Power Share Converter for Multi-Energy Storage Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power systems with multiple power components require custom-designed power electronics and control circuitry for each new combination of components, leading to high costs and extensive development and testing time due to differences in operation parameters, power outputs, and communication parameters from various vendors.
Innovation Solution
A system with a central power bus and adaptable connectors that communicate with both the central power bus and power components, allowing dynamic adjustment and balancing of voltage and current flow, and enabling easy integration of new power components without redesigning the central power bus or control processor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional power systems use custom-designed power electronics and control circuitry for each new combination of power components, then the system can accommodate different operation parameters and power outputs from various vendors, but the development and testing time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal power electronics platform that can interface with multiple types of power components (battery packs, ultracapacitors, generators) without requiring custom design for each combination. The system uses a standardized power bus and modular power electronic components that can be configured to work with different vendors' equipment through parameter programming rather than hardware redesign, thereby reducing development time while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system accommodates different power components by changing operational parameters (voltage, current, frequency, power levels) through software control rather than hardware redesign. The control circuitry can be programmed with different operation parameters to match various power component specifications, allowing the same physical platform to adapt to different vendors' equipment without extensive redevelopment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional power systems are redesigned to accommodate new power components, then the system can integrate new vendors' equipment, but the manufacturing cost increases due to custom design requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal power management platform that reduces manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for custom-designed power electronics for each power component combination. The standardized architecture allows a single manufacturing line to produce systems that can interface with multiple vendors' power components, thereby reducing per-unit costs while maintaining integration capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the power management architecture into modular components: a standardized power bus, interchangeable power electronic modules, and programmable control circuitry. This segmentation allows the majority of the system to be manufactured once and reused, while only requiring minor parameter adjustments to accommodate different power components, significantly reducing manufacturing costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If custom-designed control circuitry is used to coordinate power components with different operation parameters, then the system can manage diverse power outputs, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuitry manages diverse power components through software-based parameter adjustment rather than hardware complexity. The system uses a standardized control architecture that adapts to different power components by loading appropriate parameter sets (voltage, current, frequency, power levels) rather than requiring different control circuit designs, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining coordination capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a standardized power bus and modular power electronic interface as intermediaries between the control circuitry and various power components. This intermediary layer isolates the control circuitry from the diversity of power component interfaces, allowing simple, universal control logic to manage complex, diverse power components without increasing control circuitry complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system comprises a plurality of power converters, a plurality of energy storage systems, a first common node, a second common node, and zero-reference voltage node. Each power converter is coupled between one energy storage system and the first and second common nodes. The system operates to regulate power between the power converters and the first and second common nodes. Each power converter is a bi-directional power converter and each energy storage system is a battery pack. In one example, the first common node is regulated to a voltage VSPAN, and the second common node is regulated to a voltage VSCN which is the mean of all voltages output by the battery packs. In another example, the first common node is regulated to a voltage −VSPAN, and the second common node is regulated to a voltage +VSPAN. No power converter processes more than voltage VSPAN yielding high-efficiency power conversion.