Insulation inspection device for motors and insulation inspection method for motors

• US 9,797,955 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2013
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Okada, Shinichi, Shiota, Hiroki, Muto, Hirotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Huy Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIOS RUSSO, RAUL J
• Application Number:
  US14/433,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20150247901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 324 71, 324378, 324403, 324415, 324425, 324500, 324537, 324545, 32476501
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/12 Testing dielectric strength or breakdown voltage ; Testing or monitoring effectiveness or level of insulation, e.g. of a cable or of an apparatus, for example using partial discharge measurements; Electrostatic testing G01R31/08, G01R31/327 and G01R31/72 take precedence; measuring in plasmas G01R19/0061; measuring dielectric constants G01R27/2617; ESD, EMC or EMP testing of circuits G01R31/002
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/1272 of cable, line or wire insulation, e.g. using partial discharge measurements locating faults in cables G01R31/083
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/34 Testing dynamo-electric machines
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/343 in operation
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/0241 the fault being an overvoltage

Abstract

An insulation inspection device for motors includes an inverter for driving a motor, a partial discharge detecting unit for determining soundness of the motor, and a control circuit for controlling the inverter. The control circuit adjusts a switching interval of a voltage pulse of the inverter so as to be equal to a pulse round-trip propagation time between the inverter and the motor, thereby generating surge voltage higher than driving voltage for the motor, between the motor and ground, and adjusts a switching time for each phase of the inverter, thereby generating surge voltage higher than driving voltage for the motor, between phases, thus performing insulation inspection.

Claims

1. An insulation inspection device for motors comprising:

an inverter that drives a motor;

a partial discharge detector that detects partial discharge in the motor and determines soundness of the motor; and

a control circuit that controls the inverter to adjust a switching interval of a voltage pulse so as to be equal to or smaller than a pulse round-trip propagation time between the inverter and the motor, thereby generating surge voltage equal to or lower than three times and equal to or higher than two times a normal driving voltage for the motor, between the motor and ground.

2. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit includes a circuit that adjusts a rising time of the voltage pulse of output of the inverter, and adjusts the rising time of the voltage pulse, thereby generating surge voltage higher than the normal driving voltage for the motor.

3. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 1, further comprising an insulation inspection setting unit that stores data of the normal driving voltage for the motor, the pulse round-trip propagation time between the inverter and the motor, and an inspection procedure, and that, at a time of insulation inspection, reads the stored data and preforms the insulation inspection using a specified test voltage.

4. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 1, wherein the partial discharge detector includes an antenna that detects a partial discharge signal from an electromagnetic wave radiated from the motor.

5. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 1, wherein the partial discharge detector includes a current sensor that detects a partial discharge signal from partial discharge current of the motor.

6. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 1, wherein the inverter is a dedicated inverter for motor insulation inspection.

7. An insulation inspection device for motors comprising:

an inverter for driving a motor;

a partial discharge detector that detects partial discharge in the motor and determines soundness of the motor; and

a control circuit that controls the inverter and adjusts a switching time for each phase of the inverter so that the switching times are simultaneous or shifted from each other, thereby generating surge voltage equal to or lower than three times and equal to or higher than two times a normal driving voltage for the motor, between phases of the motor.

8. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit includes a circuit that adjusts a rising time of the voltage pulse of output of the inverter, and adjusts the rising time of the voltage pulse, thereby generating surge voltage higher than the normal driving voltage for the motor.

9. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 7, further comprising an insulation inspection setting unit that stores data of the normal driving voltage for the motor, the pulse round-trip propagation time between the inverter and the motor, and an inspection procedure, and that, at a time of insulation inspection, reads the stored data and performs the insulation inspection using specified test voltage.

10. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 7, wherein the partial discharge detector includes an antenna that detects a partial discharge signal from an electromagnetic wave radiated from the motor.

11. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 7, wherein the inverter is a dedicated inverter for motor insulation inspection.

12. An insulation inspection device for motors comprising:

an inverter that drives a motor;

a partial discharge detector that detects partial discharge in the motor and determines soundness of the motor; and

a control circuit that controls the inverter and adjusts the switching interval of the voltage pulse for each phase of the inverter so as to be equal to or smaller than the pulse round-trip propagation time, and reverses positive and negative polarities of the voltage pulses between the phases, thereby generating surge voltage equal to or lower than five times and equal to or higher than two times a normal driving voltage for the motor, between the phases of the motor.

13. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 12, wherein the control circuit includes a circuit that adjusts a rising time of the voltage pulse of output of the inverter, and adjusts the rising time of the voltage pulse, thereby generating surge voltage higher than the normal driving voltage for the motor.

14. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 12, further comprising an insulation inspection setting unit that stores data of the normal driving voltage for the motor, the pulse round-trip propagation time between the inverter and the motor, and an inspection procedure, and that, at a time of insulation inspection, reads the stored data and performs the insulation inspection using a specified test voltage.

15. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 12, wherein the partial discharge detector includes a current sensor that detects a partial discharge signal from partial discharge current of the motor.

16. The insulation inspection device for motors according to claim 12, wherein the inverter is a dedicated inverter for motor insulation inspection.

17. An insulation inspection method for motors, using an insulation inspection device for motors including an inverter that drives a motor, a partial discharge detector that determines soundness of the motor, and a control circuit that controls the inverter, the insulation inspection method comprising:

setting a value of test voltage to be applied to the motor;

adjusting, by the control circuit, a switching interval of a voltage pulse of the inverter so as to be equal to or smaller than a pulse round-trip propagation time between the inverter and the motor, in order to set, to the test voltage, surge voltage that is to be generated between the motor and ground and is equal to or lower than three times and equal to or higher than two times a normal driving voltage for the motor;

applying, by the inverter, the test voltage between each phase and ground; and

detecting, by the partial discharge detector, a partial discharge signal and determining soundness of the motor with respect to ground.

18. The insulation inspection method for motors according to claim 17, using the insulation inspection device for motors in which the inverter is a dedicated inverter for motor insulation inspection.

19. An insulation inspection method for motors, using an insulation inspection device for motors including an inverter for driving a motor, a partial discharge detecting unit for determining soundness of the motor, and a control circuit for controlling the inverter, the insulation inspection method comprising:

setting a value of test voltage to be applied to the motor;

adjusting, by the control circuit, a switching time for each phase of the inverter so that the switching times are simultaneous or shifted from each other in order to set, to the test voltage, surge voltage that is to be generated between phases of the motor and is equal to or lower than three times and equal to or higher than two times a normal driving voltage for the motor;

applying, by the inverter, the test voltage between the phases, and

detecting, by the partial discharge detecting unit, a partial discharge signal and determining phase-to-phase soundness of the motor.

20. The insulation inspection method for motors according to claim 19, using the insulation inspection device for motors in which the inverter is a dedicated inverter for motor insulation inspection.