ELECTRIC POWER CONVERTER

Abstract

An electric power converter includes an inverter, an insulating transformer, and a rectifier. The inverter converts an input DC voltage, supplied from a DC power supply, to an AC voltage outputted at an AC output side of the inverter, and includes at least one semiconductor switching device made of wide bandgap semiconductor material configured to carry out turning-on and turning-off operations at a specified frequency to thereby invert the DC voltage to the AC voltage at the specified frequency; and at least one freewheeling diode made of silicon-based semiconductor material respectively connected to the at least one switching device in inverse parallel.

Claims

1. An electric power converter comprising: an inverter configured to convert an input DC voltage, supplied from a DC power supply, to an AC voltage outputted at an AC output side of the inverter, the inverter comprising at least one semiconductor switching device made of wide bandgap semiconductor material, configured to be connected to the DC power supply, and configured to carry out turning-on and turning-off operations at a specified frequency to thereby invert the DC voltage to the AC voltage at the specified frequency; and at least one freewheeling diode made of silicon-based semiconductor material respectively connected to the at least one semiconductor switching device in inverse parallel; an insulating transformer having a primary winding connected to the AC output side of the inverter, and having a secondary winding; and a rectifier configured to convert AC voltage outputted from the secondary winding of the transformer to a DC voltage to supply the converted DC voltage to a load.

2. The electric power converter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one semiconductor switching device comprises a plurality of semiconductor switching devices configured to switch on and off alternately.

3. The electric power converter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one semiconductor switching device includes a first semiconductor switching device and a second semiconductor switching device connected in series as a first series circuit and configured to be connected across the DC power supply, and the inverter further includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor connected to each other in series to form a second circuit that is connected in parallel to the first series circuit formed by the semiconductor switching devices a resonant circuit, including a series connection of a capacitor and an inductor, to carry out a resonant operation at a resonant frequency, and the resonant circuit and the primary winding of the transformer are connected in series between a connection point connecting between the first and second semiconductor switching devices and a connection point connecting between the first and second capacitors, and the electric power converter is configured to turn the first and second semiconductor switching devices on and off alternately with a duty ratio of 50% by the resonant frequency of the resonant circuit.

4. The electric power converter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one semiconductor switching device is a field effect transistor (FET) made of one of SiC, GaN and diamond as the wide bandgap semiconductor material.

5. The electric power converter according to claim 2, wherein the at least one semiconductor switching device is a field effect transistor (FET) made of one of SiC, GaN and diamond as the wide bandgap semiconductor material.

6. The electric power converter according to claim 3, wherein the at least one semiconductor switching device is a field effect transistor (FET) made of one of SiC, GaN and diamond as the wide bandgap semiconductor material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the main circuit of the electric power converter according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operation of the main circuit of the electric power converter according to the embodiment of the disclosure shown in FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electric power converter described in JP-A-2013-110786 as an example of a related art; and

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electric power converter described in JP-A-2014-233121 as another example of a related art.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0024] In the following, an embodiment of the disclosure will be explained with reference to the attached drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the main circuit of an electric power converter according to the embodiment of the disclosure. As is shown in the diagram, the electric power converter is provided with an inverter INV, a high-frequency insulating transformer Tr connected to the output side of the inverter INV and a rectifier circuit (rectifier and smoothing circuit) REC and carries out a DC-AC-DC conversion to feed a DC voltage with a specified magnitude to a load R.

[0026] The inverter INV is provided with a DC power supply E.sub.d (the voltage thereof is also designated as E.sub.d), a series circuit of a first capacitor C.sub.dc1 and a second capacitor C.sub.dc2 and a series circuit of a first semiconductor switching device Q.sub.1 and a second semiconductor switching device Q.sub.2 both being made of any one of wide bandgap semiconductor materials such as SiC (silicon carbide), GaN (gallium nitride) and diamond. The series circuits are connected in parallel to each other across the DC power supply E.sub.d. Here, the switching devices Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2 are FETs (Field Effect Transistors), for example, to which freewheeling diodes D.sub.1 and D.sub.2 of silicon-based semiconductor material are connected in inverse parallel, respectively.

[0027] The capacitors C.sub.dc1 and C.sub.dc2 have capacitance values equal to each other with their respective shared voltages being E.sub.d/2.

[0028] Between the connection point of the switching devices Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2 and the connection point of the capacitors C.sub.dc1 and C.sub.dc2, a capacitor C.sub.r, an inductor L.sub.r and the primary winding N.sub.1 of the transformer Tr are connected in series. Both ends of the secondary winding N.sub.2 of the transformer Tr are connected to the rectifier circuit REC. Here, the capacitor C.sub.r and inductor L.sub.r form an LC resonant circuit.

[0029] For the inductor L.sub.r, the leakage inductance of the primary winding N.sub.1 of the transformer Tr can be utilized.

[0030] The rectifier circuit REC is provided with a bridge circuit formed of diodes D.sub.3 to D.sub.6 and a smoothing capacitor C.sub.o connected between the DC output terminals of the bridge circuit. The AC input side of the bridge circuit is connected to both ends of the secondary winding N.sub.2 and, across the smoothing capacitor C.sub.o, a load R is connected.

[0031] In the next, the operation of the embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 as a waveform diagram showing the operation of the main circuit of the electric power converter according to the embodiment of the disclosure shown in FIG. 1. The positive directions of the currents and voltages shown in FIG. 2 are determined as the directions of arrows attached to the signs of the corresponding currents and voltages shown in FIG. 1.

[0032] First, the switching devices Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2 forming the inverter INV are alternately switched with a duty ratio of 50% as is shown in FIG. 2 by the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit formed of the capacitor C.sub.r and the inductor L.sub.r.

[0033] This provides the waveforms as are shown in FIG. 2 for the current I.sub.c1 and voltage V.sub.CE1 of the switching device Q.sub.1 and the current I.sub.c2 and the voltage V.sub.CE2 of the switching device Q.sub.2, by which a rectangular-wave-like voltage V.sub.Tr1 is applied to the primary winding N.sub.1 of the transformer Tr to make a sinusoidal-wave-like current I.sub.r1 flow therein. The waveforms of the voltage V.sub.Tr1 and current I.sub.r1 are in phase with the waveforms of the currents I.sub.c1 and I.sub.c2 and the voltages V.sub.CE1 and V.sub.CE2 as the fundamental waves.

[0034] In more detail, when the voltage V.sub.CE1 becomes 0V by the turning-on of the switching device Q.sub.1 to allow the voltage E.sub.d/2 across the capacitor C.sub.dc1 to be applied to the LC resonant circuit, the current I.sub.c1 flows by the applied voltage E.sub.d/2 through the path of the capacitor C.sub.dc1.fwdarw.the switching device Q.sub.1.fwdarw.the capacitor C.sub.r.fwdarw.the inductor L.sub.r.fwdarw.the primary winding N.sub.1 of the transformer Tr.fwdarw.the capacitor C.sub.dc1.

[0035] In addition, when the voltage V.sub.CE2 becomes 0V by the turning-on of the switching device Q.sub.2 to allow the voltage E.sub.d/2 across the capacitor C.sub.dc2 to be applied to the LC resonant circuit, the current I.sub.c2 flows by the applied voltage E.sub.d/2 through the path of the capacitor C.sub.dc2.fwdarw.the primary winding N.sub.1 of the transformer Tr.fwdarw.the inductor L.sub.r.fwdarw.the capacitor C.sub.r.fwdarw.the switching device Q.sub.2.fwdarw.the capacitor C.sub.dc2.

[0036] Thus, the current I.sub.r1 flowing in the primary winding N.sub.1 of the transformer Tr becomes a current which is provided as a combination of the currents I.sub.c1 and I.sub.c2 (their respective current values are also designated as I.sub.c1 and I.sub.c2) to have a value I.sub.C1-I.sub.C2 as is shown in FIG. 2.

[0037] Moreover, the voltage V.sub.Tr2 and current I.sub.r2 of the secondary winding N.sub.2 of the transformer Tr become in phase with the voltage V.sub.Tr1 and current I.sub.r1 of the primary winding N.sub.1, respectively. The current I.sub.r2 is subjected to full-wave rectification in the rectifier circuit REC to be a DC output current I.sub.o. Then, the DC output current I.sub.o is supplied to a load R, from both ends of which a DC output voltage E.sub.o, which is smoothed by the smoothing capacitor C.sub.o, is outputted with a specified magnitude.

[0038] By the foregoing operation, zero-current switching can be carried out at the timings of turning-on and -off the switching devices Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2. In addition, the use of devices made of wide bandgap semiconductor material for the switching devices Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2 allows the devices to reduce switching losses, to be operated at high-speeds and to have high breakdown voltages.

[0039] Further, at the turning-on of the switching devices Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2, their respective freewheeling diodes D.sub.1 and D.sub.2 have no reverse recovery currents flowing therein. Thus, even in the case of using inexpensive devices made of silicon-based semiconductor material for the freewheeling diodes D.sub.1 and D.sub.2, there is no possibility of causing losses.

[0040] Therefore, switching losses in the devices can be ideally made to be approximately zero.

[0041] Although not shown in FIG. 1, a step-up chopper provided with a switching devices made of wide bandgap semiconductor material and a freewheeling diode made of silicon-based semiconductor material may be inserted as necessary between the DC power supply E.sub.d and the series circuit of the capacitors C.sub.dc1 and C.sub.dc2 to raise the DC power supply voltage supplied from the DC power supply E.sub.d and apply the raised DC voltage across the series circuit of the switching devices Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2.

[0042] The electric power converter according to the disclosure can be utilized for various kinds of electric power converters and power supplies on which downsizing is strongly required like on auxiliary power supplies for rolling stock.

[0043] Inclusion in this disclosure of any characterization of any product or method of the related art does not imply or admit that such characterization was known in the prior art or that such characterization would have been appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art at the time a claimed was made, even if the product or method itself was known in the prior art at the time of invention of the present disclosure. For example, if a related art document discussed in the foregoing sections of this disclosure constitutes prior art, the inclusion of any characterization of the related art document does not imply or admit that such characterization of the related art document was known in the prior art or would have been appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art at the time a claimed was made, especially if the characterization is not disclosed in the related art document itself.

[0044] While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to embodiment thereof, such as those discussed above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.