DC to DC transmission system

• US 7,439,821 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2005
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alfred E. Mann Foundation For Scientific Research
• Original Assignee: Alfred E. Mann Foundation For Scientific Research
• Inventors: Schulman, Joseph H., Gord, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benny
• Assistant Examiner(s): Glenn; Kimberly E
• Application Number:
  US11/228,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 363 15- 33, 333/262, 333/1
• US Class Current: 333/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/08 Three-wire systems; Systems having more than three wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33571 Half-bridge at primary side of an isolation transformer

Abstract

A DC to DC transmission system includes at least three conductors between a source and a sink, a first switch which alternately connects each conductor to the source, a second switch which alternately connects each conductor to the sink. The switches are synchronized such that one conductor is alternately coupled between the same polarity side of the source and sink and another conductor is alternately coupled between the other polarity side of the source and sink. The alternating connection between the conductors and source and sink may be undertaken at a wide range of frequencies.

Claims

1. A DC to DC transmission system comprising:

a DC voltage source having a first voltage side and a second voltage side;

a DC voltage sink having a first voltage side and a second voltage side;

at least three conductors interconnecting the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink, each of said conductors having a proximal end and a distal end;

a first switch set comprising one respective switch for each one of the at least three conductors, each respective switch of said first switch set interposed between the DC voltage source and the proximal end of a respective one of the at least three conductors, each respective switch of said first switch set adapted to alternately couple the proximal end of a respective one of the at least three conductors to the DC voltage source first voltage side and to the DC voltage source second voltage side;

a second switch set comprising one respective switch for each one of the at least three conductors, each respective switch of said second switch set interposed between the distal end of a respective conductor and the DC voltage sink, each respective switch of said second switch set adapted to alternately couple the distal end of a respective one of said conductors to the DC voltage sink first voltage side and to the DC voltage sink second voltage side;

a second switch set controller adapted to sequentially switch said second switch set switches in a manner such that simultaneously at least one of said conductors is coupled to the DC voltage source first voltage side and the DC voltage sink first voltage side and at least another one of said conductors is coupled to the DC voltage source second voltage side and the DC voltage sink second voltage side.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the switches of the first switch set alternately couple each of the conductors to the DC voltage source first voltage side and to the DC voltage source second voltage side in a predetermined sequence.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the switches of the first switch set are switched at a predetermined rate.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the switches are switched in the range of about fifty thousand to 800 thousand times per second.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the switches are switched at about 200 thousand times per second.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the second switch set controller is coupled to the at least three conductors, said controller being adapted to determine to which voltage side of the DC voltage source each respective conductor is connected and to cause the second switch set switches to be switched as a function of which side of the DC voltage source each respective conductor is connected.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the switches of the second switch set are configured for selectively coupling a respective one of said conductors to the DC voltage sink first voltage side and to the DC voltage sink second voltage side and are further configured for selectively setting a respective one of said conductors as floating thereby unconnected to the DC voltage sink.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller causes the second switch set to be switched such that one of said conductors coupled to the DC voltage source first voltage side is coupled to the DC voltage sink first voltage side and another one of said conductors coupled to the DC voltage source second voltage side is coupled to the DC voltage sink second voltage side.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein each of said switches of the first switch set comprises a PFET and a NFET in series circuit arrangement, the PFET coupled to the DC voltage source first voltage side and the NFET coupled to the DC voltage source second voltage side, each of said switches coupled to a respective one of said conductors, the gates of the PFET and NFET driven in a manner so as to cause the conductor to be coupled to the DC source voltage first voltage side and to the DC voltage source second voltage side as a function of PFET and NFET gate potentials.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a ring counter having a number of flip flops equal to the number of the conductors, each flip flop output coupled to a respective one of said switches in the first switch set, the ring counter having a clock signal driving the switches at the predetermined rate.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink have a positive potential and the second voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink are at ground potential.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink have a negative potential and the second voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink are at ground potential.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink have a positive potential and the second voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink have a negative potential.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink have a negative potential and the second voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink have a positive potential.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink are at ground potential and the second voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink have a positive potential.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink are at ground potential and the second voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink have a negative potential.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the first voltage side and the second voltage side of the DC voltage source and DC voltage sink have the same polarity and wherein the first voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink are at a first potential and the second voltage side of the DC voltage source and the DC voltage sink are at a second potential.

18. The system of claim , further comprising isolation capacitors connected in series circuit arrangement between each one of said respective switches of the first switch set and each one of said respective conductors.

19. A DC to DC transmission system comprising:

DC voltage source means for providing a source of DC voltage;

DC voltage sink means for providing a load to the DC voltage source means;

conductor means having a plurality of electrical conductors for interconnecting the DC voltage source means to the DC voltage sink means;

first switch means disposed between the DC voltage source means and the conductor means for sequentially coupling each one of said plurality of conductors to the DC voltage source means in a predetermined sequence and at a predetermined rate; and

second switch means disposed between the conductor means and the DC sink means for alternately coupling each one of the conductors of said plurality of conductors to the DC voltage sink means in a predetermined sequence and at a predetermined rate.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first switch means includes means for coupling said conductor means to said DC voltage source means and wherein the second switch means includes means for coupling at least two conductors of said conductor means to the DC voltage sink means in a manner such that said at least two conductors are simultaneously coupled to the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the DC voltage source means has a first polarity side and a second polarity side and the DC voltage sink means has a first polarity side and a second polarity side wherein the second switch means includes means for alternately coupling the conductor means to the DC voltage sink means in a manner such that at least one of said conductors is simultaneously coupled to both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means first polarity sides and at least another one of said conductor is simultaneously coupled to both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means second polarity sides.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first polarity side of both the DC source voltage means and the DC voltage sink means have a positive potential and the second polarity side of both the DC source voltage means and the DC voltage sink means is at ground potential.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the first polarity side of both the DC source voltage means and the DC voltage sink means have a negative potential and the second polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means is at ground potential.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the first polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means have a positive potential and the second polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means have a negative potential.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the first polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means side have a negative potential and the second polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means have a positive potential.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the first polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means is at ground potential and the second polarity side of both the DC source voltage means and the DC voltage sink means have a positive potential.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the first polarity side of both the DC source voltage means and the DC voltage sink means is at ground potential and the second polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means have a negative potential.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the first polarity side of both the DC source voltage means and the DC voltage sink means and the second polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means have the same polarity and wherein the first polarity side of both the DC source voltage means and the DC sink means are at a first potential and the second polarity side of both the DC voltage source means and the DC voltage sink means are at a second potential.

29. The system of claim 20, comprising first capacitor means in series circuit arrangement between the DC voltage source means and the conductor means for blocking static DC signals from appearing on the conductor means.

30. A method of transferring electrical energy from a DC source to a DC sink comprising the steps of:

providing a DC source;

providing a DC sink;

providing a plurality of conductors capable of interconnecting the DC source to the DC sink;

alternately coupling each one of the plurality of conductors to the DC source in a predetermined sequence and at a predetermined rate; and

alternately coupling each one of the plurality of conductors to the DC sink in a manner such that at least one of said conductors is simultaneously coupled to the DC source and the DC sink and at least another one of said conductors is simultaneously coupled to the DC source and the DC sink.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the DC source has a first polarity side and a second polarity side and the DC sink has a first polarity side and a second polarity side, the method further comprising the step of alternately coupling the conductors to the DC source and the DC sink such that, at any given time, at least one conductor is coupled between the DC source first polarity side and the DC sink first polarity side and at least one other conductor is simultaneously coupled between the DC source second polarity side and the DC sink second polarity side.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the steps of providing a first switch set disposed between the DC source and the plurality conductors, said conductors having a proximal end and a distal end;

and

controlling the first switch set for sequentially coupling the proximal end of each one of said plurality of conductors to the DC source in said predetermined sequence and at said predetermined rate.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the steps of providing a second switch set disposed between the distal end of each one of said plurality of conductors and the DC sink;

and

controlling the second switch for alternately coupling each one of the conductors of said plurality of conductors to the DC sink in a predetermined sequence and at a predetermined rate.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of synchronizing the controlling of the second switch set with the first switch set such that one of said conductors of the plurality of conductors is simultaneously coupled to the DC source first polarity side and the DC sink first polarity side and another one of said conductors of the plurality of conductors is simultaneously coupled to the DC source second polarity side and the DC sink second polarity side.

35. An implantable power transmission system, comprising:

a power transmission line comprising a plurality of electrical conductors having a near end and a far end;

a power source coupled to the near end of the conductors;

a load coupled to the far end of the conductors and adapted to receive power from the power source;

a first switch disposed between the power source and the near end of the conductors, the first switch adapted for periodically coupling and decoupling the power source to and from selected ones of the conductors of the transmission line; and

a second switch disposed between the load and the far end of the conductors and adapted for periodically coupling and decoupling selected ones of the conductors to and from the load, the coupling and decoupling of the load being synchronized with the coupling and decoupling of the power source to and from the transmission line such that at least two conductors are simultaneously coupled between the power source and the load.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the power source has a first polarity side and a second polarity side and the load has a first polarity side and a second polarity side, wherein the first and second switches are synchronized such that during transmission of power from the power source to the load, at least one of said conductors is coupled between the first polarity side of the power source and the first polarity side of the load and at least another one of said conductors is coupled between the second polarity side of the power source and the second polarity side of the load.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the coupling and decoupling of the power source and the load to and from the transmission line is at a predetermined frequency.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the coupling and decoupling of the power source and the load to and from the transmission line is at a predetermined sequence.