Patent · US Expired

System and method using phase detection to equalize power from multiple power sources

US6160725A · kind A · utility

39Cited by
7References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 12, 1999
Grant dateDec 12, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 12, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH02J1/102
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and a method may use variable-frequency power sources for supplying power to a load. The system and method use phase detection in order to automatically and substantially equalize the currents supplied to a load by each of the variable-frequency power sources, and to cancel a ripple component of the input current drawn by the system. First and second power sources supply power to the load. The power sources have a similar relationship between their respective variable switching frequencies and the power that they supply to the load. First and second switching frequencies of, respectively, the first and second power sources are locked to one another using phase detection to substantially equalize the power supplied to the load by each power source. The system and method are advantageously utilized to provide a power factor correction front-end for a switch-mode power supply. Power sources with non-linear and/or inverse relationships between power supplied and switching frequency can be used. In alternate embodiments power from series power sources is equalized by equalizing voltages supplied by each power source to a load.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.