Patent Grant
12125652
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of contactors, and more specifically to a control device for a contactor and a method for controlling the contactor.
In industrial application, by allowing an electrical current to flow through a coil to generate a magnetic field, a contactor causes contacts of the contactor to be closed, so as to achieve an object of controlling a load. A conventional contactor employs a flyback circuit-based coil control solution or a low side coil control solution. However, these solutions cause a large power consumption so that a temperature of the contactor rises rapidly, which shortens the service life of the contactor. In addition, these solutions are difficult to design and have a long verification cycle, so that it is uneasy for them to achieve a diagnostic function.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus and method for controlling a contactor, aiming to at least partly solve the above and/or other potential problems existing in design of contactors.
In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a control device for a contactor. The control device comprises a first high-side control unit and a second high-side control unit which respectively connect a first magnetic unit and a second magnetic unit of the contactor to a power supply; a first low-side control unit and a second low-side control unit, the first low-side control unit being connected between the first magnetic unit and a reference voltage node, and the second low-side control unit being connected between the second magnetic unit and the reference voltage node; a freewheel unit connected to the first magnetic unit and the second magnetic unit; and a controller for controlling operations of the first high-side control unit, the second high-side control unit, the first low-side control unit and the second low-side control unit so that in a state that at least one magnetic unit of the first magnetic unit and the second magnetic unit is disconnected from the power supply, a current of the at least one magnetic unit flows through the freewheel unit.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, energy transfer and transmission may be achieved in an inrush phase and a holding phase of the contactor, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the contactor and optimizing the working performance of the contactor.
In some embodiments, the control device further comprises: a first current monitor configured to monitor a first current flowing through the first magnetic unit, the controller being configured to control the operation of the second low-side control unit based on the first current.
In some embodiments, the control device further comprises: a second current monitor configured to monitor a second current flowing through the second magnetic unit, the controller being configured to control the operation of the second high-side control unit based on the second current.
In some embodiments, the controller is configured to switch on the first low-side control unit during an inrush phase of the contactor so that the current flows through the first magnetic unit and the first low-side control unit.
In some embodiments, the controller is configured to switch on the second low-side control unit during a holding phase of the contactor so that the current flows through the second magnetic unit and the second low-side control unit.
In some embodiments, the freewheel unit comprises a freewheel diode.
In some embodiments, the first high-side control unit comprises a high-side inrush switch; the first low-side control unit comprises a low-side inrush switch; the first magnetic unit comprises an inrush coil; the second high-side control unit comprises a high-side holding switch; the second low-side control unit comprises a low-side holding switch; and the second magnetic unit comprises a holding coil.
In some embodiments, the control device further comprises a first voltage stabilization protection unit and a second voltage stabilization protection unit, the first voltage stabilization protection unit is connected between the inrush coil and the reference voltage node, and the second voltage stabilization protection unit is connected between the holding coil and the reference voltage node.
In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention relate to a contactor. The contactor comprises the control device according to the first aspect.
In a third aspect, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of controlling a contactor. The contactor comprises a first magnetic unit and a second magnetic unit. The method comprises: switching on a first low-side control unit and a first high-side control unit such that a current flows through the first high-side control unit, the first magnetic unit and the first low-side control unit, wherein the first high-side control unit connects the first magnetic unit to a power supply, and the first low-side control unit is connected between the first magnetic unit and a reference voltage node; switching off the first high-side control unit such that a freewheel current is formed between the first magnetic unit, the first low-side control unit, the reference voltage node, and a freewheel unit, wherein the freewheel unit is connected to the first magnetic unit and the second magnetic unit; and switching on a second low-side control unit such that the freewheel current is induced to the second magnetic unit, wherein the second low-side control unit is connected between the second magnetic unit and the reference voltage node.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises switching off the first low-side control unit after switching on the second low-side control unit.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises switching on a second high-side control unit after switching off the first low-side control unit, wherein the second high-side control unit is used to connect the second magnetic unit of the contactor to the power supply.
In some embodiments, switching on the first low-side control unit and the first high-side control unit comprises: switching on the first high-side control unit after switching on the first low-side control unit for a time threshold.
In some embodiments, switching off the first low-side control unit comprises: switching off the first low-side control unit in response to a first current flowing through the first magnetic unit being lower than a first threshold.
In some embodiments, switching on the second high-side control unit comprises switching on the second high-side control unit in response to a second current flowing through the second magnetic unit being greater than a second threshold.
In some embodiments, the first magnetic unit comprises an inrush coil; the second magnetic unit comprises a holding coil; the first low-side control unit comprises a low-side inrush switch; the first high-side control unit comprises a high-side inrush switch; the second low-side control unit comprises a low-side holding switch; and the freewheel unit comprises a freewheel diode.
In some embodiments, the second high-side control unit comprises a high-side holding switch.
Through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above and other objectives, features, and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become easier to understand. In the accompanying drawings, a plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in an exemplary and non-limiting manner, wherein:
The principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to various embodiments in the drawings. It should be understood that these embodiments are only for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and thereby implement the present disclosure, and are not described for the purpose of placing any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that similar or identical reference signs may be used in the drawings where feasible, and similar or identical reference signs may indicate similar or identical elements. Those skilled in the art will understand that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods described herein may be adopted without departing from the principles of the present disclosure described from the following description.
As used herein, the term “includes” and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms that mean “includes, but is not limited to.” The term “based on” is to be read as “based at least in part on.” The term “one example implementation” and “an example implementation” are to be read as “at least one example implementation.” Terms “a first”, “a second” and the like may denote different or identical objects. The following text may also contain other explicit or implicit definitions.
Some example embodiments according to the present disclosure will now be described with reference to
The control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be used for a contactor. The contactor generally includes a first magnetic unit 120 and a second magnetic unit 125. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnetic unit and a magnetic core may be attracted together in a case where the power supply 105 is not needed to supply power. In this way, the power consumption of the contactor may be reduced, thereby reducing the operating cost of the contactor.
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Reference is made to Table 1 below to introduce a real-values sequence for the operation of the control device 100.
As shown in Table 1, when the contactor has not started to work, the first high-side control unit 110, the second high-side control unit 160, the first low-side control unit 130 and the second low-side control unit 135 are all set to 0, that is, the first high-side control unit 110, the second high-side control unit 160, the first low-side control unit 130 and the second low-side control unit 135 are all disconnected. In an initialization sequence, the first low-side control unit 130 is set to “1”, which indicates that the first low-side control unit 130 is set to an “ON” state. At this time, each component in the control device 100 is initialized.
Next, in the inrush phase of the contactor, the first high-side control unit 110 is also set to “1”, which indicates that the first high-side control unit 110 is set to the “ON” state. At this time, both the first high-side control unit 110 and the first low-side control unit 130 are in the “ON” state, which causes the circuit on the left side (i.e., the inrush side) in
Subsequently, the controller 170 sets the first high-side control unit 110 to “0” so that it is “switched off”. This causes the control device 100 to enter the freewheel phase. Since the first magnetic unit 120 is disconnected from the power supply 105, the voltage on the first magnetic unit 120 can only flow through the first low-side control unit 130 and through the freewheel unit 150 configured to be coupled to the first magnetic unit 120. Thereby, a first freewheel loop or an inrush freewheel loop are formed.
The controller 170 then sets the second low-side control unit 135 to “1”, which indicates that the second low-side control unit 135 is set to the “ON” state. This enables the path of the second magnetic unit 125 and the freewheel unit 150 to be switched on. As shown in Table 1, this causes the control device 100 to enter an induction phase. The current on the freewheel unit 150 may flow through the second magnetic unit 125, thereby forming a second freewheel loop or a freewheel holding circuit on the right side (i.e., the holding side) in
In addition, since the first high-side control unit 110 and the second high-side control unit 160 coupled to the power supply 105 are both disconnected, there is no need to consume the energy of the power supply 105. Instead, the attraction of the magnetic core may be held only through the energy on the freewheel unit 150, thereby further improving the energy-saving effect of the contactor.
At block 202, the first low-side control unit 130 and the first high-side control unit 110 are switched on such that the current flows through the first high-side control unit 110, the first magnetic unit 120, and the first low-side control unit 130. Referring to Table 1, the control device 100 is in the inrush phase at this time.
At block 204, the first high-side control unit 110 is switched off such that a freewheel current is formed between the first magnetic unit 120, the first low-side control unit 130, the reference voltage node 115 and the freewheel unit 150. Referring to Table 1, the control device 100 is in the freewheel inrush phase at this time.
At block 206, the second low-side control unit 135 is switched on so that a freewheel current is induced onto the second magnetic unit 125. As shown, the second low-side control unit 135 is connected between the second magnetic unit 125 and the reference voltage node 115. Referring to Table 1, the control device 100 is in the induction phase at this time.
In some embodiments, as indicated by block 208, the controller 170 may switch on the second high-side control unit 160 such that the current flows through the second high-side control unit 160, the second magnetic unit 125, and the second low-side control unit 135. The second high-side control unit 160 couples the second magnetic unit 125 to the power supply 105. Referring to Table 1, the control device 100 enters the holding phase. At this time, the circuit maintains the attraction between the magnetic core and the second magnetic unit 125 with a lower holding power, so that the control device 100 operates with a lower power.
In some embodiments, the controller 170 may switch off the first low-side control unit 130 after switching on the second low-side control unit 135. Referring to Table 1, the control device 100 is in the freewheel holding phase at this time.
In some embodiments, the first high-side control unit 110 may be switched on after the first low-side control unit 130 is switched on for a time threshold. Referring to Table 1, this is equivalent to implementing the initialization of the components before the inrush phase. This helps the voltage residual on the first magnetic unit 120 to be released to the reference voltage node 115, thereby enabling more accurate control.
In some embodiments, the first low-side control unit 130 may be switched off in response to the first current flowing through the first magnetic unit 120 being lower than the first threshold. With reference to
In some embodiments, the second high-side control unit 160 may be switched on in response to the second current flowing through the second magnetic unit 125 being greater than a second threshold. With reference to
In some embodiments, a pulse width modulation signal may be used to control the first high-side control unit 110, and a duty cycle of the pulse width modulation signal may be adjusted based on the first current flowing through the first magnetic unit 120. In an alternative embodiment, a pulse width modulated signal may be used to control the second high side control unit 160 and a duty cycle of the pulse width modulated signal may be adjusted based on the second current flowing through the second magnetic unit 125.
In some embodiments, the switch-on and switch-off of the second high-side control unit 160 may be controlled periodically. By periodically controlling the switch-on and switch-off of the second high-side control unit 160, the circuit may be periodically switched between the freewheel holding phase and the holding phase. In this way, the contactor may be operated with as low power consumption as possible without affecting the attraction of the second magnetic unit 125 with the magnetic core.
In another aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a contactor. The contactor comprises the control device according to the first aspect. The contactor according to embodiments of the present disclosure consumes less power, thereby prolonging the service life and reducing the operation cost.
Although the claims in this application are drafted for specific combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure also comprises any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein, explicitly or implicitly, or any generalization thereof, regardless of whether it involves the same solution in any of the claims currently claimed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201911329445.3 | Dec 2019 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2020/137691 | 12/18/2020 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2021/121400 | 6/24/2021 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7593212 | Toth | Sep 2009 | B1 |
| 20200328684 | Escudero Rodriguez | Oct 2020 | A1 |
| 20230029408 | Wang | Jan 2023 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 202977308 | Jun 2013 | CN |
| 203895364 | Oct 2014 | CN |
| 107170644 | Sep 2017 | CN |
| 108735552 | Nov 2018 | CN |
| 0049188 | Apr 1982 | EP |
| 0973850 | Mar 1997 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report mailed Mar. 17, 2021 for International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2020/137691, 5 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20230040517 A1 | Feb 2023 | US |
