Sparq Systems Inc.

Other

Chil Semiconductor Corporation

International Rectifier Corporation

Queen's University at Kingston

Shangzhi Pan

Praveen Jain

Majid Pahlevaninezhad

Suzan Eren

Alireza Bakhshai

Sayed Ali Khajehoddin

Haibo Zhang

Jan Dressel

Praveen K Jain

Systems, methods, and devices relating to the extraction of parameters for a grid voltage. A multi-block hybrid PLL or hybrid observer receives grid voltage. The grid voltage is received by a harmonic/noise decomposer block which separates the harmonic/noise component of the incoming voltage from the clean voltage signal. The clean voltage signal is then output from the PLL/observer. The clean voltage signal is also sent to an amplitude estimator block which estimates the amplitude of the clean voltage signal. The harmonic/noise component of the input voltage signal is sent, along with the clean voltage signal, to a frequency estimator block. The frequency estimator block then determines the phase angle of the incoming signal as well as the frequency of the incoming voltage signal.

Hybrid PLL for grid synchronization in distributed generation

Systems, methods, and devices relating to the control of power conditioning systems. For a micro-inverter, a controller block controls the DC/DC converter while a separate controller block controls the DC/AC inverter. A dynamic maximum efficiency tracker (DMET) control block receives state variable outputs from the converter and the inverter. The control block then perturbs specific control input parameters for the converter and the inverter and determines the effect of the perturbation on the converter and inverter efficiencies and on micro-inverter efficiency as a whole. If the efficiency decreases, then the direction of the perturbation is reversed. Other system control tasks, such as maximum power point tracking and DC-bus voltage regulation can be performed concurrently by adjusting other control input parameters.

Dynamic maximum efficiency tracker for PV micro-inverter

Systems, methods, and devices relating to inverters. A control system for use with photovoltaic panel coupled inverters controls the function and operation of the inverter based on the voltage at the point of common coupling. The inverter is operated in either current control mode or in voltage control mode based on whether or not the inverter is coupled to a grid or whether other energy sources are available to control the voltage at the point of common coupling.

PV inverter with micro/nano-grid integration capability

Systems, methods, and devices relating to a DC/AC inverter. The inverter has a full bridge converter and an output filter with an integrated magnetic subcircuit. The subcircuit has main and auxiliary inductors and is designed to steer the current ripple of the inverter's output to the power semiconductors in the full bridge converter. By doing so, zero voltage switching is achieved by the power semiconductors, thereby mitigating switching losses. At the same time the current ripple in the inverter's output is attenuated.

High efficiency inverter for distributed generation

Systems, methods, and devices which eliminate the DC current from the output of grid-connected inverters. A current controller is provided which interfaces with a grid-connected DC/AC inverter. The current controller uses a nonlinear adaptive filter which receives, as input, the output current of the inverter along with grid current frequency. The nonlinear adaptive filter estimates the DC value of the grid current and, in conjunction with an integrator, removes this DC current component. This is done by adjusting the duty cycle of the grid-connected inverter.

DC-eliminating current controller for grid-connected DC/AC converters

Systems, methods, and devices for use in a DC/DC converter. A circuit uses a full-bridge power semiconductor subcircuit along with a high power transformer subcircuit, a diode bridge subcircuit, and a parallel capacitor to provide galvanic isolation and boost the voltage from a power source such as a photovoltaic panel. To ensure zero voltage switching for the power semiconductors, either a passive auxiliary subcircuit or an inductor coupled in parallel to a transformer in the transformer subcircuit may be used. A controller which derives its timing signals from the transformer primary current is used to control the timing of the power semiconductors in the circuit. The circuit and its controller allows for self-adjusting regardless of load and uses the entire switching cycle to be used for power transfer.

High efficiency DC/DC converter and controller

Systems, methods, and devices relating to power converters. A power conditioning system uses multiple DC/DC power converter blocks. The output of each of the converter blocks is received by an energy storage and combiner block. The output of the combiner block is then received by a DC/AC inverter. The various components of the power conditioning system are controlled by a central controller. The power semiconductors within each DC/DC converter are controlled by a subsystem of the central controller and MPPT is also provided by the central controller. Also provided for are a novel three-phase DC/AC inverter topology with reduced output ripple and a control scheme for controlling the power semiconductors in the DC/AC inverter.

Multiple input three-phase inverter with independent MPPT and high efficiency

Systems, methods, and devices relating to the use of multiple DC power generation sources with DC/DC converters to thereby provide AC power suitable for provision to a power grid. Multiple DC power generation sources are each coupled to an input stage with a DC/DC converter. All the DC/DC converters in the multiple input stages are controlled by a single digital controller. Within the single digital controller are controller sub-blocks, each of which generates control signals for a specific DC/DC converter. Each controller sub-block provides multiple functions for improving the performance of the system as a whole.

Multi-input PV inverter with independent MPPT and minimum energy storage

Systems, methods, and devices relating to DC/AC converters. A circuit including a full bridge inverter is provided. One leg of power semiconductor subcircuits of the inverter is switched at line frequency while the other leg is soft switched at a higher frequency using an auxiliary circuit. A control system is used to calculate this higher optimal frequency. To minimize the output current ripple in the output filter, the output inductor is coupled to the auxiliary inductor in the auxiliary circuit.

ZVS voltage source inverter with reduced output current ripple

Systems and methods relating to zero voltage switching for inverters. A full bridge inverter is used in conjunction with a passive auxiliary circuit and an output filter. A control system controls the current by way of the auxiliary circuit and injects a high quality current to a power grid. The control system adjusts the duty ratio and switching frequency of the gate pulses applied to the power semiconductors in the full-bridge inverter. As well, the control system adjusts the phase shift between gate pulses for both the leading leg and lagging leg power semiconductors to control the current passing through the auxiliary circuit.

ZVS voltage source inverter

Systems, methods, and devices for use with photovoltaic micro-inverters. A control system for controlling power switches in a full bridge inverter in a DC/DC converter uses an estimate of the output current of a photovoltaic (PV) panel. The estimate is provided by a current estimator that takes as input the output voltage of the PV panel as well as the bus voltage of the DC/DC converter. Also used as input to the current estimator are two of the control signals for specific power switches in the full bridge inverter in the DC/DC converter.

Current sensorless MPPT for PV micro-inverters

Systems and devices relating to an integrated housing for microinverters. The housing has a cavity for housing the circuitry of the microinverter. The housing is mountable on a back sheet of a PV module by way of the housing's top cover. An opening at the back of the housing accommodates DC contacts coming from the PV module while a void configured for an output port is also present in the housing. When mounted on the PV module, the housing is spaced apart from the module.

Integrated microinverter housing for a PV AC module

To reduce gate-drive losses caused by high switching frequency operation, embodiments herein include a novel resonant gate driver circuit for driving switches. This gate drive circuit can include a simple two-half-bridge structure. A coupling inductor of the resonant gate driver circuit can provide energy circulation between gates of high and low side switches and also works as a voltage-boost transformer. According to one configuration, the resonant gate driver circuit can be extended to drive two MOSFETs with a common ground. Both theoretical and simulation results for the new resonant gate driver circuit illustrate increased efficiency via lower switching losses.

Power supply circuit and reuse of gate charge

Provided are methods, circuits, and systems for obtaining power from a power generator such as a photovoltaic cell or a fuel cell. The methods, circuits, and systems comprise converting substantially DC output power from the power generator into a high frequency AC voltage while rejecting or minimizing oscillations in the output power from the power generator; converting the high frequency AC voltage into a high frequency substantially sinusoidal voltage or current; and converting the high frequency substantially sinusoidal AC voltage or current into (i) a DC voltage or current, and (ii) a low frequency substantially sinusoidal AC voltage or current; wherein the high frequency substantially sinusoidal AC voltage or current is isolated from the DC voltage or current or the low frequency substantially sinusoidal AC voltage or current.

Growing community of inventors

Kingston, Canada

Shangzhi Pan