As discussed within Finnish Patent Application 20175422, a DC to DC converter module may be employed to raise a DC voltage on demand for supply to an electric motor. Typically the source voltage for such a module is very low, many times less than 10 volts and often less than 5 volts. In order for such a low voltage to provide sufficient power to drive the electric motors employed in vehicles and other applications, high currents are necessary.
These high currents are present in both the DC to DC converter module and any other intermediate circuitry used to drive the motor such as a motor drive. Both motor drives and electric motors themselves are sensitive to quick changes in input current. For example, due to the inductive nature of electronic motors, losses are greatly increased when input current fluctuates. Additionally, strong electromagnetic fields may cause damage within the motor, or indeed the drive and converters connected to the motor. Furthermore, fluctuations in current cause increased losses throughout connected electronics and may cause electromagnetic interference. These issues may even lead to problems during the certification processes of certain vehicles.
When a DC to DC converter operates, that is within a single buck or boost cycle, the fluctuation of the input current is from 0-100% without any reactive elements employed to smooth current flow, such as capacitors. For example if the converter converts 5V input voltage to 10V output the duty cycle is as follows. It charges energy to the inductor ⅔ of the cycle time and releases it on the remaining ⅓ of time. While releasing current stored in the inductor the current draw from the battery is around 0. Within many applications this gap is reduced by employing capacitors.
Within traditional DC to DC converter modules, the input and output currents through the module fluctuate for various reasons in addition to reasons outlined above. The ramp on and ramp off times of the components within the module may also introduce variance in the currents. For example, switches employed within a DC to DC converter module may take time to fully open and close and thus cause a variable current. Therefore, within traditional converter modules, the input and output currents are smoothed by providing a large capacitance in parallel to the input and output of the modules. However, given the high current and large power draw experienced in many applications, the capacitance necessary is quite large and thus many large and expensive capacitors are necessary. These capacitors not only increase the costs associated with employing the standard DC to DC converter module, but they also increase the size and weight of the DC to DC converter module. Further, the capacitors introduce losses and thus decrease the efficiency of the module. Tests on standard modules have shown that the capacitors necessary to smooth the current are the largest source of losses within a standard DC to DC converter module.
As seen in
As shown, standard DC to DC converter modules output a fluctuating current which is not ideal for use in electric motor applications. This fluctuating current is typically smoothed by use of capacitors which are costly and increase both the size and weight of the standard converter module.
In order to increase efficiencies in both operation and production, the operations of a plurality of DC to DC converters within a DC to DC converter module are controlled in order to minimize fluctuations in input and output current. This is made possible by independently controlling individual DC to DC converters of the DC to DC converter module such that their outputs are staggered.
The invention is defined by the features of the independent claims. Some specific embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a Direct Current (DC) to DC converter module comprising: a plurality of DC to DC converters; and control circuitry connected to the DC to DC converters and configured to control operation of the DC to DC converters individually. The control circuitry is configured to control operation of the DC to DC converters individually such that switching operations of the DC to DC converters are asynchronous.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling the operation of a DC to DC converter module having a plurality of DC to DC converters, said method comprising controlling operation of the DC to DC converters individually such that switching operations of the DC to DC converters are asynchronous.
Definitions
In the present context, the term operating or switching cycle refers to the time a DC to DC converter spends in an off state plus the time the converter spends in an on state during a periodic cycle. For example, within a Buck Boost converter the time in an on state is Duty Cycle times Switching Cycle or TON=D×TS.
As seen in
However, within DC to DC converter modules having a plurality of converters according to the present invention it is possible to independently control the switching of the converters and thus arrive at a more stable input and output current.
Within certain embodiments of the present invention a DC to DC converter module is provided having a plurality of independently controlled DC to DC converters. The switching components of each DC to DC converter are controlled such that the overall input and output current is as smooth as possible. For example, the input currents of four DC to DC converters employed within a DC to DC converter module according to the present invention are shown within
DC to DC converter modules according to at least some embodiments of the present invention comprise a plurality of DC to DC converters and control circuitry connected to the DC to DC converters configured to control operation of the DC to DC converters individually. The control circuitry is configured to control operation of the DC to DC converters individually such that switching operations of the DC to DC converters are asynchronous. Within certain embodiments the control circuitry is configured such that there are two discrete times at which DC to DC converters are switched on.
Certain DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention comprise at least four DC to DC converters, preferably eight DC to DC converters and more preferably 16 DC to DC converters. This is based on the design parameters of the DC to DC converter module. The asynchronous control of sixteen independent DC to DC converters allows for a very smooth current flow and eliminates the need for large filter capacitance. Similarly, modules having eight DC to DC converters provide for smoother current than those with four. However, four modules have been proven effective at minimizing or eliminating filter capacitors in at least some applications.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, the control circuitry is configured to control the firing of individual DC to DC converters independently such that the converters are ramping up at different times. For example, the triggering time of individual DC to DC converters duty cycle would be staggered such that they occur throughout the operating or switching cycle of the first converter. That is to say, given a switching cycle of T for the first converter, and a total of four converters within the module, the triggering times for the converters would be at 0T, ¼T, 2/4T and ¾T. The output of such a control scheme or firing sequence is illustrated in
As discussed above, certain DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention have control circuitry which is configured to cause asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters such that the times at which individual DC to DC converters are switched are evenly spaced throughout an operating or switching cycle of one of the DC to DC converters.
There are a variety of configurations of control circuitry for causing asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters of DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention. Some DC to DC converter modules have control circuitry which is configured to cause asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters such that no two DC to DC converters are switched at the same time. Certain modules have control circuitry which is configured to cause asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters such that no two DC to DC converters are switched to an on state at the same time. At least some modules have control circuitry which is configured to cause asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters such that no two DC to DC converters are switched to an off state at the same time.
At least some DC to DC converter modules of the present invention contain control circuitry which is configured such that the switching operations of the DC to DC converters are evenly distributed between a number of discrete switching times. Certain modules have control circuitry wherein the number of switching times is equal to the inverse of a duty cycle of one of the DC to DC converters, said inverse being rounded up to the next highest integer if the inverse is not an integer.
Within certain DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention two phases of voltage conversion are employed using two banks of DC to DC converter modules. A first bank of DC to DC converter modules first raises the input voltage to an intermediate voltage, this intermediate voltage is then raised by the second bank of DC to DC converter modules to arrive at a desired output voltage. Such a scheme of multiple banks of DC to DC converter modules proves especially useful when an input voltage is to be increased by greater than a factor of 8. Above an eight times increase the efficiency of the converter modules decreases drastically. Banks of DC to DC converter modules and configurations of DC to DC converters which may employ aspects of the present invention in order to increase efficiency and reduce production costs are discussed in greater detail within Finnish Patent Application 20175422.
DC to DC converter modules according to embodiments of the present invention have DC to DC converters which are configured to, in conjunction with the control circuitry, convert an input voltage to a higher output voltage.
Within at least some embodiments of the present invention the control circuitry is configured to measure each DC to DC converters state and present output in order to better control the DC to DC converters individually. This allows for a variety of control schemes.
Certain DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention employ DC to DC converters each having an individual controller. That controller operates its associated DC to DC converter in conjunction with a central controller also known as a systems level control or processing unit. This allows for greater flexibility when operating the DC to DC converter module, for example, if an individual converter is overheating or is failing, the controller associated with that converter may deactivate the converter and report to the central controller. The central controller can then alter the duty cycle of all other controllers so that they cover the gap the broken one has left in the current pattern. This same scheme could also be achieved using a central controller configured to monitor and control each converter individually.
At least some DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention employ bidirectional converters. That is to say the DC to DC converter module may be used to smooth current flow from or too an energy source. For example, certain batteries are ill adapted for use with fluctuating current, a DC to DC converter module according to the present invention would ensure that the charging current for such a battery is stable.
Within at least some embodiments of the present invention, for example DC to DC converter modules employing a plurality of buck-boost converters, it has been determined that a minimum of four converters is preferable to ensure a smooth output current. In embodiments with at least four converters it has been shown that the capacitance necessary for filtration may be reduced by up to 80% if not eliminated entirely.
Certain embodiments require each DC to DC converter to have their own control device. Other embodiments contain a plurality of control devices each controlling a plurality of converters independently. Said control devices track the flow through the converter and if a potential overload is detected, control of the converter is adjusted to ensure that the converter is not damaged. Each control device is controlled by a central controller such as a L7 Drive which controls the operation of the whole assembly.
Also illustrated in
As can be seen, this independent control of a plurality of DC to DC converters provides many benefits. For example, certain embodiments of the present invention allow for the creation of a rotating field at the output of the converter module, for example a three phase rotating field as would be employed in an AC motor, brushless dc motor or switched reluctance motor. Also it is possible to create a rotating multi-phase field for a plurality of motors.
Certain DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention control operation of the DC to DC converters such that DC to DC converters are grouped based on a maximum duty cycle. Such modules may set a number of switching times equal to the number of DC to DC converters unless the number of converters divided by the inverse of the duty cycle is greater than or equal to two. At that point the DC to DC converters will be divided into groups equal to the truncated integer value resulting from the number of converters divided by the inverse of the duty cycle. For example, if there are 16 converters employed in a module and the duty cycle is set to be ⅛, the converters will be divided into pairs, each pair firing synchronously. However, if only 12 converters are employed and the desired duty cycle is ⅛, the result of the above calculation (12/8=1.5) the converters would not be grouped. Larger groups than pairs may be employed, for example, if the duty cycle desired is ¼ and there are 16 converters, the converters would be divided into 4 groups of 4, each group firing synchronously as 16/4=4.
In the above or another fashion certain DC to DC converter modules achieve asynchronous operation of groups of DC to DC converters. It should be understood that switching operations of DC to DC converters may be asynchronous according to the present application even when portions of the DC to DC converters are grouped to fire synchronously and groups fire asynchronously.
At least some embodiments of the present invention provide for a method for controlling the operation of a DC to DC converter module having a plurality of DC to DC converters, said method comprising the step of controlling operation of the DC to DC converters individually such that switching operations of the DC to DC converters are asynchronous. Within certain methods according to the present invention, there are at least two discrete times when DC to DC converters are switched on. Certain methods employing four DC to DC converters per modules ensure that there are four discrete times when DC to DC converters are switched on.
Within at least some DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention the load is balanced between the individual DC to DC converters. For example, the DC to DC converters operated equally in terms of duty cycle and power transferred.
Some methods according to the present invention are adapted to control DC to DC converter modules comprising at least four DC to DC converters, preferably eight DC to DC converters and more preferably 16 DC to DC converters.
There are a variety of methods for causing asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters of DC to DC converter modules according to the present invention. Some methods cause asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters such that no two DC to DC converters are switched at the same time. Certain methods cause asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters such that no two DC to DC converters are switched to an on state at the same time. At least some methods cause asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters such that no two DC to DC converters are switched to an off state at the same time.
Within at least some method according to the present invention switching operations of the DC to DC converters are evenly distributed between a number of discrete switching times. Within certain methods the number of switching times is equal to the inverse of a duty cycle of one of the DC to DC converters, said inverse being rounded up to the next highest integer if the inverse is not an integer. Through such methods an even input and output current is achieved.
As discussed above, certain methods according to the present invention have cause asynchronous operation of the DC to DC converters such that the times at which individual DC to DC converters are switched are evenly spaced throughout an operating or switching cycle of one of the DC to DC converters.
Within at least some methods according to the present invention, the DC to DC converter module is controlled to convert an input voltage to a higher output voltage.
It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed are not limited to the particular structures, process steps, or materials disclosed herein, but are extended to equivalents thereof as would be recognized by those ordinarily skilled in the relevant arts. It should also be understood that terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. In addition, various embodiments and example of the present invention may be referred to herein along with alternatives for the various components thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples, and alternatives are not to be construed as de facto equivalents of one another, but are to be considered as separate and autonomous representations of the present invention.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of lengths, widths, shapes, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
While the forgoing examples are illustrative of the principles of the present invention in one or more particular applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications in form, usage and details of implementation can be made without the exercise of inventive faculty, and without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the claims set forth below.
The verbs “to comprise” and “to include” are used in this document as open limitations that neither exclude nor require the existence of also un-recited features. The features recited in depending claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an”, i.e. a singular form, throughout this document does not exclude a plurality.
DC Direct Current
400 DC to DC Converter Module
411, 412 Input Terminals
421, 422 Output Terminals
431 Input
441-444 DC to DC Converters
450 Control Circuitry
480 Electric Power Source
490 Electric Motor
600 DC to DC Converter Module
611, 612 Input Terminals
615, 616 Charging Terminals
621-623 Output Terminals
631-636 Inputs
635 Encoder
637 Sensor
641-646 DC to DC Converters
650 Control Circuitry
671, 672 Capacitors
680 Electric Power Source
690 Electric Motor
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20175938 | Oct 2017 | FI | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/FI2018/050775 | 10/23/2018 | WO | 00 |