| RENEWABLE POWER CONVERSION, INC. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
|---|
| 20120133477 | RENEWABLE ONE-TIME LOAD BREAK CONTACTOR - An electrical contactor with high DC and AC interrupt capability is disclosed. The invention is intended for applications where load break capability is only required under abnormal operating conditions. Under overload conditions, an alternate path is automatically provided through a sacrificial fuse to divert current from opening, or open and arcing, contacts such that the fuse interrupts the fault current and not the contacts. The current rating of the sacrificial fuse may be orders of magnitude less than the normal carry current of the contactor. The contactor provides a one-time load break function that is renewable by the replacement of a fuse. | 05-31-2012 |
| 20120039003 | BIPOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAY GROUNDING APPARATUS AND METHOD - The invention is an apparatus and method for safely disconnecting a bipolar photovoltaic array from earth ground under normal static operating conditions. The invention senses the voltage to earth on all three terminals of a bipolar photovoltaic array and uses a set of operable contacts to selectively couple or uncouple the DC neutral point of the array (the center tap) to earth ground. When all three terminals of the bipolar array are within the rated voltage capability of the photovoltaic array the DC neutral point is allowed to float. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120026770 | POWER CONVERTER WITH LINEAR DISTRIBUTION OF HEAT SOURCES - A power converter design is disclosed with a novel approach to thermal management which enhances the performance and significantly reduces the cost of the converter compared to prior art power converters. The invention minimizes the heating of one power component by another within the power converter and therefore enables the power converter to work at higher power levels. Essentially, the power converter uses a heatsink having a high length to width ratio, a linear array of power components thermally coupled to the heatsink parallel to the long axis of the heatsink and a heat removal system which produces the highest cross sectional thermal flux perpendicular to said long axis. In addition, a number of ancillary thermal management techniques are used to significantly enhance the value of this basic approach. A specific circuit design for the power converter is not disclosed or discussed as the invention can be applied to any number of power converter electrical topologies. What is addressed is the specific thermal management of the three primary component groups found in any power converter; semiconductor devices, magnetic components and capacitors. The invention uses specific geometries and power component arrangements as well as strategic use of advanced thermal materials. | 02-02-2012 |
| 20120025609 | VERY HIGH EFFICIENCY UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY - The invention is an electrical power conversion topology. The preferred embodiment is as a three-phase, on-line Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). The desired AC output voltage waveform is formed on each output line or phase of the UPS, using pulse modulation techniques and a smoothing output filter inductor. A semiconductor switching matrix is used to switch the power converter side of each output filter inductor between three voltage potentials, a positive battery potential, a negative battery potential and a third intermediate and varying AC potential synchronized with the desired output voltage. The invention potentially provides the same performance as that of a multi-level inverter topology approaching an infinite number of DC levels. | 02-02-2012 |
| 20110309690 | CENTRALIZED ISLANDING PROTECTION FOR DISTRIBUTED RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATORS - A device and method is disclosed for providing anti-islanding protection for an electrical grid-tied power converter, which is autonomous to the operation of the power converter. The device can protect any number of paralleled power converters and can independently determine if an islanding condition exists. The method involves actively perturbing the electrical grid at a common point of coupling between converter and grid, observing the effect of the perturbation, comparing the perturbed and non-perturbed grid characteristics and disconnecting the converter from the grid if a run-on or islanding condition is indicated. Perturbation is accomplished switching a reactive load or loads onto the grid or by changing a transformer tap connection at the point of common coupling. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110308833 | PHOTOVOLTAIC STRING SUB-COMBINER - An improved method of collecting DC power in solar photovoltaic systems is disclosed where series string overcurrent protection is provided at distributed series string terminus locations and a tap connection is made to higher current conductors carrying the combined currents of a number of series strings. A number of related string combiner methods and embodiments are disclosed. | 12-22-2011 |
