Control circuits and methods for transitioning between power converter control modes

• US 9,906,121 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Astec International Limited (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Astec International Limited (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Boncato, Yancy Fontanilla, Sigamani, James, Fauni, Jonathan Ross Bernardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iliya, Bart
• Application Number:
  US14/878,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20170104407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/04 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

A control circuit includes a first integrator circuit corresponding to a first mode and a second integrator circuit corresponding to a second mode. The control circuit is configured to transition control of the power converter between the first mode and the second mode such that one of the first mode and the second mode is a controlling mode for a period of time and the other one of the first mode and the second mode is a non-controlling mode for the period of time, and set an output of the first integrator circuit or the second integrator circuit corresponding to the non-controlling mode to equal an output of the first integrator circuit or the second integrator circuit corresponding to the controlling mode. Other example control circuits, power converters including a control circuit, and methods for controlling a power converter are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A control circuit for controlling a power converter to operate in a first mode and a second mode different than the first mode, the control circuit comprising a first integrator circuit corresponding to the first mode and having an output and a second integrator circuit corresponding to the second mode and having an output, the control circuit configured to transition control of the power converter between the first mode and the second mode such that one of the first mode and the second mode is a controlling mode for a period of time and the other one of the first mode and the second mode is a non-controlling mode for the period of time, and set the output of the first integrator circuit or the second integrator circuit corresponding to the non-controlling mode to equal the output of the first integrator circuit or the second integrator circuit corresponding to the controlling mode.

2. The control circuit of claim 1 wherein the first mode is a constant voltage mode and the second mode is a constant current mode.

3. The control circuit of claim 2 wherein the control circuit is configured to sense a voltage and a current of the power converter, transition from the constant voltage mode to the constant current mode based on a comparison between the sensed current and a current reference, and transition from the constant current mode to the constant voltage mode based on a comparison between the sensed voltage and a voltage reference.

4. The control circuit of claim 3 wherein the control circuit is configured to set the voltage reference to equal an initially sensed voltage.

5. The control circuit of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to transition from the first mode to the second mode based on a sensed parameter and to transition from the second mode to the first mode based on another sensed parameter.

6. The control circuit of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to transition between the first mode and the second mode based on one sensed parameter.

7. The control circuit of claim 1 further comprising a voltage compensator including the first integrator circuit and a current compensator including the second integrator circuit.

8. The control circuit of claim 7 wherein the voltage compensator or the current compensator corresponding to the non-controlling mode is inactive.

9. The control circuit of claim 8 wherein the voltage compensator and the current compensator each include one or more circuits different than its integrator circuit, wherein each of the one or more circuits includes an output, and wherein the output of each of the one or more circuits of the voltage compensator or the current compensator corresponding to the non-controlling mode is set to substantially zero.

10. The control circuit of claim 9 wherein at least one of the voltage compensator and the current compensator is a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller.

11. The control circuit of claim 1 wherein the control circuit includes a digital control circuit.

12. A power system for providing power to a load, the power system comprising a power converter and the control circuit of claim 1 coupled to the power converter.

13. A method of configuring a control circuit for controlling a power converter controllable to operate in a first mode and a second mode different than the first mode such that one of the first mode and the second mode is a controlling mode for a period of time and the other one of the first mode and the second mode is non-controlling mode for the period of time, the control circuit including a first integrator circuit corresponding to the first mode and a second integrator circuit corresponding to the second mode, the method comprising:

setting an output of the first integrator circuit or the second integrator circuit corresponding to the non-controlling mode to equal an output of the first integrator circuit or the second integrator circuit corresponding to the controlling mode, and

transitioning control of the power converter from the first mode or the second mode corresponding to the controlling mode to the first mode or the second mode corresponding to the non-controlling mode.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first mode is a constant voltage mode and the second mode is a constant current mode and wherein transitioning control of the power converter includes transitioning from the constant voltage mode to the constant current mode based on a comparison between a sensed current of the power converter and a current reference and transitioning from the constant current mode to the constant voltage mode based on a comparison between a sensed voltage of the power converter and a voltage reference.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising setting the voltage reference to equal an initially sensed voltage.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the control circuit includes a voltage compensator having the first integrator circuit and a current compensator having the second integrator circuit, the method further comprising deactivating the voltage compensator or the current compensator corresponding to the non-controlling mode.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising setting an output of one or more circuits of the deactivated voltage compensator different than its integrator circuit or the deactivated current compensator different than its integrator circuit to substantially zero.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein transitioning control of the power converter includes transitioning based on one sensed parameter.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the control circuit includes a digital control circuit.