Regulator rectifier device and a method for regulating an output voltage of the same

• US 9,899,866 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flash Electronics (India) Private Limited
• Original Assignee: Flash Electronics (India) Private Limited
• Inventors: Verma, Ramit
• Primary Examiner(s): O NEILL, PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US15/533,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/06 using discharge tubes or semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1492 by means of controlling devices between the generator output and the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/084 using a control circuit common to several phases of a multi-phase system
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/2173 in a biphase or polyphase circuit arrangement H02M7/2176 takes precedence; voltage multipliers H02M7/25
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/219 in a bridge configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/2195 the switches being synchronously commutated at the same frequency of the AC input voltage
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

A regulator rectifier device and a method for regulating an output voltage of the same which takes input from three phase alternating current voltage generating device with each phase including a positive cycle and a negative cycle. A first rectifying unit with a first gate terminal, connected to the generating device to rectify the positive cycle of said three phase alternating current voltage. A second rectifying unit with a second gate terminal, connected to said generating device to rectify the negative cycle of said three phase alternating current voltage, wherein said second rectifying unit switches between rectification mode and shunt mode depending on the load condition. And a controlling unit configured to control said second rectifying unit by a gate control signal, said controlling unit outputs said gate control signal based on an output voltage of said regulator rectifier device with respect to a first predefined voltage in battery connected condition or third predefined voltage in battery-less condition and said positive cycle and said negative cycle of each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage from said generating device, said gate control signal enables said second rectifying unit to switch between rectification mode and shunt mode by controlling the second gate terminal of said second rectifying unit, wherein said gate control signal switches said second rectifying unit into shunt mode when the output voltage of said regulator rectifier device is greater than said first predefined voltage in battery connected condition or third predefined voltage in battery-less condition and thereby continuing the shunting of said second rectifying unit as long as said positive cycle of corresponding phase of said three phase alternating current voltage exists.

Claims

1. A regulator rectifier device comprising:

a source terminal to receive a three phase alternating current voltage with each phase including a positive cycle and a negative cycle from a generating device;

a plurality of first rectifying unit with a first gate terminal, connected to said generating device to rectify the positive cycle of said three phase alternating current voltage;

a plurality of second rectifying unit with a second gate terminal, said second rectifying unit connected to said generating device to rectify the negative cycle of said three phase alternating current voltage, wherein said second rectifying unit switches between rectification mode and shunt mode depending on load condition; and

a controlling unit configured to control said second rectifying unit by a gate control signal, said controlling unit outputs said gate control signal based on an output voltage of said regulator rectifier device with respect to any one of a first predefined voltage in battery connected condition and a third predefined voltage in battery-less condition and said positive cycle and said negative cycle of each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage from said generating device, said gate control signal enables said second rectifying unit to switch between rectification mode and shunt mode by controlling the second gate terminal of said second rectifying unit, wherein said gate control signal switches said second rectifying unit into shunt mode when the output voltage of said regulator rectifier device is greater than any one of said first predefined voltage in battery connected condition and said third predefined voltage in battery-less condition, and thereby continuing the shunting of said second rectifying unit as long as said positive cycle of corresponding phase of said three phase alternating current voltage exists.

2. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 1, wherein said controlling unit includes a phase detection unit configured to detect said positive cycle and said negative cycle from each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage with respect to a second predefined voltage, wherein said phase detection unit outputs a third signal with a positive pulse and a negative pulse.

3. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 2, wherein said controlling unit includes a first voltage detection unit configured to detect said output voltage of said regulator rectifier device with respect to said first predefined voltage in battery connected condition.

4. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 3, wherein said controlling unit includes a shunting mode control unit configured to provide a first signal based on the third signal of said phase detection unit and output of said first voltage detection unit with respect to first predefined voltage in battery connected condition.

5. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 3, wherein said controlling unit includes a shunting mode control unit configured to provide a first signal based on the third signal of said phase detection unit and output of a second voltage detection unit configured to detect said output voltage of said regulator rectifier device with respect to said third predefined voltage in battery-less condition.

6. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 5, wherein said controlling unit includes a rectification mode control unit configured to receive said third signal from said phase detection unit to provide a second signal.

7. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 6, wherein said controlling unit includes a gate drive unit configured to release said gate control signal based on said second signal from said rectification mode control unit and said first signal from said shunting mode control unit.

8. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 6, wherein said gate control signal enables the second rectifying unit to switches in rectification mode when the phase detection unit detects said negative cycle of corresponding phase of said three phase alternating current voltage lower than said second predefined voltage.

9. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 8, wherein said second rectifying unit is connected to a peak voltage limiting unit configured to minimize the peak voltage during crossing of said second predefined voltage in each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage.

10. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 6, wherein existence of a micro delay between changing of said third signal from positive pulse to negative pulse at the output of said phase detection unit with respect to each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage and changing of said second signal from low to high at the output of said rectification mode control unit separates shunt mode and rectification mode of said second rectifying unit.

11. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 5, wherein during battery less condition, the output terminal of said regulator rectifier device is connected with said second voltage detection unit to sense battery less condition and a capacitor to support regulated said output voltage with respect to said third predefined voltage.

12. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 1, wherein said second rectifying unit continues in shunt mode by said gate control signal and thereby said second rectifying unit becomes independent of said output voltage of said regulator rectifier device with respect to said first predefined voltage as long as the positive cycle of corresponding phase of said three phase alternating current voltage exists.

13. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 1, wherein said first rectifying unit and said second rectifying unit are assembled on a metal clad aluminum PCB for proper dissipation of heat.

14. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 1, wherein said regulator rectifier device is assembled on a metal clad aluminum PCB with a control card and a SMD connector.

15. The regulator rectifier device according to claim 1, wherein said gate control signal switches said second rectifying unit during rectification mode to provide least resistive passage through said second rectifying unit to bypass internal diodes with its drop of said second rectifying unit and thereby resulting in active rectification.

16. A method for regulating an output voltage of a regulator rectifier device comprising the steps of:

receiving a three phase alternating current voltage with each phase including a positive cycle and a negative cycle from a generating device;

rectifying the positive cycle of said three phase alternating current voltage by a plurality of first rectifying unit with a first gate terminal;

rectifying the negative cycle of said three phase alternating current voltage by a plurality of second rectifying unit with a second gate terminal, said second rectifying unit connected to said generating device, said second rectifying unit switches between rectification mode and shunt mode depending on load condition;

controlling said second rectifying unit by a controlling unit, said controlling unit outputs a gate control signal based on an output voltage of said regulator rectifier device with respect to any one of a first predefined voltage in battery connected condition and a third predefined voltage in battery-less condition and said positive cycle and said negative cycle of each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage from said generating device, said gate control signal enables said second rectifying unit to switch between rectification mode and shunt mode by controlling the second gate terminal of said second rectifying unit, switching said second rectifying unit into shunt mode by said gate control signal when the output voltage of said regulator rectifier device is greater than any one of said first predefined voltage in battery connected condition and said third predefined voltage in battery-less condition, and thereby continuing the shunting of said second rectifying unit as long as said positive cycle of corresponding phase of said three phase alternating current voltage exists.

17. The method according to claim 16, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including detecting said positive cycle and said negative cycle from each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage with respect to a second predefined voltage by a phase detection unit to output a third signal with a positive pulse and a negative pulse.

18. The method according to claim 17, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including detecting said output voltage of said regulator rectifier device with respect to said first predefined voltage by a first voltage detection unit in battery connected condition.

19. The method according to claim 18, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including providing a first signal based on said third signal of said phase detection unit and output of said first voltage detection unit with respect to first predefined voltage by a shunting mode control unit in battery connected condition.

20. The method according to claim 18, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including providing a first signal based on the third signal of said phase detection unit and output of said second voltage detection unit with respect to third predefined voltage by a shunting mode control unit in battery-less condition.

21. The method according to claim 20, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including providing a second signal based on the third signal from said phase detection unit by a rectification mode control unit.

22. The method according to claim 21, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including providing said gate control signal based on said second signal from said rectification mode control unit and said first signal from said shunting mode control unit by a gate drive unit.

23. The method according to claim 21, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including switching said second rectifying unit by said gate control signal into rectification mode when the phase detection unit detects said negative pulse of corresponding phase of said three phase alternating current voltage lower than said second predefined voltage.

24. The method according to claim 23, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including minimizing peak voltages during crossing of said second predefined voltage in each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage by a peak voltage limiting unit connected to said second rectifying unit.

25. The method according to claim 21, comprising the steps of rectifying each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage by said second rectifying unit in shunt mode and rectification mode separated from each other by a micro delay existing between changing of said positive pulse to said negative pulse in the third signal at the output of said phase detection unit with respect to each phase of said three phase alternating current voltage and changing of said second signal from low to high at the output of said rectification mode control unit.

26. The method according to claim 16, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including continuing of said second rectifying unit in shunt mode independent of said output voltage of said regulator rectifier device with respect to said first predefined voltage as long as the positive cycle of corresponding phase of said three phase alternating current voltage exists.

27. The method according to claim 16, comprising the steps of controlling said second rectifying unit by said controlling unit including regulating said output voltage during battery less condition by connecting the output terminal of said regulator rectifier device with a second voltage detection unit to sense battery less condition and a capacitor to support regulated said output voltage with respect to the third predefined voltage.

28. The method according to claim 16, comprising the steps of assembling said first rectifying unit and said second rectifying unit on a metal clad aluminum PCB for proper dissipation of heat.

29. The method according to claim 16, comprising the steps of assembling said regulator rectifier device on a metal clad aluminum PCB with a control card and a SMD connector.