US 12,149,182 B2
Balanced capacitor power converter
Raanan Levi, Beit Aryeh (IL); Dor Shoshani, Tel Aviv (IL); and Amir Kipper, Hod Hasharon (IL)
Assigned to Solaredge Technologies Ltd., Herzeliya (IL)
Filed by Solaredge Technologies Ltd., Herzeliya (IL)
Filed on Feb. 9, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/166,538.
Application 18/166,538 is a continuation of application No. 16/729,543, filed on Dec. 30, 2019, granted, now 11,606,043.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/786,723, filed on Dec. 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0188053 A1, Jun. 15, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H02M 7/483 (2007.01); H02M 3/158 (2006.01); H02M 3/335 (2006.01); H02M 7/487 (2007.01); H02M 1/00 (2006.01); H02M 3/155 (2006.01); H02M 3/156 (2006.01)
CPC H02M 7/483 (2013.01) [H02M 3/1584 (2013.01); H02M 3/33507 (2013.01); H02M 7/4833 (2021.05); H02M 7/487 (2013.01); H02M 1/0074 (2021.05); H02M 1/0095 (2021.05); H02M 3/155 (2013.01); H02M 3/156 (2013.01); H02M 3/335 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A power device comprising:
a plurality of capacitors connected in series with each other, configured to be connected in parallel with a direct current (DC) power source, and comprising a plurality of terminals; and
a converter comprising:
at least three input conductors each directly connected to a respective one of the terminals of one of the plurality of capacitors;
at least two output conductors configured to provide an output voltage; and
a switching circuit connected between the at least three input conductors and the at least two output conductors, wherein the switching circuit comprises at least two diodes, and wherein the at least two diodes are configured to direct a current from at least one of the plurality of capacitors to the at least two output conductors,
wherein the converter is configured to operate, using an open loop control that comprises a fixed frequency and a fixed duty cycle, the switching circuit to:
provide the output voltage on the at least two output conductors based on voltages across the plurality of capacitors; and
passively balance the voltages across at least two of the plurality of capacitors, wherein passively balancing the voltages across the at least two of the plurality of capacitors comprises drawing current from a first capacitor of the plurality of capacitors that is selected based on a comparison between:
a forward voltage of a first diode of the at least two diodes, and
a difference between a voltage across the first capacitor and a voltage across a second capacitor of the plurality of capacitors.