System, method and apparatus for generating layout of devices in solar installations

• US 9,502,902 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SolarCity Corporation (Tesla Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SolarCity Corporation (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Mumtaz, Asim
• Primary Examiner(s): ALHIJA, SAIF A
• Application Number:
  US13/533,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/40 Synchronising a generator for connection to a network or to another generator
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/123 the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission

Abstract

For an array of installed energy harvesting devices, a method of gathering information about individual devices in the array and generating a layout or map of the installed devices based on the gathered information is provided. A communications gateway or a base station gathers the information and determines the positions of individual micro-inverters. The gathered information is used to generate a topological or geometrical map of the installed devices.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program executable by at least one processor, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

gathering information relating to positions of a plurality of energy-harvesting devices in a two dimensional array arranged in a series of rows, wherein the gathered information comprises;

a time stamp for each energy harvesting device indicating a sequence of installation for the plurality of energy-harvesting devices;

a signal strength measurement from a common reference node for each energy harvesting device, wherein a measured change in signal strength between two sequential energy harvesting devices is used to indicate a change in rows in the two dimensional array; and

generating a map of the energy-harvesting devices that identifies locations of the energy-harvesting devices in the two dimensional array by using the gathered information.

2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for generating the map comprises a set of instructions for using an automated process to identify the locations of the energy-harvesting devices based on the gathered information.

3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the gathered information comprises global positioning coordinates of the plurality of energy-harvesting device.

4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the generated map comprises a topological map that includes relative positions of the energy-harvesting devices within the physical installation based on the identified locations.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the generated map comprises a geometric map that includes absolute geographical positions of the energy-harvesting devices based on the identified locations.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for gathering information comprising a set of instructions for using a communications network to collect information from the energy harvesting devices, the communications network comprising a communications gateway for receiving the collected information from the energy harvesting devices.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for generating the map at the communications gateway based on the received information.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying the generated map at the communications gateway.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for storing the collected information at a server.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for generating the map using the information stored at the server.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for displaying the generated map.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the server is a first server, the computer program further comprising a set of instructions for transmitting the generated map to a second server for viewing.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a first global positioning (GPS) location from a first anchor node, wherein the first GPS location is generated by a first GPS receiver of the first anchor node;

receiving a second GPS location from a second anchor node, wherein the second GPS location is generated by a second GPS receiver of the second anchor node;

receiving a time stamp for each energy harvesting device in a plurality of energy harvesting devices in a two dimensional array indicating a sequence of installation for the plurality of energy-harvesting devices;

receiving a signal strength reading from the first and or the second anchor node for each energy harvesting device in the plurality of energy harvesting devices, wherein a measured change in signal strength between two sequential energy harvesting devices is used to indicate a change in rows in the two dimensional array

determining locations of each of the plurality of energy harvesting devices within the two dimensional array based on the received time stamp and signal strength reading for each of the energy harvesting devices and the first and second GPS locations; and

generating, at a computing device, an installation layout of the plurality of energy harvesting devices based on the determined locations.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the two dimensional array comprises the plurality of energy harvesting devices, and wherein the first anchor node is installed in a left corner of the array and the second anchor node is installed in a right corner of the array.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the two dimensional array comprises the plurality of energy harvesting devices, and wherein the first and second anchor nodes are included in a first and second energy harvesting device, respectively, in the plurality of energy harvesting devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second energy harvesting devices are installed at corners of the two dimensional array.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving a time of arrival of a signal from each of the energy-harvesting device to an anchor node, wherein determining the locations of each of the plurality of energy-harvesting devices is further based on the received time of arrival signals from the energy-harvesting element.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving an angle of incidence of a signal from each of the energy-harvesting device to an anchor node, wherein determining the locations of each of the plurality of energy-harvesting devices is further based on the received angle of incidence of the signal from the energy-harvesting element.

19. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a set of information from a communications network comprising a plurality of energy-harvesting devices, the set of information relating to positions of the plurality of energy-harvesting devices in a two dimensional array, wherein the set of information comprises a timestamp for each energy-harvesting device that indicates when the energy-harvesting device is installed and activated, and a signal strength measurement for each energy-harvesting device from a common reference node wherein a measured change in signal strength between two sequential energy harvesting devices is used to indicate a change in rows in the two dimensional array;

based on the timestamps and the signal strength measurement in the received information, determining an installation location for each energy harvesting device in the two dimensional array; and

generating an installation layout for the plurality of energy-harvesting devices based on the determined installation locations.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the set of information comprises global positioning coordinates of the plurality of energy-harvesting device, wherein a global positioning coordinate for an energy-harvesting device is provided by a mobile device equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) near the energy-harvesting device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the set of information comprises a timestamp that further indicates when a particular energy harvesting device first communicates with a communications gateway in the communications network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of energy-harvesting devices is installed and activated according to a predetermined sequence.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the signal strength measurement is used to determine whether a particular energy-harvesting device is in a same row or column as another energy-harvesting device that is installed and activated immediately before the particular energy-harvesting device.