1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the supply, regulation, and conversion of power, including the supply, regulation, conversion, and reduction of electromagnetic interference (EMI) for a direct current (DC) power converter for aircraft, vehicle and telecommunications applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most DC-DC converters and power supplies operate in isolation—i.e., a single-converter circuit operates independently of other converters. For example, a single Buck converter, or its variation, employs only a single internal power-switching device (referred to as modular level N=1). Systematic, coordinated control at the system level for multiple Buck converters may improve the output voltage waveform over non-coordinated control. For example, a circuit connection topology may be provided with parallel connections of the output power terminals of multiple individual converter cells to organize the output voltage waveforms from the individual Buck converter units with a proper phase arrangement to reduce the output-voltage ripple. However, the state of the art is limited with respect to the improvement of converter input waveforms and does not include parallel connections and coordinated operations at the input terminals of multiple converters. Thus, known converters may not address issues such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) on the input side. As a result, known arrangements must employ large and heavy EMI filters to attenuate undesirable harmonics and electromagnetic interference at the converter input ports, or else the converters produce a significant amount of undesirable conductive and radiated emissions that are proportional to the load power/current level. Such large EMI filters, which add significant weight and bulk to the power supply, are undesirable for many applications, including aerospace applications.
Many industries, such as aerospace and telecommunications, have imposed rigorous regulatory standards/requirements for EMI and EMC on the power converter's input side, where EMI is more likely to interfere with other users/equipments sharing the same power input bus. The regulations generally include both radiated and conducted emissions and cover a wide frequency range of over 30 MHz.
The present disclosure describes new systems for advanced control, modular configuration and optimal cross-module modulation of multiple converter cells. The circuit topology of this new scheme may include parallel connections at the input power terminals of each individual converter cell, but may have no direct parallel connections in the output side (i.e., isolated outputs). Control and modulation of the multiple converter cells may include coordinated split-phase and/or multiple-phase modulation with an additional load balancing scheme or stage. Such a control and modulation scheme enables reduction of the input harmonics at the input port of the DC-DC power converters and enables EMI cancellation (or significant reduction) at the core circuit of power switching, where the EMI noise sources are located.
To illustrate the basic principle, the disclosure starts from a very basic scheme that employs two identical core circuits of DC-DC converters (modular level N=2), but uses a phase-angle-differential modulation of 180 electric degrees with a novel load current balancing configuration. The novel load current balancing design embedded together with the load matching or management allows the two converters to operate close to a 50% duty cycle in most nominal steady-state operations. As a result, the total input current to the converters can be a smooth DC current, rather than a square-wave pulsating current. This simplified example shows that the techniques of this disclosure can effectively reduce input current pulsation, thus reducing the rapid transient components in the input current and reducing transient current induced EMI. In addition, the approach of this disclosure also facilitates EMI cancellation in the main input current paths by a top-bottom pair layout of the PCB traces in the respective DC-DC converters.
A more in-depth disclosure of load balanced, multiple-phase modulation and a modular circuit scheme for low-EMI DC-DC conversion is further discussed in this disclosure at a modular level N=3. Quantitative theoretical analysis, digital simulation and initial experimental results have shown that this can effectively and significantly reduce input harmonic currents and improve EMI reduction at all load conditions. Further, multiple-phase modulation and a modular circuit scheme for low-EMI DC-DC conversion is further disclosed for a modular level N=k, where k>1 and k is an integer.
In an embodiment, a power conversion circuit providing the above-noted advantages may include two or more direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converters and a load-balancing circuit portion. The converters may be configured to receive input power from two or more input power sources, and further configured to be modulated with an electrical signal phase differential relative to one another. The load balancing circuit portion may be coupled with respective outputs of the DC-DC converters and configured to balance the respective loads on the DC-DC converters with each other.
In an embodiment, the power conversion circuit may further include an EMI filter coupled with the power sources and with the input of the DC-DC converters. The EMI filter may include two, or more, channels. Each channel can be configured to receive input power through a respective power bus.
Another embodiment of a power conversion circuit providing the above-noted advantages may include a DC converter group comprising a plurality of DC-DC converter cells and parallel input power terminal connections for two or more of the individual converter cells in the converter group, wherein the output terminals of the individual converter cells are isolated from each other. The circuit may further include a multiple-phase modulation controller coupled with the DC converter group and a load balancing circuit portion, the load balancing circuit portion coupled with respective outputs of the DC-DC converters, and configured to balance the respective loads on the DC-DC converters with each other.
Still another embodiment of a power conversion circuit providing the above-noted advantages may include an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter column configured to be coupled with an input power source, two or more direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converters coupled with the output of the EMI filter column, and a modulation controller. The modulation controller may be coupled with the DC-DC converters and may be configured to modulate the DC-DC converters with phase angle differential modulation wherein the relative electrical signal phase differential between two of the DC-DC converters is inversely proportional to the number of converters that are modulated together.
More disclosures are given in the following sections and Figures:
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The power source management portion 18 of the circuit 10 is coupled to both input power sources 12, 14. In an embodiment, the EMI filter 20 is coupled directly to both input power sources 12, 14. The power source management portion 18 and the EMI filter 20 may comprise conventional components and topologies known in the art.
The DC-DC converters 24, 26 are coupled to the output of the power source management portion 18 of the circuit and, in an embodiment, coupled to the output of the EMI filter 20. Both of the DC-DC converters 24, 26 may comprise conventional components known in the art and, in an embodiment, may be identical to each other. The DC-DC converters 24, 26 may be configured to increase or decrease the voltage from their input side (i.e., power sources 12, 14) to their output side (i.e., loads 16). In an aircraft embodiment in which the power management circuit 10 is used to provide power from a main aircraft power bus to an instrument panel, light dimming controller, or other system, the DC-DC converters 24, 26 may change voltage from input to output. For example, the power sources 12, 14 may provide input power at 28V, and the DC-DC converters 24, 26 may decrease the voltage to 24V for the loads 16.
The modulation controller 22 may be coupled to both of the DC-DC converters 24, 26 and may provide a modulation signal for each converter. In an embodiment, the modulation controller 22 applies a “split-phase” modulation scheme in which the converters 24, 26 are modulated approximately 180 electrical degrees out of phase with each other. To do so, the modulation controller may provide separate modulation signals to the converters that have a relative phase differential of 180 degrees. The underlying modulation scheme to which the phase differential is applied may be a scheme known in the art (e.g., pulse-width modulation). The modulation controller 22 may adjust the modulation scheme and the phase differential in the respective modulation signals for the DC-DC converters 24, 26 according to respective modulation control reference signals. The respective reference signals may be related to the output of the converters or to a signal present at an intermediate stage of the converters.
The load balancing portion 32 of the circuit 10 may be coupled to the output of the converters 24, 26 and may distribute power to loads 16 such that the load on (i.e., the power provided by) each of the converters 24, 26 is approximately equal. The load balancing portion 32 may receive additional input from sensors 28, 30 indicative of respective output characteristics (e.g., power, voltage, current) of the converters 24, 26 and may distribute power accordingly. In general, the load balancing can be achieved in real time (i.e., “on-line”) by a load managing/balancing circuit, or in an off-line load balancing/management process, or with both. The connection topology illustrated in
The topology of the power conversion circuit 10 can provide advantages over power supplies and power conversion circuits and topologies known in the art. For example, without limitation, by applying a split-phase modulation scheme to the converters 24, 26 and balancing the loads on the converters 24, 26, the circuit 10 can reduce the input current pulsation and EMI—both conductive and radiated—produced at the input. As a result, the EMI filter 20 can then be constructed to be comparatively smaller than in known circuits, allowing for a smaller, lighter and less expensive circuit. Moreover, the combination of split-phase modulation and load balancing can permit the converters 24, 26 to operate close to a 50% duty cycle in most nominal steady-state operations. As a result, the input current pulsation may be reduced further and the power quality can be improved for loads connected to the power sources 12, 14. In a further embodiment, the circuit 10 can be laid out in a top-bottom pair configuration on a printed circuit board (PCB). A top-bottom PCB layout can further reduce EMI at the input of the circuit.
The topology and control scheme described above can be extended to a higher number of modular level N=k, where k>1 and k is an integer. As illustrated and discussed below, quantitative theoretic analysis, digital simulation and initial experimental results have shown that this can effectively and significantly reduce the input harmonic currents and benefit EMI reduction at all load conditions.
The load-balanced modulation scheme illustrated in
Each element in the circuit 36 can be scaled to accommodate any number N of DC-DC converters. Power source management portion 18 and EMI filter 20 may each have a channel for each DC-DC converter, each of the N DC-DC converters may have an associated sensor, and the load balancing circuit portion 32 may be configured to distribute power from N converters to the loads 16 according to input from the N sensors.
The modulation controller 22 also can be scaled to provide N modulation signals—i.e., a separate modulation signal for each of the N converters 24, 26, 38. In an embodiment including more than two such converters, the phase angle differential between converters may be inversely proportional or otherwise related to the number of converters that are modulated together. For example only, in an embodiment, the phase angle differential θ (in degrees) between the first converter 24 and each other converter k may be calculated approximately according to equation (1) below:
Where k=1, . . . , N. In such an embodiment, the relative phase angle differentials may be evenly distributed among the several converters, as illustrated in
Under the control of the gate controller 50, the transistor 48 may switch on and off to modulate the load voltage of converter 42. The gate controller 50 may apply a modulation scheme as known in the art such as, for example only, pulse-width modulation. Reference signals and modulation phase information may be provided by a central controller (e.g., modulation controller 22 generally illustrated in
The converter 42 can be one in a series of many DC-DC converters operated in parallel, as illustrated by DC-DC converter k+i. The converter 42 can be configured to share a common input current IIN and a common input voltage VIN with other converters. And as described in conjunction with
The operation of a buck converter is well known in the art as a step-down converter with an output voltage that is lower than its input voltage, however, a further description follows. The switch 54 cyclically opens and closes to modulate the converter. For example, the switch 54 can open and close under the direction of a modulation controller. When the switch 54 is closed, the diode 55 is reverse-biased and acts nearly as an open switch. When the switch 54 opens, the diode 55 is forward-biased and acts as a closed switch. The output voltage may be proportional to the amount of time that the switch 54 is closed in each open-close cycle.
As shown in waveform 86 in
As shown in
The drawings are intended to illustrate various concepts associated with the disclosure and are not intended to so narrowly limit the invention. A wide range of changes and modifications to the embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and are contemplated. It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that the following claims, including all equivalents, are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.