Multiphase converter apparatus and method

• US 7,768,800 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Huang, Rongjun, Mazumder, Sudip K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Riley; Shawn
• Application Number:
  US12/334,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20090196082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 363/17, 363/123, 363/34
• US Class Current: 363/17
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0054 Transistor switching losses periodically suspending operation of switching converter in low power mode H02M1/0035
• 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 5/458 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/5387 in a bridge configuration
• 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

An ac/ac converter for accepting a pulsating dc input with encoded sinusoidal modulation and providing a multiphase modulated output. The converter comprises a bridge including a plurality of switches having switch legs for modulating the pulsating dc input at a carrier frequency over a plurality of phases. The bridge is coupled at one end to a pulsating dc source and coupled at another end to a modulated signal output. A controller is provided for the plurality of switches for causing, for each of the plurality of phases, under unity power factor, one of the switch legs to modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency while the other switch legs do not modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency.

Claims

1. An ac/ac converter for accepting a pulsating dc input with encoded sinusoidal modulation and providing a multiphase modulated output, the converter comprising:

a bridge comprising a plurality of switches having switch legs for modulating the pulsating dc input at a carrier frequency over a plurality of phases, said bridge being coupled at one end to a pulsating dc source and coupled at another end to a modulated signal output;

a controller for the plurality of switches for causing, for each of the plurality of phases, under unity power factor, one of the switch legs to modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency while the other switch legs do not modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency.

2. The ac/ac converter of claim 1, wherein, when said driver is causing the one of the switch legs to modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency, said driver causes the other switch legs to not switch.

3. The ac/ac converter of claim 1, wherein each of the switch legs does not modulate the pulsating dc input at a point when a phase current being supplied to the switch leg is at a maximum value.

4. The ac/ac converter of claim 1, wherein said bridge comprises a plurality of upper and lower switches having legs drive-coupled to said controller.

5. The ac/ac converter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches comprises upper and lower sets of switches in each switch leg;

wherein the plurality of phases comprises three phases; and

wherein for each of the upper and lower sets, during a particular phase, one of the switch legs is controlled to switch to modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency while the other two legs are not controlled to switch.

6. The ac/ac converter of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to provide the plurality of switch legs with respective modulating references.

7. The ac/ac converter of claim 6, wherein said controller comprises:

a source of a plurality of modulation reference signals, wherein at least one modulation signal is provided for each of the switch legs;

a comparator for comparing the plurality of modulation reference signals to a carrier and providing a comparator output;

wherein the comparator output controls the switch legs.

8. An inverter comprising:

a front-end high frequency dc/dc converter stage coupled to a power source; and

an ac/ac converter coupled to said front-end high frequency dc/dc converter stage;

wherein said ac/ac converter comprises a bridge including a plurality of switches having switch legs for modulating an input signal from said front-end high frequency dc/dc converter stage at a carrier frequency over a plurality of phases, said bridge being coupled at one end to said front-end high frequency dc/dc converter stage and coupled at another end to a modulated signal output, and a controller for the plurality of switches for causing, for each of the plurality of phases, under unity power factor, one of the switch legs to modulate the input signal at the carrier frequency while the other switch legs do not modulate the input signal at the carrier frequency.

9. The inverter of claim 8 wherein said front-end high frequency dc/dc converter stage comprises:

a dc/ac inverter coupled to said power source;

a high frequency transformer coupled to an output of said dc/ac inverter; and

a diode rectifier coupled to an output of said high frequency transformer.

10. The inverter of claim 9, wherein said ac/ac converter is coupled to said diode rectifier without a decoupling link capacitor.

11. The inverter of claim 10, wherein said dc/ac inverter is operated with sine-wave modulation.

12. The inverter of claim 9, wherein said front-end high frequency dc/dc converter stage comprises:

a dc/ac inverter coupled to said power source;

a transformer coupled to an output of said dc/ac inverter;

a diode rectifier coupled to an output of said transformer; and

a link capacitor coupled to an output of said diode rectifier.

13. A power electronics system comprising a plurality of connected inverters according to claim 8.

14. The power electronics system of claim 13, wherein said plurality of connected inverters include inputs connected in parallel and outputs connected in series.

15. A soft-switching device comprising:

first and second front-end single-phase bridges;

a high-frequency transformer coupled to said first and second front-end single-phase bridges;

an ac/ac converter coupled to an output of said high-frequency transformer;

wherein said ac/ac converter comprises;

a bridge comprising a plurality of switches having switch legs for modulating the transformer output at a carrier frequency over a plurality of phases, said bridge being coupled at one end to said transformer and coupled at another end to a modulated signal output;

a controller for the plurality of switches for causing, for each of the plurality of phases, under unity power factor, one of the switch legs to modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency while the other switch legs do not modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency.

16. The soft-switching device of claim 15, wherein said front-end is configured to achieve zero-current switching.

17. An ac/ac converter for accepting a pulsating dc input with encoded sinusoidal modulation and providing a multiphase modulated output, the converter comprising:

means for modulating the pulsating dc input at a carrier frequency over a plurality of phases, said means for modulating comprising a plurality of switches having switch legs;

means for controlling said means for modulating such that, for each of the plurality of phases, under unity power factor, one of the switch legs modulates the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency while the other switch legs do not modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency.

18. The converter of claim 17, wherein said means for controlling comprises:

means for providing a plurality of reference modulation signals;

means for processing the provided plurality of reference modulation signals to drive said means for modulating.

19. A method for providing a multiphase modulated output from a pulsating dc input with encoded sinusoidal modulation, the method comprising:

receiving the pulsating dc input by a plurality of switches having switch legs for modulating the pulsating dc input at a carrier frequency over a plurality of phases;

controlling the plurality of switches to cause, for each of the plurality of phases, under unity power factor, one of the switch legs to modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency while the other switch legs do not modulate the pulsating dc input at the carrier frequency.