Input power controller for AC/DC battery charging

• US 9,257,864 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPARQ Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cistel Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Pahlevaninezhad, Majid, Jain, Praveen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhou, Zixuan
• Application Number:
  US13/425,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20130249469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 180/65.21, 180/65.29, 363/98, 363/132
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/10 Arrangements incorporating converting means for enabling loads to be operated at will from different kinds of power supplies, e.g. from ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4225 using a non-isolated boost converter
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• 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

A control approach of adjusting the input power of a power factor correction (PFC) stage so that the output voltage (DC-link) of the input AC/DC stage to an intermediate DC voltage (DC-Bus voltage) is adjusted based on the amount of power required to charge a high energy battery is disclosed. The present invention controls the input power of the PFC instead of the DC-bus voltage as is common in conventional methods. Therefore, a very fast response compared to the conventional sluggish voltage loop can be achieved. Also, having different DC-bus voltages for different output load conditions allows the DC/DC converter to work with an optimal duty cycle for a whole range of load variations.

Claims

1. A system for charging a battery comprising:

a full bridge diode rectifier receiving an alternating current (AC) input;

a full bridge converter;

a pair of interleaved boost converters operatively coupled in parallel between the full bridge diode rectifier and the full bridge converter; and

a controller for regulating an input power to said system based on power demand, said input power being regulated by adjusting an instantaneous duty ratio to ensure that said input power tracks a reference value for instantaneous power, said reference value for instantaneous power being derived from a reference value of an average power from a charging profile of said battery, said reference value for instantaneous power being based on a peak value of a rectified input voltage;

wherein

said pair of interleaved boost converters and said full bridge converter are adaptively operated by said controller based on said charging profile of said battery and a required amount of power; and

said instantaneous duty ratio is given by;

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the battery is operatively coupled to the full bridge converter.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein each of the pair of interleaved boost converters comprises an inductor, a diode, and a power transistor.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein the full bridge converter comprises a first leg and a second leg of circuit elements.

5. The system as in claim 4, wherein each leg comprises a first power transistor, a second power transistor, a first capacitor and a second capacitor, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are in series, and a first terminal of a first inductor is coupled between the first capacitor and the second capacitor and a second terminal of the first inductor is coupled to an output node.

6. The system as in claim 5, wherein the power transistors are metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and wherein the MOSFETS are operatively coupled to the output node of its respective leg.

7. The system as in claim 5, wherein gate signals for the power transistors in the full bridge converter are generated based on the battery charging profile.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the system is an electric vehicle power conversion system.

9. An alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) converter for charging a battery comprising:

a full bridge diode rectifier receiving an AC input;

a full bridge converter;

a pair of interleaved boost converters operatively coupled in parallel between the full bridge diode rectifier and the full bridge converter; and

a controller for regulating an input power to said system based on power demand, said input power being regulated by adjusting an instantaneous duty ratio to ensure that said input power tracks a reference value for instantaneous power, said reference value for instantaneous power being derived from a reference value of an average power from a charging profile of said battery, said reference value for instantaneous power being based on a peak value of a rectified input voltage;

wherein

said pair of interleaved boost converters and said full bridge converter are adaptively operated by said controller based on said charging profile of said battery and a required amount of power;

said instantaneous duty ratio is given by;

10. The AC/DC converter as in claim 9, wherein the battery is operatively coupled to the full bridge converter.

11. The system as in claim 9, wherein each of the pair of interleaved boost converters comprises an inductor, a diode, and a power transistor.

12. The system as in claim 9, wherein the full bridge converter comprises a first leg and a second leg of circuit elements.

13. The system as in claim 12, wherein each leg comprises a first power transistor, a second power transistor, a first capacitor and a second capacitor, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are in series, and a first terminal of a first inductor is coupled between the first capacitor and the second capacitor and a second terminal of the first inductor is coupled to an output node.

14. The system as in claim 13, wherein the power transistors are metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and wherein the MOSFETS are operatively coupled to the output node of its respective leg.

15. The system as in claim 13, wherein gate signals for the power transistors in the full bridge converter are generated based on the battery charging profile.

16. A method of charging a battery comprising steps of:

(a) receiving an alternating current (AC) input at a full bridge diode rectifier;

(b) outputting a direct current to a pair of interleaved boost converters that is operatively coupled to a full bridge converter; and

(c) operating the pair of interleaved boost converters and the full bridge converter according to a charging profile of the battery; and

(d) adjusting, by way of a controller, an instantaneous duty ratio to ensure that an input power tracks a reference value for instantaneous power, said reference value for instantaneous power being derived from a reference value of an average power from said charging profile of said battery and said reference value for instantaneous power being based on a peak value of a rectified input voltage;

wherein

said pair of interleaved boost converters and said full bridge converter are adaptively operated by said controller based on said charging profile of said battery and a required amount of power;

said instantaneous duty ratio is given by;

17. The method as in claim 16, wherein step (c) further includes the step of generating gate signals for power transistors in the full bridge converter based on the battery charging profile.