Voltage reducing circuit, rotating machine, and inverter power supply device

Abstract

To provide a withstand voltage reduction circuit, a rotary machine, and an inverter power supply device that enable usage of a switching element with a low withstand voltage when supplying power from a DC power supply to a load via a plurality of half bridges.SOLUTION: In the case of a rotary machine, lead wires of adjacent coils A to O are connected in sequence, so that the coils are annularly connected in series, and connection points of the respective lead wires are connected to connection points of half bridges. A plurality of half bridges is divided into a plurality of switch groups. First switching elements of upper arms and lower arms of each switch group are connected to a positive side sub power wire and a negative side sub power wire of the switch group. The positive side sub power wire and the negative side sub power wire are connected to a positive side main power wire and a negative side main power wire of a DC power supply via a second switching element, respectively. The lead wires are connected to the connection points of the half bridges.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a voltage reducing circuit, a rotating machine, and an inverter power supply device. [Background technology]

[0002] Among rotating machines, DC motors have excellent speed control and have traditionally been used in large electric vehicles and cranes, and in small electric tools and automotive electrical equipment. However, DC motors are equipped with brushes and commutators, and when the motor is in operation, the brushes are pressed against the commutator, causing wear, making maintenance of the brushes and commutators necessary, and there are also issues with electrical noise and mechanical noise caused by mechanical switches.

[0003] For this reason, brushless motors have been developed that replace the brushes and commutator with an inverter circuit, thereby eliminating the need for brushes and commutators, but most brushless motors currently in practical use are synchronous motors with three-phase coils, and are not contactless DC motors with many commutator segments. In principle, a brushless motor with three-phase coils is the same as a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor that uses an inverter to supply three-phase AC current to each coil.

[0004] However, in the most common 120-degree conduction drive, the current flowing through each coil of a brushless motor having three-phase coils has a period when it is zero, which causes a problem of low utilization of the current flowing through the coil. Also, in the case of sinusoidal drive, the current flowing through the coil increases and decreases in a sinusoidal manner, so the utilization of the current that can be passed through the coil is lower than when a direct current is passed through it.

[0005] For this reason, the applicant proposed a DC machine that has a high coil current utilization rate equivalent to that of a brushed DC motor by converting a DC machine having many commutator segments into a commutator-free or brushless machine (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6610910 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an outline of a conventional DC motor disclosed in Patent Document 1, and FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the DC motor shown in FIG. 17 excluding the rotor, position detection sensor, and control circuit.

[0008] As shown in FIG. 17, the DC motor 100 includes a stator 10, a rotor 20, a switching circuit 130, a position detection sensor 40, and a control circuit 50. A DC power supply 60 is connected to 130. Each slot of the stator core 11 is provided with a stator winding 12 consisting of nine distributedly wound coils A to I, and each of the nine coils A to I is housed in a slot with a phase shift of 2π / n. The coils constituting the stator winding 12 have coil sides that are housed in the slots and generate electromagnetic force, coil ends that connect the coil sides in the slots, and lead wires at both ends of the coil. As will be described in detail later, in this specification, a coil having coil side A and coil side a is called coil A.

[0009] As is clear from the equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 18, the nine coils A to I are connected in series to form a circular closed loop as a whole. The connection points of the coils A to I are connected to a positive main power line 61 and a negative main power line 62 of a DC power supply 60 via transistors TA1 to TI2, which are switching elements of a switching circuit 130 and form a half bridge.

[0010] The DC motor 100 controls one of the transistors TA1-TI1 of the upper arm of the switching circuit 130 and one of the transistors TA2-TI2 of the lower arm to be turned on according to the position of the magnetic pole of the rotor 20 detected by the position detection sensor 40. For example, when the transistor TA1 of the upper arm and the transistor TE2 of the lower arm are turned on, all the other transistors are turned off. Therefore, the power supply voltage Vdc of the DC power supply 60 is applied to the transistor TA2 of the lower arm and the transistor TE1 of the upper arm. A voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coil A is applied to the transistor TB1, and a voltage obtained by subtracting the voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coil A from the power supply voltage Vdc is applied to the transistor TB2.

[0011] Thus, the DC machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 has multiple half bridges as the switching circuit 130, and each switching element is required to have a withstand voltage that can withstand the magnitude of the power supply voltage. Since each coil is connected in series, in order to increase the output torque of the DC machine, it becomes necessary to increase the power supply voltage Vdc, and the withstand voltage required for the switching elements used must also be high. Furthermore, since twice as many switching elements as the number of coils are required, in order to obtain high output, it is necessary to use many expensive transistors with high withstand voltage.

[0012] The same is true for electrical equipment that supplies current from a DC power supply to a load via multiple half bridges as a switching circuit. For example, the same is true when the rotor of the DC motor disclosed in Patent Document 1 is replaced with a squirrel-cage rotor, and instead of switching the switching elements between conductive and non-conductive depending on the position of the rotor's magnetic poles, it is configured as an induction motor that turns the switching elements between conductive and non-conductive at a predetermined period. Furthermore, the same is true for inverter power supplies that supply AC from a DC power supply to a load via multiple half bridges.

[0013] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and has an object to provide a voltage reduction circuit that makes it possible to use switching elements with low voltage resistance when supplying power from a DC power source to a load via multiple half bridges, and to provide a rotating machine and an inverter power supply device that include this voltage reduction circuit as a switching circuit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to solve the above problems, a first technical means of the present invention is a voltage reduction circuit for a power supply device that supplies a current from a DC power supply to a load via a plurality of half bridges, comprising: The multiple half bridges are divided into k switch groups (k is an integer of 2 or more) each having multiple half bridges, first switching elements of multiple upper arms and first switching elements of multiple lower arms of the half bridges of each switch group are connected to a positive side sub-power line and a negative side sub-power line provided in each switch group, each of the positive side sub-power line and each of the negative side sub-power line of each switch group is connected to a positive side main power line and a negative side main power line of the DC power supply via a second switching element, and further, each connection point of the half bridge is connected to the load.

[0015] The second technical means is the first technical means, further comprising a control circuit which switches between conductive and non-conductive states of the first and second switching elements so as to render the first switching element of the upper arm of one of the switch groups and the first switching element of the lower arm of another of the switch groups conductive, render the second switching elements of the switch groups to which the first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm which are rendered conductive, and render the other first and second switching elements non-conductive.

[0016] A third technical means is a rotating machine having a rotor, a stator having a plurality of coils, and a switching circuit, the coils being connected to a connection point of a half bridge consisting of two first switching elements, the half bridge being divided into k switch groups (k is an integer of 2 or more) each having a plurality of the half bridges, the first switching elements of the plurality of upper arms and the first switching elements of the plurality of lower arms of the half bridge of each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side sub-power line and a negative side sub-power line provided in each of the switch groups, the positive side sub-power line and the negative side sub-power line of each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side main power line and a negative side main power line of a DC power supply via second switching elements, and further, each of the connection points of the half bridges is connected to the coils. The fourth technical means is the third technical means, characterized in that the stator has n coils (n is an integer greater than or equal to 4) arranged with a phase shift, has 2m poles (m is an integer), the lead wires of adjacent coils are connected in sequence to connect each of the coils in series in a ring, the connection points of the lead wires of each of the coils are connected to the connection points of a half bridge consisting of two first switching elements of the switching circuit, and the half bridge is connected to the lead wires of adjacent coils in the switching circuit.

[0017] A fifth technical means is the fourth technical means, characterized in that the n coils have a coil pitch substantially equal to the magnetic pole pitch (2π / 2m) of the stator.

[0018] A sixth technical means is the fourth technical means, characterized in that the stator has n slots, and each of the n coils is housed in two adjacent slots.

[0019] The seventh technical means is any one of the fourth to sixth technical means, characterized in that the rotor is a permanent magnet rotor or a rotor having an excitation coil and has 2m magnetic poles, i.e., N poles and S poles.

[0020] The eighth technical means is the seventh technical means, characterized in that it further comprises a control circuit that switches the first and second switching elements between conductive and non-conductive states depending on the position of the magnetic pole of the rotor.

[0021] A ninth technical means is any one of the third to sixth technical means, characterized in that the rotor is a squirrel-cage rotor or a wound rotor.

[0022] A tenth technical means is the ninth technical means, further comprising a control circuit that switches the first and second switching elements between conductive and non-conductive states at a predetermined cycle.

[0023] An eleventh technical means is the eighth or tenth technical means, characterized in that the control circuit, in two half bridges respectively connected to connection points of output wires of two coils spaced apart at an interval approximately equal to the magnetic pole pitch of the stator, turns on the first switching element of the upper arm of one of the switch groups and the first switching element of the lower arm of the other of the switch groups, turns on the second switching elements of the switch groups to which the first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm that are turned on belong, and switches on / off the first and second switching elements of the other of the first and second switching elements so as to be non-conductive.

[0024] The twelfth technical means is the eleventh technical means, characterized in that the control circuit keeps both the first or second switching element, which is switched from a conductive state to a non-conductive state, and the first or second switching element, which is subsequently switched from a non-conductive state to a conductive state, in a conductive state for a predetermined short period of time.

[0025] A thirteenth technical means is any one of the third to twelfth technical means, characterized in that a withstand voltage of the first switching element is lower than a withstand voltage of the second switching element.

[0026] A fourteenth technical means is an inverter power supply device that converts a DC power source into an AC power source, the device comprising: a primary core having a plurality of primary coils; a secondary core magnetically coupled to the primary core and wound with a secondary coil; and a switching circuit, the primary coil is connected to a connection point of a half bridge consisting of two first switching elements of the switching circuit, the half bridge connected to the output wires of adjacent primary coils in the switching circuit is divided into k (k is an integer of 2 or more) switch groups each having a plurality of the half bridges, the first switching elements of a plurality of upper arms and the first switching elements of a plurality of lower arms of the half bridges in each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side sub-power line and a negative side sub-power line provided in each of the switch groups, the positive side sub-power line and the negative side sub-power line of each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side main power line and a negative side main power line of the DC power source via second switching elements, and further, each of the connection points of the half bridges is connected to the primary coil.

[0027] A 15th technical means is the 14th technical means, further comprising a control circuit, which periodically switches the first and second switching elements between conductive and non-conductive states so as to render the first switching element of the upper arm of one of the switch groups and the first switching element of the lower arm of another of the switch groups conductive, render the second switching elements of the switch groups to which the first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm that are rendered conductive, and render the other first and second switching elements non-conductive. Effect of the Invention

[0028] According to the present invention, a circuit withstand voltage reduction circuit is obtained which enables the use of switching elements with low withstand voltage when supplying power from a DC power source to a load via multiple half bridges, and by providing this withstand voltage reduction circuit as a switching circuit, a rotating machine and an inverter power supply device which enable the use of switching elements with low withstand voltage can be obtained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a DC motor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the development of a switching circuit and a stator winding of the DC motor shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a coil and a switching circuit of a DC motor or an induction motor according to first to fourth embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control circuit for a DC motor according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control circuit for a DC motor according to the first and second embodiments, together with FIG. 4A. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram showing transition of the on / off state of switching elements of a DC motor, an induction motor, or an inverter power supply device according to first to fifth embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 6A] 2 is a diagram for explaining currents flowing through each coil side of the DC motor shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6B] 2 is a diagram for explaining currents flowing through each coil side of the DC motor shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6C] 2 is a diagram for explaining currents flowing through each coil side of the DC motor shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a modified example of a DC motor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of a DC motor according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the development of a switching circuit and a stator winding of the DC motor shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of an induction motor according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the switching circuit and stator windings of the induction motor shown in FIG. 10. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of an induction motor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the development of a switching circuit and a stator winding of the induction motor shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing transition of polarity appearing on the salient poles of the stator of an induction motor or the primary core of an inverter power supply device according to the fourth and fifth embodiments. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of an inverter power supply device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the inverter power supply device shown in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a conventional DC motor. [Figure 18] 18 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the DC motor shown in FIG. 17 excluding a rotor, a position detection sensor, and a control circuit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a DC motor, an induction motor, and an inverter power supply device will be described as preferred embodiments of the withstand voltage reducing circuit, rotating machine, and inverter power supply device of the present invention. In the following description, configurations with the same reference numerals in different drawings are considered to be similar, and their description may be omitted. Note that the present invention is not limited to the examples in these embodiments, and includes all modifications within the scope of the matters described in the claims and within the scope of equivalents. In addition, in the following description of the rotating machine, an inner rotor type rotating machine with slots formed in the stator will be described as an example, but the rotating machine of the present invention may be configured as an outer rotor type or an axial gap type rotating machine. In addition, a rotating machine that does not have slots as a constituent element may be configured as a slotless rotating machine.

[0031] Furthermore, the DC motor described below also functions as a generator like a conventional brushed DC motor, and its structure is similar to that of a DC motor. Also, the induction motor described below also functions as an induction generator operated in a conventional state where the slip s is negative, and its structure is similar to that of an induction motor.

[0032] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a DC motor according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the development of a switching circuit and stator windings of the DC motor according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the coils and switching circuits of the DC motor according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the DC motor 101 of this embodiment includes a stator 10, a rotor 20, a switching circuit 30, a position detection sensor 40, and a control circuit 50, and a DC power supply 60 is connected to the switching circuit 30.

[0033] In the embodiment of the DC motor including this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the case where the number of poles of the rotor 20 is 2m (m is an integer) and m is 1, that is, the rotor has two magnetic poles, an N pole and an S pole, will be described. In addition, in some drawings, for the sake of simplicity, the transistors are expressed as switch symbols or square blocks, but these transistors are similar to the transistors equipped with freewheel diodes shown in FIG. 2. The transistors are expressed in the same way in other drawings. In addition, in FIG. 1, the DC motor 101 is depicted diagrammatically, so the rotor 20 and the stator 10 are separated from each other, but in manufacturing, the gap between the rotor 20 and the stator 10 is set to a length that can sufficiently ensure magnetic coupling. This point is the same in other drawings.

[0034] In FIG. 1, the stator 10 includes a stator core 11 formed by laminating electromagnetic steel sheets with n (n is an integer of 4m or more, n=15 in this embodiment) slots (grooves), and a stator winding 12 consisting of 15 coils A to O housed in each slot of the stator core 11. The stator winding 12 in this embodiment is a distributed winding with two layers. In the following description, for example, the symbol "A" is used for both "coil A" and "coil side A". In the case of distributed winding, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, "coil A" means a coil side A and a coil side a housed in two slots separated by a magnetic pole pitch of the rotor 20, a coil end connecting these two coil sides A and a, and two lead wires, and when "coil side A" is written, it means one of the two coil sides of coil A, coil side A. The same applies to the other coils B to 0. In an embodiment having a distributed winding stator 10, a coil side is a portion of the coil where the magnetic field lines of the rotor 20 intersect at right angles.

[0035] In the case of the DC motor of this embodiment, the number of magnetic poles of the rotor 20 is equal to the number of magnetic poles of the stator 10. Therefore, the number of poles of the stator 10 of the DC motor 101 is 2 (2m where m=1). The magnetic pole pitch of the stator 10 means the interval (angle) between adjacent magnetic poles of the stator 10. For example, in the case of a two-pole machine in which two magnetic poles, an N pole and an S pole, are formed on the stator 10, the magnetic pole pitch of the stator 10 is 180°. In this case, since the number of poles of the rotor 20 is equal to the number of poles of the stator 10, the magnetic pole pitch of the rotor 20 is also 180°. In the case of a four-pole machine in which four magnetic poles, an N pole, an S pole, an N pole, and an S pole, are formed on the stator 10, the magnetic pole pitch of the rotor 20 and the stator 10 are both 90°.

[0036] Each of the 15 coils A to O is housed in a slot with a phase shift of 2π / n. If the number of coils n is an odd number, the number of slots will also be an odd number. In this case, one of the coil sides of each of the 15 coils A to O is housed in a slot that houses the other coil side and that is closest to the magnetic pole pitch (180°) of the stator 10. In other words, the two coil sides of each coil are housed in slots that are the quotient of n / 2, i.e., 7 (15÷2=7 remainder 1) apart.

[0037] In a two-pole machine with an even number of slots, the two coil sides of each coil are housed in slots that are 180° apart. That is, when the number of slots is even, the coil is full-pitch wound, and the coil pitch is equal to the magnetic pole pitch. When the number of slots is odd, the coil is short-pitch wound, and the coil pitch is shorter than the magnetic pole pitch but is set so as to be closest to the magnetic pole pitch. In the present invention, in the case of a stator having slots, the coil pitch is said to be approximately equal to the magnetic pole pitch, including both the case where the coil pitch is equal to the magnetic pole pitch and the case where the coil pitch is shorter than the magnetic pole pitch but closest to the magnetic pole pitch.

[0038] The 15 slots are provided with a phase difference of 2π / n (n=15), so the coils A to O are housed in each slot with a phase difference of 2π / 15, i.e., a phase shift of 24°. The number of coils may be four or more, regardless of whether it is an odd number or an even number. Therefore, in the case of a stator having slots, the number of slots in which the coils are housed is also four or more. DC motor 101 shown in Fig. 1 corresponds to a brushed DC motor having a two-pole rotor, coils A to O housed in 15 slots, and 15 commutator segments.

[0039] More specifically, with regard to the stator winding 12, coil A has a slot in which coil side A is housed and a coil side a housed in a slot seven slots away from this slot. Coil B has a coil side B housed in a slot adjacent to the slot in which coil side A is housed and a coil side b housed in a slot seven slots away from this slot. The same is true for coils C to O, and for example, coil I has a coil side I housed in a slot eight slots away from the slot in which coil side A is housed and a coil side i housed in the same slot as the slot in which coil side A is housed.

[0040] As a result, coil side A and coil side i, coil side B and coil side j, coil side C and coil side k, coil side D and coil side l, coil side E and coil side m, coil side F and coil side n, coil side G and coil side o, coil side H and coil side a, ..., and coil side O and coil side h are sequentially stored in the same slot.

[0041] In this embodiment, as is clear from the development of the stator winding 12 shown in Fig. 2 or the equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 3, the 15 coils A to O are connected in series to form one closed loop as a whole. As a result, in the DC motor 101 of this embodiment, the lead wires of adjacent coils are connected in sequence so that a magnetic field in the same direction is generated in the area commonly surrounded by the two coils when a current flows through the coils, and the coils are connected in series in a ring shape. For example, when focusing on two adjacent coils B and C, when a current flows from the lead wire of coil side B to the lead wire of coil side c, the magnetic flux generated in coil B and coil C generates a magnetic field in the same direction in the area commonly surrounded by the two coils B and C.

[0042] The switching circuit 30 in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 corresponds to the withstand voltage reducing circuit of the present invention, and is a component of the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment. Specifically, the connection points of the coils A to O are connected to the connection points of 15 half bridges TA, TB, . . . , TO, each of which is made up of transistors TA1 and TA2, TB1 and TB2, . . . , and TO1 and TO2, which are the first switching elements of the two upper and lower arms. Hereinafter, the half bridge made up of the transistors TA1 and TA2 of the first switching elements is called a half bridge TA, and the same is true for the other half bridges. For example, the half bridge made up of the transistors TH1 and TH2 of the first switching elements is called a half bridge TH. In the present invention, the circuit connected to the positive power supply side of the half bridge and supplying current to the load is called the upper arm, and the circuit connected to the negative power supply side of the half bridge and drawing current from the load to the negative main power line is called the lower arm.

[0043] 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the 15 half bridges TA to TO of the switching circuit 30 are each divided into a plurality of switch groups, for example, k (k is an integer of 2 or more, and k=3 in this embodiment) consisting of five half bridges. Specifically, the half bridges TA to TE are divided into three groups: a first switch group 31, half bridges TF to TJ are divided into a second switch group 32, and half bridges TK to TO are divided into a third switch group 33. The upper arm switching elements belonging to the first to third switch groups 31 to 33 are connected to positive side sub power supply lines 31H to 33H common to each switch group, and the lower arm switching elements belonging to the first to third switch groups 31 to 33 are connected to negative side sub power supply lines 31L to 33L common to each switch group.

[0044] For example, in the first switch group 31, the output wire on the coil side o side of the coil O is connected to the output wire on the coil side A side of the adjacent coil A, and the connection point is connected to the positive side sub power line 31H via the transistor TA1, which is the first switching element, and to the negative side sub power line 31L via the transistor TA2, which is the first switching element. Also, the output wire on the coil side a side of the coil A is connected to the output wire on the coil side B side of the adjacent coil B, and the connection point is connected to the positive side sub power line 31H via the transistor TB1, which is the first switching element, and to the negative side sub power line 31L via the transistor TB2, which is the first switching element. Similarly, each connection point from the output wire on the coil side b side of the coil B to the output wire on the coil side E side of the coil E is connected to the positive side sub power line 31H via the transistors TC1 to TE1, which are the first switching elements on the upper arm side, and to the negative side sub power line 31L via the transistors TC2 to TE2, which are the first switching elements on the lower arm side.

[0045] Specifically, the transistors TA1-TE1 which are the first switching elements of the upper arm belonging to the first switch group 31 are connected to the positive side sub-power line 31H, and the transistors TA2-TE2 which are the first switching elements of the lower arm belonging to the first switch group 31 are connected to the negative side sub-power line 31L. Also, the transistors TD1-TH1 which are the first switching elements of the upper arm belonging to the second switch group 32 are connected to the positive side sub-power line 32H, and the transistors TD2-TH2 which are the first switching elements of the lower arm belonging to the second switch group 32 are connected to the negative side sub-power line 32L. The same is true for the third switch group 33, where the transistors TK1-TO1 which are the first switching elements of the upper arm are connected to a common positive side sub-power line 33H, and the transistors TK2-TO2 which are the first switching elements of the lower arm are connected to a common negative side sub-power line 33L.

[0046] Moreover, the positive side sub power lines 31H-33H of the first to third switch groups 31-33 are connected to the positive side main power line 61 of the DC power supply 60 via the transistors T11-T31, which are second switching elements, respectively, and the negative side sub power lines 31L-33L of the first to third switch groups 31-33 are connected to the negative side main power line 62 of the DC power supply 60 via the transistors T12-T32, which are second switching elements, respectively. Specifically, for example, the positive side sub power line 31H of the first switch group 31 is connected to the positive side main power line 61 of the DC power supply 60 via the transistor T11, which is the second switching element, and the negative side sub power line 31L is connected to the negative side main power line 62 of the DC power supply 60 via the transistor T12, which is the second switching element. This configuration is similar to that of the other second switch group 32 and third switch group 33.

[0047] Furthermore, the positive side sub-power lines 31H-33H of the first to third switch groups 31-33 are connected to the connection points of any of the half bridges of the first to third switch groups 31-33 via resistors R11-R31, respectively, and similarly, the negative side sub-power lines 31L-33L of the first to third switch groups 31-33 are connected to the connection points of any of the half bridges of the first to third switch groups 31-33 via resistors R12-R32, respectively. Specifically, for example, the positive side sub-power line 31H of the first switch group 31 is connected to the connection point of any one of the half bridges of the first switch group 31, for example, the half bridge TA, via a resistor R11, and the negative side sub-power line 31L of the first switch group 31 is connected to the connection point of the same half bridge TA of the first switch group 31 via a resistor R12. This configuration is also the same for the positive side sub-power lines 32H, 33H and the negative side sub-power lines 32L, 33L of each of the other switch groups.

[0048] In this embodiment, the resistors R11 and R12 are connected to the same connection point of the half bridge TA, but may be connected to different connection points of the half bridges within the same switch group. For example, the positive side sub power line 31H may be connected to the connection point of the half bridge TB via the resistor R11, and the negative side sub power line 31L may be connected to the connection point of the half bridge TD via the resistor R12. This connection configuration is similar for the other switch groups and also in other embodiments. In addition, these resistors R11 to R32 have a high resistance value such that the current flowing through the resistors R11 to R32 is negligible compared to the current flowing through each of the coils A to O.

[0049] Thus, in this embodiment, in the switching circuit 30 for passing current through each of the coils A to O, a half bridge is connected to the connection point of the output wires of adjacent coils, and each half bridge is divided into a plurality of first to third switch groups 31 to 33 consisting of a plurality of half bridges, and the switching elements of the upper arms and the switching elements of the lower arms of the half bridges of each switch group are respectively connected to a positive side sub-power line and a negative side sub-power line common to each switch group, and each positive side sub-power line and each negative side sub-power line of each switch group are connected to the positive side main power line and the negative side main power line of the DC power supply via the second switching element on the upper arm side and the second switching element on the lower arm side, respectively, and are also connected to the connection point of one of the half bridges of the switch group via a resistor.

[0050] The 30 transistors TA1 to TO2, which are the first switching elements constituting each half bridge TA to TO, use transistors of the same specification as the first switching elements, and the six transistors T11 to T32, which connect the first switching elements TA1 to TO2 to the DC power supply 60, use transistors of a different specification as second switching elements.

[0051] 2, if the connection point between the multiple transistors TA1-TO1 in the upper arm on the positive power supply side and the transistors TA2-TO2 in the lower arm on the negative power supply side is assumed to be a commutator segment of a DC motor, one output wire of each of the coils A-O is connected to the adjacent commutator segment. Each of the coils A-O of the DC motor 101 of this embodiment has a stator winding structure similar to the lap winding in a DC motor with a commutator.

[0052] Returning to FIG. 1, the rotor 20 is provided so as to be rotatable about an axis (not shown), and in this embodiment, it is provided with a permanent magnet. The rotor 20 is not limited to a permanent magnet rotor, and may be provided with an excitation coil. For simplicity of explanation, the number of poles of the stator 10 and the rotor 20 is two in this embodiment, but it may be more than two. For example, if the rotor 20 has four poles and is configured in the same manner as in this embodiment, it is sufficient to arrange 15 coils per two poles (N pole and S pole) of the rotor 20, and the stator winding 12 may be configured with 30 coils housed in 30 slots, and the stator 10 may be configured with four poles. However, it is not necessary to double the number of transistors of the switching circuit 30 and the number of sensors of the position detection sensor 40 described later. When configuring the DC motor 101 as a four-pole motor, it is sufficient to connect the output wires of two coils located at spatially symmetrical positions of 180° to the connection points of two transistor elements of the same half bridge, and the switching circuit 30, position detection sensor 40, and control circuit 50 described later can be common.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 1, the position detection sensor 40 is for detecting the rotational position of the rotor 20, and in this embodiment, sensors Sa to So made of Hall elements with n pieces (n=15) equal to the number of slots or coils are used. In FIG. 1, the sensors Sa to So are illustrated as being located at the slots of the stator 10, but in reality, they can be provided at positions spaced apart from the stator 10 in the axial direction. The sensors Sa to So made of Hall elements are an example of detecting the magnetic field of the rotor 20, and a sensor using a saturable coil or an absolute encoder using a photodetector element may be used as long as it can detect the position of the rotor 20 in a non-contact manner. The sensors Sa to So are adjusted, for example, so as to output a logical value "H" when the N poles of the rotor 20 face each other, and to output a logical value "L" when the S poles face each other. A resolver may be used to detect the position of the rotor 20 and calculate the rotation angle of the rotor 20.

[0054] The control circuit 50 receives a position signal of the rotor 20 from the position detection sensor 40, and switches the on / off state of the upper arm transistors T11 to T31 connected to the positive main power line 61 of the switching circuit 30 and the lower arm transistors T12 to T32 connected to the negative main power line 62, and switches the on / off state of the upper arm transistors TA1 to TO1 and the lower arm transistors TA2 to TO2 that constitute each of the half bridges TA to TO, thereby switching the direction of the current flowing through each of the coils A to O.

[0055] In this embodiment, except for when switching on and off the switching elements described later, normally, one of the upper arm transistors TA1 to TO1, which are the first switching elements, is turned on, and the lower arm transistors TA2 to TO2, which are different from the on-state transistor and are connected to a coil located approximately 180° away from the coil connected to the on-state upper arm transistor, which corresponds to the magnetic pole pitch, are turned on. Furthermore, one of the transistors T11 to T31 of the upper arm side second switching element, which is the second switching element connected to the on-state upper arm transistor, and one of the lower arm side transistors T12 to T32, which is the second switching element connected to the on-state lower arm transistor, are turned on. In addition, all other transistors of the first switching element and the second switching element are turned off.

[0056] Next, a control circuit for switching on and off the first switching element and the second switching element of the DC motor of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4A, together with FIG. 4B, is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control circuit 50 of the DC motor shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B, together with FIG. 4A, is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control circuit 50 of the DC motor shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the transition of the ON / OFF state of the switching elements of the DC motor according to this embodiment. In FIG. 5, t1 to t9 indicate time, and time passes from top to bottom. Also, the transistors that are in the ON state at each time are surrounded by a thick frame and hatched.

[0057] A control circuit 50 shown in Figures 4A and 4B receives signals from 15 sensors Sa to So and transmits on / off signals to the gates of 30 transistors TA1 to TO2, which are first switching elements, and transistors T11 to T32, which are second switching element transistors. If the sensors Sa to So are considered to be the upstream side and the transistors TA1 to TO2 are considered to be the downstream side, the logic circuit constituting the control circuit 50 includes 15 XOR (exclusive OR) circuits in a first stage 51, 15 XOR circuits in a second stage 52, 15 NOT (negation) circuits in a third stage 53, 30 AND (logical product) circuits in a fourth stage 54, and 30 amplifiers in a fifth stage 55, as well as 6 OR (logical sum) circuits in a sixth stage 56 and 6 amplifiers in a seventh stage 57, as shown in Figure 4B.

[0058] The AND circuits in the fourth stage 54 form pairs corresponding to the 15 coils and the upper arm transistors and lower arm transistors of each half bridge, and the output signals of the AND circuits in the fourth stage 54 are amplified by an amplifier in the fifth stage 55 and supplied to the gates of the transistors TA1-TO2 of the first switching element. That is, the outputs from a pair of AND circuits are input to the gates of pairs of transistors constituting half bridges connected to the positive side sub power lines 31H-33H and the negative side sub power lines 31L-33L of the first to third switch groups 31-33, respectively.

[0059] For example, when paying attention to the transistors TD1 and TD2 constituting a half bridge connected to the connection point of the lead wires of the coils C and D (coil side c and coil side D), signals from two adjacent Hall elements, for example, sensors Sc and Sd, are input to the XOR circuit of the first stage 51, and the outputs are input to the paired AND circuits of the fourth stage 54 connected to the transistors TD1 and TD2. Also, the signal from the sensor Sc and the forward / reverse signal Q from the forward / reverse rotation control input terminal 70 are input to the XOR circuit of the second stage 52, and the output is directly input to one of the paired AND circuits of the fourth stage 54, and is input to the other AND circuit via the NOT circuit of the third stage 53. For this reason, the output values ​​of the paired AND circuits of the fourth stage 54 connected to the transistors TD1 and TD2 do not become "H" at the same time.

[0060] The sensors Sa to So are disposed at positions shown in FIG. 4A so that torque acts on the rotor 20 when current flows through each coil A to O by switching each transistor. For example, if the N pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sh to So and the S pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sa to Sg, the outputs of the sensors Sh to So are “H” and the outputs of the sensors Sa to Sg are “L”. When the forward / reverse signal Q from the forward / reverse rotation control input terminal 70 is the logical value “H” for forward rotation, the output value of the AND circuit of the fourth stage 54 connected to the gate of the transistor TA1, which is the first switching element, and the output value of the AND circuit of the fourth stage 54 connected to the gate of the transistor TH2 are “H”, and the outputs of all the AND circuits connected to the gates of the other transistors, which are the first switching elements, are “L”. This state shows the state at time t1 in the transition diagram of the on / off state of the switching elements shown in FIG. 5.

[0061] The gate signals to the transistors T11 to T32, which are second switching elements shown in Fig. 4A, are obtained from a logical sum signal of predetermined output signals of the AND circuit in the fourth stage 54. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4B, for example, the gate signal S11 of the transistor T11, which is the second switching element provided on the upper arm side of the first switch group 31, is obtained from a logical sum signal of the signals A1, B1, C1, D1, and E1 which are gate signals of the transistors TA1, TB1, TC1, TD1, and TE1 of the upper arm belonging to the first switch group 31. This configuration is similar to the gate signals S21 and S31 of the transistors T21 and T31, which are second switching elements provided on the upper arm sides of the other second and third switch groups 32 and 33.

[0062] Furthermore, the gate signal S12 of the transistor T12, which is the second switching element provided on the lower arm side of the first switch group 31, is obtained from the logical sum signal of the signals A2, B2, C2, D2, E2 which become the gate signals of the transistors TA2, TB2, TC2, TD2, TE2 of the lower arm belonging to the first switch group 31. This configuration is also the same for the gate signals S22, S32 of the transistors T22, T32, which are the second switching elements provided on the lower arm sides of the other second and third switch groups 32, 33.

[0063] As a result, in this embodiment, when the gate of any of the transistors TA1 to TO2 of the upper arm or lower arm of the half bridge, which is the first switching element connected to the coil, becomes the logical value "H", the gate of the transistors T11 to T32, which are the second switching elements of the switch group to which the transistor, which is the first switching element with the gate set to the logical value "H", belongs becomes the logical value "H". Therefore, the upper arm transistors TA1 to TO1 whose gates become the logical value "H" are connected to the positive side main power line 61, and the lower arm transistors TA2 to TO2 whose gates become the logical value "H" are connected to the negative side main power line 62. In addition, the gate signals of all other first and second switching elements are configured to become the logical value "L".

[0064] As a result, the control circuit 50 turns on one of the first switching elements and the second switching element on the upper arm side belonging to one switch group, and turns on one of the first switching elements and the second switching element on the lower arm side belonging to the other switch group.

[0065] 5 shows such transitions of the on / off states of the first switching element and the second switching element. For example, when the transistor TA1 of the upper arm is on at time t1, the transistor T11, which is the second switching element on the upper arm side of the first switch group 31 to which the transistor TA1 belongs, is turned on. When the transistor TH2 of the lower arm is on, the transistor T22, which is the second switching element on the lower arm side of the second switch group 32 to which the transistor TH2 belongs, is turned on. Therefore, in this embodiment, the current flowing through the coils A to O is found by paying attention to the on / off states of the transistors TA1 to TO2 that constitute the half bridge, which are the first switching elements.

[0066] At time t1 shown in FIG. 5, the N pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sh to So, and the S pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sa to Sg, and on the upper arm side, the first switching element, transistor TA1, and the second switching element, transistor T11, are in the on state, and on the lower arm side, the first switching element, transistor TH2, and the second switching element, transistor T22, are in the on state. Referring to the equivalent circuit in FIG. 3, at time t1, the current from the DC power supply 60 passes through the positive side main power line 61, transistor T11, positive side sub-power line 31H, transistor TA1, and is divided into a path that flows to one coil group connected in series in the order of coil A, coil B, coil C, coil D, coil E, coil F, and coil G, and a path that flows to another coil group connected in series in the order of coil O, coil N, coil M, coil L, coil K, coil J, coil I, and coil H, and further flows to the negative side main power line 62 via transistor TH2, negative side sub-power line 32L, and transistor T22.

[0067] Figures 6A to 6C are diagrams for explaining the current flowing through each coil side of the DC motor shown in Figure 1, with Figure 6A showing the state at time t1 in Figure 5, Figure 6B showing the state at time t2 in Figure 5, and Figure 6C showing the state at time t3 in Figure 5.

[0068] At time t1, as shown in Fig. 6A, current flows through each coil group in coil sides A, B, C, D, E, F, G, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, and o from the front to the back of the page, and in coil sides H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, a, b, c, d, e, f, and g from the back to the front of the page. Note that current flows in opposite directions through coil sides O and h housed in the same slot. As a result, a magnetic field is generated inside the stator 10 in a direction substantially along the boundary line of the magnetic pole NS of the rotor 20 shown in Fig. 6A (from the slot position housing coil sides h and O toward the midpoint between the slot housing coil sides o and G and the slot housing coil sides a and H). There is a phase difference of approximately 90° between the magnetic field of the stator 10 and the magnetic field of the rotor 20, and a force acts on the rotor 20 so that the direction of the magnetic field of the rotor 20 aligns with the direction of the magnetic field of the stator 10. As a result, a counterclockwise torque acts on the rotor 20, and the rotor 20 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, which is the forward rotation direction.

[0069] When the rotor 20 further rotates counterclockwise from the state at time t1 shown in FIG. 6A, the N pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Si to So, and the S pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sa to Sh, as shown in FIG. 6B. As a result, the output value of the AND circuit of the fourth stage 54 connected to the gate of the transistor TA1 and the AND circuit of the fourth stage 54 connected to the gate of the transistor TI2 becomes "H", and the gate signals of the transistors T11 and T22, which are the second switching elements, become "H". In addition, the gate signals of all the other transistors become "L". Then, as shown at time t2 in FIG. 5, the transistors TA1 and TI2, which are the first switching elements, and the transistors T11 and T22, which are the second switching elements, become ON, and all the other transistors become OFF.

[0070] In this state, the current from the DC power supply 60 flows split between the coil group of the path of coil A, coil B, coil C, coil D, coil E, coil F, coil G, and coil H, and the coil group of coil O, coil N, coil M, coil L, coil K, coil J, and coil I, so that current flows from the front to the back of the page through coil sides A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, i, j, k, l, m, n, and o, and from the back to the front of the page through coil sides I, J, K, L, M, N, O, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h, as shown in Fig. 6B. Note that current flows in the opposite directions through coil side a and coil side H housed in the same slot. As a result, a magnetic field is generated inside stator 10 in a direction substantially along the N-S boundary of rotor 20 shown in Fig. 6B (a direction from the midpoint between the slot housing coil sides i and A and the slot housing coil sides h and O toward the slot housing coil sides a and H). This magnetic field causes a counterclockwise torque to act on rotor 20, causing it to rotate counterclockwise.

[0071] When the rotor 20 further rotates counterclockwise, the N pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Si to So, and Sa, and the S pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sb to Sh, as shown in Fig. 6C. As a result, as shown at time t3 in Fig. 5, the transistors TB1 and TI2 serving as the first switching elements and the transistors T11 and T22 serving as the second switching elements are turned on, and all other transistors are turned off.

[0072] In this state, the current from the DC power supply 60 flows through the coil group of the path of coil B, coil C, coil D, coil E, coil F, coil G, and coil H, and the coil group of coil A, coil O, coil N, coil M, coil L, coil K, coil J, and coil I, so that as shown in FIG. 6C, the current flows through the coil sides B, C, D, E, F, G, H, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, and a from the front to the back of the page, and through the coil sides I, J, K, L, M, N, O, A, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h from the back to the front of the page. Note that the current flows through the coil side i and the coil side A housed in the same slot in the opposite directions. Therefore, inside the stator 10, a magnetic field is generated in a direction substantially along the NS boundary line of the rotor 20 shown in FIG. 6C. This magnetic field causes a counterclockwise torque to act on the rotor 20, causing it to rotate in the counterclockwise direction. Due to the transition of the on / off states of the first switching element and the second switching element shown in FIG. 5, the rotor 20 shown in FIG. 1 rotates counterclockwise by 2π / 15, that is, 24°, between time t1 and time t3.

[0073] Thereafter, as the rotor 20 receives counterclockwise torque and rotates counterclockwise, the signal output of each sensor Sa-So of the position detection sensor 40 changes, and accordingly, the transistors TA1-TO1 of the upper arm and the transistors TA2-TO2 of the lower arm, which are the first switching elements shown in Fig. 2, that are in the on state are switched. Furthermore, in conjunction with the switching of the on / off state of the first switching elements, the on / off state of the transistors T11-T32, which are the second switching elements, is switched. As a result, the rotor 20 continues to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, which is the forward rotation direction.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 5, when the stator winding has an odd number (15) of coils A to O, the on-state switching of the transistors TA1 to TO1 of the upper arm and the on-state switching of the transistors TA2 to TO2 of the lower arm are alternately performed. That is, from the state at time t1, at time t2, the transistor TI2 of the lower arm is turned on in place of the transistor TH2, at time t3, the transistor TB1 of the upper arm is turned on in place of the transistor TA1, and further, at time t4, the transistor TJ2 of the lower arm is turned on in place of the transistor TI2. Note that, when the number of slots in the stator 10 is an even number, the on-states of the transistors of the upper arm and the transistors of the lower arm are switched at the same timing.

[0075] As described above, in the DC motor 101 of this embodiment, the current flowing through all the coils of the stator 10 provides a rotational torque to the rotor 20. Therefore, the DC motor 101 is a DC motor with a high coil current utilization rate.

[0076] In the control circuit shown in FIG. 4A, when the forward / reverse signal Q from the forward / reverse rotation control input terminal 70 is set to the logical value "L" of reverse rotation, the rotor 20 shown in FIG. 1 rotates clockwise. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, if the N pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sh to So and the S pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sa to Sg, the outputs of the sensors Sh to So become "H" and the outputs of the sensors Sa to Sg become "L". When the forward / reverse signal Q from the forward / reverse rotation control input terminal 70 is the logical value "L" of forward rotation, the output value of the AND circuit of the fourth stage 54 connected to the gate of the transistor TH1, which is the first switching element, and the output value of the AND circuit of the fourth stage 54 connected to the gate of the transistor TA2 become "H", and the outputs of all the AND circuits connected to the gates of the other transistors, which are the first switching elements, become "L". Accordingly, the gate signals of the transistors T21 and T12, which are the second switching elements, become "H".

[0077] In this state, referring to the equivalent circuit of FIG. 3, the current from the DC power supply 60 passes through the positive side main power line 61, transistor T21, positive side sub-power line 32H, and transistor TH1, and is divided into a path that flows to one group of coils connected in series in the order of coil H, coil I, coil J, coil K, coil L, coil M, coil N, and coil O, and a path that flows to another group of coils connected in series in the order of coil G, coil F, coil E, coil D, coil C, coil B, and coil A, and further flows to the negative side main power line 62 via transistor TA2, negative side sub-power line 31L, and transistor T12.

[0078] Therefore, the current flowing through each coil side is opposite to the current flowing through each coil side A to o shown in FIG. 6A. Inside the stator 10, a magnetic field is generated in a direction along the boundary of the magnetic pole NS of the rotor 20 shown in FIG. 6A (a direction from the midpoint between the slot that houses the coil sides o and G and the slot that houses the coil sides a and H toward the slot position that houses the coil sides h and O). The magnetic field of the stator 10 and the magnetic field of the rotor 20 have a phase difference of approximately 90°, and a force acts on the rotor 20 so that the direction of the magnetic field of the rotor 20 is aligned with the direction of the magnetic field of the stator 10. As a result, a clockwise torque acts on the rotor 20, and the rotor 20 rotates in the clockwise direction, which is the reverse rotation direction. Thereafter, the rotor 20 continues to rotate in the clockwise direction, which is the reverse rotation direction, in the same manner as in the case of the forward rotation direction.

[0079] In this manner, in the DC motor 100 of this embodiment, the control circuit 50 switches the conductive / non-conductive states of the transistors TA1 to TI2, which are switching elements, so that the direction of current flowing through the coil side of the coil facing the north pole of the rotor and the coil side of the coil facing the south pole are different depending on the position of the magnetic pole of the rotor 20.

[0080] As described above, the DC motor 101 of this embodiment is similar to the DC motor 100 shown as the conventional example in Figures 17 and 18 in that it has a rotor, n coils with a coil pitch approximately equal to the magnetic pole pitch of the pole number 2m (m is an integer), arranged with a phase shift of 2π / n (n is an integer of 4 or more), each coil having two lead wires, the lead wires of adjacent coils being connected in sequence to connect each coil in a ring shape in series, and the connection points of each lead wire are each connected to the connection point of a half bridge consisting of two first switching elements. However, the configuration differs from the conventional example in the following points. (1) The half bridges connected to the output wires of adjacent coils are divided into k switch groups (k is an integer of 2 or greater) each having a plurality of half bridges, and the first switching elements of the multiple upper arms and the first switching elements of the multiple lower arms of the half bridges in each switch group are connected to the positive side sub-power line and the negative side sub-power line provided in each switch group, respectively. (2) Each positive side sub-power line and each negative side sub-power line of each switch group is connected to the positive side main power line and the negative side main power line of the DC power supply via a second switching element, respectively. (3) The positive side sub power line and the negative side sub power line of each switch group are each connected to the connection point of one of the half bridges of the switch group via a resistor, or are directly connected via a resistor.

[0081] The effects of the above configurations (1) to (3) will be described below. For example, at time t1 shown in Fig. 5, four transistors are in the ON state, namely, transistor T11 which is the second switching element on the upper arm side of the first switch group 31, transistor TA1 of the upper arm of the first switch group 31, transistor TH2 of the lower arm of the second switch group 32, and transistor T22 which is the second switching element on the lower arm side of the second switch group 32, and all other transistors are in the OFF state. The equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 3 shows the state at time t1 shown in Fig. 5.

[0082] 3, in the first switch group 31, the transistor T11 as the second switching element is in an on state, but the transistor T12 as the second switching element is in an off state, so that the transistor T12 needs to be a high-voltage transistor that can withstand the power supply voltage Vdc of the DC power supply 60. In the second switch group 32, the transistor T22 as the second switching element is in an on state, but the transistor T21 as the second switching element is in an off state, so that the transistor T21 needs to be a high-voltage transistor that can withstand the power supply voltage Vdc of the DC power supply 60. Considering the switching of the on state of the first switching element, the transistors T11 to T32 as the second switching elements connected to the plus side main power line 61 or the minus side main power line 62 need to be high-voltage transistors that can withstand the power supply voltage Vdc.

[0083] In the half bridges TA to TO connected to the coils A to O, the transistors TA1 to TO1 of the upper arms of the first to third switch groups 31 to 33 are connected to the positive side sub power lines 31H to 33H, and the transistors TA2 to TO2 of the lower arms are connected to the negative side sub power lines 31L to 33L. In the state shown in Fig. 3, a current from a DC power supply 60 flows through a series circuit of the coils A, B, C, D, E, F, and G via the positive side main power line 61, the transistor T11 which is the second switching element, the positive side sub power line 31H, and the transistor TA1 which is the first switching element.

[0084] The potential at the connection point of the lead wires of each coil, i.e., the potential at each half-bridge connection point, is the potential at the connection point of the half-bridge TA minus the voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the series-connected coils. Therefore, the voltages related to the transistors TA1 to TE2, which are the first switching elements of the first switch group 31, are as follows:

[0085] Since the transistor T11, which is the second switching element of the first switch group 31, and the transistor TA1, which is the first switching element, are in the on state, the voltage applied to the transistor TA1 becomes zero, and the connection point between the positive side sub power line 31H and the half bridge TA has substantially the same potential as the positive side main power line 61. Therefore, a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coil A is applied to the transistor TB1 of the upper arm, and a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils A and B is applied to the transistor TC1 of the upper arm. Also, a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils A to D is applied to the transistor TE1 of the upper arm.

[0086] On the other hand, since the transistor T12, which is the second switching element on the lower arm side, is in the off state, a voltage substantially equal to the power supply voltage Vdc is applied to the transistor T12. The negative side sub power supply line 31L does not have the same potential as the negative side main power supply line 62, but has substantially the same potential as the positive side main power supply line 61 through the resistors R12 and R11, which have a high resistance value of several MΩ.

[0087] For this reason, looking at the first switching element of the lower arm of the first switch group 31, the applied voltage of transistor TA2 becomes zero, a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through coil A is applied to transistor TB2 of the lower arm, and a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through coils A and B is applied to transistor TC2 of the lower arm. Also, for example, a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through coils A to D is applied to transistor TE2 of the lower arm. In this way, a high power supply voltage Vdc is applied to transistor T21 which is the second switching element on the lower arm side of the first switch group 31, but only a voltage lower than the power supply voltage Vdc is applied to each of the transistors TA1 to TE2 which are the first switching elements of the first switch group 31.

[0088] Moreover, looking at the second switch group 32, the transistor T22 which is the second switching element and the transistor TH2 which is the first switching element are turned on, so that the voltage applied to the transistor TH2 becomes zero, and the connection point of the negative side sub power supply line 32L and the half bridge TH has substantially the same potential as the negative side main power supply line 62. For this reason, for example, a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils F and G is applied to the transistor TF2 of the lower arm, and also, for example, a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coil G is applied to the transistor TG2 of the lower arm, and a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coil H is applied to the transistor TI2 of the lower arm.

[0089] On the other hand, since the transistor T21, which is the first switching element on the upper arm side, is in the off state, a voltage approximately equal to the power supply voltage Vdc is applied to the transistor T21 on the upper arm side. And, since the transistor T22, which is the second switching element, is in the on state, the positive side sub power supply line 32H does not have the same potential as the positive side main power supply line 61, but has the same potential as the connection point of the half bridge TF through the resistor R21, which has a high resistance value of several MΩ.

[0090] Therefore, the voltage applied to the transistor TF1 of the upper arm is zero. A voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coil F is applied to the transistor TG1, which is the first switching element of the upper arm, a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils F and G is applied to the transistor TH1 of the upper arm, and a voltage equivalent to the difference between the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils F and G and the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coil H is applied to the transistor TI1 of the upper arm. In this way, a high power supply voltage Vdc is applied to the transistor T32, which is the second switching element on the lower arm side of the third switch group 33, but only a voltage lower than the power supply voltage Vdc is applied to the transistors TG1 to TI2, which are the first switching elements of the third switch group 33.

[0091] Moreover, in the third switch group 33, the transistors T21 and T22, which are the second switching elements, are both turned off, so that the power supply voltage Vdc is applied to the transistor T31, the resistors R21 and R22, and the transistor T32. The potentials of the positive side sub-power line 32H and the negative side sub-power line 32L of the second switch group 32 are the potential of the connection point of the half bridge TK (the connection point of the coil side j and the coil side K) via the resistors R31 and R32, respectively. Therefore, no voltage is applied to the transistors TK1 and TK2 of the first switching elements, a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coil K is applied to the transistors TL1 and TL2, and a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils K and L is applied to the transistors TM1 and TM2. In this way, in the third switch group 33, a high voltage (1 / 2 the power supply voltage Vdc, respectively) is applied to the transistors T31 and T32, which are the second switching elements on the upper arm and lower arm sides, but only a low voltage is applied to the transistors TK1 to TO2, which are the first switching elements of the third switch group 33.

[0092] As described above, in this embodiment, it is necessary to use high-voltage transistors for the six transistors T11 to T32 that are the second switching elements on the upper arm side and the lower arm side of each switch group, but it is possible to use low-voltage transistors for the 30 transistors TA1 to TO2 that are the first switching elements that configure each half bridge. This is also true when the switching elements in the on state are switched sequentially.

[0093] In order to increase the output torque of the DC motor, it is necessary to increase the value of the current flowing through the coils A to O, and therefore the value of the power supply voltage Vdc of the DC power supply 60 must be increased. For this reason, the voltage resistance required for the switching elements used must also be increased. In addition, in order to reduce the electromagnetic reaction of the coils connected in series and to reduce the cogging torque of the rotor 20, it is desirable to increase the number of slots in the stator 10 and the number of coils. For this reason, in the DC motor 100 shown as a conventional example in Figs. 17 and 18, although the current efficiency of the coils can be increased, twice as many switching elements as the number of coils are required, and in order to obtain high output, it is necessary to use transistors that have a high voltage resistance but are expensive. For example, if the power supply voltage Vdc of the DC power supply 60 is 250V and the number of coils is 15, 30 transistors with a voltage resistance of at least 250V are required, which is twice the number of coils.

[0094] Here, in the DC motor of the first embodiment, the relationship between the power supply voltage Vdc and the voltage applied to the first switching element will be described. If the number of coils is n and the number of switch groups is k, and the number of coils n is an even number and the number of coils in each of the k coil groups is the same, the current flowing through the coils is divided into two paths, and a voltage of Vdc / (n / 2) is applied to each coil. Furthermore, one switch group includes n / k coils, and one of the switching elements is connected to a sub-power line, so that a voltage equivalent to the voltage drop of (n / k-1) coils is applied to the first switching element at most. Therefore, the withstand voltage of the switching element is 2Vdc×(n / k-1) / n. Furthermore, if the number of coils n is an odd number and the number of coils in each coil group is the same, a voltage of Vdc / ((n-1) / 2) is applied to each coil at most, and therefore the withstand voltage of the first switching element is 2Vdc×(n / k-1) / (n-1). Thus, in this embodiment, the withstand voltage of the low-voltage transistor which is the first switching element can be reduced to 2Vdc×(n / k-1) / n or 2Vdc×(n / k-1) / (n-1) compared to the withstand voltage of the high-voltage transistor which is the second switching element.

[0095] Therefore, the more the number k of switch groups is increased, the lower the withstand voltage of the second switching element can be, and the switching circuit 30 can be configured as a withstand voltage reduction circuit for the DC motor 101 using 2k high-voltage transistors and 2n low-voltage transistors. In addition, by selecting the number n of coils and the number k of switch groups, it is practically desirable to select transistors with a withstand voltage performance of 100V or less as the first switching element. For example, when the power supply voltage Vdc is 250V, the number n of coils is 16, and the number k of switch groups is 4, the switching circuit 30 can be configured with 8 transistors with a withstand voltage of 250V and 32 transistors with a withstand voltage of 100V or less. In this way, in the DC motor 101 of this embodiment, although the total number of transistors increases, the number of high-voltage transistors required can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional example, and the cost of the switching elements can be significantly reduced overall.

[0096] [Switching element switching method] Next, a method for switching the on-state transistors of the upper arm transistors TA1-TO1 or the lower arm transistors TA2-TO2, which are the first switching elements, will be described. For example, from time t1 to time t2 shown in FIG. 5, the lower arm transistor TH2 switches from on to off, and accordingly the lower arm transistor TI2 switches from off to on. This causes the direction of the current flowing through the coil H to be reversed between time t1 and time t2. For this reason, electromagnetic reactions caused by the current flowing through the coil H can cause problems in the switching of the transistors.

[0097] In this case, as a method of switching the on state from transistor TH2 to TI2, when the transistor TI2 of the lower arm is switched from an off state to an on state, it is preferable that the transistor TH2, which is on at the same time, is turned off when the transistor TI2 is turned on, but rather that the transistor TH2 is kept on for a very short time when the transistor TI2 is turned on, and then the transistor TH2 is turned off. As a result, the coil H is short-circuited for a very short time when the transistors are switched. This is the same phenomenon as when a brushed DC motor makes contact with adjacent commutator segments and the coil is short-circuited, and the current flowing through the coil can be switched more stably than when the transistors TH2 and TI2 are opened and closed simultaneously.

[0098] In this way, when the on state of the first switching element is switched sequentially, it is desirable to keep both of the two transistors to be switched on for a very short time. As a result, for example, when switching the on state of the first switching element across a switch group, it is desirable to also keep both of the two transistors to be switched on for a very short time for the second switching element corresponding to the switch group to which the first switching element belongs.

[0099] [Modification of the first embodiment] 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a modified example of the DC motor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In a DC motor 101' of this embodiment, in a switching circuit 30' constituting a withstand voltage reducing circuit, the positive side sub power supply lines 31H-33H of the first to third switch groups 31'-33' are directly connected to the negative side sub power supply lines 31L-33L of the first to third switch groups 31'-33' via resistors R1-R3, respectively. High resistors of several MΩ or more are used for the resistors R1-R3. The other configuration is the same as that of the DC motor 100 of the first embodiment.

[0100] In the DC motor 101', as for the second switching elements of the first to third switch groups 31' to 33', either the second switching element on the upper arm side or the second switching element on the lower arm side are turned on, or both are turned off. Therefore, the power supply voltage Vdc is applied to the transistors T11 to T32 of the second switching elements, and therefore it is necessary to use transistors with high voltage resistance.

[0101] For example, at time t1 shown in FIG. 5, four transistors are in the on state: transistor T11 which is the second switching element on the upper arm side of the first switch group 31, transistor TA1 of the upper arm of the first switch group 31, transistor TH2 of the lower arm of the second switch group 32, and transistor T22 which is the second switching element on the lower arm side of the second switch group 32, and all other transistors are in the off state.

[0102] In this state, focusing on the first switch group 31', the potentials of the positive side sub power line 31H and the negative side sub power line 31L of the first switch group 31' are approximately equal to the potential of the positive side main power line 61. For this reason, only a voltage corresponding to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils B to D is applied to the upper arm transistors TB1 to TE1 and the lower arm transistors TB2 to TE2, respectively.

[0103] As for the second switch group 32', the potentials of the positive side sub power line 32H and the negative side sub power line 32L of the second switch group 32' are substantially equal to the potential of the negative side main power line 62. Therefore, no voltage is applied to the upper arm transistor TH1 and the lower arm transistor TH2. Also, only a voltage corresponding to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils F and G is applied to the upper arm transistors TF1 and TG1 and the lower arm transistors TF2 and TG2, respectively. A voltage corresponding to the voltage drop of the current flowing through the coils H and I is also applied to the upper arm transistors TI1 and TJ1 and the lower arm transistors TI2 and TI2.

[0104] In the third switch group 33', the upper arm transistor T31 and the lower arm transistor T32, which are second switching elements, are both in an off state. Therefore, the potentials of the positive side sub power line 33H and the negative side sub power line 33L of the third switch group 33 are not determined, and therefore no voltage is applied to the upper arm transistors TK1-TO1 and the lower arm transistors TK2-TO2, which are first switching elements.

[0105] Thus, in the DC motor 101' of this embodiment, the configuration of a part of the switching circuit 30' as a withstand voltage reduction circuit is different from that of the switching circuit 30 of the DC motor 100, and the positive side sub power supply line and the negative side sub power supply line of each switch group are connected directly via a resistor instead of being connected to the connection point of any of the half bridges of the switch group via a resistor, but the withstand voltage of the first switching element can be lowered as in the switching circuit 30 of the DC motor 100. Therefore, although the total number of transistors of the switching circuit 30' increases, the number of high withstand voltage transistors required can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional example, and the cost of the switching elements as a whole can be significantly reduced. Note that in all other embodiments, the switching circuit 30 as a withstand voltage reduction circuit can adopt a configuration in which the positive side sub power supply line and the negative side sub power supply line of each switch group are directly connected via a resistor, as in the modified example of this embodiment.

[0106] [Second embodiment] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of a DC motor according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a switching circuit and a stator winding of the DC motor shown in Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 8, a DC motor 102 of this embodiment includes a stator 10', a rotor 20, a switching circuit 30 serving as a withstand voltage reducing circuit, a position detection sensor 40, and a control circuit 50, and a DC power supply 60 is connected to the switching circuit 30.

[0107] The stator 10' includes a stator core 11 formed by laminating electromagnetic steel sheets with n (n is an integer of 4m or more, n=15 in this embodiment) slots (grooves) formed therein, and a stator winding 12' consisting of 15 coils A to O housed in each slot of the stator core 11. Each of the coils A to O is a so-called concentrated winding in which the coil is housed between adjacent slots, and adjacent coils are connected in series to form a single annular closed loop as a whole. Therefore, the coils A to O are provided in the 15 slots with a phase difference of 2π / n (n=15).

[0108] In the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment, the stator winding 12 consisting of the coils A to O is a distributed winding with two layers, but in the DC motor 102 of this embodiment, the coils A to O are concentrated winding. As will be described later, when the arrangement of the coils A to O and the arrangement of the half bridges TA to TO of the DC motor 102 having the concentrated winding stator 10' of this embodiment is the same as that of the DC motor 101 having the distributed winding stator 10, the direction of the magnetic field generated in the concentrated winding stator 10' is shifted by approximately 90° from the direction of the magnetic field generated in the distributed winding stator 10. In the DC motor 102 of this embodiment, the first switching element and the second switching element are switched on and off according to the position of the magnetic pole of the rotor 20. In order to apply a rotational torque to the rotor 20, in the DC motor 102 of this embodiment, the positions of the sensors Sa to So of the position detection sensor 40 relative to the coils A to O are different from those of the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment, and are shifted by approximately 90°. The DC motor 102 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment in other respects. Therefore, the diagram showing the equivalent circuit of the coils and switching circuits of the DC motor shown in FIG. 3, the diagrams showing the configuration of the control circuit shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, and the diagram showing the transition of the ON / OFF state of the switching elements of the DC motor shown in FIG. 5 are also applicable to the DC motor 102 of this embodiment.

[0109] The control circuit 50 conducts the first switching element of the upper arm of one switch group and the first switching element of the lower arm of the other switch group of two half bridges each connected to a connection point of lead wires of two coils separated by a coil pitch approximately equal to the magnetic pole pitch of the rotor 20. At the same time, the control circuit 50 conducts the second switching element of the switch group to which the conducted first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm belong.

[0110] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the N pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sh to So and the S pole of the rotor 20 faces the sensors Sa to Sg, as described in the first embodiment, the control circuit 50 shown in FIGS. 4A and 5B turns on the transistor TA1 as the first switching element and the transistor T11 as the second switching element on the upper arm side, and turns on the transistor TH1 as the first switching element and the transistor T22 as the second switching element on the lower arm side.

[0111] As a result, in the development diagram shown in FIG. 9, the current from the DC power supply 60 passes through the positive side main power line 61, transistor T11, positive side sub-power line 31H, transistor TA1, and is divided into a path that flows to one coil group connected in series in the order of coil A, coil B, coil C, coil D, coil E, coil F, and coil G, and a path that flows to another coil group connected in series in the order of coil O, coil N, coil M, coil L, coil K, coil J, coil I, and coil H, and further flows to the negative side main power line 62 via transistor TH2, negative side sub-power line 32L, and transistor T22.

[0112] The arrows shown in FIG. 8 indicate the direction of the current flowing through each coil A to O at this time, and the salient poles P1 to P7 shown in FIG. 8 become S poles and the salient poles P8 to P15 become N poles due to the current flowing through each coil A to O. In this way, the direction of the magnetic field generated in the concentrated winding stator 10' is shifted by approximately 90° from the direction of the magnetic field generated in the distributed winding stator 10 as in the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment. The magnetic field of the stator 10' and the magnetic field of the rotor 20 have a phase difference of approximately 90°, and a force acts on the rotor 20 so that the N pole of the rotor 20 aligns with the S pole of the stator 10' and the S pole of the rotor 20 aligns with the N pole of the stator 10'. As a result, a counterclockwise torque acts on the rotor 20, and the rotor 20 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, which is the forward rotation direction.

[0113] Thereafter, as the rotor 20 receives counterclockwise torque and rotates counterclockwise, the signal output of each sensor Sa-So of the position detection sensor 40 changes, and accordingly, the transistors TA1-TO1 of the upper arm and the transistors TA2-TO2 of the lower arm, which are the first switching elements shown in Fig. 9, which are in the ON state, are switched as shown in the transition diagram of Fig. 5. Furthermore, in conjunction with the switching of the ON / OFF state of the first switching elements, the ON / OFF state of the transistors T11-T32, which are the second switching elements, is switched. As a result, the rotor 20 continues to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, which is the forward rotation direction.

[0114] The DC motor 102 of this embodiment also includes a switching circuit 30 as a withstand voltage reducing circuit, similar to the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment. Although the total number of transistors increases compared to the conventional example, the number of high withstand voltage transistors required can be significantly reduced, and the overall cost of the switching elements can be significantly reduced. In this embodiment, when switching a transistor in an on state, it is desirable to keep both of the two transistors to be switched on for a very short time, similar to the first embodiment. Moreover, the switching circuit 30 may be replaced by a switching circuit 30' of a modified example shown in FIG. 7.

[0115] [Third embodiment] In the third embodiment, the present invention is configured as an induction motor. In an induction motor, an induced current is generated in a rotor by a rotating magnetic field created by a stator, and the rotor is rotated by the electromagnetic force of the induced current. An induction motor has a simple structure among electric motors, and has high stability and durability. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of an induction motor according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an outline of the stator of the induction motor shown in FIG. 10.

[0116] The induction motor 103 includes a stator 10, a rotor 20, a switching circuit 30 which is a withstand voltage reducing circuit, and a control circuit 50'. A DC power supply 60 is connected to the switching circuit 30. Comparing the induction motor 103 of this embodiment shown in Figs. 10 and 11 with the DC motor 101 described in the first embodiment, the induction motor 103 of this embodiment generally uses a squirrel-cage rotor as the rotor 21, and does not include a position detection sensor 40 for detecting the position of the rotor 21. For this reason, the control circuit 50 does not switch the on / off state of the transistor of the switching circuit 30 according to the rotor position, but switches the on / off state of the transistor of the switching circuit 30 at a desired period to generate a rotating magnetic field in the stator 10. The rotor 21 may be a squirrel-cage rotor including end rings and rotor bars 22, or a wound rotor to which an external resistor can be connected via a slip ring.

[0117] In the induction motor 103 shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the number of poles of the stator 10 is 2m (m is an integer), and m is 1, i.e., two poles. In the induction motor 103, the synchronous speed of the rotating magnetic field changes depending on the number of poles of the stator 10. If one set of N and S magnetic poles is generated in the stator 10, the motor will have two poles, and if two sets of N and S magnetic poles are generated, the motor will have four poles. Also, when viewed from the center, the distance (angle) between adjacent magnetic poles is the magnetic pole pitch. This embodiment is a two-pole induction motor, and the magnetic pole pitch is 180 degrees.

[0118] The stator 10 includes a stator core 11 formed by laminating electromagnetic steel sheets with n (n is an integer of 4m or more, n=15 in this embodiment) slots (grooves) formed therein, and a distributed winding stator winding 12 consisting of 15 coils A to O housed in each slot of the stator core 11. The configuration of the stator consisting of the stator core 11 and stator winding 12 of the induction motor 103 is the same as that of the stator 10 of the DC motor 101 described in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0119] 11, the connection relationship between the 15 coils A to O of the induction motor 103 and the switching circuit 30 is the same as that of the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment. That is, the 15 coils A to O are connected in series to form a circular closed loop as a whole. The connection points of the coils A to O are connected to the connection points of 15 half bridges TA, TB, . . . , TO, each of which is made up of transistors TA1 and TA2, transistors TB1 and TB2, . . . , transistors TO1 and TO2, which are the first switching elements of two upper and lower arms. The 15 half bridges TA to TO are divided into three (k=3) switch groups, each of which is made up of five half bridges.

[0120] The positive side sub power lines 31H-33H of the first to third switch groups 31-33 are connected to a positive side main power line 61 of the DC power supply 60 via transistors T11-T31 which are second switching elements, and the negative side sub power lines 31L-33L of the first to third switch groups 31-33 are connected to the positive side main power line 61 of the DC power supply 60 via transistors T12-T32 which are second switching elements. Furthermore, the positive side sub power lines 31H-33H are connected to a connection point of one of the half bridges of the first to third switch groups 31-33 via resistors R11-R31, respectively, and the negative side sub power lines 31L-33L are connected to a connection point of one of the half bridges of the first to third switch groups 31-33 via resistors R12-R32, respectively.

[0121] Control circuit 50 switches the on / off states of upper arm transistors T11-T31 connected to positive main power line 61 of switching circuit 30 and lower arm transistors T12-T32 connected to negative main power line 62, and also switches the on / off states of upper arm transistors TA1-TO1 and lower arm transistors TA2-TO2 constituting each half bridge TA-TO. This switches the direction of current flowing through each coil A-O, generating a rotating magnetic field in stator 10. Induction motor 103 is capable of variable speed operation similar to inverter control of a three-phase induction motor by varying the cycle of switching the on / off states of each transistor, which is the first switching element and the second switching element.

[0122] The equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 3 and the diagram showing the transition of the on / off state of the switching elements shown in Fig. 5 are also applicable to the induction motor 103 of the third embodiment. The control circuit 50' conducts the first switching element of the upper arm of one switch group and the first switching element of the lower arm of the other switch group of two half bridges each connected to a connection point of the output wires of two coils separated by a coil pitch approximately equal to the magnetic pole pitch of the stator 10. At the same time, the control circuit 50' conducts the second switching element of the switch group to which the conducted first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm belong.

[0123] For example, as in the case shown in FIG. 3, when the first switching elements TA1 and TH2 and the second switching elements T11 and T22 are in the on state, the current from the DC power supply 60 passes through the positive side main power line 61, the second switching element transistor T11, the positive side sub-power line 31H, and the first switching element transistor TA1, and splits into a path that flows through the series circuit of coils A, B, C, D, E, F, and G and a path that flows through the series circuit of coils O, NML, K, J, I, and H, and further flows through the first switching element transistor TH2, the negative side sub-power line 31L, the second switching element transistor T22, and the negative side main power line 62.

[0124] As a result, current flows from the front to the back of the page in FIG. 10 through coil sides A, B, C, D, E, F, G, o, n, m, l, k, j, i, and h, and from the back to the front of the page in FIG. 10 through coil sides a, b, c, d, e, f, g, O, NML, K, J, I, and H. The direction of this current is the same as the direction of the current flowing through each coil side of the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6A. As a result, a magnetic field is generated inside the stator 10 in a direction from the slot position that houses the coil sides h and O to the intermediate position between the slot that houses the coil sides o and G and the slot that houses the coil sides a and H. Thereafter, the direction of the current flowing through the winding of the stator 10 of the induction motor 103 changes in the same way as the direction of the current flowing through each coil side of the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C. In this manner, in the induction motor 103 of this embodiment, when adjacent coil sides of n coils (n=15 in this embodiment) are divided into 2m (m=1 in this embodiment) coil side groups, the control circuit 50' switches the on / off states of the first and second switching elements so that the currents flowing through adjacent coil side groups are in opposite directions. The control circuit 50' generates a rotating magnetic field in the stator 10 by periodically switching the on / off state of each switching element, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0125] The induction motor 103 of the second embodiment differs in that each switching element is switched on and off at a desired switching time interval (period) while the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment switches each switching element on and off according to the position of the rotor 20. In the induction motor 103, the currents flowing through the coils A-O and the voltages applied to the transistors TA1-TO2 serving as the first switching elements and the transistors T11-T32 serving as the second switching elements are the same as those in the DC motor 101.

[0126] The induction motor 103 of this embodiment includes a switching circuit 30 as a withstand voltage reducing circuit, similar to the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment. As with the DC motor 101 of the first embodiment, it is necessary to use high-voltage transistors for the six transistors T11 to T32 that are the second switching elements on the upper arm side and the lower arm side of each switch group, but it is possible to use low-voltage transistors for the 30 transistors TA1 to TO2 that are the first switching elements constituting each half bridge. In this manner, the induction motor 103 of this embodiment can reduce the withstand voltage of the transistors used in the half bridge. In this embodiment, when switching a transistor in the on state, it is desirable to turn both of the two transistors to be switched on for a very short time, similar to the first embodiment. In addition, instead of the switching circuit 30, a switching circuit 30' of the modified example shown in FIG. 7 may be used.

[0127] [Fourth embodiment] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an outline of an induction motor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an outline of the stator of the induction motor shown in Fig. 12. An induction motor 104 of this embodiment includes a stator 10', a rotor 20, a switching circuit 30, and a control circuit 50'. A DC power supply 60 is connected to the switching circuit 30. In the induction motor 104 of this embodiment, the stator winding 12 of the induction motor 103 of the third embodiment is changed from distributed winding to concentrated winding stator winding 12', and other configurations are similar, so detailed description will be omitted.

[0128] The equivalent circuit shown in Fig. 3 and the diagram showing the transition of the on / off state of the switching elements shown in Fig. 5 are also applicable to the induction motor 104 of the fourth embodiment. The control circuit 50' conducts the first switching element of the upper arm of one switch group and the first switching element of the lower arm of the other switch group of two half bridges each connected to a connection point of the output wires of two coils separated by a coil pitch approximately equal to the magnetic pole pitch of the stator 10'. At the same time, the control circuit 50' conducts the second switching element of the switch group to which the conducted first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm belong.

[0129] For example, as shown at time t1 in FIG. 5, when the first switching elements TA1 and TH2 and the second switching elements T11 and T22 are in the on state, the current from the DC power supply 60 shown in FIG. 13 passes through the positive side main power line 61, the transistor T11 which is the second switching element, the positive side sub-power line 31H, and the transistor TA1 which is the first switching element, and branches into a path which flows through the series circuit of coils A, B, C, D, E, F, and G and a path which flows through the series circuit of coils O, NML, K, J, I, and H, and further flows through the transistor TH2 which is the first switching element, the negative side sub-power line 31L, the transistor T22 which is the second switching element, and the negative side main power line 62.

[0130] Here, the first switching elements TA1 and TH2 belong to two half bridges TA and TH respectively connected to a connection point of lead wires of two coils spaced apart by a coil pitch substantially equal to the magnetic pole pitch of the stator 10', and the transistor TA1 is the first switching element of the upper arm of a first switch group 31 which is one of the half bridges TA and TH, and the transistor TH2 is the first switching element of the lower arm of a second switch group 32 which is the other switch group. In this embodiment, the control circuit 50' conducts the first switching element of the upper arm of one of the switch groups and the first switching element of the lower arm of the other switch group among the two half bridges respectively connected to a connection point of lead wires of two coils spaced apart by a coil pitch substantially equal to the magnetic pole pitch of the stator 10'.

[0131] The arrows shown in FIG. 12 indicate the current flowing through each coil A to O at this time, and the salient poles P1 to P7 shown in FIG. 12 become S poles and the salient poles P8 to P15 become N poles due to the current flowing through each coil A to O. The control circuit 50' generates a rotating magnetic field in the stator 10 by periodically switching the ON / OFF state of each switching element as shown in the transition diagram of FIG. 5. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the transition of polarity appearing in the salient poles of the stator of the induction motor according to the fourth embodiment, and shows the change in polarity appearing in each salient pole P1 to P9 at times t1 to t9 according to the transition of the ON / OFF state of the first and second switching elements shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 14, a rotating magnetic field is generated in the stator 10'.

[0132] The induction motor 104 of this embodiment differs from the DC motor 102 of the third embodiment in that each switching element is switched on and off at a desired switching time interval (period) regardless of the position of the magnetic poles of the rotor.

[0133] The induction motor 104 of this embodiment includes a switching circuit 30 as a withstand voltage reducing circuit, similar to the DC motors and induction motors of the other embodiments. For the six transistors T11 to T32 that are the second switching elements, high-voltage transistors must be used, but for the 30 transistors TA1 to TO2 that are the first switching elements, low-voltage transistors can be used. In this way, the induction motor 104 of this embodiment can reduce the withstand voltage of the transistors used in the half bridge. In this embodiment, when switching a transistor that is in the on state, it is desirable to turn both of the two transistors to be switched on for a very short time, as in the first embodiment. In addition, instead of the switching circuit 30, a switching circuit 30' of the modified example shown in FIG. 7 may be used.

[0134] In the rotating machine of the present invention, when the number of coils is an even number, the transistors in the upper arm and the lower arm of the half bridge are switched simultaneously. This increases the electromagnetic reaction of the coils and also increases the cogging torque. In contrast, when the number of coils is an odd number, the transistors in the upper arm and the lower arm of the half bridge are switched alternately in time. As a result, DC motors and induction motors with an odd number of coils have a smaller electromagnetic reaction of the coils and can reduce the cogging torque.

[0135] In addition, the number of switch groups is preferably 3 or more, and since multiple coils are connected to the half bridge of each switch group, the number of coils is preferably 6 or more. Note that it is preferable that the number of half bridges belonging to each switch group is equal, but the number may be different for each switch group.

[0136] [Fifth embodiment] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an outline of an inverter power supply device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, capable of obtaining single-phase, three-phase, and polyphase AC power supplies from a DC power supply, and Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the three-phase inverter power supply device shown in Fig. 15. In addition, the diagram showing the transition of the on / off state of the switching elements shown in Fig. 5 and the diagram showing the transition of polarity appearing in the salient poles shown in Fig. 14 are also applicable to this embodiment.

[0137] As shown in FIG. 15, the inverter power supply device 105 of this embodiment includes a transformer consisting of a primary unit 80 and a secondary unit 90, a switching circuit 30, and a control circuit 50', and a DC power supply 60 is connected to the switching circuit 30. In the following description, an inverter for obtaining three-phase AC from a DC power supply will be described. Note that, regarding the transformer, a transformer having a core in which a primary core 81 and a secondary core 91 are separately manufactured and magnetically coupled by contacting each other in order to make it easier to wind the coil will be described as an example, but the primary core 81 and the secondary core 91 may be integrally formed. In FIG. 15, the boundary between the primary core 81 and the secondary core 91 when the primary core 81 and the secondary core 91 are integrally formed is indicated by a dashed line. As described below, when the primary core 81 and secondary core 91 are formed separately and have a contact portion where the comb-shaped ends of the cores having a laminated cross section overlap each other, the boundary between the primary core 81 and secondary core 91 does not coincide with the actual contact portion.

[0138] The primary unit 80 includes a primary core 81 formed by laminating a plurality of electromagnetic steel sheets with n (n is an integer of 4 or more, n=15 in this embodiment) slots (grooves) formed inside the annular core, and a primary winding 82 consisting of 15 coils (primary coils) A to O housed in each slot of the primary core 81. The configuration of the primary unit 80 is the same as that of the stator 10' of the DC motor 102 of the second embodiment and the stator 10' of the induction motor 104 of the fourth embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The primary core 81 has 15 primary salient poles P1 to P15 formed by the 15 slots. The primary salient poles correspond to the first salient poles of the present invention.

[0139] The secondary unit 90 includes a secondary core 91 formed by laminating a plurality of electromagnetic steel sheets having q (q is an integer of 2 or more, and q=3 in this embodiment) secondary salient poles Pu-Pw from the central core portion, and a secondary winding 92 consisting of secondary coils 92u-92w wound around each of the three salient poles Pu-Pw. The primary salient poles P1-P15 of the primary unit 80 and the secondary salient poles Pu-Pw of the secondary core 91 are magnetically coupled to each other by contacting the five primary salient poles P1-P15 adjacent to each secondary salient pole Pu-Pw. The inverter power supply device 105 of this embodiment is a three-phase power supply device, and the secondary coils 92u-92w are connected to an external three-phase load. The secondary salient poles correspond to the second salient poles of the present invention.

[0140] In the contact portion near the boundary between the primary core 81 and the secondary core 91, which is shown by the dashed line in Fig. 15, it is desirable to form the lamination cross section of the contact portion of each electromagnetic steel sheet to be comb-shaped, and to form the contact portion by overlapping the comb-shaped ends of the comb-shaped laminated cores with each other. For this reason, for example, the lamination cross section of the laminated steel sheets at the tip portions of the salient poles P1 to P15 of the primary core 81 is formed to be comb-shaped, and protruding portions are formed from the salient poles Pu to Pw of the secondary core 91 toward the salient poles P1 to P15 of the primary core 81, and the lamination cross section of the protruding portions is formed to be comb-shaped. Then, the contact portion is formed by overlapping the comb-shaped ends of both. Similarly, with respect to the secondary core 91, in order to make it easier to wind the secondary coils 92u to 92w, the arc-shaped portions at the tips of the salient poles P1 to P15 and the coil winding portions around which the secondary coils 92u to 92w are wound are formed separately, and in order to reduce the magnetic resistance at the contact portion between the arc-shaped portions and the coil winding portions, it is desirable to form the comb-shaped ends of the core, which has a comb-shaped laminated cross section, as a contact portion that overlaps with each other at the coil winding portion.

[0141] The 15 coils A to O housed in each slot of the primary core 81 are so-called concentrated windings, in which the coils are housed between adjacent slots, and adjacent coils are connected in series to form a single annular closed loop as a whole. Therefore, the coils A to O are provided in the 15 slots with a phase difference of 2π / n (n=15). The connection points of the lead wires of each of the coils A to O are connected to the connection points of the 15 half bridges TA to TO of the switching circuit 30, as shown in the equivalent circuit of FIG.

[0142] The switching circuit 30 of this embodiment is a withstand voltage reducing circuit, and has the same configuration as the switching circuit 30 of the first to fourth embodiments. That is, each of the 15 half bridges TA to TO of the switching circuit 30 is divided into a plurality of switch groups, for example, k (k is an integer of 2 or more, k=3 in this embodiment) consisting of five half bridges. Specifically, the half bridges TA to TE are divided into three groups: a first switch group 31, half bridges TF to TJ are divided into a second switch group 32, and half bridges TK to TO are divided into a third switch group 33. The switching elements of the upper arms belonging to the first to third switch groups 31 to 33 are connected to the positive side sub power supply lines 31H to 33H common to each switch group, and the switching elements of the lower arms belonging to the first to third switch groups 31 to 33 are connected to the negative side sub power supply lines 31L to 33L common to each switch group.

[0143] In this way, in the switching circuit 30, the half bridges connected to the output wires of adjacent coils are divided into k switch groups (k is an integer of 2 or more) each having a plurality of the half bridges, the first switching elements of the upper arms and the first switching elements of the lower arms of the half bridges of each switch group are connected to the positive side sub-power line and the negative side sub-power line provided in each switch group, the positive side sub-power line and the negative side sub-power line of each switch group are connected to the positive side main power line and the negative side main power line of the DC power supply 60 via second switching elements, respectively, and further, the positive side sub-power line and the negative side sub-power line of each switch group are connected to the connection point of one of the half bridges of the switch group via a resistor,

[0144] In this embodiment, the control circuit 50' switches the on / off states of the upper arm transistors T11 to T31 connected to the positive main power line 61 of the switching circuit 30 and the lower arm transistors T12 to T32 connected to the negative main power line 62 so that two magnetic poles, an N pole and a S pole, appear in the primary side unit 80, and switches the on / off states of the upper arm transistors TA1 to TO1 and the lower arm transistors TA2 to TO2 that constitute each of the half bridges TA to TO, thereby switching the direction of the current flowing through each of the coils A to O.

[0145] When two magnetic poles, an N pole and an S pole, are formed in the primary unit 80, the magnetic pole pitch of the primary unit 80 is 180°. The control circuit 50′ conducts the first switching element of the upper arm of one switch group and the first switching element of the lower arm of the other switch group of two half bridges respectively connected to the connection points of the lead wires of two coils separated by a coil pitch approximately equal to the magnetic pole pitch (180°) of the primary unit 80. At the same time, the control circuit 50′ conducts the second switching element of the switch group to which the first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm that are conducted belong. For example, the coil separated by a coil pitch approximately equal to 180° from coil A is coil H or coil I.

[0146] FIG. 5 shows the transition of the on / off state of the switching elements of the inverter power supply device 105 of this embodiment, and FIG. 14 shows the transition of the polarity appearing at the salient poles of the primary side unit 80 of the inverter power supply device 105 of this embodiment. The configurations of the control circuit 50', the switching circuit 30, and the primary side unit 80 of the inverter power supply device 105 of this embodiment are similar to the configurations of the control circuit 50', the switching circuit 30, and the stator 10 of the induction motor 104 of the fourth embodiment. Therefore, in accordance with the transition of the on / off state of the first and second switching elements shown in FIG. 5, the polarities shown in FIG. 14 appear at each of the salient poles P1 to P15 of the primary side core 81 at times t1 to t9. That is, a two-pole rotating magnetic field is generated in the primary side unit 80 by switching the on / off state of the switching elements. The control circuit 50' periodically switches the on / off states of the first and second switching elements so that the magnetic flux flowing through the salient poles P1 to P15 of the primary core 81 causes the magnetic field due to the magnetic poles appearing on the cross section of the salient poles P1 to P15 to become a rotating magnetic field.

[0147] Although the primary side unit 80 and the secondary side unit 90 are fixed in contact with each other, magnetically, it is considered to be the same as when the primary side unit 80 rotates around the secondary side unit 90 as a pseudo two-pole permanent magnet rotor of an outer rotor type. Therefore, the magnetic flux flowing through each secondary salient pole Pu-Pw of the secondary side unit 90 changes according to the change in the magnetic flux flowing through each salient pole P1-P15 of the primary side unit 80. As a result, the magnetic flux linking the secondary side coils 92u-92w changes, and AC voltages eu-ew are generated in the secondary side coils 92u-92w, respectively. In this embodiment, the secondary side salient poles Pu-Pw of the secondary side unit 90 have a phase difference of 120° with each other, so that three-phase AC voltages insulated from the DC power source 60 are obtained as the voltages eu-ew.

[0148] The inverter power supply device 105 of this embodiment includes a switching circuit 30 as a withstand voltage reducing circuit, similar to the DC motors and induction motors of the other embodiments. For the six transistors T11 to T32 that are the second switching elements, high-voltage transistors must be used, but for the 30 transistors TA1 to TO2 that are the first switching elements, low-voltage transistors can be used. In this way, the inverter power supply device 105 of this embodiment can reduce the withstand voltage of the transistors used in the half bridge. In this embodiment, when switching a transistor that is in the on state, it is desirable to turn both of the two transistors to be switched on for a very short time, as in the first embodiment. In addition, the switching circuit 30 may be replaced by a switching circuit 30' of the modified example shown in FIG. 7.

[0149] When a secondary core having one secondary winding 92 wound between two salient poles is used as the secondary unit 90, and each salient pole is brought into contact with multiple salient poles of the primary core, a single-phase AC voltage can be obtained as the output. In this case, it is preferable that the number of salient poles of the primary core is an even number, and that the number of salient poles of the primary core in contact with each salient pole of the secondary core is equal.

[0150] The preferred embodiments of the DC motor, the induction motor, and the inverter power supply device using the switching circuit 30 as a withstand voltage reduction circuit have been described above. The configuration of the switching circuit 30 described in each embodiment can be used as a withstand voltage reduction circuit when supplying power from a DC power source to a load via multiple half bridges.

[0151] In this case, the multiple half bridges of the withstand voltage reducing circuit are divided into k switch groups (k is an integer of 2 or more) each having multiple half bridges, and the first switching elements of the multiple upper arms and the first switching elements of the multiple lower arms of the half bridges of each switch group are connected to the positive side sub power supply line and the negative side sub power supply line provided in each switch group, respectively. Each positive side sub power supply line and each negative side sub power supply line of each switch group are connected to the positive side main power supply line and the negative side main power supply line of the DC power supply via a second switching element, respectively, and are further connected to the connection point of any half bridge of the switch group via a resistor or directly connected via a resistor.

[0152] The withstand voltage control circuit may also include a control circuit that switches the first and second switching elements between conductive and non-conductive states so as to render the first switching element of the upper arm of one switch group and the first switching element of the lower arm of another switch group conductive, and render the second switching elements of the switch group to which the conductive first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm belong, and render the other first and second switching elements non-conductive.

[0153] Furthermore, in the withstand voltage reducing circuit according to the present invention, although the number of second switching elements increases, it is possible to significantly reduce the withstand voltage of the first switching elements, thereby achieving cost reduction of the circuit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0154] 10, 10': stator, 11: stator core, 12, 12': stator winding, 20, 21: rotor, 22: rotor bar, 30, 30', 130: switching circuit, 31-33, 31'-33': first to third switch groups, 31H-33H: positive side sub-power line, 31L-33L: negative side sub-power line, 40: position detection sensor, 50, 50': control circuit, 51: first stage (XOR circuit), 52: second stage (XOR circuit), 53: third stage (NOT circuit), 54: fourth stage (AND circuit) , 55...5th stage (amplifier), 56...6th stage (OR circuit), 57...7th stage (amplifier), 60...DC power supply, 61...positive main power line, 62...negative main power line, 70...forward / reverse rotation control input terminal, 80...primary unit, 81...primary core, 82...primary winding, 90...secondary unit, 91...secondary core, 92...secondary winding, 92u, 92v, 92w...secondary coil, 100, 101', 102...DC motor, 103, 104...induction motor, 105...inverter power supply.

Claims

1. A voltage reducing circuit for a power supply device that supplies a current from a DC power supply to a load via a plurality of half bridges, comprising: the plurality of half bridges are divided into k switch groups (k is an integer of 2 or more) each having a plurality of the half bridges, and first switching elements of a plurality of upper arms and first switching elements of a plurality of lower arms of the half bridges of each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side sub power supply line and a negative side sub power supply line provided in each of the switch groups, respectively; the positive side sub-power line and the negative side sub-power line of each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side main power line and a negative side main power line of the DC power supply via second switching elements, respectively, and further, each connection point of the half bridge is connected to the load.

2. making the first switching element of the upper arm of one of the switch groups and the first switching element of the lower arm of another of the switch groups conductive, and making the second switching elements of the switch groups to which the first switching elements of the upper arm and the first switching elements of the lower arm that are made conductive belong, 2. The voltage reducing circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a control circuit for switching the first and second switching elements between conductive and non-conductive states so that the other first and second switching elements are non-conductive.

3. A rotor; A stator having a plurality of coils; A switching circuit is provided. A rotating machine in which the coil is connected to a connection point of a half bridge formed of two first switching elements, the half bridges are divided into k switch groups (k is an integer of 2 or more) each having a plurality of the half bridges, the first switching elements of the plurality of upper arms and the first switching elements of the plurality of lower arms of the half bridges in each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side sub power supply line and a negative side sub power supply line provided in each of the switch groups, the positive side sub power supply line and the negative side sub power supply line of each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side main power supply line and a negative side main power supply line of a DC power supply via second switching elements, respectively, and further, each connection point of the half bridge is connected to the coil.

4. The stator includes n coils (n is an integer of 4 or more) arranged with a phase shift, and has 2m poles (m is an integer), The lead wires of the adjacent coils are connected in sequence to connect the coils in series in a ring shape, A connection point of the output wire of each of the coils is connected to a connection point of a half bridge formed of two first switching elements of the switching circuit, 4. The rotating machine according to claim 3, wherein the half bridge is connected to the output wires of adjacent coils in the switching circuit.

5. 5. The rotating machine according to claim 4, wherein the n coils have a coil pitch substantially equal to a magnetic pole pitch (2π / 2m) of the stator.

6. 5. The rotating machine according to claim 4, wherein the stator has n slots, and each of the n coils is housed in two adjacent slots.

7. The rotating machine according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the rotor is a permanent magnet rotor or a rotor having an excitation coil and has 2m magnetic poles including N poles and S poles.

8. 8. The rotating machine according to claim 7, further comprising a control circuit that switches the first and second switching elements between conductive and non-conductive states in response to a position of the magnetic pole of the rotor.

9. 7. The rotating machine according to claim 3, wherein the rotor is a squirrel-cage rotor or a wound rotor.

10. 10. The rotating machine according to claim 9, further comprising a control circuit that switches the first and second switching elements between conductive and non-conductive states at a predetermined cycle.

11. the control circuit, of the two half bridges respectively connected to connection points of lead wires of the two coils spaced apart by an interval approximately equal to the magnetic pole pitch of the stator, causes the first switching element of the upper arm of one of the switch groups to be conductive and the first switching element of the lower arm of the other of the switch groups to be conductive, and causes the second switching elements of the switch groups to which the first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm that are made conductive belong, 11. The rotating machine according to claim 8, wherein the first and second switching elements are switched between conductive and non-conductive states so that the other first and second switching elements are non-conductive.

12. 12. The rotating machine according to claim 11, characterized in that the control circuit maintains both the first or second switching element, which is switched from a conductive state to a non-conductive state, and the first or second switching element, which is subsequently switched from a non-conductive state to a conductive state, in a conductive state for a predetermined very short period of time.

13. 13. The rotating machine according to claim 3, wherein the withstand voltage of the first switching element is lower than the withstand voltage of the second switching element.

14. An inverter power supply device that converts DC power into AC power, A primary core having a plurality of primary coils; a secondary core that is magnetically coupled to the primary core and has a secondary coil wound therearound; A switching circuit is provided. the primary coil is connected to a connection point of a half bridge formed of two first switching elements of the switching circuit, the half bridges connected to the output wires of the primary coils adjacent to each other in the switching circuit are divided into k switch groups (k is an integer of 2 or more) each having a plurality of the half bridges, the first switching elements of the plurality of upper arms and the first switching elements of the plurality of lower arms of the half bridges in each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side sub power supply line and a negative side sub power supply line provided in each of the switch groups, the positive side sub power supply line and the negative side sub power supply line of each of the switch groups are connected to a positive side main power supply line and a negative side main power supply line of the DC power supply via second switching elements, respectively, and further, each connection point of the half bridge is connected to the primary side coil.

15. A control circuit is further provided. the control circuit conducts the first switching element of the upper arm of one of the switch groups and the first switching element of the lower arm of the other of the switch groups, and conducts the second switching elements of the switch groups to which the first switching element of the upper arm and the first switching element of the lower arm that are conducted, 15. The inverter power supply device according to claim 14, wherein the first and second switching elements are periodically switched between conductive and non-conductive states so that the other first and second switching elements are non-conductive.

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