Solar cell power system with a solar array bus lockup cancelling mechanism
First Claim
1. A solar cell power system with a solar array bus lockup cancelling mechanism, comprising:
- a common return line;
a solar cell means having an output terminal and a terminal connected to said return line;
a shunt device connected in parallel between the output terminal of said solar cell means and said return line;
a power bus;
a first unilateral current transmission means which has an input terminal connected to the output terminal of said solar cell means and an output terminal connected to said power bus and which allows a current to flow only from the output terminal of said solar cell means toward said power bus;
a storage battery means having an output terminal and a terminal connected to said return line;
a charging means connected to said power bus and the output terminal of said storage battery means in series with said storage battery means;
a second unilateral current transmission means which has an input terminal connected to the output terminal of said storage battery means and an output terminal connected to said power bus and which allows a current to flow only from the output terminal of said storage battery means toward said power bus;
a charge storage means connected between said power bus and said return line;
a load which has a first terminal connected to said power bus, a second terminal connected to said return line, and a control terminal, said load reducing its own magnitude when a load power reducing signal is supplied to said control terminal;
a charge/discharge current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said storage battery means to monitor the charge/discharge current that charges said storage battery means or that is discharged therefrom, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the charge/discharge current thus monitored;
a bus voltage monitor means which has an output terminal and which is inserted between said power bus and said return line to monitor the bus voltage in said power bus, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the bus voltage thus monitored;
a solar array current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said first unilateral current transmission means to monitor the solar array current flowing from said first unilateral current transmission means to said power bus, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the solar array current thus monitored, or a load current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said load to monitor the load current, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the load current thus monitored; and
a solar array bus lockup determining means which has three input terminals and an output terminal, two of said three input terminals being respectively connected to the output terminal of said charge/discharge current monitor means and the output terminal of said bus voltage monitor means, the remaining one input terminal being connected to either said solar array current monitor means or said load current monitor means, said output terminal being connected to said control terminal of said load, said solar array bus lockup determining means including a reference voltage generating means for generating a reference voltage representing the regulated bus voltage when the solar cell power system is not in the solar array bus lockup state with the bus voltage being regulated by said shunt device, said solar array bus lockup determining further calculating the effective generated power of said solar cell means and the load power consumed by said load on the basis of the regulated bus voltage, the monitored bus voltage, the monitored discharge current, and either of the monitored solar array current or the monitored load current to generate a load power reducing signal at said output terminal when said effective generated power is greater than said load power;
whereby the state is detected in which, during a period of sunlight, the bus voltage is fixed to the output voltage of said storage battery means and in which discharge from said storage battery means continues even though said solar cell means can manage to supply all the necessary load current so that the magnitude of said load is temporarily reduced to restore the state in which the bus voltage is regulated by said shunt device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A solar cell power system includes a device which determines the occurrence of solar array bus lockup by detecting the voltage of the power bus, the discharge current of the storage battery, and the solar array current (or the load current) and performing a calculation using these items of data in addition to the regulated bus voltage to emit a lockup signal, by which the magnitude of the load is reduced, thereby cancelling the lockup state. Alternatively, a solar cell system may include a lockup cancelling drive device, which accumulates in a coil cancelling-drive, energy supplied from the storage battery and then discharges this energy to the power bus, thereby cancelling the lockup stage without reducing the magnitude of the load.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A solar cell power system with a solar array bus lockup cancelling mechanism, comprising:
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a common return line; a solar cell means having an output terminal and a terminal connected to said return line; a shunt device connected in parallel between the output terminal of said solar cell means and said return line; a power bus; a first unilateral current transmission means which has an input terminal connected to the output terminal of said solar cell means and an output terminal connected to said power bus and which allows a current to flow only from the output terminal of said solar cell means toward said power bus; a storage battery means having an output terminal and a terminal connected to said return line; a charging means connected to said power bus and the output terminal of said storage battery means in series with said storage battery means; a second unilateral current transmission means which has an input terminal connected to the output terminal of said storage battery means and an output terminal connected to said power bus and which allows a current to flow only from the output terminal of said storage battery means toward said power bus; a charge storage means connected between said power bus and said return line; a load which has a first terminal connected to said power bus, a second terminal connected to said return line, and a control terminal, said load reducing its own magnitude when a load power reducing signal is supplied to said control terminal; a charge/discharge current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said storage battery means to monitor the charge/discharge current that charges said storage battery means or that is discharged therefrom, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the charge/discharge current thus monitored; a bus voltage monitor means which has an output terminal and which is inserted between said power bus and said return line to monitor the bus voltage in said power bus, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the bus voltage thus monitored; a solar array current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said first unilateral current transmission means to monitor the solar array current flowing from said first unilateral current transmission means to said power bus, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the solar array current thus monitored, or a load current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said load to monitor the load current, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the load current thus monitored; and a solar array bus lockup determining means which has three input terminals and an output terminal, two of said three input terminals being respectively connected to the output terminal of said charge/discharge current monitor means and the output terminal of said bus voltage monitor means, the remaining one input terminal being connected to either said solar array current monitor means or said load current monitor means, said output terminal being connected to said control terminal of said load, said solar array bus lockup determining means including a reference voltage generating means for generating a reference voltage representing the regulated bus voltage when the solar cell power system is not in the solar array bus lockup state with the bus voltage being regulated by said shunt device, said solar array bus lockup determining further calculating the effective generated power of said solar cell means and the load power consumed by said load on the basis of the regulated bus voltage, the monitored bus voltage, the monitored discharge current, and either of the monitored solar array current or the monitored load current to generate a load power reducing signal at said output terminal when said effective generated power is greater than said load power; whereby the state is detected in which, during a period of sunlight, the bus voltage is fixed to the output voltage of said storage battery means and in which discharge from said storage battery means continues even though said solar cell means can manage to supply all the necessary load current so that the magnitude of said load is temporarily reduced to restore the state in which the bus voltage is regulated by said shunt device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A solar cell power system with a solar array bus lockup cancelling mechanism, comprising:
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a common return line; a solar cell means having an output terminal and a terminal connected to said return line; a shunt device connected in parallel between the output terminal of said solar cell means and said return line; a power bus; a first unilateral current transmission means which has an input terminal connected to the output terminal of said solar cell means and an output terminal connected to said power bus and which allows a current to flow only from the output terminal of said solar cell means toward said power bus; a storage battery means which has an output terminal and a terminal which is connected to said return line; a charging means which is connected to said power bus and the output terminal of said storage battery means in series with said storage battery means; a second unilateral current transmission means which has an input terminal connected to the output terminal of said storage battery means and an output terminal connected to said power bus and which allows a current to flow only from the output terminal of said power storage means toward said power bus; a charge storage means connected between said power bus and said return line; a load which has a first terminal connected to said power bus, and a second terminal connected to said return line; a charge/discharge current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said storage battery means to monitor the charge/discharge current that charges said storage battery means or that is discharged therefrom, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the charge/discharge current thus monitored; a bus voltage monitor means which has an output terminal and which is inserted between said power bus and said return line to monitor the bus voltage in said power bus, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the bus voltage thus monitored; a solar array current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said first unilateral current transmission means to monitor the solar array current flowing from said first unilateral current transmission means to said power bus, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the solar array current thus monitored, or a load current monitor means which has an output terminal and which is connected to said load to monitor the load current, emitting through said output terminal a signal representing the load current thus monitored; a solar array bus lockup determining means which has three input terminals and an output terminal, two of said three input terminals being respectively connected to the output terminal of said charge/discharge current monitor means and the output terminal of said bus voltage monitor means, the remaining one input terminal being connected to either the output terminal of said solar array current monitor means or the output terminal of said load current monitor means, said solar array bus lockup determining means including a reference voltage generating means for generating a reference voltage representing the regulated bus voltage when the system is not in the solar array bus lockup state with the bus voltage being regulated by said shunt device, and calculating the effective generated power of said solar cell means and the load power consumed by said load on the basis of said regulated bus voltage, the monitored bus voltage, the monitored discharge current, and either of the monitored solar array current or the monitored load current to generate a solar array bus lockup signal at said output terminal when said effective generated power is greater than said load power; and a solar array bus lockup cancelling drive means which has an input terminal connected to the output terminal of said storage battery means, an output terminal connected to said power bus, and a control terminal connected to the output terminal of said solar array bus lockup determining means, said solar array bus lockup cancelling drive means responding to said solar array bus lockup signal to accumulate for a predetermined time solar array bus lockup cancelling drive energy supplied from said storage battery means and to discharge said solar array bus lockup cancelling drive energy to said power bus after said predetermined time has elapsed; whereby the solar cell power system is released from the state in which, during a period of sunlight, the bus voltage is fixed to the output voltage of said storage battery means andfin which discharge from said storage battery means continues even though said solar cell means can manage to supply all the necessary load current, and is restored, without temporarily reducing the magnitude of said load, to the state in which the bus voltage is regulated by said shunt device. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A solar cell power system having a solar cell which provides power to a power bus, a shunt device that stablizes the power bus voltage, a storage battery which provides power to said power bus during eclipse time and which is charged by a charging means during sunlight, said system comprising:
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a charge/discharge current monitor means which emits a signal representing the charge/discharge current that charges said storage battery means or that is discharged therefrom; a bus voltage monitor means which emits a signal representing the bus voltage in said power bus; a solar array current monitor means which emits a signal representing the solar array current flowing from said solar cell to said power bus; and a solar array bus lock-up determining means which generates a signal if solar array bus lock-up occurs, on the basis of signals from said bus voltage monitor means, said solar array current monitor means and said charge/discharge current monitor means. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 25, 26)
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18. A solar cell power system having a solar cell which provides power to a power bus while a shunt device that stablizes the power bus voltage, and a storage battery which provides power to said power bus during eclipse time and which is charged by a charging means during sunlight, said system further comprising:
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a charge/discharge current monitor means which emits a signal representing the charge/discharge current that charges said storage battery or that is discharged therefrom; a bus voltage monitor means which emits a signal representing the bus voltage in said power bus; a means for connecting a load means to said power bus; a load current monitor means which emits a signal representing the load current flowing from said power bus to said load; and a solar array bus lock-up determining means which generates a signal if solar array bus lock-up occurs, on the basis of signals from said charge/discharge current monitor means, said bus voltage monitor means and said load current monitor means. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification