Power converter, motor driving unit, and electric power steering device
AssigneeNidec Corporation
InventorsHiromitsu Ohashi, Ahmad Ghaderi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power converter includes a first inverter, a second inverter, and a switching circuit including first and second switching elements. In a state in which, in the first inverter, potentials at a first node in a high side and a second node in a low side are equal to each other, and potentials at first ends of two-phase windings of n-phase windings with n being an integer of 2 or more are equal to each other, two-phase windings are energized using two legs connected to second ends of the two-phase windings of n legs of the second inverter while performing switching operations on the first and second switching elements of the switching circuit at a predetermined duty ratio.
Claims11
A power converter to convert power from a power supply into power supplied to a motor with n-phase windings where n is an integer of 2 or more, the power converter comprising:
- a first inverter connected to a first end of each of the n-phase windings of the motor and including n legs each including a low-side switching element and a high-side switching element;
- a second inverter connected to a second end of each of the n-phase windings and including n legs each including a low-side switching element and a high-side switching element;
- and
- a switching circuit including a first switching element to switch connection and disconnection between the first inverter and a ground and a second switching element to switch connection and disconnection between the first inverter and the power supply, the first switching element and the second switching element being structured to cut off a bidirectional current;
- wherein
- in a state in which, in the first inverter, potentials at a first node in a high side, to which the n legs are connected, and a second node in a low side, to which the n legs are connected, are equal to each other, and potentials at first ends of two-phase windings of the n-phase windings are equal to each other, the two-phase windings are energized using two legs connected to the second ends of the two-phase windings of the n legs of the second inverter while performing switching operations on the first and second switching elements of the switching circuit at a predetermined duty ratio.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.