Systems and methods for remote or local shut-off of a photovoltaic system

• US 10,523,013 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2018
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tigo Energy, Inc
• Original Assignee: Tigo Energy, Inc
• Inventors: Makhota, Maxym, Eizips, Daniel, Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Casillashernandez, Omar
• Application Number:
  US16/055,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20180351365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 136244, 340 1227
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0736 in functional embedded systems, i.e. in a data processing system designed as a combination of hardware and software dedicated to performing a certain function testing or monitoring of automated control systems G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02021 for solar cells electrical connection means, e.g. junction boxes, specially adapted for structural association with photovoltaic modules H02S40/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/44 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/30 Electrical components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

Systems and methods for shut-down of a photovoltaic system. In one embodiment, a method implemented in a computer system includes: communicating, via a central controller, with a plurality of local management units (LMUs), each of the LMUs coupled to control a respective solar module; receiving, via the central controller, a shut-down signal from a user device (e.g., a hand-held device, a computer, or a wireless switch unit); and in response to receiving the shut-down signal, shutting down operation of the respective solar module for each of the LMUs.

Claims

1. A solar module, comprising:

a photovoltaic panel having an output;

a local management unit connected to the photovoltaic panel to receive the output as input, the local management unit having;

a communication module to receive communications from a remote unit, wherein the communications include heartbeat signals;

a controller;

a first circuit path to provide power from the output of the photovoltaic panel to the controller in absence of time out in the communications; and

a second circuit path to provide power from the output of the photovoltaic panel to the controller in response to an instance of time out in the communications;

wherein the controller is configured to;

in response to receiving a first heartbeat signal, perform a check to verify operation of the communication module and determine the absence of time out in the communications;

in response to receiving a second heartbeat signal subsequent to the first heartbeat signal, determine whether a communication has been received since the check;

in response to determining that a communication has not been received since the check, determine the instance of time out in the communications; and

in response to determining the instance of time out in the communications, cause the local management unit to shut down outputting power from the photovoltaic panel.

2. The solar module of claim 1, wherein the heartbeat signals are received from a central controller.

3. The solar module of claim 2, wherein the communication module is configured to receive the heartbeat signals via a wireless communication channel.

4. The solar module of claim 2, wherein the communication module is configured to receive the heartbeat signals via wiring connected to output terminals of the local management unit.

5. The solar module of claim 4, wherein the local management unit includes a power converter configured to convert the input to an output on the output terminals of the local management unit.

6. A method implemented in a solar module, the method comprising:

generating, by a photovoltaic panel, an output;

receiving, in a local management unit connected to the photovoltaic panel, the output as input, the local management unit having a controller and a communication module to receive communications from a remote unit, wherein the communications include heartbeat signals;

providing power using a first circuit path from the output of the photovoltaic panel to the controller in absence of time out in the communications;

providing power using a second circuit path from the output of the photovoltaic panel to the controller in response to an instance of time out in the communications;

in response to receiving a first heartbeat signal, performing a check to verify operation of the communication module and determine the absence of time out in the communications;

in response to receiving a second heartbeat signal subsequent to the first heartbeat signal, determining whether a communication has been received since the check;

in response to determining that a communication has not been received since the check, determining the instance of time out in the communications; and

causing, by the controller in response to determining the instance of time out in the communications, the local management unit to shut down outputting power from the photovoltaic panel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the heartbeat signals are received from a central controller.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, in the communication module using a wireless communication channel, the heartbeat signals.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, in the communication module using wiring connected to output terminals of the local management unit, the heartbeat signals.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

converting, by a power converter of the local management unit, the input into an output on the output terminals of the local management unit.

11. A system, comprising:

a solar module; and

a unit remote from the solar module, wherein the solar module comprises;

a photovoltaic panel having an output;

a local management unit connected to the photovoltaic panel to receive the output as input, the local management unit having;

a communication module to receive communications from a remote unit, wherein the communications include heartbeat signals;

a controller;

a first circuit path to provide power from the output of the photovoltaic panel to the controller in absence of time out in the communications; and

a second circuit path to provide power from the output of the photovoltaic panel to the controller in response to an instance of time out in the communications;

wherein the controller is configured to;

in response to receiving a first heartbeat signal, perform a check to verify operation of the communication module and determine the absence of time out in the communications;

in response to receiving a second heartbeat signal subsequent to the first heartbeat signal, determine whether a communication has been received since the check;

in response to determining that a communication has not been received since the check, determine the instance of time out in the communications; and

in response to determining the instance of time out in the communications, cause the local management unit to shut down outputting power from the photovoltaic panel.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the heartbeat signals are received from a central controller.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication module is configured to receive the heartbeat signals via a wireless communication channel.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication module is configured to receive the heartbeat signals via wiring connected to output terminals of the local management unit.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the local management unit includes a power converter configured to convert the input to an output on the output terminals of the local management unit.