# US 2017/0288562 A1 · System, Apparatus And Method For Improving Input Power Quality In A Modular Power Inverter

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- Number: US 2017/0288562 A1
- Document ID: US20170288562A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/084,571
- Filed: 2016-03-30
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30
- Assignees: TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company
- Applicants: TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company
- Inventors: Bhaskara Palle; Ryan Edwards; Randall Pipho; Alex Skorcz; Enrique Ledezma; Hossein Karimi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170288562A1

## CPC

- H02M 5/458: using semiconductor devices only
- H02M 1/12: Arrangements for reducing harmonics from AC input or output
- H02M 7/4835: {comprising two or more cells, each including a switchable capacitor, the capacitors having a nominal charge voltage which corresponds to a given fraction of the input voltage, and the capacitors being selectively connected in series to determine the instantaneous output voltage}
- H02M 7/49: Combination of the output voltage waveforms of a plurality of converters
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)

## Abstract

In one embodiment, a system includes a plurality of slices each having a transformer including a primary winding to couple to an input power source and a plurality of secondary windings each to couple to one of a plurality of power cells of the slice. Each of the power cells of a first slice may have an output that is phase rotated with respect to a correspondingly positioned power cell of a second slice.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
a plurality of slices each having a transformer including a primary winding to couple to an input power source and a plurality of secondary windings each to couple to one of a plurality of power cells of the slice, each of the plurality of power cells of a first slice having an output that is phase rotated with respect to a correspondingly positioned power cell of a second slice.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a first phase output line having at least a first power cell of the first slice coupled in series to a second power cell of the second slice, wherein the second power cell of the second slice is not correspondingly positioned with the first power cell of the first slice.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein a first transformer of the first slice has a first phase-shifted secondary winding coupled to the first power cell and a second transformer of the second slice has a second phase-shifted secondary winding coupled to the second power cell.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the first phase output line has a third power cell of a third slice coupled in series to at least the second power cell of the second slice, wherein the third power cell of the third slice is not correspondingly positioned with the first power cell of the first slice and the second power cell of the second slice.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the transformer of each of the plurality of slices includes at least one primary winding and a plurality of secondary windings, wherein the at least one primary winding of each of the transformers is phase shifted with respect to its neighboring transformers, and the plurality of secondary windings are phase shifted with respect to the other secondary windings of the corresponding transformer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of power cells of at least some of the plurality of slices comprises an active front end stage.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of slice controllers each associated with one of the plurality of slices, the plurality of slice controllers to translate reference commands from a mains controller to create reference signals for the corresponding slice.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein at least some of the plurality of slice controllers are to electronically phase shift the reference signals to the plurality of power cells of the slice, to enable output phase rotation.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein a first slice controller is to output phase reference signals to the plurality of power cells of the first slice rotated by 120°, wherein the first power cell of the first slice and a first power cell of the second slice are phase rotated by 120° for harmonic cancellation.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the slice controller is to perform the electrical rotation.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of physical power cable connections to couple power cubes of the plurality of slices in accordance with electronic phase rotation performed by the plurality of slice controllers.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises one of a non-regenerative modular power inverter or regenerative modular power inverter.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of power cells comprises a front end stage, a DC link and a H-bridge inverter.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of slices is a non-multiple of three.

### Claim 15

A drive system comprising:
a first slice having a first transformer, a first slice controller, and first, second, and third power cells, wherein the first power cell is to receive reference signals from the first slice controller at a first phase, the second power cell is to receive reference signals from the first slice controller at a second phase, and the third power cell is to receive reference signals from the first slice controller at a third phase;
a second slice having a second transformer, a second slice controller, and first, second, and third power cells, wherein the first power cell of the second slice is positioned in correspondence with the first power cell of the first slice, the second power cell of the second slice is positioned in correspondence with the second power cell of the first slice, and the third power cell of the second slice is positioned in correspondence with the third power cell of the first slice, and the first power cell of the second slice is to receive reference signals from the second slice controller at the second phase, the second power cell of the second slice is to receive reference signals from the second slice controller at the third phase, and the third power cell of the second slice is to receive reference signals from the second slice controller at the first phase;
a first phase output line to couple the first power cell of the first slice and the third power cell of the second slice to a load;
a second phase output line to couple the second power cell of the first slice and the first power cell of the second slice to the load; and
a third phase output line to couple the third power cell of the first slice and the second power cell of the second slice to the load.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The drive system of claim 15, further comprising:
a third slice having a third transformer, a third slice controller, and first, second, and third power cells, wherein the first power cell of the third slice is positioned in correspondence with the first power cells of the first and second slices, the second power cell of the third slice is positioned in correspondence with the second power cells of the first and second slices, and the third power cell of the third slice is positioned in correspondence with the third power cells of the first and second slices, and the first power cell of the third slice is to receive reference signals from the third slice controller at the third phase, the second power cell of the third slice is to receive reference signals from the third slice controller at the first phase, and the third power cell of the third slice is to receive reference signals from the third slice controller at the second phase.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The drive system of claim 16, wherein:
the first phase output line is further to couple the second power cell of the third slice to the load;
the second phase output line to couple the third power cell of the third slice to the load; and
the third phase output line to couple the first power cell of the third slice to the load.

### Claim 18

A method comprising:
receiving first reference signals from a first controller of a drive system in a first slice controller of a first slice having a first transformer and first, second, and third power cells, generating first, second and third pulse width modulation (PWM) reference signals therefrom, and providing the first PWM reference signal to the first power cell at a first phase, providing the second PWM reference signal to the second power cell at a second phase, and providing the third PWM reference signal to the third power cell at a third phase;
receiving second reference signals from the first controller in a second slice controller of a second slice having a second transformer and first, second, and third power cells, generating first, second and third PWM reference signals therefrom, and providing the first PWM reference signal to the first power cell of the second slice at the second phase, providing the second PWM reference signal to the second power cell of the second slice at the third phase, and providing the third PWM signal to the third power cell of the second slice at the first phase, wherein the first power cell of the second slice is positioned in correspondence with the first power cell of the first slice, the second power cell of the second slice is positioned in correspondence with the second power cell of the first slice, and the third power cell of the second slice is positioned in correspondence with the third power cell of the first slice; and
coupling, via a first phase output line, the first power cell of the first slice and the third power cell of the second slice to a load, coupling via a second phase output line, the second power cell of the first slice and the first power cell of the second slice to the load, and coupling, via a third phase output line, the third power cell of the first slice and the second power cell of the second slice to the load.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, further comprising:
receiving third reference signals from the first controller in a third slice controller of a third slice having a third transformer and first, second, and third power cells, generating first, second and third PWM reference signals therefrom, and providing the first PWM reference signal to the first power cell of the third slice at the third phase, providing the second PWM reference signal to the second power cell of the third slice at the first phase, and providing the third PWM signal to the third power cell of the third slice at the second phase, wherein the first power cell of the third slice is positioned in correspondence with the first power cells of the first and second slices, the second power cell of the third slice is positioned in correspondence with the second power cells of the first and second slices, and the third power cell of the third slice is positioned in correspondence with the third power cells of the first and second slices.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, further comprising:
coupling, via the first phase output line, the second power cell of the third slice to the load;
coupling, via the second phase output line, the third power cell of the third slice to the load; and
coupling, via the third phase output line, the first power cell of the third slice to the load.