U.S. patent application number 16/379556 was filed with the patent office on 2020-10-15 for three phase ac/dc power converter with interleaved llc converters.
The applicant listed for this patent is EnerSys Delaware Inc.. Invention is credited to Patrick Dehem, Qianqian Jiao, Mohammed Kechmir, Yincan Mao, Rui Zhou.
Application Number | 20200328696 16/379556 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005117881 |
Filed Date | 2020-10-15 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200328696 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dehem; Patrick ; et
al. |
October 15, 2020 |
THREE PHASE AC/DC POWER CONVERTER WITH INTERLEAVED LLC
CONVERTERS
Abstract
An AC/DC power converter includes an input port configured to
receive an AC power signal, a first transformer coupled to the
input port, the first transformer comprising first and second
primary windings and at least a first secondary winding, and a
second transformer coupled to the input port, the second
transformer comprising third and fourth primary windings and at
least a second secondary winding. The first primary winding of the
first transformer is coupled in series with the third primary
winding of the second transformer, the second primary winding of
the first transformer is coupled in series with the fourth primary
winding of the second transformer, and the first secondary winding
and the second secondary winding are coupled in parallel.
Inventors: |
Dehem; Patrick;
(Vitry-en-Artois, FR) ; Kechmir; Mohammed;
(Wyomissing, PA) ; Jiao; Qianqian; (Wyomissing,
PA) ; Mao; Yincan; (Wyomissing, PA) ; Zhou;
Rui; (Niskayuna, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
EnerSys Delaware Inc. |
Reading |
PA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005117881 |
Appl. No.: |
16/379556 |
Filed: |
April 9, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02M 1/4208 20130101;
H02M 2001/0074 20130101; H02M 7/25 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H02M 7/25 20060101
H02M007/25; H02M 1/42 20060101 H02M001/42 |
Claims
1. An AC/DC power converter comprising: an input port configured to
receive an AC power signal; a first transformer coupled to the
input port, the first transformer comprising first and second
primary windings and at least a first secondary winding; a second
transformer coupled to the input port, the second transformer
comprising third and fourth primary windings and at least a second
secondary winding; a first half-bridge inverter coupled between the
input port and the first primary winding; and a second half-bridge
inverter coupled between the input port and the second primary
winding, wherein the first primary winding of the first transformer
is coupled in series with the third primary winding of the second
transformer, wherein the second primary winding of the first
transformer is coupled in series with the fourth primary winding of
the second transformer, wherein the first secondary winding and the
second secondary winding are coupled in parallel, wherein the first
half-bridge inverter comprises a first switch and a second switch,
wherein the first switch is coupled between the input port and a
second node, and wherein the second switch is coupled between the
second node and the third primary winding of the second
transformer.
2. The AC/DC power converter of claim 1, further comprising: a
first LLC resonant circuit comprising the first primary winding of
the first transformer and the third primary winding of the second
transformer; a second LLC resonant circuit comprising the second
primary winding of the first transformer and the fourth primary
winding of the second transformer; a first capacitor that is
configured to be coupled in parallel with the first LLC resonant
circuit during operation of the AC/DC power converter; and a second
capacitor that is coupled in parallel with the second LLC resonant
circuit during operation of the AC/DC power converter.
3. The AC/DC power converter of claim 1, wherein the first and
second primary windings and the first secondary winding are wound
around a first magnetic core, and wherein the third and fourth
primary windings and the second secondary winding are wound around
a second magnetic core.
4. The AC/DC power converter of claim 1, further comprising an
output port configured to output a DC power signal, wherein the
first secondary winding and the second secondary winding are
coupled to the output port.
5. The AC/DC power converter of claim 1, wherein the first
secondary winding comprises a plurality of first secondary
windings.
6. The AC/DC power converter of claim 1, further comprising a first
inductor and a first capacitor coupled in series with the first
primary winding of the first transformer and the third primary
winding of the second transformer.
7. The AC/DC power converter of claim 6, further comprising a
second inductor and a second capacitor coupled in series with the
second primary winding of the first transformer and the fourth
primary winding of the second transformer.
8. The AC/DC power converter of claim 1, wherein the input port is
coupled to a rectifier.
9. The AC/DC power converter of claim 8, wherein the AC power
signal is a single phase of a multi-phase power signal.
10. The AC/DC power converter of claim 8, wherein the AC power
signal is a multi-phase power signal.
11. An interleaved converter circuit comprising: a first capacitor
coupled in parallel with a first LLC resonant circuit comprising a
series combination of a first winding of a first transformer and a
third winding of a second transformer; a second capacitor coupled
in parallel with a second LLC resonant circuit comprising a series
combination of a second winding of the first transformer and a
fourth winding of the second transformer; an input port that is
coupled to primary windings of the first transformer and the second
transformer, the input port configured to receive an AC power
signal; an output port that is coupled to secondary windings of the
first transformer and the second transformer, the output port
configured to output a DC power signal; a first half-bridge
inverter coupled between the input port and the first winding of
the first transformer; and a second half-bridge inverter coupled
between the input port and the second winding of the first
transformer, wherein the interleaved converter circuit is
configured to maintain a substantially equal voltage on the first
capacitor and the second capacitor; wherein the first capacitor and
second capacitor are electrically in parallel with a first and a
second terminal of the input port, wherein the first half-bridge
inverter comprises a first switch and a second switch, wherein the
first switch is coupled between the input port and a second node,
and wherein the second switch is coupled between the second node
and the third winding of the second transformer.
12. The interleaved converter circuit of claim 11, wherein the
first winding and the second winding are the primary windings of
the first transformer, wherein the third winding and the fourth
winding are the primary windings of the second transformer, and
wherein the secondary winding of the second transformer is coupled
in parallel to the secondary winding of the first transformer.
13. (canceled)
14. The interleaved converter circuit of claim 11, further
comprising a rectification circuit coupled between the output port
and the secondary winding of the first transformer and the
secondary winding of the second transformer.
15. The interleaved converter circuit of claim 11, further
comprising a rectification circuit coupled between the input port
and the first transformer and the second transformer.
16. An AC/DC power converter comprising: a first LLC resonant tank
circuit coupled in parallel with a first capacitor, the first LLC
resonant tank circuit comprising a first primary winding that is
wound around a first magnetic core and a third primary winding that
is wound around a second magnetic core; a second LLC resonant tank
circuit coupled in parallel with a second capacitor, the second LLC
resonant tank circuit comprising a second primary winding that is
wound around the first magnetic core and a fourth primary winding
that is wound around the second magnetic core; an input port
coupled to the first LLC resonant tank circuit and the second LLC
resonant tank circuit; an output port coupled to at least a first
secondary winding that is wound around the first magnetic core and
at least a second secondary winding that is wound around the second
magnetic core; a first half-bridge inverter coupled between the
input port and the first LLC resonant tank circuit; and a second
half-bridge inverter coupled between the input port and the second
LLC resonant tank circuit, wherein the first capacitor and the
second capacitor are electrically in parallel with a first and a
second terminal of the input port, wherein the first half-bridge
inverter comprises a first switch and a second switch, wherein the
first switch is coupled between the first terminal of the input
port and a second node, and wherein the second switch is coupled
between the second node and the third primary winding around the
second magnetic core.
17. The AC/DC power converter of claim 16, wherein the first
secondary winding is coupled in parallel with the second secondary
winding.
18. The AC/DC power converter of claim 16, wherein the first LLC
resonant tank circuit comprises a third capacitor and a first
inductor in series with the first primary winding and the third
primary winding, and wherein the second LLC resonant tank circuit
comprises a fourth capacitor and a second inductor in series with
the second primary winding and the fourth primary winding.
19. The AC/DC power converter of claim 18, wherein a capacitance of
the third capacitor and the fourth capacitor is substantially the
same, and wherein an inductance of the first inductor and the
second inductor is substantially the same.
20-21. (canceled)
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to an AC-DC
converter and, more specifically, to an AC-DC converter
incorporating interleaved LLC resonant tank circuits.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Converters incorporating LLC resonant tank circuits may be
used conventionally as part of power conversion systems. An LLC
resonant tank circuit (also referred to herein as an LLC resonant
circuit) may include a capacitor (C), a first inductor (L) and a
second inductor (L) for providing an output voltage of the power
conversion system. Examples of devices in which a converter
incorporating an LLC resonant tank circuit is applied are lighting
devices, displays systems, battery charging systems, and the like.
The LLC resonant tank circuit may include series resonant circuits,
in which the capacitor and first inductor are in series with the
second inductor, which may be an inductor of a transformer.
[0003] FIG. 1 shows the basic topology of a conventional device for
converting a voltage at its input V.sub.in to an output voltage
V.sub.out. The device may include a three-phase diode rectification
circuit, a full bridge LLC resonant tank, and an output
rectification circuit.
[0004] The LLC resonant tank may include an inductor L.sub.s, a
capacitor C.sub.s, and an inductor L.sub.p connected in series to
realize resonance. The inductor L.sub.p is in parallel with the
load. The output rectification circuit rectifies an AC signal
received from the resonant network into a DC output. In general,
for an LLC resonant tank, the maximum gain will occur at the
resonant frequency, which is given by:
f.sub.r=1/2.pi. {square root over (L.sub.rC.sub.r)}
[0005] The LLC series resonant circuit has benefits including zero
voltage switching, wide load range, limited switching frequency
swing, and fast transient response. LLC resonant circuits are
widely used due to the above advantages. However, LLC resonant
circuits may include large current ripple, which may require
excessive filtering to overcome.
[0006] To address some of the issues with LLC resonant circuits,
LLC resonant circuits may be interleaved. FIG. 2 illustrates a
circuit model of an interleaved LLC circuit. Compared with the
regular LLC topology, interleaved LLC topology (as shown in FIG. 2)
can improve the current ripple associated with single LLC resonant
circuits. In the interleaved LLC example, two LLC resonant tank
circuits operate in parallel. In practice, the parameters of the
two resonant circuits may not be identical. For example, impedances
associated with interconnections of the circuit and/or natural
deviations in the tolerances of the component parts, such as the
inductors and capacitors of the LLC resonant circuit, may cause
variations in the resonant frequencies of the resonant
circuits.
[0007] If the parameters of the two LLC resonant circuits are not
consistent with each other, the two transformers of the two LLC
resonant circuits may be under different load conditions. The
different load conditions may cause the output voltages of the two
LLC resonant circuits to become out of balance which can lead to
inefficient operation and, ultimately, may cause damage to the
device. In practice, the use of interleaved LLC resonant circuits
may require the extensive overdesign and/or balancing circuits to
offset variations in the LLC components. In some cases, extensive
care during the design phase and screening during manufacturing may
need to be performed so as to maintain consistency in the
parameters of the constituent LLC circuits. Such additional steps
cause delay and unnecessary expense in the formation of LLC-based
converter devices.
SUMMARY
[0008] Embodiments described herein are directed to power
converters utilizing interleaved LLC resonant tank circuits. More
particularly, embodiments described herein are directed to power
converters utilizing LLC resonant tank circuits in which a primary
winding from a first transformer is coupled in series with a
primary winding from a second transformer.
[0009] Pursuant to some embodiments of the present invention, an
AC/DC power converter includes an input port configured to receive
an AC power signal, a first transformer coupled to the input port,
the first transformer comprising first and second primary windings
and at least a first secondary winding, and a second transformer
coupled to the input port, the second transformer comprising third
and fourth primary windings and at least a second secondary
winding. The first primary winding of the first transformer is
coupled in series with the third primary winding of the second
transformer, the second primary winding of the first transformer is
coupled in series with the fourth primary winding of the second
transformer, and the first secondary winding and the second
secondary winding are coupled in parallel.
[0010] In some embodiments, the power converter may further include
a first LLC resonant circuit comprising the first primary winding
of the first transformer and the third primary winding of the
second transformer, a second LLC resonant circuit comprising the
second primary winding of the first transformer and the fourth
primary winding of the second transformer, a first capacitor that
is configured to be coupled in parallel with the first LLC resonant
circuit during operation of the AC/DC power converter, and a second
capacitor that is coupled in parallel with the second LLC resonant
circuit during operation of the AC/DC power converter.
[0011] In some embodiments, the first and second primary windings
and the first secondary winding are wound around a first magnetic
core, and the third and fourth primary windings and the second
secondary winding are wound around a second magnetic core.
[0012] In some embodiments, the power converter may further include
an output port configured to output a DC power signal, where the
first secondary winding and the second secondary winding are
coupled to the output port.
[0013] In some embodiments, the first secondary winding comprises a
plurality of first secondary windings.
[0014] In some embodiments, the power converter may further include
a first inductor and a first capacitor coupled in series with the
first primary winding of the first transformer and the third
primary winding of the second transformer.
[0015] In some embodiments, the power converter may further include
a second inductor and a second capacitor coupled in series with the
second primary winding of the first transformer and the fourth
primary winding of the second transformer.
[0016] In some embodiments, the input port is coupled to a
rectifier.
[0017] In some embodiments, the AC power signal is a single phase
of a multi-phase power signal.
[0018] Pursuant to some embodiments of the present invention, an
interleaved converter circuit includes a first capacitor coupled in
parallel with a first LLC resonant circuit comprising a series
combination of a first winding of a first transformer and a third
winding of a second transformer, and a second capacitor coupled in
parallel with a second LLC resonant circuit comprising a series
combination of a second winding of the first transformer and a
fourth winding of the second transformer. The interleaved converter
circuit is configured to maintain a substantially equal voltage on
the first capacitor and the second capacitor.
[0019] In some embodiments, the first winding and the second
winding are primary windings of the first transformer, the third
winding and the fourth winding are primary windings of the second
transformer, and the interleaved converter circuit may further
include at least a secondary winding of the first transformer, and
at least a secondary winding of the second transformer that is
coupled in parallel to the secondary winding of the first
transformer.
[0020] In some embodiments, the interleaved converter circuit may
further include an input port that is coupled to the first
transformer and the second transformer, the input port configured
to receive an AC power signal, and an output port that is coupled
to the secondary winding of the first transformer and the secondary
winding of the second transformer, the output port configured to
output a DC power signal.
[0021] In some embodiments, the interleaved converter circuit may
further include a rectification circuit coupled between the output
port and the secondary winding of the first transformer and the
secondary winding of the second transformer.
[0022] In some embodiments, the interleaved converter circuit may
further include a rectification circuit coupled between the input
port and the first transformer and the second transformer.
[0023] Pursuant to some embodiments of the present invention, an
AC/DC power converter includes a first LLC resonant tank circuit
coupled in parallel with a first capacitor, the first LLC resonant
tank circuit comprising a first winding wound around a first
magnetic core and a third winding wound around a second magnetic
core, a second LLC resonant tank circuit coupled in parallel with a
second capacitor, the second LLC resonant tank circuit comprising a
second winding wound around the first magnetic core and a fourth
winding wound around the second magnetic core, an input port
coupled to the first LLC resonant tank circuit and the second LLC
resonant tank circuit, and an output port coupled to at least a
first secondary winding wound around the first magnetic core and at
least a second secondary winding wound around the second magnetic
core.
[0024] In some embodiments, the first secondary winding is coupled
in parallel with the second secondary winding.
[0025] In some embodiments, the first LLC resonant tank circuit
comprises a third capacitor and a first inductor in series with the
first and third windings, and the second LLC resonant tank circuit
comprises a fourth capacitor and a second inductor in series with
the second and fourth windings.
[0026] In some embodiments, a capacitance of the third capacitor
and the fourth capacitor is substantially the same, and an
inductance of the first inductor and the second inductor is
substantially the same.
[0027] In some embodiments, the first capacitor and second
capacitor are electrically in parallel with a first and second
terminal of the input port.
[0028] Further features, advantages, and details of the present
invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art
from a reading of the figures and the detailed description of the
preferred embodiments that follow, such description being merely
illustrative of the present invention.
[0029] It is noted that aspects of the invention described with
respect to one embodiment, may be incorporated in a different
embodiment although not specifically described relative thereto.
That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be
combined in any way and/or combination. These and other objects
and/or aspects of the present invention are explained in detail in
the specification set forth below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] The accompanying figures are included to provide a further
understanding of the present invention, and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate
some embodiments of the present invention and, together with the
description, serve to explain principles of the present
invention.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a conventional LLC resonant
circuit.
[0032] FIG. 2 is a circuit model of a circuit incorporating
interleaved LLC resonant circuits.
[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates a circuit diagram of an AC/DC converter
according to embodiments described herein.
[0034] FIG. 4A is a circuit diagram illustrating a portion of a
converter incorporating an LLC resonant circuit that does not
utilize interleaved inductors. FIG. 4B is an equivalent circuit
diagram of a portion of FIG. 4A.
[0035] FIG. 5A is a circuit diagram illustrating a portion of the
circuit of FIG. 3. FIG. 5B is an equivalent circuit diagram of FIG.
5A.
[0036] FIG. 6 illustrates a simulated output waveform of the
circuit illustrated in FIG. 2.
[0037] FIG. 7 illustrates a simulated output waveform of an
LLC-based converter according to embodiments described herein.
[0038] FIG. 8 illustrates a multi-phase AC/DC converter according
to embodiments described herein.
[0039] FIG. 9 illustrates another multi-phase AC/DC converter
according to embodiments described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0040] The present invention now will be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown. In the
drawings, the relative sizes of regions or features may be
exaggerated for clarity. This invention may, however, be embodied
in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to
the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are
provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and
will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in
the art.
[0041] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as
being "coupled" or "connected" to another element, it can be
directly coupled or connected to the other element or intervening
elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is
referred to as being "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to
another element, there are no intervening elements present. Like
numbers refer to like elements throughout.
[0042] Well-known functions or constructions may not be described
in detail for brevity and/or clarity.
[0043] As used herein the expression "and/or" includes any and all
combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0044] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
[0045] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this
invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such
as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be
interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their
meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be
interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly
so defined herein.
[0046] The embodiments described herein provide a three phase AC/DC
power converter that interleaves the primary windings of two LLC
resonant circuits such that the two resonant circuits share the
cores of two transformers. In some embodiments, the converter may
be configured to operate as an AC/DC converter circuit configured
to take a multi-phase AC signal as input. In some embodiments, the
converter may be configured to operate as three single phase AC/DC
converter circuits connected in a delta or Y configuration. In some
embodiments, the converter may have built in power factor
correction. In some embodiments, the converter may have a plurality
of LLC resonant tank circuits including the windings from two
transformers connected in series on the primary side and in
parallel on the secondary side. The primary transformer windings of
the two LLC resonant tank circuits may be interleaved. By
interleaving the primary transformer windings, DC link capacitor
voltages corresponding to the LLC resonant tank circuits may be
balanced. The efficiency of the power converter can be improved
with new wide band gap devices.
[0047] Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which is a circuit diagram
of an AC/DC converter 200 according to embodiments described
herein. The converter 200 may take an AC signal V.sub.in as input
and output a DC signal V.sub.out. In some embodiments, the AC input
signal V.sub.in may be a single phase of an AC power signal. In
some embodiments, the AC input signal may be a multi-phase input
signal.
[0048] The AC/DC converter may include an input rectification
circuit 210, a power factor correction circuit 220, an inverter
circuit 230, an LLC resonant tank circuit 240, and an output
rectification circuit 250.
[0049] In some embodiments, the input rectification circuit 210 may
include a full wave bridge rectifier, though the present invention
is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the input
rectification circuit 210 may include half wave bridge rectifier.
In some embodiments, the input rectification circuit 210 may
include a three-phase bridge rectifier. The input rectification
circuit 210 may be configured to convert the AC input signal
V.sub.in into a DC signal for processing by the inverter circuit
230.
[0050] A power factor correction circuit 220 may be coupled to the
output of the input rectification circuit 210. The power factor
correction circuit 220 may be configured to increase a power factor
of the input signal of the converter 200. The power factor
correction circuit 220 may include a first power factor inductor L1
and a second power factor inductor L2. In some embodiments, the
power factor correction circuit 220 may compensate for power factor
modifications induced by other parts of the converter 200, such as
the inverter circuit 20 described further herein. The first power
factor inductor L1 may have a first terminal coupled to a first
output terminal of the input rectification circuit 210 and a second
terminal coupled to a first output terminal of the power factor
correction circuit 22Q. The second power factor inductor L2 may
have a first terminal coupled to a second output terminal of the
input rectification circuit 210 and a second terminal coupled to a
second output terminal of the power factor correction circuit 220.
The power factor correction circuit 220 may also incorporate a
first power factor correction switch Q1 and a second power factor
correction switch Q2. The first power factor correction switch Q1
may have a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the
first power factor inductor L1 and a second terminal coupled to a
first node N1. The second power factor correction switch Q2 may
have a first terminal coupled to the first node N1 and a second
terminal coupled to the second terminal of the second power factor
inductor L2.
[0051] Though FIG. 3 illustrates a particular power factor
correction circuit 220, it will be understood that other power
factor correction mechanisms may be used without deviating from the
present invention. In some embodiments, the power factor correction
circuit 220 may be omitted.
[0052] The inverter circuit 230 may convert the rectified AC signal
provided by the input rectification circuit 210 (in some
embodiments, through the power factor correction circuit 220) into
an AC signal to be provided to the LLC resonant tank circuit 240.
The inverter circuit 230 may include a switching topology (e.g.,
S1, S2, S3, S4) configured to selectively switch the DC signal from
the input rectification circuit 210 into the AC signal for the LLC
resonant tank circuit 240. The inverter circuit 230 may include one
or more DC link capacitors. In some embodiments, the DC link
capacitor may be a load-balancing energy storage device. As
illustrated in FIG. 3, at least two DC link capacitors C.sub.in1
and C.sub.in2 may be provided, but the present invention is not
limited thereto. A first DC link capacitor C.sub.in1 may have a
first terminal coupled to the first output terminal of the power
factor correction circuit 220 and a second terminal coupled to the
first node N1. A second DC link capacitor C.sub.in2 may have a
first terminal coupled to the first node N1 and a second terminal
coupled to a fourth node N4.
[0053] In some embodiments, the input rectification circuit 210 may
convert the incoming AC signal into what are effectively two DC
buses, which may be in parallel with the DC link capacitors.
[0054] The series combination of the first and second inverter
switches S1 and S2 may be coupled in parallel with the first DC
link capacitor C.sub.in1. The series combination of the third and
fourth inverter switches S3 and S4 may be coupled in parallel with
the second DC link capacitor C.sub.in2. For example, the first
inverter switch S1 may have a first terminal coupled to the first
terminal of the first DC link capacitor C.sub.in1 and a second
terminal coupled to a second node N2. The second inverter switch S2
may have a first terminal coupled to the second node N2 and a
second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first DC link
capacitor C.sub.in1. The third inverter switch S3 may have a first
terminal coupled to the first terminal of the second DC link
capacitor C.sub.in2 and a second terminal coupled to a third node
N3. The fourth inverter switch S4 may have a first terminal coupled
to the third node N3 and a second terminal coupled to the fourth
node N4
[0055] The first, second, third, and fourth inverter switches S1,
S2, S3, and S4 may be controlled by signals to selectively switch
the DC signal provided as output of input rectification circuit 210
through the power factor correction circuit 220 so as to generate
an AC signal at an output of the inverter circuit 230. For example
a controller (not shown) may be provided to provide appropriate
switching by biasing the first, second, third, and fourth inverter
switches S1, S2, S3, and S4 at predetermined intervals.
[0056] Though the first, second, third, and fourth inverter
switches S1, S2, S3, and S4 are illustrated as transistors in FIG.
3, it will be understood than any suitable switching technology may
be utilized without deviating from the present invention.
Similarly, the present invention is not limited to the switching
topography illustrated in FIG. 3. Other switching topographies
suitable for implementing an inverter circuit may be utilized as
would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
[0057] The output of the inverter circuit 230 may be provided at
the second node N2 and the third node N3. The output of the
inverter circuit 230 may be provided to the LLC resonant tank
circuit 240. The LLC resonant tank circuit 240 may comprise a
plurality of LLC resonant circuits. For example, as illustrated in
FIG. 3, the LLC resonant tank circuit 240 may include two LLC
series resonant circuits, though the present invention is not
limited thereto. In some embodiments, the LLC resonant tank circuit
240 may incorporate a plurality of LLC parallel resonant circuits.
In some embodiments, more than two LLC resonant circuits may be
used without deviating from the present invention.
[0058] Each of the LLC resonant circuits may include a first
resonant capacitor, a first resonant inductor, and a plurality of
interleaved and/or interconnected inductors. At least two of the
plurality of interleaved inductors may be the primary coils of
separate transformers. Stated another way, one of the plurality of
interleaved inductors may be a primary winding of a first
transformer, and a second one of the plurality of interleaved
inductors may be a primary winding of a second transformer. As used
herein, an interleaved inductor and/or interleaved transformer
denotes a plurality of inductors that constitute primary windings
from separate transformers, which may be included as part of an LLC
resonant circuit.
[0059] For example, referring to FIG. 3, a first LLC resonant
circuit may include a first resonant capacitor CR1, a second
resonant inductor LR1, a first interleaved inductor LM11, and a
second interleaved inductor LM21 all connected in series between
the second node N2 and the first node N1. The first interleaved
inductor LM11 may be a primary winding of a first transformer T1.
The second interleaved inductor LM21 may be a primary winding of a
second transformer T2.
[0060] A second LLC resonant circuit may include a first resonant
capacitor CR2, a second resonant inductor LR2, a first interleaved
inductor LM12, and a second interleaved inductor LM22 all connected
in series between the third node N3 and the fourth node N4. The
first interleaved inductor LM12 may be a primary winding of the
first transformer T1. The second interleaved inductor LM22 may be a
primary winding of the second transformer T2.
[0061] The first transformer T1 and the second transformer T2 may
be substantially similar. That is to say that the first transformer
T1 may have a number of primary windings N.sub.p that is the same
as the number of primary windings N.sub.p of the second transformer
T2, a number of secondary windings N.sub.s that is the same as the
number of secondary windings N.sub.s of the second transformer T2,
and a mutual inductance M that is the same as the mutual inductance
M of the second transformer T2. In some embodiments, the first
transformer T1 and the second transformer T2 may be of identical
construction, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0062] In some embodiments, the primary and secondary windings of
the first transformer T1 and the second transformer T2 may be
configured such that a phase shift from primary to secondary will
be zero degrees. The secondary windings of the first transformer T1
and the second transformer T2 may be coupled to the output
rectification circuit 250. In some embodiments, the secondary
windings of the first transformer T1 may be coupled in parallel
with the secondary windings of the second transformer T2.
[0063] The output rectification circuit 250 may perform
rectification of an AC signal output from the secondary side of the
first and second transformers T1, T2. In some embodiments, the
output rectification circuit 250 may be incorporated as a diode
rectification circuit as illustrated in FIG. 3. However, the
present invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the
output rectification circuit 250 may incorporate synchronous
rectification. As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in
the art, various output rectification mechanisms may be
incorporated within the output rectification circuit 250 without
deviating from the scope of the present invention.
[0064] An output capacitor C.sub.out may be coupled across the
output terminals of the converter 200. The output capacitor
C.sub.out may assist in filtering the output voltage V.sub.out
provided at the output terminals of the converter 200. Though the
output capacitor C.sub.out is illustrated as a single capacitor in
FIG. 3, it will be understood that other configurations are
possible. For example, in some embodiments, the output capacitor
C.sub.out may be configured as a plurality of capacitors. In some
embodiments, the plurality of capacitors may be coupled in
parallel.
[0065] As described previously, variation in parameters of an
interleaved LLC circuit in conventional devices can lead to
instability of the output voltage and, potentially, damage to the
device. By interleaving the primary transformer windings from
different transformers of the interleaved LLC circuits, the DC link
capacitor voltages (e.g., the voltages on capacitors C.sub.in1 and
C.sub.in2) may be balanced. By interleaving the primary windings,
the DC-Link capacitors may share the same voltage and current even
at different loads.
[0066] FIG. 4A is a circuit diagram illustrating a portion of the
circuit of FIG. 2. FIG. 4A also illustrates a portion of a DC link
(comprising DC link capacitor C.sub.in) in which the windings of
the transformer are not interleaved. In other words, FIG. 4A
illustrates a configuration in which one half of the DC bus is
coupled to an LLC resonant circuit which comprises primary windings
taken only from a single transformer. The circuit of FIG. 4A may be
equivalently represented with just the inductance/transformer
portion, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, and the equivalent resistances
seen from the primary side of the transformers may be represented
by Req11 and Req12.
[0067] Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the transformer may have a
mutual inductance M that may be given by:
M=2.times.N.sub.p/N.sub.s
where N.sub.p is the number of turns of the primary winding and
N.sub.s is the number of turns of the secondary winding.
[0068] The relationship between the current I.sub.p into the
transformer and the output current I.sub.out may be given by:
I p = .pi. .times. I out 2 .times. M sin ( .omega. t )
##EQU00001##
where .omega. is the angular frequency and t is time.
[0069] The relationship between the current V.sub.p into the
transformer and the output current V.sub.out may be given by:
V p = 4 .times. V o u t .times. M .pi. sin ( .omega. t )
##EQU00002##
where .omega. is the angular frequency and t is time.
[0070] Thus, the relationship between the equivalent resistances
may be given by:
R eq 11 + R eq 12 = V p I P = 8 .times. M 2 .times. V o u t .pi. 2
.times. I o u t ##EQU00003##
[0071] Therefore:
R eq 11 = R e q 1 2 = 4 .times. M 2 .times. V o u t .pi. 2 .times.
I o u t ##EQU00004##
This modeling of the equivalent resistances may be used to examine
the LLC resonant circuit configuration of the inventive
concepts.
[0072] FIG. 5A is a circuit diagram illustrating a portion of the
circuit of FIG. 3. As illustrated in FIG. 5A and discussed with
respect to FIG. 3, the output capacitor C.sub.out may include a
plurality of output capacitors in parallel. FIG. 5A also
illustrates that the output rectification circuit may include
different types of switching and/or rectification. The circuit of
FIG. 5A may be equivalently represented as two separate circuits,
as illustrated in FIG. 5B. The two separate circuits are designated
in FIG. 5B as LLC1 and LLC2. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, each of the
equivalent circuits incorporates a DC link capacitor (e.g.,
C.sub.in1 or C.sub.in2), two switches of the inverter circuit
(e.g., S1/S2 or S3/S4), and an LLC resonant circuit coupled in
parallel with a load.
[0073] The first equivalent circuit LLC1 may include a first LLC
resonant circuit including a first capacitor (e.g., CR1), a first
inductor (e.g., LR11) and a series combination of a first
interleaved inductor made of a primary winding of the first
transformer T1 (e.g., LM11) and a second interleaved inductor made
of a primary winding of the second transformer T2 (e.g., LM21). An
equivalent resistance Req11 may be in parallel with the first
interleaved inductor LM11 and an equivalent resistance Req21 may be
in parallel with the second interleaved inductor LM21.
[0074] The second equivalent circuit LLC2 may include a second LLC
circuit including a first capacitor (e.g., CR2), a first inductor
(e.g., LR22) and a series combination of a first interleaved
inductor made of a primary winding of the second transformer T2
(e.g., LM22) and a second interleaved inductor made of a primary
winding of the first transformer T1 (e.g., LM12). An equivalent
resistance Req22 may be in parallel with the first interleaved
inductor LM22 and an equivalent resistance Req12 may be in parallel
with the second interleaved inductor LM12. As noted above, the
equivalent resistances Req11, Req12, Req21, and Req22 may represent
the equivalent resistance seen from the primary side of the
transformers.
[0075] Utilizing the analysis performed with respect to FIGS. 4A
and 4B, it can be seen that, for the first equivalent circuit
LLC1:
R eq 11 = 4 .times. M 2 .times. V o u t .pi. 2 .times. I o u t 1 R
e q 2 1 = 4 .times. M 2 .times. V o u t .pi. 2 .times. I o u t 2
##EQU00005##
[0076] Similarly, for the second equivalent circuit LLC2:
R e q 1 2 = 4 .times. M 2 .times. V o u t .pi. 2 .times. I o u t 1
##EQU00006## R eq 22 = 4 .times. M 2 .times. V o u t .pi. 2 .times.
I o u t 2 ##EQU00006.2##
[0077] As can be seen from the equations above, by utilizing
similar transformers and interleaving the primary windings of the
two transformers, the equivalent resistance associated with the
each of the LLC resonant circuits is identical (e.g., Req11+Req21
and/or Req12 and Req22) and both depend on the output currents
I.sub.out of both transformers (e.g., I.sub.out1 and I.sub.out2) As
can be seen in FIG. 5B, the DC link capacitors C.sub.in1 and
C.sub.in2 are respectively coupled (discounting the switch
circuits) in parallel across the respective first and second
equivalent LLC resonant circuits LLC1 and LLC2. As the first and
second equivalent LLC resonant circuits LLC1 and LLC2 are
respectively coupled to substantially equal loads, the voltage
across the DC link capacitors C.sub.in1 and C.sub.in2 may be
maintained as balanced. By interconnecting/interleaving the primary
windings of the two transformers, this balancing of the DC link
capacitors C.sub.in1 and C.sub.in2 may be done without additional
balancing circuitry or manufacturing overdesign.
[0078] An AC/DC converter according to embodiments of the present
invention may perform more efficiently than a conventional device.
For example, FIG. 6 illustrates a simulated output waveform of the
circuit illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 illustrates a first waveform
601 of the voltage across the first DC link capacitor (indicated as
C.sub.in1 in FIG. 2) and a second waveform 602 of the voltage
across the second DC link capacitor (indicated as C.sub.in2 in FIG.
2). FIG. 6 also illustrates a third waveform 603 of the current
output from the first interleaved LLC converter (indicated as
I.sub.out1 in FIG. 2) and a fourth waveform 604 of the current
output from the second interleaved LLC converter (indicated as
I.sub.out2 in FIG. 2). As illustrated in FIG. 6, the voltages
across the two DC link capacitors (e.g., C.sub.in1 and C.sub.in2 of
FIG. 2) are not equal, and the output currents (e.g., I.sub.out1
and I.sub.out2 of FIG. 2) are not equal. This lack of balance may
cause inefficiency in the converter.
[0079] In contrast, FIG. 7 illustrates a simulated output waveform
of an LLC-based converter according to embodiments described
herein. FIG. 7 illustrates a first waveform 701 of the voltage
across the first DC link capacitor (indicated as C.sub.in1 in FIG.
5A) and a second waveform 702 of a voltage across the second DC
link capacitor (indicated as C.sub.in2 in FIG. 5A). FIG. 7 also
illustrates a third waveform 703 of a current output from the first
interleaved LLC converter (indicated as I.sub.out1 in FIG. 5A) and
a fourth waveform 704 of the current output from second first
interleaved LLC converter (indicated as I.sub.out2 in FIG. 5A). As
illustrated in FIG. 7, the voltages across the two DC link
capacitors (e.g., C.sub.in1 and C.sub.in2 of FIG. 5A) are equal and
the output currents (e.g., I.sub.out1 and I.sub.out2 of FIG. 5A)
are equal. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the output of FIG. 7
(and thus the embodiment of FIG. 5A) illustrates a more balanced
output as compared to the output of FIG. 6 (and thus the embodiment
of FIG. 2).
[0080] In some embodiments, AC/DC converters 200 according to
embodiments discussed herein may be configured to accept a single
phase AC signal as an input AC signal V.sub.in (e.g., see FIG. 3).
In some embodiments, a plurality of the single-phase AC/DC
converters 200 may be combined to convert a multi-phase AC signal
into a DC signal. FIG. 8 illustrates a multi-phase AC/DC converter
800 incorporating a plurality of single-phase AC-DC converters,
according to embodiments described herein.
[0081] As illustrated in FIG. 8, a single-phase AC/DC converter 300
may be combined, either in a Y or delta configuration, to convert
individual phases of a multi-phase signal. For example, in a
three-phase signal, each individual phase of the signal may be
separately provided as input to the AC/DC converter 200 described
herein (e.g., as V.sub.in). The output of the AC/DC converter 200
for each individual phase may then be combined to provide the
combined output of the multi-phase AC/DC converter 800. In some
embodiments, each of the individual single-phase AC/DC converters
200 of the multi-phase AC/DC converter 800 may include a plurality
of transformers and a plurality of LLC resonant tank circuits. The
LLC resonant tank circuits may each include interleaved inductors
as described herein. In other words, each of the LLC resonant tank
circuits may implement an LLC circuit by serially connecting a
capacitor with a first primary winding of a first of the plurality
of transformers and a second primary winding of a second of the
plurality of transformers.
[0082] As noted above, the input signal V.sub.in discussed with
respect to FIGS. 3 and 8 may, in some embodiments, be a single
phase input AC signal. In some embodiments, the input AC signal
V.sub.in may be a multi-phase signal, such as a three-phase power
signal. An example of such an embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 9.
FIG. 9 illustrates a multi-phase AC/DC converter 900 including an
input rectification circuit 910, an inverter circuit 930, an LLC
resonant tank circuit 940, and an output rectification circuit 950.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, a power factor correction circuit, such
the power factor correction circuit 220 of FIG. 3 is omitted, but
this is only an example. In some embodiments, the multi-phase AC/DC
converter 900 may additionally include a power factor correction
circuit.
[0083] The input rectification circuit 910 may include a
multi-phase rectifier circuit configured to convert the multiphase
AC input voltage V.sub.in into a DC signal that may be input into
inverter circuit 930.
[0084] The inverter circuit 830 may include DC link capacitors
C.sub.in1 and C.sub.in2 and a plurality of switches in an inverter
switching topology. The DC link capacitors C.sub.in1 and C.sub.in2
may operate similarly as discussed herein with respect to FIGS.
3-8. The switching may be configured to selectively switch the DC
signal from the input rectification circuit 910 into an AC signal
for the LLC resonant tank circuit 940. As illustrated in FIG. 9,
the inverter circuit 930 may use various switching topologies to
generate an AC signal for the LLC resonant tank circuit 940, and
the switching topology illustrated in FIG. 9 is merely a
non-limiting example. Other inverter configurations, including
other switching topologies and switching devices, will be
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as applicable to
the inverter circuit 930.
[0085] The output of the inverter circuit 930 may be provided to
the LLC resonant tank circuit 940. The LLC resonant tank circuit
940 may comprise a plurality of LLC resonant circuits. For example,
as illustrated in FIG. 9, the LLC resonant tank circuit 940 may
include two LLC series resonant circuits, though the present
invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the LLC
resonant tank circuit 940 may incorporate a plurality of LLC
parallel resonant circuits. In some embodiments, more than two LLC
resonant circuits may be used without deviating from the present
invention.
[0086] Each of the LLC resonant circuits may include a first
resonant capacitor, a first resonant inductor, and a plurality of
interleaved and/or interconnected inductors. At least two of the
plurality of interleaved inductors may be the primary coils of
separate transformers. Stated another way, one of the plurality of
interleaved inductors may be a primary winding of a first
transformer coupled in series with a second one of the plurality of
interleaved inductors, which may be a primary winding of a second
transformer. The secondary windings of the first and second
transformers may be coupled in parallel.
[0087] The output of the LLC resonant tank circuit 940 may be
provided to the output rectification circuit 950. The output
rectification circuit 950 may perform rectification of an AC signal
output from the secondary side of the transformers of the LLC
resonant tank circuit 940. In some embodiments, the output
rectification circuit 250 may be incorporated as synchronous
rectification as illustrated in FIG. 9. However, the present
invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the output
rectification circuit 950 may incorporate diode rectification.
[0088] As discussed herein, because the inductors of the plurality
of LLC resonant circuits of the LLC resonant tank circuit 940 are
interconnected/interleaved, a voltage on the DC link capacitors
C.sub.in1 and C.sub.in2 may be balanced. As a result, the output of
the multi-phase AC/DC converter 900 may be stabilized and an
overall efficiency of the device improved.
[0089] Devices according to the present invention may have lower
device loss and higher efficiency than conventional AC/DC
converters. For example, embodiments of the present invention may
exhibit a total loss (including losses from the device and the
transformer) of between 114 to 164 watts, depending on the
operating temperature and methods of output rectification. This may
result in a device efficiency of between 95.3% and 96.7%.
Conventional devices without the interleaved inductors described
herein may exhibit total loss (including losses from the device and
the transformer) of between 164 to 200 watts. This may result in a
device efficiency of between 94.3% and 95.3%. The embodiments of
the present invention may also have a high power factor of 0.98,
and may be implemented using a common design, such that the device
is compact and scalable.
[0090] Many alterations and modifications may be made by those
having ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of present
disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated
embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of example,
and that it should not be taken as limiting the invention as
defined by the following claims. The following claims, therefore,
are to be read to include not only the combination of elements
which are literally set forth but all equivalent elements for
performing substantially the same function in substantially the
same way to obtain substantially the same result. The claims are
thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated
and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, and also what
incorporates the essential idea of the invention.
* * * * *