Fault detecting apparatus and detecting method of the same

• US 9,863,992 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tmeic Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ambo, Tatsuaki, Ikawa, Eiichi, Umeno, Chieko
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harrison, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/314,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20140306713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults
• 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: H02S 50/10 Testing of PV devices, e.g. of PV modules or single PV cells testing of semiconductor devices during manufacturing H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

There is provided a fault detecting apparatus for detecting a fault in an electric circuit including connecting circuits and an aggregating circuit. The fault detecting apparatus includes a fault detector that detects a fault when at least one of connecting circuit current detectors detects that a current flows and an aggregating current detector detects that a current does not flow.

Claims

1. A fault detecting apparatus for detecting a fault in an electric circuit comprising a plurality of connecting circuits and an aggregating circuit, the plurality of connecting circuits comprising positive electrode wires and negative electrode wires connected parallel to respectively connect a plurality of DC power supplies with an inverter, and the aggregating circuit being configured to aggregate the plurality of connecting circuits and to connect the aggregated connecting circuits with the inverter, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of connecting circuit current detectors configured to detect currents flowing through either the positive electrode wires or the negative electrode wires of all the connecting circuits except one connecting circuit, respectively;

an aggregating current detector configured to detect a current flowing after the connection circuits are aggregated by the aggregating circuit; and

a fault detector configured to detect a fault when at least one of the connecting circuit current detectors detects that a current flows and if the aggregating current detector detects that a current does not flow.

2. An inverter apparatus comprising:

a fault detecting apparatus for detecting a fault in an electric circuit comprising a plurality of connecting circuits and an aggregating circuit, the plurality of connecting circuits comprising positive electrode wires and negative electrode wires connected parallel to respectively connect a plurality of DC power supplies with an inverter, and the aggregating circuit being configured to aggregate the plurality of connecting circuits and to connect the aggregated connecting circuits with the inverter, the fault detecting apparatus comprising;

a plurality of connecting circuit current detectors configured to detect currents flowing through either the positive electrode wires or the negative electrode wires of all the connecting circuits except one connecting circuit, respectively;

an aggregating current detector configured to detect a current flowing after the connection circuits are aggregated by the aggregating circuit; and

a fault detector configured to detect a fault when at least one of the connecting circuit current detectors detects that a current flows and if the aggregating current detector detects that a current does not flow.

3. A fault detecting method for detecting a fault in an electric circuit comprising a plurality of connecting circuits and an aggregating circuit, the plurality of connecting circuits comprising positive electrode wires and negative electrode wires connected parallel to respectively connect a plurality of DC power supplies with an inverter, and the aggregating circuit being configured to aggregate the plurality of connecting circuits and to connect the aggregated connecting circuits with the inverter, the method comprising:

detecting currents flowing through either the positive electrode wires or the negative electrode wires of all the connecting circuits except one connecting circuit, respectively;

detecting a current flowing after the connecting circuits are aggregated by the aggregating circuit; and

detecting a fault when it is detected that a current flows to at least one of the connecting circuits and if a current does not flow to the aggregating circuit.