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US 9,870,016 B2Granted
Circuit for interconnected direct current power sources
AssigneeSolaredge Technologies Ltd.
InventorsMeir Adest, Ilan Yoscovich, Yoav Galin, Elad Sity
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Controlling a power converter circuit for a direct current (DC) power source is disclosed. The power converter may be operative to convert input power received from the DC power source to an output power and to perform maximum power point tracking of the power source. The power converter is adapted to provide the output power to a load that also performs maximum power point tracking.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising:
- a power converter having input terminals and output terminals and being operative to convert input power received from a direct current power source at the input terminals to output power at the output terminals;
- and
- a control circuit configured to control the output power according to a function that relates values of the output power to output current values or to output voltage values and that includes a local maximum value of the output power.
A method comprising:
- converting, by a power converter, input power received from a direct current (DC) power source at input terminals to output power at output terminals;
- and
- controlling, by a control circuit of the power converter, the output power according to a function that relates values of the output power to output current values or to output voltage values and that includes a local maximum value of the output power.
An apparatus comprising:
- a power converter, having input terminals and output terminals, the power converter being operative to convert input power received from a direct current power source at the input terminals to output power at the output terminals, the power converter including:
- a control circuit that has an input control loop configured to maximize the input power;
- and
- a power attenuator coupled to the output terminals and having attenuated power output terminals, the power attenuator being configured to attenuate, based on a function that relates values of the output power to output current values or to output voltage values and that includes a local maximum value of the output power, the output power to less than the local maximum value and transfer the attenuated output power to the attenuated power output terminals.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- converting input power received from a direct current (DC) power source at input terminals to output power at output terminals;
- sensing an input parameter of input current, input voltage or the input power;
- based on the sensed input parameter, maximizing the input power to a maximum power point at the input terminals;
- and
- setting, by a control circuit coupled to the input terminals, the input power or the output power for a time interval to less than the maximum power point, and after the time interval, resuming the maximizing of the input power or the output power to the maximum power point to enable an external maximum power point tracking circuit (MPPT) to track the output power.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a power converter, having input terminals and output terminals, the power converter being operative to convert input power received from a direct current power source at the input terminals to output power at the output terminals, the power converter including:
- an input sensor coupled at the input terminals;
- a control circuit connected to the input sensor and having an input control loop configured to maximize the input power;
- and
- a power attenuator coupled to the output terminals and having attenuated power output terminals, the power attenuator configured to attenuate the output power to less than a maximum power and to transfer the attenuated output power to the attenuated power output terminals, wherein the power attenuator comprises:
- an operational amplifier comprising a positive input terminal, a negative input terminal, and an output terminal;
- and
- a non-linear current sink connected to the output terminals of the power converter and to the positive input terminal of the operational amplifier.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.