US4924150A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Power-line control system
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1988-07-22
•
Granted: 1990-05-08
•
Expires: 2008-07-22
Abstract
Abstract A full-bridge transistor inverter is connected at its DC supply-side with an energy-storing capacitor. The inverter's output terminals are connected in series between a source of AC voltage and a load; which load may be an electric motor, a fluorescent lighting system, etc. By controllably switching the transistors of the inverter ON and OFF in synchronism with the frequency of the AC voltage, effective control of the flow of power between the AC source and the load is achieved. DC voltage on the energy-storing capacitor is obtained from the AC source by way of the timing of the switching action of the inverter. Hence, in contrast with the ordinary situation where an inverter is supplied with net power from its source of DC voltage and where this net power is then supplied to a load connected with the inverter's output, the present invention relates to a situation where no net power is supplied to the inverter from its source of DC voltage and where no net power is supplied from the inverter's output. Instead, the inverter is used for controlling the waveform of the alternating current flowing through it by way of its output terminals.
Inventors
- 👤 Ole K. Nilssen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 07:25
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02M; H02M1/00; H02M1/42; H02M1/4208; H02M1/425; H05; H05B; H05B41/00; H05B41/14; H05B41/36; H05B41/38; H05B41/39; H05B41/392; H05B41/3921; H05B41/3927; Y; Y02; Y02B; Y02B70/00; Y02B70/10; Y10; Y10S; Y10S315/00; Y10S315/05
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
152 words
An arrangement comprising: a source of ordinary electric utility power line voltage, the source having a pair of source terminals, the power line voltage being an alternating voltage having a period; a load means having a pair of load terminals; and control and connect means interposed between the source and the load means and operable to controllably permit current to flow therebetween, the control and connect means: (i) having a pair of main control terminals connected in series with the source terminals and the load terminals, and (ii) being operable to control the flow of current between the source and the load means by means of controllably and intermittently providing an auxiliary voltage across the main control terminals, thereby controllably and intermittently supplying or absorbing energy at its main control terminals, the absolute magnitude of the auxiliary voltage remaining substantially constant throughout the duration of several periods of the power line voltage.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
152 words
An arrangement comprising: a source of ordinary electric utility power line voltage, the source having a pair of source terminals, the power line voltage being an alternating voltage having a period; a load means having a pair of load terminals; and control and connect means interposed between the source and the load means and operable to controllably permit current to flow therebetween, the control and connect means: (i) having a pair of main control terminals connected in series with the source terminals and the load terminals, and (ii) being operable to control the flow of current between the source and the load means by means of controllably and intermittently providing an auxiliary voltage across the main control terminals, thereby controllably and intermittently supplying or absorbing energy at its main control terminals, the absolute magnitude of the auxiliary voltage remaining substantially constant throughout the duration of several periods of the power line voltage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the load means comprises a gas discharge lighting system.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary voltage is provided across the main control terminals more frequently than twice each period of the power line voltage.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the load means comprises energy-storing means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the control and connect means is operable to permit current to flow between the main control terminals while the auxiliary voltage is being provided thereacross.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The arrangement of claim 1 wherein energy may be absorbed by, as well as provided from, the control and connect means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the control and connect means comprises adjustment means operative to permit adjustment of the magnitude of the current flowing between the source and the load means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The arrangement of claim 7 wherein the current flowing between the source and the load means is substantially in phase with the power line voltage.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The arrangement of claim 1 wherein current flows between the source and the load means at all times as long as the instantaneous magnitude of the power line voltage is other than zero.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
113 words
An arrangement comprising: a pair of DC terminals having a DC voltage thereacross; controllable inverter means connected with the DC terminals and operative to controllably provide an inverter voltage across a pair of inverter terminals, thereby to supply or absorb energy thereat; a source providing ordinary electric utility power line voltage across a pair of power line terminals; load means having a pair of load terminals; and connect means operative to series-connect the inverter terminals, the power line terminals and the load terminals; whereby the load means is provided with a voltage having an instantaneous magnitude that equals the sum of the instantaneous magnitudes of the power line voltage and the inverter voltage.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
113 words
An arrangement comprising: a pair of DC terminals having a DC voltage thereacross; controllable inverter means connected with the DC terminals and operative to controllably provide an inverter voltage across a pair of inverter terminals, thereby to supply or absorb energy thereat; a source providing ordinary electric utility power line voltage across a pair of power line terminals; load means having a pair of load terminals; and connect means operative to series-connect the inverter terminals, the power line terminals and the load terminals; whereby the load means is provided with a voltage having an instantaneous magnitude that equals the sum of the instantaneous magnitudes of the power line voltage and the inverter voltage.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The arrangement of claim 10 wherein the inverter voltage is characterized as having a fundamental frequency, and wherein this fundamental frequency is substantially equal to that of the power line voltage.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
The arrangement of claim 10 wherein the inverter means comprises a full bridge inverter.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
The arrangement of claim 10 wherein the inverter means: (i) during certain periods draws energy from the source of DC voltage, and (ii) during certain other periods supplies energy to the source of DC voltage.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
52 words
The arrangement of claim 13 wherein, when averaged over a complete period of the power line voltage, the net energy drawn by the inverter means from the source of DC voltage is very small in comparison with the net energy supplied from the source of power line voltage to the load means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
97 words
An arrangement comprising: a source of ordinary electric utility power line voltage; load means; and control means: (i) connected between the source and the load means, thereby to form a series-combination of the source, the load means and the control means, (ii) having current sensor means sensing the instantaneous magnitude of any current flowing between the source and the load means, (iii) having current-limiting means, and (iv) operable, in response to said instantaneous magnitude, to control by way of feedback the magnitude of the current flowing therebetween, thereby to prevent it from exceeding a certain pre-established level.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
97 words
An arrangement comprising: a source of ordinary electric utility power line voltage; load means; and control means: (i) connected between the source and the load means, thereby to form a series-combination of the source, the load means and the control means, (ii) having current sensor means sensing the instantaneous magnitude of any current flowing between the source and the load means, (iii) having current-limiting means, and (iv) operable, in response to said instantaneous magnitude, to control by way of feedback the magnitude of the current flowing therebetween, thereby to prevent it from exceeding a certain pre-established level.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
11 words
The arrangement of claim 15 wherein said pre-established level is adjustable.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
141 words
An arrangement comprising: a source of voltage connected in series with a load means to form a series-combination, this series-combination being connected across a pair of source-load terminals; an inverter means connected in circuit between a pair of DC terminals and a pair of AC terminals, an AC voltage being conditionally present at the AC terminals, a DC voltage being conditionally present at the DC terminals, the inverter means being controllably operative to deliver energy from the AC terminals to the DC terminals as well as from the DC terminals to the AC terminals; and means to connect the inverter's AC terminals with the source-load terminals, thereby: (i) to indeed provide the AC voltage at the AC terminals, (ii) to indeed provide the DC voltage at the DC terminals, and (iii) controllably to draw current from the source through the load.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
141 words
An arrangement comprising: a source of voltage connected in series with a load means to form a series-combination, this series-combination being connected across a pair of source-load terminals; an inverter means connected in circuit between a pair of DC terminals and a pair of AC terminals, an AC voltage being conditionally present at the AC terminals, a DC voltage being conditionally present at the DC terminals, the inverter means being controllably operative to deliver energy from the AC terminals to the DC terminals as well as from the DC terminals to the AC terminals; and means to connect the inverter's AC terminals with the source-load terminals, thereby: (i) to indeed provide the AC voltage at the AC terminals, (ii) to indeed provide the DC voltage at the DC terminals, and (iii) controllably to draw current from the source through the load.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
16 words
The arrangement of claim 17 wherein an energy-storing capacitor means is connected with the DC terminals.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
13 words
The arrangement of claim 17 where the inverter means comprises a full-bridge inverter.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
The arrangement of claim 17 wherein the source of voltage is an ordinary electric utility power line.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
13 words
The arrangement of claim 17 wherein the load means comprises an inductive means.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
16 words
The arrangement of claim 21 wherein the load means also comprises a gas discharge lamp means.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
20 words
The arrangement of claim 17 wherein the magnitude of the DC voltage present at the DC terminals is substantially constant.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
55 words
The arrangement of claim 17 where, over a period about equal to that of a complete cycle of the AC voltage on an ordinary electric utility power line, the amount of energy delivered to the DC terminals from the AC terminals is approximately equal to that delivered from the DC terminals to the AC terminals.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3525015A
Cited
US4042856A
Cited
US4352045A
Cited
US4352045B1
Cited
US4700113A
Cited
US4528457A
Cited
US4651060A
Cited
US4791338A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-05-07 | 1993-11-06 | 1994-05-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-05-07 | 1997-11-06 | 1998-05-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-05-07 | 2001-11-06 | 2002-05-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |