Patents by Inventor Stuart M. Watkinson

Stuart M. Watkinson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Electrical power apparatus for controlling the supply of electrical power from an array of photovoltaic cells to an electrical head
    Patent number: 5001415
    Abstract: Electrical power transfer apparatus (40) for controlling the supply of electrical power fram an array of photovoltaic cells (41) to an electrical load (46) by means of a switching power converter (45). The switching power converter (45) is controlled by a regulator (58) to maintain the output voltage from the photovoltaic array (41) at a fixed fraction of the open circuit voltage of the photovoltaic array (41), the fixed fraction suitably being between 0.75 and 0.8, whereby the power transfer from the photovoltaic array (41) is maximized. The open circuit voltage of the photovoltaic array (41) is sensed by inhibiting the operation of the switching power converter for short sampling periods at regular intervals, and allowing a capacitor (52) to charge to the voltage of the open-circuited photovoltaic array (41) during the sampling periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Inventor: Stuart M. Watkinson