US 11,381,158 B2 · Method for controlling a power converter in a fault condition state and protection of same

Abstract

A controller (203) comprises a processing system (205) for controlling a power electronic converter during a short circuit taking place in a direct voltage side of the power electronic converter. The processing system recognizes a direction of current in a phase (126-128) of an alternating voltage side of the power electronic converter, sets a high-leg controllable switch (108-110) of the phase to a conductive state while keeping a low-leg controllable switch (111-113) of the phase in a non-conductive state when the recognized direction of the current is outwards from the power electronic converter, and otherwise sets the low-leg controllable switch to the conductive state while keeping the high-leg controllable switch in the non-conductive state. Thermal loadings of freewheeling diodes (114-119) of the power electronic converter are reduced since currents needed to burn input fuses (122) of the power electronic converter are shared between the controllable switches and the freewheeling diodes.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A controller for controlling a power electronic converter that comprises high-leg controllable switches connected to a positive direct voltage rail of the power electronic converter and to an alternating voltage side of the power electronic converter and low-leg controllable switches connected to a negative direct voltage rail of the power electronic converter and to the alternating voltage side, wherein the controller comprises a processing system configured to:

recognize a direction of a current of a phase of the alternating voltage side in response to a fault signal indicative of a short circuit in a direct voltage side of the power electronic converter, thereby making the phase a phase under consideration,
set the high-leg controllable switch of the phase of the alternating voltage side to a conductive state while keeping the low-leg controllable switch of the phase of the alternating voltage side in a non-conductive state when the recognized direction of the current is outwards from the power electronic converter, and
set the low-leg controllable switch of the phase of the alternating voltage side to the conductive state while keeping the high-leg controllable switch of the phase of the alternating voltage side in the non-conductive state when the recognized direction of the current is inwards to the power electronic converter.

A method for controlling a power electronic converter that comprises high-leg controllable switches connected to a positive direct voltage rail of the power electronic converter and to an alternating voltage side of the power electronic converter and low-leg controllable switches connected to a negative direct voltage rail of the power electronic converter and to the alternating voltage side wherein the method comprises control actions during a short circuit occurring in a direct voltage side of the power electronic converter as follows:

recognizing a direction of a current of a phase of the alternating voltage side, thereby making the phase a phase under consideration,
setting the high-leg controllable switch of the phase of the alternating voltage side to a conductive state while keeping the low-leg controllable switch of the phase of the alternating voltage side in a non-conductive state when the recognized direction of the current is outwards from the power electronic converter, and
setting the low-leg controllable switch of the phase of the alternating voltage side to the conductive state while keeping the high-leg controllable switch of the phase of the alternating voltage side in the non-conductive state when the recognized direction of the current is inwards to the power electronic converter.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for controlling a power converter in a fault condition state and protection of same

Life of this patent

Method for controlling a power converter in a fault condition state and protection of same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20