Ideal Power Converters

Technology

Topology

UPCP

Intellectual Property

Looking Forward

Topology

The IPC topology is called current modulation. It has a 100% indirect power transfer compared to direct power transfer from conventional solutions. 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, IPC's topology provides circuit isolation without the size, weight, cost and efficiency loss of a transformer. In PV inverter applications, IPC topology provides the inverter weight and efficiency benefits of a transformer-less inverter, while supporting grounded PV arrays which are the de facto standard in the U.S.

Other unique attributes of IPC's topology include:

Non-resonant soft-switching which reduces electrical and thermal stresses on power switches (silicon IGBTs).
High AC link frequency using small, compact inductor eliminates bulk capacitors and with precise intra-cycle current control eliminates most of the conventional filtering requirements.
Bi-directional AC switches (shown in blue)

Application Diagram