Device, method, and program for controlling converter, and air conditioner

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional PWM rectifiers cannot control the power factor to unity across all load regions, limiting their effectiveness in maintaining optimal power conversion efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A converter control device that calculates reactive current using current detection values from two phases and a voltage phase, adjusts the voltage phase to zero reactive current, and generates driving signals for switch units to maintain a power factor of 1, regardless of load size, while also incorporating unbalance correction to stabilize phase currents and prevent harmonic distortion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional PWM rectifier control is used, then the power factor can be controlled to about 1 in a certain load region, but the power factor cannot be controlled to 1 in other load regions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower factor control capabilityVSAvoidload region adaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The invention dynamically adjusts the voltage phase angle θ based on the detected power factor and reactive current, rather than using a fixed phase angle. The phase correction amount is continuously modified according to the actual load conditions, enabling the power factor to be maintained at unity across all load regions. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between ease of manufacture and load region adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention implements a feedback mechanism where the power factor or reactive current is continuously detected, and the voltage phase angle is adjusted based on this feedback. The phase correction amount is modified according to the detected reactive current, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains unity power factor under varying load conditions, thereby solving the adaptability issue.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of manufacture

If the voltage phase is adjusted to zero reactive current, then the power factor can be maintained at 1, but the control complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower factor control performanceVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the control parameter from a fixed voltage phase angle to a dynamically adjustable phase angle based on reactive current detection. By modifying the phase angle parameter according to actual operating conditions, the system achieves unity power factor control without requiring complex additional hardware, thus balancing control performance with system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If reactive current calculation uses current detection values from multiple phases, then accuracy improves, but the calculation complexity and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereactive current calculation accuracyVSAvoidcalculation processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and utilizes only the necessary current detection values from two phases (e.g., u-phase and w-phase) along with the voltage phase angle, rather than processing all three phases. This selective extraction maintains sufficient calculation accuracy for reactive current determination while reducing computational complexity and processing time, thus resolving the contradiction between precision and time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP2869451B1Device, method, and program for controlling converter, and air conditioner
Publication Date: 2017.09.13 MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND LTD
  • EP2869451B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2869451B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2869451B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

To control the power factor to about 1 irrespective of a load. A converter control device (4) includes: a reactive current calculation unit (21) that calculates a reactive current Iq by using current detection values Ir and It of R-phase and T-phase and an R-phase voltage phase θ, a correction amount calculation unit (22) that calculates a phase difference of the R-phase voltage phase for zeroing the reactive current Iq as a phase correction amount Φ, a phase correction unit (23) that corrects the R-phase voltage phase θ by using the phase correction amount calculated by the correction amount calculation unit (22), a three-phase voltage command determination unit (24) that determines phase voltage commands corresponding to the respective phases based on a predetermined voltage command value k and a corrected R-phase voltage phase θ', and a PWM signal generation unit (25) that generates driving signals for the switch units corresponding to the respective phases by using the phase voltage commands.