IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0630502
(2015-02-24)
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등록번호 |
US-9899841
(2018-02-20)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Cheng, George Shu-Xing
- Mulkey, Steven L.
- Chow, Andrew J.
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
1 |
초록
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A method and apparatus is disclosed that can intelligently invert DC power from single or multiple DC sources to single-phase, split-phase, or three-phase AC power, supply the AC power to the electric power grid when the grid is on, or supply AC power to electric devices or loads when the grid is do
A method and apparatus is disclosed that can intelligently invert DC power from single or multiple DC sources to single-phase, split-phase, or three-phase AC power, supply the AC power to the electric power grid when the grid is on, or supply AC power to electric devices or loads when the grid is down. A Smart and Grid-Flexible Power Inverter, or On/Off-Grid Power Inverter, is disclosed that can work in either the on-grid or off-grid mode, and switch back and forth between the two modes manually or automatically depending on the power grid conditions. The system provides a simple and cost-effective solution for areas where the power grid has frequent outages or long downtimes.
대표청구항
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1. An on/off-grid power inverter system, comprising: a) one or multiple DC input ports;b) an on-grid AC output port connected to an electric grid;c) an off-grid AC output port connected to an off-grid AC circuit;d) a DC-AC inverter constructed and arranged to receive DC power from the one or multipl
1. An on/off-grid power inverter system, comprising: a) one or multiple DC input ports;b) an on-grid AC output port connected to an electric grid;c) an off-grid AC output port connected to an off-grid AC circuit;d) a DC-AC inverter constructed and arranged to receive DC power from the one or multiple DC input ports, invert the DC power to AC power, and supply AC power through said on-grid AC output port to the electric grid in on-grid mode when grid is on, or supply AC power through said off-grid AC output port to power AC loads in the off-grid AC circuit in off-grid mode when grid is down;e) for each AC output port, an internal AC powerline that conducts AC power from the DC-AC inverter to the grid or to corresponding AC loads through a corresponding external AC powerline;f) for each AC output port, an electric relay arranged to isolate the internal AC powerline connected to that particular AC output port from its corresponding external AC powerline;g) for each DC input port, a DC-DC boost converter arranged to convert the voltage of a DC power source to a higher DC voltage suitable for inversion;h) a DC power combiner connected to the DC-DC boost converters for combining the DC output from all DC-DC boost converters and allowing the DC-DC boost converters to connect in parallel so that all DC currents are added together, the DC power combiner being connected to the DC-AC inverter;i) a load interface circuit connected to the DC-AC inverter and to the internal AC powerlines, said load interface circuit being arranged to filter high-frequency components out of each of the DC-AC inverter's AC outputs;j) a load detector connected to the internal and external AC powerlines for the off-grid AC output port, and arranged to detect the impedance of the connected AC loads;k) a digital microcontroller connected to the DC-DC boost converters, DC-AC inverter, load interface circuit, electric relays of the AC output ports, and load detector, said digital microcontroller arranged to monitor the DC boost voltage, control the DC-DC boost converters, perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT), control DC-AC inversion, control AC synchronization when in on-grid mode, monitor AC output current and voltage, close or open electric relays of the AC output ports, perform powerline communications, detect off-grid AC circuit status, check the impedance of the AC load in the off-grid circuit to determine if it is within predetermined specifications, switch between on-grid mode and off-grid mode depending on the grid condition, and regulate AC output voltage when in off-grid mode;l) a powerline modem connected to the digital microcontroller and internal AC powerlines through an interface circuit arranged to establish a 2-way digital signal communication between the digital microcontroller and the outside world through the external AC powerlines;m) a line sensing circuit connected to the AC external powerlines and the digital microcontroller, and arranged to detect if there is AC power on the external AC powerlines, and to measure the AC output voltage and current as real-time feedback signals for the DC-AC inverter to regulate the AC output voltage when working in off-grid mode; andn) a power supply connected to said DC power combiner and arranged to supply DC power to the electronic components of the DC-AC inverter. 2. The on/off grid power inverter system of claim 1, in which the DC input ports are arranged to connect to multiple DC sources including photovoltaic solar panels, wind generators, or batteries, or any combination thereof. 3. The on/off grid power inverter system of claim 1, in which the on-grid output and off-grid output of the on/off-grid power inverter system is single-phase AC. 4. The on/off grid power inverter system of claim 1, in which the on-grid output and off-grid output of the on/off-grid power inverter system is three-phase AC. 5. The on/off grid power inverter system of claim 1, in which the digital microcontroller includes Model-Free Adaptive (MFA) controllers that control the DC-DC boost converters, control AC output current in on-grid mode, and regulate the AC output voltage in off-grid mode, and MFA optimizers that provide maximum power point tracking (MPPT) to allow the DC-AC inverter to achieve optimal power production. 6. The on/off grid power inverter system of claim 1 further comprising an on-grid AC input port coupled with the on-grid AC output port. 7. The on/off grid power inverter system of claim 1, further comprising a 3-position manual switch arranged to select the on/off grid power inverter system to work in the following positions: (a) auto position, where the digital microcontroller can switch between the on-grid mode and off-grid mode automatically based on the grid condition;(b) on-grid mode, where the on/off grid power inverter system works as an on-grid inverter to supply power to the grid through its on-grid output port; and(c) off-grid mode, where the on/off grid power inverter system works as an off-grid power inverter system to supply power to AC loads through its off-grid output port. 8. A system for providing AC power to an electric grid or to an off-grid AC circuit respectively from a plurality of individual DC power sources each having a DC output port, comprising: a) a plurality of on/off-grid power inverter systems, each having a plurality of DC input ports, an on-grid AC input port, an on-grid AC output port, and an off-grid AC output port;b) the on-grid AC output port of each on/off grid power inverter system being connected in a daisy chain to the on-grid AC input port of the next on/off grid power inverter system, except for the on-grid AC output port of the first on/off grid power inverter system being connected to the electric grid, and the on-grid AC input port of the last on/off grid power inverter system being left open;c) said on-grid AC output port of the first on/off grid power inverter system being arranged to supply AC power produced by all of the on/off grid power inverter systems to the electric grid; andd) the off-grid AC output port of each on/off grid power inverter system being connected to an off-grid AC circuit and arranged to supply AC power to AC loads in the off-grid circuit when working in off-grid mode;each of the on/off grid power inverter systems comprising: aa) for each AC output port, an internal AC powerline that conducts the AC power from the on/off-grid power inverter system to the grid or to corresponding AC loads through an external AC powerline;bb) for each AC output port, an electric relay arranged to isolate the internal AC powerline from the external AC powerline;cc) for each DC input port, a DC-DC boost converter arranged to convert the voltage of a DC power source to a higher DC voltage suitable for inversion;dd) a DC power combiner connected to the DC-DC boost converters for combining the DC output from all DC-DC boost converters and allowing the DC-DC boost converters to connect in parallel so that all DC currents are added together;ee) a DC-AC inverter connected to the DC power combiner and arranged to invert DC power to AC power;ff) a load interface circuit connected to the DC-AC inverter and to the internal AC powerlines, said load interface circuit being arranged to filter high-frequency components out of the DC-AC inverter's AC output;gg) a load detector connected to the internal and external AC powerlines of the off-grid AC output port, and arranged to detect the impedance of the connected AC loads;hh) a digital microcontroller connected to the DC-DC boost converters, DC-AC inverter, load interface circuit, electric relays of the AC output ports, and load detector, said digital microcontroller arranged to monitor the DC boost voltage, control the DC-DC boost converters, perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT), control DC-AC inversion, control AC synchronization when in on-grid mode, monitor AC output current and voltage, close or open electric relays of the AC output ports, perform powerline communications, detect off-grid AC circuit status, check the impedance of the AC load in the off-grid circuit to determine if it is within predetermined specifications, switch between on-grid mode and off-grid mode depending on the grid condition, and regulate AC output voltage when in off-grid mode;ii) a powerline modem connected to the digital microcontroller and internal AC powerlines through an interface circuit arranged to establish a 2-way digital signal communication between the digital microcontroller and the outside world through the external AC powerline;jj) a line sensing circuit connected to the AC powerlines and the digital microcontroller, and arranged to detect if there is AC power on the powerlines, and measure the AC output voltage and current as real-time feedback signals for the inverter to regulate the AC output voltage when working in off-grid mode; andkk) a power supply connected to said DC power combiner and arranged to supply DC power to the electronic components of the on/off grid power inverter system. 9. The system for providing AC power to the electric grid or to an off-grid AC circuit of claim 8, in which the on-grid output and off-grid output of each said on/off-grid power inverter system is single-phase AC. 10. The system for providing AC power to the electric grid or to an off-grid AC circuit of claim 8, in which the on-grid output and off-grid output of each said on/off-grid power inverter system is three-phase AC.
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