JP2005341734A - Converter device and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control method of a converter device in which a warm-up time may be short and the damage of a second semiconductor switching element can be prevented certainly. <P>SOLUTION: The initial conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element Q2 is set smaller than the initial conduction angle of a first semiconductor switching element Q1 so that the current value per unit time duration, flowing to an input side capacitor C1 from an output side capacitor C2 to the second semiconductor switching element Q2 may not become below an allowed value that does not damage the second semiconductor element Q2. Moreover, the conduction of the first and second semiconductor switching elements Q1 and Q2 are controlled so that the conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element Q2 is gradually increased until the voltage across of the output side capacitor C2 raises to a predetermined value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a converter device used for boosting a DC voltage and a control method thereof.

  In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-11789, it is called a power conditioner for photovoltaic power generation, a power conditioner for a fuel cell, a chopper device that converts a DC voltage input to a DC / DC converter into a boosted DC voltage, or a switching regulator. An example of a converter device is shown. The conventional converter device shown in FIG. 1 of this publication includes an input side capacitor connected to a DC power source, an output side capacitor, first and second semiconductor switching elements, and an inductor. And the 1st and 2nd semiconductor switching element connected in series so that the 2nd semiconductor switching element may be located in the positive electrode output terminal side is connected in parallel with respect to the output side capacitor. An inductor is disposed between a connection point between the first semiconductor switching element and the second semiconductor switching element and one end of the input side capacitor. In this converter device, the voltage across the output-side capacitor is boosted by controlling on / off of the first semiconductor switching element. In this conventional converter device, when the first semiconductor switching element and the second semiconductor switching element are alternately turned ON / OFF, the output is output when the converter device is restarted after being switched from the operation state to the stop state. The charge charged in the side capacitor flows as an overcurrent to the input side capacitor through the second semiconductor switching element. When the voltage difference between the input side capacitor and the output side capacitor is large and the output side capacitor has a large amount of charge, the second semiconductor switching element is destroyed by this overcurrent, or the input side capacitor is destroyed by the overvoltage. There was a fear.

In order to solve such a problem, in the circuit disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-70238, the second semiconductor switching element is stopped for a while at the time of boosting, and only the first semiconductor switching element is used. The voltage at both ends of the output-side capacitor is raised by turning on / off, and when the voltage across the output-side capacitor becomes substantially equal to a predetermined reference voltage, on / off control of the second semiconductor switching element is started. Yes.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-11789 JP 2003-70238 A

  However, in the latter technique, when the on / off operation of the second semiconductor switching element is started while the first semiconductor switching element is on / off, the time until the output voltage rises to a predetermined voltage is reached. In addition to the increase in length, there is a risk that the two semiconductor switching elements are simultaneously turned on and a short circuit occurs. Therefore, such a technique is not practical.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a converter device and a control method therefor that can prevent the second semiconductor switching element from being destroyed with a short start-up time.

  A converter device to be controlled by the method of the present invention includes an input side capacitor connected to a DC power source via a backflow prevention diode, an output side capacitor, first and second semiconductor switching elements, and an inductor. I have. And the 1st and 2nd semiconductor switching element connected in series so that the 2nd semiconductor switching element may be located in the positive electrode output terminal side is connected in parallel with respect to the output side capacitor. An inductor is disposed between a connection point between the first semiconductor switching element and the second semiconductor switching element and one end of the input side capacitor. By controlling on / off of the first and second semiconductor switching elements, the voltage across the output capacitor is boosted. In the case of controlling such a converter device, particularly at the time of start-up, according to the control method of the present invention, the current value per unit time flowing from the output-side capacitor to the input-side capacitor through the second semiconductor switching element is the second value. The initial conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element is set to be smaller than the initial conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element so that the semiconductor switching element does not break down to an allowable value or less. Then, the conduction of the first and second semiconductor switching elements is controlled so that the conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element is gradually increased until the voltage across the output capacitor rises to a predetermined value.

  As described above, if the initial conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element is set smaller than the initial conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element, the second semiconductor switching element is controlled to be turned on / off from the beginning at the time of start-up. However, the current flowing through the second semiconductor switching element based on the electric charge charged in the output side capacitor does not become an overcurrent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the second semiconductor switching element from being destroyed and the input side capacitor from being damaged. Further, according to the control method of the present invention, since the on / off control of the second semiconductor switching element is performed from the start-up, the terminal voltage of the output-side capacitor can be quickly raised and the start-up time can be shortened. Can do.

  A converter device for carrying out the method of the present invention includes a backflow prevention diode having an anode connected to one DC input terminal of a pair of DC input terminals. An input-side capacitor is provided between the cathode of the reverse current blocking diode and the other DC input terminal of the pair of DC input terminals. Furthermore, an inductor having one end connected to a connection point between the cathode of the backflow prevention diode and one end of the input capacitor, and an output side capacitor disposed between the pair of DC output terminals are provided. A first semiconductor switching element disposed between the other end of the inductor and the other end of the input-side capacitor, and a first diode connected in antiparallel to the first semiconductor switching element. . Also, a second semiconductor switching element disposed between the other end of the inductor and one DC output terminal of the pair of DC output terminals, and a second diode connected in antiparallel to the second semiconductor switching element And has. The converter device according to the present invention includes a conduction angle control signal generation circuit for generating a conduction angle control signal for controlling the conduction angle of the first and second semiconductor switching elements, and the first and second conducting alternately. The DC voltage output from the pair of DC output terminals is boosted by changing the conduction angle of each of the semiconductor switching elements.

  In the converter device of the present invention, the current value per unit time flowing from the output-side capacitor to the input-side capacitor through the second semiconductor switching element at the time of start-up is less than an allowable value that does not destroy the second semiconductor switching element. The initial conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element is set to be smaller than the initial conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element. The conduction angle control signal generating circuit is configured to generate a conduction angle control signal that gradually increases the conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element until the voltage across the output capacitor rises to a predetermined value. Here, the “predetermined value” means the target voltage specified by the boost command. According to the converter device of the present invention, as in the control method of the present invention, the on / off control of the second semiconductor switching element is performed from the start time, so that the terminal voltage of the output-side capacitor can be quickly increased. Thus, the startup time can be shortened. In addition, it is possible to reliably prevent the second semiconductor switching element from being destroyed and the input capacitor from being damaged by the overcurrent at the time of startup.

  More specifically, the conduction angle control signal generating circuit includes a detection circuit, an A / D conversion circuit, an arithmetic circuit, and a drive circuit. The detection circuit detects a voltage V10 across the input capacitor, a voltage V20 across the output capacitor, and a current I10 flowing through the inductor. The voltage V11, voltage V21, and current I11 output from the detection circuit are A / D converted into digital voltage V12, voltage V22, and current I12 by the A / D conversion circuit. The arithmetic circuit uses the output of the A / D conversion circuit as an input and generates first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 for controlling the conduction angles of the first and second semiconductor switching elements. The first and second gate signals g1 and g2 are obtained by calculation. The drive circuit receives the first and second gate signals g1 and g2 and generates the first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2. Here, the arithmetic circuit executes the following expression at the time of start-up and operation.

Zn = {(Yn−V22) × K1 / (1 + ST)} + Yn−I12
The arithmetic circuit is configured to output the first and second gate signals by subjecting the arithmetic result Zn to PWM signal processing. Here, Yn = Vb × Xn, Vb is a reference voltage, Xn is a variable, and K1 is a constant. The reference voltage Vb is a target voltage boosted by the converter device. The variable Xn is a value obtained by calculating Xn = Xn-1 + ΔX (n = 1, 2, 3...) Until Xn = 1 at unit time intervals. However, it is an arbitrary value of ΔX <1. Each time an operation is performed, the value of Xn-1 changes to the previous value of Xn. The value of ΔX is determined so that the current value per unit time flowing from the output-side capacitor to the input-side capacitor through the second semiconductor switching element is equal to or less than an allowable value that does not destroy the second semiconductor switching element. It is an arbitrary value.

  Further, the initial value X0 of Xn-1 is obtained from the arithmetic expression of X0 = {V22 + K0 * (V22-V12)} / Vb. Here, K0 is a constant determined by the reference voltage Vb, the capacities of the input side capacitor and the output side capacitor, and the load state. The initial conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element is determined by the initial value X0 and the value of ΔX. The conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element is determined by the Zn signal, and as a result, the conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element is determined. Note that the PWM signal of the arithmetic circuit is the first gate signal so that the first gate signal g1 and the second gate signal g2 are not generated at the same time (the semiconductor switching element to which the gate signal corresponds is not simultaneously turned on). A dead time is added between g1 and the second gate signal g2.

  According to the present invention, since the current flowing through the semiconductor switching element does not become an overcurrent, there is an advantage that the second semiconductor switching element can be prevented from being destroyed. Further, according to the present invention, since the second semiconductor switching element is controlled to be turned on / off from the time of startup, the terminal voltage of the output-side capacitor can be quickly increased and the startup time can be shortened. There is.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a main circuit diagram of an example of an embodiment of a converter device according to the present invention for carrying out the method according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, DC input terminals P1 and N1 of a converter CONV are connected to an output portion of a DC power supply E. The converter CONV includes a backflow prevention diode D3 having an anode connected to one DC input terminal P1 (positive terminal) of the pair of DC input terminals P1 and N1. An input-side capacitor C1 is connected between the cathode of the reverse current blocking diode D3 and the other DC input terminal N1 (negative electrode terminal) of the pair of DC input terminals P1 and N1. Further, one end of the inductor L1 is connected to a connection point between the cathode of the backflow prevention diode D3 and one end (non-negative terminal) of the input capacitor C1. An output-side capacitor C2 is connected between the pair of DC output terminals P2 and N2.

  Between the other end of the inductor L1 and the other end (negative terminal) of the input-side capacitor C1, a collector / emitter circuit (a drain / source circuit in the case of an IGBT) of a first semiconductor switching element Q1 including a transistor switch such as an IGBT. ) Are connected in parallel. A first diode D1 is connected in antiparallel to the collector / emitter circuit of the transistor switch constituting the first semiconductor switching element Q1.

  Further, between the other end of the inductor L1 and one DC output terminal P2 (positive terminal) of the pair of DC output terminals P2 and N2, a collector / emitter of a second semiconductor switching element Q2 including a transistor switch such as an IGBT. A circuit (a drain / source circuit in the case of IGBT) is connected. A second diode D2 is connected in antiparallel to the collector / emitter circuit of the transistor switch constituting the second semiconductor switching element Q2. The converter device CONV includes a conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG that generates conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 for controlling the conduction angles of the first and second semiconductor switching elements Q1 and Q2.

  The DC voltage input to the converter device CONV passes through the backflow prevention diode D3 and is supplied to the input side capacitor C1 and the inductor L1. In the present embodiment, the output DC voltage is boosted to a predetermined DC voltage by alternately turning ON / OFF the first and second semiconductor switching elements Q1, Q2 from the start of operation (at the time of startup). Both-ends voltages V10 and V22 of the input side capacitor C1 and the output side capacitor C2 are input to the conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG. The output of the current detector CT1 that detects the current I10 flowing through the inductor L1 is also input to the conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG. The conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG outputs first and second conduction angle control signals G1, G2 for alternately turning on / off the first and second semiconductor switching elements Q1, Q2. In the present embodiment, conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 as shown in FIG.

  As apparent from FIG. 2, in the second conduction angle control signal G2 for turning on / off the second semiconductor switching element Q2, the signal width of the first conduction angle control signal G21 (the initial value of the second semiconductor switching element Q2). (Corresponding to the conduction angle) becomes narrower than the signal width of the first conduction angle control signal G11 for turning on / off the first semiconductor switching element Q1 (corresponding to the initial conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element Q1). ing. In the present embodiment, the conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG has a current value per unit time flowing from the output-side capacitor C2 to the input-side capacitor C1 through the second semiconductor switching element Q2 at the time of startup. The initial conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element Q2 is set to be smaller than the initial conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element Q1 so that the semiconductor switching element Q2 is less than an allowable value that does not destroy the semiconductor switching element Q2. The conduction angle control signal generating circuit SG is a signal that gradually increases the conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element Q2 until the voltage V20 across the output-side capacitor C2 rises to a predetermined value (for example, about 660 V). A conduction angle control signal G2 (G21, G22, G23...) Whose width is gradually increased is generated. Further, the first conduction angle control signal G1 for controlling the first semiconductor switching element Q1 generated by the conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG is opposite to the second conduction angle control signal G2. That is, the conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG gradually increases the signal width so as to gradually decrease the conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element Q1 until the voltage V20 across the output side capacitor C2 rises to a predetermined value. A first conduction angle control signal G1 (G11, G12, G13...) That is narrowed is generated.

  The conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG that generates the first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 has the configuration shown in FIG. The conduction angle control signal generation circuit SG shown in FIG. 3 includes a detection circuit 1, an A / D conversion circuit 2, an arithmetic circuit 3, and a drive circuit 4. The detection circuit 1 detects the voltage V10 across the input capacitor C1, the voltage V20 across the output capacitor C2, and the current I10 flowing through the inductor L1. The voltage V11, voltage V21, and current I11 output from the detection circuit 1 are A / D converted by the A / D conversion circuit 2 into digital voltage V12, voltage V22, and current I12. The arithmetic circuit 3 receives the output of the A / D conversion circuit 2 and generates first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 for controlling the conduction angles of the first and second semiconductor switching elements Q1 and Q2. First and second gate signals g1 and g2 used for the calculation are obtained by calculation. Then, the drive circuit 4 receives the first and second gate signals g1 and g2 in the state where the first and second gate signals g1 and g2 are insulated from each other, and converts the signal level of the first and second gate signals g1 and g2. Conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 are generated. The arithmetic circuit 3 is composed of a central processing unit CPU. When the arithmetic circuit 3 is constituted by the central processing unit CPU, it is needless to say that the A / D conversion circuit 2 may be realized by a circuit configuration included in the central processing unit CPU. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the arithmetic processing performed by the arithmetic circuit 3.

  In the arithmetic circuit 3, the following equation is calculated at the time of start-up and operation.

Zn = {(Yn−V22) × K1 / (1 + ST)} + Yn−I12
The arithmetic circuit 3 is configured to output the first and second gate signals g1 and g2 by subjecting the arithmetic result Zn to PWM signal processing. The arithmetic circuit 3 uses the first gate signal g1 and the second gate signal g2 so that the first gate signal g1 and the second gate signal g2 are not generated at the same time (the semiconductor switching elements corresponding to the gate signals are not simultaneously turned on). It has a function of adding a dead time to the second gate signal g2.

  Here, Yn = Vb × Xn, Vb is a reference voltage, Xn is a variable, and K1 is a constant. K1 is determined based on the stability of the output voltage. In the present embodiment, K1 is set to a value between 2 and 10. The reference voltage Vb is a target voltage for normal boosting operation of the converter device CONV. In the present embodiment, the reference voltage Vb is set to 660V.

  The variable Xn is a value obtained by calculating Xn = Xn-1 + ΔX (n = 1, 2, 3...) Until Xn = 1 at unit time intervals. However, it is an arbitrary value of ΔX <1. Each time the arithmetic circuit 3 performs an arithmetic operation, the value of Xn-1 changes to the previous value of Xn.

  The value of ΔX is such that the current value per unit time flowing from the output-side capacitor C2 to the input-side capacitor C1 through the second semiconductor switching element Q2 is less than an allowable value that does not destroy the second semiconductor switching element Q2. It is an arbitrary value defined in. In this embodiment, specifically, ΔX is a value between 0.00005 and 0.0002.

  Further, the initial value X0 of Xn-1 is obtained from the arithmetic expression of X0 = {V22 + K0 * (V22-V12)} / Vb. Here, K0 is a constant determined by the reference voltage Vb, the capacities of the input side capacitor and the output side capacitor, and the load state. In the present embodiment, a value of 0.01 to 0.2 is set as the constant K0. The conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element Q1 is determined by the initial value X0 and the value of ΔX. The conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element Q1 is determined by the Zn signal, and as a result, the initial conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element Q2 is determined. The drive circuit 4 converts the signal levels of the first and second gate signals g1 and g2 in a state where the first and second gate signals g1 and g2 are insulated from each other. Control signals G1 and G2 are generated.

  Incidentally, it is necessary when the second semiconductor switching element Q2 is operated from the middle without first operating the second semiconductor switching element Q2 as in the conventionally proposed technique described in the problem to be solved by the invention. The time chart of the first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 is as shown in FIG. As can be seen from comparison with the time charts of the first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 used in the present embodiment in FIG. 2, in the conventional method, the conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element Q1 gradually increases. Therefore, it takes time to charge the output side capacitor C2, and it takes time for the voltage to reach the reference voltage Vb at the time of startup. On the other hand, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element Q1 is wide from the beginning at the time of starting, and the second semiconductor switching element Q2 is also turned on / off. The charging speed of the output-side capacitor C2 is fast and can be activated more quickly than the conventional method.

  After the start-up is completed, Xn becomes 1, and thereafter, the first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 are output so as to maintain the reference voltage Vb. In the case of further boosting, the reference voltage Vb is changed.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to shorten the startup start time while preventing overvoltage and overcurrent at startup.

It is a main circuit diagram of an example of an embodiment of a converter device of the present invention that implements the method of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the time chart of the 1st and 2nd conduction angle control signal used at the time of starting with the converter apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a conduction angle control signal generation circuit. It is a block diagram which shows the signal processing of the conduction angle control signal generation circuit of FIG. It is a figure which shows the time chart of the 1st and 2nd conduction angle control signal used when starting by the conventional method.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Detection circuit 2 A / D conversion circuit 3 Arithmetic circuit 4 Drive circuit
CONV converter device C1 input side capacitor C2 output side capacitor Q1 first semiconductor switching element Q2 second semiconductor switching element D3 reverse current blocking diode L1 inductor CT1 current detector

Claims (3)

An input side capacitor connected to a DC power source via a reverse current blocking diode, an output side capacitor, first and second semiconductor switching elements, and an inductor, and the second semiconductor switching on the positive output terminal side The first and second semiconductor switching elements connected in series so that the element is positioned are connected in parallel to the output-side capacitor, and the first semiconductor switching element and the second semiconductor switching element A converter device configured by arranging the inductor between a connection point and one end of the input-side capacitor, and controlling the on / off of the first and second semiconductor switching elements to control the output-side capacitor A method of controlling a converter device that boosts the voltage across both ends of
At the time of start-up, the current value per unit time flowing from the output-side capacitor to the input-side capacitor through the second semiconductor switching element is not more than an allowable value that does not destroy the second semiconductor switching element. In addition, until the initial conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element is set smaller than the initial conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element and the voltage across the output capacitor rises to a predetermined value, A control method for a converter device, wherein the conduction of the first and second semiconductor switching elements is controlled so as to gradually increase the conduction angle of the two semiconductor switching elements. A backflow prevention diode having an anode connected to one DC input terminal of the pair of DC input terminals;
An input-side capacitor disposed between the cathode of the reverse current blocking diode and the other DC input terminal of the pair of DC input terminals;
An inductor having one end connected to a connection point between the cathode of the reverse current blocking diode and one end of the input capacitor;
An output-side capacitor disposed between a pair of DC output terminals;
A first semiconductor switching element disposed between the other end of the inductor and the other end of the input-side capacitor;
A first diode connected in antiparallel to the first semiconductor switching element;
A second semiconductor switching element disposed between the other end of the inductor and one DC output terminal of the pair of DC output terminals;
A second diode connected in anti-parallel to the second semiconductor switching element;
A conduction angle control signal generating circuit for generating a conduction angle control signal for controlling a conduction angle of the first and second semiconductor switching elements;
A converter device for boosting a DC voltage output from the pair of DC output terminals by changing the conduction angle of each of the first and second semiconductor switching elements that are alternately conducted;
When the conduction angle control signal generating circuit is activated, the current value per unit time flowing from the output capacitor through the second semiconductor switching element to the input capacitor destroys the second semiconductor switching element. The initial conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element is set to be smaller than the initial conduction angle of the first semiconductor switching element so that the voltage across the output capacitor is a predetermined value so A converter device configured to generate a conduction angle control signal for gradually increasing the conduction angle of the second semiconductor switching element until the value rises. The conduction angle control signal generation circuit includes: a detection circuit that detects the voltage V10 across the input capacitor; the voltage V20 across the output capacitor; and a current I10 flowing through the inductor;
An A / D conversion circuit for A / D converting the voltage V11, the voltage V21 and the current I11 output from the detection circuit to output a digital voltage V12, a voltage V22 and a current I12, and the A / D conversion First and second gate signals used to generate first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 that control the conduction angles of the first and second semiconductor switching elements by using the output of the circuit as an input. an arithmetic circuit for obtaining g1 and g2 by calculation, and a drive circuit for generating the first and second conduction angle control signals G1 and G2 by using the first and second gate signals g1 and g2 as inputs,
The arithmetic circuit is at start-up and operation,
Zn = {(Yn−V22) × K1 / (1 + ST)} + Yn−I12
And the first and second gate signals are output by processing the calculation result Zn by PWM signal processing,
Here, Yn = Vb × Xn, Vb is a reference voltage, Xn is a variable, K1 is a constant,
The variable Xn is a value obtained by calculating Xn = Xn-1 + ΔX (n = 1, 2, 3...) At unit time intervals until Xn = 1, where ΔX <1, and ΔX Is determined such that the current value per unit time flowing from the output capacitor to the input capacitor through the second semiconductor switching element is less than an allowable value that does not destroy the second semiconductor switching element. Any value,
An initial value X0 of Xn-1 is obtained by an arithmetic expression of X0 = {V22 + K0 × (V22−V12)} / Vb,
3. The converter device according to claim 2, wherein K0 is a constant determined by the reference voltage Vb, the capacities of the input side capacitor and the output side capacitor, and a load state.

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