Sparq Systems Inc.

Other

Suzan Eren

Praveen Jain

Majid Pahlevaninezhad

Shangzhi Pan

Alireza Bakhshai

Matthew Mascioli

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

Provided are DC-bus voltage or DC-bus current controller methods and circuits, for a voltage or current source inverter. A mean value calculator provides an output signal comprising the mean value of the DC-bus voltage or current, which is used as a feedback signal in a closed loop of the voltage or current source inverter controller, such that a ripple in the DC-bus voltage or current is substantially prevented from entering the closed-loop. In some embodiments a droop controller, which may be adaptive, is used in the closed loop with reverse proportional gain. The adaptive droop controller may provide a constant or variable DC-bus voltage or current. Embodiments regulate the DC-bus voltage or current to an optimized value such that power losses for load and grid conditions are minimized or reduced, and voltage and current ripple is minimized. Embodiments may be used in voltage and current source inverters connected to the utility power distribution grid, in power generation systems, in distributed generation systems, and renewable energy systems.

DC-bus controller for an inverter

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 related to controlling a DC/AC converter. A control system uses a nonlinear adaptive observer to estimate the state variables inverter current and converter voltage using a sensed grid current and a bus voltage as inputs. For non-observable points (such as when the duty cycle=0.5), the required information can be found from the DC bus voltage.

Observer-based control system for grid-connected DC/AC converters with LCL-filter

Systems, methods, and devices relating to control systems for grid-connected inverters. Because grid conditions may vary and because control system stability is dependent on the parameters of the components within the inverter, the present invention adaptably monitors the varying values of these components. Based on the sensed values and on predicted values, controller gains are adaptably adjusted to maintain system stability.

Adaptive control method for grid-connected inverters used with distributed power generation

Systems, methods, and devices relating to the controlling of a grid-connected inverter. A grid connected inverter is controlled by a proportional-resonant controller which tracks the grid current. To adjust for changes in grid conditions, an update block dynamically and continuously adjusts coefficients used by the controller to ensure high gains provided by the controller at the grid frequency. A harmonic compensator is also provided to ensure that high loop gains at harmonic frequencies of the grid frequency are also provided for. To also adjust for changing grid conditions, a second update block also continuously adjusts the coefficients used by the harmonic compensator.

Method and apparatus for use with grid connected inverters in distributed power generation

Systems, methods, and devices for use with active/reactive power control in power conditioning systems. To provide quick active/reactive power control by way of a grid-connected inverter, an estimator estimates the P and Q coefficients based on an instantaneous power from the grid-connected inverter. The estimator receives grid current and voltage and estimates of the P and Q coefficients are used with reference P and Q values to determine whether active or reactive power needs to be injected to the grid. The P coefficient is a DC offset of the instantaneous power of the grid and the Q coefficient is the coefficient of a sine component of the instantaneous power.

System and method for active/reactive power compensation

Systems, methods, and devices for controlling a DC-bus voltage for a power conditioning system. A control system regulates the DC value of the DC-bus voltage. The control system uses an adaptive DC-value estimator/observer to estimate this DC-value. Instead of having to determine the DC-value of a signal with a low frequency ripple without compromising the signal's dynamic response, a suitably precise estimate for that DC-value is used.

Growing community of inventors

Kingston, Canada

Suzan Eren