# US 2020/0403554 A1 · Electronic device, control system for power conversion device, machine learning device, and method of controlling cooling fan

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- Number: US 2020/0403554 A1
- Document ID: US20200403554A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/500,820
- Filed: 2018-04-06
- Published: 2020-12-24
- Earliest claimed: 2017-04-13
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Inventors: Shinya NAKAGAWA; Shizuri TAMURA; Ryuichi TAKEZAWA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200403554A1

## CPC

- H02M 1/32: Means for protecting converters other than automatic disconnection
- H02P 29/68: based on the temperature of a drive component or a semiconductor component
- G06N 20/00: Machine learning
- H05K 7/20: Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating
- H02M 1/327: {against abnormal temperatures}
- H02M 7/48: using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
- 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)
- H02P: CONTROL OR REGULATION OF ELECTRIC MOTORS, ELECTRIC GENERATORS OR DYNAMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTERS; CONTROLLING TRANSFORMERS, REACTORS OR CHOKE COILS
- G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

## Abstract

A power conversion device includes a cooling fan, a cooling fan control unit that controls the drive amount of the cooling fan, and an electrolytic capacitor whose life varies according to the drive amount of the cooling fan. The cooling fan control unit controls the drive amount based on the relationship between the drive amount, the life of the cooling fan, and the life of the electrolytic capacitor.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

-22. (canceled)

### Claim 23

An electronic device comprising:
a first component;
a control circuitry to control a drive amount of the first component; and
a second component whose life varies according to the drive amount of the first component, wherein
the control circuitry controls the drive amount based on a relationship between the drive amount, a life of the first component, and the life of the second component.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein
the electronic device is a power conversion device.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein
the first component is a cooling fan.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein
the control circuitry controls the drive amount to make both the life of the first component and the life of the second component longer than a shorter one of the life of the first component and the life of the second component in a case that the first component is driven according to a rating.

### Claim 27 (depends on 24)

The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein the control circuitry includes a coefficient deriving circuitry to calculate the relationship between the drive amount, the life of the first component, and the life of the second component from a relationship between the drive amount of the first component and a temperature of an area around the first component.

### Claim 28 (depends on 24)

The electronic device according to claim 24, further comprising
a power module equipped with a semiconductor chip, wherein
based on a relationship between a junction temperature in a joint region of the semiconductor chip and the drive amount, the control circuitry controls the drive amount such that the junction temperature does not exceed a specified temperature.

### Claim 29

A control system for a power conversion device, the control system comprising:
a power conversion device including a first component and a second component whose life varies according to a drive amount of the first component; and
an information processing circuitry connected to the power conversion device and including a control circuitry to control the drive amount, wherein
the control circuitry controls the drive amount based on a relationship between the drive amount, a life of the first component, and the life of the second component.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The control system for a power conversion device according to claim 29, wherein the control circuitry includes a coefficient deriving circuitry to calculate the relationship between the drive amount, the life of the first component, and the life of the second component from a relationship between the drive amount of the first component and a temperature of an area around the first component.

### Claim 31 (depends on 29)

The control system for a power conversion device according to claim 29, wherein the information processing circuitry controls the drive amount in a plurality of the power conversion devices.

### Claim 32 (depends on 29)

The control system for a power conversion device according to claim 29, wherein
the information processing circuitry is connected to a cloud server, and
the information processing circuitry controls the drive amount based on information about the first component or the second component on the cloud server.

### Claim 33

A method of controlling a cooling fan in a power conversion device, the power conversion device including: a cooling fan; one or more sensors including a first temperature sensor to measure an ambient temperature; a control circuitry to receive a temperature measured by the first temperature sensor to control a rotational speed of the cooling fan; a component whose life varies according to the rotational speed; and an operation time measurement circuitry to measure an operation time, the method comprising:
obtaining a first relationship between the rotational speed of the cooling fan obtained by the control circuitry and the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor;
obtaining a second relationship between the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor and the life of the component;
obtaining an operation time of the power conversion device by the operation time measurement circuitry;
obtaining a third relationship between the rotational speed of the cooling fan and the life of the component from calculation results of the first relationship, the second relationship, and the operation time of the power conversion; and
determining the rotational speed of the cooling fan from a calculation result of the third relationship.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The method of controlling a cooling fan according to claim 33, wherein
in determining the rotational speed of the cooling fan, the rotational speed is determined to make both a life of the cooling fan and the life of the component longer than a shorter one of the life of the cooling fan and the life of the component in a case that the cooling fan is driven according to a rating.

### Claim 35

A machine learning device for learning a drive condition for a first component in a power conversion device, the machine learning device comprising:
a state observing circuitry to observe a life of the first component and a life of a second component that varies according to a drive amount of the first component; and
a learning circuitry to learn the drive condition based on the life of the first component and the life of the second component.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The machine learning device according to claim 35, wherein
the learning circuitry includes:
a reward calculation circuitry to calculate a reward based on the life of the first component and the life of the second component; and
a function update circuitry to update a function for determining the drive condition based on the reward calculated.

### Claim 37 (depends on 36)

The machine learning device according to claim 36, wherein the reward calculation circuitry increases the reward if an absolute value of a difference between the life of the first component and the life of the second component is equal to or less than a threshold value, or the reward calculation circuitry increases the reward if an absolute value of a difference between the life of the first component and the life of the second component is less than a previous absolute value.

### Claim 38 (depends on 37)

The machine learning device according to claim 37, wherein the reward calculation circuitry increases the reward if a shorter one of the life of the first component and the life of the second component is longer than a previous one.

### Claim 39 (depends on 38)

The machine learning device according to claim 38, wherein the reward calculation circuitry increases the reward if a longer one of the life of the first component and the life of the second component is not shorter than a previous one.

### Claim 40 (depends on 37)

The machine learning device according to claim 37, wherein the reward calculation circuitry increases the reward if the absolute value of the difference between the life of the first component and the life of the second component is greater than the threshold value or greater than the previous absolute value, if a longer one of the life of the first component and the life of the second component is longer than a previous one, and if a shorter one of the life of the first component and the life of the second component is not shorter than a previous one.

### Claim 41 (depends on 37)

The machine learning device according to claim 37, wherein the reward calculation circuitry increases the reward if a total value of a price of the first component per unit time and a price of the second component per unit time is less than a previous total value, the price of the first component per unit time being obtained by standardizing a price of the first component by the life of the first component, the price of the second component per unit time being obtained by standardizing a price of the second component by the life of the second component.

### Claim 42 (depends on 36)

The machine learning device according to claim 36, wherein based on the life of the first component and the life of the second component, the function update circuitry determines a drive condition for the first component that maximizes a value calculated with the function.