Braking and auxiliary power converter

• US 9,024,551 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Young, Henry Todd, Kuttenkuler, Jason Daniel, Mari Curbelo, Alvaro Jorge
• Primary Examiner(s): Leykin, Rita
• Application Number:
  US13/731,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 318/380, 318/370, 318/371, 318/374, 318/375, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 180/65.51
• US Class Current: 318/380
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/00 Electrodynamic brake systems for vehicles in general
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 1/00 Arrangements of braking elements, i.e. of those parts where braking effect occurs specially for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 1/10 by utilising wheel movement for accumulating energy, e.g. driving air compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/586 the retarders being of the electric type
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/042 by electrical means, e.g. using travel or force sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 3/12 by short-circuit or resistive braking

Abstract

An integrated power converter includes first and second auxiliary switch modules, and one or more braking switch modules. The first auxiliary switch module is mounted at a first location of a laminated bus bar, and connects a first auxiliary lead with a first power layer and a second power layer of the bus bar. The second auxiliary switch module is mounted at a second location of the bus bar, and connects a second auxiliary lead with the first and second power layers. The braking switch modules are mounted at additional locations of the bus bar, adjacent to the first and second locations. Each braking switch module connects a braking lead with one of the power layers of the bus bar, and with a dual diode module or with the other power layer of the bus bar.

Claims

1. An integrated power converter comprising:

a bus bar with a first power layer and a second power layer;

a first auxiliary switch module mounted at a first location of the bus bar, and connecting a first auxiliary lead with the first power layer and the second power layer of the bus bar;

a second auxiliary switch module mounted at a second location of the bus bar, and connecting a second auxiliary lead with the first power layer and the second power layer of the bus bar; and

one or more braking switch modules mounted at additional locations of the bus bar, adjacent to the first and second locations, each braking switch module connecting a braking lead with one of the first power layer or the second power layer of the bus bar, and with a dual diode module or with the other of the first power layer or the second power layer of the bus bar.

2. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more braking switch modules is an RCS chopper module that includes an RCS switch connected between the braking lead and the second power layer of the bus bar, and a diode connected between the braking lead and the first power layer of the bus bar.

3. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more braking switch modules is an IGBT chopper module that includes an IGBT switch connected between the braking lead and the second power layer of the bus bar, a first diode connected anti-parallel to the IGBT switch, and a second diode connected between the braking lead and the first power layer of the bus bar.

4. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more braking switch modules is an RCS module that includes an RCS switch connected between the braking lead and the second power layer of the bus bar, the power converter further comprising the dual diode module disposed adjacent to the auxiliary switch module at the first location, said dual diode module including a first diode connected between the RCS module and the first power layer of the bus bar.

5. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first diode of the dual diode module is connected with the RCS module via a freewheel layer of the bus bar, said freewheel layer disposed adjacent to the first power layer of the bus bar.

6. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more braking switch modules is an IGBT module that includes an IGBT switch connected between the braking lead and the second power layer of the bus bar, the power converter further comprising the dual diode module connected between the IGBT module and the first power layer of the bus bar, the dual diode module being disposed adjacent to the auxiliary switch module at the first location.

7. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first diode of the dual diode module is connected with the IGBT module via a freewheel layer of the bus bar, said freewheel layer disposed adjacent to the first layer of the bus bar.

8. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more braking switch modules include a first group of first and second braking switch modules disposed at third and fourth positions that bracket the first position at one side of the bus bar, and a second group of third and fourth braking switch modules disposed at fifth and sixth positions that bracket the second position at the other side of the bus bar.

9. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 8, wherein the braking switch modules comprise RCS chopper modules, and the auxiliary switch modules comprise dual IGBT modules.

10. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first group of braking switch modules are single switch RCS modules.

11. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second group of braking switch modules are chopper modules.

12. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second group of braking switch modules are IGBT chopper modules.

13. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first auxiliary switch module is arranged on a common heat sink with the dual diode module.

14. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 13, wherein the dual diode module is connected with the first group of braking switch modules via a freewheel layer of the bus bar that is adjacent to the first power layer.

15. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first group of braking switch modules are single IGBT modules.

16. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second group of braking switch modules are IGBT chopper modules.

17. An integrated power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bus bar is a laminated bus bar.

18. A vehicle comprising:

a braking motor;

a dissipator;

an auxiliary electrical load;

an input device; and

an integrated power converter as claimed in claim 1, wherein;

the integrated power converter is connected between the braking motor and the dissipator for modulating current from the braking motor to the dissipator in response to actuation of the input device; and

the integrated power converter is connected between the braking motor and the auxiliary electrical load for modulating current from the braking motor to the auxiliary electrical load.

19. A method for power conversion, comprising:

mounting one or more auxiliary switch modules at a first location of a bus bar having a first power layer and a second power layer;

coupling an auxiliary load with a power source via the one or more auxiliary switch modules, each auxiliary switch module connecting the auxiliary load with the first power layer and the second power layer of the bus bar;

mounting one or more braking switch modules at an additional location of the bus bar, adjacent to the first location;

coupling a dissipator with the power source via the one or more braking switch modules, each braking switch module connecting the dissipator with one of the first power layer or the second power layer of the bus bar, and with a dual diode module or with the other of the first power layer or the second power layer of the bus bar;

switching one or more of the one or more braking switch modules to energize the dissipator from the power source; and

switching one or more of the one or more auxiliary switch modules to energize the auxiliary load from the power source.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the one or more braking switch modules are intermittently switched to mitigate heating of portions of the dissipator.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the auxiliary switching modules are continuously switched to energize the auxiliary loads.

22. An integrated power converter comprising:

a bus bar having a first power layer and a second power layer;

plural braking switch modules connected to the bus bar and connecting a dissipator with one of the first power layer or the second power layer of the bus bar, and with a dual diode module or with the other of the first power layer or the second power layer of the bus bar, each braking switch module further being configured for coupling with a power source;

plural auxiliary switch modules connected to the bus bar and connecting one or more auxiliary loads with the first power layer and the second power layer of the bus bar, the switch modules also being configured for coupling with the power source; and

a control module configured to controllably switch the one or more braking switch modules to energize the dissipator from the power source and to controllably switch the one or more auxiliary switch modules to energize the one or more auxiliary loads from the power source.

23. A vehicle comprising:

a dissipator;

a power source;

an auxiliary electrical load;

a bus bar having a first power layer and a second power layer;

plural braking switch modules connected to the bus bar, each braking switch module connecting the dissipator with one of the first power layer or the second power layer of the bus bar, and with a dual diode module or with the other of the first power layer or the second power layer of the bus bar to connect the dissipator to the power source;

plural auxiliary switch modules connected to the bus bar and connecting the auxiliary electrical load with the first power layer and the second power layer of the bus bar to couple the auxiliary electrical load with the power source; and

a control module configured to controllably switch the one or more braking switch modules to energize the dissipator from the power source and to controllably switch the one or more auxiliary switch modules to energize the one or more auxiliary loads from the power source.