# US 8,542,504 B2 · Control circuit, power conditioner including the control circuit, and photovoltaic system

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- Number: US 8,542,504 B2
- Document ID: US8542504B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/028,681
- Filed: 2011-02-16
- Published: 2011-09-15
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2010-03-11
- Assignees: OMRON Corporation
- Applicants: Masao Mabuchi; Mio Miyamoto; Naoki Maki; Kotaro Nakamura; Akiyuki Tsunaga
- Inventors: Masao Mabuchi; Mio Miyamoto; Naoki Maki; Kotaro Nakamura; Akiyuki Tsunaga
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8542504B2

## CPC

- H02M 7/49: Combination of the output voltage waveforms of a plurality of converters
- H02M 1/0095: {Hybrid converter topologies, e.g. NPC mixed with flying capacitor, thyristor converter mixed with MMC or charge pump mixed with buck}
- H02M 7/4835: {comprising two or more cells, each including a switchable capacitor, the capacitors having a nominal charge voltage which corresponds to a given fraction of the input voltage, and the capacitors being selectively connected in series to determine the instantaneous output voltage}
- H02M 7/797: using semiconductor devices only
- H03F 3/45475: {using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit}
- H03F 2203/45528: the FBC comprising one or more passive resistors and being coupled between the LC and the IC
- H03F 2203/45594: the IC comprising one or more resistors, which are not biasing resistor
- H03F 2203/45604: the IC comprising a input shunting resistor
- Y02E 10/56: Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
- 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)
- H03F: AMPLIFIERS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A power conditioner of a photovoltaic system is configured operate at higher accuracy. A chopper circuit, a capacitor connected in parallel to the chopper circuit, and a control circuit that controls an ON/OFF status of switch elements in the chopper circuit to control charging and discharging of the capacitor are provided. The control circuit includes a measurement control section that measures an inter-end voltage of the capacitor and a control circuit section that performs a predetermined control operation from a measurement output of the measurement circuit section. The measurement circuit section includes a differential amplifier circuit that differentially amplifies the inter-end voltage of the capacitor. The circuit control section calibrates an in-phase component in the output of the differential amplifier circuit as an in-phase error and performs the control from the calibrated output from the differential amplifier circuit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A control circuit, comprising;
a measurement controller that measures an inter-end voltage of a capacitor; and
a circuit controller that performs a control operation from a measurement output of the measurement controller, wherein:
the measurement controller includes a differential amplifier circuit that differentially amplifies the inter-end voltage of the capacitor,
the circuit controller calibrates an in-phase component in an output of the differential amplifier circuit as an in-phase error, performs the control operation from a calibrated measurement output from the differential amplifier circuit, and performs a calibration by cancelling the in-phase error by an in-phase error correction amount.

### Claim 2

A power conditioner, comprising:
a chopper circuit formed by connecting at least two switch elements in a series;
a capacitor connected in parallel to the chopper circuit; and
a control circuit that controls an ON/OFF status of the switch elements in the chopper circuit to control charging and discharging of the capacitor, wherein the control circuit comprises:
a measurement controller that measures an inter-end voltage of a capacitor, wherein the measurement controller includes a differential amplifier circuit that differentially amplifies the inter-end voltage of the capacitor; and
a circuit controller that performs a control operation from a measurement output of the measurement controller, wherein the circuit controller calibrates an in-phase component in an output of the differential amplifier circuit as an in-phase error and performs the control operation from a calibrated measurement output from the differential amplifier circuit,
wherein one of at least two inputs to the differential amplifier circuit is a voltage from a ground of one of the capacitor electrodes when a DC voltage is charged from the one capacitor electrode to the capacitor through one of the switch elements of the chopper circuit during an ON period of the switch element, and the other is a voltage from the ground of the other capacitor electrode.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A power conditioner, comprising:
a chopper circuit formed by connecting at least two switch elements in a series;
a capacitor connected in parallel to the chopper circuit; and
a control circuit that controls an ON/OFF status of the switch elements in the chopper circuit to control charging and discharging of the capacitor,
wherein the control circuit is configured by the control circuit according to claim 1.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The power conditioner according to claim 3,
wherein one of at least two inputs to the differential amplifier circuit is a voltage from a ground of one of the capacitor electrodes when a DC voltage is charged from the one capacitor electrode to the capacitor through one of the switch elements of the chopper circuit during an ON period of the switch element, and the other is a voltage from the ground of the other capacitor electrode.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

A photovoltaic system, comprising:
a thin film solar cell; and
a power conditioner, arranged between the thin film solar cell and a commercial power supply, that converts a DC power from the thin film solar cell to an AC power that is interconnected to a system of the commercial power supply and outputting the AC power,
wherein the power conditioner is the power conditioner according to claim 2.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

A photovoltaic system, comprising:
a thin film solar cell; and
a power conditioner, arranged between the thin film solar cell and a commercial power supply, that converts a DC power from the thin film solar cell to an AC power that is interconnected to a system of the commercial power supply and outputting the AC power,
wherein the power conditioner is the power conditioner according to claim 3.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

A photovoltaic system, comprising:
a thin film solar cell; and
a power conditioner, arranged between the thin film solar cell and a commercial power supply, that converts a DC power from the thin film solar cell to an AC power that is interconnected to a system of the commercial power supply and outputting the AC power,
wherein the power conditioner is the power conditioner according to claim 4.