High-frequency heating apparatus

• US 8,017,893 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsukura, Toyotsugu, Morikawa, Hisashi, Moriya, Hideaki, Sakai, Shinichi, Suenaga, Haruo, Shirokawa, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen; Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THIEN S
• Application Number:
  US10/599,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20080272115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 219/715, 219/678, 219/721
• US Class Current: 219/702
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33571 Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33573 Full-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/666 Safety circuits emergency protective circuits in general H02H

Abstract

A purpose of the present invention is to provide an inverter circuit capable of suppressing an overshooting phenomenon of an input current at an instantaneous time when an initiating operation of the inverter circuit is switched to the normal operation thereof, and thus, capable of preventing damages of IGBTs and a magnetron.

In a high frequency heating apparatus comprising: a control signal forming circuit for forming a control signal from a difference between an input current of an AC power supply and a reference current; a frequency modulated signal forming circuit for correcting rectified voltage/rectified current which are obtained by rectifying the AC voltage/current of the AC power supply based upon the control signal of the control signal forming circuit; and a dead time forming circuit for receiving the output of the frequency modulated signal forming circuit, a control signal converting circuit having a function capable of further lowering the value of the control signal is provided between the control signal forming circuit and the frequency modulated signal forming circuit.

Claims

1. A high frequency heating apparatus for driving a magnetron, comprising:

a DC power supply which is constituted by an AC power supply, a rectifying circuit for rectifying an AC voltage of said AC power supply, and a smoothing capacitor for smoothing an output voltage of said rectifying circuit;

a series circuit constituted by two pieces of semiconductor switching elements;

a resonant circuit in which a primary winding of a leakage transformer and a capacitor are connected, said series circuit being connected parallel to said DC power supply, and one end of said resonant circuit being connected to a center point of said series circuit and the other end of said resonant circuit being connected to one end of said DC power supply in an AC equivalent circuit;

driving means for driving said semiconductor switching elements respectively by alternately turning on and off said semiconductor switching elements while providing a dead time for concurrently turning off said two semiconductor switching elements;

rectifying means connected to a secondary winding of said leakage transformer; and

the magnetron connected to said rectifying means;

a control signal forming circuit for forming a control signal from a difference between an input current of the AC power supply and a reference current, or a difference between a voltage to be applied to the magnetron and a reference voltage;

a frequency modulated signal forming circuit for correcting rectified voltage/rectified current which are obtained by rectifying the AC voltage/current of the AC power supply based upon the control signal of the control signal forming circuit;

a dead time forming circuit for generating a dead time control signal which enables the driving means to set said dead time depending on the output of the frequency modulated signal forming circuit; and

a control signal converting circuit configured to lower the value of said control signal when polarity of the control signal converting circuit is positive, the control signal converting circuit being disposed between and connected to said control signal forming circuit and said frequency modulated signal forming circuit.

4. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said control signal converting circuit is comprised of an operational amplifier;

the output of said control signal converting circuit is applied to one input terminal of said operational amplifier, and a potential at a junction point between two resistors of a series circuit is applied to the other input terminal of said operational amplifier; and

said series circuit is constituted by said two resistors and a diode, which is interposed between a positive potential of another DC power supply and the output-sided terminal of said operational amplifier.

5. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said control signal converting circuit is comprised of an amplifier having a comparing function;

the output of said control signal forming circuit is entered to one input terminal of said amplifier, and the positive potential of said DC power supply is entered to the other input terminal of said amplifier; and

a gain of said amplifier is switched by conducting/non-conducting a diode as said comparing function.

6. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said control signal converting circuit is comprised of an amplifier having a comparing function;

the output of said control signal forming circuit is entered to one input terminal of said amplifier, and the other input terminal of said amplifier owns a comparator which compares the positive potential of said DC power supply with the output of said control signal forming circuit; and

a gain of said amplifier is switched by said comparator.

7. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the case that said control signal converting circuit is operated in a negative polarity instead of said positive polarity, said control signal converting circuit inverts the respective signals in said positive polarity.

8. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said control signal is switched based upon a sensing signal of a magnetron oscillation sensing means.

9. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said dead time forming circuit makes the dead time constant, or slightly increases the dead time irrespective of a switching frequency.

10. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said dead time forming circuit increases the dead time in connection with an increase of a switching frequency.

11. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said dead time forming circuit makes the dead time constant, or slightly increases the dead time at a switching frequency which is lower than, or equal to a predetermined switching frequency.

12. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said dead time forming circuit rapidly increases the dead time at a switching frequency which is higher than, or equal to a predetermined switching frequency.

13. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein either the constant value or the slightly increased value as to said dead time is variable at the switching frequency lower than, or equal to said predetermined switching frequency is variable.

14. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said predetermined frequency is variable.

15. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said dead time forming circuit increases the dead time in a step wise manner in connection with an increase of a switching frequency.

16. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said dead time forming circuit forms the dead time based upon both a plus offset voltage and a minus offset voltage, which are changed in a first inclination which is directly proportional to an increase of the switching frequency, and also, which are changed in a second inclination from said predetermined switching frequency.

17. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein:

said dead time forming circuit is comprised of;

a VCC power supply;

a duty control power supply;

a first current which is changed directly proportional to a switching frequency;

a second current which flows from the predetermined switching frequency and is changed directly proportional to the switching frequency;

a third current which is produced by combining said first current with said second current and by multiplying said combined current by a predetermined coefficient; and

upper/lower potential forming means for forming an upper potential and a lower potential, which are made by adding both a plus offset voltage and a minus offset voltage which are directly proportional to said third current to the voltage of said duty control power supply; and

said variable dead time forming circuit forms the dead time based upon said upper potential and said lower potential.

18. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein:

either an input power control operation or an input current control operation is carried out by changing at least one of said voltage of the duty control power supply and said switching frequency.

19. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the rapidly increased value as to said dead time is variable at the switching frequency higher than, or equal to said predetermined switching frequency is variable.

20. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said predetermined frequency is variable.

21. A high frequency heating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said dead time forming circuit controls said driving means.

2. A high frequency heating apparatus for driving a magnetron, comprising:

a DC power supply which is constituted by AC power supply, a rectifying circuit for rectifying an AC voltage of said AC power supply, and a smoothing capacitor for smoothing an output voltage of said rectifying circuit;

two sets of series circuits, each of said series circuits being constituted by two pieces of semiconductor switching elements;

a resonant circuit in which a primary winding of a leakage transformer and a capacitor are connected, said two sets of series circuits being connected parallel to said DC power supply respectively, and one end of said resonant circuit being connected to a center point of said one series circuit and the other end of said resonant circuit being connected to a center point of the other series circuit;

driving means for driving said semiconductor switching elements respectively by alternately turning on and off said semiconductor switching elements while providing a dead time for concurrently turning off said two semiconductor switching elements;

rectifying means connected to a secondary winding of said leakage transformer; and

the magnetron connected to said rectifying means;

a control signal forming circuit for forming a control signal from a difference between an input current of the AC power supply and a reference current, or a difference between a voltage to be applied to the magnetron and a reference voltage;

a frequency modulated signal forming circuit for correcting rectified voltage/rectified current which are obtained by rectifying the AC voltage/current of the AC power supply based upon the control signal of the control signal forming circuit;

a dead time forming circuit for generating a dead time control signal which enables the driving means to set said dead time depending on the output of the frequency modulated signal forming circuit; and

a control signal converting circuit configured to lower the value of said control signal when polarity of the control signal converting circuit is positive, the control signal converting circuit being disposed between and connected to said control signal forming circuit and said frequency modulated signal forming circuit.

3. A high frequency heating apparatus for driving a magnetron, comprising:

a DC power supply which is constituted by an AC power supply, a rectifying circuit for rectifying an AC voltage of said AC power supply, and a smoothing capacitor for smoothing an output voltage of said rectifying circuit;

a series circuit constituted by two pieces of semiconductor switching elements;

a resonant circuit in which a primary winding of a leakage transformer and a capacitor are connected, said series circuit being connected parallel to said DC power supply, and said resonant circuit being connected to one of said semiconductor switching elements in a parallel manner;

driving means for driving said semiconductor switching elements respectively by alternately turning on and off said semiconductor switching elements while providing a dead time for concurrently turning off said two semiconductor switching elements;

rectifying means connected to a secondary winding of said leakage transformer; and

the magnetron connected to said rectifying means;

a control signal forming circuit for forming a control signal from a difference between an input current of the AC power supply and a reference current, or a difference between a voltage to be applied to the magnetron and a reference voltage;

a frequency modulated signal forming circuit for correcting rectified voltage/rectified current which are obtained by rectifying the AC voltage/current of the AC power supply based upon the control signal of the control signal forming circuit;

a dead time forming circuit for generating a dead time control signal which enables the driving means to set said dead time depending on the output of the frequency modulated signal forming circuit; and

a control signal converting circuit configured to lower the value of said control signal when polarity of the control signal converting circuit is positive, the control signal converting circuit being disposed between and connected to said control signal forming circuit and said frequency modulated signal forming circuit.