantages of average current sensing. The output of a single average current sensing correction circuit in a master controller is logically compared with the output of a peak current sensing circuit in each of a plurality of interleaved master and slave controller units to produce a difference signal used to operate the switch in the switch leg of each controller unit to reduce emi, harmonic distortion and increase power factor toward an in phase condition.

Claims

1. A method of operating a plurality of power factor correction converters, having a switch leg in each converter, connected between a bridge rectifier and a load, comprising the steps of:

providing a peak current mode control signal in each converter;

providing an average current mode control signal based upon master phase currents in one of said converters; and

logically combining the peak current control mode signal with the average current control mode to control current flow through said switch leg of each converter of said plurality.

2. A method of operating a plurality of power factor correction converters, having a switch leg in each converter, connected between a bridge rectifier and a load, comprising the steps of:

providing a peak current mode control signal in each converter;

providing an average current mode control signal based upon phase currents in one of said converters; and

logically combining the peak control mode signal with an average control signal before utilizing same to control current flow through said switch leg of each converter of said plurality.

3. A method of controlling a switch leg current in a plurality of power factor correction converters operating between a bridge rectifier and a load, comprising the steps of:

determining a peak current in the switch leg of each of the plurality of converters;

generating a first control signal for each converter in accordance with the detected peak current;

determining the currents in the switch and non-switched legs of one of the plurality of converters;

summing and adding the currents in the switch and non-switched legs of one of the plurality of converters to generate a second control signal; and

logically combining the first and second control signals and thereafter applying the resulting combination to control current flow through the switch leg of each of the plurality of converters.

4. Apparatus for controlling switch leg current in a plurality of interleaved power factor correction converters operating between a bridge rectifier and a load, comprising:

peak current determining means in the switch leg of each of said plurality of converters, each peak current determining means providing a peak current first control signal;

average current determining means operating in accordance with currents detected in both the switched and non-switched legs of one of said plurality of converters, said average current determining means operating to generate a second control signal; and

switch control means, for each of said plurality of converters, connected to receive said first and second control signals from said peak and average current determining means, respectively, said switch control means logically combining the first and second control signals before applying same to control current flow through said switch leg of each respective one of said plurality of converters.

5. Apparatus utilized in controlling the operation of a plurality of interleaved power factor correction converters, having a switch leg in each converter, connected between a bridge rectifier and a load, comprising:

switch leg peak current detecting means in each converter that generates a first control signal;

switch and non-switched leg average current detecting means, operating in accordance with the currents detected in only one of said plurality of converters generating a second control signal; and

a plurality of control signal combining means, each operationally communicating with a specific one of said converters, connected to receive said first and second control signals from said peak and average current detecting means, the combining means operating to logically combine said first and second control signals, whereby the resultant signal of the combination controls current flow through said switch leg of each converter of said plurality.

6. Apparatus for operating a plurality of power factor correction converters, having a switch leg and a non-switch leg in each converter, connected between a bridge rectifier and a load, comprising:

a peak current detector in each converter;

a single average current detector operating to generate an average current control signal based upon in phase currents in one of said converters; and

signal combining means, operationally connected to said peak and average current detectors, whereby signals generated by the detectors are received and logically combined, thereby producing a switch leg control signal for a given converter operationally utilizing a given peak detector; and

a switch in the switch leg of the given converter connected to said signal combining means and operating in accordance with said switch leg control signal.