Electric Power Converter Multi-Source Synthesis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric power converters for multi-phase AC motors require a large number of switches, increasing cost and volume, and suffer from inefficiencies due to the need for DC-DC converters when using plural power sources.
Innovation Solution
An electric power converter that connects multiple power sources to generate driving voltages for a multi-phase AC motor using fewer semiconductor elements by synthesizing output voltages from plural power sources, eliminating the need for DC-DC converters and reducing the number of switches, allowing for efficient power allotment from multiple power sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If plural power sources are connected in parallel with switches for each phase to enable flexible power allotment, then power distribution flexibility is improved, but the number of switches increases device complexity and volume
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the power conversion function into two independent parts: a three-phase power conversion circuit that converts from a single DC power source, and a separate phase voltage generation circuit that generates voltages for individual phases from additional DC power sources. This segmentation allows flexible power allotment without requiring switches for each phase connection, as each phase voltage is independently generated through voltage addition of the three-phase output and the separate DC power source output.
Solution Approach 2:
The three-phase power conversion circuit serves multiple functions: it provides the base voltage for all three phases while also enabling flexible power distribution when combined with the separate DC power sources. The same circuit infrastructure supports both single-power-source operation and multi-power-source operation, eliminating the need for dedicated switches for each power source connection.
2Adaptability or versatility
If DC-DC converters are used to enable plural power sources to drive the motor, then power source compatibility is improved, but energy loss increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the DC-DC conversion function and replaces it with a direct voltage addition approach. Instead of using complex DC-DC converters to adapt different power sources, the system directly adds the voltage from the three-phase power conversion circuit with the voltage from separate DC power sources through the phase voltage generation circuit, eliminating the energy losses associated with DC-DC conversion while maintaining compatibility with multiple power sources.
3Loss of energy
If more switches are added to support plural power sources without DC-DC converters, then energy efficiency is improved, but the number of semiconductor elements increases volume and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the power conversion and power distribution functions into a unified architecture. The three-phase power conversion circuit and the phase voltage generation circuit work together as an integrated system, where the voltage addition mechanism combines outputs from different power sources without requiring additional switches. This merging reduces the overall volume by eliminating redundant switching components while maintaining high energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric power converter, electric power conversion system and method that, without using a DC-DC converter, uses and allots the electric power of plural power sources while reducing the volume and losses. At least one phase of the motor is connected to plural power sources and generates and synthesizes pulses from output voltages of plural power sources so as to drive the multi-phase AC motor. A different phase of the motor is connected to one DC power source and generates pulses from the output voltage of the power source so as to generate a driving voltage for the multi-phase AC motor. This arrangement allows use/allotment of the power of plural power sources with a reduced number of semiconductor components.