DC power-supply device and refrigeration cycle device

• US 9,816,737 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Kamiya, Shota, Hatakeyama, Kazunori, Ito, Norikazu, Yuasa, Kenta, Isoda, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iliya, Bart
• Application Number:
  US15/030,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20160265822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 31/02 of motor-compressor units
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/12 Arrangements for reducing harmonics from ac input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/32 Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/36 Means for starting or stopping converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/42 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for or adjusting power factor in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4225 using a non-isolated boost converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/06 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/062 Avoiding or suppressing excessive transient voltages or currents
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• 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 DC power-supply device that suppresses an excessive inrush current, can prevent breakage of elements and burnout of circuits, and converts alternating current from a three-phase AC power supply into direct current to supply it to a load, includes a rectifier circuit having a reactor connected to input or output side thereof and rectifying the alternating current from the three-phase AC power supply; first and second capacitors and connected in series between output terminals to the load; a charging unit selectively charges one or both of the first and second capacitors; and a control unit controlling the charging unit. When charging of the first and second capacitors is started, the control unit reduces the on-duty ratio, and then, until the on-duty ratio during a normal operation is reached, the control unit executes control such that the on-duty ratio is gradually increased as a predetermined time period is passed.

Claims

1. A DC power-supply device that converts an alternating current from a three-phase AC power supply into a direct current and supplies the converted current to a load, the DC power-supply device comprising:

a rectifier circuit that has a reactor connected to an input side or an output side thereof and that rectifies the alternating current from the three-phase AC power supply;

a first capacitor and a second capacitor that are connected in series between output terminals to the load;

a charging unit that selectively charges one or both of the first capacitor and the second capacitor; and

a control unit that controls the charging unit, wherein;

the charging unit includes;

a first switching element and a second switching element that are connected in series and are switched at a frequency that is a multiple n (where n is a natural number) of a frequency of the three-phase AC power supply,

a first backflow prevention element that prevents backflow of a stored electric charge of the first capacitor to the first switching element, and

a second backflow prevention element that prevents backflow of a stored electric charge of the second capacitor to the second switching element,

a point between the first switching element and the second switching element and a point between the first capacitor and the second capacitor are connected to each other,

the DC power-supply device further comprises a power-supply voltage detection unit,

the control unit controls an operation mode,

the operation mode includes;

a full-wave rectification mode in which the first switching element and the second switching element are always turned off and on-duty ratios of the first switching element and the second switching element are 0%, and

a boosting mode in which the first switching element and the second switching element are alternately turned on at a charging frequency, and

in the boosting mode, an output voltage is controlled by gradually increasing the on-duty ratios of the first switching element and the second switching element.

2. The DC power-supply device according to claim 1, wherein

when charging of the first capacitor and the second capacitor is started, a charging current is suppressed by reducing an on-duty ratio of the first switching element and the second switching element and suppressing a charging peak current flowing to the first capacitor and the second capacitor to be equal to or smaller than an allowable value of the charging unit or the rectifier circuit, and then,

until an on-duty ratio during a normal operation is reached, the on-duty ratio of the first switching element and the second switching element is gradually increased as a predetermined time period is passed.

3. The DC power-supply device according to claim 2, wherein

at least one of the first switching element, the second switching element, the first backflow prevention element, and the second backflow prevention element is formed from a wide-bandgap semiconductor.

4. The DC power-supply device according to claim 3, wherein

the wide-bandgap semiconductor is silicon carbide, a gallium nitride material, or diamond.

5. The DC power-supply device according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit reduces an on-duty ratio when the full-wave rectification mode and the boosting mode are switched, and

the control unit subsequently executes control such that an on-time of the first switching element and the second switching element is changed gradually to shift to the boosting mode.

6. The DC power-supply device according to claim 1, wherein

by repeating the full-wave rectification mode and an operation mode that has a time period during which both the first switching element and the second switching element are simultaneously turned on, energy is accumulated in the reactor and an output voltage is increased, and

after the output voltage has become equal to or larger than a threshold, the DC power-supply device shifts to the boosting mode.

7. The DC power-supply device according to claim 1, wherein

the first switching element and the second switching element include anti-parallel reflux diodes.

8. The DC power-supply device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an output-voltage detection unit that detects an output voltage output to the load, the output voltage being equal to a voltage of the first capacitor and second capacitor that are connected in series; and

a capacitor-voltage detection unit that detects one of voltages of the first capacitor and the second capacitor, wherein

the control unit calculates another of the voltages of the first capacitor and the second capacitor on a basis of a difference between a detection value of the output-voltage detection unit and a detection value of the capacitor-voltage detection unit.

9. The DC power-supply device according to claim 1, further comprising

a protection relay inserted between a point between the first switching element and the second switching element and a point between the first capacitor and the second capacitor.

10. The DC power-supply device according to claim 9, wherein,

when a current flowing into the first switching element and the second switching element or a current flowing into the reactor exceeds a set threshold, the control unit stops an output of a switching signal to the first switching element and the second switching element and outputs a signal for opening the protection relay.

11. The DC power-supply device according to claim 9, further comprising

a load-state detection unit that detects a state of the load, wherein

when a detection value of a signal detected by the load-state detection unit and output from the load-state detection unit exceeds a set threshold, the control unit stops an output of a switching signal to the first switching element and the second switching element and outputs a signal for opening the protection relay.

12. A refrigeration cycle device comprising the DC power-supply device according to claim 1.

13. The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 12, wherein

the load includes an inverter unit that drives a compressor motor.