Power converter

• US 9,641,092 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nagaoka University of Technology, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nagaoka University of Technology, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Koyano, Hironori, Nakamura, Takamasa, Saito, Masao, Yamamoto, Kouji, Matsukawa, Tsutomu, Koshijo, Manabu, Itoh, Junichi, Ohnuma, Yoshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, III, Henry
• Application Number:
  US14/122,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20140192578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 363 34, 363 36- 37, 363 40, 363 50, 363 55, 363 5601- 5605, 363 95, 363109, 363123-124, 363131-132, 363149
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4258 using a single converter stage both for correction of AC input power factor and generation of a regulated and galvanically isolated DC output voltage H02M1/4241 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/293 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1432 specially adapted for power drive units or power converters
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/14329 specially adapted for the configuration of power bus bars
• 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

Provided is a power converter 3 that directly converts polyphase AC power to AC power. A converter circuit has a plurality of first switching elements 311, 313 and 315 that are connected to each phase R, S or T of the polyphase AC power to enable switching for turning on current-carrying bidirectionally, and a plurality of second switching elements 312, 314 and 316 that are connected to each phase to enable switching for turning on current-carrying bidirectionally. The converter circuit comprises input lines R, S and T connected to each input terminal, and output lines P and N connected to each output terminal. Parts of wiring 347 and 348 of protection circuits 32 are located between output lines P and N. The wiring distance between each protection circuit 32 and the corresponding switching element can be shortened.

Claims

1. A power converter that directly converts polyphase AC power to AC power, the power converter comprising:

a converter circuit including a plurality of first switching elements that are connected to phases of the polyphase AC power to enable switching for turning on current-carrying bidirectionally and a plurality of second switching elements that are connected to the phases of the polyphase AC power to enable switching for turning on current-carrying bidirectionally;

a plurality of input lines connected to input terminals of the plurality of first switching elements and input terminals of the plurality of second switching elements respectively;

a first output line connected to output terminals of the plurality of first switching elements and a second output line connected to output terminals of the plurality of second switching elements; and

protection circuits that are respectively connected to the first switching elements and second switching elements,

wherein the power converter has components arranged in a physical arrangement as follows;

physical positions of the output terminals of the plurality of first switching elements are physically arranged in a line and physical positions of the output terminals of the plurality of second switching elements are physically arranged in a line;

in a plan view, physical positions of the plurality of first switching elements are physically arranged in a first line and the plurality of second switching elements are physically arranged in a second line, such that the first line and the second line are parallel with the first and second output lines; and

physical positions of parts of wiring of the protection circuits are physically arranged between (1) the physical positions of the first switching elements and (2) the physical positions of the second switching elements.

2. The power converter as claimed in claim 1, in which the protection circuits respectively provided by the first switching elements and the second switching elements have each diodes that are included in each protection circuit and a condenser that is commonly used in the protection circuits, and in which the parts of wiring of the protection circuits are wirings each of which connects the diodes to the condenser.

3. The power converter as claimed in claim 2, in which a physical position of the wiring that connects the condenser and diodes is higher than a physical position of the first and second output lines.

4. The power converter as claimed in claim 1, in which the parts of wiring of the protection circuits are straight bus bars and physical positions of the straight bus bars are physically arranged between physical positions of a pair of bus bars that constitute the first and second output lines.

5. The power converter as claimed in claim 4, in which the straight bus bars that constitute the parts of wiring of protection circuits and the pair of bus bars that constitute the first and second output lines physically extend in parallel with each other.

6. The power converter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a common condenser connected to each of the first switching elements and second switching elements via particular wiring including at least one straight bus bar,

wherein the at least one straight bus bar is physically arranged between (1) the physical positions of the first switching elements and (2) the physical positions of the second switching elements.