Multiple energy-source power converter system

• US 20040125618A1
• Filed: 12/26/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: De Rooij, Michael, Steigerwald, Robert
• Application Number:
  US10/329,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125618A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/17
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4807 having a high frequency intermediate AC stage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/30 Wind power

Abstract

A flexible integrated power converter system that connects various types of electrical power sources together and supplies a defined type of electrical energy to a load, such as a standard household mains voltage supply, is provided. Each of the electrical power sources is electrically isolated from the load, as well as each other. A respective input converter is coupled to each power source. Each input converter may include a small high-frequency transformer driven by an efficient soft-switched dc-dc converter. The voltages produced by each of the input converters are combined in parallel and delivered to a single output inverter. The output inverter converts the combined voltages to an ac voltage that may be delivered to a load.

Claims

1. A power conversion system comprising:

a first input converter configured to receive a first input voltage from a first power source and to produce a first converted input voltage;

a second input converter configured to receive a second input voltage from a second power source and to produce a second converted input voltage;

a combining circuit configured to receive each of the first converted input voltage and the second converted input voltage and to combine the first converted input voltage and the second converted input voltage to produce a combined converted voltage; and

an output inverter configured to receive the combined converted voltage and to produce an ac output voltage.

2. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the first input converter and the second input converter comprises a high-frequency transformer driven by a soft-switched high-frequency converter.

3. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the soft-switched high-frequency converter comprises a phase-shifted resonant bridge.

4. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the output inverter comprises a soft-switched auxiliary resonant commutated pole inverter.

5. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the output inverter is configured to produce an ac output voltage for a household mains voltage supply.

6. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the output inverter is configured to produce an ac output voltage for supplying load voltages of +/−

120 volts RMS.

7. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 1, comprising a third input converter configured to receive a third input voltage from a third power source and to produce a third converted input voltage, wherein the combining circuit is configured to receive the third converted input voltage and combine the third converted input voltage with each of the first converted input voltage and the second converted input voltage to produce a combined converted voltage.

8. A power conversion system comprising:

a first conversion block comprising;

a first input converter configured to convert a first de power source voltage from a first voltage level to a second voltage level;

a dc link electrically coupled to the input converter and configured to receive the first dc power source voltage having the second voltage level from the first input converter and to include the first de power source voltage with a second de power source voltage having the second voltage level to produce a common de power voltage; and

an output inverter electrically coupled to the dc link and configured to convert the common dc power source voltage to an ac output power source voltage; and

a second conversion block electrically coupled to the dc link of the first conversion block and configured to convert the second dc power source voltage from a third voltage level to the second voltage level and configured to output the second dc power source voltage to the dc link for inclusion with the first dc power source voltage.

9. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the first input converter comprises a high-frequency transformer driven by a soft-switched high-frequency converter.

10. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 9, wherein the soft-switched high-frequency converter comprises a phase-shifted resonant bridge.

11. The power conversion system, as set fort in claim 8, wherein the second conversion block comprises a second input converter.

12. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 11, wherein the second input converter comprises a high-frequency transformer driven by a soft-switched high-frequency converter.

13. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the dc link comprises one or more electrolytic capacitors.

14. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the output inverter comprises a soft-switched auxiliary resonant commutated pole inverter.

15. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the output inverter is configured to convert the common dc power source voltage to an ac power source voltage and to provide the ac power source voltage to a household mains voltage supply.

16. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the output inverter is configured to convert the common dc power source voltage to an ac power source voltage having rail voltages of +/−

120 volts RMS.

17. The power conversion system, as set forth in claim 8, comprising a third conversion block electrically coupled to the dc link of the first conversion block and configured to convert a third dc power source voltage from a fourth voltage level to the second voltage level and configured to output the third dc power source voltage to the dc link for inclusion with each of the first dc power source voltage and the second dc power source voltage.

18. An integrated power source comprising:

a plurality of electrical power sources each configured to produce a respective dc voltage;

a plurality of input converters, wherein each of the plurality of input converters is electrically coupled to a respective one of the plurality of electrical power sources, and wherein each of the plurality of input converters is configured to receive a respective dc voltage and to convert the respective dc voltage to a common dc voltage level and to produce a respective output having the common voltage level;

a linking element coupled to each of the plurality of input converters and configured to combine each of the respective outputs to provide a combined dc voltage having the common voltage level; and

an output inverter coupled to the linking element and configured to receive the combined dc voltage and to convert the combined dc voltage to an ac output voltage.

19. The integrated power source, as set forth in claim 18, wherein one of the plurality of electrical power sources comprises a photovoltaic array.

20. The integrated power source, as set forth in claim 18, wherein one of the plurality of electrical power sources comprises a battery.

21. The integrated power source, as set forth in claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of input converters comprises a high-frequency transformer driven by a soft-switched high-frequency converter.

22. The integrated power source, as set forth in claim 21, wherein the soft-switched high-frequency converter comprises a phase-shifted resonant bridge.

23. The integrated power source, as set forth in claim 18, wherein the output inverter comprises a soft-switched auxiliary resonant commutated pole inverter.

24. The integrated power source, as set forth in claim 18, wherein the linking element comprises a plurality of electrolytic capacitors.

25. The integrated power source, as set forth in claim 18, wherein the output inverter is configured to receive the combined dc voltage and to convert the combined dc voltage to an ac output voltage for a household mains voltage supply.

26. The integrated power source, as set forth in claim 18, wherein the output inverter is configured to receive the combined dc voltage and to convert the combined dc voltage to an ac output voltage having rail voltages of +/−

120 volts RMS.

27. A method of converting power from multiple sources comprising:

receiving a first voltage at a first input converter, the first voltage having a first voltage level;

receiving a second voltage at a second input converter, the second voltage having a second voltage level;

converting the first voltage level of the first voltage to a third voltage level;

converting the second voltage level of the second voltage to the third voltage level;

combining the first voltage having the third voltage level and the second voltage having the third voltage level to produce a third voltage having the third voltage level; and

converting the third voltage to an ac voltage having a fourth voltage level.

28. The method, as set forth in claim 27, wherein receiving the first voltage comprises receiving a first dc voltage from a first power source.

29. The method, as set forth in claim 27, wherein receiving the first voltage comprises receiving a first dc voltage from a photovoltaic array.

30. The method, as set forth in claim 28, wherein receiving the second voltage comprises receiving a second dc voltage from a second power source different from the first power source.

31. The method, as set forth in claim 30, wherein receiving the second source comprises receiving a second de voltage from a battery.

32. The method, as set forth in claim 27, comprising delivering the ac voltage having a fourth voltage level to a mains voltage supply.

33. The method, as set forth in claim 27, comprising delivering the ac voltage having a fourth voltage level to a mains voltage supply in a household.

34. The method, as set forth in claim 27, comprising:

receiving a fourth voltage at a third input converter, the fourth voltage having a fifth voltage level;

converting the fifth voltage level of the fourth voltage to the third voltage level; and

combining the fourth voltage having the third voltage level with each of the first voltage having the third voltage level and the second voltage having the third voltage level to produce the third voltage having the third voltage level.