Bidirectional battery power inverter

• US 7,746,669 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2007
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
• Original Assignee: SMP Solar Technology AG
• Inventors: Falk, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MATTHEW VAN
• Application Number:
  US11/977,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20080094860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 363/16, 363/17, 363/21.02, 363/21.03, 363/34, 363/35, 363/37, 363/97, 363/8, 363/131, 363/132, 363/98
• US Class Current: 363/17
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3372 of the parallel type
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed is a bi-directional battery power inverter (1) comprising a DC-DC converter circuit element (3) to which the battery (2) can be connected in order to generate an AC output voltage from a battery (2) voltage in a discharging mode while charging the battery (2) in a charging mode. The inverter (1) further comprises an HF transformer which forms a resonant circuit along with a resonant capacitor (6). In order to increase the efficiency of said battery power inverter, the transformer is provided with two windings (11, 12) with a center tap (20) on the primary side, said center tap (20) being connected to a power electronic center-tap connection with semiconductor switches (21, 31) while a winding (13) to which the resonant capacitor (6) is serially connected provided on the secondary side.

Claims

1. A bidirectional battery power inverter with a DC-DC converter circuit element, to which a battery may be connected, for generating an AC output voltage from a battery voltage of the battery in a discharge mode of operation and for charging the battery in a charge mode of operation, said power inverter including an HF transformer that forms a resonant circuit together with a resonant capacitor,

characterized in

that the transformer comprises two windings with a center tap on its primary side, said center tap being connected to a power electronic midpoint circuit with semiconductor switches, a winding to which the resonant capacitor is connected in series being provided on the secondary side,

that a DC-AC converter circuit element is provided which lies on the output side of the power inverter and comprises a boost or buck chopper that is connected between the DC-DC converter circuit element and the DC-AC converter circuit element and

that a resonant switching element is distributed in circuit parts having a staggered clock rate,

the resonant frequency of the alternating voltage circuit being higher than the clock frequency of a half-bridge.

2. The bidirectional battery power inverter as set forth in claim 1

characterized in that the DC-DC converter circuit element comprises a half-bridge.

3. The bidirectional battery power inverter as set forth in claim 1

characterized in that the transformer is configured to be a planar transformer.

4. The bidirectional battery power inverter as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the primary windings of the transformer are only guided about the transformer core while the secondary winding is guided about the transformer core and about an additional choke core.

5. A bidirectional battery power inverter with a DC-DC converter circuit element, to which a battery may be connected, for generating an AC output voltage from a battery voltage of the battery in a discharge mode of operation and for charging the battery in a charge mode of operation, said power inverter including an HF transformer that forms a resonant circuit together with resonant capacitors,

characterized in

that the transformer comprises two windings with a center tap on its primary side, said center tap being connected to a power electronic midpoint circuit with semiconductor switches, and one winding on the secondary side, said winding being connected to the resonant capacitors at a convergence point,

that a DC-AC converter circuit element is provided which lies on the output side of the power inverter and comprises a boost or buck chopper that is connected between the DC-DC converter circuit element and the DC-AC converter circuit element and

that a resonant switching element is distributed in circuit parts having a staggered clock rate.

6. The bidirectional battery power inverter as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the DC-DC converter circuit element comprises a half-bridge.

7. The bidirectional battery power inverter as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the transformer is configured to be a planar transformer.

8. The bidirectional battery power inverter as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the primary windings of the transformer are only guided about the transformer core while the secondary winding is guided about the transformer core and about an additional choke core.

9. A bidirectional battery power inverter for bidirectionally converting electrical power between a DC side and an AC side of the inverter, the DC side being connectable to a battery the inverter comprising:

a power electronic midpoint circuit coupled to a primary winding of an HF transformer,

and bridge-connected semiconductor elements coupled to a secondary winding of the HF transformer through capacitance,

wherein the capacitance in conjunction with a leakage inductance of the HF transformer defines a resonant frequency,

a DC/AC converter connected to the DC/DC converter, the DC/AC converter comprising a boost-buck chopper for avoiding voltage-dropping, so that an output nominal voltage is achieved,

wherein the power electric midpoint circuit is configured to be operated at an operation frequency lower than the resonant frequency in order to allow for a substantially zero current switching of the power electronic midpoint circuit

10. The bidirectional battery power inverter of claim 9, wherein the primary winding comprises a center tap being connected to a first battery terminal, and wherein the power electronic midpoint circuit comprises two switches being connected to a second battery terminal.

11. The bidirectional battery power inverter of claim 9, wherein the capacitance comprises two capacitors connected in series between connection terminals, and wherein the secondary winding is connected to a midpoint of the two capacitors.

12. The bidirectional battery power inverter of claim 9, wherein the DC/DC converter further comprises a second power electronic midpoint circuit coupled to a primary winding of a second HF transformer, and second bridge-connected semiconductor elements coupled to a secondary winding of the second HF transformer through a second capacitance.

13. The bidirectional battery power inverter of claim 12, wherein the power electronic midpoint circuit and the second power electronic midpoint circuit are configured to be operated at the same operation frequency by an offset clocking.

14. The bidirectional battery power inverter of claim 9, wherein the bridge-connected semiconductor elements are configured to form a half bridge.

15. The bidirectional battery power inverter of claim 9, wherein the bridge-connected semiconductor elements are configured to form a full bridge.

16. The bidirectional battery power inverter of claim 9, wherein the HF transformer is a planar transformer.

17. The bidirectional battery power inverter of claim 9, wherein the primary winding of the HF transformer is only guided about a transformer core, and the secondary winding of the HF transformer is guided about an additional choke core.

18. A bidirectional battery power inverter for bidirectionally converting electrical power between a DC side and an AC side of the inverter, the DC side being connectable to a battery, the inverter comprising:

a DC/DC converter comprising a first and a second power electronic midpoint circuit coupled to corresponding primary windings of a first and second HF transformer,

the DC/DC converter further comprising first and second bridge-connected semiconductor elements coupled to corresponding secondary windings of the first and second HF transformer through corresponding coupling capacitances defining a resonant frequency in conjunction with a leakage inductance of the HF transformer

a DC/AC converter connected to the DC/DC converter, the DC/AC converter comprising a boost-buck chopper for avoiding voltage-fluctuation, so that an output nominal voltage is achieved

wherein the power electronic midpoint circuit is configured to be operated at an operation frequency lower than the resonant frequency in order to allow for a substantially zero current switching of the power electronic midpoint circuit achieved,

and wherein the coupling capacitances are each formed by two capacitors connected in series, one tap of the secondary windings of each of the first and second HF transformer being connected to midpoints of the corresponding capacitance.