KR102318940B1 - Power conversion apparatus preventing damage of swithching element due to overcurrent - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a power conversion device that prevents damage to a switching device when an overcurrent occurs by minimizing the time that the overcurrent flows through the switching device. The power conversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a power conversion device for converting DC power applied from an input terminal into three-phase AC power and providing it to a load connected to an output terminal, U-phase and V connected in parallel to the input terminal Upper and lower switching elements respectively provided in upper and lower W-phase legs, a first bypass switch provided between the U-phase leg and the V-phase leg, and provided between the V-phase leg and the W-phase leg and a second bypass switch and a controller for controlling at least one of the first and second bypass switches according to whether any two phases of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are short-circuited.

Description

A power conversion device that can prevent damage to switching elements due to overcurrent

The present invention relates to a power conversion device that prevents damage to a switching device when an overcurrent occurs by minimizing the time that the overcurrent flows through the switching device.

The three-phase power conversion device is a device that converts DC power into three-phase AC power and provides it to a load. Specifically, the power conversion device is connected to the load through U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase lines, and provides three-phase AC power to the load through lines of each phase.

During the operation of the power conversion device, lines of any two phases among U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase may be short-circuited due to various causes, and such a short-circuit between the lines generates an overcurrent in the power conversion device.

1A is a view for explaining a current flow when a short circuit of U-phase and V-phase occurs in a conventional three-phase power conversion device, and FIG. 1B is a method of preventing overcurrent from flowing in a switching element when a short circuit occurs in FIG. 1A It is a drawing for explaining.

Hereinafter, an overcurrent generated in a conventional power conversion device and a method of discharging it will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B .

Referring to Figure 1a, the power conversion device 100' is a U-phase upper and lower switching elements (Sa, Sa') connected to the U-phase leg (leg), V-phase upper and lower switching elements (Sb) connected to the V-phase leg , Sb'), and W-phase upper and lower switching elements (Sc, Sc') connected to the W-phase legs, and the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase legs are respectively connected to the load.

When a short circuit occurs in the U-phase and V phase while the U-phase upper switching element Sa and the V-phase lower switching element Sb' are turned on, an overcurrent flows through the two turned-on switching elements Sa and Sb'. . Since the switching element is damaged when the overcurrent flows through the switching element for more than a predetermined time, the conventional power conversion device 100' turns off the lower switching elements Sa', Sb', and Sc' in order to prevent this, and discharges the overcurrent. .

Referring to FIG. 1b, when the lower switching elements Sa', Sb', and Sc' are turned off, the overcurrent output through the U-phase upper switching element Sa passes through the short-circuit point of the line and the V-phase upper switching element is turned off. It is discharged through the reverse diode of (Sb).

Meanwhile, the power conversion device 100 ′ and the load are electrically connected to each other, but are generally physically separated from each other. At this time, when the overcurrent is discharged by turning off the lower switching element as described above, in the discharge path of the current, an inductive parasitic element (Lp) according to the physical distance between the power conversion device 100 ′ and the load ) will occur.

Due to the inductive parasitic component Lp, the discharge rate of the overcurrent is delayed, and as a result, the overcurrent flows through the switching device for a long time, so that the switching device may be damaged.

An object of the present invention is to provide a power conversion device capable of rapidly discharging an overcurrent flowing through a switching element.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a power conversion device that generates a discharge path of the overcurrent immediately upon detection of the overcurrent.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned may be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by the examples of the present invention. Moreover, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the claims.

According to the present invention, the overcurrent flowing through the switching element can be rapidly discharged by creating a discharge path of a very short overcurrent using two bypass switches respectively provided between the three-phase legs.

In addition, in the present invention, when an overcurrent input through the input terminal or an overcurrent output through the output terminal is detected, the lower switching element is turned off and two bypass switches are turned on and off at the same time to generate a discharge path of the overcurrent immediately upon detection of the overcurrent. can

According to the present invention, by rapidly discharging the overcurrent flowing through the switching device, it is possible to reduce the time for the overcurrent to flow through the switching device, thereby preventing damage to the switching device due to the overcurrent.

In addition, the present invention can prevent the overcurrent from flowing to a path other than the discharge path by creating a discharge path of the overcurrent immediately upon detection of the overcurrent, thereby preventing the spread of adverse effects due to the overcurrent.

In addition to the above-described effects, the specific effects of the present invention will be described together while describing specific details for carrying out the invention below.

Figure 1a is a view for explaining the current flow when the U-phase and V-phase short circuit occurs in a conventional three-phase power conversion device.
FIG. 1B is a view for explaining a method of preventing an overcurrent from flowing in a switching element when the short circuit described in FIG. 1A occurs; FIG.
2 is a view showing a power conversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing a state in which the power conversion device shown in FIG. 2 is connected to an AC power source.
4 is a view for explaining an overcurrent detection unit connected to an input terminal;
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining an operation of the overcurrent detection unit shown in FIG. 4 ;
6 is a view for explaining a current sensor connected to the output terminal of the power conversion device.
7 is a view for explaining a method for a control unit to determine whether a short circuit based on a detection signal output from the overcurrent detection unit.
8 is a view for explaining a method for a control unit to determine whether a short circuit based on the magnitude of the phase current output from the current sensor.
9 is a view for explaining a current flow when a short circuit occurs between U-phase and V-phase.
10 is a view for explaining a current flow when a short circuit occurs in the V-phase and W-phase.
11 is a view for explaining the flow of current when a short circuit occurs between the U-phase and W-phase.

The above-described objects, features and advantages will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar components.

In this specification, the first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from other components, and unless otherwise stated, the first component may be the second component, of course.

In addition, in the present specification, when it is described that a certain element is "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another element, the elements may be directly connected or connected to each other, but there is another element between each element. It should be understood that elements may be “interposed,” or that each element may be “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected to,” through another element.

Also, as used herein, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as "consisting of" or "comprising" should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various components or various steps described in the specification, some of which components or some steps are It should be construed that it may not include, or may further include additional components or steps.

In addition, in the present specification, when "A and / or B" is said, it means A, B or A and B unless otherwise stated, and when said "C to D", it is Unless otherwise specified, it means C or more and D or less

The present invention relates to a power conversion device that prevents damage to a switching device when an overcurrent occurs by minimizing the time that the overcurrent flows through the switching device.

Hereinafter, a power conversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 11 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a power conversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the power conversion device shown in FIG. 2 is connected to an AC power source.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an overcurrent detection unit connected to an input terminal, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the overcurrent detection unit shown in FIG. 4 . In addition, FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a current sensor connected to an output terminal of the power conversion device.

7 is a diagram for explaining a method for a control unit to determine whether a short circuit is made based on a detection signal output from an overcurrent detection unit. In addition, FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a method for the controller to determine whether or not a short circuit is based on the magnitude of the phase current output from the current sensor.

9 is a diagram for explaining a current flow when a short circuit occurs between U-phase and V phase, FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a current flow when a short-circuit occurs between V-phase and W-phase, and FIG. 11 is a short circuit between U-phase and W phase. It is a diagram for explaining the current flow.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the power conversion device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may convert DC power (V _DC ) applied from an input terminal into three-phase AC power and provide it to a load connected to an output terminal.

To this end, the power conversion device 100 may include a plurality of switching elements connected in a full-bridge form. More specifically, the power conversion device 100 may include a U-phase leg, a V-phase leg, and a W-phase leg connected in parallel to the input terminal, and each leg may be provided with upper and lower switching elements, respectively. have.

The switching device provided in each leg may be a power switching device, for example, an Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), a Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT), a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET), or the like.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the upper and lower switching elements provided in the U-phase leg are referred to as first upper and first lower switching elements (S1, S1'), and the upper and lower switching elements provided in the V-phase leg are referred to as The second upper and second lower switching elements (S2, S2') are referred to, and the upper and lower switching elements provided in the W-phase leg are referred to as the third upper and third lower switching elements (S3, S3'). .

The first upper and first lower switching elements S1 and S1 ′ may _{convert the DC power V DC} into a U-phase AC power and output the converted power. More specifically, the first upper and first lower switching elements S1 and S1' may be connected to each other through the output node Nu of the U-phase leg, and the gate signal Sg output from the controller 130 to be described later. The DC power (V _DC ) may be converted into U-phase AC power by switching according to the , and may be output through the output node (Nu).

The second upper and second lower switching elements S2 and S2' may _{convert the DC power V DC} into a V-phase AC power and output the converted power. More specifically, the second upper and second lower switching elements S2 and S2' may be connected to each other through the output node Nv of the V-phase leg, and the gate signal Sg output from the controller 130 to be described later. The DC power supply V _DC can be converted to V-phase AC power by switching according to the , and this can be output through the output node Nv.

The third upper and third lower switching elements S3 and S3' may _{convert the DC power V DC} into W-phase AC power and output the converted power. More specifically, the third upper and third lower switching elements S3 and S3' may be connected to each other through the output node Nw of the W-phase leg, and the gate signal Sg output from the controller 130 to be described later. The DC power (V _DC ) may be converted into a W-phase AC power by switching according to the , and may be output through the output node (Nw).

Hereinafter, the upper and lower switching elements will be collectively referred to as switching elements, if necessary.

_{Meanwhile, the DC power V DC} , which is a conversion target of the switching element, may be output from the DC voltage source and applied to the input terminal. In other words, a DC voltage source may be connected in parallel to the input terminal illustrated in FIG. 2 , and accordingly, the DC voltage output from the DC voltage source may be directly applied to the input terminal.

_{Alternatively, the DC power V DC} , which is a conversion target of the switching element, may be output from the AC voltage source and applied to the input terminal. More specifically, the AC power output from the AC voltage source _{may be converted into DC power (V DC} ) and applied to the input terminal.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the AC power output from the AC voltage source 10 may pass through a full-bridge rectification circuit including a plurality of diodes D1, D2, D3, and D4 through the smoothing inductor Lf. Thus, the AC power can be rectified to a DC power source (V _DC), the rectified direct-current power supply (V _DC) may be stored in the DC link capacitor (C _DC). Since the DC link capacitor C _DC is connected in parallel with the input terminal, the DC power V _{DC stored in the DC link capacitor C DC} may be provided as the input terminal.

As described above, an AC voltage source or a DC voltage source may be connected to the input terminal. However, in FIGS. 6 to 11 to be described later, for convenience of explanation, the DC voltage source or the AC voltage source connected to the input terminal is equivalent to a single voltage source that outputs the _{DC voltage (V DC ).}

Referring back to FIG. 2 , the first bypass switch 110 may be provided between the U-phase leg and the V-phase leg, and the second bypass switch 120 may be provided between the V-phase leg and the W-phase leg. can The first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 may be formed of any element that opens and closes a circuit, and may be, for example, a relay. In this case, the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 may be turned on and off according to the switching control signal Ss output from the controller 130 .

That is, the first bypass switch 110 can selectively connect the U-phase leg and the V-phase leg according to the switching control signal Ss output from the control unit 130 , and the second bypass switch 120 is the control unit The V-phase leg and the W-phase leg may be selectively connected according to the switching control signal Ss output from 130 .

3 , the first bypass switch 110 may be provided between the output node Nu of the U-phase leg and the output node Nv of the V-phase leg, and the second bypass switch 110 . Reference numeral 120 may be provided between the output node Nv of the V-phase leg and the output node Nw of the W-phase leg. Accordingly, the first bypass switch 110 may connect or disconnect the output node Nu of the U-phase leg and the output node Nv of the V-phase leg under the control of the controller 130, and the second bypass switch 110 may The pass switch 120 may connect or disconnect the output node Nv of the V-phase leg and the output node Nw of the W-phase leg under the control of the controller 130 .

In the above-described circuit structure, the controller 130 may apply the gate signal Sg to the switching element so that the three-phase AC power is basically output to the load. During such basic operation, any two phases among U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase may be short-circuited due to various causes. have.

A conventional method for preventing an overcurrent from continuously flowing through the switching element is the same as the method described with reference to FIG. 1B . However, as mentioned above, even according to the conventional method, due to the inductive parasitic component (Lp) according to the distance to the power conversion device 100 and the short-circuit point, the overcurrent flowing in the switching element is discharged for a long time, so that the switching element is damaged can be

In order to prevent this, the controller 130 of the present invention determines whether any two phases of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are short-circuited, and according to the determination result, among the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 , By controlling at least one, the overcurrent flowing through the switching element can be rapidly discharged.

As described above, when a short circuit occurs between any two phases of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase, overcurrent may occur in the circuit constituting the power conversion device 100 . The control unit 130 may determine which two phases of the U phase, V phase, and W phase are shorted by detecting such overcurrent, and the first bypass switch 110 and/or the second bypass depending on the short-circuited phase. The switch 120 may be controlled.

In one example, the controller 130 may determine whether a short circuit exists by detecting an overcurrent flowing through the input terminal. To this end, the power conversion device 100 may further include an overcurrent detection unit 140 provided at the input terminal to detect an overcurrent flowing through the input terminal.

The overcurrent detection unit 140 may include any analog and/or digital circuit for detecting the current provided to the input terminal. The overcurrent detection unit 140 may generate an analog or digital signal corresponding to the detected magnitude of the current and provide it to the control unit 130 . Also, the overcurrent detection unit 140 may generate analog or digital signals having different values according to whether the detected current is an overcurrent and provide the analog or digital signals to the control unit 130 .

Referring to FIG. 4 as an example, the overcurrent detection unit 140 may include a shunt resistor Rs provided at the input terminal, and the magnitude of the current based on the voltage Vd applied to the shunt resistor Rs. can be detected.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the overcurrent detection unit 140 compares the voltage Vd applied to the shunt resistor Rs with a reference voltage Vref serving as a criterion for determining the overcurrent, and detects the detection signal Sd according to the comparison result. It may further include a comparator 141 that outputs to the controller 130 .

When an overcurrent flows through the input terminal, the voltage (hereinafter, shunt voltage, Vs) applied to the shunt resistor Rs may become very large. The comparator 141 may compare the shunt voltage Vd and the reference voltage Vref, and may output a detection signal Sd having different values according to the comparison result. For example, the comparator 141 may output the detection signal Sd having a positive value when the shunt voltage Vd is greater than the reference voltage Vref, and the shunt voltage Vd is smaller than the reference voltage Vref. In this case, the detection signal Sd having a negative value may be output.

Hereinafter, the signal output from the overcurrent detection unit 140 when the overcurrent flows is referred to as a high detection signal, and when the overcurrent does not flow, the signal output from the overcurrent detection unit 140 is referred to as a low detection signal. let it do

The control unit 130 determines which two phases of the U phase, V phase, and W phase are shorted based on the detection signal Sd output from the overcurrent detection unit 140 and the gate signal Sg applied to the switching element. can

When the detection signal Sd output from the overcurrent detection unit 140 is a low detection signal, the controller 130 may determine that a short circuit has not occurred. On the other hand, if the detection signal Sd output from the overcurrent detection unit 140 is a high detection signal, the control unit 130 may determine that a short circuit has occurred, and at this time, based on the gate signal Sg applied to the switching element, It can be determined which phase of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase has a short circuit.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the gate signal Sg for turning on the switching element is referred to as a turn-on gate signal, and the gate signal Sg for turning off the switching element is referred to as a turn-off gate. to be referred to as a signal.

Referring to FIG. 7 , when the U-phase and the V-phase are short-circuited, the controller 130 turns on the first upper and second lower switching elements S1 and SS′ through the turn-on gate signal. can flow Accordingly, the control unit 130 may receive the high detection signal from the overcurrent detection unit 140 .

When the high detection signal is provided, the controller 130 may identify the switching elements to which the turn-on gate signal is applied as the first upper and second lower switching elements S1 and S2'. Since the first upper switching element S1 is provided in the U-phase leg and the second lower switching element S2' is provided in the V-phase leg, the control unit 130 can determine that a short circuit has occurred between the U-phase and the V-phase. have.

In this way, when the high detection signal is provided from the overcurrent detection unit 140, the control unit 130 is located at the provided position (eg, U-phase, V-phase, W-phase leg) of the switching element to which the turn-on gate signal is applied. It is possible to determine in which phase a short circuit has occurred based on the.

In another example, the controller 130 may determine whether a short circuit exists by detecting an overcurrent flowing through the output terminal. To this end, the power conversion device 100 is provided at the output stage and outputted through the output nodes Nu, Nv, Nw of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase current (U-phase current (Iu), V-phase current (Iv)) , W-phase current (Iw)) may further include a current sensor 150 for detecting, respectively.

The current sensor 150 may include any analog and/or digital circuit for detecting a current output to an output terminal. The current sensor 150 may generate an analog or digital signal corresponding to the detected current and provide it to the controller 130 .

6 as an example, the current sensor 150 is provided at the output terminals of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase, respectively, to detect U-phase current (Iu), V-phase current (Iv), and W-phase current (Iw), respectively. can do. When each phase current is detected, the current sensor 150 may provide the magnitude of each phase current to the controller 130 .

The controller 130 may determine which two phases of the U phase, V phase, and W phase are short-circuited based on the magnitude of the phase current detected by the current sensor 150 .

More specifically, if the magnitudes of the U-phase current (Iu), the V-phase current (Iv), and the W-phase current (Iw) detected by the current sensor 150 are all less than the reference size, the controller 130 may not generate a short circuit. can be judged as not.

On the other hand, the controller 130 short-circuits when the magnitude of at least two phase currents among the magnitudes of the U-phase current Iu, V-phase current Iv, and W-phase current Iw detected by the current sensor 150 is greater than or equal to the reference value. can be determined to have occurred, and it is possible to determine in which phase of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase a short circuit occurs by identifying which phase current is detected above the reference size.

8, when the V-phase and W-phase are short-circuited, the V-phase current (Iv) output through the output node (Nv) of the V-phase leg and W provided to the output node (Nw) of the W-phase leg The phase current Iw may be an overcurrent. At this time, the controller 130 receives the magnitudes of the V-phase current (Iv) and the W-phase current (Iw) from the current sensor 150 and compares them with reference sizes, and the V-phase current (Iv) and W-phase current ( By identifying that the size of Iw) is greater than or equal to the reference size, it can be determined that a short circuit has occurred in the V-phase and W-phase.

In this way, the control unit 130 may identify which two phase currents have a current greater than or equal to a reference level among each phase current provided from the current sensor 150 , and determine that a short circuit has occurred in the identified two phases.

When it is determined that any two of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are short-circuited, the controller 130 may turn off the lower switching elements of the two short-circuited phases.

Referring to FIG. 7 as an example, the controller 130 may determine that a short circuit occurs in the U-phase and V-phase according to the method described above. At this time, the control unit 130 applies a turn-off gate signal to the short-circuited U-phase and V-phase lower end switching elements, that is, the first and second lower end switching elements S1' and S2', and the first and second lower ends The switching elements S1' and S2' may be turned off.

Accordingly, the overcurrent generated by the short circuit may be discharged through the reverse diode of the second upper switching element S2. Since the process of discharging the overcurrent as the lower switching element is turned off has been described with reference to FIG. 1B, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

Additionally, when it is determined that any two of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are short-circuited, the controller 130 may turn on at least one of the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 .

Referring back to FIG. 7 , the power conversion device 100 and the load are electrically connected, and the location of the power conversion device 100 and the location of the load may be physically separated from each other. At this time, when the overcurrent is discharged by turning off the lower switching element as described above, in the discharge path of the current as shown in FIG. 1b, an inductive parasitic component ( Lp) may occur.

Due to such an inductive parasitic component, the discharge rate of the overcurrent is delayed, and as a result, the overcurrent flows through the switching element for a long time, which may damage the switching element.

In order to prevent this, the controller 130 of the present invention turns on at least one of the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 when a short circuit occurs, thereby creating a new overcurrent discharge path in which the inductive parasitic component Lp is removed. can create

More specifically, when it is determined that any two phases of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are short-circuited, the control unit 130 turns off the lower switching elements of the two short-circuited phases and at the same time turns off the first and second bypass switches 110 . , 120) may be turned on to create a new overcurrent discharge path.

In order to cause the off operation of the lower switching element and the on operation of at least one of the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 to occur simultaneously, the controller 130 controls the gate signal ( Sg) and a switching control signal Ss (hereinafter, an on switching control signal) for turning on at least one of the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 may be synchronized.

In other words, the controller 130 applies a turn-off gate signal to the lower switching elements of the two short-circuited phases, and applies an on-switching control signal synchronized with the turn-off gate signal to the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 . can be authorized Accordingly, an overcurrent discharge path may be generated by turning on at least one of the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 while the lower switching element is turned off.

As described above, the present invention can prevent the overcurrent from flowing to a path other than the discharge path by creating a discharge path of the overcurrent immediately upon detection of the overcurrent, thereby preventing the spread of adverse effects due to the overcurrent.

Hereinafter, when any two phases of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are short-circuited, the controller 130 controls at least one of the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 to form an overcurrent discharge path to be described in detail.

When the U-phase and the V-phase are short-circuited, the controller 130 may turn on the first bypass switch 110 and turn off the second bypass switch 120 .

Referring to FIG. 9 , the controller 130 may determine that the U-phase and the V-phase are short-circuited. Accordingly, the controller 130 may apply the turn-off gate signal to the first and second lower switching elements S1 ′ and S2 ′, and the first bypass at the same time point as the gate signal Sg is applied. An on-switching control signal may be applied to the switch 110 and an off-switching control signal may be applied to the second bypass switch 120 .

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9 , the first and second upper switching elements S1 and S2 and the first bypass switch 110 may form a closed circuit, and the overcurrent is generated by the second upper switching element S2 ) can be discharged through the reverse diode.

Also, when the V-phase and W-phase are short-circuited, the controller 130 may turn on the second bypass switch 120 and turn off the first bypass switch 110 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , the controller 130 may determine that the V-phase and the W-phase are short-circuited. Accordingly, the control unit 130 may apply the turn-off gate signal to the second and third lower switching elements S2' and S3', and the first bypass at the same time as the application time of the gate signal Sg. An off switching control signal may be applied to the switch 110 and an on switching control signal may be applied to the second bypass switch 120 .

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10 , the second and third upper switching elements S2 and S3 and the second bypass switch 120 may form a closed circuit, and the overcurrent is generated by the third upper switching element S3 . ) can be discharged through the reverse diode.

Also, when the U-phase and the W-phase are short-circuited, the controller 130 may turn on the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 .

Referring to FIG. 11 , the controller 130 may determine that the U-phase and the W-phase are short-circuited. Accordingly, the control unit 130 may apply the turn-off gate signal to the first to third lower switching elements S1 ′, S2 ′, and S3 ′, and may apply the turn-off gate signal at the same time point as the application time point of the gate signal Sg. An on-switching control signal may be applied to the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 .

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11 , the first and third upper switching elements S1 and S3 and the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 may form a closed circuit, and the overcurrent is generated by the third upper end. It may be discharged through a reverse diode of the switching element S3.

As described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 , a discharge path newly formed when any two phases of U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase is short-circuited is caused by the physical distance between the power conversion device 100 and the load. Since it is not affected by the generated inductive parasitic component Lp, the overcurrent may be discharged very quickly, and thus, burn-in of the switching element may be prevented.

Meanwhile, the first and second bypass switches 110 and 120 may be located at a very close distance to the switching device, or may be included in a module including the switching device, for example, an intelligent power module (IPM) together with the switching device. In this case, since the overcurrent discharge path shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 is formed very short, the overcurrent is not affected at all by the inductive parasitic component Lp due to the physical distance between the power conversion device 100 and the load. can be discharged.

The aforementioned control unit 130 is ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), DSPDs (digital signal processing devices), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), processors (processors), It may be implemented as at least one physical element among controllers, micro controllers, and microprocessors.

As described above, according to the present invention, by rapidly discharging the overcurrent flowing through the switching element, the time for the overcurrent to flow through the switching element can be reduced, thereby preventing damage to the switching element due to the overcurrent.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrated drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed in the present specification. It is obvious that variations can be made. In addition, although the effects according to the configuration of the present invention are not explicitly described and described while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects predictable by the configuration should also be recognized.

Claims (15)

A power conversion device for converting DC power applied from an input terminal into three-phase AC power and providing it to a load connected to an output terminal, the power conversion device comprising:
upper and lower switching elements respectively provided in U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase legs connected in parallel to the input terminal;
a first bypass switch having one end connected to the upper switch of the U-phase and the other end connected to the upper switch of the V-phase;
a second bypass switch having one end connected to the V-phase upper switch and the other end connected to the W-phase upper switch; and
A control unit for controlling the upper and lower switching elements and the first and second bypass switches; including,
When any two phases of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are short-circuited, the control unit turns off the lower switching elements of the two short-circuited phases and at the same time turns off the upper ends of the two short-circuited phases among the first and second bypass switches. Turn on at least one bypass switch connected to the switching element,
The short-circuited upper switching element of the two phases and the at least one bypass switch form a closed circuit, and the overcurrent generated by the short circuit is discharged through a diode included in either upper switch of the short-circuited upper switching element of the two phases, power converter.
According to claim 1,
The upper and lower switching elements are
First upper and first lower switching elements provided on the U-phase leg to convert the DC power to U-phase AC power;
second upper and second lower switching elements provided on the V-phase leg to convert the DC power to V-phase AC power;
A third upper and third lower switching elements provided on the W-phase leg to convert the DC power into W-phase AC power;
power converter.
According to claim 1,
The first bypass switch is provided between the output node of the U-phase leg and the output node of the V-phase leg,
The second bypass switch is provided between the output node of the V-phase leg and the output node of the W-phase leg
power converter.
According to claim 1,
Further comprising an overcurrent detection unit provided at the input terminal to detect an overcurrent flowing through the input terminal
power converter.
5. The method of claim 4,
The overcurrent detection unit
a shunt resistor provided at the input terminal;
and a comparator that compares the voltage applied to the shunt resistor with a reference voltage and outputs a detection signal according to the comparison result.
power converter.
5. The method of claim 4,
the control unit
Determining whether any two phases of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase are short-circuited based on the detection signal output from the overcurrent detection unit and the gate signal applied to the upper and lower switching elements
power converter.
According to claim 1,
Further comprising a current sensor provided at the output terminal for detecting each of the phase current output through the U-phase, V-phase, W-phase output nodes, respectively
power converter.
8. The method of claim 7,
the control unit
Determining whether any two phases of the U phase, V phase, and W phase are short-circuited based on the magnitude of the phase current detected by the current sensor
power converter.
delete delete delete According to claim 1,
the control unit
applying a turn-off gate signal to the lower switching elements of the two short-circuited phases;
applying an on-switching control signal synchronized with the turn-off gate signal to at least one bypass switch connected to the upper switching element of the two short-circuited phases
power converter.
According to claim 1,
the control unit
When the U-phase and the V-phase are short-circuited, the first bypass switch is turned on and the second bypass switch is turned off.
power converter.
According to claim 1,
the control unit
When the V phase and the W phase are short-circuited, the second bypass switch is turned on and the first bypass switch is turned off.
power converter.
According to claim 1,
the control unit
When the U-phase and the W-phase are short-circuited, the first and second bypass switches are turned on.
power converter.

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