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

• US 8,854,193 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• 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): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casillashernandez, Omar
• Application Number:
  US13/073,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20110172842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 136/244, 340/12.27, 340/3.1
• US Class Current: 340/12.27
• 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 method, comprising:

communicating, via a central controller, with a plurality of local management units (LMUs), each respective local management unit of the local management units (LMUs) coupled with a respective solar module and configured to control an output of the respective solar module, wherein the respective local management unit comprises;

a controller;

a first switch which, when closed, short circuits outputs of the respective local management unit,

a second switch which, when open, disconnects an input from the respective solar module from one of the outputs of the respective local management unit,

a third switch, and

a diode connected in series with the third switch, wherein

a series connection from the third switch to the diode is connected between inputs received from the respective solar module, and

when the third switch is closed during shutdown of the respective solar module, the diode is forward biased to provide a voltage to power the controller;

receiving, via the central controller, a shut-down signal from a user device selected from the group consisting of a hand-held device, a computer, and 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 local management units (LMUs) via the controller of the respective local management unit operating the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch of the respective local management unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device includes the wireless switch unit;

and the wireless switch unit comprises a radio configured to transmit the shut-down signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wireless switch unit further comprises a battery, and the radio is further configured to transmit a charge status of the battery to the central controller.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device includes the hand-held device;

and the hand-held device is configured to wirelessly communicate the shut-down signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the hand-held device comprises a transceiver for voice communications, and the hand-held device is further configured to receive a user input via a web page displayed on the device, the user input to initiate sending of the shut-down signal to the central controller.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the hand-held device is further configured to receive an access code from a user prior to providing access to the web page.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device includes the computer;

and the computer is configured to wirelessly communicate the shut-down signal, the computer comprising at least one processor and a display, the at least one processor configured to present, via the display, a user interface to receive input requesting communication of the shut-down signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the central controller comprises a controlling block, each of the LMUs comprises respective software configured to receive commands from the central controller, and the shutting down the operation comprises sending, via the controlling block, a shut-down command to the respective software of each of the LMUs.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the central controller and the user device are each coupled to communicate with a web server, and the shut-down signal is received by the central controller via the web server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user device displays a web page hosted by the web server, and the web page is configured to receive a user input, the method further comprising sending the shut-down signal in response to receiving the user input.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending pulse or heartbeat signals to each of the LMUs during normal operation, and wherein the shutting down the operation comprises terminating the sending the pulse or heartbeat signals.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the shutting down the operation comprises sending a shut-down command to each of the LMUs to shut down operation of the respective solar module.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the user device based on a GPS location of the user device or a local area network identifier of the user device.

14. A local management unit, comprising:

a controller;

a first switch coupled in parallel with a power output of the local management unit, wherein when the first switch is closed to shut down a first solar module connected to a power input of the local management unit, the switch short-circuits the power output of the local management unit;

a second switch which, when open, disconnects an input from the first solar module from the power output of the local management unit;

a third switch;

a diode connected in series with the third switch, wherein

a series connection from the third switch to the diode is connected between inputs received from the first solar module, and

when the third switch is placed by the controller in a closed state during shutdown of the first solar module, the diode provides a voltage to power the controller; and

memory storing software instructions;

wherein the controller is coupled to the memory, the controller configured via the software instructions to execute a method comprising;

controlling, under supervision by a central controller, output of the first solar module among a plurality of solar modules, the central controller coupled to supervise a plurality of local management units, wherein the plurality of local management units are coupled by a power bus;

receiving a shut-down command from the central controller to shut down operation of the first solar module, wherein the central controller sends the shut-down command in response to receiving a shut-down signal from a user device selected from the group consisting of a hand-held device, a computer, and a wireless switch unit; and

operating the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch in response to the shut-down command.

15. The local management unit of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises receiving communications from the central controller, the communications including a first communication, and determining whether the first communication includes the shut-down command.

16. The local management unit of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises in response to receiving the shut-down command, shutting down operation of the first solar module.

17. The local management unit of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises determining whether the first communication is received after a time-out occurs, and shutting down operation of the first solar module in response to the time-out.

18. The local management unit of claim 14, wherein the local management unit comprises at least one communication device for communicating with the central controller, and the method further comprises verifying operation of the at least one communication device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing thereon computer readable instructions configured to instruct a data processing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, via a local management unit, communications from a central controller;

controlling, via the local management unit, a solar module;

determining whether the communications include a shut-down command; and

in response to receiving the shut-down command, shutting down operation of the solar module by the local management unit, wherein the local management unit comprises;

a controller,

a first switch which, when closed, short circuits outputs of the local management unit,

a second switch which, when open, disconnects an input from the solar module from one of the outputs of the local management unit,

a third switch, and

a diode connected to the third switch, wherein

a series connection from the third switch to the diode is connected between inputs received from the solar module, and

in response to the shut-down command, the controller puts the third switch in a closed state, causing the diode to provide a voltage drop to power the controller.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises determining whether a first communication of the communications is received after a time-out occurs, wherein the shutting down of the operation of the solar module is in response to the time-out.

21. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the local management unit comprises at least one communication device for communicating with the central controller, and the method further comprises verifying operation of the at least one communication device.