Efficient power transfer system
First Claim
1. A power transfer system for transferring power from a power source having predefined voltage parameters or predefined current parameters to a load across which it is desirable to develop a predefined load voltage or through which it is desirable to develop a predefined load current, said power transfer system comprising:
- input power-form converting means for receiving input power from the power source and for converting the received input power into an intermediate power form having an intermediate voltage and an intermediate current, where at least one of the intermediate voltage and the intermediate current exceeds a corresponding one of the predefined load voltage and predefined load current that are to be desirably produced at the load;
intermediate power-form splitting means, coupled to the input power-form converting means, for splitting at least one of the intermediate voltage and the intermediate current in an essentially lossless manner into a first split part and a second split part, where the first split part substantially matches at least a corresponding one of the predefined load voltage and predefined load current that are to be desirably produced at the load and the second split part represents excess energy;
transfer means, coupled to the intermediate power-form splitting means, for transferring the first split part to the load; and
excess power storage means, coupled to the input power-form converting means, for storing the excess-representing second split part.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power transfer method and apparatus for efficient transfer of power are disclosed. Input power is converted in an essentially lossless manner to an intermediate form having a voltage or current in excess of that desired at the load. The intermediate power form is split into first and second parts, where the first part of the intermediate power form approximately matches an output power form desired at an output of the power transfer apparatus and the second part represents an excess power form. The first part of the intermediate power form is transferred to the output of the power transfer apparatus and the excess part is stored. Part or all of the stored excess energy is recycled in an essentially lossless manner, converted into a form that approximately matches the output power form desired at the output of the power transfer apparatus and transferred to the output of the power transfer apparatus.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A power transfer system for transferring power from a power source having predefined voltage parameters or predefined current parameters to a load across which it is desirable to develop a predefined load voltage or through which it is desirable to develop a predefined load current, said power transfer system comprising:
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input power-form converting means for receiving input power from the power source and for converting the received input power into an intermediate power form having an intermediate voltage and an intermediate current, where at least one of the intermediate voltage and the intermediate current exceeds a corresponding one of the predefined load voltage and predefined load current that are to be desirably produced at the load; intermediate power-form splitting means, coupled to the input power-form converting means, for splitting at least one of the intermediate voltage and the intermediate current in an essentially lossless manner into a first split part and a second split part, where the first split part substantially matches at least a corresponding one of the predefined load voltage and predefined load current that are to be desirably produced at the load and the second split part represents excess energy; transfer means, coupled to the intermediate power-form splitting means, for transferring the first split part to the load; and excess power storage means, coupled to the input power-form converting means, for storing the excess-representing second split part. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A power transfer system for transferring power from a power source having predefined voltage parameters or predefined current parameters to a load across which it is desirable to develop a predefined load voltage or through which it is desirable to develop a predefined load current, said power transfer system comprising:
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power input means for receiving input power of a form having a unipolar input voltage and a unidirectional input current; first current switching means, coupled to the power input means, for selectively directing the unidirectional input current into a first current loop that carries a first current or into a second current loop that carries a second current; first power-form converting means, coupled to the first current switching means, for receiving the second current of the second current loop, for converting the second current into an intermediate voltage in an essentially lossless manner, and for splitting the intermediate voltage in an essentially lossless manner into a first part voltage and a second part voltage; and second power-form converting means, coupled to the first power-form converting means, for converting part or all of the second part voltage into a power recycling current and for directing the power recycling current to the load. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A power transfer system for transferring power to a load having a load voltage thereacross, said power transfer system comprising:
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power input means for receiving input power of a form having a unipolar voltage; voltage converting means for converting the input unipolar voltage into an intermediate voltage in an essentially lossless manner, where the intermediate voltage is greater than the load voltage; and voltage splitting and storing means for splitting the intermediate voltage in an essentially lossless manner into a first part voltage matching the load voltage and a second part voltage representing a difference between the intermediate voltage and the load voltage, and for storing the second part voltage. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A power transfer system comprising:
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a set of first through sixth circuit nodes, where the second and first nodes are adapted to receive a unipolar input voltage thereacross and the sixth and first nodes are adapted to output a load current to a load; a first inductor having ends coupled respectively to the second and third nodes; a first capacitor having ends coupled respectively to the third and fourth nodes; a second inductor; a controllable switch having ends coupled respectively to the first and third nodes; a first unidirectional current directing means coupled to the first capacitor for directing current from the first capacitor by way of the fourth node unidirectionally into the sixth node; a second unidirectional current directing means coupled in series with said second inductor, the series combination formed by the second inductor and the second unidirectional current directing means including said fifth node, said series combination being coupled between the first and fourth nodes for directing current unidirectionally from the first node through the second inductor to the fourth node; and a switch control unit operatively coupled to the controllable switch for alternatingly opening and closing the controllable switch. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A power transfer method for transferring power from a power source having given voltage parameters or given current parameters to an output port across which it is desirable to develop a predefined output voltage or through which it is desirable to develop a predefined output current, said power transfer method comprising the steps of:
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developing or obtaining an intermediate power form having an intermediate voltage and an intermediate current, where at least one of the intermediate voltage and the intermediate current exceeds a corresponding one of the predefined output voltage and predefined output current that are to be desirably produced at the output port; splitting at least one of the intermediate voltage and the intermediate current in an essentially lossless manner into a first split part and a second split part, where the first split part substantially matches at least a corresponding one of the predefined load voltage and predefined 10ad current that are to be desirably produced at the output port and the second split part represents excess energy; transferring the first split part to the output port; and storing the excess-representing second split part. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. An interconnected plurality of power transfer systems where each power transfer system comprises:
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input current receiving means for receiving input current surges representing surges of input power; form converting and splitting means, operatively coupled to the input current receiving means, for converting the received input current surges into a split voltage, the split voltage having a first part representing excess power and a second part representing a portion of one or more of the received surges of input power that is to be output from the power transfer system, where the form converting and splitting means includes excess power storage means for storing the first part of the split voltage; and power output means, operatively coupled to the form converting and splitting means, for outputting power derived from said second part of the split voltage out of the power transfer system. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A multi-input power transfer system for transferring power to a load from a plurality of unipolar voltage sources, the multi-input power transfer system comprising:
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input current receiving means for receiving input current surges representing surges of input power; form converting and splitting means, operatively coupled to the input current receiving means, for converting the received input current surges into a split voltage, the split voltage having a first part representing excess power and a second part representing a portion of one or more of the received surges of input power that is to be output from the power transfer system, where the form converting and splitting means includes excess power storage means for storing the first part of the split voltage; power output means, operatively coupled to the form converting and splitting means, for outputting power derived from said second part of the split voltage out of the power transfer system; and a current surge generating means, operatively coupled to receive power from the plurality of unipolar voltage sources and operatively coupled to the input current receiving means, for converting the voltage of at least one of said unipolar voltage sources into the input current surges and for supplying said input current surges to the input current receiving means. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. A cyclical power transfer system for transferring power over successive cycles from a power source to a load, the cyclical power transfer system comprising:
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power receiving means for receiving in alternating ones of the cycles first quantums of charge per cycle from the power source, where one or more of the first quantums of charge per cycle exceeds a second quantum of charge per cycle that is to be absorbed by the load; charge splitting and storing means, operatively coupled to the power source, for subdividing the quantum of charge supplied by the power source during each of said alternating ones of the cycles in an essentially lossless manner into first and second parts, where the first part of the subdivided source quantum of charge approximately matches the second quantum of charge that is to be absorbed by the load and the second part of the subdivided source quantum of charge represents excess charge on a per cycle basis, and for storing the excess-representing second part of the subdivided source quantum of charge; and excess charge recycling means, operatively coupled to the charge splitting and storing means, for recycling part or all of the stored excess charge in an essentially lossless manner in other ones of said cycles to the load, said recycling including converting the recycled excess charge into a form that approximately matches a power form desired at the load.
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33. A current drawing method for drawing current from a unipolar power source having a given voltage waveform and causing the drawn current to have a waveform which has a prescribed relation to the waveform of the given voltage;
- said method being for supplying power to a load at which it is desirable to develop a load voltage or load current different from the that of the unipolar power source, said method comprising the steps of;
alternatingly applying the given voltage across a first inductor so as to establish a first current flowing through the first inductor and removing a second current from the first inductor such that the magnitude of the drawn current is alternatingly defined by the values for the first and second currents; and controlling the timings of said alternating application of the given voltage and removal of the second current independently of the establishment at the load of said load voltage or load current so as to establish a range of minimum and maximum values for the first and second currents thereby causing the drawn current to have a waveform which has a prescribed relation to the waveform of the given voltage. - View Dependent Claims (35)
- said method being for supplying power to a load at which it is desirable to develop a load voltage or load current different from the that of the unipolar power source, said method comprising the steps of;
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34. A current drawing method for drawing current from a unipolar power source having a given voltage waveform and for causing the drawn current to have a waveform which has a prescribed relation to the waveform of the given voltage, said method comprising the steps of:
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alternatingly applying the given voltage across a first inductor so as to establish a first current flowing through the first inductor and removing a second current from the first inductor such that the magnitude of the drawn current is alternatingly defined by the values for the first and second currents; and controlling the timings of said alternating application of the given voltage and removal of the second current so as to establish a range of minimum and maximum values for the first and second currents thereby causing the drawn current to have a waveform which has a prescribed relation to the waveform of the given voltage; wherein said step of controlling the timings of said alternating application of the given voltage and removal of the second current produces an intermediate voltage and an intermediate current; wherein at least one of the intermediate voltage and the intermediate current exceeds a corresponding one of a predefined output voltage and predefined output current that are to be desirably produced at an output port; and wherein said method further comprises the steps of; splitting at least one of the intermediate voltage and the intermediate current in an essentially lossless manner into a first split part and a second split part, where the first split part substantially matches at least a corresponding one of the predefined load voltage and predefined load current that are to be desirably produced at the output port and the second split part represents excess energy; and storing the excess-representing second split part.
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36. A power factor correcting and power transfer system for transferring power from a power source having a source voltage and a source current, wherein one of the source voltage and source current has a predefined magnitude versus time waveform, to a load at which it is desirable to develop a different load voltage or load current, where an over-time relationship between the source voltage and source current defines a source power factor and an amount of power drawn per unit of time from the power source, said power factor correcting and power transfer system comprising:
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current drawing means, operatively coupled to the power source, for drawing first and second currents from the power source, where the first and second currents flow alternatingly in successive and respective time periods, the first current increases in magnitude during its respective time periods, the second current decreases in magnitude over its corresponding time periods, and the magnitude of the first current at the end of its respective time periods defines the magnitude of the second current at the beginning of its corresponding time periods; control means, operatively coupled to the current drawing means, for controlling the magnitudes of the first and second currents drawn from the power source such that an envelope defined by at least peak values of the first and second currents substantially tracks the source voltage oven time; and power transfer means, operatively coupled to the current drawing means, for transferring part or essentially all of the power drawn per unit of time from the power source to the load, said power transfer means including output parameter defining means for defining independently of the control means the different load voltage or load current. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification