Maximum Power Point Tracking Charge Controller with Coupled Inductor Multi-phase Converter
First Claim
1. A maximum power point tracking charge controller for photovoltaic systems, comprisinga maximum power point tracking charge controller for electrical connection to a photovoltaic array including one or more photovoltaic modules and to a battery bank to control charging of the battery bank with electricity produced by the photovoltaic array, said charge controller having a maximum power point tracking algorithm for tracking the power point voltage of the photovoltaic array at which the photovoltaic array produces maximum power, said charge controller having a multi-phase buck converter for receiving voltage input from the photovoltaic array and for supplying voltage output from said buck converter to charge the battery bank, said buck converter converting the voltage input to a voltage output that matches the voltage required by the battery bank for charging, said buck converter storing electrical energy when the voltage input is greater than the voltage required by the battery bank for charging, said buck converter comprising multiple buck converter phase configurations phase shifted from one another, each of said buck converter phase configurations having a phase inductor and first and second switches, said phase inductors being combined on a single core to form a coupled inductor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controller for photovoltaic (PV) systems employs a maximum power point tracking algorithm for tracking the maximum power point voltage of a PV array at which the PV array produces maximum power voltage, and a buck converter for converting the maximum power voltage to the voltage required to charge one or more batteries. The buck converter includes multiple buck converter phase configurations phase shifted from one another. Each of the buck converter phase configurations has a phase inductor, and the phase inductors are combined on a single core to form a coupled inductor. One of the buck converter phase configurations is intentionally temporarily shut down when the output power is low. A first switch or a second switch of the buck converter phase configuration that is intentionally temporarily shut down is turned on to conduct electrical current when predetermined conditions are satisfied. A method of controlling battery charging in a photovoltaic system involves operating a coupled inductor multi-phase buck converter of a charge controller so that one of the buck converter phase configurations is intentionally temporarily shut down when the power output is below a predetermined value.
26 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A maximum power point tracking charge controller for photovoltaic systems, comprising
a maximum power point tracking charge controller for electrical connection to a photovoltaic array including one or more photovoltaic modules and to a battery bank to control charging of the battery bank with electricity produced by the photovoltaic array, said charge controller having a maximum power point tracking algorithm for tracking the power point voltage of the photovoltaic array at which the photovoltaic array produces maximum power, said charge controller having a multi-phase buck converter for receiving voltage input from the photovoltaic array and for supplying voltage output from said buck converter to charge the battery bank, said buck converter converting the voltage input to a voltage output that matches the voltage required by the battery bank for charging, said buck converter storing electrical energy when the voltage input is greater than the voltage required by the battery bank for charging, said buck converter comprising multiple buck converter phase configurations phase shifted from one another, each of said buck converter phase configurations having a phase inductor and first and second switches, said phase inductors being combined on a single core to form a coupled inductor.
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10. A maximum power point tracking charge controller for photovoltaic systems, comprising
a maximum power point tracking charge controller for electrical connection to a photovoltaic array including one or more photovoltaic modules and to a battery bank including one or more batteries to control charging of the battery bank with electricity produced by the photovoltaic array, said charge controller having a maximum power point tracking algorithm for tracking the maximum power point of the photovoltaic array at which the photovoltaic array produces maximum power voltage, said charge controller having a multi-phase buck converter for receiving the maximum power voltage from the photovoltaic array as voltage input to said buck converter and for supplying voltage output from said buck converter to charge the battery bank, said buck converter converting the voltage input to a voltage output that matches the voltage required by the battery bank for charging, said buck converter storing electrical energy when the voltage input is greater than the voltage required by the battery bank for charging, said buck converter comprising multiple buck converter phase configurations phase shifted from one another, each of said buck converter phase configurations having a phase inductor, said phase inductors being combined on a single core to form a coupled inductor, one of said buck converter phase configurations being intentionally temporarily shut down when the power output is below a predetermined power output.
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16. A method of controlling battery charging in a photovoltaic system having a charge controller electrically connected to a photovoltaic array and to a battery bank, said method comprising the steps of
operating a maximum power point tracking algorithm of the charge controller to track the maximum power point voltage of the photovoltaic array at which the photovoltaic array produces maximum power; -
supplying the maximum power voltage as voltage input to a buck converter of the charge controller that includes multiple buck converter phase configurations having phase inductors combined on a single core to form a coupled inductor; operating the buck converter to convert the voltage input into voltage output that matches the voltage required by the battery bank for charging, said step of operating the buck converter including running the multiple buck converter phase configurations out of phase from one another when the voltage output is above a predetermined voltage output and intentionally temporarily shutting down one of the buck converter phase configurations when the voltage output is below the predetermined voltage output; and supplying the voltage output from the charge controller to the battery bank to charge one or more batteries of the battery bank. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification