• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.54-64
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• 2015

This paper presents a current sensorless maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control method for dual-mode photovoltaic (PV) module-type interleaved flyback inverters (ILFIs). This system, called the MIC (Module Integrated Converter), has been recently studied in small PV power generation systems. Because the MIC is an inverter connected to one or two PV arrays, the power system is not affected by problems with other inverters. However, since the each PV array requires an inverter, there is a disadvantage that the initial installation cost is increased. To overcome this disadvantage, this paper uses a flyback inverter topology. A flyback inverter topology has an advantage in terms of cost because it uses fewer parts than the other transformer inverter topologies. The MPPT control method is essential in PV power generation systems. For the MPPT control method, expensive dc voltage and current sensors are used in the MIC system. In this paper, a MPPT control method without current sensor where the input current is calculated by a simple equation is proposed. This paper also deals with dual-mode control. Simulations and experiments are carried out to verify the performance and effectiveness of the proposed current sensorless MPPT control method on a 110 [W] prototype.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 1999

An integrated ZCS quasi-resonant converter(QRC) for the power factor correction with a single switch is presented in this paper. The power factor correction can be achieved by the discontinuous conduction mode(DCM) operation of the input current. The proposed converter gives the good power factor, low line current harmonics, and tight output regulation. The input current waveform of the prototype designed using design equations shows about 15% of total harmonic distortion at rated condition. Also, the efficiency and power factor can be obtained about 86% and 0.985, respectively, at rated condition. The proposed converter is suitable for a low power level converter with a tightly regulated low output voltage and switching frequency of more than several hundreds kHz.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1318-1328
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• 2015

The photovoltaic (PV) power conditioning system for small-scale applications has gained significant interest in the past few decades. However, the standalone mode of operation has been rarely approached. This paper presents a two-stage multi-level micro-inverter topology that considers the different operation modes. A multi-output flyback converter provides both the DC-Link voltage balancing for the multi-level inverter side and maximum power point tracking control in grid connection mode in the PV stage. A modified H-bridge multi-level inverter topology is included for the AC output stage. The multi-level inverter lowers the total harmonic distortion and overall ratings of the power semiconductor switches. The proposed micro-inverter topology can help to decrease the size and cost of the PV system. Transient analysis and controller design of this micro-inverter have been proposed for stand-alone and grid-connected modes. Finally, the system performance was verified using a 120 W hardware prototype.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.42-48
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• 2016

In this paper, a high-precision peak detector circuit that detects the output voltage information of a fly-back converter is proposed. The proposed design consists of basic analog elements with only one operational amplifier and three transistors. Because of its simple structure, the proposed circuit can minimize the delay time of the detection process, which has a strong impact on the precision of the regulation aspect of the fly-back converter. Furthermore, by using an amplifier and several transistors, the proposed detector can be fully integrated on-chip, instead of using discrete circuit elements, such as capacitors and diodes, as in conventional designs, which reduces the production cost of the fly-back converter module. In order to verify the performance of the proposed scheme, the peak detector was simulated and implemented by using a 0.35 m MagnaChip process. The gained results from the simulation with a sinusoidal stimulus signal show a very small detection error in the range of 0.3~3.1%, which is much lower than other reported detecting circuits. The measured results from the fabricated chip confirm the simulation results. As a result, the proposed peak detector is recommended for designs of high-performance fly-back converters in order to improve the poor regulation aspect seen in conventional designs.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1037-1047
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• 2017

The Differential Power Processing (DPP) converter is a promising multi-module photovoltaic inverter architecture recently proposed for photovoltaic systems. In this paper, a DPP converter architecture, in which each PV-panel has its own DPP converter in shunt, performs distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT) control. It maintains a high energy conversion efficiency, even under partial shading conditions. The system architecture only deals with the power differences among the PV panels, which reduces the power capacity of the converters. Therefore, the DPP systems can easily overcome the conventional disadvantages of PCS such as centralized, string, and module integrated converter (MIC) topologies. Among the various types of the DPP systems, the feed-forward method has been selected for both its voltage balancing and power transfer to a modified H-bridge inverter that needs charge balancing of the input capacitors. The modified H-bridge multi-level inverter had some advantages such as a low part count and cost competitiveness when compared to conventional multi-level inverters. Therefore, it is frequently used in photovoltaic (PV) power conditioning system (PCS). However, its simplified switching network draws input current asymmetrically. Therefore, input capacitors in series suffer from a problem due to a charge imbalance. This paper validates the operating principle and feasibility of the proposed topology through the simulation and experimental results. They show that the input-capacitor voltages maintain the voltage balance with the PV MPPT control operating with a 140-W hardware prototype.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1469-1479
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• 2017

Primary-side regulation (PSR) scheme is widely applied in low power applications, such as cell phone chargers, network adapters, and LED drivers. However, the efficiency and standby power requirements have been improved to a high standard due to the new trends of DOE (Department Of Energy) Level VI and COC (Code Of Conduct specifications) V5. The major drawbacks of PSR include poor regulation due to inaccurate feedback and difficulty in acquiring acceptable regulation. A novel adaptive blanking strategy for constant current and constant voltage regulation is proposed in this paper. An accurate model for the sample blanking time related to transformer leakage inductance and the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) parasitic capacitance is established. The proposed strategy can achieve accurate detection for ultra-low standby power. In addition, numerous control factors are analyzed in detail to eliminate the influence of leakage inductance on the loop stability. A dedicated controller integrated circuit (IC) with a power MOSFET is fabricated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. Experimental results demonstrated that the prototype based on the proposed IC has excellent performance.