Methods and apparatus for providing an extremely fast response in switching power converters

• US 8,155,898 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Krein, Philip T., Pitel, Grant E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Phuong
• Application Number:
  US11/778,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20080012544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 702 60- 63, 702/108, 702/127, 702/130, 702/133, 702188-191
• US Class Current: 702/60
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/15 using active elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1566 with means for compensating against rapid load changes, e.g. with auxiliary current source, with dual mode control or with inductance variation
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/157 with digital control
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel

Abstract

A method is provided for accomplishing energy changes for a power converter to minimize an impact of a disturbance. The power converter includes energy storage and switches. The method comprises determining a nature of the disturbance, evaluating an amount of energy to be added or removed from the internal storage, and computing operating times of the switches to minimize the impact of the disturbance on outputs of the power converter.

Claims

1. A method for determining energy changes using a power converter to minimize an impact of a disturbance, the power converter having energy storage elements and switching elements, the method comprising:

determining a nature of the disturbance;

evaluating an amount of energy to be added or removed based on the disturbance determination; and

based on the evaluated amount of energy to be added or removed, determining an operating sequence of the switching elements using a computer processor, wherein the operating sequence provides a sequencing of the switching elements, and switching times and operating durations of each of the switching elements in the power converter based on available energy levels of the energy storage elements before and during the addition or removal of the evaluated amount of energy, thereby minimizing the impact of the disturbance on outputs of the power converter.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining which ones of the internal storage elements to utilize; and

determining whether an operating status of each of the switches switching elements associated with the internal storage elements determined to be utilized need to be modified.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of determining which ones of the internal storage elements to utilize comprises:

determining that augmenting the power converter with a load is needed for energy removal.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

augmenting the power converter with an additional path between the input and the output of the power converter.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the path augmentation of the power converter provides energy removal and improves a response time to the disturbance.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the additional path provides a parallel phase of the power converter configured for energy storage and for managing energy during transients resulting from the disturbance.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a post-disturbance steady state current and current ripple band, and wherein the operating sequence serves to reach the post-disturbance steady state current.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a post-disturbance steady state voltage and voltage ripple band, and wherein the operating sequence serves to reach the post-disturbance steady state voltage.

9. A non-transitory computer storage readable medium comprising instructions which when executed by a computer system causes the computer to implement a method for determining energy changes using a power converter to minimize an impact of a disturbance, the power converter having one or more energy storage elements and switching elements, the method comprising:

determining a nature of the disturbance;

evaluating an amount of energy to be added or removed based on the disturbance determination; and

based on the evaluated amount of energy to be added or removed, determining an operating sequence of the switching elements, wherein the operating sequence provides a sequencing of the switching elements, and switching times and operating durations of each of the switching elements by the power converter based on the available energy levels of the energy storage elements before and during the addition or removal of the evaluated amount of energy, thereby minimizing the impact of the disturbance on outputs of the power converter.

10. The non-transitory computer storage readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining which ones of the internal storage elements to utilize; and

determining whether an operating status of each of the switching elements associated with the internal storage elements determined to be utilized needs to be modified.

11. The non-transitory computer storage readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the step of determining which ones of the internal storage elements to utilize comprises:

determining that augmenting the power converter with a load is needed for energy removal.

12. The non-transitory computer storage readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising:

augmenting the power converter with an additional path between the input and the output of the power converter.

13. The non-transitory computer storage readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the path augmentation of the power converter provides energy removal and improves a response time to the disturbance.

14. The non-transitory computer storage readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the additional path provides a parallel phase of the power converter configured for energy storage and for managing energy during transients resulting from the disturbance.

15. The non-transitory computer storage readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining a post-disturbance steady state current and current ripple band, and wherein the operating sequence serves to reach the post-disturbance steady state current.

16. The non-transitory computer storage readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining a post-disturbance steady state voltage and voltage ripple band, and wherein the operating sequence serves to reach the post-disturbance steady state voltage.