Bi-directional, transformerless voltage system
AssigneeLawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
InventorStephen E. Sampayan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multi-stage electric voltage converter is disclosed. The converter comprises a voltage source and multiple stages. Each stage of the multiple stages comprises a first and a second and a third switch, and a capacitor, wherein the capacitor is coupled to the voltage source by the first and the second switches and each stage is coupled to a different stage or to an output of the multi-stage electric voltage converter by the third switch so as to allow the capacitor to be charged by the voltage source when the first and the second switches are closed and the third switch is open, and to allow the capacitor to be connected to the output of the multi-stage electric voltage converter when the first and the second switches are open and the third switch is closed.
Claims27
A multi-stage electric voltage converter comprising:
- a voltage source;
- and
- multiple stages, wherein each stage of the multiple stages comprises:
- a first and a second and a third switch, and
- a capacitor, wherein the capacitor is coupled to the voltage source by the first and the second switches and each stage of the multiple stages is coupled to a different stage or to an output of the multi-stage electric voltage converter by the third switch so as to allow the capacitor to be charged by the voltage source when the first and the second switches are closed and the third switch is open, and to allow the capacitor to be disconnected from the voltage source and connected to the output of the multi-stage electric voltage converter to supply a voltage from the capacitor that is disconnected from the voltage source to the output when the first and the second switches are open and the third switch is closed.
A bidirectional electric converter, comprising:
- an electrical power source;
- an output load;
- and
- a cascade configuration of a plurality of stages, wherein each stage of the plurality of stages comprises more than two switches and a capacitor coupled to the switches to transfer power from the electrical power source to the output load, wherein the capacitor of each stage is, in a charging cycle, configured to receive the power from the electrical power source and disconnect from the output load, and in a discharging cycle, configured to disconnect from the electrical power source and transfer the power from the capacitor that is disconnected from the electrical power source to the output load,
- wherein positions of the electrical power source and the output load are interchangeable.
A method of providing a voltage conversion by a multi-stage bidirectional electric voltage converter, comprising:
- supplying a voltage from a voltage source to one or more stages of the multi-stage bidirectional electric voltage converter, wherein:
- each stage of the multi-stage bidirectional electric voltage converter includes a first, a second and a third switch and a capacitor, and
- the capacitor is coupled to the voltage source by the first and the second switches and each stage is coupled to a different stage or to an output of the multi-stage bidirectional electric voltage converter by the third switch;
- charging each capacitor in the one or more stages of the multi-stage bidirectional electric voltage converter by placing the first and the second switches in each stage in a closed state, and the third switch in an open state;
- and
- discharging the capacitor to the output of the multi-stage bidirectional electric voltage converter by placing the first and the second switches in each stage in an open state, and the third switch in a closed state to disconnect the capacitor from the voltage source and allow the capacitor that is disconnected from the voltage source to supply a voltage to the output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.