POWER CONDITIONER AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING POWER CONDITIONER

• US 20150236589A1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Baba, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US14/429,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20150236589A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/67 to the maximum power available from a generator, e.g. from solar cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/44 by static converters

Abstract

A power conditioner enables efficient and stable use of generated power during autonomous operation. During autonomous operation in which the power conditioner is disconnected from a power grid and allowed to independently supply power, each of DC-to-DC converters (11) individually switches between a constant DC link voltage mode in which an output voltage of the DC-to-DC converter (11) is controlled at a target voltage and an MPPT mode in which control is performed to maximize output power of a corresponding DC input power source, according to a change of an input voltage of a power converter (13), (16).

Claims

1. A power conditioner comprising:

a plurality of DC-to-DC converters that convert voltages of respective DC input power sources; and

a power converter connected to the plurality of DC-to-DC converters,

wherein during autonomous operation in which the power conditioner is disconnected from a power grid and allowed to independently supply power, each of the DC-to-DC converters individually switches between a constant DC link voltage mode in which an output voltage of the DC-to-DC converter is controlled at a target voltage and an MPPT mode in which control is performed to maximize output power of a corresponding DC input power source, according to a change of an input voltage of the power converter.

2. The power conditioner according to claim 1,

wherein each of the DC-to-DC converters switches to the MPPT mode in the case where the input voltage of the power converter decreases to less than a first threshold, and switches to the constant DC link voltage mode in the case where the input voltage of the power converter increases to greater than or equal to a second threshold.

3. The power conditioner according to claim 2,

wherein the first threshold is different for each of the DC-to-DC converters.

4. The power conditioner according to claim 2,

wherein the first threshold is common to the DC-to-DC converters, and a time from when the input voltage of the power converter decreases to less than the first threshold to when the switching to the MPPT mode is performed is different for each of the DC-to-DC converters.

5. The power conditioner according to claim 1,

wherein the target voltage in the constant DC link voltage mode is different for each of the DC-to-DC converters.

6. The power conditioner according to claim 1,

wherein the power converter includes a bidirectional converter.

7. A method of controlling a power conditioner that includes:

a plurality of DC-to-DC converters that convert voltages of respective DC input power sources; and

a power converter connected to the plurality of DC-to-DC converters, the method comprising a step of

during autonomous operation in which the power conditioner is disconnected from a power grid and allowed to independently supply power, switching each of the DC-to-DC converters between a constant DC link voltage mode in which an output voltage of the DC-to-DC converter is controlled at a target voltage and an MPPT mode in which control is performed to maximize output power of a corresponding DC input power source, according to a change of an input voltage of the power converter.