High reliability power systems and solar power converters

• US 20100246230A1
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ampt, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ampt, LLC
• Inventors: Ledenev, Anatoli, Porter, Robert M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,919,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/131
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 5/00 Systems for regulating electric variables by detecting deviations in the electric input to the system and thereby controlling a device within the system to obtain a regulated output
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/906 Solar cell systems

Abstract

Reliability enhanced systems are shown where an short-lived electrolytic capacitor can be replaced by a much smaller, perhaps film type, longer-lived capacitor to be implemented in circuits for power factor correction, solar power conversion, or otherwise to achieve DC voltage smoothing with circuitry that has solar photovoltaic source (1) a DC photovoltaic input (2) internal to a device (3) and uses an enhanced DC-DC power converter (4) to provide a smoothed DC output (6) with capacitor substitution circuitry (14) that may include interim signal circuitry (28) that creates a large voltage variation for a replaced capacitor (16). Switchmode designs may include first and second switch elements (17) and (18) and an alternative path controller (21) that operates a boost controller (22) and a buck controller (23) perhaps with a switch duty cycle controller (32).

Claims

1-45. -45. (canceled)

46. An enhanced component solar power system comprising:

at least one solar photovoltaic source providing a DC photovoltaic input;

an inductive element connected to said DC photovoltaic input;

alternative switch circuitry connected to said inductor element;

a capacitor path responsive to said alternative switch circuitry;

an alternative circuitry path also responsive to said alternative path switch circuitry; and

a smoothed photovoltaic DC power output connected to said capacitor path and said second alternative circuitry path.

47. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 46 and further comprising a substantially power isomorphic photovoltaic DC-DC power converter.

48. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 47 wherein said substantially power isomorphic photovoltaic DC-DC power converter comprises a maximum power point converter.

49. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 46 and further comprising:

a photovoltaic DC-AC inverter responsive to said smoothed photovoltaic DC power output; and

a photovoltaic AC power output responsive to said photovoltaic DC-AC inverter.

50. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 49 wherein said alternative switch circuitry comprises:

a first switch element connected to said inductor element; and

a second switch element connected to said inductive element and across said capacitive element.

51. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 46 and further comprising an alternative path controller to which said alternative switch circuitry is responsive.

52. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 51 wherein said DC energy source has an alternating current component superimposed on a DC signal, and wherein said alternative path controller comprises a low ripple controller.

53. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 52 wherein said capacitor path operatively stores a maximum operative capacitor energy, wherein said inductive element operatively stores a maximum operative inductor energy, and wherein said maximum operative capacitor energy is substantially greater than said maximum operative inductor energy.

54. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 53 wherein said maximum operative capacitor energy and said maximum operative inductor energy are selected from a group consisting of:

a maximum operative capacitor energy that is at least about two times as big as said maximum operative inductor energy;

a maximum operative capacitor energy that is at least about five times as big as said maximum operative inductor energy; and

a maximum operative capacitor energy that is at least about ten times as big as said maximum operative inductor energy.

55. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 53 wherein said alternative path controller comprises a switch frequency controller.

56. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 51 wherein said alternative path controller comprises a boost controller.

57. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 56 and further comprises a buck controller.

58. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 46 wherein said alternative circuitry path comprises a substantially energy storage free circuitry path.

59. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 52 and further comprising a feedback sensor to which said alternative path controller is responsive.

60. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 59 wherein said feedback sensor comprises an output voltage feedback sensor.

61. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 51 wherein said alternative path controller comprises a switch duty cycle controller.

62. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 61 wherein said switch duty cycle controller comprises an output voltage duty cycle controller.

63. An enhanced component solar power system as described in claim 53 wherein said capacitor path has a capacitor size selected from a group consisting of:

a 5 μ

F capacitor;

a 10 μ

F capacitor;

a 50 μ

F capacitor;

a 100 μ

F capacitor;

a 500 μ

F capacitor;

a capacitor sized at less than about one hundredth of an equivalent electrolytic capacitor for that application;

a capacitor sized at less than about one fiftieth of an electrolytic capacitor for that application;

a capacitor sized at less than about one twentieth of an equivalent electrolytic capacitor for that application; and

a capacitor sized at less than about one tenth of an equivalent electrolytic capacitor for that application.

64. A device with enhanced life power factor correction comprising:

operationally active solar photovoltaic power circuitry for said device and having at least one internal, substantially DC device voltage;

an inductive element connected to said DC device signal;

alternative switch circuitry connected to said inductor element;

a capacitor path responsive to said alternative path switch circuitry;

an alternative circuitry path also responsive to said alternative switch circuitry;

a power factor controller to which device power circuitry is responsive;

a low ripple controller to which said alternative switch circuitry is responsive; and

an internal low ripple DC voltage connected to said capacitor path and said alternative circuitry path and responsive to said low ripple controller.

65. A device with enhanced life power factor correction as described in claim 64 wherein said capacitor path operatively stores a maximum operative capacitor energy, wherein said inductive element operatively stores a maximum operative inductor energy, and wherein said maximum operative capacitor energy is substantially greater than said maximum operative inductor energy.

66. A device with enhanced life power factor correction as described in claim 65 wherein said maximum operative capacitor energy and said maximum operative inductor energy are selected from a group consisting of:

a maximum operative capacitor energy that is at least about two times as big as said maximum operative inductor energy;

a maximum operative capacitor energy that is at least about five times as big as said maximum operative inductor energy; and

a maximum operative capacitor energy that is at least about ten times as big as said maximum operative inductor energy.

67. A device with enhanced life power factor correction as described in claim 64 wherein said alternative path controller comprises a switch frequency controller.

68. A device with enhanced life power factor correction as described in claim 65 wherein said switch frequency controller comprises a switch frequency controller high frequency switch controller.

69-75. -75. (canceled)

76. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said unsmoothed DC energy source comprises an unsmoothed, substantially DC voltage.

77. An apparatus as described in claim 76 wherein said unsmoothed, substantially DC voltage has an alternating current component superimposed on a DC signal.

78. An apparatus as described in claim 77 wherein said unsmoothed DC energy source has a circuit input connection and wherein said smoothed substantially constant DC voltage has a coincident circuit output connection.

79. An apparatus as described in claim 77 wherein said unsmoothed DC energy source has a circuit input connection and wherein said smoothed substantially constant DC voltage has a separate circuit output connection.

80. An apparatus as described in claim 77 wherein said unsmoothed, substantially DC voltage has an alternating current component superimposed on a DC signal has an average sourced DC voltage, and wherein said smoothed substantially constant DC voltage is at a substantially similar average DC supply voltage.

81. An apparatus as described in claim 77 wherein said unsmoothed, substantially DC voltage has an alternating current component superimposed on a DC signal has an average sourced DC voltage, and wherein said smoothed substantially constant DC voltage is at a different average DC supply voltage.

82. An apparatus as described in claim 1 and further comprising large voltage variation interim signal circuitry.

83. An apparatus as described in claim 82 wherein said large voltage variation interim signal circuitry is selected from a group consisting of:

at least about twenty times voltage variation signal creation circuitry;

at least about ten times voltage variation signal creation circuitry;

at least about five times voltage variation signal creation circuitry; and

at least about double voltage variation signal creation circuitry.

84. An apparatus as described in claim 82 wherein said large voltage variation interim signal circuitry comprises a voltage transformer.

85. An apparatus as described in claim 84 wherein said voltage transformer comprises a switch-mode isolated power converter.

86. An apparatus as described in claim 85 wherein said switch-mode isolated power converter comprises a high frequency switch-mode power converter.

87. An apparatus as described in claim 1 and further comprising a full circuit component bypass capacitor.

88. An apparatus as described in claim 87 wherein said full circuit component bypass capacitor comprises a relatively small bypass capacitor.

89. An apparatus as described in claim 88 wherein said relatively small bypass capacitor comprises a high frequency operative energy storage bypass capacitor.

90. An apparatus as described in claim 89 wherein said high frequency operative energy storage bypass capacitor comprises a greater than high frequency cycle-by-cycle energy storage bypass capacitor.

91. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said capacitor path comprises a relatively high voltage tolerant element.

92. An apparatus as described in claim 91 wherein said relatively high voltage tolerant element comprises a relatively high voltage capacitor.

93. An apparatus as described in claim 92 wherein said relatively high voltage capacitor comprises a relatively high voltage film capacitor.

94. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said inductive element comprises a switch current limit inductor.

95. An apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein said high frequency switch controller is selected from a group consisting of:

an at least about one thousand times a predominant ripple frequency switch controller;

an at least about five hundred times a predominant ripple frequency switch controller; and

an at least about one hundred times a predominant ripple frequency switch controller.

96. An apparatus as described in claim 1 and further comprising energy storage circuitry.

97. An apparatus as described in claim 96 wherein said energy storage circuitry comprises multiple substantial energy storage locational circuitry.

98. An apparatus as described in claim 97 wherein said multiple substantial energy storage locational circuitry comprises multiple character energy storage components.

99. An apparatus as described in claim 98 and further comprising a switch between at least two of said multiple character energy storage components.

100. An apparatus as described in claim 99 wherein said multiple character energy storage components comprise at least one capacitor and at least one inductive element.

101. An apparatus as described in claim 100 wherein said inductive element comprises multiple phase inductors.

102. An apparatus as described in claim 101 wherein said alternative switch circuitry comprises individual inductor switch circuitry.

103. An apparatus as described in claim 101 wherein said multiple phase inductors comprises inductively coupled multiple phase inductors.

104. An apparatus as described in claim 103 wherein said inductively coupled multiple phase inductors comprises individually switched inductively coupled multiple phase inductors.

105. An apparatus as described in claim 104 wherein said individually switched inductively coupled multiple phase inductors comprise interphase connected inductors.

106. An apparatus as described in claim 105 wherein said inductively coupled multiple phase inductors comprise leakage inductance energy storage multiple phase inductors.

107. An apparatus as described in claim 105 and further comprising separate energy storage inductors.

108. An apparatus as described in claim 104 wherein said individually switched inductively coupled multiple phase inductors comprises at least one tapped inductor.

109. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said alternative switch circuitry comprises alternative output switch circuitry.

110. An apparatus as described in claim 109 wherein said alternative output switch circuitry comprises deadtime switch circuitry.

111. An apparatus as described in claim 109 wherein said alternative output switch circuitry comprises paired multiple path switch circuitry.

112. An apparatus as described in claim 111 wherein said alternative output switch circuitry comprises deadtime switch circuitry.

113. An apparatus as described in claim 109 wherein said alternative output switch circuitry comprises a double throw switch element.

114. An apparatus as described in claim 1 and further comprising a voltage transformer.

115. An apparatus as described in claim 1 and further comprising at least one intracircuitry path diode.

116. An apparatus as described in claim 115 wherein said intracircuitry path diode comprises at least one antiparallel diode.

117. An apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said alternative path controller comprises a boost controller.

118. An apparatus as described in claim 117 wherein said alternative path controller further comprises a buck controller.

119. An apparatus as described in claim 7 wherein said switch frequency controller comprises a switch duty cycle controller.

120. An apparatus as described in claim 99 wherein said switch between at least two of said multiple character energy storage components comprises switch-mode circuitry.

121-167. -167. (canceled)

168. A method of enhanced component solar power generation comprising the steps of:

creating a DC photovoltaic input from at least one solar photovoltaic source;

inductively affecting said DC photovoltaic input to create a switch input;

at times capacitively affecting said switch input by a capacitive component to create a capacitively affected internal signal;

at alternative times bypassing said capacitive component to create an alternative internal signal; and

combining said capacitively affected internal signal and said alternative internal signal to create a smoothed photovoltaic DC power output.

169-270. -270. (canceled)