Patents by Inventor Thomas Wappler

Thomas Wappler 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).

  • Patent number: 11522494
    Abstract: An inverter for a photovoltaic system includes a substantially planar baseplate having a front and a rear, wherein the rear forms an outer rear wall of the inverter, and having at least one platform-like elevation that rises in the direction of the front of the baseplate. The inverter also includes a printed circuit board having one or more heat-generating components mounted thereon, wherein the printed circuit board is installed on the baseplate such that the one or more heat-generating components are arranged on the printed circuit board in the region of the platform-like elevation and are in thermal contact with the platform-like elevation. The inverter further includes a potting compound that fills a space on the front of the baseplate and surrounds at least partially the printed circuit board, and a cover arranged on or in the potting compound that adjoins the baseplate, so that the baseplate and the cover surrounding at least part of the potting compound form a housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Stefan Buchhold, Jens Friebe, Michael Kotthaus, Ephraim Moeser, Torsten Soederberg, Thomas Wappler
  • Publication number: 20220304184
    Abstract: An inverter with a rated power of at least 3 kVA includes a first assembly which includes a first printed circuit board and a DC/AC converter stage, and a second assembly which includes a second printed circuit board and an EMC filter for the DC/AC converter stage. The first printed circuit board is mounted on a heat sink and lies substantially flat on the heat sink, and the DC/AC converter stage has converter components which comprise power semiconductors, chokes and link circuit capacitors. The chokes and the link circuit capacitors are arranged together on one side of the first printed circuit board, and the heat sink is arranged on the opposite side of the first printed circuit board, and the chokes and/or the power semiconductors are thermally connected to the heat sink via the first printed circuit board and a thermally conductive material arranged between the first printed circuit board and the heat sink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Klaus Rigbers, Thomas Wappler, Gerrit Braun, Andreas Knobloch, Matthias Rehbein
  • Patent number: 11289994
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement includes a power semiconductor switch, a freewheeling diode, and a storage choke having a core and a winding coupled between a first choke terminal and a second choke terminal. The storage choke is configured to conduct a current flowing across the power semiconductor switch. The arrangement also includes a driver circuit configured to drive the power semiconductor switch via the control terminal thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Jens Friebe, Oliver Prior, Thomas Wappler
  • Patent number: 11146072
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an inverter with at least one inverter bridge and at least two galvanically isolating DC/DC converters, outputs of the DC/DC converters being connected in parallel with one another and being connected to inputs of the inverter bridge. At least two of the DC/DC converters are intercoupled on the input side via a diode, such that the diode is connected with its terminals to one of the inputs of the two direct voltage converters in each case. The disclosure also relates to a use for such an inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Stefan Buchhold, Jens Friebe, Michael Kotthaus, Torsten Soederberg, Thomas Wappler, Ephraim Moeser
  • Patent number: 11025055
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an inverter with at least one inverter bridge and at least two DC converters, the outputs of the DC converters being connected to inputs of the inverter. The inverter includes an exchangeable adapter having input terminals for connection to power sources or loads and output terminals connected via input terminals to inputs of the DC-DC converters. Within the adapter each of the output terminals is connected to one of the input terminals and/or another of the output terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Stefan Buchhold, Jens Friebe, Michael Kotthaus, Torsten Soederberg, Thomas Wappler, Ephraim Moeser
  • Publication number: 20200313607
    Abstract: An inverter for a photovoltaic system includes a substantially planar baseplate having a front and a rear, wherein the rear forms an outer rear wall of the inverter, and having at least one platform-like elevation that rises in the direction of the front of the baseplate. The inverter also includes a printed circuit board having one or more heat-generating components mounted thereon, wherein the printed circuit board is installed on the baseplate such that the one or more heat-generating components are arranged on the printed circuit board in the region of the platform-like elevation and are in thermal contact with the platform-like elevation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Buchhold, Jens Friebe, Michael Kotthaus, Ephraim Moeser, Torsten Soederberg, Thomas Wappler
  • Publication number: 20200301493
    Abstract: The application relates to a photovoltaic system having a photovoltaic generator, an inverter and a communication interface configured for connecting an external electrical unit. The communication interface is configured for bidirectional power interchange with the external electrical unit. The inverter can include the communication interface. Furthermore, the description relates to a method for operating such a photovoltaic system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Buchhold, Jens Friebe, Michael Kotthaus, Ephraim Moeser, Torsten Soederberg, Thomas Wappler
  • Publication number: 20200259419
    Abstract: A circuit arrangement includes a power semiconductor switch, a freewheeling diode, and a storage choke having a core and a winding coupled between a first choke terminal and a second choke terminal. The storage choke is configured to conduct a current flowing across the power semiconductor switch. The arrangement also includes a driver circuit configured to drive the power semiconductor switch via the control terminal thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Jens Friebe, Oliver Prior, Thomas Wappler
  • Publication number: 20200136383
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an inverter with at least one inverter bridge and at least two DC converters, the outputs of the DC converters being connected to inputs of the inverter. The inverter includes an exchangeable adapter having input terminals for connection to power sources or loads and output terminals connected via input terminals to inputs of the DC-DC converters. Within the adapter each of the output terminals is connected to one of the input terminals and/or another of the output terminals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Buchhold, Jens Friebe, Michael Kotthaus, Torsten Soederberg, Thomas Wappler, Ephraim Moeser
  • Publication number: 20200136394
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an inverter with at least one inverter bridge and at least two galvanically isolating DC/DC converters, outputs of the DC/DC converters being connected in parallel with one another and being connected to inputs of the inverter bridge. At least two of the DC/DC converters are intercoupled on the input side via a diode, such that the diode is connected with its terminals to one of the inputs of the two direct voltage converters in each case. The disclosure also relates to a use for such an inverter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan Buchhold, Jens Friebe, Michael Kotthaus, Torsten Soederberg, Thomas Wappler, Ephraim Moeser
  • Patent number: 10447175
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an inverter for supplying a power provided as a DC voltage at a DC input to an AC mains connectable to an AC output. In this case, the inverter includes a switching network with a plurality of semiconductor switches and a digital control unit for producing a digital switching pattern for digitally operated semiconductor switches of the switching network that are able to be used to produce a first output voltage (Uout,dig). The inverter additionally includes a linear control unit for producing signals for actuating at least one semiconductor switch of the switching network in a linear mode, wherein the linear control unit is set up to produce a voltage drop (Uout,lin) across and/or a current (Iout,lin) through the at least one linearly operated semiconductor switch to a target value that is dependent on an instantaneous difference between the first output voltage (Uout,dig) and a voltage (UAC) of the AC mains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
    Inventors: Jens Friebe, Oliver Prior, Thomas Wappler
  • Publication number: 20170279374
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an inverter for supplying a power provided as a DC voltage at a DC input to an AC mains connectable to an AC output. In this case, the inverter includes a switching network with a plurality of semiconductor switches and a digital control unit for producing a digital switching pattern for digitally operated semiconductor switches of the switching network that are able to be used to produce a first output voltage (Uout,dig). The inverter additionally includes a linear control unit for producing signals for actuating at least one semiconductor switch of the switching network in a linear mode, wherein the linear control unit is set up to produce a voltage drop (Uout,lin) across and/or a current (Iout,lin) through the at least one linearly operated semiconductor switch to a target value that is dependent on an instantaneous difference between the first output voltage (Uout,dig) and a voltage (UAC) of the AC mains.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Inventors: Jens Friebe, Oliver Prior, Thomas Wappler
  • Publication number: 20170195951
    Abstract: To integrate an inverter into a wireless local area communication network, wherein the inverter is connectable by its input to a local energy source and by its output to an AC mains, the inverter and a network access point of the wireless local area communication network are taken for a limited time period to an integration state in which the inverter joins the wireless local area communication network, wherein network access data pertaining to the wireless local area communication network are stored in a memory associated with the inverter, which network access data are used by said inverter to incorporate itself into the wireless local area communication network in future. In this case, the inverter is taken to its integration state by virtue of the mains voltage of the AC mains being applied to its output for the first time or again following an interruption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Markus Klein, Thomas Wappler