JP2015104294A - Electric power converter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric power converter capable of switching to an A/D conversion part when another A/D conversion part is damaged.SOLUTION: The electric power converter has a first A/D conversion part and a second A/D conversion part for converting an intermediate voltage into a digital value. The electric power converter controls a booster on the basis of at least either one of a digital value converted by the first A/D conversion part or a digital value converted by the second A/D conversion part. When the digital value converted by either one of the first A/D conversion part or the second A/D conversion part is not proper, the electric power converter controls the booster using the digital value converted by the other conversion part.

Description

The present invention relates to a power conversion device that converts electric power generated by a solar cell into AC power via an intermediate voltage, and relates to voltage detection of an intermediate voltage that becomes a high voltage.

When the bridge-type inverter unit is used, the intermediate voltage of the power conversion device requires a high voltage about twice that of the system to convert it into AC power equivalent to that of the system. A type of PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control is generally used, and a control unit that performs this control is constituted by an integrated circuit such as a microprocessor.

This control unit has a problem of being easily damaged when taking in a high intermediate voltage via an A / D (analog / digital) conversion unit. As a countermeasure against damage, a circuit in which an A / D converter is duplicated has been proposed. (Patent Document 1)

In the remote monitoring and control apparatus, a device described in Patent Document 1 has a double A / D converter at a slave station, and when one of the A / D converters fails, the other A A circuit that can be switched to the / D converter is provided.

Patent Document 2 describes a switching power supply device that performs reliable overcurrent protection control and overvoltage protection control by detecting duplicated overcurrent and overvoltage.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-88486 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 06-60292

In Patent Document 1, when one A / D converter breaks down, it is switched to the other A / D converter, and it is detected whether or not the other A / D converter is damaged. In some cases, the effect of duplication could not be obtained.

For example, in the case of switching a high voltage by the PWM method, noise caused by this switching and a high voltage of an intermediate voltage are overlapped, and an unexpected high voltage is applied to the input terminal of the A / D converter, either one or the other The A / D converter may be damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to detect that both A / D converters operate normally during normal operation.

Further, what is described in Patent Document 2 is a switching power supply (boost circuit), for example, a detection circuit that detects overvoltage and performs overvoltage protection is duplicated. However, an overvoltage protection circuit based on two different set values is simply used. It was only operating, and did not correspond to voltage control failure due to breakage of A / D conversion.

The power converter of the present invention includes a booster that outputs DC power of an intermediate voltage obtained by stepping down / boosting power generated by a solar cell, and an inverter unit that converts the DC power of the intermediate voltage into AC power equivalent to a system. First, a voltage obtained by dividing the intermediate voltage is input and the voltage is converted into a digital value.
A power converter comprising: an A / D conversion unit; and a control unit that controls the boosting unit using the digital value so that an output of the first A / D conversion unit reaches a target value. The control unit is constituted by an integrated circuit such as a microprocessor, and the second A / D conversion unit inputs a voltage obtained by dividing the first A / D conversion unit and the intermediate voltage and converts the voltage into a digital value. The first A / D conversion unit after taking in and calculating the digital value converted by the first A / D conversion unit and the digital value converted by the second A / D conversion unit The booster is controlled based on either the digital value to be converted or the digital value to be converted by the second A / D converter, and the first A / D converter or the second A / D converter If any of the digital values to be converted is abnormal It is characterized in that for controlling the booster using a digital value to be converted square of.

By providing such a configuration, the present invention can confirm that the two A / D converters normally operate normally, and when an abnormality occurs in one A / D converter, the other A / D converter Control can be continued using the D converter.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an electric circuit showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the explanatory diagram of the electric circuit shown in FIG.

The present invention converts a DC voltage from a solar cell to a high voltage intermediate voltage and then converts it to a digital value when stepping down / boosting it into a power conversion device that converts it into AC power equivalent to the system. Thus, a control unit for controlling is provided.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an electric circuit showing an embodiment of the present invention, wherein 1 is a solar cell, 2 is a booster circuit (boost unit), 3 is an inverter circuit (inverter unit), 4 is a filter, and solar cell 1 The DC power generated in step S3 is boosted to a high voltage by the booster circuit 2 to generate an intermediate voltage, and the inverter circuit 3
Then, after converting to a pseudo sine wave equivalent to system G, it is converted to AC power by a filter.

The solar cell 1 is formed by connecting a plurality of modules, each having a plurality of solar cells connected in series / parallel, in series / parallel, and forms a single string. The rated output of this string is, for example, 1.5 kw to 2.0 kw. Although a single string is used in this embodiment, a plurality of booster circuits can be provided as a plurality of strings (for example, the number of strings is 2 to 5).
In this case, each booster circuit is provided with a backflow prevention circuit such as a diode. The output of each string may be different from each other, and in accordance with the capacity of the booster circuit,
It may exceed 2.0 kW.

The booster circuit 2 mainly forms a switching circuit by connecting a DC reactor, a switching element, and a diode, and controls the output voltage by changing the on-duty of the switching element. The on-duty is feedback-type PWM controlled so that the intermediate voltage that is the output voltage of the booster circuit 2 becomes the target voltage.

The booster circuit 2 is not limited to a switching type circuit, and is not limited to a high frequency link type or a ringing choke type. Further, when the rated output voltage of the string is configured to be higher than the intermediate voltage, it has a step-down function by a three-terminal regulator circuit or the like. It is also possible to provide a booster circuit that uses a booster function and a step-down function together.

The inverter circuit 3 is mainly composed of a single-phase bridge circuit in which four switching elements are connected in a bridge shape and a smoothing capacitor, and converts the terminal voltage of the smoothing capacitor, that is, the intermediate voltage DC power into single-phase AC power. . The switching elements constituting the single-phase bridge operate with a switching signal obtained from a modulated wave and a carrier wave having the same period (or substantially the same) as the period of the system G, and generate a pseudo sine wave.

The filter circuit 4 mainly forms a low-pass filter that passes AC power having the same frequency as that of the system G from two AC reactors and a capacitor, and outputs AC power in which the high-frequency component of the pseudo sine wave is attenuated.

The inverter circuit 3 uses a single-phase bridge circuit, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the DC power is converted into AC power in combination with the filter circuit 4 such as a neutral clamp type circuit, a helical type circuit, or a modified circuit thereof. Anything that can be converted is acceptable. In addition, it is not limited to a single phase, but three phases,
A multi-phase circuit such as a V-connected three-phase circuit can also be used.

6 is a current sensor that detects the input current of the booster circuit 2, 7 is a voltage sensor that detects the input voltage of the booster circuit 2, 8 is a voltage sensor that detects an intermediate voltage, and 9 is an AC output voltage of the filter circuit 4. The voltage sensor 10 is a current sensor that detects the AC output current of the filter circuit.

The current sensor 6 is a sensor that detects a direct current, and outputs, for example, a direct current voltage corresponding to a current value detected by using the Hall effect via the voltage dividing circuit 11. The current sensor 6 may be a sensor that detects a DC current by converting it into a DC voltage value, such as one using a shunt resistor.

The voltage sensor 7, the voltage sensor 8, and the voltage sensor 9 divide the voltages at the points to be detected by the corresponding voltage dividing circuits 12, 13, and 14 and output the divided voltages to the control unit 16 (these voltage sensors substantially). Corresponds to the branch point of the circuit). Since the voltage sensor 9 detects the voltage of AC power, the output of the voltage sensor 9 may be output as an effective value through a rectifying and smoothing circuit.
In the control unit 16 of the present embodiment, the instantaneous value of the AC voltage is taken for a plurality of periods and the average value is calculated to calculate the effective value.

The current sensor 10 is a C.I. T.A. An AC voltage corresponding to the current induced using the (current transformer) is output to the control unit 16 via the voltage dividing circuit 15. Similarly to the voltage sensor 9, the output may be captured by the control unit 16 as an effective value using a rectifying / smoothing circuit, or an instantaneous value may be captured for a plurality of cycles to calculate an effective value.

The integrated circuit 5 includes a control unit 16 and A / D (analog / digital) conversion units 16a to 16f, and each A / D conversion unit sets an applied voltage of 8 bits for each predetermined period. It is converted into a digital value and stored in a corresponding output buffer. The digital value is 8
It is not limited to bits, and any one such as 4 bits or 10 bits can be used according to the control specifications.

The voltage dividing circuits 11 to 15 step down the output of each sensor to the range of the input voltage of the corresponding A / D converter, and for example, a voltage dividing circuit using resistors can be used. When the detection range of each sensor is slid to one side, the range width is set to the input voltage range. The voltage dividing circuit 13 divides the intermediate voltage and then supplies the same voltage in parallel to the A / D converters 16c and 16d.

At least the A / D conversion units 16c and 16d are for A / D conversion of a high intermediate voltage, and the control unit is configured with an integrated circuit such as a microcomputer and can be damaged by a high voltage. In particular, a high voltage due to static electricity or a high voltage when noise is applied to an intermediate voltage is applied, and damage occurs when the capacity of a noise countermeasure circuit such as a capacitor is exceeded.

When the damage occurs, the insulating layer of the input terminal or the like is destroyed, and if it is an A / D converter, the input terminals may be short-circuited and the output of the A / D converter may be 0V. This 0V output causes a problem that the feedback control of the booster circuit 2 malfunctions and the voltage rise cannot be suppressed.

In the present invention, the outputs of the A / D converters 16c and 16d are compared, and when one of them shows an abnormal value (for example, 0V output), the other value is used for control. When one A / D conversion unit is the main and the other A / D conversion unit is used as a backup, damage to the backup A / D conversion may not be detected and countermeasures may not be taken, leading to a sudden malfunction. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to detect an abnormality in one A / D conversion unit and output a signal prompting addition of noise countermeasures, addition / replacement of an A / D conversion unit, replacement of an integrated circuit, etc. It will be.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation for detecting an abnormality in the A / D converters 16c and 16d. In step S1, it is determined whether or not the power generation amount of the solar cell 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. When the amount is small, the system waits until the power generation amount exceeds a predetermined value. In step S2, A /
The D converters 16c and 16d perform an A / D conversion operation, convert the intermediate voltages detected by the respective voltage sensors 8 into digital values Dc and Dd, and store them in the buffer.

In step S3, the control unit 16 stores the digital value Dc stored in the buffer via the data bus.
, Dd is taken and the absolute value of the difference is equal to or less than Ta (for example, Ta = 5V is used in consideration of the stray capacitance of the circuit, the error of the electronic component, etc., but can be arbitrarily set according to the range of the intermediate voltage). Calculate and determine whether or not.

When the condition of step S3 is satisfied (when within the normal range), the process proceeds to step S6, the smaller one of the digital values Dc and Dd is output, and the control is performed at step S10. There is switching noise radiated from the inverter circuit 3 in the power converter, and the smaller value of the digital values Dc and Dd is used in consideration of the instantaneous voltage increase due to this noise, etc., but the intermediate voltage is When it is desired to suppress the increase, the larger one of the digital values Dc and Dd may be used, and the digital values Dc and Dd are output, such as alternately outputting the digital values Dc and Dd.
Any one of the above may be output. Further, the average value of the digital values Dc and Dd can be output as one value.

When the condition of step S3 is not satisfied, that is, when the difference between the digital values Dc and Dd is large, it is possible that either the A / D converter 16c or the A / D converter 16d is damaged. In this case, since the digital values Dc and Dd are close to zero, it is determined whether or not the digital values Dc and Dd are equal to or less than Tb in steps S4 and S5. Note that the value of Tb can be arbitrarily determined in consideration of the remaining voltage due to the capacitance between the input terminals of the A / D converter, the influence of peripheral circuits, and the like. In this embodiment, for example, 1V.

If the condition of step S4 is satisfied, that is, if the A / D conversion unit 16c is damaged, the output (digital value Dd) of the A / D conversion unit 16d is output in step S9, and step S10 is performed.
Proceed to At the same time, the A / D converter 16c displays a message indicating an abnormality and outputs a signal. If the condition of step S5 is satisfied, that is, if the A / D converter 16d is damaged, the output (digital value Dc) of the A / D converter 16c is output in step S8, and step S10 is performed.
Proceed to At the same time, the A / D converter 16d displays a message indicating an abnormality and outputs a signal.

If step S4 and step S5 are not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S7. That is, when noise or the like temporarily rides and the output of the A / D converter is large, the output (digital value) closer to the previous output is output in step S7, and the process proceeds to step S10. In this case, no abnormality display is performed.

By operating as described above, when there is no abnormality in the A / D conversion unit, the operation of the A / D conversion unit 16c and the A / D conversion unit 16d is always checked, and one of the A / D conversion units is abnormal. When this occurs, the output of the other A / D conversion unit can be used for control, and countermeasures for abnormalities can be taken in advance for the remaining A / D conversion units.

The present invention is effective when A / D converting a high voltage such as an intermediate voltage of a power converter.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, the above description is for making an understanding of this invention easy, and does not limit this invention. It goes without saying that the present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Solar cell 2 Booster circuit 3 Inverter circuit 7 Voltage sensor 8 Voltage sensor 9 Voltage sensor 11 Voltage divider circuit 12 Voltage divider circuit 13 Voltage divider circuit 14 Voltage divider circuit 15 Voltage divider circuit 16c A / D converter 16d A / D converter

Claims (4)

A step-up unit that outputs DC power of an intermediate voltage obtained by stepping down / boosting the power generated by the solar cell, an inverter unit that converts the DC power of the intermediate voltage into AC power equivalent to the system, and the intermediate voltage is divided. A first A / D converter that inputs a voltage and converts the voltage into a digital value, and the booster using the digital value so that the output of the first A / D converter reaches a target value In the power conversion device including the control unit that controls the control unit, the control unit is configured by an integrated circuit such as a microprocessor, and inputs a voltage obtained by dividing the first A / D conversion unit and the intermediate voltage. A second A / D conversion unit for converting the voltage into a digital value is configured internally, and the first A / D
The digital value to be converted by the conversion unit and the digital value to be converted by the second A / D conversion unit are captured and operated, and at least the digital value to be converted by the first A / D conversion unit or the second A / D conversion unit The boosting unit is controlled based on one of the digital values to be converted, and the first A /
When the digital value to be converted by either the D conversion unit or the second A / D conversion unit is abnormal, the boosting unit is controlled using the other digital value to be converted. apparatus. 2. The electric power according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate voltage is approximately twice or more the system voltage, and the divided voltage is stepped down to a withstand voltage of an input of the control unit or less. Conversion device. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the circuit for dividing the intermediate voltage uses a voltage dividing circuit in which the first A / D converter and the second A / D converter are the same. The power converter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the abnormality of the digital value is determined when the value is zero or almost zero.

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