Power conversion device

Abstract

The abnormality selection circuit includes: a plurality of signal output circuits connected to input lines of a plurality of abnormality signals, respectively, and capable of outputting or not outputting according to a signal input from a switching terminal; and a plurality of prescribed terminals provided between the switching terminals of the plurality of signal output circuits and input portions of other abnormality signals. The abnormality selection circuit is configured to enable the other abnormality signals to be communicated to the switching terminals between the plurality of prescribed terminals connected to the respective switching terminals of the plurality of signal output circuits and the input portions of the other abnormality signals having a higher priority order.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to power conversion devices, and is preferably applied to power conversion devices involving techniques that assign priority to multiple abnormal states that may occur simultaneously and output abnormal signals. Background Technology

[0002] In typical power conversion devices, prescribed protective actions are performed when an abnormal state is detected. For example, the power conversion device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes: a first abnormality detection unit that detects abnormalities in the inverter section by detecting overvoltage, overcurrent, and temperature of the upper and lower arms; and a second abnormality detection unit that detects abnormalities in the inverter section by detecting abnormalities in each of the multiple semiconductor switching elements constituting the upper arm and the multiple semiconductor switching elements constituting the lower arm. The device is configured such that when an abnormal signal is detected by the first and second abnormality detection units, the drive control unit performs a prescribed protective action on the arm (e.g., a 3-phase short circuit or a 6-phase open circuit). Furthermore, in the power conversion device disclosed in Patent Document 1, by providing a switch in the arm selection circuit of the 3-phase short circuit drive signal control logic to change the priority of the upper arm 3-phase short circuit and the lower arm 3-phase short circuit, the priority of the upper arm 3-phase short circuit signal and the lower arm 3-phase short circuit signal can be changed.

[0003] Prior technology documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Republished Patent No. 2012 / 077187 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention will solve

[0007] However, while the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows setting the priority of short-circuit signals for performing the aforementioned protective actions, it does not specify the order of priority for which abnormality should be prioritized among multiple possible simultaneous abnormal states. Recently, this priority order has sometimes been changed based on customer requirements, but in such cases, large-scale circuit design changes are necessary. Furthermore, in circuit configurations using large-scale ICs (Integrated Circuits) such as CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Devices), due to a shortage of EOPs (End of Production) or semiconductors, when a replacement IC is needed, large-scale specification changes occur, making it impossible to change the aforementioned priority order at a low cost.

[0008] The present invention was made with the above considerations in mind, and aims to provide a power conversion device that can handle changes in the priority order of abnormal signals output according to multiple abnormal states without changing the circuit pattern and at a low cost.

[0009] Methods for solving problems

[0010] To address this issue, the present invention provides a power conversion device that converts power by switching multiple switching elements and includes a protection circuit that enables the multiple switching elements to perform a predetermined protection action based on an abnormal state. The protection circuit includes: an abnormal selection circuit that, when multiple abnormal signals indicating the abnormal state are input, selectively outputs an abnormal signal indicating any one of the abnormal states in a predetermined priority order; and a signal switching circuit that, based on the abnormal signal indicating the one abnormal state output by the abnormal selection circuit, switches the drive control signals of the multiple switching elements to perform the predetermined protection action. The abnormal selection circuit includes: multiple signal output circuits connected to the input lines of each of the multiple abnormal signals and switching whether to output based on signals input from switching terminals; and multiple predetermined terminals disposed between the switching terminals of the multiple signal output circuits and the input portions of other abnormal signals, configured such that other abnormal signals can be transmitted to the switching terminals between the multiple predetermined terminals connected to each of the multiple signal output circuits and the input portions of other abnormal signals with higher priority.

[0011] Invention Effects

[0012] According to the present invention, in order to change the priority order of abnormal signals output according to multiple abnormal states, no changes to the circuit pattern are required, and the solution can be implemented at low cost. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of the power conversion device according to this embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 It is shown as Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a protection circuit as part of a safety logic circuit.

[0015] Figure 3 The diagram shows an example of an abnormal signal priority order that can be set based on the installation and removal status of the jumpers in the signal switching unit.

[0016] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates an example of the relationship between the two output signals and the state of a signal switching circuit. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of the power conversion device 100 according to this embodiment. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the text near the signal lines (e.g., "LV Lost") primarily indicates the name of the signal. In this embodiment, as an example of the power conversion device (hereinafter also referred to as "inverter") 100, a hybrid electric vehicle (hereinafter abbreviated as "vehicle") motor drive unit will be described. However, this embodiment can also be applied to power conversion devices other than the hybrid electric vehicle motor drive unit. First, the general configuration of the inverter 100 will be described.

[0019] The inverter 100 has the function of converting DC voltage into AC voltage by switching six phases of switching elements, which are examples of multiple switching elements, specifically three phases of switching elements on the upper arm side and three phases of switching elements on the lower arm side.

[0020] Inverter 100 is connected to control unit 108, LV battery 109, HV battery 102, and motor 101. Control unit 108 has the function of vehicle communication (corresponding to "vehicle communication" in the figure) with CAN circuit 209 of inverter 100. HV battery 102 is the power source for the DC voltage used to drive motor 101. Motor 101 is driven by inverter 100.

[0021] The inverter 100 includes at least a safety logic circuit 200, a microcontroller 201, a gate driver 202, a three-phase power module (hereinafter referred to as "power module") 203, an AC (Alternating Current) sensor 204, an HVAC current monitor 205, and an HVDC voltage monitor 206. It also includes a power supply 211, an LV monitor 208, an IGN (Ignition) monitor 210, and a CAN circuit 209. Furthermore, the gate driver is sometimes abbreviated as "GD". The following description focuses on the main components of this embodiment.

[0022] The microcontroller 201 is input to: the detected value of the output of the LV battery 109 obtained by the LV monitor 208, the IGN (Ignition) signal detected by the IGN monitor 210, the vehicle communication signal with the CAN circuit 209, the output signal from the HVDC voltage monitor 206 and the FOV signal as an example of an abnormal signal, the GDFault signal from the gate driver 202, the output signal from the HVAC current monitor 205 and the FOC signal as an example of an abnormal signal, the temperature value of the motor 101 obtained by the motor temperature monitor 213, and the rotor position signal obtained by the rotor position monitor 212 showing the rotational position of the motor 101.

[0023] The microcontroller 201 outputs a μc fail signal indicating its own abnormal state to the safety logic circuit 200, or outputs a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control signal for controlling the motor 101 to the gate driver 202, as an example of an abnormal signal. The gate driver 202 has a gate driver (Upper) for the switching elements of the upper arm and a gate driver (Lower) for the switching elements of the lower arm. Hereinafter, unless there is a need to distinguish between the two gate drivers, they will be collectively referred to as gate driver 202.

[0024] The microcontroller 201 outputs PWM commands to the safety logic circuit 200. For example, the microcontroller 201 outputs PWM commands for multiple switching elements on the upper arm side and multiple switching elements on the lower arm side. These PWM commands, according to instructions from the microcontroller 201, are used by the safety logic circuit 200 to transition the inverter 100 to a safe state.

[0025] The gate driver 202 outputs a gate drive signal to the power module 203 based on the PWM control signal input from the microcontroller 201. The gate driver 202 switches the power module 203 according to this gate drive signal, thereby converting the DC voltage input from the HV battery 102 into a three-phase AC voltage (U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase). The gate driver 202 controls the motor 101 by inputting this three-phase AC voltage to the motor 101. An AC sensor 204 is provided between the gate driver 202 and the motor 101. This AC sensor 204 detects the three-phase HVAC current flowing between the gate driver 202 and the motor 101.

[0026] Furthermore, the gate driver 202 also monitors the current value flowing in the power module 203 and the voltage of the HV battery 102. If the gate driver 202 detects an abnormality in either of these, it outputs, for example, a GD (Gate Driver) Fault signal to the microcontroller 201 and the safety logic circuit 200 as an example of an abnormality signal.

[0027] HVAC current monitor 205 monitors the HVAC current of the three phases detected by AC sensor 204 and outputs the data to microcontroller 201. When an abnormality is detected in the HVAC current, HVAC current monitor 205 outputs an abnormality signal to microcontroller 201 and safety logic circuit 200. Such an abnormality could be, for example, overcurrent (corresponding to the “FOC” signal in the illustrated example).

[0028] The HVDC voltage monitor 206 monitors the voltage of the HV battery 102 and outputs the voltage value to the microcontroller 201. In the event of an abnormality detected in the HV battery 102, an abnormal signal indicating the type of abnormal state (e.g., the FOV signal indicating overvoltage in the illustrated example) is output to the microcontroller 201 and the safety logic circuit 200.

[0029] The LV monitor 208 monitors the output voltage of the LV battery 109 and outputs the value of the output voltage to the microcontroller 201. For example, if the LV monitor 208 detects an abnormal state indicating the disappearance of the LV battery 109 during a vehicle collision equipped with the inverter 100, it outputs an LV Lost signal to the safety logic circuit 200 as an abnormal signal.

[0030] The safety logic circuit 200 is a group of circuits that performs the following functions: based on the results of determining the abnormal state from various abnormal signals or instructions from the microcontroller 201, it outputs a 3-phase short-circuit (AKS) and 6-phase open-circuit (FW) signal (corresponding to the “3-phase short Free wheel Signal” in the figure) to the gate driver 202, causing the inverter 100 to transfer to a safe state. “PWM” indicates continued PWM control. That is, the state includes the following four states: PWM indicating the normal state, AKS-H (safe state) indicating a short circuit of the 3-phase switching elements on the upper arm side, AKS-L (safe state) indicating a short circuit of the 3-phase switching elements on the lower arm side, and FW (safe state) indicating an open circuit of the 6-phase switching elements.

[0031] In this embodiment, as described above, there are multiple abnormal signals. However, as shown below, it is possible to set the priority order and output multiple abnormal signals. The details are explained below.

[0032] Figure 2 It is shown as Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a protection circuit as a part of the safety logic circuit 200. In this embodiment, the key feature is that the priority order of abnormal signals that trigger a predetermined protection action can be easily switched by switching the switching unit (jump resistor, switching element described later). Furthermore, in the illustrated example, "R" represents a resistor, for example, shown in a high impedance state, and "0Ω" represents a resistor, for example, shown in a low impedance state (including 0[Ω]). Additionally, in the illustrated example, "OE" represents an output enable signal input to an output enable terminal, for example, as a switching terminal, to switch the output of a tri-state buffer described later, which is an example of a signal output circuit. " / (OE)" represents the inverted signal (of the output enable signal).

[0033] In this embodiment, a protective circuit with the following configuration and operation is provided as part of the safety logic circuit 200. The safety logic circuit 200 mainly includes at least an abnormality selection circuit 301 and a signal switching circuit 401. First, an overview of the power conversion device 100 will be described.

[0034] The fault selection circuit 301 is a circuit that determines the priority order of fault signals A, B, and C through the signal switching unit 302. Furthermore, fault signals A, B, and C represent various fault signals output from the HVAC current monitor 205, etc., but fault signals A, B, and C can also be fault signals input from, for example, the HVDC voltage monitor 206. Jumper terminals are provided in the fault selection circuit 301, and by switching them, the priority order of the fault signals can be changed. That is, in this embodiment, by switching the jumper resistors of the fault selection circuit 301, the ON / OFF states of multiple switching elements (power modules 203) on the upper arm side and the ON / OFF states of multiple switching elements (power modules 203) on the lower arm side can be switched to modes corresponding to predetermined safety operations.

[0035] The signal switching circuit 401 is a circuit used to perform a prescribed protection action (transfer to a safe state) based on the abnormal signal indicating an abnormal state output by the abnormal selection circuit 301. The signal switching circuit 401 is input with PWM commands (Upper) and PWM commands (Lower), and as described above, it may be input with abnormal signals A, B, and C, which are outputs of the abnormal selection circuit 301.

[0036] The signal switching circuit 401 includes tri-state buffers 470, 460, 450 and tri-state buffers 471, 461, 451.

[0037] The tri-state buffer 470 is input with a PWM command (Upper) and an input exception signal C as an output enable signal. Therefore, the tri-state buffer 470 can only output the PWM command (Upper) to the input side of the tri-state buffer 460 when the exception signal C is a Lo signal.

[0038] The tri-state buffer 460 is input to the output of the tri-state buffer 470 and is enabled by the input exception signal B. Therefore, the tri-state buffer 460 can output the PWM command (Upper) to the input side of the tri-state buffer 450 only when the exception signal B is a Lo signal.

[0039] The tri-state buffer 450 is input to the output of the tri-state buffer 460 and is also input to the abnormal signal A as the output enable signal. Therefore, the tri-state buffer 450 can output the PWM command (Upper) as the output abnormal signal CTR_1 to the Upper side of the gate driver 202 only when the abnormal signal A is the Lo signal.

[0040] The tri-state buffer 471 is input with a PWM command (Lower) and is enabled by an input exception signal C. Therefore, the tri-state buffer 471 can only output the PWM command (Lower) to the input side of the tri-state buffer 461 when the exception signal C is a Lo signal.

[0041] The tri-state buffer 461 is input to the output of the tri-state buffer 470 and is enabled by the input exception signal B. Therefore, the tri-state buffer 461 can output the PWM command (Lower) to the input side of the tri-state buffer 451 only when the exception signal B is the Lo signal.

[0042] The tri-state buffer 451 is input to the output of the tri-state buffer 460 and is also input to the abnormal signal A as the output enable signal. Therefore, the tri-state buffer 451 can output the PWM command (Lower) as the output abnormal signal CTRL_2 to the Lower side of the gate driver 202 only when the abnormal signal A is the Lo signal.

[0043] The power conversion device 100 of this embodiment converts power by switching multiple switching elements and includes a protection circuit that enables the multiple switching elements to perform predetermined protection actions based on an abnormal state. The protection circuit includes: an abnormal selection circuit 301 that, when multiple abnormal signals indicating abnormal states are input, selectively outputs an abnormal signal indicating any one of the abnormal states in a predetermined priority order; and a signal switching circuit 401 that, based on an abnormal signal indicating an abnormal state output by the abnormal selection circuit 301, switches the drive control signals of the multiple switching elements to perform the predetermined protection action.

[0044] The abnormality selection circuit 301 includes: a tri-state buffer 350, 360, 370, which is connected to the input lines 350z, 360z, 370z of each of the multiple abnormal signals and switches whether it can output based on an output enable signal input from an output enable terminal 350a, 360a, 370a, which is an example of a multiple signal output circuit; and a plurality of predetermined terminals provided between the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, 370a of the tri-state buffer 350, 360a, 370a and the input section of other abnormal signals (e.g., the input section of abnormal signal B or C), and configured such that other abnormal signals can be transmitted to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, 370a between the plurality of predetermined terminals (e.g., jumper terminals described later) connected to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, 370a of the tri-state buffer 350, 360a, 370a and the input section of other abnormal signals with higher priority.

[0045] More specifically, the anomaly selection circuit 301 has multiple jumper terminals that can be inserted as a type of connection component, which are the aforementioned multiple specified terminals. At least one jumper is inserted between the multiple jumper terminals connected to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the tri-state buffers 350, 360, and 370a and the input of other anomaly signals with higher priority, so that the other anomaly signals can be transmitted to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a.

[0046] That is, in this embodiment, the configuration is such that the priority order of abnormal signals can be switched by inserting a jumper resistor. Between inputs of other abnormal signals with higher priority, in order to allow abnormal signals to be transmitted to the respective output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the tri-state buffers 350, 360, and 370a, a jumper is inserted to disable the output of the abnormal signal whose priority is to be lowered, thereby enabling the abnormal signal whose priority is to be higher to be output first.

[0047] In this embodiment, jumpers are not inserted between the multiple jumper terminals connected to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the tri-state buffers 350, 360, and the inputs of other abnormal signals with lower priority. That is, by not inserting jumpers between the inputs of other abnormal signals with lower priority, the influence of abnormal signals with lower priority that are input to the output enable signal of the abnormal signal whose priority is to be increased is nullified, thus determining the priority order of the abnormal signals. In this way, even if the priority order of multiple abnormal signals changes, the priority order of some abnormal signals can be reduced because jumpers are not inserted as described above, allowing for priority changes to be performed cost-effectively without altering the circuit pattern.

[0048] In this embodiment, a jumper with a specified resistance value or higher is inserted between the multiple jumper terminals connected to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the multiple tri-state buffers 350, 360, and 370a and the input of other abnormal signals with lower priority. This other abnormal signal cannot be substantially transmitted to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a.

[0049] In the following implementation, "installation" means installing a jumper across multiple jumper terminals to short-circuit the multiple jumper terminals, while "not installed" means removing the jumper from the multiple jumper terminals to insulate the multiple jumper terminals.

[0050] In this embodiment, instead of using the jumper described above, the following can be performed. For example, using jumper resistor R_B1 as an example, even when the abnormal signal B at the input of the abnormal signal B shows an abnormal state (e.g., an output state of 5 [V]), instead of setting jumper resistor R_B1 to "not installed," the resistance ratio of jumper resistor R_B1 to resistor R is set to, for example, a resistance ratio below the threshold voltage at which the output enable terminal 350a of the tri-state buffer 350 is enabled. For example, when the threshold voltage at which the output enable terminal 350a of the tri-state buffer 350 is enabled is below 0.9 [V], and the output voltage when the abnormal signal B is abnormal is 5 [V], and the resistance ratio of jumper resistor R_B1 to resistor R is 100:1, the voltage at the output enable terminal 350a of the tri-state buffer 350 is ≒0 [V], and the output enable terminal 350a remains enabled. That is, when jumper resistor R_B1 is "not installed," the output enable terminal 350a of the tri-state buffer 350 achieves the same effect as when it is enabled. The same applies to the other jumper resistors R_A1, R_A2, R_B2, R_C1, and R_C2. In this way, even without using the aforementioned jumpers, the same effect can be achieved as when the jumpers are used.

[0051] In this embodiment, the signal switching circuit 401 includes: a pair of three-state buffers 470, 460, 450 and 471, 461, 451, which are provided with a plurality of output enable terminals 470a, 460a, 450a, 471a, 461a, 451a corresponding to any one of the plurality of abnormal signals; and a state switching circuit that switches the ON / OFF state of the plurality of switching elements on the upper arm side and the ON / OFF state of the plurality of switching elements on the lower arm side to a mode corresponding to a predetermined protection operation when each output of the pair of three-state buffers 470, 460, 450, 471, 461, 451 is in a high impedance state.

[0052] That is, in this embodiment, by inputting each abnormal signal to the output enable terminals 470a, 460a, 450, 471a, 461a, and 451a of the tri-state buffers 470, 460, 450, 471, 461a, and 451a of the signal switching circuit 401, when the output of the abnormal selection circuit 301 transitions to an abnormal state, the output of the tri-state buffer of the signal switching circuit 401 becomes a high-impedance state. As a result, the output of the preceding state buffer circuit (e.g., the output of the tri-state buffer 450 relative to the tri-state buffer 460) can be invalidated. In addition, by switching the jumper resistor of the signal switching circuit 401, the ON / OFF states of the multiple switching elements on the upper arm side of the power module 203 and the ON / OFF states of the multiple switching elements on the lower arm side of the power module 203 can be switched to a predetermined protection operation, i.e., a safety operation mode, based on the output signal of the abnormal selection circuit 301.

[0053] In this way, the state switching circuit can switch the ON / OFF state of multiple switching elements on the upper arm side and the ON / OFF state of multiple switching elements on the lower arm side based on the output signal of the abnormal selection circuit 301, and perform the prescribed protection action to transfer to a safe state.

[0054] In the signal switching circuit 401, the aforementioned state switching circuit is configured to switch the outputs of the tri-state buffers 470, 460, 450 and 471, 461, 451 (for example, corresponding to the presence or absence of a jumper, which is a connection component, inserted) according to whether a jumper is inserted (i.e., "present" or "absent"). Figure 4 CTRL_1 and CTRL_2 can be switched to either the high or low state.

[0055] In this embodiment, for example, three types of anomalies are identified, and anomaly signals A to C are shown as signals indicating these three types of anomalies. Furthermore, the number of types of anomaly signals may be greater or less than these.

[0056] The above-mentioned abnormal selection circuit 301 includes at least a signal switching unit 302 for switching whether to transmit multiple abnormal signals, and preferably includes a resistor (corresponding to "R" in the figure) and tri-state buffers 350, 360, and 370.

[0057] The anomaly selection circuit 301 is input with an LV Lost signal (example of anomaly signal A), a μc fail signal (example of anomaly signal B), and an FOV / FOC signal (example of anomaly signal C). The LV Lost signal, μc fail signal, and FOV / FOC signal are respectively designated as Hi signals or Lo signals. A Hi signal indicates an anomaly, and a Lo signal indicates normal operation. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the anomaly signal is not limited to these; it can also be an anomaly signal indicating other abnormal states.

[0058] The output of the exception selection circuit 301 is connected to the signal switching circuit 401. Specifically, in the exception selection circuit 301, the output of the tri-state buffer 350 is connected to the output enable terminals 450a and 451a of the tri-state buffers 450 and 451 of the signal switching circuit 401. The output of the tri-state buffer 360 is connected to the output enable terminals 460a and 461a of the tri-state buffers 460 and 461 of the signal switching circuit 401. The output of the tri-state buffer 370 is connected to the output enable terminals 470a and 471a of the tri-state buffers 470 and 471 of the signal switching circuit 401.

[0059] When the outputs of the three-state buffers 350, 360, and 370 of the abnormal selection circuit 301 migrate to the abnormal state, the outputs of the corresponding three-state buffers 450, 451, 460, 461, 470, and 471 in the signal switching circuit 401 become high impedance, and the voltage level of the output signals CTL_1 / CTL_2 becomes the signal level corresponding to the specified safety action.

[0060] The signal switching unit 302 has a jumper resistor R_B1 as an example of the switching unit 302B1, a jumper resistor R_C1 as an example of the switching unit 302C1, a jumper resistor R_A1 as an example of the switching unit 302A1, a jumper resistor R_C2 as an example of the switching unit 302C2, a jumper resistor R_A2 as an example of the switching unit 302A2, and a jumper resistor R_B2 as an example of the switching unit 302B2.

[0061] These switching units 302B1, etc., have the same configuration and function, for example, including jumper terminals on the input side, jumper terminals on the output side, and jumpers that can be detached from the two jumper terminals to short-circuit them. That is, when the jumper is installed on the two jumper terminals, these switching units 302B1, etc., can short-circuit the jumper terminals on the input side and output side to conduct electricity; on the other hand, when the jumper is not installed on the two jumper terminals, they can insulate the jumper terminals on the input side and output side from conducting electricity. In the illustrated example, the switching unit marked with an "×" has its jumper removed, and the switching unit without an "×" is considered to have a jumper installed.

[0062] An error signal A is input to the input side of the tri-state buffer 350, and also to the jumper terminals on the input sides of jumper resistors R_A1 and R_A2. An error signal B is input to the input side of the tri-state buffer 360, and also to the jumper terminals on the input sides of jumper resistors R_B1 and R_B2. An error signal C is input to the input side of the tri-state buffer 370, and also to the jumper terminals on the input sides of jumper resistors R_C1 and R_C2.

[0063] The jumper terminals on the output sides of jumper resistors R_B1 and R_C1 are connected to the input side of the output enable element of the tri-state buffer 350, and the output signals of the jumper terminals on the output sides of jumper resistors R_B1 and R_C1 are input as the output enable signal of the tri-state buffer 350.

[0064] Therefore, the tri-state buffer 350 outputs an abnormal signal A when neither jumper resistor R_B1 nor jumper resistor R_C1 is installed. On the other hand, it does not output an abnormal signal A when the jumper resistor R_B1 and jumper resistor R_C1 are installed (or both are installed).

[0065] The jumper terminals on the output sides of jumper resistors R_A1 and R_C2 are connected to the input side of the output enable element of the tri-state buffer 360, and the output signals of the jumper terminals on the output sides of jumper resistors R_A1 and R_C2 are input as the output enable signal of the tri-state buffer 360.

[0066] Therefore, the tri-state buffer 360 outputs an abnormal signal B when neither jumper resistor R_A1 nor jumper resistor R_C2 is installed. On the other hand, it does not output an abnormal signal B when the jumper resistors R_A1 and R_C2 are installed (or both are installed).

[0067] The jumper terminals on the output sides of jumper resistors R_A2 and R_B2 are connected to the input side of the output enable element of the tri-state buffer 370, and the output signals of the jumper terminals on the output sides of jumper resistors R_A2 and R_B2 are input as the output enable signal of the tri-state buffer 370.

[0068] Therefore, the tri-state buffer 370 outputs an abnormal signal C when neither jumper resistor R_A2 nor jumper resistor R_B2 is installed. On the other hand, it does not output an abnormal signal C when the jumper resistor R_A2 or jumper resistor R_B2 is installed, or when both are installed.

[0069] In tri-state buffer 350, an input exception signal A is received, and the input exception signals B and C can be used as output enable signals. In tri-state buffer 360, an input exception signal B is received, and the input exception signals A and C can be used as output enable signals. In tri-state buffer 370, an input exception signal C is received, and the input exception signals A and B can be used as output enable signals.

[0070] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates an example of the priority order of abnormal signals that can be set based on the installation and removal status of the jumpers in the signal switching unit 302.

[0071] Mode 1: When the priority order of abnormal signals A, B, and C is set to A > B > C, the jumper resistors R_A1, R_A2, and R_B2 are set to "Installed", and the jumper resistors R_B1, R_C1, and R_C2 are set to "Not Installed".

[0072] In this case, assuming the abnormal signal A migrates to the Hi signal (abnormal state), the output signals of the tri-state buffers 360 and 370 become high impedance states (Hi-Z), and the outputs of the tri-state buffers 360 and 370 are blocked.

[0073] When abnormal signal A is a Lo signal (normal state) and abnormal signal B transitions to a Hi signal (abnormal state), the output signal of the tri-state buffer 370 becomes a high-impedance state (Hi-Z), and the output of the tri-state buffer 370 is blocked.

[0074] When abnormal signals A and B are Lo signals (normal state) and abnormal signal C transitions to Hi signal (abnormal state), the abnormal signal of abnormal signal C is directly input to the signal switching circuit 401. That is, by setting jumper resistors R_A1, R_A2, and R_B2 to "installed" and jumper resistors R_B1, R_C1, and R_C2 to "not installed", the priority order of abnormal signals A, B, and C can be set to A > B > C.

[0075] Mode 2: When the priority order of abnormal signals A, B, and C is set to C > B > A, the jumper resistors R_B1, R_C1, and R_C2 are set to "Installed", and the jumper resistors R_A1, R_A2, and R_B2 are set to "Not Installed".

[0076] In this case, assuming the abnormal signal C migrates to the Hi signal (abnormal state), the output signals of the tri-state buffers 350 and 360 become high impedance (Hi-Z) and are blocked.

[0077] When the abnormal signal C is a Lo signal (normal state) and the abnormal signal B transitions to a Hi signal (abnormal state), the output signal of the tri-state buffer 350 becomes a high-impedance state (Hi-Z), and the output of the tri-state buffer 350 is blocked.

[0078] When abnormal signals C and B are Lo signals (normal state) and abnormal signal A transitions to Hi signals (abnormal state), the abnormal signal of abnormal signal A is directly input to the signal switching circuit 401. That is, by setting jumper resistors R_B1, R_C1, and R_C2 to "installed" and jumper resistors R_A1, R_A2, and R_B2 to "not installed", the priority order of abnormal signals A, B, and C can be set to C > B > A.

[0079] As explained above, Figure 3 As shown, by switching the jumper resistors, the priority order of abnormal signals A, B, and C can be easily changed without requiring changes to the circuit design.

[0080] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates an example of the relationship between the two output abnormal signals CTRL_1 and CTRL_2 of the signal switching circuit 401 and the status (corresponding to "status" in the diagram). The output abnormal signal CTRL_1 is input to... Figure 1 The gate driver 202 shown is located on the upper side. On the other hand, the output abnormal signal CTRL_2 is input to the gate driver 202 (lower side) mentioned above.

[0081] In the illustrated example, the signal switching circuit 401 outputs two abnormal output signals, CTRL_1 and CTRL_2. The protection circuit determines whether to initiate a specified protection action based on the status (corresponding to the "status" in the illustration) determined by these two abnormal output signals CTRL_1 and CTRL_2. Examples of such statuses include AKS-H, AKS-L, FW, and PWM. As mentioned above, AKS-H and AKS-L indicate a 3-phase short circuit (AKS) command for the gate driver 202, while FW indicates a 6-phase open circuit (FW) command. PWM indicates that it is not an abnormal state but rather continues PWM control.

[0082] The power conversion device 100 of this embodiment converts power by switching multiple switching elements and includes a protection circuit that enables the multiple switching elements to perform a predetermined protection action based on an abnormal state. The protection circuit includes: an abnormal selection circuit 301 that, when multiple abnormal signals indicating abnormal states are input, selectively outputs an abnormal signal indicating any one of the abnormal states in a predetermined priority order; and a signal switching circuit 401 that, based on the abnormal signal indicating an abnormal state output by the abnormal selection circuit 301, switches the drive control signals of the multiple switching elements to perform the predetermined protection action. The abnormal selection circuit 301 includes: an output enable signal connected to the input lines 350z, 360z, and 370z of each of the multiple abnormal signals, and switching based on an example of an output enable signal input from output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a, which are examples of switching terminals. The three-state buffers 350, 360, and 370 are examples of multiple signal output circuits that can be switched between output and output. Multiple specified terminals are provided between the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the three-state buffers 350, 360a, and 370a and the input sections of other abnormal signals (e.g., the input section of abnormal signal B or abnormal signal C). The configuration allows other abnormal signals to be transmitted to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a between the multiple specified terminals connected to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the three-state buffers 350, 360a, and 370a and the input sections of other abnormal signals with higher priority.

[0083] More specifically, the anomaly selection circuit 301 has multiple jumper terminals that can be inserted as a type of connection component, which are the aforementioned multiple specified terminals. At least one jumper is inserted between the multiple jumper terminals connected to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the tri-state buffers 350, 360, and 370a and the input of other anomaly signals with higher priority, so that the other anomaly signals can be transmitted to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a.

[0084] If the above applies, even if the priority order of multiple abnormal signals changes, the priority order of some abnormal signals can be increased without altering the circuit pattern, making the priority change easy and inexpensive. Therefore, for vehicles that may experience multiple abnormalities simultaneously, the priority order of the abnormal states can be considered to ensure their safe stopping.

[0085] In this embodiment, no jumpers are inserted between the multiple jumper terminals connected to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the tri-state buffers 350, 360, and 370a and the input sections of other abnormal signals with lower priority. In this way, even if the priority of multiple abnormal signals changes, the priority of some abnormal signals can be reduced by not inserting jumpers as described above, thus allowing for priority changes at a low cost without altering the circuit pattern.

[0086] In this embodiment, a connection member with a predetermined resistance value above the level that prevents other abnormal signals from substantially reaching the switching terminal is inserted between the multiple jumper terminals connected to the output enable terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a of the multiple tri-state buffers 350, 360, and 370a, and between these jumper terminals and the input of other abnormal signals with lower priority. In this way, the same effect as when the jumper is used can be achieved even without using the jumper.

[0087] In this embodiment, the signal switching circuit 401 includes: a pair of tri-state buffers (tri-state buffers 470, 460, 450 and tri-state buffers 471, 461, 451) that are provided for each of the plurality of abnormal signals and include an output enable terminal for each of the input abnormal signals; and a state switching circuit that switches the ON / OFF states of the plurality of switching elements on the upper arm side and the plurality of switching elements on the lower arm side to a 3-phase short circuit or 6-phase open circuit as an example of a mode corresponding to a predetermined protection operation, when the outputs of the pair of tri-state buffers 470, 460, 450 and 471, 461, 451 are in a high impedance state. In this way, the state switching circuit can switch the ON / OFF states of the plurality of switching elements on the upper arm side and the plurality of switching elements on the lower arm side based on the output signal of the abnormality selection circuit 301, and perform a predetermined protection operation accompanied by a transition to a safe state.

[0088] In this embodiment, the state switching circuit of the signal switching circuit 401 is configured to switch the output abnormal signals CTRL_1 and CTRL_2 of a pair of tri-state buffers 470, 460, 450 and 471, 461, 451 to either a high or low state depending on whether a jumper, which serves as a connection component, is inserted (i.e., "present" or "absent"). This allows the circuit to be set to a voltage level suitable for performing the prescribed protective action, thus reliably transitioning it to a safe state.

[0089] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, but includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the foregoing embodiments have been described in detail to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to all the configurations described.

[0090] The power conversion device 100 of this embodiment can also be configured such that, between a plurality of designated terminals connected to the switching terminals of a plurality of three-state buffers 350, 360, and 370 (which are examples of multiple signal output circuits) and an input section for other abnormal signals with higher priority, a switching element is provided that allows the other abnormal signals to be transmitted to the output enabling terminals 350a, 360a, and 370a by controlling the ON / OFF of the plurality of designated terminals. Specifically, the switching units 302B1, 302C1, 302A1, 302C2, 302A2, and 302B2 in the signal switching unit 302 described above are used as the switching elements instead of jumper resistors. Even with this configuration, even without physically inserting jumpers as described above, the same effect as when jumpers are inserted can be achieved.

[0091] In the above embodiments, a three-phase power conversion device was described, but it does not necessarily have to be three-phase; any device with multiple phases or more can be used.

[0092] Industrial availability

[0093] This invention can be applied to power conversion devices that involve prioritizing multiple abnormal states that may occur simultaneously and outputting abnormal signals.

[0094] Symbol Explanation

[0095] 100……Power conversion device, 301……Abnormal selection circuit, 350, 360, 370……Tri-state buffer, 350a, 360a, 370a……Output enable terminal of abnormal selection circuit, 350z, 360z, 370z……Input line, 401……Signal switching circuit, 450, 460, 470……Tri-state buffer, 450a, 460a, 470a……Output enable terminal of signal switching circuit, 451, 461, 471……Tri-state buffer of signal switching circuit, 451a, 461a, 471a……Output enable terminal, A, B, C……Signals.

Claims

1. A power conversion device that converts power by switching multiple switching elements and includes a protection circuit that causes the multiple switching elements to perform predetermined protection actions based on abnormal conditions, characterized in that: The protection circuit includes: An abnormality selection circuit, when multiple abnormal signals representing the abnormal state are input, selects one of the abnormal signals representing any abnormal state according to a predetermined priority order and outputs the abnormal signal representing any one of the abnormal states. as well as The signal switching circuit, based on the abnormal signal representing an abnormal state output by the abnormal selection circuit, switches the drive control signals of the plurality of switching elements to execute the prescribed protection action. The anomaly selection circuit has: Multiple signal output circuits are connected to the respective input lines of the multiple abnormal signals and switch between outputting based on the signal input from the switching terminal. as well as Multiple specified terminals are disposed between the switching terminals of the multiple signal output circuits and the input sections of other abnormal signals. The abnormality selection circuit is configured such that, between the plurality of designated terminals connected to each of the plurality of signal output circuits and the input section of the other abnormal signal with higher priority, the other abnormal signal can be transmitted to the switching terminal.

2. The power conversion device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The anomaly selection circuit has multiple jumper terminals that can be inserted into connection components as the multiple specified terminals. The anomaly selection circuit is inserted between the plurality of jumper terminals connected to each of the switching terminals of the plurality of signal output circuits and the input of other anomaly signals with higher priority, in such a way that the other anomaly signals can be transmitted to the switching terminals.

3. The power conversion device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting component is not inserted between the multiple jumper terminals of the switching terminals connected to the multiple signal output circuits and the input of other abnormal signals with lower priority.

4. The power conversion device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: Between the multiple jumper terminals of the switching terminals connected to the multiple signal output circuits and the input of other abnormal signals with lower priority, a connection component is inserted with a resistance value above a certain level that prevents the other abnormal signals from substantially reaching the switching terminals.

5. The power conversion device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The signal switching circuit has the following features: A pair of tri-state buffers are provided, corresponding to each of the plurality of abnormal signals, and include each output enable terminal of any one of the plurality of abnormal signals input to the abnormal signal. as well as The state switching circuit, when each output of the pair of tri-state buffers is in a high impedance state, switches the ON / OFF states of the multiple switching elements on the upper arm side and the ON / OFF states of the multiple switching elements on the lower arm side to the mode corresponding to the specified protection action.

6. The power conversion device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The state switching circuit of the signal switching circuit is configured to switch the output of the pair of tri-state buffers to either a high state or a low state depending on whether the connecting component is inserted.

7. The power conversion device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Between the plurality of designated terminals connected to the plurality of signal output circuits and the input section of other abnormal signals with higher priority, a switching element is provided that enables the other abnormal signals to be transmitted to the switching terminals by controlling the ON / OFF of the plurality of designated terminals.

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