# US 10,122,320 B2 · Solar panel personality engine

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- Number: US 10,122,320 B2
- Document ID: US10122320B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/271,400
- Filed: 2016-09-21
- Published: 2017-01-12
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-10-26
- Applicants: SunCulture Solar, Inc.
- Inventors: Christopher A. Estes
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10122320B2

## CPC

- H02S 50/00: Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification
- H02J 3/381: {Dispersed generators}
- H02J 3/46: Controlling the sharing of generated power between the generators, sources or networks
- H02J 9/06: with automatic change-over {, e.g. UPS systems}
- H02S 20/32: specially adapted for solar tracking
- H02S 40/30: Electrical components
- H02S 40/36: characterised by special electrical interconnection means between two or more PV modules, e.g. electrical module-to-module connection
- H02S 40/38: Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules
- H10F 77/955: {for photovoltaic devices}
- H02J 2101/24: Photovoltaics
- Y02E 10/56: Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
- Y02E 70/30: Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
- H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00)
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A solar panel is disclosed that detects conditions triggered by operational events and then selects behavioral actions for the solar panel to execute in response to the operational events. Condition detection devices detect conditions that the solar panel is exposed to where each condition is triggered by an operational event that the solar panel is encountering. The condition detection devices generate condition data that provides information as to each of the conditions that the solar panel is exposed to and each operational event that triggered each of the conditions that the solar panel is encountering. A personality engine analyzes the condition data provided by the condition detection devices to determine a behavioral action that the solar panel is to execute in response to each operational event that the solar panel is encountering and executes the determined behavioral action to respond to each operational event that the solar panel is encountering.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A solar panel, comprising:
a plurality of condition detection devices configured to:
detect a plurality of conditions that the solar panel is exposed to, wherein each condition is triggered by an operational event that the solar panel is encountering, and
generate condition data that provides information as to each of the conditions that the solar panel is exposed to and each operational event that triggered each of the conditions that the solar panel is encountering; and
a personality engine configured to:
analyze the condition data provided by each of the condition detection devices to determine a behavioral action from a plurality of behavioral actions that the solar panel is to execute in response to each operational event that the solar panel is encountering, and
execute the determined behavioral action so that each executed behavioral action is a response to each operational event that the solar panel is encountering,
wherein the personality engine is further configured to:
analyze the condition data provided by each of the condition detection devices to determine a type of operational event that generated each of the conditions detected by each of the condition detection devices; and
categorize each of the conditions into an operational event category selected from a plurality of operational event categories based on the type of operational event that triggered each of the conditions,
wherein the personality engine is further configured to associate each of the behavioral actions to at least one operational event category so that each behavioral action associated with each operational event category that is executed by the personality engine responds to the operational event that the solar panel is encountering,
wherein the personality engine is further configured to:
randomly select a behavioral action associated with an operational event category that a condition detected by at least one condition detection device is categorized within; and
execute the randomly selected behavioral action so that the solar panel responds to the operational event that the solar panel is encountering.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The solar panel of claim 1, wherein the personality engine is further configured to:
determine whether a condition detected by the at least one condition detection device satisfies a threshold that is associated with the condition;
randomly select a behavioral action associated with an operational event category that a condition detected by at least one condition detection device is categorized within when the condition satisfies the threshold associated with the condition; and
execute the randomly selected behavioral action so that the solar panel responds to the operational event that the solar panel is encountering when the condition satisfies the threshold associated with the condition.

### Claim 3

A solar panel, comprising:
a plurality of condition detection devices configured to:
detect a plurality of solar energy conditions that the solar panel is exposed to as the solar panel is collecting energy from a light source, wherein each solar energy condition is triggered by an solar energy operational event that the solar panel is encountering as the solar panel is collecting energy from the light source, and
generate solar energy condition data that provides solar energy information as to each of the solar energy conditions that the solar panel is exposed to and each solar energy operational event that triggered each of the conditions that the solar panel is encountering as the solar panel is collecting energy from the light source; and a personality engine configured to:
analyze the solar energy condition data provided by each of the condition detection devices to determine a behavioral action from a plurality of behavioral actions that the solar panel is to execute in response to each solar energy operational event that the solar panel is encountering as the solar panel is collecting energy from the light source, and
execute the determined behavioral action so that each executed behavioral action is a response to each solar energy operational event that the solar panel is encountering as the solar panel is collecting energy from the light source
wherein the plurality of condition detection devices comprises:
a three-dimensional compass configured to:
detect a position of the solar panel relative to a position of the light source, and
generate condition data that is associated with the position of the solar panel relative to the position of the light source; and
a power meter configured to:
measure an amount of power stored by the solar panel as the solar panel collects energy from the light source, and
generate condition data that is associated with how the solar panel stores power as the solar panel collects energy from the light source.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The solar panel of claim 3, wherein the personality engine is further configured to:
randomly select a behavioral action associated with the positioning of the solar panel relative to the light source based on the solar energy condition detected by the three-dimensional compass as the solar panel collects energy from the light source; and
execute the randomly selected behavioral action associated with the positioning of the solar panel relative to the light source so that the solar panel responds to the solar energy operational event that the solar panel is encountering as the solar panel collects energy from the light source.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The solar panel of claim 3, wherein the personality engine is further configured to:
randomly select a behavioral action associated with the amount of power stored by the solar panel as the solar panel collects energy from the light source; and
execute the randomly selected behavioral action associated with the amount of power stored by the solar panel so that the solar panel responds to the solar energy operational event that the solar panel is encountering as the solar panel collects energy from the light source.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The solar panel of claim 4, wherein the personality engine is further configured to execute a selected behavioral action that provides feedback to a user that is attempting to position the solar panel in an optimal position relative to the light source so that a maximum amount of energy as generated by the light source is absorbed by the solar panel.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The solar panel of claim of claim 5, wherein the personality engine is further configured to execute a selected behavioral action that provides feedback to a user that exposure of the solar panel to the light source is compromised due to a decrease in the amount of power that the solar panel is storing as the solar panel collects energy from the light source.