Active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator

• US 8,964,419 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute
• Inventors: Ryoo, Hong Je, Jang, Sung Roc, Rim, Geun Hie, Kim, Jong Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Emily P
• Application Number:
  US13/687,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20140146571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 363/17, 363/21.1, 363/21.16
• US Class Current: 363/21.1
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/28 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/335 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/10 arranged for operation in series, e.g. for multiplication of voltage

Abstract

An active voltage drop control-type pulse power generator includes power stages, a power inverter, a power loop, a control inverter, a control loop, and a compensation unit. The power stages include power cells connected in series. Each power cell includes a switch and a capacitor connected in series, a driver for driving the switch, a bypass diode connected to both ends of the switch, and a rectifying diode connected to both ends of the capacitor. The power inverter charges the capacitor via the power loop and the rectifying diode inside each power cell. The control inverter provides a control signal for the switch via the control loop and the driver inside each power cell. The compensation unit is connected to one of the power cells and generates a compensation voltage for compensating for a voltage drop at a load according to a voltage detected in real-time from the power cell.

Claims

1. An active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator comprising:

a plurality of power stages comprising power cells comprising a semiconductor switch and an energy storage capacitor connected in series, a power switch driver for driving the semiconductor switch, a bypass diode connected to both ends of the semiconductor switch, and a rectifying diode connected to both ends of the energy storage capacitor, the power cells being connected in series to each other;

a power inverter supplying power to charge the energy storage capacitor;

a power loop allowing the power to be supplied from the power inverter to the rectifying diode inside each of the power cells;

a control inverter providing a control signal for generating a gate signal and a gate power of the semiconductor switch; and

a control loop allowing the control signal to be supplied from the control inverter to the power switch driver inside each of the power cells, wherein the plurality of power stages are connected in series to each other such that all said semiconductor switches and energy storage capacitors are connected in series to each other and the pulse power generator further comprises a compensation voltage generating unit that comprises an output terminal connected to one of the power cells and generates and outputs a compensation voltage for compensating for a voltage drop of an output pulse voltage applied to a load according to a voltage detected in real-time from the power cells through a voltage detection circuit.

2. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 1, wherein the compensation voltage generating unit comprises a compensation capacitor connected so as to allow the compensation voltage to be applied to the output terminal while being charged/discharged, and a charger for charging the energy storage capacitor.

3. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 2, wherein the output terminal of the compensation voltage generating unit is connected to a first power cell of the power cells, the first power cell opposite to the load, and the compensation capacitor is connected in series to the semiconductor switch and the energy storage capacitor of the first power cell such that the compensation voltage is applied in series to the output pulse voltage.

4. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 2, wherein

the charger comprises:

a compensation control inverter for converting a DC voltage supplied from an input power supply into an AC voltage;

a transformer for transforming the AC voltage outputted from the compensation control inverter;

a bridge rectifier for rectifying the AC voltage delivered from the transformer into a DC voltage to charge the compensation capacitor; and

a controller for controlling a driving and an output of the compensation control inverter, and

the controller controls the driving of the compensation control inverter to allow the compensation voltage to be outputted in response to a voltage drop of the output pulse voltage through the charging/discharging of the compensation capacitor.

5. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 4, wherein the compensation control inverter comprises:

a switching unit comprising a plurality of switches turned on/off to convert a DC voltage into an USAC voltage;

an LC resonance circuit unit comprising a resonance inductor and a resonance capacitor delivering the AC voltage converted by the switch unit to the transformer; and

a gate driving circuit unit outputting a gate signal to control the switches of the switching unit according to a control signal outputted from the controller.

6. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 4, wherein

the controller comprises a compensation controller outputting a control signal according to a control voltage outputted from a main controller and a pulse modulator performing pulse modulation of the control signal outputted from the compensation controller to output a modulated control signal, and

the main controller outputs the control voltage according to a difference between an actual pulse voltage detected in real-time from the power cells and a predetermined target pulse voltage.

7. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 6, wherein a controller of the power inverter controlling the output pulse voltage by controlling the driving of the power inverter such that the output pulse voltage follows the predetermined target pulse voltage comprises a power controller outputting a control signal according to the control voltage outputted from the main controller and a pulse modulator performing pulse modulation of the control signal outputted from the power controller to output a modulated control signal.

8. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 6, wherein the voltage detected in real-time from the power cells is an energy storage capacitor voltage detected from the energy storage capacitor comprised in a first power cell of the power cells, the first power cell opposite to the load.

9. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 6, wherein the voltage detected in real-time from the power cells is an actual output pulse voltage detected from an output terminal of a final power cell connected to the load.

10. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 9, comprising a control switch disposed at a front end of the main controller receiving the output pulse voltage, wherein the control switch is turned on such that the detected voltage is inputted into the main controller at a predetermined time after a pulse rise of the output pulse voltage.

11. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 9, comprising a capacitor disposed at a front end of the main controller receiving the output pulse voltage to allow a DC detection voltage converted from the output pulse voltage to be inputted into the main controller.

12. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 1, wherein the voltage detected in real-time from the power cells is an energy storage capacitor voltage detected from the energy storage capacitor comprised in a first power cell of the power cells, the first power cell opposite to the load.

13. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 1, wherein the voltage detected in real-time from the power cells is an actual output pulse voltage detected from an output terminal of a final power cell connected to the load.

14. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 7, wherein the voltage detected in real-time from the power cells is an energy storage capacitor voltage detected from the energy storage capacitor comprised in a first power cell of the power cells, the first power cell opposite to the load.

15. The active voltage droop control-type pulse power generator of claim 7, wherein the voltage detected in real-time from the power cells is an actual output pulse voltage detected from an output terminal of a final power cell connected to the load.