Resonant inverter apparatus

A resonant inverter apparatus, which is an inverter apparatus comprising an inverter circuit that supplies a direct current output by a power source to a motor after being converted to a three phase alternating current, a resonant circuit that is connected to the output terminal of this inverter circuit, and a control circuit that controls this resonant circuit and said inverter circuit, wherein:

• said inverter circuit comprises a three phase main circuit in which three main circuits, one for each phase, are connected in parallel, wherein, in a main circuit, a plus side main switching element that is connected to the plus terminal of said power source and the minus side main switching element that is connected to the minus terminal of said power source are connected in series, and the plus side switching element and the minus side switching element are connected in parallel to diodes;
• resonant capacitors that are connected in parallel to the plus side main switching element and the minus side main switching element in each circuit for each phase;
• and load current sensors that detect a load current flowing between main connection points, at which the plus side main switching element and the minus side main switching element in each circuit for each phase are connected together, and the motor;
• said resonance circuit comprises a three phase auxiliary circuit in which three auxiliary switching elements, one for each phase, are connected in parallel, wherein an outflow side auxiliary switching element and an inflow side auxiliary switching element that cause the current to flow only in a single direction, are connected serially, and the auxiliary connection points at which the inflow auxiliary switching element and the outflow auxiliary switching element in each auxiliary circuit for each phase are connected is connected to said main connection point;
• a resonance inductor connected in parallel to said auxiliary circuit for each phase;
• and a resonance current sensor that detects the resonant current flowing into the inductor;
• said control circuit comprises a resonant current arrival determining device that determines whether or not the resonant current detected by said resonant current sensor is larger than the load current detected by said load current sensor, and in the case that it is larger, outputs an arrival determination signal;
• and a drive signal generating device that generates a main drive signal that turns OFF the plus side main switching elements and the minus side main switching elements that are to be made non-conductive next when the resonant current arrival determining device outputs an arrival determination signal, generates an auxiliary drive signal that turns ON the outflow side auxiliary switching elements and the inflow side auxiliary switching elements of said resonant circuit at a predetermined switching timing, and generates an auxiliary drive signal that turns OFF the outflow auxiliary switching element and the inflow side auxiliary switching element in the resonant circuit that are to be made non-conductive next after the passage of a predetermined ON continuation time from the predetermined switching timing;
• said drive signal generating device comprises a delay circuit that generates a delay timing signal that turns ON the plus side main switching element and the minus side main switching element that are to be made conductive next after the passage of a predetermined time interval after said resonant current arrival determining device outputs an arrival determination signal.

A resonant inverter apparatus, which is an inverter apparatus comprising an inverter circuit that supplies a direct current output by a power source to a motor after being converted to a three phase alternating current, a resonant circuit that is connected to, the output terminal of this inverter circuit, and a control circuit that controls this resonant circuit and said inverter circuit, wherein:

• said inverter circuit comprises a three phase main circuit in which three main circuits, one for each phase, are connected in parallel, wherein, in a main circuit, a plus side main switching element that is connected to the plus terminal of said power source and the minus side main switching element that is connected to the minus terminal of said power source are connected in series, and the plus side switching element and the minus side switching element are connected in parallel to diodes;
• resonant capacitors that are connected in parallel to the plus side main switching element and the minus side main switching element in each circuit for each phase;
• a load current sensor that detects a load current flowing between main connection points, at which the plus side main switching element and the minus side main switching element in each circuit for each phase are connected together, and the motor;
• a cross terminal voltage sensors that detect the cross terminal voltages of the plus side main switching element and the minus side main switching element in each main circuit for each phase;
• and a power source voltage sensor that detects the power source voltage output by the power source;
• said resonant circuit comprises a three-phase auxiliary circuit in which three auxiliary circuits, one for each phase, are connected serially to the outflow auxiliary switching elements and the inflow auxiliary switching elements that allow a current to pass only in one direction and are connected in parallel, and the auxiliary connection points that connect the inflow auxiliary switching element and the outflow auxiliary switching element in each auxiliary circuit for each phase are connected to the main connection points;
• and a resonant inductor that is connected in parallel to the auxiliary circuits for each phase;
• and
• said control circuit comprises:
• a voltage difference calculating device that calculates the difference voltage, which is the difference between said power source voltage and the cross terminal voltages detected by each of the cross terminal voltage sensors;
• a zero voltage detecting device that detects whether or not said difference voltage and the cross terminal voltage is zero, and in the case that it is zero, outputs a zero voltage detection signal;
• and
• a drive signal generating device that generates a main drive signal that turns ON the plus side main switching elements and the main side main switching elements that are to be made conductive next when the zero voltage detecting device outputs the zero voltage detection signal, generates an auxiliary drive signal that turns ON said outflow side auxiliary switching element and said inflow side auxiliary switching element at a predetermined switching timing, and generates an auxiliary drive signal that turns OFF the outflow side auxiliary switching elements and the inflow side auxiliary switching elements to be made non-conductive next after the passage of a predetermined ON continuation time from the predetermined switching timing.