US 8842454

Here's a concise summary of US patent 8842454:

US Patent 8842454: Inverter array with localized inverter control

• Title: Inverter array with localized inverter control
• Assignee: GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC. (Current Assignee as of 2026-04-21)
• Inventors: Brian Johnson, Philip Krein, Alexander Gray, Patrick L. Chapman
• Filing Date: 2011-02-17
• Issue Date: 2014-09-23
• Abstract: An apparatus delivers AC power to an AC load using multiple inverters, each receiving DC power from a respective source. A primary controller generates a primary control signal based on the total AC current and voltage supplied to the load. Each of several secondary controllers receives this primary signal and produces a unique secondary control signal. This individual secondary control signal then governs a corresponding inverter to provide its portion of the AC power.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (Apparatus): This claim describes an apparatus designed to deliver AC power to an AC load. It includes:

  • Multiple inverters, each taking DC power from a separate DC source and converting it to AC power for the load.
  • A main (primary) controller that generates a primary control signal. This signal is determined by the overall AC current and AC voltage being supplied to the load by all the inverters.
  • Multiple secondary controllers, each receiving the primary control signal. Each secondary controller then creates its own specific (respective) secondary control signal, which is also based on the primary control signal.
  • Crucially, each individual secondary control signal from a secondary controller is used to control one or more of the corresponding inverters, directing it to produce its share of the AC power.

• Independent Claim 10 (Method): This claim outlines a method for controlling AC power supplied to an AC load. The steps include:

  • Generating AC power using an array of inverters, with each inverter's output based on the DC power it receives.
  • Creating a first control signal in response to the overall AC power being produced.
  • Generating multiple second control signals, each in response to the first control signal.
  • Controlling the individual AC power output of each inverter in the array. This control is based on a corresponding one of the second control signals, with the total AC power being the combined output of all the inverters.

• Independent Claim 17 (Computer-Readable Medium): This claim describes a computer-readable medium containing instructions for a processor to perform the control method. The instructions include:

  • Directing an array of inverters to generate AC power, based on the DC power they receive.
  • Generating a first control signal in response to the AC power.
  • Generating multiple second control signals in response to the first control signal.
  • Controlling the individual AC power output of each inverter in the array, based on a corresponding one of the second control signals. The total AC power is the combination of each inverter's output.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:

A search of CAFC 2026 dockets for US Patent 8842454 did not return any specific cases or mentions of this patent number. While there are several patent-related decisions and filings in 2026, none of the available snippets explicitly refer to US8842454. Therefore, there is no authoritative information from the provided search results to indicate active litigation or appeals concerning this patent in the CAFC dockets for 2026.