Power transfer devices, methods, and systems with crowbar switch shunting energy-transfer reactance

• US 8,451,637 B1
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CE+T Group SA
• Original Assignee: Ideal Power Converters, Inc.
• Inventors: Alexander, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Finch, III, Fred E
• Application Number:
  US13/541,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20130114316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 323/222, 323/239, 363/13, 363/15, 363/17, 363/34, 363/50, 363/53, 363/55, 363/56.02, 363/123, 363/124, 363/142, 361/54, 361/55
• US Class Current: 363/50
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/225 comprising two stages of AC-AC conversion, e.g. having a high frequency intermediate link
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/275 using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/458 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4807 having a high frequency intermediate AC stage
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4815 Resonant converters H02M7/4811 and H02M7/4826 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/797 using semiconductor devices only
• 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

The present application discloses methods, circuits and systems for power conversion, using a universal multiport architecture. When a transient appears on the power input (which can be, for example, polyphase AC), the input and output switches are opened, and a crowbar switch shunts the inductance which is used for energy transfer. This prevents this inductance from creating an overvoltage when it is disconnected from outside lines.

Claims

1. A method for operating a Buck-Boost Converter, comprising the actions of:

operating a first bridge switch array, comprising bidirectional switching devices, to operatively connect at least one terminal of a substantially parallel inductor-capacitor combination to a power input, with polarity which reverses at different times;

wherein said first switch array is operatively connected to said power input, and is operated to drive power into said inductor-capacitor combination with a non-sinusoidal waveform;

operating a second bridge switch array to extract power from said inductor-capacitor combination to a power output; and

under at least some overvoltage conditions, disconnecting said inductor-capacitor combination from said power input or said power output or both, while also dumping energy from said inductor-capacitor combination through a link switch which shunts said inductor-capacitor combination;

wherein, when said link switch is on, said switch arrays are connected to totally disconnect said inductor-capacitor combination from said power input and said power output.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said bridge arrays are symmetrically connected to said inductor-capacitor combination.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said inductor-capacitor combination comprises a transformer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said inductor-capacitor combination is driven at a base frequency which is less than half its resonant frequency.

5. A method for operating a power conversion circuit, comprising the steps of repeatedly, at various times:

driving current into the parallel combination of an inductor and a capacitor, and immediately thereafter temporarily disconnecting said parallel combination from external connections, to thereby transfer some energy from said inductor to said capacitor;

wherein said action of driving current is performed in opposite senses and various times, and wherein said disconnecting operation is performed substantially identically for both directions of said step of driving current;

extracting energy from said parallel combination, to thereby perform power conversion; and

under at least some overvoltage conditions, disconnecting said parallel combination from a power input or a power output or both, while also dumping energy from said parallel combination through a link switch which shunts said parallel combination;

wherein, when said link switch is on, said disconnecting step totally disconnects said parallel combination from said power input and said power output.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said driving step is performed by a full-bridge array of input switches.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said parallel combination is implemented by a transformer.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said parallel combination is driven at a base frequency which is less than half its resonant frequency.

9. A method for operating a power conversion circuit, comprising the steps of repeatedly, at various times:

a) driving current into the parallel combination of an inductor and a capacitor, and immediately thereafter temporarily disconnecting said parallel combination from external connections, to thereby transfer some energy from said inductor to said capacitor;

b) coupling power out of said parallel combination, and immediately thereafter temporarily disconnecting said parallel combination from external connections, to thereby transfer some energy from said inductor to said capacitor; and

(c) under at least some overvoltage conditions, disconnecting said parallel combination from said power input or said power output or both, while also dumping energy from said parallel combination through a link switch which shunts said parallel combination;

wherein said disconnecting operation, in said step a, is performed substantially identically for both directions of said step of driving current;

wherein said disconnecting operation, in said step b, is performed substantially identically for both directions of said step of driving current;

wherein said disconnecting operation, in said step c, totally disconnects said parallel combination from said power input and said power output.