Resonant power electronic control of switched reluctance motor
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
InventorsRichard Gibson Hoft, Tatsuya Uematsu
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Abstract
An inductor-capacitor series resonant circuit is connected in series with a thyristor or other unidirectionally conductive semiconductor switch to form a resonant network, one resonant network for each stator phase winding of a switched reluctance motor to be connected in parallel to the stator phase winding. Zero current switching is achieved by selecting the resonant frequency such that the inductor and capacitor resonate in a time period during both turn-on and turn-off of the semiconductor switches. A C-dump circuit is included in one embodiment for increased power transfer efficiency.
Claims6
An electronic power converter for delivering power to and controlling a switched reluctance motor having a plurality of stator phase windings, said converter comprising in combination:
- first and second terminals for connection, respectively, to the positive and negative terminals of a source of DC power;
- for each of said stator phase windings:
- a respective resonant network in which an inductor is connected in series with a capacitor to form a series resonant circuit which is connected in series with a first unidirectionally conductive semiconductor switch, and a first diode is connected in parallel across said first semiconductor switch poled in the inverse direction to that of the first semiconductor switch;
- means for connecting said resonant network in parallel to a respective one of said motor stator windings;
- and
- a second unidirectionally conductive semiconductor switch connected in inverse parallel to a second diode;
- said first semiconductor switch having anode or drain, cathode or source, and gate electrodes, with said anode or drain being connected to a first end of said series resonant circuit, and said cathode or source being coupled to said first terminal;
- said second semiconductor switch having anode or drain, cathode or source, and gate electrodes, with said second semiconductor anode or drain being connected to a second end of said series resonant circuit that is remote from said first semiconductor switch, and said second semiconductor cathode or source being coupled to said second terminal;
- and means coupled to said gate electrodes for controlling the conductivity of said semiconductor switches.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.