RESONANT POWER CONVERTER

• US 20130301307A1
• Filed: 07/18/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB BV (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB BV (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: KARDOLUS, Menno, SCHIJFFELEN, Jos, GRNINGER, Mark, VAN CASTEREN, Dolf
• Granted Patent: US 10,454,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/21.02
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/01 Resonant DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33507 with automatic control of the output voltage or current, e.g. flyback converters H02M3/33561, H02M3/33569 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33571 Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33573 Full-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3376 with automatic control of output voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4815 Resonant converters H02M7/4811 and H02M7/4826 take precedence
• 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 resonant power converter includes a resonance tank formed by a capacitance component and an inductance component, at least two switches connected to the resonance tank and a voltages source in a bridge configuration, a number of snubber capacitors connected in parallel to each of the switches, a controller configured to control ON and OFF timings of the at least two switches so as to excite the resonance tank, and a voltage sensor configured to sense a voltage drop across at least one of the switches. The controller is configured to switch the at least one of the switches to the ON state when the absolute value of the sensed voltage drop reaches a minimum.

Claims

1. A resonant power converter comprising:

a resonance tank formed by a capacitance component and an inductance component;

at least two switches connected to the resonance tank and a voltage source in a bridge configuration;

a plurality of snubber capacitors connected in parallel to each of the switches;

a controller configured to control ON and OFF timings of the at least two switches so as to excite the resonance tank; and

a voltage sensor configured to sense a voltage drop across at least one of the switches,

wherein the controller is configured to switch the at least one of the switches to the ON state when the absolute value of the sensed voltage drop reaches a minimum.

2. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine switch timings of the switches into the OFF state on the basis of a clock signal with a given frequency.

3. The converter according to claim 2, wherein the clock signal is synchronized with one of an AC input voltage and a fluctuating DC input voltage.

4. The converter according to claim 2, wherein the frequency is variable for adjusting at least one of an output power an output current of the converter to a given demand.

5. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the controller has a mode of operation in which isolated ON periods of the at least two switches are skipped in a periodic time pattern for reducing an output power of the converter.

6. The converter according to claim 5, wherein the ON periods of the at least two switches are skipped at timings that are offset relative to one another.

7. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the controller has a mode of operation in which bursts of ON and OFF periods of the switches alternate with breaks in which all switches are in the OFF state.

8. The converter according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to feedback-control an output current of the converter.

9. The converter according to claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to feedback-control an input current of the converter.

10. The converter according to claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the input current in accordance with a sinusoidal waveform.

11. The converter according to claim 10, wherein the controller has nested feedback loops for controlling both the output current and the input current of the converter.

12. The converter according to claim 1, wherein the voltage source is configured to deliver a fluctuating input voltage with a waveform composed of sinusoidal half waves.

13. The converter according to claim 1, comprising:

an LCC topology with parallel load.

14. The converter according to claim 2, wherein the controller has a mode of operation in which isolated ON periods of the at least two switches are skipped in a periodic time pattern for reducing an output power of the converter.

15. The converter according to claim 14, wherein the ON periods of the at least two switches are skipped at timings that are offset relative to one another.

16. The converter according to claim 14, wherein the controller has a mode of operation in which bursts of ON and OFF periods of the switches alternate with breaks in which all switches are in the OFF state.

17. The converter according to claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to feedback-control an output current of the converter.

18. The converter according to claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to feedback-control an input current of the converter.

19. The converter according to claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to control the input current in accordance with a sinusoidal waveform.

20. The converter according to claim 19, wherein the controller has nested feedback loops for controlling both the output current and the input current of the converter.