Redundant Power Converter Control with Shared Dual Controllers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power conversion devices with redundant configurations face inefficiencies in ensuring redundancy due to a 1:1 ratio of controllers to power converters, leading to increased components and potential unavailability of power converters when a controller fails, particularly in applications like artificial satellites where repair is difficult.
Innovation Solution
A power conversion device configuration with n power converters, dual-redundant controllers, a signal converter with L analog-to-digital converters, a system selector, and n output selectors, allowing for parallel operation and selection of a functioning controller in case of failure, ensuring continued operation and minimizing component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If controllers are arranged at a 1:1 ratio for multiple power converters, then each power converter has a dedicated controller, but the number of controllers increases, leading to increased component count and reduced redundancy efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal controller architecture where a single controller can manage multiple power converters. The controller is designed with multi-functional capabilities to handle control tasks for different power converters, eliminating the need for dedicated 1:1 controller-converter pairing while maintaining system reliability and redundancy efficiency.
2Reliability
If the number of power converters is increased to ensure redundancy, then power supply reliability improves, but the number of controllers must also increase equally, leading to increased component count
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is designed as a universal multi-functional unit capable of managing multiple power converters simultaneously. This allows the system to increase the number of power converters for redundancy without proportionally increasing the number of controllers, thereby reducing the total component count while maintaining power supply reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the control functions for multiple power converters into a single controller unit. By combining control capabilities and sharing resources among multiple converters, the system achieves redundancy without the need for separate dedicated controllers for each power converter, thus reducing overall component quantity.
3Reliability
If a controller fails in a 1:1 redundant configuration, then the corresponding power converter becomes unavailable even if it does not fail, but reducing controller count compromises redundancy
Solution Approach 1:
The universal controller design allows a single controller to manage multiple power converters. When one controller fails, other controllers can take over its managed converters, ensuring that power converters remain available even when controllers fail. This multi-functional architecture prevents the cascading unavailability issue inherent in 1:1 dedicated configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a controller selection mechanism that acts as an intermediary between controllers and power converters. This mechanism enables dynamic routing of control signals, allowing healthy controllers to assume control of power converters whose dedicated controllers have failed, thereby maintaining power converter availability and system operation.
Data Source
AI summary
N (n is a natural number) power converters operate in accordance with a drive signal to generate a power to be supplied to a load. Multi-redundant A/D converters convert an analog detection value from the power converters into digital values. First and second controllers operate in parallel and each generate a drive signal of the power converters using the digital values from the A/D converters. A system selector selects one controller in accordance with an abnormality detection result of the first and second controllers. Each of n output selectors receives the drive signals from both of the first and second controllers and outputs the drive signal from the one controller selected by the system selector to the power converters.