Patent ID: 7808125
Filing Date: 2010-10-05
Classification: H02M

Abstract:
1. A step wave power converter comprising: a plurality of transformers each configured to receive a Direct Current (DC) voltage from one or more independently generated power sources, each transformer comprising a primary winding and a secondary winding; a plurality of bridge circuits controlling different DC voltage inputs from one of the multiple independently generated power sources into the primary windings; and one or more processors configured to use a Phase-Shifted Carrier Pulse Width Modulation (PSCPWM) scheme to operate the bridge circuits in order to modulate multiple variable width pulses onto multiple individual voltage steps output from the bridge circuits for a step wave Alternating Current (AC) output from the secondary windings, wherein each of the bridge circuits are assigned different associated carrier waves that have frequencies that are multiple times greater than a frequency of a reference waveform and have predetermined carrier wave values that are independent of the voltage steps output by the bridge circuits, and wherein the one or more processors compare each of the individual carrier waves with different points in the reference waveform to determine when to selectively have the bridge circuits associated with the different individual carrier waves connect the DC voltages to the transformers and modulate the variable width pulses onto the voltage steps output by the bridge circuits.