Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and systems for wireless power transfer (WPT) in ball-and-socket type structures are provided. A ball and ball-socket structure can include conductive windings and conductive plates having a variety of shapes to optimize WPT over different angles as the ball moves or rotates within the ball-socket. One or both of capacitive coupling and inductive coupling can be incorporated.

Abstract: In many power electronics systems, there is an intermediate DC-link stage for facilitating the power processing of different sources to their loads. A device called a plug-and-play ripple pacifier (RP) directly plugged into the DC-link, and actively removes undesired DC-link ripple, thereby eliminating the reliance on electrolytes capacitors for stabilizing the system and remove ripple. Importantly, the use of this device is non-invasive to the operation of its host systems, and requires no modification of existing hardware. It is suitable for the protection of DC utilities/systems and can also be used as a direct replacement of ripple-canceling E-Caps in power converters device.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards methods and systems for omni-directional wireless power transfer. The method comprises generating magnetic field in all directions, detecting the loads based on the magnetic field shape and focusing the power flow towards the detected loads, so as to maximize the energy efficiency of the wireless power transfer.

Abstract: Switched capacitor (SC) converters with excellent voltage regulation, high conversion efficiency, and good suitability fora wide range of applications are provided. An SC converter can include at least two SC sub-circuits, and at least one of these SC sub-circuits can be of variable gain. One SC sub-circuit can convert the input voltage of the SC converter to an output voltage close to the desired output voltage value for the SC converter, and another SC sub-circuit having variable gain can convert the input voltage to an output voltage with a high resolution of small discrete voltage steps.

Abstract: It is directed towards methods and systems for omni-directional wireless power transfer. The method comprises generating magnetic field in all directions, detecting the loads based on the magnetic field shape and focusing the power flow towards the detected loads, so as to maximize the energy efficiency of the wireless power transfer.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices that employ self-driven gate-drive circuitry to facilitate controlling power switches to emulate a diode bridge to synchronously rectify a power signal are presented. A single-phase or multi-phase synchronous rectifier can comprise at least a first pair of switches of a first conducting path and a second pair of switches of a second conducting path that can form or emulate a diode bridge. To facilitate emulating turn-on and turn-off conditions of a diode, a switch can be turned on when voltage across the switch is forward-biased and turned off when switch current is reversed; also, there can be at least one current-controlled switch in each conducting path. Self-driven gate-drive circuitry employs low power components that can facilitate controlling respective switching of the at least first pair and second pair of switches, wherein switching of the switches is also controlled at start-up to emulate a diode bridge.

Abstract: A consumer product elec-tric power supply is provided and includes a grid power converter that is coupled to a power grid; an energy storage element that is coupled to the grid power converter, which provides an intermediate voltage to the energy storage element; a load power converter that is coupled to the energy storage element and provides constant power to a load; and a power controller that measures a state variable of the grid, wherein the power controller controls the grid power converter based on the state variable of the grid to help stabilize the grid.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus of estimating power using a plurality of branch load circuits associated with a mains three phase power supply, comprises: a voltage sensor (303) coupled to a mains power supply; a non-intrusive magnetic flux sensor array (304) coupled to a plurality of branch load circuits (305), the branch load circuits (305) coupled to the main power supply; and a computing device coupled to the voltage sensor (303) and the non-intrusive magnetic flux sensor array (304), in which a set of current-flux conversion values are to be stored in memory of the computing device.

Abstract: It is directed towards methods and systems for omni-directional wireless power transfer. The method comprises generating magnetic field in all directions, detecting the loads based on the magnetic field shape and focusing the power flow towards the detected loads, so as to maximize the energy efficiency of the wireless power transfer.

Abstract: Devices and systems of inductive-capacitive (LC) coil-resonators that can be embedded easily inside high-voltage insulation discs are provided. Each LC coil-resonator comprises spiral conductive tracks fabricated or printed in the form of at least two layers of planar spiral windings on electrically non-conductive materials. The planar conductive windings on at least two parallel layers may be connected to form a closed winding. The distributed inductance associated with the planar spiral windings and the distributed capacitance between the layers of the conductive tracks form an equivalent LC coil-resonator. When these LC coil-resonators are embedded in some or all of the insulation discs in a high-voltage insulation rod, they form the relay coil-resonators for wireless power transfer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for determining the misalignment and mutual coupling between the transmitter coil and receiver coil, with or without an intermediate relay resonator coil, of a wireless power charging system are provided. The determination can be made without using any direct measurement from the receiver circuit. The technic involves exciting the transmitter coil of the wireless power charging system at several frequencies with equal or different input voltage/current, such that the number of equivalent circuit equations is at least equal to the number of unknown terms in the equations. The methods use the knowledge of only the input voltage and the input current of the transmitter coil. This means that the mutual inductance or magnetic coupling coefficient between the transmitter and receiver coils can be determined based on the information obtained from the transmitter circuit and there is no need for any wireless communication from or direct measurements of the receiver circuit.

Abstract: A power converter comprising one or more switch blocks. Each switch block has: a plurality of switch-pairs each having two switches connected in series to each other; a plurality of primary nodes each interconnecting the switches in a respective switch-pair; and a plurality of secondary nodes, each switch-pair being connected in series to an adjacent switch-pair through a said secondary node to form a serial chain of switch-pairs, the secondary nodes including a secondary node at one end of said serial chain and a secondary node at another end of said serial chain. Each adjacent pair of said primary nodes is connectable to a flying capacitor. Each pair of said secondary nodes is connectable to one or more of the following: one or more bypass capacitors, and one or more other said switch blocks.

Abstract: A correlated color temperature control system (1) for a LED lighting system (2) having at least two LED sources (3, 4) with different correlated color temperatures. The LED lighting system (2) has a combined correlated color temperature resulting from the combination of the different correlated color temperatures of the at least two LED sources (3, 4), and a combined luminous flux resulting from the combination of the luminous fluxes of the at least two LED sources (3, 4), with each LED source being supplied with a supply current.

Abstract: A power controller for an AC power converter connected in series with a load and receiving power from or delivering power to a power source, the power controller comprising: a radial control block controlling a radial component of an electrical parameter of the AC power converter; and a chordal control block controlling a chordal component of the electrical parameter of the AC power converter. Also provided is a power system comprising one or more loads each connected in series to a power converter each controlled by a power controller as described above. There is also provided a method of controlling an AC power converter connected in series with a load and receiving power from a power source, the method comprising: controlling a radial component of an electrical parameter of the AC power converter; and controlling a chordal component of the electrical parameter of the AC power converter.

Abstract: There is provided a planar inductive battery charging system designed to enable electronic devices to be recharged. The system includes a planar charging module having a charging surface on which a device to be recharged is placed. Within the charging module and parallel to the charging surface is at least one and preferably an array of primary windings that couple energy inductively to a secondary winding formed in the device to be recharged. The invention also provides secondary modules that allow the system to be used with conventional electronic devices not formed with secondary windings.

Abstract: This invention is related to a novel method and apparatus that provides selective and enhanced power flow in wireless power transfer systems with multiple receivers. Auxiliary circuits are introduced in the receiver circuits (and relay circuits if applicable) so as to ensure proper frequency-selective wireless power flow to the appropriate targeted receivers, with the pickup power by the non-targeted receivers substantially reduced even if the chosen tuned frequencies for different receivers are not widely apart.

Abstract: The present invention provides a power control circuit connectable to a load adapted to receive a power supply, the power control circuit adapted to absorb power from the power supply and adapted to deliver power to the power supply to stabilize at least one electrical parameter of the power supply. The present invention also provides an associated method of stabilizing at least one electrical parameter of a power supply connectable to a load, the method including absorbing power from the power supply or delivering power to the power supply. The at least one electrical parameter of the power supply includes parameters such as voltage and frequency.

Abstract: A correlated colour temperature control system (1) for a LED lighting system (2) having at least two LED sources (3, 4) with different correlated colour temperatures. The LED lighting system (2) has a combined correlated colour temperature resulting from the combination of the different correlated colour temperatures of the at least two LED sources (3, 4), and a combined luminous flux resulting from the combination of the luminous fluxes of the at least two LED sources (3, 4), with each LED source being supplied with a supply current.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices that employ self-driven gate-drive circuitry to facilitate controlling power switches to emulate a diode bridge to synchronously rectify a power signal are presented. A single-phase or multi-phase synchronous rectifier can comprise at least a first pair of switches of a first conducting path and a second pair of switches of a second conducting path that can form or emulate a diode bridge. To facilitate emulating turn-on and turn-off conditions of a diode, a switch can be turned on when voltage across the switch is forward-biased and turned off when switch current is reversed; also, there can be at least one current-controlled switch in each conducting path. Self-driven gate-drive circuitry employs low power components that can facilitate controlling respective switching of the at least first pair and second pair of switches, wherein switching of the switches is also controlled at start-up to emulate a diode bridge.

Abstract: Novel and advantageous insulator discs with embedded resonator coils are provided. By linking the insulator discs in a series using an appropriate mechanical mechanism, the insulator discs form an insulator or insulator string for a high power transmission line system. The resonator coils embedded inside the insulator discs therefore form a series of relay resonators that can be used for wireless power transfer through the principle of near-field magnetic coupling and resonance. The insulator string can provide the simultaneous functions of voltage insulation and wireless power transfer over the length of the string. Applications include, but not limited to, wireless power transfer in a high-voltage environment such as that encountered in high-voltage power transmission line systems.