University of California

USA as Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Clemson University

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Keith Allen Corzine

Matthew Porter

Vahid Dargahi

Todd Russell Weatherford

Todd Weatherford

An optically-monitored and/or optically-controlled electronic device is described. The device includes at least one of a semiconductor transistor or a semiconductor diode. An optical detector is configured to detect light emitted by the at least one of the semiconductor transistor or the semiconductor diode during operation. A signal processor is configured to communicate with the optical detector to receive information regarding the light detected. The signal processor is further configured to provide information concerning at least one of an electrical current flowing in, a temperature of, or a condition of the at least one of the semiconductor transistor or the semiconductor diode during operation.

Control and prognosis of power electronic devices using light

A pyramid-type multilevel converter for converting DC voltage to AC voltage waveforms, and vice versa. An example device can use modular building blocks to form a selector stage, a converter stage, and at least one intermediate stage if the number of converters within the converter stage is greater than or equal to 3, with the converter stage switching at high-frequency PWM to chop the DC voltages. The modular building blocks are connected in a symmetric or asymmetric pyramid configuration having a base of using the converter stage and an apex of the selector stage.

Pyramid-type multilevel converter topology

A Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) circuit for converting DC power to AC and vice versa. At each respective connection to the AC power-source/load, the MMC circuit uses one Pulse Width Modulation Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (PWM IGBT) to control the switching between upper and lower arms of sub-modules. The circuit eliminates the inter-phase inductors often used in MMCs, and replaces the inductors by two complementary-gated PWM IGBTs, thereby eliminating circulating current. Moreover, the multilevel converter topology disclosed herein requires less number of components including PWM IGBTs and capacitors. In fact, at least two submodules per-phase are eliminated: one submodule in the upper arm and one submodule in the lower arm. In other words, the MMC topology not only mitigates the circulating current but also eliminates at least one submodule in the upper arm and at least one submodule in the lower arm per-phase.

Modular multilevel converter topologies

An improved DC circuit breaker is provided for automatically detecting and isolating a fault between a source and a ground. The DC circuit breaker comprises at least one switch, in electrical series with a first inductor between the source and a load, and a second inductor magnetically coupled to the first inductor wherein a first side of the second inductor is electrically connected to the load and a second side of the second inductor is grounded through a capacitor.

Circuit breaker for DC circuits using coupled induction

An embodiment of the present invention comprises a multi-level PWM inverter that is constructed by cascading multi-level H-bridge inverters and providing different voltage inputs to the multi-level H-bridges. The values of the voltages, or the ratios of the voltages, are selected in order to provide an increased number of output levels. In the cascaded arrangement, at least one of the multi-level H-bridge inverters has more than three levels. Preferably, at least one of the multi-level H-bridge inverters is a 5-level inverter. According to one aspect of the invention, the cascaded arrangement may use a primary 5-level H-bridge with at least one 3-level H-bridge (referred to as a &ldquo;5/3H&rdquo; arrangement). This arrangement can provide up to fifteen output levels if regenerative voltage sources are used, and up to eleven output levels if a non-regenerative voltage sources are used.

Cascaded multi-level H-bridge drive

A method and apparatus for a multilevel rectifier with fewer switching components is provided. The method reduces the required number of switching devices in an n level switching device and clamp diode rectifier. The method is valid for any positive integer number of levels equal to or greater than three. The method is also applicable to any phase system. The method reduces the number of switching devices required for an n-level rectifier from the standard 2(n&minus;1) by 2 switching devices for every phase leg. A multilevel uni-directional power converter system including a multilevel rectifier that has a reduced number of switching devices is provided. The system comprises an input to a multilevel rectifier with at least one phase leg. The rectifier is composed of switching device and anti-parallel diode pairs and clamping diodes. The number of switching devices required depends on the given number of voltage levels according to the equation 2(n&minus;1) where n is the number of voltage levels. This number of required devices is then reduced in accordance with the present invention by removing the top and the bottom switching devices from the rectifier circuit. The anti-parallel diodes remain in the rectifier circuit. There is no performance degradation from this reduction in the number of switching devices to the rectifier.

Growing community of inventors

Milwaukee, WI, United States of America

Keith Allen Corzine