# US 5,331,537 A · Method of controlling electric valves of a converter

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- Number: US 5,331,537 A
- Document ID: US5331537A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 07/864,225
- Filed: 1992-04-06
- Granted: 1994-07-19
- Earliest claimed: 1991-04-08
- Assignees: Asea Brown Boveri AG
- Inventors: Grzegorz Skarpetowski
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5331537A

## CPC

- H02M 1/088: for the simultaneous control of series or parallel connected semiconductor devices
- B60L 9/30: fed from different kinds of power-supply lines
- H02M 1/0845: {digitally controlled (or with digital control)}
- B60L 2200/26: Rail vehicles
- B60L 2210/20: AC to AC converters
- H02M 7/487: Neutral point clamped inverters
- Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility
- 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)
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

Method of controlling electric valves of a converter using a universal algorithm for generating pilot signals (11) for multistage and multiphase line- and self-commutated converters (13, 14) is specified, by means of which it is possible to control different types of converters. The control algorithm can be realized as hardware or software. The invention is particularly suitable for multisystem locomotives. It is possible to change over to another feed system of the locomotive by a simple reprograming of a modulator (9) of a pilot signal generator (10). The modulator (9) and a pulse generator (8) receive modulator control signals (7) or pulse generator control signals (6) from a setter (5), together with which they form the pilot signal generator (10).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for controlling electric valves of a converter which has at least one valve or one valve chain per AC phase, comprising the steps of:
a) driving the valves or valve chains of each AC phase with a mutual phase shift, and
b) commutating the valves of the converter to regulate current output of the converter using control signals generated as a function of a commutation function KF.sub.ij (t), where: ##EQU6## wherein t=time, m.sub.i (t)=modulation function, n=control variable with 1.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.n1, n1=accuracy characteristic, i=control variable for characterizing the AC phase with 1.ltoreq.i.ltoreq.A.PHI..multidot.AG, A.PHI.=number of valve chains with fundamental-wave shift, AG=number of valve chains having the same fundamental-wave phase, j=control variable for characterizing a pulse pattern with 1.ltoreq.j.ltoreq.A.epsilon..multidot.A.PHI., A.epsilon.=number of independent valve chains with shifted pulse pattern, k=multiplicity of timing, .omega.=angular frequency of the AC voltage, .PHI..sub.i =prescribable phase angle, .psi..sub.i =controller correction angle, and .epsilon..sub.j =initial value of the jth pulse pattern of the valve chain circuit with the same index i.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulation function (m.sub.i (t)) is formed in accordance with: ##EQU7## with t denoting the time, the index i a control variable for characterizing the AC phase, PZ the number of controllable valves of a valve chain, AC an operating current parameter with AC=1 for AC/AC voltage operation and AC=0 for DC/DC voltage operation, mO.sub.i a prescribable parameter of the modulation depth, .omega. the angular frequency of the AC voltage, .psi.i a prescribable phase angle or controller correction angle, and .PHI.i the initial angular position of the i-th AC phase.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulation function (m.sub.i (t)) is formed in accordance with:
a) ##EQU8## or b)
m.sub.i (t)=mO.sub.i for cos (.omega..multidot.t-.psi..sub.i).gtoreq.0, otherwise m.sub.i (t)=0
or
c) ##EQU9## or d) for trapezoidal modulation ##EQU10## with t denoting the time, the index i a control variable for characterizing the AC phase, mO.sub.i a parameter of the modulation depth, n2 an accuracy characteristic, .omega. the circuit frequency of the AC voltage, .PHI..sub.i a prescribable phase angle, .psi..sub.i a controller correction angle and .alpha. half the difference between the largest and smallest parallel side of a trapeze.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein
a) the commutation function KF.sub.ij (t) is formed separately in an identically designed pulse generator for each valve chain of a converter having a plurality of valve chains, and
b) the parameters of the commutation function KF.sub.ij (t) are initialized by a higher-order setter.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein
a) the modulation function (m.sub.i (t)) is formed separately in an identically designed modulator for each valve chain of a converter having a plurality of valve chains, and
b) the parameters of the modulation function (m.sub.i (t)) are initialized by a higher-order setter.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein depending on the commutation function KF.sub.ij (t) pilot signals are formed for controllable valves in accordance with:
LTOn.sub.ij =H(KF.sub.ij (t)-LU0-n+1), 1.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.N
for controllable valves between a zero terminal and a positive busbar, starting from the zero terminal, and in accordance with:
LTUn.sub.ij =H(-KF.sub.ij (t)-n+1), 1.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.M
for controllable valves between the zero terminal and a negative busbar, starting from the zero terminal, i denoting a control variable for characterizing the AC phase, j a control variable for characterizing the pulse pattern, H(x) the Heaviside function, and
LU0=0.5+ent(PZ-2)/2)
the reference potential of the zero terminal, PZ=N+M=number of controllable valves of a valve chain.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein
a) the at least one modulator
b) and/or the at least one pulse generator are controlled as a function of at least one output signal of an upstream controller.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein data or parameters stored and/or formed in the setter are delivered periodically to the at least one modulator and to the at least one pulse generator.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mutual phase shift of the AC phases or the initial angular position signals are calculated in accordance with the following equations on the basis of an initial signal .PHI.0 and an angular difference .DELTA..PHI.=2.multidot..pi./A.PHI.:
.PHI.i=.PHI.0+.DELTA..PHI..multidot.(i-1),
.PHI.'i.multidot.DS=.PHI..sub.i +.pi.,
1.ltoreq.o.ltoreq.A.PHI., A.PHI.=number of valve chains having fundamental-wave shift, and/or
the initial valves of the pulse pattern angular position are formed in accordance with the following equations:
.epsilon.j=.epsilon.0+.DELTA..epsilon..multidot.(j-1),
.epsilon.'j.multidot.DS=.epsilon.j+(PZ-2).multidot..pi./k+(1+AC).multidot.. pi./k,
where:
1.ltoreq.j.ltoreq.A.epsilon., A.epsilon.=number of independent valve chains with shifted pulse pattern,
.DELTA..epsilon.=2.multidot..pi./((DS+1).multidot.k.multidot.A.epsilon.) and
.epsilon.0=.pi./(k.multidot.(DS+1)) for
(k+PZ-1)/(4-2.multidot.DS)-
ent{(k+PZ-1)/(4-2.multidot.DS)}=0, otherwise .epsilon.0=0,
ent (x)=largest integer.ltoreq.x, DS=1 for double-sided feed, otherwise DS=0, PZ=number of controllable valves per valve chain.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein
a) the initial value of the pulse pattern angular position is(.epsilon.i; .epsilon.R, .epsilon.S, .epsilon.T; .epsilon.a, .epsilon.'a; .epsilon.b, .epsilon.'b; .epsilon.c, .epsilon.'c)=0,
b) and/or the number of thyristors connected in series per valve chain of the converter is=1.

### Claim 11

A method for controlling the switching of a converter used to drive an AC induction machine, the converter having at least one valve per AC phase of the converter, and the method comprising the steps of:
inputting prescribed setting signals for controlling the converter;
generating control signals for driving at least one switch for each AC phase of the converter with a mutual phase shift relative to a valve used to control at least one other phase of the converter, said step of generating further including the steps of:
producing a time-dependent modulation function for establishing amplitude, frequency and phase of current output by the converter; and
providing said control signals in response to said modulation function using a commutation function KF.sub.ij (t) where: ##EQU11## wherein t=time, m.sub.i (t)=modulation function, n, i, j=control variable, n1=accuracy characteristic, k=multiplicity of timing, .omega.=angular frequency of the AC voltage, .PHI..sub.i =prescribable phase angle, .psi..sub.i =controller correction angle, and .epsilon.j=initial value of the pulse pattern position of the j-th valve chain with shifted pulse pattern (see page 7, lines 1-11).