Having Plural Converters For Single Conversion Patents (Class 363/65)
  • Patent number: 10355687
    Abstract: A wave loss detection circuit includes: an anode of the diode receives a first drive signal, and a cathode of the diode is connected to a first end of the first resistor; a second end of the first resistor is connected to a first end of the first energy storage unit, a first end of the second resistor, and a first input end of the comparison unit; a second end of the first energy storage unit and a second end of the second resistor are connected to a ground level, and a resistance of the first resistor is less than a resistance of the second resistor; a second input end of the comparison unit is configured to receive a threshold voltage, and if a voltage signal received by the first input end is less than the threshold voltage, which indicates that a wave loss occurs in the first drive signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhen Cao, Yunfeng Liu, Yanzhong Zhang
  • Patent number: 10348184
    Abstract: A power system is presented. The power system includes a first converter including a first output terminal a first control unit coupled to the first converter, a second converter including a second output terminal, where the second converter is coupled in parallel to the first converter, and a second control unit coupled to the second converter. The second control unit is configured to measure a plurality of phase currents at the second output terminal, determine a harmonic current transmitted by the second converter based on single phase current of the plurality of measured phase currents, and change a time-period of at least one switching cycle of a carrier wave of the second converter based on the determined harmonic current to synchronize with a carrier wave of the first converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: GE GLOBAL SOURCING LLC
    Inventors: Shahid Ali, Ajith Kuttannair Kumar, Govardhan Ganireddy, Prashanth Manikumar Chennamsetty
  • Patent number: 10333302
    Abstract: Circuits, devices, and method for selecting voltage sources. A voltage selection module may include an analog voltage input. The voltage selection module may also include a digital based voltage input. The voltage selection module further include a control component coupled to the analog voltage input and the digital based voltage input, the control component configured to determine whether to use a first voltage received from the analog voltage input or a second voltage received from the digital based voltage input to generate an output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: David Alan Brown
  • Patent number: 10312905
    Abstract: The invention provides a bond wire arrangement comprising a signal bond wire (1) for operably connecting a first electronic device (6) to a second electronic device (8), and a control bond wire (2) being arranged alongside the signal bond wire at a distance so as to have a magnetic coupling with the signal bond wire (1), and having a first end (11) coupled to ground, and a second end (12) coupled to ground via a resistive element (14). The proposed solution allows the control of the Q factor (losses) of wire bond inductors during assembly phase, which will save time and reduce overall design cycle as compared to known methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Youri Volokhine
  • Patent number: 10291142
    Abstract: A converter arrangement with at least two single LLC converters, a pulse generator per single LLC converter wherein each pulse generator is configured to supply switching pulses to one single LLC converter and an output controller configured to use switching frequency control and/or phase-shift control to control the pulse generators comprises a load balancing control for overcoming unbalanced loading of the converter arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: DET INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LIMITED
    Inventors: Heiko Figge, Frank Schafmeister, Tobias Grote
  • Patent number: 10277127
    Abstract: An electronic system, voltage regulator, controller and fault reporting method and circuit for a voltage regulator or other type of DC-DC converter are disclosed. For example, a fault reporting circuit is disclosed. The fault reporting circuit includes a first transistor device configured to generate a first signal indicating an occurrence of a fault in an associated circuit, a second transistor device coupled to the first transistor device, the second transistor device configured to generate at least one data signal indicating an identity of the fault in the associated circuit, and an output coupled to the first transistor device and the second transistor device, wherein the output is configured to receive the first signal and the at least one data signal. In some implementations, the fault reporting circuit is in a controller for a voltage regulator circuit formed on one or more semiconductor ICs, wafers, chips or dies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: INTERSIL AMERICAS LLC
    Inventor: Douglas M. Mattingly
  • Patent number: 10270273
    Abstract: Disclosed is a charging apparatus mounted in a vehicle. The charging apparatus includes at least two power modules parallel to each other to convert input power applied from an outside into a charging power for charging a high-voltage battery, at least two slave controllers that outputs information about whether each of the power modules enters a constant-voltage charging mode, based on the charging power output from the power modules, and a master controller that determines whether the at least two power modules enter the constant-voltage charging mode by utilizing the information, which is received from the slave controllers, about whether each of the power modules enters the constant-voltage charging mode, wherein the master controller controls such that one of the power modules is operated when the power modules enter the constant-voltage charging mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Dong Gyun Woo, Hui Sung Jang, Hyun Wook Seong
  • Patent number: 10256632
    Abstract: A method of operating a power supply including first and second power converters connected to a load and a power factor correction circuit connected to the power converters includes operating the power supply in a normal power mode such that: the first and second power converters and the power factor correction circuit are active, the first and second power converters each drive their respective load, and the power factor correction circuit performs power factor correction for each circuit formed by the first and second power converters and their respective load, and operating the power supply in an auxiliary power mode such that: both the first power converter and the power factor correction circuit are deactivated and the second power converter is active, the second power converter drives its load, and the second power converter performs power factor correction for a circuit formed between the second power converter and its load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventor: Tae Yong Kim
  • Patent number: 10243446
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for selective harmonic current mitigation pulse width modulation (SHCM-PWM) are provided. Low switching frequencies can be utilized for grid connected cascaded H-bridge multilevel rectifiers to meet harmonic requirements within an extended harmonic spectrum. Instead of using voltage references to calculate switching angles for rectifiers as in conventional selective harmonic elimination-PWM (SHE-PWM) and selective harmonic mitigation-PWM (SHM-PWM), current references can be used to compensate for current harmonics and meet current harmonic requirements and total demand distortion (TDD) within the entire harmonic spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated
    Inventors: Shuo Wang, Amirhossein Moeini, Hui Zhao
  • Patent number: 10236685
    Abstract: A power electronic voltage transforming apparatus is used in a two-phase to single-phase conversion. The power electronic voltage transforming apparatus is cooperatively used with a three-phase to two-phase transformer to convert the two-phase power output from the three-phase to two-phase transformer into single-phase power. The two-phase to single-phase power electronic voltage transforming apparatus or three-phase to single-phase power electronic voltage transforming apparatus has an input cascade connection structure formed by cascading n converter modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: SOUTHWEST JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Zeliang Shu, Linghui Meng, Wenjun Mao, Yuan Lei, Yi Qian, Xiaoqiong He
  • Patent number: 10236714
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for controlling an uninterrupted power supply system comprising multiple converters and a control device, the multiple converters are connected in parallel between a power supply side and a load side of the uninterrupted power supply system, each converter is provided to be individually activated by the control device to provide power from the power supply side to the load side, comprising the steps of determining a system load level at the load side of the uninterruptable power supply system, determining a number of required active converters based on the system load level and a system efficiency depending on the number of active converters, and activating the number of required converters based on the above determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Arkadiusz Boratyn, Esa-Kai Paatero, Rafael Jacukowicz
  • Patent number: 10199955
    Abstract: An electrical multi-phase converter and method for controlling an electrical multi-phase converter is disclosed. In one form a method provides for controlling the electrical multi-phase converter comprises: determining at least two supply voltages for the at least two converter cells of the at least two phase branches; determining a potential zone for each phase branch based on the at least one supply voltage of the at least one converter cell of the phase branch, the potential zone bounding a possible actual phase voltage producible by the phase branch; receiving a reference voltage for each phase branch; and, if the reference voltage for a phase branch is not within the potential zone of the phase branch, setting the reference voltage to a bound of the potential zone and shifting reference voltages of other phase branches, wherein the reference voltages are set and shifted such that a minimal common mode voltage between the output voltages of the multi-phase converter is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventor: Andrey Kalygin
  • Patent number: 10193469
    Abstract: A multi-level power converter for one or more phases includes one or more converter arms including a plurality of serial connected switching cells. Each switching cell includes a plurality of switching devices, a primary energy storage, a secondary energy storage and a first inductor. The switching devices are arranged to selectively provide a connection to the primary energy storage, wherein each switching cell includes a bridge circuit including the switching devices and the primary energy storage, a battery circuit connected to the bridge circuit and including the secondary energy storage, and an arm circuit providing a connection between two adjacent switching cells. The first inductor of each switching cell is arranged in the arm circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: ABB SCHWEIZ AG
    Inventors: Lennart Harnefors, Tomas Tengner
  • Patent number: 10193461
    Abstract: A PWM controlled multi-phase resonant voltage converter may include a plurality of primary windings powered through respective half-bridges, and as many secondary windings connected to an output terminal of the converter and magnetically coupled to the respective primary windings. The primary or secondary windings may be connected such that a real or virtual neutral point is floating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Claudio Adragna, Giuseppe Gattavari, Paolo Mattavelli, Enrico Orietti, Giorgio Spiazzi
  • Patent number: 10158284
    Abstract: The invention relates to an operating device (1) for lighting means (8), having a circuit (101) for dividing a rectified alternating voltage to direct voltages of lower levels, wherein the circuit (101) comprises a PFC block comprising a plurality of half bridge converters (102, 103, 104) that are arranged such that the sum of the input voltage drops across the half bridge converters (102, 103, 104) corresponds to the value of the rectified alternating voltage, wherein the circuit (101) is the first active stage in a power supply for the lighting means (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: TRIDONIC GMBH & CO KG
    Inventor: Jamie Kelly
  • Patent number: 10141778
    Abstract: A redundant power includes a main power circuit for generating main power, a main power isolation unit, an auxiliary power circuit for generating auxiliary power, an auxiliary power isolation unit and a micro control unit. The main power isolation unit and auxiliary power isolation unit receive and output the main power and auxiliary power respectively. The micro control unit transmits a cold redundant signal to the main power circuit and auxiliary power circuit when receiving the cold redundant signal and outputs first and second disable signals to the main power isolation unit and auxiliary power isolation unit respectively. In response to the cold redundant signal, the main power circuit and auxiliary power circuit reduce levels of the main power and auxiliary power respectively. The main power isolation unit and auxiliary power isolation unit are disabled according to the first and second disable signals respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: 3Y Power Technology (Taiwan), Inc.
    Inventors: Chih-Hung Huang, Change-Yuan Liu
  • Patent number: 10090773
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a plurality of slices each having a transformer including a primary winding to couple to an input power source and a plurality of secondary windings each to couple to one of a plurality of power cells of the slice. Each of the power cells of a first slice may have an output that is phase rotated with respect to a correspondingly positioned power cell of a second slice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company
    Inventors: Bhaskara Palle, Ryan Edwards, Randall Pipho, Alex Skorcz, Enrique Ledezma, Hossein Karimi
  • Patent number: 10084380
    Abstract: A controller for a power converter formed with a plurality of converter stages, and method of operating the same. In one embodiment, the controller includes a power system controller configured to determine an unequal current allocation among the plurality of converter stages based on an operation of the power converter. The controller also includes a converter stage controller configured to control an output current produced by each of the plurality of converter stages in response to the current allocation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Altera Corporation
    Inventors: Wenguang Yan, Ashraf W. Lotfi
  • Patent number: 10075067
    Abstract: Various examples are provided for two-switch switched-capacitor (SC) converters. In one example, a SC converter includes first and second switches connected in series, a first gain-extension network coupled to the first switch and a second gain-extension network coupled to the second switch, which can be operated to boost a voltage applied across the first and second switches. The gain-extension networks can include a diode and a capacitor. In another example, the gain-extension networks can include a switch and a capacitor, which can be operated to buck a voltage applied across the gain-extension networks. In another example, a SC converter includes first and second diodes connected in series, a first gain-extension network coupled to the first diode and a second gain-extension network coupled to the second diode. The gain-extension networks can include a switch and a capacitor, which can be operated to buck a voltage applied across the gain-extension networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignees: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RAMOT AT TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY LTD.
    Inventors: Bin Wu, Keyue Ma Smedley, Sigmond Singer
  • Patent number: 10044292
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for controlling an inverter system including a plurality of inverters connected in parallel. The method includes: comparing a target power amount with an amount of power to be supplied by the predetermined number of inverters; determining the number of inverters to be driven, based on a result of the comparison; and supplying the final output power to an AC power system by driving inverters by the determined number of inverters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Ho-Hyun Kang
  • Patent number: 10020652
    Abstract: A power distribution system including first and second ac busbars connected to ac generators. A first active rectifier/inverter has ac input terminals electrically connected to the first ac busbar. A second active rectifier/inverter has ac input terminals electrically connected to the second ac busbar. A first dc interface is electrically connected to dc output terminals of the first active rectifier/inverter and a second dc interface is electrically connected to dc output terminals of the second active rectifier/inverter. The dc interfaces include reverse blocking means. A third active rectifier/inverter operates as a drive and has dc input terminals electrically connected in the parallel to dc output terminals of the first and second dc interfaces by means of an interposing dc busbar. An electric motor, that can optionally form part of a marine thruster T1, is electrically connected to ac output terminals of the third active rectifier/inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: GE Energy Power Conversion Technology Ltd
    Inventor: Eric Lewis, III
  • Patent number: 9991778
    Abstract: To provide current balancing between paralleled first and second inverter units of a modular converter system, a system controller is configured to determine a gate driver offset value based on respective voltages at the phase output nodes of the first and second inverter units. The system controller controls gate drivers for the first and second inverter units based on the determined gate driver offset value. In turn, the gate drivers drive the first and second inverter units with subsequent drive signals such that the amounts of current provided by the first and second inverter units when producing an in-phase power output are balanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Matthew J. Krolak, Shengyi Liu
  • Patent number: 9991703
    Abstract: The present invention relates to providing reliable power to a storage device. In one embodiment, the storage device employs dual external power supplies. The power supplies may both provide power to the storage device. Alternatively, the power supplies may provide power in different configurations. One power supply may be a primary supply providing all or a majority of power, while the other power supply may be a backup. The storage device may comprise high efficiency DC-to-DC converters to permit the use of lower power-rated external power supplies. A staggered startup procedure by the storage device may be implemented to manage peak power draw. The storage device may be further configured to load balance and power share between the external power supplies. In addition, the storage device is configured to monitor the status of the external power supplies and send a notification if one or more of the power supplies fails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: John E. Maroney
  • Patent number: 9991788
    Abstract: A control circuit of a power factor correction circuit including two channels, each of which includes a switching transistor, an inductor and a rectification element, includes: an error amplifier amplifying an error of a feedback signal according to output voltage of the power factor correction circuit and target value of the feedback signal and generating an error signal; a pulse modulator generating first and second pulse modulated signals in current critical mode in response to the error signal; a first driver driving the switching transistor of first channel based on the first pulse modulated signal; and a second driver driving the switching transistor of second channel based on the second pulse modulated signal, wherein the pulse modulator switches between a first mode where phase difference between the first and second pulse modulated signals is 180° and a second mode where the first and second channels are exclusively and alternately used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takumi Oe, Hiroyuki Murakami
  • Patent number: 9979280
    Abstract: A distributed power system wherein a plurality of power converters are connected in parallel and share the power conversion load according to a prescribed function, but each power converter autonomously determines its share of power conversion. Each power converter operates according to its own power conversion formula/function, such that overall the parallel-connected converters share the power conversion load in a predetermined manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Solaredge Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Meir Adest, Guy Sella, Lior Handelsman, Yoav Galin, Amir Fishelov, Meir Gazit, Tzachi Glovinski, Yaron Binder
  • Patent number: 9941698
    Abstract: Legacy automatic variable capacitor KVAR compensation systems typically use either electromechanical devices such as relays or contactors of various forms and types to switch the selected capacitors in and out of the electrical system under some form of electronic control. These systems are slow and discontinuous in their ability to closely regulate the exact value of compensatory capacitance needed to compensate the variable and rapidly changing reactive power KVAR in the electrical power transmission and distribution networks. The present invention provides a fast response active KVAR compensator based on a variable transimpedance topology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Edge Electronics Limited
    Inventors: Neal George Stewart, Wing Ling Cheng
  • Patent number: 9941044
    Abstract: An insulation type step-down converter includes first and second step-down transformers each of which includes an input-side coil and an output-side coil. An intermediate portion of the output-side coil of the first step-down transformer and an intermediate portion of the output-side coil of the second step-down transformer are connected to each other. First, second, third, and fourth rectifier elements are connected in series with first, second, third, and fourth output-side coils, respectively. Smoothing coils are connected to the first to fourth output-side coils. The first, second, third, and fourth rectifier elements are connected such that electric currents flow simultaneously in the first output-side coil and the third output-side coil, and electric currents flow simultaneously in the second output-side coil and the fourth output-side coil in a manner alternating with the electric currents in the first output-side coil and the third output-side coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Nakajima, Takashi Kumagai, Yuji Shirakata, Yujiro Kido, Kenji Nishizaka
  • Patent number: 9935464
    Abstract: A smart junction box for a photovoltaic solar power module, and related method of operation. The junction box includes a plurality of active bypass circuits for protecting the solar cells from reverse bias, a novel power supply circuit in several embodiments that can operate with input voltages of either positive or negative polarity, a capacitor for storing and supplying energy, and a master control circuit. The master control circuit is able to enable/disable the power supply, force the bypass switches to open, and modulate the on-resistance of the bypass switches. The master control circuit performs these functions in a coordinated way to maintain the voltage across the capacitor within predetermined limits, thereby ensuring the internal circuitry is powered under all operating conditions including: full sunlight, partial shading, full shading, and safe mode for reducing the risk of electrical shock to firefighters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Sunfield Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven Andrew Robbins
  • Patent number: 9910103
    Abstract: A power supply unit (PSU) performs a PSU fault diagnosis using a PSU fault detection module. The PSU fault detection module detects a diagnostic trigger event and initiates a series of checks of selected sub-systems. The PSU fault detection module determines whether the trigger event occurred while the PSU was connected within an information handling system (IHS) or physically removed from the IHS. If the trigger event occurred while the PSU was connected within an information handling system (IHS), the PSU fault detection module electrically isolates the PSU from the IHS using an ORing device, which blocks current flowing into the PSU. The PSU fault detection module determines whether a short circuit exists within the electrically isolated PSU. If a short circuit is identified, the PSU fault detection module determines that the PSU is not functioning properly and provides a notification of a malfunction of the PSU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Dell Products, L.P.
    Inventors: Mehran Mirjafari, Mark Muccini, Scott Michael Ramsey, Wei Chen, Bhavesh Govindbhai Patel
  • Patent number: 9910453
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating a sinusoid at a pre-set frequency f includes a DC power source with a controllable output voltage, a transformer, a power switch, a sequencer, and an output filter. The power switch is configured to apply the output of the DC power source to the primary of the transformer in either direction or to remain off based on control signals that are applied to its control input. The sequencer applies control signals to the control input in a choreographed sequence to form an oversampled version of a sine wave. The output filter is connected to the secondary of the transformer, and it passes the pre-set frequency f and attenuates frequencies above a cut-off frequency. In some preferred embodiments, the cut-off frequency is 3f and the transfer function of the output filter has a zero at 5f.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Novocure Limited
    Inventors: Yoram Wasserman, Edward Langerman, Mikhail Shtotland, Sergei Kirillov, Michael Krinitsky, Victor Kaikov
  • Patent number: 9906135
    Abstract: A multiphase DC/DC power converter includes an input, an output, at least a first converter and a second converter coupled in parallel between the input and the output, an inductor coupled to the first and second converters, an output capacitor coupled between the first and second converters and the output, and a control circuit coupled to the first converter and the second converter. The first and second converters each include a power switch. The control circuit is configured to switch the power switches at a frequency with a phase shift therebetween, and to vary the frequency to regulate a voltage at the output. Additionally, the control circuit may be configured to switch power switches at a fixed frequency with substantially no phase shift therebetween during startup of a multiphase DC/DC power converter, and at a variable frequency with a defined phase shift therebetween after startup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Astec International Limited
    Inventors: James Sigamani, Vijay Gangadhar Phadke
  • Patent number: 9906040
    Abstract: For a simple and reliable data communication in an arrangement composed of a plurality of inverters (31, 32, . . . 3n) connected in series and a network monitoring unit (5) it is provided that the network monitoring unit (5) superimposes a synchronization pulse (10) to the network voltage (VN) applied to the electrical load (4), which synchronization pulse can be detected by the inverters (31, 32, . . . 3n) for temporal synchronization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: FRONIUS INTERNATIONAL GmbH
    Inventors: David Aitzetmueller, Christian Fasthuber, Clemens Bittmann
  • Patent number: 9885759
    Abstract: For an efficient, economical and at the same time flexibly usable or configurable test arrangement for energy storage devices including a plurality of energy storage modules, each including a plurality of energy storage units, an AC/DC converter (2) is connected on the output side to at least one bidirectional isolated module DC/DC converter (51 . . . 5n), wherein the output of the bidirectional isolated module DC/DC converter (51 . . . 5n) is connected to a plurality of parallel-connected cell DC/DC converters (611 . . . 6nm) and the outputs of the cell DC/DC converters (611 . . . 6nm) are brought out as outputs (A1+, A1? . . . Ax+, Ax?) of the test arrangement (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Gottfried Schipfer, Günter Prochart
  • Patent number: 9857812
    Abstract: A power conversion system is provided. The power conversion system includes a plurality of power conversion modules connected in parallel, all power conversion modules of the plurality of power conversion modules configured to receive a pulse-width modulation control signal, each power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules including a current unbalance detection circuit configured to calculate a difference between a reference current and an output current of the power conversion module, and a processing device communicatively coupled to the current unbalance detection circuit and configured to perform processing using the calculated difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lorenzo Giuntini, Andrea Lauro Delmue', Andrea Mannuccini, Luigi De Bernardi, Giosue' Claudio Rebuffoni
  • Patent number: 9853566
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a system for driving inverters in parallel includes a master controller, a plurality of slave controllers, and a plurality of inverters controlled correspondingly by each of the slave controllers. The system may further include a control signal creation unit to create control signals for the slave controllers by using data transmitted and received between the master controller and the slave controllers to enable the plurality of inverters to create balanced output currents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: LSIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Bong-Ki Lee
  • Patent number: 9837931
    Abstract: A steady state control method for a three-phase double-mode inverter. Off-grid steady state control is composed of outer loop power droop control, voltage feed-forward quasi-resonant control, and inner current loop dead-beat control. Therefore, the response speed of the inverter is raised, and the influence caused by the load fluctuation of a micro-grid is inhibited. Based on the off-grid steady state control, grid-connected steady state control introduces phase lead control to the power droop control. Therefore, the output voltage of the inverter is always slightly ahead of the power grid voltage, which avoids the energy pour backward phenomenon of the inverter due to a phase error, and realizes stable and reliable running in the grid-connected mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignees: Hunan University, Changsha Boli Electric Corporation
    Inventors: An Luo, Yandong Chen, Mingyue Wang, Qingchang Zhong, Leming Zhou, Yuan Huang, Zhiyong Chen, Xiaoping Zhou, Huimin Kuang, Mingshen Li
  • Patent number: 9831846
    Abstract: For power conversion, a power conversion system includes a plurality of power converters and a phase shifting transformer. The phase shifting transformer includes 3-phase primary windings, a core and a plurality of m secondary winding groups. Each of the secondary winding groups includes n secondary windings in electromagnetic communication with a corresponding primary winding and feeding the plurality of power converters. Phase angle sets of the secondary winding groups are all different with a non-zero secondary winding phase shift between any two secondary winding groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhongyuan Cheng, Navid R. Zargari
  • Patent number: 9819276
    Abstract: A power supply circuit comprises an input for receiving a power supply from a battery and a DC/DC converter for supplying a converted voltage to a load. A regulator is used for controlling the DC/DC converter such that the current drawn from the converter is smoothed. A charge storage device at the output of the DC/DC converter enables delivery of a non-constant current to the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: NXP B.V.
    Inventors: Dave Kroekenstoel, Steven Thoen
  • Patent number: 9793803
    Abstract: A power converter circuit includes an input and an output. A supply circuit is configured to receive an input signal from the input and to generate a number of supply signals from the input signal. A number of converter units are provided. Each of the plurality of converter units is configured to receive one of the plurality of supply signals and to output an output signal to the output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria AG
    Inventors: Gerald Deboy, Klaus Krischan, Rolf Weis
  • Patent number: 9787219
    Abstract: A modulation policy for a modular multi-level convertor, determining a switching state of each submodule by combining the current direction of each bridge arm and the capacitor voltage order of the submodules based on a carrier stacking method. The beneficial effects of the modulation policy are that: each phase only needs a modulation wave and N carriers, given N submodules of each upper bridge arm or lower bridge arm of the modular multi-level convertor; the modular multi-level convertor can output N+1 levels without carrier phase shift; N devoted submodules of each phase are guaranteed at any time; and the submodules' capacitor voltage balancing can be controlled without a closed-loop control policy. The modulation policy facilitates adjustment of the modular multi-level convertor voltage and power class, has unlimited number of levels, has a high precision control algorithm, is easy to realize in engineering and saves software and hardware resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: CHINA UNIVERSITY OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Xiaojie Wu, Zheng Gong, Peng Dai, Gaige Liang, Yiwen Geng, Quanjun Guo, Juan Zhou, En Fang, Xia Zhao, Huaxia Dai, Xiao Zong, Guangsheng Liu
  • Patent number: 9755522
    Abstract: A method for controlling a multiphase resonant DC/DC converter comprising a plurality of identical elementary resonant DC/DC converters connected in parallel. The method comprises the steps of measuring each of the supply currents (IR1, IR2, . . . IRn) of the elementary converters for balancing the supply currents (IR1, IR2, . . . IRn) and controlling switching frequencies (F1, F2, . . . Fn) of the elementary converters according to the supply currents (IR1, IR2, . . . IRn), so as to carry out the balancing. The supply currents (IR1, IR2, . . . IRn) are measured in the elementary DC/DC converters in order to balance these same currents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Valeo Equipements Electriques Moteur
    Inventors: Patrick Dubus, Gang Yang
  • Patent number: 9729070
    Abstract: Provided are methods and circuits for a resonant converter comprising at least one switch-controlled capacitor, wherein the at least one switch-controlled capacitor controls a resonant frequency of the resonant tank circuit. Provided are constant and variable switching frequency embodiments, and full-wave and half-wave switch-controlled capacitor embodiments. Also provided are interleaved resonant converters based on constant and variable switching frequency, and full-wave and half-wave switch-controlled capacitor resonant converter embodiments. Interleaved embodiments overcome load sharing problems associated with prior interleaved resonant converters and enable phase shedding to improve light load efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: GANPOWER INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Yan-Fei Liu, Zhiyuan Hu
  • Patent number: 9729139
    Abstract: A cooperative control method for a plurality of power semiconductor elements connected in parallel. The cooperative control method includes (1) connecting, in a daisy chain configuration, a plurality of current balance control circuits each for driving a corresponding power semiconductor element, and (2) responsive to an input to cause the power semiconductor elements to simultaneously perform switching operations, comparing current information of each power semiconductor element with that of an adjacent power semiconductor element, and delaying, using the current balance control circuits, turn-on time or turn-off time of each power semiconductor element, upon determining that the turn-on time or the turn-off time is earlier than turn-on time or turn-off time obtained from the current information of the adjacent power semiconductor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masahiro Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9712040
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for shaping grid currents output from parallel inverters in a power distribution system with virtual impedances. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a measurement of the current output from the inverter, processing the measurement of the current to extract a first current component having a particular frequency, obtaining a second current component based on the measurement of the current and the extracted first current component, weighing the first and second current components with respective first and second impedances to obtain respective first and second component voltages, the first impedance having a lower impedance amplitude than the second impedance, obtaining a shaped voltage based on the first and second component voltages, and outputting a control signal to the inverter, the control signal causing the inverter to output the shaped voltage to the power distribution bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Sangsun Kim, Srinivasa Murthy Salapaka, Murti V. Salapaka, Subhrajit Roychowdhury
  • Patent number: 9712063
    Abstract: A method for improving a power converter's efficiency comprises detecting an input voltage of a power converter, determining an operation mode of the power converter based upon the input voltage of the power converter and generating a plurality of gate drive signals based upon a damped gain control, wherein the damped gain control is configured such that an output voltage of the power converter is in a range from a tightly regulated output voltage to an unregulated output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Futurewei Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Heping Dai, Daoshen Chen, Bing Cai
  • Patent number: 9712080
    Abstract: A system includes first and second pluralities of single phase AC/DC power supplies each having an input for coupling to first and second phase voltages, respectively, in a polyphase power distribution system. The outputs of the power supplies are electrically connected in parallel for supplying DC current to a load at a substantially constant voltage. The system further includes a controller coupled to at least the first plurality of power supplies and configured to increase the DC current supplied to the load by at least one of the first plurality of power supplies in response to another one of the first plurality of power supplies shutting down. Various other systems, power supplies, controllers and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: ASTEC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
    Inventor: Vijay Gangadhar Phadke
  • Patent number: 9705416
    Abstract: A converter arrangement with at least two single LLC converters, a pulse generator per single LLC converter wherein each pulse generator is configured to supply switching pulses to one single LLC converter and an output controller configured to use switching frequency control and/or phase-shift control to control the pulse generators comprises a load balancing control for overcoming unbalanced loading of the converter arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: DET INTERNATIONAL HOLDING LIMITED
    Inventors: Heiko Figge, Frank Schafmeister, Tobias Grote
  • Patent number: 9673638
    Abstract: A charging converter includes a plurality of switches configured to switchably operate to either step up an input voltage or step down the input voltage and generate a charging voltage on a second terminal to charge to a rechargeable storage unit, and control logic configured to operate the plurality of switches in one of a step up mode and a step down mode based on a determination of a voltage level of the input voltage relative to the desired charging voltage. A method includes determining a desired charging voltage to charge a rechargeable storage unit, switchably controlling a charging converter to step up the input voltage if an input voltage is lower than the desired charging voltage to generate a charging voltage, and switchably controlling the charging converter to step down the input voltage if the input voltage is higher than the desired charging voltage to generate the charging voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: INTEGRATED DEVICE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Siamak Bastami
  • Patent number: 9658667
    Abstract: A power supply system is provided to control one or more power supply units associated with an information handling system. A first power supply unit and a second power supply unit are electrically coupled to the information handling system. A controller is provided in communication with both the first and second power supply units. The controller functions to select one of the first and second power supply units to electrically power the information handling system. The non-selected unit generates zero output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frank Chen, George Cheng, Peter Cy Huang
  • Patent number: 9660522
    Abstract: A DC-DC converter circuit arrangement consisting of at least one multiphase DC-DC converter for transporting energy between two electrical systems. The arrangement may include several converter circuits whereby each features at least one first control element that can be regulated. A controller can produce several drive signals that have different phases. One switched mode operation of a converter circuit of the multiphase DC-DC converter can be controlled with each drive signal. The switched mode operation of each converter circuit of each subsequent multiphase DC-DC converter can be controlled by means of a drive signal, which can be produced by the controller. The controller is designed and equipped in such a way that it can enable or disable the energy transport by means of one of the multiphase DC-DC converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Co.
    Inventor: Wolfgang Daub