Solar device

• US 9,490,632 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LSIS Co. Ltd. (LS Corporation)
• Inventors: Seon, Jong Kug
• Primary Examiner(s): Bauer, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Tien
• Application Number:
  US13/689,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20130134782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 307/130
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/67 to the maximum power available from a generator, e.g. from solar cell
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/08 wherein the variable is dc
• 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 1/12 Parallel operation of dc generators with converters, e.g. with mercury-arc rectifier
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/26 involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources maximum power point systems in particular G05F1/67
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/44 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/548 the power on the line being DC arrangements for feeding power H04L12/10; extracting feeding power from signals H04L25/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/58 Maximum power point tracking [MPPT] systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 307/406 Control of current or power
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 307/707 Plural converters

Abstract

A solar device is provided. The solar device includes a solar module configured to absorb solar energy to convert the solar energy to electrical energy, a DC converter configured to detect an input voltage output from the solar module and outputs a DC voltage corresponding to a maximum power point through the detected input voltage, an interface unit configured to transmit data including the input voltage detected from the DC converter and the DC voltage corresponding to the maximum power point, a data combiner configured to combine and transmit data on the solar module with the data received from the interface unit, a data synthesizer configured to remove a DC voltage offset from the data received from the data combiner, and a data controller configured to track a maximum power point using data from which the DC voltage offset has been removed.

Claims

1. A solar device, comprising:

a plurality of solar modules each configured to absorb solar energy and convert the solar energy into electrical energy;

a plurality of DC converters each configured to detect a voltage output from a corresponding solar module and to output a DC voltage corresponding to a local maximum power point using the detected voltage;

a plurality of interface units each configured to transmit a first data signal comprising the voltage detected by a corresponding DC converter and the DC voltage corresponding to the local maximum power point;

a plurality of data combiners each configured to combine a second data signal comprising information of a corresponding solar module with the first data signal from a corresponding interface unit;

a data synthesizer configured to remove a DC voltage offset from a third data signal from each of the plurality of data combiners, the third data signal including the corresponding first data signal and second data signal; and

a data controller configured to track the local maximum power point using each third data signal from which the DC voltage offset has been removed, the data controller comprising;

a current detector configured to detect current output from each of the plurality of DC converters;

a controller configured to measure power output from each of the plurality of solar modules using the voltage output of the corresponding DC converter and each detected current and to output a control signal generating a maximum power point based on the corresponding measured power; and

a maximum power tracking unit configured to receive the output control signal and track the maximum power point, wherein;

the information of each solar module includes a surface temperature of the solar module, a sunshine duration and an identifier of the solar module;

each of the plurality DC converters includes a switching circuit configured to output a new DC voltage corresponding to the local maximum power point using the voltage from the corresponding solar module and the DC voltage from the DC converter;

the data controller is further configured to determine a duty ratio of the switching circuit using the voltage from the solar module and the information of the solar module;

the data combiner is further configured to add a plurality of frames each corresponding to one the plurality of solar modules and the corresponding DC converter and to transmit the plurality of frames to the data synthesizer through a DC cable line;

each of the plurality of frames includes the information of the corresponding solar module and the DC voltage from the corresponding DC converter;

the data controller is further configured to perform a demodulating process if the received data signal from which the DC voltage offset has been removed is an analog signal; and

the data controller is further configured to not perform the demodulating process if the received data signal from which the DC voltage offset has been removed is a digital signal.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein each DC converter, each interface unit, each data combiner, the data synthesizer, and the data controller are connected by the DC cable line.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a DC/AC converter configured to convert maximum power corresponding to the tracked maximum power point to AC power and provide the converted AC power to loads.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein each DC converter comprises:

an input voltage detector configured to detect the voltage output from the corresponding solar module; and

an output voltage detector configured to detect the DC voltage output from the DC converter.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein each data combiner is further configured to combine data of a DC voltage output by the corresponding DC converter with data of the corresponding solar module.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein each data combiner is further configured to use a transformer to combine data of the output voltage of the corresponding DC converter with data of the corresponding solar module.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein each data combiner is further configured to use a mixer to combine data of the output voltage of the corresponding DC converter with data of the corresponding solar module.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein each data combiner is further configured to use a multiplexer to combine data of the output voltage of the corresponding DC converter with data of the corresponding solar module using.