KR102440143B1 - An apparatus for detecting the shading and failure of solar modules - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for detecting shading and failure of a solar module. An apparatus for detecting shading and failure of a photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a photovoltaic module including a plurality of photovoltaic cells connected in series with each other; a bypass diode connected to the solar module; a sensor unit detecting a current flowing through the bypass diode; and a control unit that determines whether the solar module is damaged according to whether the current is detected.

Description

An apparatus for detecting the shading and failure of solar modules

The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting shading and failure of a photovoltaic module, and more particularly, to an apparatus for detecting shading and failure of a photovoltaic module by measuring a current of a diode connected to the photovoltaic module.

Although the lifespan of a photovoltaic module (PV (Photovoltaic) module) shows a problem in durability depending on the installation method and installation environment, more importantly, many problems are raised depending on the material and manufacturing process of the photovoltaic module. .

In the meantime, the solar module performance evaluation standard has been established and the certification system has been installed in the supply business with strict screening standards.

In particular, in the conventional photovoltaic system, since the presence or absence of abnormality is detected only in the PV module array (a group in which several PV modules are connected in series), when a photovoltaic module fails, which photovoltaic module is directly faulty? I don't know. In this case, in the case of photovoltaic power generation system management, if the failure of the photovoltaic module was not dealt with in advance, the photovoltaic power generation system did not operate normally, resulting in economic loss and problems that could strain the system.

[Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-2159057

The present invention has been created to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for detecting a shading and a failure of a solar module.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for determining whether the solar module is damaged according to whether a current flowing through a bypass diode is detected.

Objects of the present invention are not limited to the objects mentioned above, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood from the description below.

In order to achieve the above objects, an apparatus for detecting a shading and failure of a solar module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a solar module including a plurality of solar cells connected in series with each other; a bypass diode connected to the solar module; a sensor unit detecting a current flowing through the bypass diode; and a control unit that determines whether the solar module is damaged according to whether the current is detected.

In an embodiment, when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is not damaged, the current output by the photovoltaic module does not flow through the bypass diode, and at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is damaged. In this case, the current output by the solar module may flow through the bypass diode.

In an embodiment, when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is not damaged, the current flowing through the bypass diode is not detected by the sensor unit, and when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is damaged , the current flowing through the bypass diode may be detected by the sensor unit.

In an embodiment, the controller may determine that the solar module is damaged when the current is detected, and determine that the solar module is not damaged when the current is not detected.

In an embodiment, the apparatus for detecting the shading and failure of the photovoltaic module may further include a light source unit that is turned on and off according to whether the photovoltaic module is damaged.

In an embodiment, the photovoltaic module may further include a plurality of switches connected in parallel to each of the plurality of photovoltaic cells.

In an embodiment, when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is damaged, each of the plurality of switches is sequentially turned on-off, and the control unit, according to each on-off of the plurality of switches, the A voltage value output by the photovoltaic module may be measured, and a photovoltaic cell connected in parallel to a switch corresponding to a different voltage value among the voltage values may be determined as a damaged photovoltaic cell.

Specific details for achieving the above objects will become clear with reference to the embodiments to be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be configured in various different forms, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains ( Hereinafter, "a person skilled in the art") is provided to fully inform the scope of the invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the solar module is damaged, it is possible to directly determine which solar module is damaged.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and potential effects expected by the technical features of the present invention will be clearly understood from the following description.

1 is a diagram illustrating a failure detection device for detecting shadows and failures of a solar module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a diagnosis unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a failure detection system for detecting shadows and failures of a solar module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating another failure detection system for detecting shadows and failures of a solar module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating a failure detection device for detecting shadows and failures of a solar module according to application of a switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail.

Various features of the invention disclosed in the claims may be better understood upon consideration of the drawings and detailed description. The apparatus, methods, methods, and various embodiments disclosed herein are provided for purposes of illustration. The disclosed structural and functional features are intended to enable those skilled in the art to specifically practice the various embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The terms and sentences disclosed are for the purpose of easy-to-understand descriptions of various features of the disclosed invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for detecting shading and failure of a solar module according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 is a diagram illustrating a failure detection device 100 for detecting a shadow and a failure of a solar module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the failure detection device 100 includes a photovoltaic module 120 including a plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 connected in series with each other, a bypass diode 130 , a sensor unit 140 , and a diagnosis unit ( 150) may be included.

The photovoltaic cell 110 may receive sunlight to perform photovoltaic power generation. The photovoltaic module 120 may output current through photovoltaic power generation by the photovoltaic cell 110 . The number of photovoltaic cells 110 included in the photovoltaic module 120 is not limited and may be variously configured.

The bypass diode 130 may be connected to the solar module 120 . In an embodiment, when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 is not damaged, the current output by the photovoltaic module 120 may flow through the bypass diode 130 . On the other hand, when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 is damaged, the current output by the photovoltaic module 120 may not flow through the bypass diode 130 .

In one embodiment, one solar module 120 may be connected in parallel with one bypass diode 130 . In addition, the failure detection device 100 may include a plurality of photovoltaic modules (120). In this case, each photovoltaic module 120 may be connected in parallel with each corresponding bypass diode 130 .

In one embodiment, the bypass diode 130 may be included in the junction box.

The sensor unit 140 may detect a current flowing through the bypass diode 130 . In an embodiment, when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 is not damaged, the current flowing through the bypass diode 130 may not be detected by the sensor unit 140 . On the other hand, when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 is damaged, the current flowing through the bypass diode 130 may be detected by the sensor unit 140 .

The diagnosis unit 150 may determine whether the solar module 120 is damaged according to whether the current is detected. For example, damage to the photovoltaic module 120 may include conditions such as shading, snow accumulation, contamination or failure of the photovoltaic cell 110 .

In an embodiment, when the current flowing through the bypass diode 130 is detected, the diagnostic unit 150 may determine that the solar module 120 is damaged. On the other hand, when the current flowing through the bypass diode 130 is not detected, the diagnosis unit 150 may determine that the solar module 120 is not damaged.

That is, according to the present invention, when the photovoltaic module 120 is damaged, it is possible to directly determine which photovoltaic module 120 is damaged.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the failure detection device 100 may include a photovoltaic cell 110 , a photovoltaic module 120 , a bypass diode 130 , a sensor unit 140 , and a diagnosis unit 150 . . In various embodiments of the present invention, the failure detection apparatus 100 is not essential to the components illustrated in FIG. 1 , so it may be implemented as having more or fewer components than those illustrated in FIG. 1 . have.

2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the diagnosis unit 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the diagnosis unit 150 may include a control unit 210 , a light source unit 220 , a communication unit 230 , a converter unit 240 , and a switch unit 250 .

The controller 210 may determine whether the solar module 120 is damaged according to whether a current flowing through the bypass diode 130 is detected.

In an embodiment, the controller 210 may include at least one processor or microprocessor, or may be a part of the processor. Also, the controller 210 may be referred to as a communication processor (CP). The controller 210 may control the operation of the failure detection apparatus 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The light source 220 may be turned on or off depending on whether the solar module 120 is damaged. For example, the light source unit 220 may be formed of a light emitting device such as an LED or a laser light source.

In one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 150 may further include a notification unit (not shown) indicating whether the solar module 120 is damaged in various forms, such as text, image, or sound, as well as the light source unit 220 . have.

For example, the notification unit may be configured as a display device for outputting text or an image or a speaker for outputting sound.

The communication unit 230 may receive from the control unit 210 whether the solar module 120 is damaged and transmit it to an external server or mobile terminal through wireless communication.

In an embodiment, the communication unit 230 may include at least one of a wired communication module and a wireless communication module. All or part of the communication unit 230 may be referred to as a 'transmitter', a 'receiver', or a 'transceiver'.

The diagnosis unit 150 is formed to include the converter unit 240 and the switch unit 250 , but operations related to the converter unit 240 and the switch unit 250 should be understood as the scope of the known art.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the diagnosis unit 150 may include a control unit 210 , a light source unit 220 , a communication unit 230 , a converter unit 240 , and a switch unit 250 . In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the components described in FIG. 2 are not essential, and thus the diagnostic unit 150 may have more or fewer components than those illustrated in FIG. 2 . .

3 is a diagram illustrating a failure detection system 300 for detecting shadows and failures of a solar module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the failure detection system 300 may include a plurality of failure detection devices 100 , a communication unit 310 , a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) 320 , and an inverter 330 .

In an embodiment, the communication unit 230 of the failure detection apparatus 100 may be configured like the communication unit 310 outside the diagnosis unit 150 . In this case, whether the photovoltaic module 120 included in each of the plurality of failure detection devices 100 is damaged may be individually transmitted to the communication unit 310 .

The communication unit 310 may integrate whether the solar module 120 included in each of the plurality of failure detection devices 100 is damaged and transmit it to an external server or mobile terminal through wireless communication.

In one embodiment, the fault detection system 300 is formed including an RTU 320 and an inverter 330 , although operations related to the RTU 320 and inverter 330 should be understood as the scope of the known art. .

4 is a diagram illustrating another failure detection system 400 for detecting shadows and failures of a solar module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the failure detection system 400 may include a plurality of failure detection groups 410 including a plurality of failure detection devices 100 .

In this case, the failure detection system 400 may include a communication unit 420 and an inverter 430 connected to each failure detection group 410 .

The communication unit 420 may determine whether the solar module 120 included in the corresponding failure detection group 410 is damaged and transmit it to an external server or mobile terminal through wireless communication.

In one embodiment, the RTU 440 may be connected to the communication unit 420 and the inverter 430 connected to each of the plurality of failure detection groups 410 to collectively manage whether the plurality of failure detection groups 410 are damaged. .

That is, according to the present invention, the failure detection system 400 can be applied to a large-scale solar power plant by grouping and managing a plurality of failure detection devices 100 .

5 is a diagram illustrating a failure detection device 100 for detecting shadows and failures of a solar module according to the application of the switch 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the photovoltaic module 120 may include a plurality of switches 500 connected in parallel to each of the plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 .

In one embodiment, when at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 is damaged, each of the plurality of switches 500 is sequentially turned on and off every cycle, that is, opened or closed. can be

The diagnostic unit 150 may measure the voltage value Vo output by the solar module 120 according to each on/off of the plurality of switches 500 for each cycle. In an embodiment, the diagnosis unit 150 may further include a sensor unit for measuring the voltage value.

Thereafter, the diagnosis unit 150 may determine the photovoltaic cell 110 connected in parallel to the switch 500 corresponding to different voltage values among the voltage values as the damaged photovoltaic cell.

For example, when a switch corresponding to each of a plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 is short-circuited in parallel, by the photovoltaic module 120 by the voltage output by the photovoltaic cell 110 corresponding to the short-circuited switch. The output voltage value may be reduced.

In this case, when the switch corresponding to the undamaged photovoltaic cell 110 is short-circuited than when the switch corresponding to the damaged photovoltaic cell 110 is short-circuited, the voltage value output by the entire photovoltaic module 120 may be large.

Therefore, the diagnostic unit 150 measures the voltage value Vo outputted by the solar module 120 for each cycle for each cycle, and the amount of change in the output voltage value Vo is the solar light corresponding to a switch with a different amount of change. Cell 110 may be determined to be a damaged solar cell.

That is, according to the present invention, the plurality of photovoltaic cells 110 included in the photovoltaic module 120 as well as whether or not the photovoltaic module 120 is damaged through on/off of the switch connected to each photovoltaic cell 110 . ), which solar cell 110 is damaged can be specified.

In an embodiment, a cycle in which each of the plurality of switches is sequentially turned on and off may be determined according to the number of the plurality of photovoltaic cells included in the photovoltaic module.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

The various embodiments disclosed herein may be performed out of order, and may be performed simultaneously or separately.

Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to illustrate, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments.

The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be understood to be included in the scope of the present invention.

100: failure detection device
110: solar cell
120: solar module
130: bypass diode
140: sensor unit
150: diagnostic unit
210: control unit
220: light source unit
230: communication department
240: converter unit
250: switch unit
300: fault detection system
310: communication unit
320: RTU
330: inverter
400: fault detection system
410: fault detection group
420: communication unit
430: inverter
440: RTU
500: switch

Claims (7)

A photovoltaic module comprising a plurality of photovoltaic cells connected in series with each other;
a bypass diode connected in parallel with the solar module;
a sensor unit detecting a current flowing through the bypass diode; and
a control unit that determines whether the solar module is damaged according to whether the current is detected;
including,
The photovoltaic module further comprises a plurality of switches connected in parallel with each of the plurality of photovoltaic cells,
When at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is damaged, each of the plurality of switches is sequentially turned on and off,
The control unit measures the voltage value output by the photovoltaic module according to the on/off of each of the plurality of switches, and damages the photovoltaic cell connected in parallel to a switch corresponding to a different voltage value among the voltage values. Determined by the optical cell,
A cycle in which each of the plurality of switches is sequentially turned on and off is determined according to the number of photovoltaic cells included in the photovoltaic module,
A device for detecting shading and failure of solar modules.
According to claim 1,
When at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is not damaged, the current output by the photovoltaic module does not flow through the bypass diode,
When at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is damaged, the current output by the photovoltaic module flows through the bypass diode,
A device for detecting shading and failure of solar modules.
According to claim 1,
When at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is not damaged, the current flowing through the bypass diode is not detected by the sensor unit,
When at least one of the plurality of photovoltaic cells is damaged, the current flowing through the bypass diode is detected by the sensor unit,
A device for detecting shading and failure of solar modules.
According to claim 1,
The control unit is
determining that the solar module is damaged when the current is detected;
if the current is not detected, determining that the solar module is not damaged;
A device for detecting shading and failure of solar modules.
According to claim 1,
a light source that is turned on-off depending on whether the solar module is damaged;
further comprising,
A device for detecting shading and failure of solar modules.
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