# US 10,320,329 B2 · Method and system for determining current-voltage characteristics of a photovoltaic installation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,320,329 B2 - Document ID: US10320329B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/352,909 - Filed: 2016-11-16 - Published: 2017-05-25 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-20 - Assignees: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives - Applicants: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives - Inventors: Thi Than Yen Mai; Nicolas Chaintreuil; Jean-Baptiste Desmouliere - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10320329B2 ## CPC - H02S 50/10: Testing of PV devices, e.g. of PV modules or single PV cells (testing of semiconductor devices during manufacturing {H10P74/00}) - H02S 50/00: Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification - Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy - 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) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract The method includes connecting a MOSFET-type transistor to the photovoltaic installation; applying, to the transistor, a signal of a control voltage (Vgs) that crosses a linear regime range (φlin) of the transistor, between two critical voltages including a saturation voltage (Vgs(sat)) and a threshold voltage (Vgs(th)), and measuring the current and the voltage of the photovoltaic installation while the linear regime range of the transistor is being crossed. The control voltage signal (Vgs) of the transistor is generated from a digital control signal. The transistor initially being in short-circuit (φcc) or open-circuit (φco) regime, a command is issued for a first, rapid variation (BT1) in the control voltage (Vgs) in the direction of the linear regime range of the transistor, then a second, slow variation (BT2) in the control voltage (Vgs) crossing the linear regime range of the transistor, the transition between the first and the second variation being discontinuous. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining current-voltage characteristics of a photovoltaic installation comprising: connecting a MOSFET-type transistor to the photovoltaic installation; applying, to the transistor, a signal of a control voltage that crosses a linear regime range of the transistor, between two critical voltages comprising a saturation voltage and a threshold voltage; and measuring the current and the voltage of the photovoltaic installation while the range corresponding to the linear regime of the transistor is being crossed, wherein the control voltage signal of the transistor is generated from a digital control signal and wherein, the transistor initially being in short-circuit or open-circuit regime, a command is issued for a first, rapid variation in the control voltage in the direction of the linear regime range of the transistor, then a second, slow variation in the control voltage crossing the linear regime range of the transistor, the transition between the first and the second variation being discontinuous. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, the transistor initially being in short-circuit regime, a command is issued for a first, rapid drop in the control voltage in the direction of the linear regime range of the transistor, then a second, slow drop in the control voltage crossing the linear regime range of the transistor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the duration of the second, slow variation in the control voltage is between 0.8 ms and 10 ms. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the duration of the first, rapid variation in the control voltage is less than or equal to 10 μs. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a PWM signal is generated using a microcontroller that digitally controls variations in a duty cycle of the PWM signal, then the signal is filtered using a low-pass filter so as to obtain a voltage signal having a desired profile. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein, during the first variation in the control voltage, at least one of the physical quantities relating to the transistor from the group comprising a temperature, a current and a voltage is measured, in order to detect the linear regime of the transistor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the transistor is of IGBT type. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the duration of the first, rapid variation in the control voltage is less than or equal to 10 μs. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein, subsequent to the second, slow drop in the control voltage, a command is issued for a third, rapid drop in the control voltage to a zero voltage, the transition between the second and the third drop being discontinuous. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein, subsequent to the second, slow drop in the control voltage, a command is issued for a third, rapid drop in the control voltage to a zero voltage, the transition between the second and the third drop being discontinuous. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the duration of the third, rapid drop is less than or equal to 10 μs. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein, the control voltage signal comprising an initial phase in which the control voltage is zero, a command is issued for increasing the control voltage from the zero voltage up to a high voltage higher than the saturation voltage, then holding the high voltage for a duration of between 10 nanoseconds and 100 nanoseconds. ### Claim 13 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein the voltage signal having the desired profile is power-amplified in order to obtain the control voltage signal. ### Claim 14 A system for determining current-voltage characteristics of a photovoltaic installation comprising a MOSFET-type transistor to be connected to the terminals of the photovoltaic installation, a control circuit configured to apply, to the transistor, a signal of a control voltage that crosses a linear regime range of the transistor, between two critical voltages comprising a saturation voltage and a threshold voltage, and a measuring device for measuring the current and the voltage of the photovoltaic installation while the range corresponding to the linear regime of the transistor is being crossed, wherein the control circuit is a digital control circuit adapted to produce a control voltage signal of the transistor, initially in short-circuit or open-circuit regime, which comprises a first, rapid variation in the control voltage in the direction of the linear regime range of the transistor, then a second, slow variation in the control voltage crossing the linear regime range of the transistor, the transition between the first and the second variation being discontinuous. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14, wherein, the transistor initially being in short-circuit regime, the control voltage signal comprises a first, rapid drop in the control voltage in the direction of the linear regime range of the transistor, then a second, slow drop in the control voltage crossing the linear regime range of the transistor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14, wherein the digital control circuit comprises a microcontroller configured to generate a PWM signal and to modify a duty cycle of the PWM signal and a low-pass filter configured to filter the PWM signal so as to obtain a voltage signal having a desired profile. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14, comprising sensors for measuring at least one of the physical quantities relating to the transistor from the group comprising a temperature, a current and a voltage, and a detection module configured to detect the linear regime of the transistor based on the measurements. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14, wherein the transistor is of IGBT type. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system according to claim 15, wherein the digital control circuit comprises a microcontroller configured to generate a PWM signal and to modify a duty cycle of the PWM signal and a low-pass filter configured to filter the PWM signal so as to obtain a voltage signal having a desired profile. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The system according to claim 16, comprising a power amplification device configured to power-amplify the voltage signal having the desired profile in order to obtain the control voltage signal.