Granted Patent B2

US 9,817,424 · App. 14/568,911 · Granted Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

Claims (36)

1. A method for maximum power point tracking (MPPT), comprising:

modulating an operating voltage of a first DC source by a first perturbation function to generate a first output power;

modulating an operating voltage of a second DC source by a second perturbation function to generate a second output power, wherein the first and the second perturbation functions are synchronized with one another and out of phase with one another;

comparing the first and the second output powers; and

adjusting MPPT set points for both the first and the second DC sources in the same direction based on a result of comparing the first and the second output powers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein first and second perturb and observe (P&O) MPPT techniques are employed for independently driving the first and the second DC sources, respectively, toward their respective maximum power points.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second DC sources are coupled to a single power converter.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the power converter is a DC-AC inverter.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the DC-AC inverter generates a single-phase AC output.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first perturbation function is an AC voltage ripple across the first DC source.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the DC-AC inverter generates a three-phase AC output.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first and the second perturbation functions are such that a total sum power of the perturbated operating voltage of the first DC source and the perturbated operating voltage of the second DC source sums to a constant.

9. An apparatus for maximum power point tracking (MPPT), comprising:

a power converter, coupled to a first DC source and a second DC source, comprising an MPPT module for:

employing a first perturb and observe (P&O) MPPT technique for driving the first DC source toward its maximum power point (MPP), wherein an operating voltage of the first DC source is modulated by a first perturbation function to generate a first DC source output power based on the first P&O MPPT technique;

employing a second P&O MPPT technique for driving the second DC source toward its MPP, wherein an operating voltage of the second DC source is modulated by a second perturbation function to generate a second DC source output power based on the second P&O MPPT technique, and wherein the first and the second perturbation functions are synchronized with one another and out of phase with one another;

comparing the first and the second DC source output powers; and

adjusting MPPT set points for both the first DC source and the second DC source in the same direction based on a result of comparing the first and the second DC source output powers.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first and the second P&O MPPT techniques independently drive the first and the second DC sources, respectively, toward their respective maximum power points.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the power converter is a DC-AC inverter.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the DC-AC inverter generates a single-phase AC output.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first perturbation function is an AC voltage ripple across the first DC source.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the DC-AC inverter generates a three-phase AC output.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first and the second perturbation functions are such that a total sum power of the perturbated operating voltage of the first DC source and the perturbated operating voltage of the second DC source sums to a constant.

16. A system for maximum power point tracking (MPPT), comprising:

a first DC source;

a second DC source; and

a power converter, coupled to the first and the second DC sources, comprising an MPPT module for:

employing a first perturb and observe (P&O) MPPT technique for driving the first DC source toward its maximum power point (MPP), wherein an operating voltage of the first DC source is modulated by a first perturbation function to generate a first DC source output power based on the first P&O MPPT technique;

employing a second P&O MPPT technique for driving the second DC source toward its MPP, wherein an operating voltage of the second DC source is modulated by a second perturbation function to generate a second DC source output power based on the second P&O MPPT technique, and wherein the first and the second perturbation functions are synchronized with one another and out of phase with one another;

comparing the first and the second DC source output powers; and

adjusting MPPT set points for both the first DC source and the second DC source in the same direction based on a result of comparing the first and the second DC source output powers.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first and the second P&O MPPT techniques independently drive the first and the second DC sources, respectively, toward their respective maximum power points.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the power converter is a DC-AC inverter that generates a single-phase AC output.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the first perturbation function is an AC voltage ripple across the first DC source.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the power converter is a DC-AC inverter that generates a three-phase AC output, and, wherein the first and the second perturbation functions are such that a total sum power of the perturbated operating voltage of the first DC source and the perturbated operating voltage of the second DC source sums to a constant.

Assignments (7)