HALF-BRIDGE WITH VARIABLE DEAD BAND CONTROL AND ZERO-VOLTAGE SWITCHING

Abstract

An improved method for zero-voltage switching (ZVS) of a voltage-fed half-bridge using a variable dead band is provided. The duration of the dead band is determined dynamically and is precisely long enough to ensure the absence of shoot-through events while also minimizing or eliminating switching losses and reverse conduction losses. The method generally includes: (a) calculating the equivalent capacitance as seen by the current source charging the midpoint of the half-bridge; (b) calculating the ZVS charge requirement based on the link voltage and the equivalent capacitance; (c) calculating the charge delivered by the current source over time during a dead band vector, equating the result to the ZVS charge requirement, and solving for the ZVS time requirement at each commutation point over the switching cycle; and (d) updating the dead bands for each commutation of each half-bridge in the switched-mode power converter.

Claims

1. A method comprising: providing a switch mode power converter including a voltage source outputting a DC rail voltage, a half-bridge having first and second switches and a midpoint node, and a controller; determining, by the controller, a zero-voltage-switching dead band in which the first and second switches are closed, wherein determining the zero-voltage-switching dead band includes: calculating a zero-voltage-switching charge requirement (Q.sub.ZVS) for moving a voltage at the midpoint node from 0V to the DC rail voltage, calculating the average current (I(T.sub.ZVS)), at the midpoint node during deactivation of the first switch and deactivation of the second switch, and determining the time interval (T.sub.ZVS) for zero-voltage-switching based on a quotient of the zero-voltage-switching charge requirement (Q.sub.ZVS) and the average current (I(T.sub.ZVS)); providing, by the controller, switching control signals to the first and second switches for generating an AC output, wherein a time interval between deactivation of the first switch and activation of the second switch is at least equal to the zero-voltage-switching dead band.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the zero-voltage-switching dead band is in response to a detected change in input current to the midpoint node of the half-bridge.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the zero-voltage-switching dead band is in response to a detected change in the DC rail voltage.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating a zero-voltage-switching charge requirement (Q.sub.ZVS) is based on an equivalent capacitance at the midpoint node in which an input current is kept constant or a voltage across the half-bridge is kept constant.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the equivalent capacitance includes a parasitic capacitance, a winding capacitance, and a switch capacitance.

6. The method of claim 1 further including storing the zero-voltage-switching dead band to non-transitory computer readable memory.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the half bridge is one of a plurality of half bridges of the switch mode power converter, the method further including determining, by the controller, the zero-voltage-switching dead band for each of the plurality of half bridges.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the time interval is equal to the zero-voltage-switching dead band.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the time interval is equal to the zero-voltage-switching dead band and a buffer period, the buffer period being between 1% and 10% of the dead band.

10. A switch mode power converter comprising: a direct-current voltage source for providing a DC rail voltage; a half-bridge connected in parallel with the direct current voltage source, the half-bridge including first and second switches and a midpoint node; and a controller operable to provide switching control signals to the first and second switches and operable to adjust a time interval between deactivation of the first switch and activation of the second switch, wherein controller determines the time interval by: calculating a zero-voltage-switching charge requirement (Q.sub.ZVS) for moving a voltage at the midpoint node from 0V to the DC rail voltage, calculating the average current (I(T.sub.ZVS)), at the midpoint node during deactivation of the first switch and deactivation of the second switch, and determining the time interval (T.sub.ZVS) for zero-voltage-switching based on quotient of the zero-voltage-switching charge requirement (Q.sub.ZVS) and the average current (I(T.sub.ZVS)).

11. The switch mode power converter of claim 10 wherein the controller determines the time interval in response to a detected change in input current to the midpoint node of the half-bridge.

12. The switch mode power converter of claim 10 wherein the controller determines the time interval in response to a detected change in the DC rail voltage.

13. The switch mode power converter of claim 10 wherein calculating a zero-voltage-switching charge requirement (Q.sub.ZVS) is based on an equivalent capacitance at the midpoint node in which an input current is kept constant or a voltage across the half-bridge is kept constant.

14. The switch mode power converter of claim 10 further including a second half-bridge including a third switch and a fourth switch, the controller being operable to adjust a time interval between deactivation of the third switch and activation of the fourth switch.

15. The switch mode power converter of claim 10 wherein the half bridge forms part of a full bridge DC to AC inverter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a current-fed half-bridge converter.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a voltage-fed half-bridge converter.

[0013] FIGS. 3(a) to 3(f) illustrate low-to-high commutation states of a VFHB under standard ZVS conditions with a fixed dead band.

[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a long dead band for control of a VFHB, in which the dead band is longer than the time required to charge the half-bridge capacitance.

[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a short dead band for control of a VFHB, in which the dead band is shorter than the time required to charge the half-bridge capacitance.

[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a long dead band for control of a VFHB, in which the dead band is precisely long enough to charge the half-bridge capacitance of a half-bridge for ZVS.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a flow-diagram of a method for ZVS of a voltage-fed half-bridge in accordance with one embodiment.

[0018] FIGS. 8(a) to 8(e) illustrate the change in Charge Equivalent Capacitance with corresponding charge accumulated and equivalent static capacitance.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of a single-phase voltage-fed inverter with an ideal dead band determined by a controller in accordance with a current embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENT

[0020] An improved method for zero-voltage switching of a voltage-fed half-bridge using a variable dead band is provided. As discussed herein, the duration of the dead band is determined dynamically to ensure the absence of shoot-through events while also minimizing or eliminating switching losses and reverse conduction losses. As background, Part I below includes known techniques for zero-voltage switching of a voltage-fed half-bridge. Part II below includes a discussion of the method of the present invention, namely the zero-voltage switching of a voltage-fed half-bridge using a dynamically calculated variable dead band control vector.

I. Zero-Voltage Switching of Voltage-Fed Half-Bridge

[0021] Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) is the commutation of a semiconductor switch from an off state to an on state while there is zero voltage across its primary conduction path. The process by which a ZVS commutation takes place can be illustrated with the low-to-high commutation of an arbitrary VFHB, as shown in FIGS. 3(a)-3(f). With respect to ZVS, a semiconductor switch may be considered as an ideal MOSFET in parallel with an output capacitance and an anti-parallel diode with forward voltage V.sub.rth Using two such switches in a half-bridge configuration, such that S1 is the high-side switch and S2 is the low-side switch, across an arbitrary DC linkage, V.sub.link, referenced to the low-side rail, here referred to as GND, with the midpoint voltage, V.sub.HB, supplied by some controlled current source (a resonant inductor for example) such that current flowing into the midpoint, i.sub.hb, is always positive, the entire commutation process, under ZVS conditions, can be broken down as shown for the low-to-high half-bridge commutation shown in FIGS. 3(a)-3(f). Here, the output capacitance of each switch is abbreviated as C1=C.sub.oss1 and C2=C.sub.oss2. The antiparallel diode is considered to be ideal and the voltage source V.sub.rth(D) is a function of the diode's state—conducting=1 and non-conducting=0 such that V.sub.rth (0)=0V and V.sub.rth (1)=V.sub.rthIn this way, the behavior of any arbitrary self-activating semiconductor switch can be modeled as the anti-parallel device.

[0022] Prior to commutation in FIG. 3(a), i.sub.hb flows freely through S2 and V.sub.HB is clamped to GND. When S2 turns off, i.sub.hb begins to migrate from the conduction channel to charging the C′, of both S2 and S1, as shown in FIG. 3(b). This marks the beginning of the dead band, as the controller is applying a dead band control vector, driving both S1 and S2 off simultaneously. The rate at which V.sub.HB rises while the channel is collapsing is controlled by i.sub.hb, the channel resistance of S1, and the C′, of both S1 and S2—as the channel collapses, the resistance increases, and more of i.sub.hb migrates to charging C1 and C2. Once the switch is fully off, the channel resistance is high enough that the current through it becomes negligible and the change in V.sub.HB is then be dominated by the following relationship (equation 1):

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}{i}_{\mathrm{hb}}\left(t\right)=\left(C1+C2\right)\frac{{\mathrm{dV}}_{\mathrm{HB}}}{\mathrm{dt}}& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

[0023] If the switch has a fast turn-off edge rate, as in a MOSFET, the channel stops conducting well before the C.sub.oss charges to the opposite linkage rail, so the dead band must be long enough to charge the midpoint from GND to V.sub.link, and thereby discharge C1 from V.sub.link to 0V. Ideally, S1 would turn on at exactly V.sub.HB=V.sub.link, but in reality V.sub.HB will continue charging until D1 of S1 becomes reversed biased and clamps V.sub.HB to V.sub.link+V.sub.rth Once the midpoint voltage is clamped, S1 is burning energy for the remainder of the dead band. Thus, it is desired to make this region as short as possible. When S1 commutates on, some switching loss will be experienced due to C1 being charged to V.sub.rth and discharging through the forming channel, but this loss will be small. Post S1's commutation, i.sub.hb should still be positive into the bridge, though, ideally, i.sub.hb would reach 0 A immediately after S1's commutation to minimize the resonant current.

[0024] Typically, the dead band is set in the control circuit generating the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) for the half-bridge to a fixed value. The ZVS Time Requirement T.sub.ZVS is the minimum time required for controlling a current source (assuming a known current) to deliver the charge needed for ZVS. The ZVS Time Requirement T.sub.ZVS is inversely proportional to the current during the dead band and directly proportional to the link voltage. Therefore, a typical control circuit for a ZVS application will fix the dead band according to the lowest expected I(T.sub.ZVS) and the highest link voltage so that ZVS can be ensured for all operating points. However, this means that when the current flowing into the half-bridge is larger, the ZVS charge requirement will be met faster, and the midpoint voltage, v.sub.hb, of the half-bridge defined by S1 and S2 will reach the targeted linkage rail before the end of the dead band and continue charging beyond the rail.

[0025] If this charging is allowed to continue, not only will ZVS be lost, but, under high switching currents, the voltage rating of the semiconductor switch may be exceeded leading to life degradation and device failure. For this reason, ZVS topologies (and most SPMC topologies in general) provide a free-wheeling path to the midpoint current, i.sub.hb. This is accomplished by the antiparallel body or external diodes of MOSFETs and IGBTs or the reverse conduction properties of the 2 DEG in HEMTs, for example. Because this reverse conduction is uncontrolled, there must be an associated voltage drop equal to threshold of the antiparallel device, and the midpoint will therefore be clamped to the linkage rail plus the reverse threshold voltage, V.sub.rth. In this clamped conduction state, i.sub.hb is being forced through the device in the direction of the reverse voltage drop, generating thermal losses referred to as reverse conduction losses. This condition is depicted in FIG. 3(d), in which the low-to-high commutation of the half bridge is significantly longer than the time required to deliver enough charge to the equivalent capacitance to change the midpoint voltage by the required amount. As a result, once the midpoint voltage reaches V.sub.link (60V in the present example), the current keeps charging the equivalent capacitance until the midpoint voltage exceeds the high-side rail voltage by the reverse threshold of the device. FIG. 4 (depicting a short dead band) results in hard switching at about 20V in this example, while the ideal dead band of FIG. 5 avoids switching losses and reverse conduction losses. FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 provide an example based on the general case presented in FIGS. 3(a)-(f) where the current source is provided with an 8 μH inductor with constant initial current of 2 A and a link voltage of 60V. The only parameter varied between the three figures is the dead time tab.

II. Variable Dead Band Control for Voltage Switching of Voltage-Fed Half-Bridge

[0026] In order to eliminate the reverse conduction losses discussed in Part I above, the dead band is calculated dynamically for each commutation point instead of using a predetermined value corresponding to a worse-case requirement. Eliminating reverse conduction losses improves the efficiency of the SMPC, reduces thermal stresses on the semiconductor devices, and allows for a more easily designed cooling solution.

[0027] Referring to the flow-chart of FIG. 7, a method for zero-voltage switching of a voltage-fed half-bridge using a variable dead band control vector is illustrated. The method generally includes calculating the dead band dynamically for each commutation point instead of using a predetermined value corresponding to a worst-case requirement. More particularly, the method generally includes the following method steps: (a) calculating the equivalent capacitance C.sub.eq as seen by the current source charging the midpoint of the half-bridge based on the link voltage, the SMPC topology, and the SMPC circuit state (step 10); (b) calculating the ZVS charge requirement based on the link voltage and the equivalent capacitance (step 12); (c) calculating the charge delivered by the current source over time during a dead band vector, Q.sub.hb, equating the result to the ZVS charge requirement, and solving for T.sub.ZVS at each commutation point over the switching cycle (step 14); and (d) updating the dead bands for each commutation of each half-bridge in the SMPC (step 16).

[0028] Calculating the equivalent capacitance C.sub.eq at step 10 includes determining any capacitances along the return path of the current source. This can include parasitic PCB capacitances, winding capacitances of magnetics, and intended capacitances (such as resonant tanks). The examples used in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 assume only the switch capacitance, C.sub.oeq, PCB capacitance, C.sub.PCB, and winding capacitance, C.sub.L, are in parallel along the return path of the inductor. Thus, C.sub.eq=C.sub.oeq+C.sub.PCB+C.sub.L. This is the case in a single half-bridge commutation in a DAB. This step is also visualized with the following example. Using a Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Transistor (GaN HEMT) from GaN Systems Inc., part number GS66516T, FIG. 8 demonstrates how capacitance, charge, equivalent capacitance, and energy can change over output voltage of a single GaN HEMT. Since the change in output voltage over the dead band of a half-bridge commutation must equal the linkage, vds (drain-to-source voltage) in FIG. 8 is interchangeable with V.sub.link FIG. 3(a). FIG. 8(a) shows the output capacitance change over voltage. FIG. 8(b) shows the accumulated charge across one device over voltage. FIG. 8(c) plots the equivalent static capacitance value that would hold the same amount of charge at that voltage as the C.sub.oss, called the “charge equivalent capacitance”. FIG. 8(d) shows the accumulated energy over voltage. FIG. 8(e) shows the equivalent static capacitance value that would hold the same amount of energy at that voltage as the C.sub.oss, called the “Energy Equivalent Capacitance.”

[0029] Based on the equivalent capacitance C.sub.eq, the ZVS charging requirement, Q.sub.ZVS, is then calculated according to the following (equation 2), wherein C.sub.eq is a function of voltage because the C.sub.oss of a semiconductor is usually not constant over output voltage, v.sub.oss:

Q.sub.ZVS=∫.sub.0V.sup.V.sup.linkC.sub.eq(v)dv  (2)

As noted above, Q.sub.ZVS is the charge required to move the midpoint voltage of S1 and S2, v.sub.hb=v.sub.oss2, from ˜0V to V.sub.link, which, in turn, discharges v.sub.oss1 from V.sub.link to ˜0V. Calculating the ZVS timing requirement, T.sub.ZVS, is then performed according to the following (equation 3-4):

[00002]$\begin{array}{cc}I\left(T_{\mathrm{ZVS}}\right)=\frac{1}{T_{\mathrm{ZVS}}}{\int }_0^{T_{\mathrm{ZVS}}}i\left(t\right)\mathrm{dt}=\frac{Q_{\mathrm{ZVS}}}{T_{\mathrm{ZVS}}}& \left(3\right)\\ T_{\mathrm{ZVS}}=\frac{Q_{\mathrm{ZVS}}}{I\left(T_{\mathrm{ZVS}}\right)}& \left(4\right)\end{array}$

In the above equations 3, Q.sub.ZVS is calculated as the average current during a dead band vector (the inverse ZVS period multiplied by the integral of the current). In the above equation 4, T.sub.ZVS is solved for as the required charge for ZVS divided by the average current over the time allowed for ZVS, or I(T.sub.ZVS). Accordingly, to properly set the initial conditions for determining T.sub.ZVS, the initial current at the start of each dead band during a switching cycle must be calculated.

[0030] As one example, the controlled current source in FIG. 3(a) is realized with a load comprising a resonant inductor, L=8 μH. Assume that at time t.sub.0=0 s, L is charged to i.sub.L=2 A with no initial driving voltage across it's terminals, V.sub.0=0V, meaning current is initially freewheeling through the inductor. The winding capacitance of the inductor is C.sub.L=50 pF and the parasitic capacitance of the PCB is C.sub.PCB=600 pF, which are in parallel with the C.sub.oss of both S1 and S2, as seen by the inductor. The link voltage is set to V.sub.link=60V and the dead band, given by T.sub.db0, varied to show its effect. FIG. 6 shows a low-to-high commutation of the half-bridge where the dead band, t.sub.db=72.3 ns from t=72.3 ns to t=144.6 ns, is the precise time required for 2 A to deliver enough charge to the equivalent capacitance to change the midpoint voltage by 60V. This is the ideal commutation of the half-bridge. The dead band could be larger than optimal by the time required to charge an additional 6.8V, providing a buffer region for real-world sensor errors without incurring reverse conduction losses.

[0031] The method further includes updating the dead bands for each commutation of each half-bridge in the SMPC at step 16. Each step of the foregoing method can be implemented in digital logic in connection with a dual-active-bridge (DAB) converter having four half-bridges, but the present method can be implemented in other SMPCs as desired. The method does not require any additional hardware, and instead relies on a mathematical model of the system topology to calculate the dead band in real time. As noted above, eliminating reverse conduction losses according to the present method improves the efficiency of the SMPC, reduces thermal stresses on the semiconductor devices, and allows for more easily designed cooling solutions.

[0032] In accordance with a further embodiment, a single-phase voltage-fed inverter for producing a square wave output is shown in FIG. 9. The inverter includes a half-bridge having two series-connected switches S1, S2 and two freewheeling anti-parallel diodes D1, D2. The switches may not be activated simultaneously, which would otherwise short the voltage source. In accordance with one embodiment, the ideal dead band is calculated in digital logic, the dead band being the interval between the turn-off and turn-on of the series connected switches. In particular, a controller 20, for example an integrated circuit or a digital signal processor, determines the equivalent capacitance at a mid-point 22 of the half-bridge. The equivalent capacitance can be determined empirically for a given input current at the mid-point or a given rail voltage across the half-bridge, and generally includes any switch capacitance, PCB capacitance, and winding capacitance. Based on this equivalent capacitance, the controller 20 determines the ZVS charging requirement (Q.sub.ZVS) according to equation (2) above, which represents the charge required to move the midpoint voltage from 0V to the rail voltage (V.sub.link) The controller 20 then determines the ideal dead band T.sub.ZVS according to equation (4) above, in which the ZVS charging requirement (Q.sub.ZVS) is divided by the average current over time allowed for ZVS (I(T.sub.ZVS)), which is obtained by the controller from the initial current at the beginning of each dead band. The controller 20 then stores the ideal dead band T.sub.ZVS to computer readable memory, potentially updating the existing value for the half-bridge dead band, and creates an interval between the turn-off and turn-on of the series connected switches at least equal to the ideal dead band T.sub.ZVS (e.g., with or without a buffer period). This process can be repeated periodically or in response to an event, for example in response to a change in the input current to the mid-point 22 of the half-bridge, or in response to a change to the DC rail voltage.

[0033] The above description is that of current embodiment of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. Any reference to elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.