Electrical power distribution system and method

• US 10,389,134 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VBC Tracy LLC
• Original Assignee: Katerra, Inc. (Volumetric Building Cos. LLC)
• Inventors: Sharifipour, Bahman, Thomas, Mark, Naik, Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shiao, David A
• Application Number:
  US15/724,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20180375339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/082 Plural DC voltage, e.g. DC supply voltage with at least two different DC voltage levels
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/084 for selectively connecting the load or loads to one or several among a plurality of power lines or power sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

An electrical power distribution system includes an electrical power router with input ports and output ports and distributes an electrical signal received on one of the input ports to one of output ports. An electrical input adapter coupled to one of the input ports and further to couple to an electrical power source receives and convert an electrical signal input from the electrical power source to the electrical signal distributed by the power router. An electrical output adapter coupled to one of the output ports and further to couple to an electrical power load receives and converts the electrical signal distributed by the power router from the one of the output ports to an electrical signal output to the electrical power load. A controller coupled to the electrical input adapter, the electrical output adapter, and the electrical power router, controls transmission of the electrical signal from the electrical input adapter to the electrical output adapter through the electrical power router.

Claims

1. An electrical power distribution system, comprising:

a DC bus transmitting electrical power at a first fixed DC voltage level;

a plurality of alternating current (AC) power output ports that transmit electrical power at a first fixed AC voltage level to a corresponding plurality of AC power loads;

a AC power output adapter coupled to the DC bus and to the plurality of AC power output ports, the AC power output adapter comprising a DC-to-AC (DC/AC) converter that receives and converts the electrical power transmitted on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level to the electrical power transmitted at the first fixed AC voltage level by the plurality of AC power output ports;

first circuitry that detects an amount of AC power transmitted by the plurality of AC power output ports to the plurality of AC power loads;

an AC power input/output (I/O) adapter coupled to an AC power grid, and coupled to the DC bus and to the plurality of AC power output ports, the AC power I/O adapter comprising;

an input/output interface that receives electrical power transmitted from the AC power grid at a second fixed AC voltage level;

an AC-to-DC (AC/DC) bidirectional converter, coupled to the input/output interface, that;

receives from the input/output interface the electrical power transmitted from the AC power grid at the second fixed AC voltage level and converts the electrical power transmitted from the AC power grid at the second fixed AC voltage level to the electrical power transmitted at the first fixed DC voltage level on the DC bus;

receives and converts the electrical power transmitted on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level to the electrical power transmitted at the second fixed AC voltage level by the AC power grid; and

receives from the input/output interface the electrical power transmitted from the AC power grid at the second fixed AC voltage level, converts the electrical power transmitted from the AC power grid at the second fixed AC voltage level to the electrical power at the first fixed AC voltage level to transmit to the plurality of AC power output ports via the input/output interface;

a DC power input adapter coupled to the DC bus and coupled to a DC power source, the DC power input adapter comprising a DC-to-DC (DC/DC) converter that receives and converts electrical power transmitted by the DC power source at a second fixed DC voltage level to the electrical power transmitted on the DC bus at first fixed DC voltage level; and

a controller coupled to the AC power I/O adapter, the AC power output adapter, and the first circuitry, that controls an amount of the electrical power transmitted;

from the AC power grid at the second fixed AC voltage level that the AC power I/O adapter receives and converts to the electrical power at the first fixed AC voltage level for transmission by the plurality of AC power output ports, based on the amount of AC power transmitted by the plurality of AC power output ports to the plurality of AC power loads as detected by the first circuitry;

on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level that the AC power output adapter receives and converts to the electrical power at the first fixed AC voltage level for transmission by the plurality of AC power output ports, based on the amount of AC power transmitted by the plurality of AC power output ports to the plurality of AC power loads detected by the first circuitry; and

wherein the controller is further coupled to the DC power input adapter to control an amount of the electrical power at the second fixed DC voltage level that the DC power input adapter receives and converts to electrical power at the first fixed DC voltage level transmitted on the DC bus based on desirability of or priority assigned to one or more of unit price, environmental impact, availability, quality, stability, capacity, transmission or delivery efficiency, location or distance of a source of the electrical power transmitted from the AC power grid at the second fixed AC voltage level relative to the desirability of or priority assigned to the electrical power transmitted by the DC power source at the second fixed DC voltage level.

2. The electrical power distribution system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of DC power output ports that transmit electrical power at a third fixed DC voltage level to a corresponding plurality of DC power loads;

a DC power output adapter coupled to the DC bus and to the plurality of DC power output ports, the DC power output adapter comprising a DC-to-DC (DC/DC) converter that receives and converts the electrical power transmitted on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level to electrical power at the third fixed DC voltage level transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports;

second circuitry that detects an amount of DC power transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports to the plurality of DC power loads;

wherein the controller further is coupled to the DC power output adapter, and the second circuitry, to control an amount of the electrical power transmitted;

on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level that the DC power output adapter receives and converts to electrical power at the third fixed DC voltage level transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports, based on the amount of DC power transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports to the plurality of DC power loads as detected by the second circuitry; and

from the AC power grid at the second fixed AC voltage that the AC power I/O adapter receives and converts to the electrical power at the first fixed DC voltage level transmitted on the DC bus, based on one or more of;

the amount of AC power transmitted by the plurality of AC power output ports to the plurality of AC power loads as detected by the first circuitry, and the amount of DC power transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports to the plurality of DC power loads detected by the second circuitry.

3. The electrical power distribution system of claim 2, wherein the controller is further coupled to the DC power input adapter to control an amount of the electrical power transmitted at the second fixed DC voltage level that the DC power input adapter receives and converts to electrical power at the first fixed DC voltage level transmitted on the DC bus further based on one or more of:

the amount of DC power transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports to the plurality of DC power loads detected by the first circuitry; and

the amount of AC power transmitted by the plurality of AC power output ports to the plurality of AC power loads detected by the second circuitry.

4. The electrical power distribution of claim 3, further comprising third circuitry to detect a state of the DC power source;

and

wherein the controller is further coupled to the DC power input adapter to control an amount of the electrical power at the second fixed DC voltage level that the DC power input adapter receives and converts to electrical power at the first fixed DC voltage level transmitted on the DC bus based on the state of the DC power source.

5. The electrical power distribution of claim 4 further comprising:

a DC power input/output (I/O) adapter coupled to the DC bus and coupled to a DC power storage device, the DC power I/O adapter comprising a bi-directional DC/DC converter that receives and converts the electrical power transmitted on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level to an electrical power transmitted to the DC power storage device at a fourth fixed DC voltage level, and receives and converts the electrical power transmitted from the DC power storage device at the fourth fixed DC voltage level to the electrical power transmitted on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level;

wherein the controller is further coupled to the DC power I/O adapter to control an amount of the electrical power transmitted on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level that the DC power I/O adapter receives and converts to electrical power transmitted at the fourth fixed DC voltage level to the DC power storage device based on;

the amount of DC power transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports to the plurality of DC loads detected by the first circuitry;

the amount of AC power transmitted by the plurality of AC power output ports to the plurality of AC loads detected by the second circuitry; and

the amount of the electrical power transmitted by the DC power source at the third fixed DC voltage level.

6. The electrical power distribution of claim 5, wherein the controller is further to control an amount of the electrical power at the fourth fixed DC voltage level that the DC power I/O adapter receives and converts for transmission on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level, based on one or more of:

the amount of DC power transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports to the plurality of DC loads detected by the first circuitry;

the amount of AC power transmitted by the plurality of AC power output ports to the plurality of AC loads detected by the second circuitry;

the amount of the electrical power transmitted by the DC power source at the second fixed DC voltage level;

desirability of or priority assigned to one or more of unit price, environmental impact, availability, quality, stability, capacity, transmission or delivery efficiency, location or distance of a source of the electrical power transmitted from the AC power grid at the second fixed AC voltage level relative to the desirability of or priority assigned to the electrical power transmitted by the DC power I/O adapter at the fourth fixed DC voltage level; and

desirability of or priority assigned to one or more of unit price, environmental impact, availability, quality, stability, capacity, transmission or delivery efficiency, location or distance of a source of the electrical power transmitted from the DC power source at the second fixed DC voltage level relative to the desirability of or priority assigned to the electrical power transmitted by the DC power I/O adapter at the fourth fixed DC voltage level.

7. The electrical power distribution system of claim 6, wherein the controller is further to control an amount of the electrical power transmitted on the DC bus at the first fixed DC voltage level that the AC power I/O adapter receives and converts to the electrical power at the second fixed AC voltage level transmitted to the AC power grid, based on one or more of:

the amount of DC power transmitted by the plurality of DC power output ports to the plurality of DC power loads detected by the first circuitry, and the amount of AC power transmitted by the plurality of AC power output ports to the plurality of AC power loads detected by the second circuitry, the state of the DC power source, a state of the DC power storage device.