Patents by Inventor Ralf Juchem

Ralf Juchem 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).

  • Publication number: 20230050530
    Abstract: A method and related apparatus for extending a DC voltage range of a rectifier circuit for the supply, from an AC grid, of a DC load which is connected to a DC rectifier output of the rectifier circuit, wherein an AC rectifier input of the rectifier circuit is connected via a grid connection point to the AC grid, wherein the rectifier circuit includes an AC/DC converter having an AC input and a DC output, wherein the AC/DC converter includes a converter circuit having semiconductor switches and freewheeling diodes connected in an antiparallel arrangement thereto, wherein an inductance is connected between the AC input of the AC/DC converter and the grid connection point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Publication date: February 16, 2023
    Inventors: Alexander Unru, Andreas Falk, Dirk Hermeling, Ralf Juchem, Marcel Kratochvil
  • Publication number: 20230045707
    Abstract: The application describes a method for operating an electrolyzer to generate hydrogen from water using an electrolysis reaction, supplied with power from an AC grid via an actively controlled rectifier circuit. The method includes operating the electrolyzer in a normal operating mode with an input voltage UEI above a no-load voltage ULL with predominantly ohmic behavior, operating the electrolyzer in a standby operating mode with an input voltage UEI below the no-load voltage ULL with predominantly capacitive behavior, and transitioning from the standby operating mode to the normal operating mode during a first transition duration ?t1, wherein the first transition duration ?t1 is reduced by keeping the input voltage UEI at the electrolyzer input during the standby operating mode above a first voltage threshold value UTH,1 different from 0 V. The application furthermore describes a connection circuit, an actively controlled rectifier circuit and an electrolysis system for performing the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Inventors: Alexander Unru, Arno Gerth, Ralf Juchem, Tobias Becker
  • Publication number: 20220368243
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a method for supplying power to a DC load using an energy conversion system that includes first and second rectifiers and a transformer system. Each of the rectifiers contains an AC-DC converter connected to an AC grid via a separate secondary side of the transformer system. The transformer system provides a first AC voltage having a first voltage amplitude Û1 on the first secondary side and a second AC voltage having a second voltage amplitude Û2 on the second secondary side, wherein a value of the second voltage amplitude Û2 exceeds a corresponding value of the first voltage amplitude Û1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Alexander Unru, Marcel Kratochvil, Ralf Juchem
  • Patent number: 8212409
    Abstract: A method of activating a Multi-String inverter for photovoltaic generators (1a, 1b) of a photovoltaic plant (6), the Multi-String inverter incorporating on the input side a separate DC-DC converter (2a, 2b) for each generator string (photovoltaic generator) (1a, 1b) and each output of the DC-DC converters (2a, 2b) being connected in parallel and to an input of a DC-AC converter (3) and the DC-AC converter (3) being connected with an alternating current mains (4) for feeding into the mains aims at improving efficiency. This is achieved in that one or several electrical variables, namely input current, input voltage and/or input power are measured at each DC-DC converter (2a, 2b) and at least one of the DC-DC converters (2a, 2b) changing its operating condition as a function of this measurement when a limit value and/or a range is exceeded in such a manner that its power loss is reduced so that the energy yield of the photovoltaic plant (6) is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Gerd Bettenwort, Ralf Juchem, Matthias Victor, Tobias Müller
  • Patent number: 7812592
    Abstract: The subject matter of the present invention is a method for monitoring a photovoltaic generator (1) for generating current with a number of solar cells connected between two external connections by repeated feeding of a current with a frequency spectrum into the generator current circuit, detecting thereby a respective frequency response in the frequency spectrum with the supplied current as the input variable and an electric variable of the generator as the output variable, and detecting a change in the frequency response for monitoring the photovoltaic generator (1) in the event of a change during repeated feeding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Oliver Prior, Ralf Juchem, Matthias Victor, Oliver Frank, Juergen Schlabbach
  • Publication number: 20090236917
    Abstract: A method of activating a Multi-String inverter for photovoltaic generators (1a, 1b) of a photovoltaic plant (6), the Multi-String inverter incorporating on the input side a separate DC-DC converter (2a, 2b) for each generator string (photovoltaic generator) (1a, 1b) and each output of the DC-DC converters (2a, 2b) being connected in parallel and to an input of a DC-AC converter (3) and the DC-AC converter (3) being connected with an alternating current mains (4) for feeding into the mains aims at improving efficiency. This is achieved in that one or several electrical variables, namely input current, input voltage and/or input power are measured at each DC-DC converter (2a, 2b) and at least one of the DC-DC converters (2a, 2b) changing its operating condition as a is function of this measurement when a limit value and/or a range is exceeded in such a manner that its power loss is reduced so that the energy yield of the photovoltaic plant (6) is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Gerd Bettenwort, Ralf Juchem, Matthias Victor, Tobias Muller
  • Publication number: 20080106250
    Abstract: The subject matter of the present invention is a method for monitoring a photovoltaic generator (1) for generating current with a number of solar cells connected between two external connections by repeated feeding of a current with a frequency spectrum into the generator current circuit, detecting thereby a respective frequency response in the frequency spectrum with the supplied current as the input variable and an electric variable of the generator as the output variable, and detecting a change in the frequency response for monitoring the photovoltaic generator (1) in the event of a change during repeated feeding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Publication date: May 8, 2008
    Applicant: SMA Technologie AG
    Inventors: Oliver Prior, Ralf Juchem, Matthias Victor