VOLTAGE LIMITER AND PROTECTION OF A PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE

• US 20100164459A1
• Filed: 02/18/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Original Assignee: Energies Alternatives Commissariat A L'Energie Atomique et AUX
• Inventors: Chatroux, Daniel, Perichon, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 8,570,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/284
• 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: H02H 3/08 responsive to excess current responsive to abnormal temperature caused by excess current H02H5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/20 for electronic equipment for converters H02H7/10; for electric measuring instruments G01R1/36; for dc voltage or current semiconductor regulators G05F1/569; for amplifiers H03F1/52; for electronic switching circuits H03K17/08
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A voltage limiter device of an assembly of photovoltaic modules, including: (a) means (Z1) forming an electronic switch for a current of said assembly; (b) comparison means (Comp, R1, R2, C2) for comparing a voltage at the output of the limiter with a reference voltage value (Vref); and (c) means for controlling the means forming an electronic switch, depending on the result of the comparison carried out by the comparison means.

Claims

1. A voltage limiter device of an assembly of photovoltaic modules, including:

an electronic switch for a current of said assembly, in order to interrupt a current delivered by said assembly of modules,

a first comparator to compare a voltage at the output of the limiter with a reference voltage value,

a controller of said electronic switch, in order to open or close said switch, depending on the result of the comparison carried out by the comparator means.

2. The device according to claim 1, further including a filter of the voltage measured at said limiter output.

3. The device according to claim 1, further including means for smoothing voltage at the output of the limiter device.

4. The device according to claim 1, further including a capacitor at the output of the limiter device.

5. The device according to claim 1, further including means for detecting a rapid increase in the voltage at the output of the limiter device and for comparing this increase with a threshold value.

6. The device according to claim 5, including means for calculating the time derivative of the voltage at the output of the limiter device.

7. The device according to claim 1, including a micro controller to calculate the time derivative of the voltage at the output of the limiter device.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reference voltage of the comparator is set to a value above the voltage corresponding to the maximum power of the photovoltaic module.

9. The device according to claim 8, the reference voltage of the comparator being set to a value above the voltage corresponding to the maximum power of the photovoltaic module, increased by a strictly positive voltage V′

less than the voltage generated by an electric arc.

10. The device according to claim 1, further including means for adapting the reference voltage value (Vref1).

11. The device according to claim 1, further including short circuit detection means, downstream from the switch.

12. The device according to claim 11, said short circuit detection means including a current sensor positioned downstream from the switch and a second comparator comparing a measurement from this sensor with a reference value, to detect a short circuit downstream from the switch.

13. The device according to claim 1, further including a current sensor positioned downstream from the switch and a second comparator comparing a measurement from this sensor with a reference value, to detect a short circuit downstream from the switch.

14. The device according to claim 13, further including a controller of said electronic switch, depending on the result of the comparison carried out by the second comparator.

15. The device according to claim 1, further including a first switch and a second switch positioned at the input and at the output of the device, respectively.

16. The device according to claim 1, further including means for absorbing energy between the two terminals of said electronic switch in order to clip overvoltages generated upon opening said switch.

17. The device according to claim 1, further including a Zener diode absorbing energy between the two terminals of said electronic switch in order to clip overvoltages generated upon opening said switch.

18. A device for producing energy, including:

at least one photovoltaic module,

a device according to claim 1,

an electronic converter, in order to impose an operating voltage to the photovoltaic module.

19. A voltage limiter device of an assembly of photovoltaic modules, including:

an electronic switch for a current of said assembly, in order to interrupt a current delivered by said assembly of modules,

a microcontroller to compare a voltage at the output of the limiter with a reference voltage value,

a controller of said electronic switch, in order to open or close said switch, depending on the result of the comparison carried out by the microcontroller.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein a micro controller detects a rapid increase in the voltage at the output of the limiter device and comparing said increase with a threshold value.

21. The device according to claim 19, said micro controller calculating the time derivative of said voltage at the output of the limiter device.

22. The device according to claim 19, wherein the reference voltage of the comparator is set to a value above the voltage corresponding to the maximum power of the photovoltaic module.

23. The device according to claim 22, the reference voltage of the comparator being set to a value above the voltage corresponding to the maximum power of the photovoltaic module, increased by a strictly positive voltage V′

less than the voltage generated by an electric arc.

24. The device according to claim 19, further including a current sensor positioned downstream from the switch and a second comparator comparing a measurement from this sensor with a reference value, to detect a short circuit downstream from the switch.

25. The device according to claim 24, further including a controller of said electronic switch, depending on the result of the comparison carried out by the second comparator.

26. The device according to claim 19, further including a first switch and a second switch positioned at the input and at the output of the device, respectively.

27. A device for producing energy, including:

at least one photovoltaic module,

a device according to claim 19,

an electronic converter, in order to impose an operating voltage to the photovoltaic module.