DC/DC converter having transistor switches with flywheel diodes and program for controlling the transistor switches

• US 7,292,462 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hirakawa, Mitsuaki, Watanabe, Yasuto, Kimura, Kouya
• Primary Examiner(s): STERRETT, JEFFREY L
• Application Number:
  US11/047,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20050174098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 363/59, 363/60, 307/110
• US Class Current: 363/60
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load

Abstract

A DC/DC converter that is small, light, highly efficient, and inexpensive are provided which includes a DC power supply input section, a first and second capacitor connected in series, and an output section connected to the series connected first and second capacitors, a switching device that switches a plurality of switches which incorporate a configuration for connecting a power supply of the DC power supply input section, to the first capacitor and the second capacitor, and a switching control device that controls ON/OFF switching of the respective switches in the switching device in accordance with an operation mode.

Claims

1. A DC/DC converter comprising:

a DC power supply input section;

first and second capacitors connected in series;

an output section connected to said first and second capacitors;

a first element that connects a positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a positive electrode side of said first capacitor and a positive electrode side of said output section;

a second element that connects the positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said first capacitor and a positive electrode side of said second capacitor;

a third element that connects a negative electrode side of said power supply input section to the negative electrode side of said first capacitor and the positive electrode side of said second capacitor; and

a fourth element that connects the negative electrode side of said power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said second capacitor and a negative electrode side of said output section,

wherein two of said first to fourth elements are diodes and remaining two of the first to fourth elements are switches equipped with flywheel diodes, and

wherein said switches are respectively turned ON and OFF according to an operation mode, and one of voltage step-up and down operations is performed by making said first and second capacitors to function selectively.

2. The DC/DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the first and fourth elements are the diodes and the second and third elements are the switches.

3. The DC/DC converter according to claim 1, wherein the first and fourth elements are the switches and the second and third elements are the diodes.

4. The DC/DC converter according to claim 1, further comprising a switching control device that performs ON/OFF control of said switches, based on a designated operation mode, and the voltages of said DC power supply input section and said output section, and

wherein said switching control device controls ON/OFF time of said switches.

5. A DC/DC converter comprising:

a DC power supply input section;

first and second capacitors connected in series;

an output section connected to said first and second capacitors,

a first switch that connects a positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a positive electrode side of said first capacitor and a positive electrode side of said output section;

a second switch that connects the positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said first capacitor and a positive electrode side of said second capacitor;

a third switch that connects a negative electrode side of said power supply input section to the negative electrode side of said first capacitor and the positive electrode side of said second capacitor; and

a fourth switch that connects the negative electrode side of said power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said second capacitor and a negative electrode side of said output section,

wherein said first to fourth switches are transistor switches equipped with flywheel diodes, and

wherein said first to fourth switches are respectively turned ON and OFF according to an operation mode, and any one of the operations of;

voltage step-up, conduction, and regeneration is performed by making said first and second capacitors to function selectively.

6. A DC/DC converter according to claim 5, wherein said transistor switches are IGBTs.

7. The DC/DC converter according to claim 5, wherein said first and second capacitors are film capacitors.

8. The DC/DC converter according to claim 5, wherein said first and second capacitors are ceramic capacitors.

9. The DC/DC converter according to claim 5, wherein at the time of a voltage step-up mode, by alternately turning said second and said third switches ON and OFF while said first and said fourth switches are always turned OFF, when said second switch is ON, said second switch and said flywheel diode of said fourth switch are electrically conducted, and when said third switch is ON, said flywheel diode of said first switch, and said third switch are electrically conducted, and

at the time of a conduction mode, said first to fourth switches are always turned OFF, and flywheel diodes of said first and fourth switches are electrically conducted, and

at the time of a regeneration mode, said second and third switches are always turned OFF, and by alternately turning said first and fourth switches ON and OFF, when said first switch is ON, said first switch and said flywheel diode of said third switch are electrically conducted, and when said fourth switch is ON, the flywheel diode of said second switch, and said fourth switch are electrically conducted.

10. The DC/DC converter according to claim 9, further having a regeneration blocking mode that blocks a regeneration operation with said first and fourth switches always turned OFF.

11. The DC/DC converter according to claim 5, further comprising:

a switching control device that performs ON/OFF control of said first to fourth switches, based on a designated operation mode and the voltages of said DC power supply input section and the voltage of output section, and

wherein said switching control device controls ON/OFF time of said first to fourth switches.

12. The DC/DC converter according to claim 5, further comprising:

an inductor having first and second sides, the first side being connected to the second and third switches, and the second side being connected to the negative electrode side of said first capacitor and the positive electrode side of said second capacitor.

16. The DC/DC converter according to claim 12, further comprising:

an inductor having first and second sides, the first side being connected to the second and third switches, and the secind side being connected to the negative electrode side of said firsr capacitor and the positive electrode side of said second capacitor.

13. A recording medium comprising a computer readable program for executing on a computer, control of a plurality of switches in a DC/DC converter comprising a DC power supply input section, an inductor connected to said DC power supply input section, said plurality of switches;

a plurality of capacitors and an output section connected to said plurality of capacitors,

wherein said plurality of switches are transistor switches equipped with flywheel diodes, and

wherein the program comprising a processing step to be executed by the computer, for controlling said plurality of switches to turn ON and OFF according to any one of the operation modes of;

voltage step-up, conduction, and regeneration, and making said inductor and said plurality of capacitors function selectively.

14. The recording medium comprising a computer readable program according to claim 13, wherein the program is executed on a computer, by a processing step for ON/OFF control of said plurality of switches, based on a designated operation mode, and the voltage of said DC power supply input section detected by an input voltage detection section, and of said output section detected by an output voltage detection section.

15. The recording medium comprising a computer readable program according to claim 14, for executing on a computer, control of first to fourth switches in a DC/DC converter that is provided with:

an inductor connected to a positive electrode side of a DC power supply input section;

a first switch that connects the positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a positive electrode side of a first capacitor, and a positive electrode side of an output section through said inductor;

a second switch that connects the positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said first capacitor and a positive electrode side of said second capacitor through said inductor;

a third switch that connects the negative electrode side of said DC power supply input section to the negative electrode side of said first capacitor, and the positive electrode side of said second capacitor; and

a fourth switch that connects the negative electrode side of said DC power supply input section to the negative electrode side of said second capacitor, and the negative electrode side of said output section,

wherein processing for controlling said first to fourth switches to turn ON and OFF according to any one of the operation modes of;

voltage step-up, conduction, and regeneration, and making said inductor and said plurality of capacitors function selectively, is executed on a computer.

17. A DC/DC converter comprising:

a DC power supply input section;

first and second capacitors connected in series,

an output section connected to said first and second capacitors,

an inductor connected to a positive electrode side or a negative electrode side of said DC power supply input section;

a first switch that connects the positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a positive electrode side of said first capacitor and a positive electrode side of said output section through said inductor;

a second switch that connects the positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said first capacitor and a positive electrode side of said second capacitor through said inductor;

a third switch that connects the negative electrode side of said power supply input section to the negative electrode side of said first capacitor and the positive electrode side of said second capacitor;

a fourth switch that connects the negative electrode side of said power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said second capacitor and a negative electrode side of said output section,

wherein said first to fourth switches are transistor switches equipped with flywheel diodes, and

wherein said first to fourth switches are respectively turned ON and OFF according to an operation mode, and any one of the operations of;

voltage step-up, conduction, and regeneration is performed by making said inductor and said first and second capacitors to function selectively.

18. The DC/DC converter according to claim 17, further comprising a switching control device that performs ON/OFF control of said first to fourth of switches, based on a designated operation mode, and the voltages of said DC power supply input section and said output section, and

wherein said switching control device controls ON/OFF time of said first to fourth switches.

19. The DC/DC converter according to claim 17, wherein said first and second capacitors are ceramic capacitors.

20. The DC/DC converter according to claim 17, wherein said transistor switches are IGBTs.

21. The DC/DC converter according to claim 17, wherein said first and second capacitors are film capacitors.

22. The DC/DC converter according to claim 17, wherein,

at the time of a step-up mode, by alternately turning said second and said third switches ON and OFF while said first and said fourth switches are always turned OFF, when said second switch is ON, said second switch and said flywheel diode of said fourth switch are electrically conducted, and when said third switch is ON, said flywheel diode of said first switch, and said third switch are electrically conducted, and

at the time of a conduction mode, said first to fourth switches are always turned OFF, and flywheel diodes of said first and fourth switches are electrically conducted, and

at the time of a first regeneration mode, said second and third switches are always turned OFF, and by alternately turning said first and fourth switches ON and OFF, when said first switch is ON, said first switch and said flywheel diode of said third switch are electrically conducted, and when said fourth switch is ON, the flywheel diode of said second switch, and said fourth switch are electrically conducted, and

at the time of a second regeneration mode, only said first switch is turned ON and OFF, and said second and third switches are always turned OFF, and said fourth switch is always turned ON, and when said first switch is ON, said first and fourth switches are electrically conducted, and when said first switch is OFF, the flywheel diodes of said second and third switches are electrically conducted.

23. The DC/DC converter according to claim 22, further having a regeneration blocking mode that blocks a regeneration operation by always turning OFF said first and fourth switches.

24. A recording medium comprising a computer readable program for executing on a computer, control of a plurality of switches in a DC/DC converter comprising a DC power supply input section, said plurality of switches, a plurality of capacitors and an output section connected to said plurality of capacitors,

wherein said plurality of switches are transistor switches equipped with flywheel diodes, and

wherein the computer carries out processing steps for controlling said plurality of switches to turn ON and OFF according to any one of the operation modes of voltage step-up, conduction, and regeneration, and making said plurality of capacitors function selectively.

25. The recording medium comprising a computer readable program according to claim 24, wherein said computer executes processing for ON/OFF control of said plurality of switches, based on a designated operation mode, the voltage of said DC power supply input section detected by an input voltage detection section, and of said output section detected by an output voltage detection section.

26. The recording medium comprising a computer readable program according to claim 25, wherein said computer executes processing for control of first to fourth switches in a DC/DC converter comprising a DC power supply input section, a first switch that connects a positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a positive electrode side of a first capacitor, and a positive electrode side of an output section, a second switch that connects the positive electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said first capacitor and a positive electrode side of said second capacitor;

a third switch that connects the negative electrode side of said DC power supply input section to the negative electrode side of said first capacitor, and the positive electrode side of said second capacitor; and

a fourth switch that connects the negative electrode side of said DC power supply input section to a negative electrode side of said second capacitor, and a negative electrode side of said output section,

wherein said first to fourth switches are transistor switches equipped with flywheel diodes, and

wherein, the computer further carries out processing for controlling said first to fourth switches to turn ON and OFF according to any one of the operation modes of;

voltage step-up, conduction and regeneration, and making said plurality of capacitors function selectively.

27. The recording medium comprising a computer readable program according to claim 26, wherein the computer executes processing for ON/OFF control of said plurality of switches, based on a designated operation mode and the voltage of said the DC power supply input section detected by an input voltage detection section and the voltage of said output section detected by an output voltage detection section.