Ideal Power says the European Patent Office has awarded the company a patent (EP2025051 B1) for its core power conversion technology, Power Packet Switching Architecture (PPSA). This patent, along with previously granted U.S. and Chinese patents, provide Ideal Power intellectual property protection in the world’s largest markets.
PPSA is a new approach to electronic power converters. It has a 100% indirect power transfer compared to direct power transfer from conventional power converters. All the energy runs through, and is temporarily stored in, a high-frequency AC link consisting of an inductor and capacitor. Since the input and output are never directly connected together, this novel current modulation technique provides circuit isolation without the size, weight, cost, and efficiency loss of a transformer. It also provides buck/boost voltage conversion, bi-directional power transfer, and multiport applications with any combination of independently-controlled AC and DC power ports.
“Our PPSA technology is increasingly recognized as offering market leadership in efficiency, size, weight, and cost for grid storage while providing electrical isolation,” stated Dan Brdar, CEO of Ideal Power. “Securing key international patents not only protects our intellectual property, but is a core component of our commercialization strategy to develop global relationships and enter new markets while providing our customers sustainable competitive advantage.”
In PV inverter applications, the PPSA delivers weight and efficiency benefits of a transformer-less inverter, while supporting grounded PV arrays, which are the de facto U.S. standard.
Other attributes of the Power Packet Switching Architecture include:
Non-resonant soft-switching dramatically reduces electrical and thermal stresses on power switches (silicon IGBTs).
High AC link frequency utilizes compact inductor, eliminating bulk capacitors and further improving system reliability.
Precise intra-cycle current management minimizes the need for output filtering.
Bi-directional AC switches (shown in blue) minimize conduction losses, delivering high-efficiency power transfer in all modes of operation.