JP2014085182A - Solar simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solar simulator which can highly accurately perform photoelectric characteristic measurement by light of a sufficiently long light emitting time, can reduce power consumption, and elongate life of a light source as well.SOLUTION: A solar simulator is provided with: a high pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 capable of repetitive operation of lighting and light-off; a lamp power source circuit 25 for supplying lamp current; a starter circuit 24 for applying trigger voltage for start; a measurement circuit 27 for measuring photoelectric conversion characteristics of an object 23 to be measured; and a measurement control circuit 28 electrically connected to the lamp power source circuit 25, the starter circuit 24, and the measurement circuit 27. The measurement control circuit 28 instructs the starter circuit 24 to apply trigger voltage either when measurement starts or right before measurement starts to instantaneously light the high pressure xenon short arc lamp 21, instructs the lamp power source circuit 25 to stop supplying the lamp current when the measurement ends or right after the measurement ends, and lights off the high pressure xenon short arc lamp 21.

Description

  The present invention relates to a solar simulator that irradiates an object to be irradiated such as a solar battery panel with pseudo-sunlight and measures photoelectric conversion characteristics (I / V characteristics) of the object to be irradiated.

  In a conventional solar simulator of this type, as a general method for controlling the irradiation time to the solar panel, steady light is emitted from a light source (in many cases, a discharge lamp), and it is mechanically opened and closed along the optical path. Thus, there is a method of providing a shutter that can control transmission and blocking of light (for example, see Patent Document 1). That is, the generated steady light is irradiated with light by opening a mechanical shutter at the start of measurement of photoelectric conversion characteristics, and the shutter is closed and shielded at the end.

  As described above, the steady light from the light source is used because a general discharge lamp requires a considerable time until it becomes a stable light emission state when it is turned on and turned on again. This is because it is impossible to perform accurate measurement.

JP 2011-081274 A

  According to the conventional solar simulator using steady light, it is necessary to operate continuously for a long time due to the standby time when the light source is not used for measurement, and the life of the lamp of the light source is measured by the long time lighting. Consumption occurs unexpectedly, leading to a short life of the light source device due to heat generation, and a problem that a large-scale power supply circuit and a large amount of power consumption are required. Moreover, the mechanical opening / closing shutter has a problem that its life is short.

  A technique for suppressing heat generation and prolonging lamp life by generating flash light without using such steady light is known.

  However, among the method for measuring the characteristics of solar cell panels using flash light, the measurement method using short pulse flash light that uses flash light with a short light emission time many times, the top of the flash light waveform is not flat. Depending on the type of battery, the battery output could not follow the flash light, making it impossible to measure the characteristics with high accuracy.

  Among the methods for measuring characteristics of solar cell panels using flash light, the measurement method using a single long pulse flash light that uses a single flash light with a relatively long light emission time has a maximum light emission time of about 100 ms. For example, in a multi-layer solar cell panel, the battery cannot be saturated, and it is very difficult to perform accurate characteristic measurement.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a solar simulator capable of accurately performing photoelectric characteristic measurement with light having a sufficiently long light emission time.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a solar simulator that can be expected to reduce power consumption and extend the life of components even though photoelectric characteristics can be measured with light having a sufficiently long light emission time. is there.

  The solar simulator of the present invention includes a high-pressure xenon short arc lamp that can be repeatedly turned on and off, a lamp power supply circuit that supplies a lamp current to the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp, and a start circuit for the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp. A starter circuit for applying the trigger voltage, a measurement circuit for measuring the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the measurement object irradiated with pseudo sunlight from the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp, the lamp power supply circuit, the starter circuit, and the measurement circuit described above And an electrically connected measurement control device. The measurement control device instructs the starter circuit to apply the trigger voltage at the start of measurement of the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the measurement object by the measurement circuit or immediately before the start of measurement, and causes the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp to light up instantaneously. The lamp power supply circuit is instructed to stop supplying the lamp current at the end of the measurement or immediately after the end of the measurement, and the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp is turned off.

  In the present specification, the “high pressure” of the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp means that the pressure of the xenon gas inside the lamp is relatively higher than that of other xenon lamps. There are high-pressure xenon short arc lamps that can be repeatedly turned on and off. The solar simulator of the present invention measures the photoelectric conversion characteristics in a state in which simulated solar light from the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp is irradiated to a measured object that is, for example, a solar battery cell. The starter circuit is instructed to apply the trigger voltage at the start of measurement of the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the device under test or immediately before the start of measurement, whereby the starter trigger voltage is applied from the starter circuit to the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp. The instantaneous lighting is performed. The lamp power supply circuit is instructed to stop supplying the lamp current at the end of the measurement of the photoelectric conversion characteristics or immediately after the end of the measurement, and the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp is turned off by cutting off the lamp current. As a result, the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp is turned on only during the measurement of photoelectric conversion characteristics, and is turned off when the measurement is completed. Accordingly, photoelectric characteristic measurement using light with a sufficiently long light emission time can be performed with high accuracy, and power consumption can be reduced and the life of components can be extended.

  A measurement circuit includes a reference resistor and an electronic load connected between the output terminals of the measurement object, a sweep unit that changes the electronic load, and a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage between the output terminals of the measurement object during the sweep. And a current detection unit for detecting a current flowing through the reference resistor during the sweep.

  A starter circuit, a Tesla coil with a secondary winding connected to a high voltage xenon short arc lamp, and a pulse current that applies a high voltage pulse current to the primary winding of the Tesla coil in response to a lighting instruction signal given from a measurement control device It is also preferable to include a generation circuit.

  It is also preferable that the lamp power supply circuit includes a switch circuit that stops the supply of the lamp current to the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp in response to the turn-off instruction signal given from the measurement control device.

  The measurement control device transmits a lighting instruction signal for instructing the application of the trigger voltage to the starter circuit, and following the transmission of the lighting instruction signal from the lighting instruction means, the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the measurement object by the measurement circuit Measurement start instruction means for instructing the start of measurement, measurement end instruction means for instructing the end of measurement of the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the measurement object by the measurement circuit, and measurement end instruction from the measurement end instruction means. It is also preferable to include a turn-off instruction means for transmitting a turn-off instruction signal for instructing the supply stop of the lamp to the lamp power supply circuit.

  According to the present invention, photoelectric characteristics can be measured with high accuracy with respect to light to be measured with a sufficiently long light emission time, and power consumption is reduced and the configuration of a light source unit such as a lamp is provided. The life of parts can be extended.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of a cell tester using a solar simulator of the present invention as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing mainly an electrical configuration of a solar simulator in the embodiment of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly an example of the internal structure of the high voltage | pressure xenon short arc lamp of the solar simulator shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of an example of a starter circuit of the solar simulator shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of a lamp power supply circuit of the solar simulator shown in FIG. 2. It is a flowchart which illustrates roughly the flow of the conveyance and measurement process of a photovoltaic cell panel by the cell tester of embodiment of FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a flow of I / V characteristic measurement processing of a measurement control circuit in the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram illustrating the relationship between the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit and the measured voltage value and current value in the I / V characteristic measurement process of FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a step change of the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit and measurement points of voltage and current in the I / V characteristic measurement process of FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows an example of the I / V characteristic measured by the solar simulator in embodiment of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the I / V characteristic measured by the solar simulator in embodiment of FIG. It is a circuit diagram which shows roughly the electrical structure of the other example of the starter circuit of the solar simulator in other embodiment of this invention.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration example of a cell tester using the solar simulator of the present invention as an embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment relates to a cell tester including a solar simulator that measures I / V characteristics by irradiating pseudo-sunlight to a small-area solar cell panel.

  In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a supply source tray group in which a plurality of trays on which a plurality of solar cell panels 11 on which I / V characteristics are to be measured are placed, and 12 denotes each tray of the supply source tray group 10. A conveyor belt conveyor that conveys individual solar cell panels 11, 13 is a solar simulator provided in the middle of the conveyor belt conveyor 12, and 14 is provided in the middle of the conveyor belt conveyor 12 downstream of the solar simulator 13, depending on the measurement result The sorters 15, 16, and 17 for sorting the solar cell panels 11 by rank are sorted by rank by the sorter 14, and each has a plurality of trays that receive and store the solar cell panels 11 that are transported by the transport belt conveyor 12. The tray group according to rank is shown.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows mainly the electrical configuration of the solar simulator 13 in the present embodiment.

  In the figure, 20 is a pseudo-sunlight generation optical unit of the solar simulator 13, 21 is a high-pressure xenon short arc lamp that can be repeatedly operated and turned off in the pseudo-sunlight generation optical unit 20, 22 Denotes a neutral density filter device capable of switching a filter, and 23 denotes a solar cell irradiated with simulated sunlight. In the present embodiment, the neutral density filter device 22 includes a disk 22a in which a plurality of mesh filters are arranged along the circumferential direction, and a motor 22b that rotates the disk 22a. Although not shown in the figure, a known optical system for converting the light emitted from the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 into uniform parallel light is provided in the pseudo-sunlight generation optical unit 20.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 24 is electrically connected to a high voltage xenon short arc lamp 21, and a starter circuit for applying a start trigger voltage to the high voltage xenon short arc lamp 21. Reference numeral 25 is a high voltage xenon short arc lamp 21. And a lamp power supply circuit 26 for supplying a lamp current to the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21, and 26 are electrically connected to a motor 22 b of the neutral density filter device 22. A motor drive circuit 27 for generating a drive pulse for rotationally driving the motor 22b by a predetermined angle, 27 is electrically connected to both ends of the solar battery cell 23, and the output voltage value and output current value of the solar battery cell 23 are determined. A measuring circuit for measuring, 28 is a starter circuit 24, a lamp power circuit 25, a motor driving circuit Respectively show 6 and measurement circuit 27 in the measurement control circuit are electrically connected.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of the internal structure of the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 of the solar simulator 13 in the present embodiment.

  The high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 in this embodiment includes a reflecting mirror member 21a made of a ceramic material, a transparent window member 21b made of, for example, a sapphire material provided on the front surface of the reflecting mirror member 21a, a reflecting mirror member 21a, and a transparent window member. The lamp chamber 21c is enclosed and sealed by 21b and is filled with high-pressure xenon gas of several atmospheres; the anode 21d made of tungsten material with the tip provided in the lamp chamber 21c; and the lamp chamber 21c. The sharpened end is provided with a cathode 21e facing the tip of the anode 21d, and a cathode support member 21f for fixing and supporting the cathode 21e.

  The anode 21d and the cathode 21e are arranged so that the tips thereof face each other with a short gap on the common optical axis, and are integrated with the reflecting mirror member 21a. When a voltage is applied between the anode 21d and the cathode 21e and a xenon short arc is generated in the arc gap portion, the arc gap portion becomes the light emitting portion 21g.

  The inner surface of the reflecting mirror member 21a is a reflecting mirror 21h having an elliptical axial cross section, and the light emitting portion 21g by a short arc is positioned at the elliptical focal point of the reflecting mirror 21h having the elliptical axial cross section. . As described above, in the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21, the positional relationship between the light emitting part 21g and the reflecting mirror 21h is fixed, so that the work of aligning the light emitting part 21g is not necessary. Furthermore, since the light emitting part 21g is arranged at the elliptical focal point of the reflecting mirror 21h, the light reflected by the reflecting mirror 21h and emitted to the front surface is collected at a focal point (not shown) on the optical axis. The reflecting mirror may have a parabolic axial cross-sectional shape on the inner surface thereof, and a light emitting portion by a short arc may be positioned at the parabolic focus. Also in this case, since the positional relationship between the light emitting unit and the reflecting mirror is fixed, the light emitting unit is not required to be aligned. Furthermore, by arranging the light emitting part at the parabolic focus of the reflecting mirror, the light reflected by the reflecting mirror and emitted to the front surface becomes parallel light.

  The high pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 has an arc gap as short as 0.62 to 2.29 mm, for example, and a high pressure xenon gas of several atmospheres is enclosed in the lamp chamber 21c. For this reason, a nearly rated light output can be generated immediately after lighting, and the lighting operation and the extinguishing operation can be repeated. As merely an example, the electrical characteristics of the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 include operating power of 350 to 2450 W, operating current of 25 to 110 A (direct current), operating voltage of 14 to 25 V (direct current), and minimum trigger voltage of 25. ~ 35 kV. Further, as output characteristics of the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21, the radiation output is 112 to 635 W, the UV output is 5 to 31 W, the IR output is 65 to 350 W, and the visible light output is 10500 to 73000 lumen.

  Such a condensing type and parallel light type high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 is commercially available from Excelitas as a CERMAX (registered trademark) lamp.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows an electrical configuration of an example of the starter circuit 24 of the solar simulator 13 in the present embodiment.

  The starter circuit 24 in this embodiment includes a Tesla coil 24a, a high voltage transformer (T) 24b, a diode (D) 24c, a capacitor (C) 24d, a triggered spark gap element (TSG) 24e, and a trigger transformer 24f. , And a trigger circuit 24g.

  One end of the secondary winding of the Tesla coil 24 a is connected in series to the anode 21 d of the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21. The other end of the secondary winding of the Tesla coil 24 a and the cathode 21 e of the high voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 are connected to the output terminal of the lamp power circuit 25. The primary side winding of the high voltage transformer 24b is connected to a commercial power source, and the diode 24c and the capacitor 24d connected in series are connected to the secondary side winding of the high voltage transformer 24b. That is, the anode of the diode 24c is connected to one end of the secondary winding of the high voltage transformer 24b, and one end of the capacitor 24d is connected to the other end of the secondary winding of the high voltage transformer 24b. The other end of the capacitor 24d is connected to the cathode of the diode 24c.

  The cathode of the diode 24c is connected to one end of the primary side winding of the Tesla coil 24a, and the anode of the triggered spark gap element 24e is connected to the other end of the primary side winding of the Tesla coil 24a. The cathode of the triggered spark gap element 24e is connected to one end of the capacitor 24d (the other end of the secondary winding of the high-voltage transformer 24b). The trigger electrode of the triggered spark gap element 24e is connected to one end of the secondary winding of the trigger transformer 24f, and the other end of the secondary winding of the trigger transformer 24f is connected to the cathode of the triggered spark gap element 24e. It is connected.

  The primary winding of the trigger transformer 24f is connected to the output terminal of the trigger circuit 24g, and a trigger signal which is a lamp lighting signal is applied from the measurement control circuit 28 to the input terminal of the trigger circuit 24g. It is configured.

  In the starter circuit 24 having such a configuration, the capacitor 24d is always charged by the operation of the high voltage transformer 24b and the diode 24c as long as commercial power is supplied. However, even in that case, the voltage across the capacitor 24d is set so as not to reach the breakdown voltage of the triggered spark gap element 24e.

  A lamp lighting signal as a trigger signal is applied from the measurement control circuit 28 to the trigger circuit 24g, and at the same time, a high voltage pulse (about 30 kV) is generated from the trigger transformer 24f and applied to the trigger electrode of the triggered spark gap element 24e. As a result, the triggered spark gap element 24e is broken down, the charging voltage of the capacitor 24d is applied to the Tesla coil 24a, and a very high voltage is generated in its secondary winding. As a result, the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 is lit almost simultaneously with the application of the lamp lighting signal from the measurement control circuit 28, and immediately generates steady output light. The starter circuit 24 having this configuration is very effective because it performs a blinking operation when the light emission pulse width is short.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows an electrical configuration of the lamp power supply circuit 25 of the solar simulator 13 in the present embodiment. The lamp power supply circuit 25 of the present embodiment is a linear control type lamp power supply circuit, and is configured to control the lamp current or the lamp illuminance by continuously changing the impedance of the transistor of the output circuit.

  The lamp power circuit 25 in this embodiment includes an output circuit 25a having a plurality of transistors, a lamp output output terminal 25b, a rectifier 25c, a smoothing capacitor 25d, a step-down transformer 25e, a switch 25f, and a commercial power input terminal. 25g, a driving transistor 25h, a driving circuit 25i, a photocoupler 25j, and a turn-off signal input terminal 25k.

  The bases of the plurality of transistors in the output circuit 25a are connected in common, and resistors are connected to the emitters, respectively. The output circuit 25a is configured by connecting a plurality of series circuits of these resistors and transistors in parallel with each other.

  The output circuit 25a is connected to the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 via the lamp output output terminal 25b and the starter circuit 24. The collector of each transistor in the output circuit 25a is the positive output terminal of the rectifier 25c and the smoothing capacitor. It is connected to one end of 25d. The negative output terminal of the rectifier 25 c is connected to the other end of the smoothing capacitor 25 d and the starter circuit 24. The input terminal of the rectifier 25c is connected to the secondary winding of the step-down transformer 25e. The primary winding of the step-down transformer 25e is connected to a commercial power source via a switch 25f and a commercial power source input terminal 25g of the lamp power circuit 25.

  The common base of the output circuit 25a is connected to the emitter of the drive transistor 25h, and the collector of the drive transistor 25h is connected to the positive output terminal of the rectifier 25c. The base of the drive transistor 25h is connected to the output terminal of the drive circuit 25i for supplying drive current via a resistor.

  A phototransistor of the photocoupler 25j is connected and inserted between the base of the drive transistor 25h and the emitter of the output transistor, and the light emitting diode of the photocoupler 25j is connected to a turn-off signal input terminal 25k to which a lamp turn-off signal is input. Has been.

  While the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 is lit, the drive current from the drive circuit 25i turns on the output circuit 25a via the drive transistor 25h. As a result, the commercial power supplied via the commercial power input terminal 25g is converted to a low voltage by the step-down transformer 25e, and full-wave rectified and smoothed by the rectifier 25c and the smoothing capacitor 25d to become a DC voltage, and the output circuit 25a. The current is controlled through the lamp to become a lamp output, which is applied to the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21.

  When the lamp turn-off signal from the measurement control circuit 28 is applied to the photocoupler 25j via the turn-off signal input terminal 25k, the phototransistor of the photocoupler 25j is activated and the base of the drive transistor 25h and the emitter of the output transistor are short-circuited. Is done. As a result, the drive current from the drive circuit 25i is immediately cut off, all the transistors of the output circuit 25a are turned off, the lamp output is stopped instantaneously, and the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 is turned off instantaneously.

  The lamp turn-off signal is no longer applied from the measurement control circuit 28, whereby the photocoupler 25j is turned on, the drive current from the drive circuit 25i is applied, and each transistor of the output circuit 25a is turned on, whereby the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 is turned on. Even if the lamp output is supplied, the lamp is not turned on again. This is because the high voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 has a high breakdown voltage (especially very high at the time of relighting), and therefore does not relight only by supplying the lamp output. In order to make it light up again, it is necessary to start the starter circuit 24 again. In FIG. 5, a linear control lamp power supply circuit is shown as the lamp power supply circuit 25, but a switching control lamp power supply circuit can be used instead of the linear control lamp power supply circuit. In the switching control type lamp power supply circuit, the supply of the lamp output is stopped by stopping the oscillation of the oscillator in the control circuit of the switching control type lamp power supply circuit by the photocoupler, and the lamp is turned off.

  The motor drive circuit 26 in this embodiment is configured to supply a drive pulse corresponding to an angle to be rotated, for example, to a motor 22b which is a stepping motor. When the motor 22b is rotated by a specified angle, the disk 22a of the neutral density filter device 22 is also rotated, and a desired mesh filter is selected or no filter is provided.

  The measurement circuit 27 in the present embodiment includes a voltage measurement circuit 27a, a current measurement circuit 27b, a standard resistor 27c, a bipolar power supply circuit 27d, and a reference voltage generation circuit 27e.

  The bipolar power supply circuit 27d is connected so as to be a load of the solar battery cell 23, and the output voltage and output current of the solar battery cell 23 are swept by changing the output voltage of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d stepwise. (Scanned) and measured. That is, the output voltage of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d is configured to change stepwise as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 in accordance with the step change of the reference voltage supplied from the reference voltage generation circuit 27e. .

  The voltage measurement circuit 27a measures the voltage between both terminals of the solar battery cell 23 in a state where the stepped output voltage is applied from the bipolar power supply circuit 27d, A / D converts the measured value, and performs digital voltage measurement. A value is output to the measurement control circuit 28.

  The current measurement circuit 27b measures the voltage across the standard resistor 27c in a state where the stepped output voltage is applied from the bipolar power supply circuit 27d, and thereby the current flowing through the solar battery cell 23 via the standard resistor 27c. Are measured, A / D converted, and a digital current measurement value is output to the measurement control circuit 28.

  The reference voltage generation circuit 27e supplies the bipolar power supply circuit 27d with a reference voltage that changes stepwise according to the voltage command value given from the measurement control circuit 28.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the measurement control circuit 28 in this embodiment includes a central processing unit (CPU) 28b, a read only memory (ROM) 28c, and a random access memory (RAM) connected to each other via a bus 28a. 28d, a hard disk drive (HDD) 28e, an image processing unit 28f, a display 28g, a first input / output interface (I / O) 28h, and a second input / output interface (I / O) 28i. It is comprised from the computer provided and the program which operates this.

  The CPU 28b executes a program stored in the HDD 28e according to a basic program such as an operating system (OS) stored in the HDD 28e to perform the processing of this embodiment. The CPU 28b controls operations of the RAM 28d, the HDD 28e, the image processing unit 28f, the first I / O 28h, and the second I / O 28i.

  The RAM 28d is used as a main memory of the computer, and stores programs and data transferred from the HDD 28e. The RAM 28d is also used as a work area for temporarily storing various data during program execution.

  The HDD 28e stores programs and data in advance.

  The image processing unit 28f performs two-dimensional graphic processing according to an instruction from the CPU 28b and generates image data. The generated image data is output to the display 28g.

  The first I / O 28 h outputs a digital voltage command value to the reference voltage generation circuit 27 e of the measurement circuit 27, and outputs a digital voltage measurement value from the voltage measurement circuit 27 a of the measurement circuit 27 to a current measurement circuit 27 b of the measurement circuit 27. The digital current measurement values are input to the starter circuit 24, the lamp turn-on signal is output to the starter circuit 24, the lamp turn-off signal is output to the lamp power supply circuit 25, and the motor control signal is output to the motor drive circuit 26.

  The second I / O 28i is configured to input a measurement control signal from a cell tester control system (not shown), which is a host system of the solar simulator 13, and to output a measurement result to the cell tester control system. Yes.

  In the computer having such a configuration, when operating, the CPU 28b first secures a program storage area, a data storage area, and a work area in the RAM 28d, and fetches the program and data from the HDD 28e or from the outside to obtain the program storage area and data. Store in the storage area. Next, based on the program stored in the program storage area, I / V characteristic measurement processing described later is executed.

  FIG. 6 schematically illustrates the flow of solar cell panel conveyance and measurement processing by the cell tester in the present embodiment. The operation of the cell tester will be described below using FIG. 6 and FIG. Actually, the following solar cell panel transport and measurement processing is executed by a cell tester control circuit (not shown).

  First, it is determined whether or not the solar cell panel 11 as a work exists in the current tray of the supply source tray group 10 (step S1).

  If it does not exist (in the case of NO), the tray is exchanged (step S2). From the new tray, if it exists (in the case of YES), the solar cell panel 11 as a work is transferred from the current tray to the conveyor belt. It takes in on the conveyor 12 (step S3).

  Next, one solar cell panel 11 on the conveyor belt conveyor 12 is fixed at a predetermined position of the solar simulator 13 (step S4).

  Next, the measurement control circuit 28 of the solar simulator 13 is instructed to start the I / V characteristic measurement process (step S5). Thereby, the solar simulator 13 executes an I / V characteristic measurement process described later.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the I / V characteristic measurement process by the solar simulator 13 has been completed (step S6). Only when the process is completed (in the case of YES), the measurement data transmitted from the measurement control circuit 28 of the solar simulator 13 is received. (Step S7).

  Next, the solar cell panel 11 that has been subjected to the measurement process is discharged from the solar simulator 13 (step S8), and is transported to the sorter 14 by the transport belt conveyor 12.

  The sorter 14 sorts the respective solar cell panels 11 according to the rank obtained from the result of the I / V characteristic measurement process, and performs a sorter operation so that it is transported to the corresponding rank-specific tray group 15, 16, or 17 (step S9).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the solar cell panels 11 in all trays of the supply source tray group 10 have been subjected to measurement processing (step S10). If not all processing has been performed (in the case of NO), the processing returns to step S1 and the above processing Execute repeatedly. When all are processed (in the case of YES), the conveyance of the photovoltaic cell panel 11 by this cell tester and the measurement process are ended.

  FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the flow of the I / V characteristic measurement process of the measurement control circuit 28 in the present embodiment. FIG. 8 illustrates the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d in this I / V characteristic measurement process. 9 explains the relationship between the measured voltage value and the current value, and FIG. 9 shows the stepwise change of the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d and the measurement points of the voltage and current in this I / V characteristic measurement processing. Is explained. Hereinafter, the I / V characteristic measurement processing operation in the solar simulator 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, 9, and 2.

  When the start of the I / V characteristic measurement process is instructed by the host system of the cell tester, the computer of the measurement control circuit 28 instructs the lamp to be lit (step S21). As a result, the starter circuit 24 is activated, and the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 is turned on almost simultaneously with the application of the lamp lighting signal, and immediately generates steady output light.

  Next, an extremely short standby is performed to stabilize the light emitted from the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 (step S22).

  Thereafter, an initial voltage command value is sent to the reference voltage generation circuit 27e, and an output voltage command value Vb, which is analog-converted from the reference voltage generation circuit 27e and output as a voltage, is applied to the bipolar power supply circuit 27d as a reference voltage. Initialization is performed so that the output voltage of the circuit 27d becomes a minimum voltage value (for example, −0.04 V, which is just an example) (step S23).

  Next, in this state, a digital voltage measurement value corresponding to the voltage measured by the voltage measurement circuit 27a is captured, and at the same time as this voltage measurement, a digital current measurement value corresponding to the current measured by the current measurement circuit 27b is captured (step S24). . The taken voltage measurement value and current measurement value are stored in the RAM 28d or the HDD 28e in association with the output voltage command value Vb (in this case, Vb = −0.04 V) of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d.

  Next, a voltage command value for increasing the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d stepwise by a constant voltage C (for example, 0.04V is just an example) is sent to the reference voltage generation circuit 27e (step S25). .

  Next, in this state, a digital voltage measurement value corresponding to the voltage measured by the voltage measurement circuit 27a is captured, and simultaneously with this voltage measurement, a digital current measurement value corresponding to the current measured by the current measurement circuit 27b is captured (step S26). . The taken voltage measurement value and current measurement value are stored in the RAM 28d or the HDD 28e in association with the output voltage command value Vb (in this case, Vb = Vb + C) of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d is the maximum voltage value (for example, 1.24V, which is just an example) (step S27). If), the process returns to the process of step S25 and the processes of steps S25 to S27 are repeated.

  By the above processing, as shown in FIG. 8, the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d is increased stepwise, and the voltage and current of the solar battery cell 23 are measured. When the minimum voltage value is -0.04V, the maximum voltage value is 1.24V, and the stepwise increase value is 0.4V, the measurement is performed with the output voltage command value Vb of 33 steps. In the present embodiment, the output voltage command value Vb is measured by increasing it stepwise from the minimum voltage value to the maximum voltage value. Conversely, the output voltage command value Vb is changed from the maximum voltage value to the minimum voltage value. Measurements may be performed while decreasing step by step.

  In addition, after changing the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d, in order to stabilize the solar battery cell 23, the measurement may be performed after a certain standby time has elapsed. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, when the output voltage command value Vb is changed stepwise, the process waits until the solar battery cell 23 is stabilized, and then the voltage value and the current value are simultaneously measured at the measurement point.

  When it is determined in step S27 that the output voltage command value Vb is the maximum voltage value (in the case of YES), the output of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d is disconnected by a relay (not shown) and the lamp is instructed to be turned off (step S28). As a result, the lamp power circuit 25 operates, and the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 is turned off almost simultaneously with the lamp turn-off signal application.

  Next, measurement data including the voltage measurement value, the current measurement value, and the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d stored in the RAM 28d or the HDD 28e is transmitted to the cell tester control circuit which is the host system (step S29).

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the I / V characteristic measured by the solar simulator in this embodiment. Hereinafter, the I / V characteristic measurement processing operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the lamp lighting signal is applied, the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 is turned on instantaneously, and the emitted light intensity immediately becomes 1 SUN which is a steady output. At that time, I / V characteristics are measured after taking a delay time for stabilizing the lamp output as necessary.

  The bipolar power supply circuit 27d starts the output voltage command value Vb from a minimum voltage value (eg, Vb = −0.04V) in a negative state so that a current flows in the positive direction more than the photovoltaic cell 23 generates power. , Increase in steps. As a result, the voltage of the solar battery cell 23 becomes zero (Vb = 0) and the output current of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d is maximized, that is, the short-circuit current Isc state in which the solar battery cell 23 is completely short-circuited can be created. it can.

  As the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d further increases, the state in which the solar battery cell 23 generates power and the current flows into the bipolar power supply circuit 27d continues.

  When the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d is further increased, the current flows into the solar battery cell 23, that is, the output voltage of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d is higher than the voltage generated by the solar battery cell 23. Become high. As a result, the voltage generated by the solar battery cell 23 and the output voltage of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d become equal in the middle of the process, the current becomes zero, and an open voltage Voc state in which the solar battery cell 23 is completely opened is created. Can do.

  Finally, when the output voltage command value Vb of the bipolar power supply circuit 27d reaches the maximum voltage value (for example, Vb = 1.24V), the lamp extinction signal is applied, and the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 is extinguished instantaneously.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the I / V conversion characteristic is measured in a state where the solar cell 23 is irradiated with the pseudo-sunlight from the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 that can be repeatedly operated and turned off. When the I / V conversion characteristic measurement starts, a lamp lighting signal is instructed to the starter circuit 24 that generates a trigger voltage for lighting the lamp, whereby the start trigger voltage is applied to the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21. As a result, instantaneous lighting is performed. When the measurement of the I / V conversion characteristics is completed, the lamp power supply circuit 25 is instructed to stop supplying the lamp current, and the lamp current is cut off, whereby the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 is turned off. As a result, the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 is turned on only during measurement of the I / V conversion characteristics, and is turned off when the measurement is completed. Therefore, the I / V conversion characteristic measurement using light with a sufficiently long light emission time (1 second or longer) can be performed with high accuracy, and the power consumption can be reduced and the life of the components can be extended. .

  Thus, by using the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 as a light source, continuous lighting and pulse lighting with a long duration (long pulse lighting, pulse duration of 1 second or more) can be performed at low cost.

  When a short arc lamp is used as a light source, a solar simulator that irradiates pseudo-sunlight on a large-area solar battery cell employs a pulse lighting method to reduce power consumption. In a solar simulator that irradiates a small-sized solar cell with simulated sunlight, a continuous lighting method is generally adopted and used for measurement in a production line (cell tester). In recent years, even in a small area irradiation solar simulator, a pulse lighting method is being adopted from the viewpoint of reducing the cost of a power supply device and reducing power consumption. Conventional pulse lighting lamps corresponding to small area irradiation generally have a pulse lighting time of 5 to 10 msec, and lamps that light with a 10 msec angle pulse waveform have been used. Silicon-based solar cells can be measured by irradiation with pulse lighting of 10 msec, but compound-based solar cells cannot respond with irradiation of 10 msec, and pulse lighting irradiation exceeding 10 msec is required. .

  By using the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 of the present embodiment, the light collection efficiency is remarkably improved, and a long pulse irradiation of 1 sec or more can be performed with a trapezoidal pulse waveform even using a low-cost power supply device and optical system. Become. For example, compared to the case where a standard lamp is used, the rated illuminance can be secured even when the power consumption is about ½. Further, while the solar simulator having a mountain-shaped pulse waveform currently used has a light emission time fixed at 10 msec, if the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 of this embodiment is used, the continuous lighting that is generally used is used. By adopting a control method that controls the power supply device and turns off the light only for a required time, it is possible to light from the continuous lighting to any pulse time. Thereby, the solar simulator which can respond to all kinds of photovoltaic cells can be provided.

  In addition, since the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 of the present embodiment has a light emitting source and a reflecting mirror integrated with each other, an axising mechanism and a separate reflecting mirror are not necessary, so that the cost can be greatly reduced. It is. Further, since the light emitting unit and the reflecting mirror are integrated and adjusted for alignment, the light emitting unit is not required to be aligned. For this reason, since it is not necessary to perform a complicated shaft alignment operation at the time of lamp replacement or the like, labor is not required. Furthermore, since the power applied to the lamp is not changed when adjusting the light amount, the spectrum does not change.

  Of course, since a mechanical neutral filter such as an aperture and a ring is not used, the configuration can be simplified, and there is no spectral change due to deterioration in uniformity and color unevenness due to light interference.

  FIG. 11 shows another example of the I / V characteristic measured by the solar simulator in this embodiment.

  In this example, the first I / V characteristic measurement process is executed by applying the light emitted from the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 to the solar battery cell 23 without a filter as in the case of the example of FIG. (However, the measurement processing time is 1/2).

  Next, the disk 22a of the neutral density filter device 22 is rotated and a desired mesh filter is selected, so that the light emitted from the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 passes through the neutral density filter to the solar battery cell 23. The second I / V characteristic measurement process is executed.

  FIG. 12 schematically shows an electrical configuration of another example of a starter circuit of a solar simulator in another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is particularly suitable when the light emission pulse width of the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 is longer than 1 second, and the configuration other than the starter circuit is the same as that of the embodiment described in FIGS. is there. Therefore, in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in the embodiment described in FIGS.

  The starter circuit 24 'in this embodiment includes a Tesla coil 24a', a high voltage transformer (T) 24b ', a capacitor (C) 24d', a spark gap element (SG) 24e ', and a solid state relay (SSR) 24h'. And.

  One end of the secondary winding of the Tesla coil 24 a ′ is connected in series to the anode 21 d of the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21. The other end of the secondary winding of the Tesla coil 24 a ′ and the cathode 21 e of the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp 21 are connected to the output terminal of the lamp power circuit 25. The primary side winding of the high voltage transformer 24b 'is connected to a commercial power supply via a solid state relay 24h', and a capacitor 24d 'is connected in series to the secondary side winding of the high voltage transformer 24b'. . A trigger signal which is a lamp lighting signal is applied from the measurement control circuit 28 to the solid state relay 24h ′.

  One end of the capacitor 24d '(one end of the secondary winding of the high-voltage transformer 24b') is connected to one end of the primary winding of the Tesla coil 24a 'and the other end of the primary winding of the Tesla coil 24a'. Is connected to the anode of the spark gap element 24e '. The cathode of the spark gap element 24e 'is connected to the other end of the capacitor 24d' (the other end of the secondary winding of the high-voltage transformer 24b ').

  In the starter circuit 24 'having such a configuration, the capacitor 24d' is connected to the secondary side winding of the high voltage transformer 24b ', and the primary side winding of the Tesla coil 24a' is connected to one end thereof. The lamp lighting signal is applied to the solid state relay 24h ', and while the lamp lighting signal is applied, the voltage from the secondary winding of the high voltage transformer 24b' is applied to the capacitor 24d '. Since this voltage is alternating current, the polarity is constantly reversed, but each time the voltage value reaches the breakdown voltage of the spark gap element 24e ′, a pulsed current flows through the primary winding of the Tesla coil 24a ′. The high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21 lights up. Assuming that the frequency of the commercial power supply is 50 Hz and the pulse width of the trigger signal, which is a lamp lighting signal, is 50 milliseconds, five pulses of current per second are applied to the primary winding of the Tesla coil 24a ′. In terms of certainty of lighting of the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp 21, it is superior to the case of the starter circuit 24 shown in FIG.

  Other functions and effects in the present embodiment are the same as those in the embodiment described in FIGS.

  All the embodiments described above are illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to be limiting, and the present invention can be implemented in other various modifications and changes. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Supply tray group 11 Solar cell panel 12 Conveyor belt conveyor 13 Solar simulator 14 Sorter 15, 16, 17 Tray group according to rank 20 Pseudo sunlight generation optical part 21 High pressure xenon short arc lamp 21a Reflector member 21b Transparent window member 21c Lamp Chamber 21d Anode 21e Cathode 21f Cathode support member 21g Light emitting part 21h Reflector 22 Neutral filter device 22a Disk 22b Motor 23 Solar cell 24, 24 'Starter circuit 24a, 24a' Tesla coil 24b, 24b 'High voltage transformer (T)
24c Diode (D)
24d, 24d 'capacitor (C)
24e Triggered spark gap element (TSG)
24e 'Spark gap element (SG)
24f Trigger transformer 24g Trigger circuit 24h 'Solid state relay (SSR)
25 Lamp power supply circuit 25a Output circuit 25b Lamp output output terminal 25c Rectifier 25d Smoothing capacitor 25e Step-down transformer 25f Switch 25g Commercial power supply input terminal 25h Drive transistor 25i Drive circuit 25j Photocoupler 25k Turn-off signal input terminal 26 Motor drive circuit 27 Measurement circuit 27a Voltage measurement circuit 27b Current measurement circuit 27c Standard resistance 27d Bipolar power supply circuit 27e Reference voltage generation circuit 28 Measurement control circuit 28a Bus 28b Central processing unit (CPU)
28c Read only memory (ROM)
28d random access memory (RAM)
28e Hard disk drive (HDD)
28f Image processing unit 28g Display 28h First input / output interface (I / O)
28i Second input / output interface (I / O)

Claims (5)

  A high-voltage xenon short arc lamp that can be repeatedly turned on and off, a lamp power supply circuit that supplies a lamp current to the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp, and a starter that applies a start trigger voltage to the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp A circuit, a measurement circuit for measuring photoelectric conversion characteristics of a measurement object irradiated with pseudo sunlight from the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp, and the lamp power supply circuit, the starter circuit, and the measurement circuit. The measurement control device instructs the starter circuit to apply a trigger voltage at the start of measurement of the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the measurement object by the measurement circuit or immediately before the measurement starts. The high-pressure xenon short arc lamp is turned on instantaneously and the measurement of the photoelectric conversion characteristics is completed or Solar simulator, characterized in that it is configured such that the the lamp power supply circuit instructs the stop of the supply of the lamp current immediately after the end turns off the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp.   The measurement circuit detects a reference resistance and an electronic load connected between output terminals of the device to be measured, a sweep unit that changes the electronic load, and a voltage between the output terminals of the device to be measured at the time of sweeping. The solar simulator according to claim 1, further comprising: a voltage detection unit; and a current detection unit that detects a current flowing through the reference resistor during sweeping.   The starter circuit includes a Tesla coil having a secondary winding connected to the high-voltage xenon short arc lamp, and a high-voltage pulse current to the primary winding of the Tesla coil in response to a lighting instruction signal given from the measurement control device. The solar simulator according to claim 1, further comprising a pulse current generation circuit to be applied.   The lamp power circuit includes a switch circuit that stops supply of lamp current to the high-pressure xenon short arc lamp in response to a turn-off instruction signal given from the measurement control device. 4. The solar simulator according to any one of 3 above.   The measurement control device includes a lighting instruction unit that transmits a lighting instruction signal instructing application of a trigger voltage to the starter circuit, and transmission of the lighting instruction signal from the lighting instruction unit, followed by the measurement by the measurement circuit. Measurement start instructing means for instructing the start of measurement of the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the body, measurement end instructing means for instructing the end of measurement of the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the measured object by the measurement circuit, and measurement end from the measurement end instructing means 5. The light-off instruction means for transmitting a light-off instruction signal for instructing the supply stop of the lamp current to the lamp power supply circuit subsequent to the above-mentioned instruction. 5. Solar simulator.

Images