# US 2018/0323714 A1 · Decentralized control

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2018/0323714 A1
- Document ID: US20180323714A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/973,161
- Filed: 2018-05-07
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-05
- Assignees: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
- Applicants: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC; Regents of the University of Minnesota; ETH Zürich
- Inventors: Brian Benjamin JOHNSON; Miguel RODRIGUEZ; Mohit SINHA; Sairaj Vijaykumar DHOPLE; Florian Anton DÖRFLER
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323714A1

## CPC

- H02M 3/1584: {with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel}
- H02M 1/08: Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
- H03B 5/08: with frequency-determining element comprising lumped inductance and capacitance
- G05F 1/565: sensing a condition of the system or its load in addition to means responsive to deviations in the output of the system, e.g. current, voltage, power factor (G05F1/563 takes precedence)
- G05F 1/575: characterised by the feedback circuit
- H02M 1/0009: {Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter}
- H02M 3/157: with digital control
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)
- H03B: GENERATION OF OSCILLATIONS, DIRECTLY OR BY FREQUENCY-CHANGING, BY CIRCUITS EMPLOYING ACTIVE ELEMENTS WHICH OPERATE IN A NON-SWITCHING MANNER; GENERATION OF NOISE BY SUCH CIRCUITS (generators adapted for electrophonic musical instruments G10H; masers or lasers H01S; generation of oscillations in plasma H05H)
- G05F: SYSTEMS FOR REGULATING ELECTRIC OR MAGNETIC VARIABLES

## Abstract

A device includes a control unit that includes an oscillator circuit. The control unit is configured to generate, based on the oscillator circuit, at least one switching signal. The device also includes a direct current (DC)-to-DC conversion circuit comprising at least one electronic switch that is operatively coupled to the control unit. The DC-to-DC conversion circuit is configured to convert, based on the at least one switching signal, a DC input voltage to a DC output voltage, and the control unit is further configured to input, to the oscillator circuit, a current signal that is generated based on a measured output current of the DC-to-DC conversion circuit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device comprising:
a control unit comprising an oscillator circuit, the control unit configured to generate, based on the oscillator circuit, at least one switching signal; and
a direct current (DC)-to-DC conversion circuit comprising at least one electronic switch that is operatively coupled to the control unit, wherein the DC-to-DC conversion circuit is configured to convert, based on the at least one switching signal, a DC input voltage to a DC output voltage,
wherein the control unit is further configured to input, to the oscillator circuit, a current signal that is generated based on a measured output current of the DC-to-DC conversion circuit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the oscillator circuit comprises a negative conductance element, an inductor, and a capacitor connected in parallel.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein:
an inductance value, L, of the inductor and a capacitance value, C, of the capacitor are defined based on a switching frequency, such that
1
2

π

LC
is equal to the switching frequency and 0<√{square root over (L/C)}<1,
a negative conductance value of the negative conductance element is a positive value.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the oscillator circuit further comprises a cubic voltage-dependent current source.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The device of claim 4, wherein a coefficient of the cubic voltage-dependent current source is a positive value.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein:
the processing unit comprises a processor configured to implement the oscillator circuit by emulating a virtual negative conductance element, a virtual inductor, and a virtual capacitor connected in parallel.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6, wherein:
an inductance value, L, of the virtual inductor and a capacitance value, C, of the virtual capacitor are defined based on a switching frequency, such that
1
2

π

LC
is equal to the switching frequency and 0<√{square root over (L/C)}<1, and
a negative conductance value of the virtual negative conductance element is a positive value.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to implement the oscillator circuit by further emulating a virtual cubic voltage-dependent current source.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to:
compare a voltage waveform outputted by the oscillator circuit to a zero-voltage reference to produce a square wave;
integrate the square wave to produce a pulse width modulation (PWM) carrier wave; and
generate the at least one switching signal based on a comparison of the PWM carrier wave and a duty ratio signal.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:
scale the measured output current by a first gain value to produce a scaled output current;
determine a derivative of the measured output current;
combine the scaled output current and the derivative of the measured output current to produce a combined signal; and
scale the combined signal by a second gain value to generate the current signal.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The device of claim 10, wherein:
the DC-to-DC conversion circuit further comprises an output filter having a filter resistance value and a filter inductance value,
the first gain value is greater than or equal to a ratio of the filter resistance value to the filter inductance value, and
the second gain value is positive.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to scale the measured output current by a gain value to generate the current signal.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The device of claim 12, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:
combine a voltage waveform outputted by the oscillator circuit with a measured capacitor current to produce a combined oscillator output, wherein the measured capacitor circuit represents a current flowing through a capacitor in the oscillator circuit;
compare the combined oscillator output to a zero-voltage reference to produce a square wave;
integrate the square wave to produce a pulse width modulation (PWM) carrier wave; and
generate the at least one switching signal based on a comparison of the PWM carrier wave and a duty ratio signal.

### Claim 14

A system comprising:
a first DC conversion device comprising:
a first control unit comprising a first oscillator circuit, the first control unit configured to generate, based on the first oscillator circuit, at least one first switching signal; and
a first direct current (DC)-to-DC conversion circuit comprising a first at least one electronic switch that is operatively coupled to the first control unit, wherein the first DC-to-DC conversion circuit is configured to convert, based on the at least one first switching signal, a first DC input voltage to a first DC output voltage,
wherein the first control unit is further configured to input, to the first oscillator circuit, a first current signal that is generated based on a measured output current of the first DC-to-DC conversion circuit; and
a second DC conversion device comprising:
a second control unit comprising a second oscillator circuit, the second control unit configured to generate, based on the second oscillator circuit, at least one second switching signal; and
a second DC-to-DC conversion circuit comprising a second at least one electronic switch that is operatively coupled to the second control unit, wherein the second DC-to-DC conversion circuit is configured to convert, based on the at least one second switching signal, a second DC input voltage to a second DC output voltage,
wherein the second control unit is further configured to input, to the second oscillator circuit, a second current signal that is generated based on a measured output current of the second DC-to-DC conversion circuit,
wherein the first DC conversion device and the second DC conversion device are configured in parallel to output power to a load.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein:
the first control unit comprises a first processor configured to implement the first oscillator circuit by emulating a first virtual negative conductance element, a first virtual inductor, and a first virtual capacitor connected in parallel, and
the second control unit comprises a second processor configured to implement the second oscillator circuit by emulating a second virtual negative conductance element, a second virtual inductor, and a second virtual capacitor connected in parallel.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein:
the first oscillator circuit comprises a first negative conductance element, a first inductor, and a first capacitor connected in parallel, and
the second oscillator circuit comprises a second negative conductance element, a second inductor, and a second capacitor connected in parallel.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein:
the first control unit is further configured to:
compare a voltage waveform outputted by the first oscillator circuit to a first zero-voltage reference to produce a first square wave;
integrate the first square wave to produce a first pulse width modulation (PWM) carrier wave; and
generate the at least one first switching signal based on a comparison of the first PWM carrier wave and a first duty ratio signal, and
the second control unit is further configured to:
compare a voltage waveform outputted by the second oscillator circuit to a second zero-voltage reference to produce a second square wave;
integrate the second square wave to produce a second PWM carrier wave; and
generate the at least one second switching signal based on a comparison of the second PWM carrier wave and a second duty ratio signal.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein:
the first processing unit is further configured to:
scale the first measured output current by a first gain value to produce a first scaled output current;
determine a derivative of the first measured output current;
combine the first scaled output current and the derivative of the first measured output current to produce a first combined signal; and
scale the first combined signal by a second gain value to generate the first current signal, and
the second processing unit is further configured to:
scale the second measured output current by a third gain value to produce a second scaled output current;
determine a derivative of the second measured output current;
combine the second scaled output current and the derivative of the second measured output current to produce a second combined signal; and
scale the second combined signal by a fourth gain value to generate the second current signal.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the first control unit and the second control unit cause the first DC conversion device and the second DC conversion device to produce interleaved outputs during operation.

### Claim 20 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one first switching signal and at least one second switching signal are generated not based on communications between the first DC conversion device and the second DC conversion device.