U.S. patent number RE41,796 [Application Number 12/378,474] was granted by the patent office on 2010-10-05 for method and device for producing an electric heating current, particularly for inductive heating of a workpiece.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Newfrey LLC. Invention is credited to Heiko Scheffler, Wolfgang Schmidt, Klaus Schmitt.
United States Patent |
RE41,796 |
Schmitt , et al. |
October 5, 2010 |
Method and device for producing an electric heating current,
particularly for inductive heating of a workpiece
Abstract
A heating current used to inductively heat a metallic or
magnetic work-piece is generated by an inverter supplied by a
supply voltage. The inverter includes four switching elements
arranged in an H-bridge circuit having two parallel longitudinal
branches and a transverse branch. The switches are controlled so
the heating current flows through the transverse branch. The
diagonally opposed switching elements are switched from a
conductive to a non-conductive state in a temporally staggered
manner.
Inventors: |
Schmitt; Klaus (Giessen,
DE), Schmidt; Wolfgang (Reiskirchen, DE),
Scheffler; Heiko (Buseck, DE) |
Assignee: |
Newfrey LLC (Newark,
DE)
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Family
ID: |
34833098 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/378,474 |
Filed: |
February 13, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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PCT/EP05/01662 |
Feb 18, 2005 |
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Reissue of: |
11507817 |
Aug 22, 2006 |
07375986 |
May 20, 2008 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Feb 25, 2004 [DE] |
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102004010331 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
363/17; 219/672;
363/58 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05B
6/02 (20130101); H05B 6/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H02M
3/335 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;363/34-39,71-74,65,98,132,16-20 ;318/801,811,119,126 ;219/672,639
;323/259,285 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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664660 |
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Mar 1988 |
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CH |
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19527827 |
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Jan 1997 |
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DE |
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1361780 |
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Nov 2003 |
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EP |
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Other References
International Search Report dated Apr. 5, 2005 (4 pages). cited by
other.
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Primary Examiner: Patel; Rajnikant B
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Harness, Dickey & Pierce,
P.L.C.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a .Iadd.Re-issue of U.S. Pat. No. 7,375,986,
issued on May 20, 2008 which is a .Iaddend.continuation of
.Iadd.International Application No. .Iaddend.PCT/EP2005/001662,
filed Feb. 18, 2005.Iadd., .Iaddend.which claims priority to German
Patent Application DE 10 2004 010 331.3, filed Feb. 25, 2004. The
disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by
reference.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A device for producing an electric heating current, comprising:
an input for providing a supply voltage; an inverter having four
controllable switching elements arranged with respect to one
another in an H-bridge circuit having two parallel longitudinal
branches and one transverse branch; a drive circuit operable to
drive diagonally opposite pairs of the switching elements in the
H-bridge circuit such that the heating current flows through the
transverse branch; and a series circuit having a compensation
capacitor and a loss resistance arranged in parallel to the two
parallel longitudinal branches of the H-bridge circuit; wherein the
drive circuit is operable to switch the diagonally opposite pairs
of the switching elements from a conducting to a non-conducting
state at staggered times.
2. The device of claim 1, further comprising: an induction coil
operable to preheat a metallic stud; wherein the induction coil is
connected to the inverter for inductive heating of the stud.
3. The device of claim 2, further comprising: a grip mechanism
operable to grip the stud; and a robot movably connectable to the
grip mechanism operable to position the stud for connection of the
stud to a workpiece.
4. The device of claim 3, further comprising: a current sensor
operable to identify a current flow through the induction coil;
wherein a measured value of the current flow is operably used by
the drive circuit to control switching of the switching
elements.
5. The device of claim 3, further comprising a voltage sensor
operable to identify a voltage across the induction coil; wherein a
measured value of the voltage is operably used by the drive circuit
to control switching of the switching elements.
6. The device of claim 2, further comprising: first, second, third,
and fourth diodes each connected in parallel with a corresponding
one of the four controllable switching elements; a voltage source
connected to the H-bridge circuit; a rectifier connected in series
with the voltage source; a compensation capacitor connected in
parallel to each of the longitudinal branches operable to store
less than a maximum current storable by the induction coil; and a
second capacitor connected in parallel to each of the compensation
capacitor and the longitudinal branches operable to level out line
voltage fluctuations.
7. A device for producing an electric heating current, in
particular for inductive heating of a metallic or magnetic
workpiece, comprising: an inverter having first, second, third, and
fourth controllable switching elements each switchable between a
conducting and a non-conducting state; an H-bridge circuit
including two parallel longitudinal branches and a transverse
branch connecting the longitudinal branches, the first and fourth
switching elements positioned in series in a first one of the two
parallel longitudinal branches and the second and third switching
elements positioned in series in a second one of the two parallel
longitudinal branches; a series circuit having a compensation
capacitor and a loss resistance arranged in parallel to the two
parallel longitudinal branches of the H-bridge circuit; a supply
voltage source connected to the inverter on an input side operable
to create the electric heating current; diagonally opposite pairs
of the switching elements operable to direct flow of the heating
current through the transverse branch, a first one of the pairs
being the first and second switches and a second one of the pairs
being the third and fourth switches; .[.and.]. a drive circuit
operable to individually switch the diagonally opposite pairs of
the switching elements from a conducting to a non-conducting state
at staggered times.Iadd.; and an induction coil connected to the
inverter and operating to inductively heat a metallic
stud.Iaddend..
.[.8. The device of claim 7, further comprising: an induction coil
operable to preheat a metallic stud; wherein the induction coil is
connected to the inverter and operable to inductively heat the
stud..].
9. The device of claim .[.8.]. .Iadd.7.Iaddend., further comprising
first, second, third, and fourth diodes each connected
anti-parallel with the switching elements of the longitudinal
branches; a rectifier connected in series with the voltage source;
the compensation capacitor connected in parallel to each of the
longitudinal branches operable to store less than a maximum current
storable by the induction coil; and a second capacitor connected in
parallel to each of the compensation capacitor and the longitudinal
branches operable to level out line voltage fluctuations.
10. The device of claim 9, further comprising: a grip mechanism
operable to grip the stud; and a robot movably connectable to the
grip mechanism operable to position the stud for connection of the
stud to a workpiece.
11. A method for producing an electric heating current, in
particular for inductive heating of a metallic or magnetic
workpiece, the method comprising: producing the heating current
from a supply voltage on the input side using an inverter;
arranging the inverter having first, second, third, and fourth
controllable switching elements in an H-bridge circuit, the
H-bridge circuit having two parallel longitudinal branches and one
transverse branch; arranging a series circuit having a compensation
capacitor and a loss resistance arranged in parallel to the two
parallel longitudinal branches of the H-bridge circuit; driving
diagonally opposite pairs of the switching elements in the H-bridge
circuit to direct flow of the heating current through an inductor
positioned in the transverse branch; and switching first and second
ones of the diagonally opposite pairs of the switching elements
from a conducting state to a non-conducting state at staggered
times such that an inductance of the inductor drives a current
through the loss resistance to the compensation capacitor.
12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising
simultaneously switching both switching elements of a first one of
the diagonally opposite pairs from the conducting state to the
non-conducting state.
13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising delaying
switching a second one of the pairs of diagonally opposite
switching elements to the conducting state until after the
diagonally opposite switching elements of the first one of the
diagonally opposite pairs are switched from the conducting state to
the non-conducting state.
14. The method according to claims 11, further comprising:
switching the first switching element to the non-conducting state;
positioning the second switching element diagonally opposite to the
first switching element; and switching the second switching element
to the non-conducting state after the first switching element as a
function of the heating current in the transverse branch.
15. The method according to claims 14, further comprising:
determining a voltage across the inductor; and switching the second
one of the diagonally opposite switching elements to the
non-conducting state as a function of the voltage across the
inductor.
16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising switching
the diagonally opposite switching elements to the non-conducting
state with staggered timing such that a maximum of 20% of an energy
stored in the inductor is transferred to the first capacitor.
17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising switching
the diagonally opposite switching elements to the non-conducting
state with staggered timing such that a maximum of 10% of an energy
stored in the inductor is transferred to the first capacitor.
18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising switching
the diagonally opposite switching elements to the non-conducting
state with staggered timing such that a current through the first
capacitor in a first conduction direction is larger than in an
opposite direction.
19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:
positioning a second capacitor in parallel with the first
capacitor, wherein the second capacitor is larger than the first
capacitor; and smoothing the voltage using the second
capacitor.
.Iadd.20. A device for producing an electric heating current,
comprising: an input for providing a supply voltage; an inverter
having four controllable switching elements arranged with respect
to one another in an H-bridge circuit having two parallel
longitudinal branches and one transverse branch; a drive circuit
operating to drive diagonally opposite pairs of the switching
elements in the H-bridge circuit such that the heating current
flows through the transverse branch; a series circuit having a
compensation capacitor and a loss resistance arranged in parallel
to the two parallel longitudinal branches of the H-bridge circuit;
and an induction coil connected to the inverter operating to
preheat a metallic stud; wherein the drive circuit operates to
switch the diagonally opposite pairs of the switching elements from
a conducting to a non-conducting state at staggered times..Iaddend.
Description
FIELD
The present invention concerns a method for producing an electric
heating current, in particular for inductive heating of a metallic
or magnetic workpiece, wherein the heating current is produced from
a supply voltage on the input side using an inverter, wherein the
inverter has four controllable switching elements that are arranged
with respect to one another in an H-bridge circuit with two
parallel longitudinal branches and one transverse branch, and
wherein pairs of switching elements located diagonally opposite one
another in the H-bridge circuit are driven such that the heating
current flows through the transverse branch.
The invention further concerns a device for producing an electric
heating current having an input for providing a supply voltage,
having an inverter that has four controllable switching elements
that are arranged with respect to one another in an H-bridge
circuit with two parallel longitudinal branches and one transverse
branch, and having a drive circuit that is designed to drive pairs
of switching elements located diagonally opposite one another in
the H-bridge circuit such that the heating current flows through
the transverse branch.
BACKGROUND
Such a method and a suitable device are known from CH 664,660 A5.
The known device has been used in practice for many years to
inductively heat metallic or magnetic workpieces. In addition, it
generally can also be used for resistive heating of workpieces. In
the case of inductive heating, the heating current flows through an
inductance arranged in the transverse branch of the H-bridge
circuit, called the inductor. The heating current produces an
alternating magnetic field in the inductor, which gives rise to
induced currents in the workpiece to be heated (either directly or
by means of an intermediate transformer). These induced currents
cause heating as a result of the ohmic losses in the workpiece. By
contrast, in the case of resistive heating the heating current
would be passed directly through the workpiece.
The speed and the degree of heating can be adjusted selectively
using the inverter. This is typically accomplished by pulse-width
modulation and/or frequency modulation of the heating current. In
other words, the pulse/space ratio and/or the frequency of current
pulses in the transverse branch of the inverter are varied in this
way.
To achieve this, the four switching elements of the inverter are
switched on and off again in groups, wherein the switching elements
diagonally opposite one another are switched simultaneously in each
case. The resulting currents are described below using FIGS. 3 and
4 to better elucidate the invention.
Another generic arrangement is known from DE 195 27 827 C2, wherein
the inverter is represented only symbolically in this document. In
order to achieve effective operation, this document proposes
compensating the reactive power that arises in the vicinity of the
inductor in a capacitance placed ahead of the inverter.
Specifically, in this case the purpose is to transfer to the
capacitor the energy that is stored in the inductor when the
inverter is commutated, since the current through the inductor
cannot abruptly change ("jump") when the switching elements are
commutated. Accordingly, the size of the capacitance should be
based on the amount of energy to be absorbed (called reactive power
in DE 195 27 827 C2), wherein a large capacitance on the order of 1
to 15 mF is proposed.
The frequencies at which the heating current is commutated in the
inductor can be in the range of 50 Hz to 100 KHz, for example.
Accordingly, it is not only necessary for the upstream compensation
capacitor to be adequately rated with regard to its size, but it
must also be suitable for HF use. Suitable capacitors are quite
expensive.
Another problem with the known circuit is that the switching
elements in the inverter can be destroyed if the compensation
capacitor is not adequately rated. The risk of destruction arises
in particular when the heating circuit is operated with no load,
i.e. without a workpiece to be heated. Accidentally turning on the
heating circuit without a workpiece can thus lead to destruction of
the switching elements in the inverter under unfavorable
conditions.
A third problem with the known arrangement is high frequency
interference, which can arise through abrupt commutation of the
switching elements in the inverter and can feed back into the
input-side line voltage. In view of the increasingly stringent
requirements with respect to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC),
expensive filter circuits on the line input side are needed to
suppress this interference.
SUMMARY
With this in mind, one object of the present invention is to
specify a method and a device of the aforementioned type that
solves said problems in a cost-effective manner. In particular, the
new method and the corresponding device should permit reliable
operation independent of the load state of the heating circuit,
and, in so doing, generate as little HF interference as
possible.
This object is attained in one aspect of the invention by a method
of the above-mentioned type wherein the switching elements
diagonally opposite one another are switched from the conducting to
the non-conducting state at staggered times from one another.
Another aspect of this object is attained by a device of the
above-mentioned type wherein the drive circuit additionally is
designed such that it switches the diagonally opposite switching
elements from the conducting to the non-conducting state at
staggered times.
The present invention differs from the approach practiced to date,
in which the diagonally opposite switching elements of the H-bridge
circuit are switched on and off at the same time. As is
demonstrated below with a detailed analysis, the simultaneous
turnoff of diagonally opposite switching elements has the
consequence that at commutation the current flowing in the branch
of the compensation capacitor experiences a reversal of direction
with an extremely steep switching transition (dl/dt on the order of
up to 1000 A/.mu.s). This abrupt current reversal is a primary
cause of the high frequency interference mentioned, which
necessitates correspondingly expensive filter circuits on the line
input side. As a result of the fact that diagonally opposite
switching elements are switched off at staggered times in
accordance with the present invention, which is to say one after
the other, the degree of the current reversal is mitigated. In a
preferred application, the diagonally opposite switching elements
are driven at staggered times with respect to one another such that
essentially no current reversal arises at the compensation
capacitor. Accordingly, the filter circuits for suppressing
electromagnetic interference can be simpler and thus less
expensive.
Another advantage of the novel switching behavior is that little or
none of the energy in the inductor is transferred to the
compensation capacitor, specifically as a function of the length of
time by which the switch-off of diagonally opposite switching
elements is staggered. As a result, the compensation capacitor can
be rated significantly smaller without the risk of destroying the
switching elements in the inverter under unfavorable operating
conditions (no-load operation of the inductor). The use of a
smaller capacitor at this point permits further cost reductions,
although it may nevertheless be advisable to use a larger capacitor
for other reasons. These other reasons include, in particular,
leveling out line voltage variations that frequently arise in harsh
production environments, such as automotive body manufacture.
However, such line voltage variations can also be leveled out by an
appropriately rated capacitance in another location, so the present
invention offers a larger range of options for designing the
heating circuit. In particular, the invention makes it possible to
implement the large capacitance for leveling out line voltage
variations as an electrolytic capacitor while using a smaller,
HF-rated foil capacitor for the compensation capacitor.
Thus, on the whole the new switching behavior makes it possible to
achieve reliable operation with less electromagnetic interference
in an inexpensive manner. Hence, the aforementioned object is
attained fully.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the diagonally opposite
switching elements are switched simultaneously from the
non-conducting state to the conducting state.
This design corresponds in principle to the turn-on method that has
been practiced heretofore wherein diagonally opposite switching
elements are switched on simultaneously. It is self-evident that
the term "simultaneously" here means "essentially simultaneously,"
since absolutely exact simultaneity cannot be ensured in
practice.
In conjunction with the present invention, this design has the
advantage that the "new" current direction through the inductor is
available after commutation without additional delay. This offers a
larger range of design options and thus increased flexibility with
respect to the staggered timing of the switching processes when
switching off the other diagonally opposite switching element. In
other words, with this design the overall time required for
commutation is expended almost exclusively in overcoming the
problems identified above. Moreover, control system complexity is
reduced in this embodiment of the invention.
In another embodiment, one set of diagonally opposite switching
elements (which is to say the first set) is not switched to the
conducting state until after the other diagonally opposite
switching elements (the second set) are switched from the
conducting state to the non-conducting state.
In principle, it would also be possible to deviate from this method
and interleave the switch-on and switch-off of the switching
elements in a time sequence. In comparison, the present invention
has the advantage that a maximum heating current always flows in
the transverse branch of the inverter, accelerating the heating of
the workpiece.
In another embodiment, first one of the diagonally opposite
switching elements is switched to the non-conducting state to start
with, and the second diagonally opposite switching element is
subsequently switched to the non-conducting state as a function of
the heating current in the transverse branch. In this embodiment,
the staggered timing in switching off the diagonally opposite
switching elements is not determined arbitrarily, empirically, or
as a predetermined fixed value, but instead is derived from the
present value of the heating current in the transverse branch. As
is demonstrated below in the explanation of the preferred example
embodiments, the heating circuit is electrically isolated from the
rest of the circuit after the first diagonal switching element is
turned off. The value of the heating current in this case is
determined largely by the inductor's inductance and by the load to
be heated. The heating current itself results primarily from the
energy stored in the inductor. The optimal time to switch off the
second diagonal switching element can be determined by measuring
the decaying heating current. More particularly, a very finely
adjustable control of the heating current can be implemented in
this embodiment.
In another embodiment, the heating current in the transverse branch
is passed through a consumer, in particular an inductor, and the
second of the diagonally opposite switching elements is switched to
the non-conducting state as a function of a voltage across the
consumer. This embodiment provides a second control parameter that
can be used to determine the time offset for switchoff of the
diagonal switching elements. An optimal switching time can also be
determined using the voltage present at the consumer. It is
especially preferred for the time offset to be determined on the
basis of both the heating current and the voltage present at the
consumer, since a particularly exact and flexible control is
possible in this case.
In another embodiment, the H-bridge circuit is supplied from a
first capacitor arranged in parallel to the switching elements, and
the heating current is passed through an inductance in the
transverse branch. This embodiment is especially suitable for
inductive heating of the workpiece. Alternatively, however, the
arrangement according to the invention can generally also be used
for resistive heating. The advantages described above are
particularly useful in inductive heating, however, since the
inductance arranged in the transverse branch in this application
prevents an abrupt current reversal in the transverse branch and
hence gives rise to the problems mentioned above.
In another embodiment, the diagonally opposite switching elements
are switched to the non-conducting state with staggered timing such
that a maximum of 20% of the energy stored in the inductance, and
preferably a maximum of 10%, is transferred to the capacitor. In
general it is preferable if the energy in the transverse branch of
the inverter need not be transferred to the compensation capacitor
at all, since no current reversal occurs at the compensation
capacitor in this case. In addition, in this case all of the energy
is available for heating the workpiece. Since the current through
the inductor decays exponentially, however, it can be advantageous
for a flexible and rapid control method to accept a certain amount
of current reversal at the compensation capacitor. In order to
avoid the above-mentioned problems effectively, the threshold value
specified here has proven to be a practical solution without the
necessity for precisely maintaining the threshold value. It is far
more important for the compensation capacitor to remain adequately
far from its maximum state of charge during the (accepted or
tolerated) transfer of energy in order to reliably prevent
destruction of the switching elements in the inverter.
In another embodiment, the diagonally opposite switching elements
are switched to the non-conducting state with staggered timing such
that a current through the capacitor in a first conduction
direction is significantly larger than in the opposite direction.
The current in the opposite direction is preferably a maximum of
20%, better yet a maximum of 10%, of the current in the primary
direction. This embodiment is another criterion for achieving the
optimal time offset in switching off the diagonal switching
elements. In this regard this embodiment offers the advantage that
the specified design parameters can be acquired very easily so that
the desired time offset can be set easily.
In another embodiment of the invention, the supply voltage is
smoothed by a second capacitor, wherein the second capacitor is
larger than the first capacitor. This embodiment builds on the
variant described above in which a "small" HF-rated capacitor is
used for compensation or energy storage during commutation of the
inverter, while a larger and not necessarily HF-rated capacitor
serves as a buffer capacitor to level out external line
fluctuations. This embodiment has the advantage that the overall
costs of the device can be reduced despite the increased component
count.
Although the method described and the new device generally can also
be used for other applications, the preferred application is
inductive heating of a metallic and/or magnetic workpiece,
specifically in the one-sided fastening of a metallic stud to a
substrate. The novel method is most especially preferred for gluing
studs to automotive body components. The advantages described above
come into play with particular effect in this application. It goes
without saying that the features mentioned above and those
described below can be used not only in the combinations
specifically mentioned, but also alone or in other combinations,
without departing from the scope of the present invention.
DRAWINGS
Example embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and
are explained in detail in the description below. Shown are:
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic representation of a robot that
attaches a metallic bolt to a plate using the novel method;
FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of the device according to the
invention;
FIG. 3 is the electrical schematic diagram of a generic device for
inductive heating of metallic workpieces;
FIG. 4 provides selected current and voltage curves in the device
from FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is the electrical schematic diagram of a device preferred
according to the invention for inductive heating of workpieces;
FIG. 6 provides selected current and voltage curves in the device
from FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 provides selected current and voltage curves in the device
from FIG. 5 in an alternate mode of operation; and
FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of the switching sequences for
the switching elements in the device from FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a simplified representation of a robot 10 that glues a
bolt 12 to a plate 14. The robot 10 has a gripper mechanism 16 that
holds the stud 12. Also located in the gripper mechanism 16 is a
device according to the invention for heating the stud (not shown
here). The stud 12 has at its bottom a flange 18, and a glue 20 is
applied to the underside thereof. The glue 20 hardens through
heating, so that the robot 10 can fasten the stud 12 to the plate
14 by controlled thermal heating. In general, however, the
invention is not restricted to this preferred application.
In FIG. 2, a device according to the invention for heating the stud
12 is labeled overall with the reference number 24. The device 24
has an input 26 for providing a supply voltage. In the preferred
applications this is a three-phase supply voltage, which is why the
input 26 is shown here with three connections. The provided supply
voltage is rectified and smoothed here by a rectifier 28. Hence, a
smoothed DC voltage is present at the inverter 30 that follows. The
inverter 30 produces from the supplied DC voltage a time-varying
heating voltage, which in the preferred example embodiment flows
through an induction coil 32. The induction coil 32 surrounds the
shank of the metallic stud 12 so that the stud 12 is inductively
heated by the heating current.
The arrangement in FIG. 2 is shown in simplified form. In general,
the induction coil 32 could also be connected to the inverter 30
through a transformer that is not shown here. However, the present
invention is independent of whether or not such a transformer is
used.
The reference number 34 identifies a drive circuit that controls
switching elements (not shown here) in the inverter 30 in the
manner described below. The manner of control determines the
waveform of the heating current in the induction coil 32, and thus
the thermal heating of the stud 12. In the preferred example
embodiment shown here, the drive circuit 34 receives measured
signals from a current sensor 36 and a voltage sensor 38, which can
be used to determine the heating current through the induction coil
32 and the voltage across the induction coil 32. The drive circuit
34 uses the measured values received to determine the time offset
in switching off diagonally opposite switching elements in the
inverter 30 (as described below). Alternatively, the drive circuit
34 could also be provided with preset, fixed delay times so that
the current sensor 36 and the voltage sensor 38 could be omitted in
this case. Moreover, the current sensor 36 and the voltage sensor
38 can also be used as alternatives to one another in other example
embodiments.
FIG. 3 shows the circuit design of a generic arrangement on which
the present invention is based. The line side input voltage is
represented in FIG. 3 as a voltage source EN and an (internal)
resistance RN. A diode DN symbolizes the rectifier 28. The voltage
source EN, resistance RN, and diode DN are connected in series and
provide the operating voltage for the drive circuit described
below.
The drive circuit consists primarily of the inverter 30, which here
contains four controllable switching elements (typically
transistors) in an H-bridge arrangement. The four switching
elements S_P1, S_N1, S_N2 and S_P2 are arranged in the four end
branches of the H-bridge circuit. The switching elements S_P1 and
S_N2 are connected in series in the first longitudinal branch 42,
while the switching elements S_N1 and S_P2, connected in series,
form the second longitudinal branch 44.
Arranged anti-parallel to each switching element is a freewheel
diode oriented in the blocking direction, wherein the labels D_P1,
D_N1, D_N2 and D_P2 are chosen to correspond to the labels of the
relevant switching elements. Located in the transverse branch 46 of
the H-bridge circuit are an inductance L1 and a resistance R1 that
symbolizes the ohmic losses. In addition, a series circuit
consisting of a compensation capacitor C_ZK and a loss resistance
R_ZK is arranged in parallel to the two longitudinal branches 42,
44 of the H-bridge circuit.
In this arrangement that is known per se, each pair of diagonally
opposite switching elements S_P1, S_P2 or S_N1, S_N2 is switched on
and off at the same time, where only one diagonal branch is
conducting while the other is blocking. This has the result that a
current flows through the transverse branch 46 of the H-bridge
circuit. In order to analyze the switching behavior, the assumed
starting condition below is that a current passes along the
dot-and-dash line 50, namely from the capacitor C_ZK through the
resistance R_ZK, the switching element S_P1, the inductance L1, the
resistance R1, and the switching element S_P2. This current flows
clockwise through the components listed, where the switching
elements S_P1, S_P2 are accordingly switched to the conducting
state, while the switching elements S_N1 and S_N2 are in the
non-conducting state.
If the switching elements S_P1, S_P2 are now simultaneously
switched off, i.e. placed in their non-conducting state, a current
path according to the dashed line 52 results. Since the current at
the inductance L1 cannot jump, the inductance L1 drives the current
through the freewheel diode D_N1 and the resistance R_ZK to the
compensation capacitor C_ZK. From there, it passes through the
freewheel diode D_N2 back to the inductance L1. As can be seen from
the arrows, switching off the switching elements S_P1, S_P2 thus
causes an abrupt current reversal in the branch of the compensation
capacitor C_ZK.
The current waveform at the capacitor C_ZK is shown in FIG. 4
(curve with squares). It can be seen that the current jumps
abruptly from its maximum negative value to its maximum positive
value (specifically, when the switching elements S_P1, S_P2 are
switched off). The capacitor is then recharged according to the
usual exponential function. The voltage curve at the capacitor C_ZK
has a sawtooth waveform. Nonetheless, the abrupt current reversal
causes strong HF interference that must be suppressed by suitable
filtering means. Moreover, in this application the capacitor C_ZK
must be rated such that it can store all of the energy stored in
the inductance L1 during recharge.
After the diagonally opposite switching elements S_N1 and S_N2 are
switched on, the current passes along the path indicated by the
line 54. When the switching elements S_N1 and S_N2 are switched
off, another abrupt current reversal takes place at the capacitor
C_ZK.
FIG. 5 shows a similar circuit design, but one wherein the inverter
is driven according to the novel method. For the purpose of
discussion, the same initial conditions are assumed, namely a
current from the capacitor C_ZK through the resistance R_ZK, the
switching element S_P1, the inductance L1, the resistance R1, and
the switching element S_P2. If the switching element S_P1 is now
switched off, but not switching element S_P2, the current induced
in L1 passes through the resistance R1, the (closed) switching
element S_P2 and the freewheel diode D_N2, as is indicated by the
line 56. The lower circuit of the H-bridge circuit is thus
decoupled from the rest of the circuit. No current reversal takes
place at the capacitor C_ZK. Only when the energy stored in the
induction coil L1 is largely dissipated is the switching element
S_P2 also opened, and almost simultaneously to this the switching
elements S_N1 and S_N2 are closed. This permits a renewed passage
of current from the capacitor C_ZK through the switching elements
S_N1 and S_N2 into the transverse branch of the H-bridge circuit,
as indicated by the line 54.
The corresponding current and voltage waveforms at the capacitor
C_ZK are shown in FIG. 6. When the first switching element S_P1 in
the diagonal branch is switched off, the current at capacitor C_ZK
jumps to zero. Not until the second diagonal switching element S_P2
is switched off and the other two diagonal switching elements S_N1
and S_N2 are switched on does current again pass through the
capacitor, but in the same direction as before.
FIG. 7 shows a current waveform for a smaller time offset T between
the switch-off processes. The current through the capacitor C_ZK
jumps to zero when the first diagonal switching element S_P1 is
switched off. Since the energy from the inductance L1 has not yet
fully dissipated in this instance, the current in the branch of the
capacitor C_ZK jumps in the opposite direction when the second
switching element S_P2 is switched off, but to a lesser degree than
in the generic method. In the present case, the current in the
opposite direction is only approximately 10% (or less) of the
maximum current in the primary direction.
FIG. 8 once more shows the switching waveforms for the four
switching elements symbolically. A waveform 60 shows when the
switching element S_P1 is switched on and off. Waveform 62
corresponds to switching element S_P2, waveform 64 to switching
clement S_N1, and waveform 66 to switching element S_N2. The
respective diagonally opposite switching elements S_P1, S_P2 and
S_N1, S_N2 are switched on and off as groups, where in each group
one of the switching elements remains switched on longer than the
other by the time offset T. The new diagonal group is switched on
immediately after the second switching element of the other group
has been switched off.
Based on the novel switching behavior, the capacitor C_ZK in the
circuit arrangement of FIG. 5 can be rated smaller. An additional
capacitor 70 is provided in the preferred example embodiment from
FIG. 5 so that the line voltage fluctuations that frequently arise
in harsh production environments can still be leveled out. The
capacitor 70 can be located before or after the diode DN, but in
any case in parallel to the switching elements.
* * * * *