Eric Austin Seymour
Engineers at Willow Crk Dr, Fort Collins, CO

7768751, Aug 3, 2010

Jan 29, 2008

12/022147

Jack A. Gilmore - Fort Collins CO, US
Eric Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - Fort Collins CO

H02H 3/16

361 42, 361 44

A ground fault detector and interrupter for a photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion system, method and apparatus are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes first and second inputs adapted to couple to a first and second rails of a PV array. An inverter is configured to convert DC power generated from the PV array to AC power. A ground fault detector and interrupter, which is coupled to the first and second rails and to the inverter, is configured to detect ground fault conditions in the PV array and to decouple the PV array from the remaining portion of the PV energy conversion system upon such detection. A known signal is coupled to the input of the ground fault detector and interrupter, and then sensed at the output of the ground fault detector and interrupter to determine whether components of the ground fault detector and interrupter are operating properly.

8134812, Mar 13, 2012

Jul 5, 2010

12/830380

Jack Arthur Gilmore - Fort Collins CO, US
Eric Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - Fort Collins CO

H02H 3/16

361 42, 361 44

Fault detection and interruption in connection with photovoltaic technologies are disclosed. An exemplary apparatus for interrupting a photovoltaic energy conversion system that employs a bipolar photovoltaic array includes a fault detector and interrupter configured to be coupled to the first and the second rails of the photovoltaic array, the fault detector and interrupter configured to detect a condition that requires interruption of the photovoltaic energy conversion system and open a PV tie to uncouple two PV arrays of the bipolar photovoltaic array, thereby decoupling the two PV arrays; and a controller configured to, after the PV tie is opened, open a plurality of main DC contactors thereby decoupling the bipolar photovoltaic array from a remainder portion of the energy conversion system.

7211179, May 1, 2007

Dec 17, 2004

11/016249

Eric Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US
Richard A. Scholl - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - Fort Collins CO

C23C 14/35

20429808, 20429814, 20429806

There is provided by this invention an apparatus for sputter deposition of an insulating material in a continuous mode of operation that utilizes at least two sputtering anodes and a cathode connected to a center tapped conductor to maintain the target cathode at a negative potential with respect to the plasma wherein an ac power supply drives each anode alternately to an ion collecting state to attract ions in the half cycle that a sputtering anode is at a negative potential relative to the plasma, and an electron collecting state to attract electrons in the half cycle that a sputtering anode is at a small potential relative to the plasma or is near the plasma potential. In an alternate embodiment the center tapped conductor is replaced with a pair of series connected diodes having the cathode of a first diode connected to a first sputtering anode, a cathode of a second diode connected to a second sputtering anode and the junction of the anodes of the first and second diodes connected to the target cathode to maintain the target cathode at a negative potential with respect to said plasma wherein the ac power supply drives each sputtering anode alternately to an ion collecting state to attract ions in the half cycle that an anode is at a negative potential relative to the plasma, and an electron collecting state to attract electrons in the half cycle that an anode is at a potential relative to the plasma small compared to the power supply voltage and providing for plasma current flow during the period either sputtering anode is in an ion collecting state.

7619200, Nov 17, 2009

Aug 10, 2008

12/189187

Eric Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US
Jack Arthur Gilmore - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - Fort Collins CO

G05F 5/00

250214R, 323222

A photovoltaic system, method and apparatus are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a first and second inputs adapted to couple to a first and second rails of a first photovoltaic array; a power converter coupled to a first rail of a second photovoltaic array and a second rail of a third photovoltaic array; and an interface portion coupled to (i) the first and second inputs, (ii) a second rail of the second photovoltaic array, and (iii) a first rail of the third photovoltaic array, the interface portion configures to isolate the first photovoltaic array from the second and third photovoltaic arrays and to modulate and application of voltage from the photovoltaic array to the second and third photovoltaic arrays so as to adjust a voltage applied from the three photovoltaic arrays to the power converter.

6972079, Dec 6, 2005

Jun 25, 2003

10/606290

Eric A. Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US
Annabelle Pratt - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries Inc. - Fort Collins CO

C23C014/35

20429808, 20429806, 20429814, 20429816

There is disclosed a dual magnetron sputtering apparatus that is comprised of a balancing circuit connected to the output of an ac power source that supplies ac power to at least two target materials such that the balancing circuit allows the power supply to deliver equal power to each target material. In those applications where there may be an erosion of one target material faster than the other, the balancing circuit allows the power supply to deliberately unbalance the power to at least one of the target materials to reduce power to the target to compensate for faster erosion of the target.

8026634, Sep 27, 2011

Apr 11, 2010

12/758018

Eric Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - Fort Collins CO

H02J 1/00, H02J 3/00

307 11

A system and method for providing direct-current power is described. In one embodiment a direct current voltage is converted into at least two regulated DC voltages, and a first of the at least two regulated DC voltages is applied across a first and second outputs and a second of the at least two regulated DC voltages is applied across the second output and a third output. And when a first impedance across the first and second outputs is less than a second impedance across the second and third outputs, current is received via the second output while delivering power to the first and second impedances.

8642879, Feb 4, 2014

Mar 22, 2011

13/053331

Jack Arthur Gilmore - Fort Collins CO, US
Eric Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - Fort Collins CO

H01L 31/042

136244

System, methods and apparatus for coupling photovoltaic arrays are disclosed. The apparatus may include a first input adapted to couple to a neutral line of a first photovoltaic array; a second input adapted to couple to a neutral line of a second photovoltaic array; a contactor configured to switchably couple the neutral line of a first photovoltaic array to the a neutral line of a second photovoltaic array, the contactor being controllable by an electric control signal; and a control input adapted to couple the switch to a remotely located controller so as to enable the controller to control the first switch by sending the electric control signal.

7964837, Jun 21, 2011

Dec 31, 2007

11/967933

Eric Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US
Jack A. Gilmore - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - Fort Collins CO

H01H 19/00

250214R, 2502141, 320128, 320140, 136291

A photovoltaic system, method and apparatus are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a first and second inputs adapted to couple to a first and second rails of a photovoltaic array; an inverter configured to convert DC power from the photovoltaic array to AC power; and an interface portion coupled to the first and second inputs and the inverter, the interface portion configured to isolate at least one of the first and second inputs from the inverter and to modulate an application of a voltage from the photovoltaic array to the inverter so as to increase a load on the photovoltaic array and to reduce the voltage applied from the photovoltaic array to the inverter.

8294296, Oct 23, 2012

Jul 21, 2009

12/507019

Jack Arthur Gilmore - Fort Collins CO, US
Eric Seymour - Fort Collins CO, US

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. - Fort Collins CO

H02J 3/00

307 45, 136243, 136244, 136261, 136265

System, methods and apparatus for coupling photovoltaic arrays are disclosed. The apparatus may include a first input adapted to couple to a neutral line of a first photovoltaic array; a second input adapted to couple to a neutral line of a second photovoltaic array; a contactor configured to switchably couple the neutral line of a first photovoltaic array to the a neutral line of a second photovoltaic array, the contactor being remotely controllable.