Stable power conversion circuits
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsLateef A. Kajouke, Keming A. Chen, James F. Lazar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power conversion circuit includes a current section, a transformer, and a voltage section. The current section includes inductors configured to produce a boosted output voltage from a voltage sourse when then current section is operating in a forward direction. The transformer includes a primary winding electrically coupled to the secondary winding and configured to drive a load. The voltage section includes a pluralaty of balancing switchtes configured to actively driven to provide a DC voltage to the load. The balancing switches balance energy between the current section and the voltage section when the power conversion circuit is the load and operating in the forward direction.
Claims32
A power conversion circuit comprising:
- a current section comprising inductors and configured to produce a boosted output voltage from a voltage source when the current section is operated in a forward direction;
- a transformer having a primary winding electrically coupled to said boosted output voltage and a secondary winding;
- and
- a voltage section electrically coupled to the secondary winding and configured to drive a load, said voltage section comprising a plurality of balancing switches configured to be actively driven to provide a DC voltage to the load and to balance energy between said current section and said voltage section when said power conversion circuit is not driving the load and operated in the forward direction.
A power conversion circuit comprising:
- a current section configured to receive a input voltage from a voltage source at a first node and common ground, said current section having a pair of switched circuit branches each comprising an inductor and a branch switch and configured to boost a voltage from the current source when the current section is operated in a forward direction;
- a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, said primary winding configured to receive said boosted voltage from said current section when said current section is operated in the forward direction, and wherein said secondary winding is electrically isolated from said common ground;
- and
- a voltage section coupled to said transformer, isolated from said common ground, and configured to drive a load, said voltage section including a plurality of actively-driven balancing switches configured to balance energy between said current section and said voltage section when said voltage section is operated in the forward direction and said power conversion circuit is not driving said load.
A method for operating a power converter circuit having a current section, a transformer, and a voltage section, the current section having a plurality of switched inductors and branch switches and the voltage section having a plurality of balancing switches;
- said method comprising:
- utilizing the branch switches to switch the switched inductors to generate a boosted voltage from a voltage source;
- applying the boosted voltage to a primary winding of the transformer to produce a transformed voltage;
- coupling a transformed voltage from a secondary winding of the transformer to a balancing section configured to provide power to a load;
- and
- actively driving the balancing switches in the voltage section to rectify the transformed voltage applied to the load, and to balance energy between the current section and the voltage section when the power converter circuit is not providing power to the load and is operating in a forward direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.