Eaton Corporation

Eaton Intelligent Power Limited

Exide Electronics Corporation

Powerware Corporation

Eaton Power Quality Corporation

Self-powered Lighting, Inc.

Alphatec Ltd.

Exide Elecronics Corp.

George William Oughton, Jr

Steven R Widener

George Arthur Navarro

Yu Liu

Larry Van Lynam

Robert William Johnson, Jr

Pasi Sakari Taimela

Joseph Charles Paulakonis

William J Raddi

Christopher Scott Thompson

Bobby Leonard Compton

Hans-Erik Pfitzer

Anthony Olivo

Thomas Alfred Wallace

Eric Menzel

Haidong Yu

Lei Winston Zeng

Debrup Das

John Kyle Earle

An apparatus includes a string of serially-connected energy storage devices, a string of serially-connected windings on at least one core and having a first medial node coupled to a first medial node of the string of serially-connected energy storage devices, and first and second switches configured to connect first and second end nodes of the string of serially-connected storage devices to respective first and second end nodes of the string of serially-connected energy storage devices. A control circuit is configured to operate the first and second switches at the same duty cycle.

Auto adjusting balancer apparatus

An apparatus includes a first winding and a second winding on a core and having first taps coupled in common to a first node of an inverter circuit. The apparatus further includes a switching circuit configured to selectively couple a second tap of the first winding to a second node of the inverter circuit and to selectively couple a second tap of the second winding to a third node of the inverter circuit. The switching circuit may be configured to provide a desired balance of first and second voltages at respective ones of the second and third nodes with respect to the first node. Related methods are also described.

Power converter apparatus and methods using adaptive node balancing

An apparatus (e.g., an inductor system) includes an elongate magnetic core, at least one coil wrapped around the magnetic core and a spacer configured to separate an inner side of the at least one coil from the magnetic core to provide a coolant passage between the inner side of the at least one coil and the magnetic core. The apparatus further includes at least one flux concentrator body positioned on an outer side of the at least one coil and configured to concentrate a magnetic flux on the outer side of the at least one coil. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a frame configured to support the magnetic core, the at least one coil and the at least one flux concentrator body. In further embodiments, the at least one flux concentrator body may be mounted on at least one wall of an enclosure or chassis.

Inductor systems using flux concentrator structures

An apparatus includes at least one heat sink and first and second electronic assemblies mounted on the at least one heat sink at respective first and second mounting sites and configured to unequally (e.g., at least partially non-concurrently) produce heat. At least one heat pipe is thermally coupled to the at least one heat sink and extends between locations proximate the first and second mounting sites. For example, the first and second electronic assemblies may be components of respective subsystems of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), such as a rectifier and a battery converter, that generate heat in an at least partially non-concurrent manner.

Apparatus and methods using heat pipes for linking electronic assemblies that unequally produce heat

A multi-level converter includes first and second DC buses, a plurality of transistors coupled in series between the first and second DC buses and a clamp circuit configured to clamp a node joining a first transistor and a second transistor of the plurality of transistors. The converter further includes a bias circuit coupled to the clamped node, which may reduce or prevent voltage stress on the transistors. Related methods of operation are also described.

Multi-level converter apparatus and methods using clamped node bias

A fault in a DC power source, such as a battery string or a string of photovoltaic cells, is identified by detecting a change in an AC component of a residual current of the DC power source. In some embodiments, the DC power source is coupled to at least one DC bus and the methods further include generating an AC voltage on the at least one DC bus. For example, the DC power source may be coupled to a modulated DC bus of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system comprising an inverter having an input coupled to the DC bus. The inverter may be configured to generate an AC output voltage and the AC component has a frequency that is a harmonic of a fundamental frequency of the AC output voltage, such as a third harmonic of the fundamental frequency of the AC output voltage.

Systems and apparatus for fault detection in DC power sources using AC residual current detection

A PV system includes a plurality of PV strings each having an optimal string voltage at which a string output power is maximized. The PV strings are connected to a DC link in a parallel arrangement such that each PV strings operates at a variable DC link voltage. A PV inverter is connected to the DC link to receive a DC output, with the PV inverter controlling the DC link voltage. Delta DC/DC converters are connected to the PV strings, with each DC/DC converter receiving the DC link voltage from the DC link and providing a tuning voltage to the DC link voltage at which its respective PV string operates in order to bring the string voltage for that PV string to its optimal string voltage. The tuning voltage of each delta DC/DC converter is the difference between the DC link voltage and a respective optimal string voltage.

System and method for maximizing power output of photovoltaic strings

A resonant tank circuit has an output port configured to be coupled to a load comprising a current-controlled semiconductor device, such as a diode, thyristor, transistor or the like. A voltage generator circuit is configured to intermittently apply voltages to an input port of the resonant tank circuit in successive intervals having a duration equal to or greater than a resonant period of the resonant tank circuit. Such an arrangement may be used, for example, to drive a static switch.

Resonant tank drive circuits for current-controlled semiconductor devices

A power converter apparatus, such as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), includes an inverter having an input coupled to a first DC bus and a second DC bus and configured to generate an AC output with respect to a neutral terminal at a phase output terminal thereof. The apparatus further includes first and second neutral coupling circuits, each configured to selectively couple the first DC bus and the second DC bus to the neutral terminal, and a control circuit configured to cause interleaved operation of the neutral coupling circuits.

Power converter apparatus and methods using neutral coupling circuits with interleaved operation

An apparatus, such as an inverter or rectifier in a double-conversion UPS, includes a plurality of power switching devices, such as IGBTs, coupled in parallel. A drive circuit is coupled to the power switching devices at a plurality of drive nodes and configured to drive the drive nodes responsive to a drive control signal. A monitoring circuit is coupled to the drive circuit and configured to determine respective statuses of respective ones of the power switching devices. The monitoring circuit may be configured to generate respective measures of drive delivered to respective ones of the drive nodes.

Apparatus and methods for monitoring parallel-connected power switching devices responsive to drive circuit parameters

An inductor includes an elongate magnetic core, a coil wrapped around the core and a spacer that separates the coil from the core to provide a coolant passage between the coil and the core. The coolant passage may include an air passage that extends substantially parallel to an axis of the core and that has first and second openings proximate respective first and second ends of the core. The coil may include a twisted bundle of individually insulated conductors. The inductor may be housed in a flux-tolerant compartment, i.e., a conductive aluminum structure that supports eddy currents with relatively acceptable resistive losses.

Hybrid air/magnetic core inductor

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems and methods for a communications signal distribution system, such as a cable television (CATV) signal distribution system that distributes a communication signal and an Alternating Current (AC) power over a coaxial cable having a conductor and a sheath, include an input neutral line and an input voltage line. A first circuit is configured to convert an input voltage between the input neutral line and the input voltage line into first and second complementary Direct Current (DC) voltages. A second circuit is configured to convert the first and second complementary DC voltages into an AC voltage between an output neutral line and an output voltage line, and to connect the output neutral line to a coaxial cable sheath and the output voltage line to a coaxial cable conductor. The first and second circuits are configured to connect the input neutral line to the output neutral line without an intervening transformer winding.

Ferroelectric transformer-free uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems and methods for communications signal distribution systems

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system includes an AC input port, a DC input port, and an output port configured to be connected to an AC load. A rectifier circuit is coupled to the AC input port, and a power transfer control circuit is coupled to the rectifier circuit output, the DC input port and the output port. The power transfer control circuit produces a DC voltage at the AC load from a rectified voltage produced by the rectifier circuit in a first mode of operation and from a DC voltage at the DC input port in a second mode of operation. A current control circuit, e.g., a boost regulator, may control a current from at least one of the rectifier circuit and the DC input port responsive to a control input. A DC/DC converter circuit may be coupled between the DC input port and the output port.

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

George William Oughton, Jr