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US 11,831,233 B2Granted
Multilevel converter circuit and method with discrete voltage levels
AssigneeSolaredge Technologies Ltd.
InventorsMeir Gazit, Menashe Walsh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power conversion system includes a first converter configured to convert an input voltage into discrete voltage levels, and provide each discrete voltage level at a corresponding output terminal. The power conversion system further includes a second converter configured to convert the discrete voltages into modulated voltages. The power conversion system further includes a selection unit configured to alternatively output each of the modulated voltage voltages across a pair of output terminals.
Claims16
A system comprising:
- a sensor configured to sense an electrical parameter comprising at least one of:
- voltage, current, impedance, resistance, phase angle, power factor, harmonic distortion, frequency, or power;
- a first converter comprising a first switching circuit and three or more first output terminals, wherein the first switching circuit is configured to:
- convert a direct current (DC) input voltage into three or more discrete voltage levels;
- and
- provide each of the three or more discrete voltage levels at a corresponding one of the three or more first output terminals;
- a second converter comprising a second switching circuit configured to convert the three or more discrete voltage levels into a plurality of modulated voltages, wherein each modulated voltage, of the plurality of modulated voltages, comprises two discrete voltage levels selected from the three or more discrete voltage levels, and wherein a quantity of the plurality of modulated voltages is less than a quantity of the three or more discrete voltage levels;
- a controller configured to, based on the electrical parameter, control the second converter to convert the three or more discrete voltage levels into the plurality of modulated voltages using at least one of:
- pulse width modulation,
- frequency modulation, or
- both variable frequency and variable pulse width modulation;
- and
- a selection circuit configured to, based on the electrical parameter, alternatively output each modulated voltage of the plurality of modulated voltages across a pair of output terminals.
10 more elements
A method comprising:
- sensing, by a sensor, an electrical parameter comprising at least one of:
- voltage, current, impedance, resistance, phase angle, power factor, harmonic distortion, frequency, or power;
- converting, by a first converter, a direct current (DC) input voltage into three or more discrete voltage levels;
- controlling, by a controller and based on the electrical parameter, a second converter to convert the three or more discrete voltage levels into a plurality of modulated voltages, wherein each modulated voltage, of the plurality of modulated voltages, comprises two discrete voltage levels selected from the three or more discrete voltage levels, wherein a quantity of the plurality of modulated voltages is less than a quantity of the three or more discrete voltage levels, and wherein the three or more discrete voltage levels are converted into the plurality of modulated voltages using at least one of:
- pulse width modulation,
- frequency modulation, or
- both variable frequency and variable pulse width modulation;
- and
- alternatively outputting, by a selection circuit and based on the electrical parameter, each modulated voltage of the plurality of modulated voltages across a pair of output terminals.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.