{
  "patent_number": "US 9391457",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How a Special Box Turns Solar Panel Power into Home Electricity",
  "original_title": "Apparatus and method for producing AC power",
  "summary": "This patent describes a device that takes the unique direct current (DC) electricity from each layer of a special multi-layer solar panel and converts it into alternating current (AC) electricity usable in homes, making sure to get the most power out of each layer.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes an electrical power conversion device that takes direct current (DC) energy from a multi-junction solar cell and turns it into alternating current (AC) energy. A multi-junction solar cell has several layers, or \"junctions,\" each producing its own DC electricity. The device has multiple input pairs (Claim 1) to receive DC energy from each of these different junctions. It then uses multiple DC-to-AC inverting circuits (Claim 1), one for each input, to convert that DC energy into AC. An important part is the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) circuit (Claim 1), which ensures that the device always pulls the most power possible from the solar cell junctions. For example, if a multi-junction solar cell has three layers, this device would have three separate inputs and three separate DC-to-AC inverting circuits, each optimized to convert the power from its specific layer.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover power conversion devices for single-junction solar cells.",
    "Does not cover systems that combine the DC outputs from different junctions before converting them to AC.",
    "Does not cover converting DC power from sources other than multi-junction solar cells.",
    "Does not cover power conversion without an MPPT circuit to maximize energy harvest.",
    "Does not cover devices where the power conversion components are not housed within a single package (Claim 1)."
  ],
  "filed": "2012-09-28",
  "granted": "2016-07-12",
  "expires": "2032-09-28",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Sunlight Photonics",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/sunlight-photonics",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Michael Cyrus",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/michael-cyrus"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sergey Frolov",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/sergey-frolov"
    },
    {
      "name": "Allan James Bruce",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/allan-james-bruce"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 1,
  "tags": [
    "renewable_energy",
    "consumer_electronics",
    "semiconductors",
    "electrical_engineering"
  ],
  "abstract": "A multi-input electrical power conversion device is provided for converting multiple DC energies each arising from different junctions in a multi-junction solar cells into AC energy. The device includes a plurality of electrical inputs for receiving the multiple DC energies from at least one multi junction solar cell. The number of DC energies id no less than the number of junctions in the multi-junction solar cell. The device also includes at least one DC-to-AC circuit for receiving the multiple DC energies from the plurality of electrical inputs and at least one electrical output receiving at least one AC energy from the DC to AC circuit. The device also includes at least one MPPT circuit operatively coupled to the DC to AC circuit.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9391457/apparatus-and-method-for-producing-ac-power",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9391457/apparatus-and-method-for-producing-ac-power/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US9391457",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "9287431",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How to Make High-Efficiency Solar Cells with Stacked Layers",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9287431/superstrate-sub-cell-voltage-matched-multijunction-solar-cells"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "8912428",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Solar Cells Made of Stacking Layers with Different Energy Gaps",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8912428/high-efficiency-multijunction-ii-vi-photovoltaic-solar-cells"
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  ]
}