# US 11,451,048 B2 · Rapid shutdown device and photovoltaic system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,451,048 B2 - Document ID: US11451048B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/406,545 - Filed: 2019-05-08 - Published: 2020-01-02 - Granted: 2022-09-20 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-27 - Assignees: Delta Electronics, Inc. - Applicants: Delta Electronics, Inc. - Inventors: Xuancai Zhu; Bingwen Weng; Yanlong Li; Wei Zhao; Bin Wang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451048B2 ## CPC - H02J 13/1311: {using the power network as support for the transmission} - H02H 7/20: for electronic equipment (for converters H02H7/10; for electric measuring instruments G01R1/36; for DC voltage or current semiconductor regulators G05F1/569; for amplifiers H03F1/52; for electronic switching circuits H03K17/08) - H02J 3/388: Arrangements for the handling of islanding, e.g. for disconnection or for avoiding the disconnection of power - H02S 40/32: comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules - H02S 50/10: Testing of PV devices, e.g. of PV modules or single PV cells (testing of semiconductor devices during manufacturing {H10P74/00}) - H02J 2101/22: Solar energy - Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00) - Y02E 40/70: Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector - Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation - Y04S 10/123: the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources - Y04S 40/121: using the power network as support for the transmission - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - H02H: EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS (indicating or signalling undesired working conditions G01R, e.g. G01R31/00, G08B; locating faults along lines G01R31/08; emergency protective devices H01H) - 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) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A rapid shutdown device and a photovoltaic system are provided. The photovoltaic system includes an inverter and multiple serially-connected photovoltaic elements. The rapid shutdown device includes a switching circuit, a control circuit, a communication circuit and an auxiliary power circuit. The switching circuit includes a first switch and a second switch. A first terminal of the first switch is electrically connected with the positive terminal of a first photovoltaic element. A second terminal of the first switch is electrically connected with the negative terminal of a second photovoltaic element. A first terminal of the second switch is electrically connected with the negative terminal of the first photovoltaic element. The communication circuit receives a command signal from the inverter and transmits it to the control circuit. The control circuit controls the first switch and the second switch to turn on or turn off according to the command signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rapid shutdown device for a photovoltaic system, the photovoltaic system comprising an inverter and multiple serially-connected photovoltaic elements, each of the photovoltaic elements comprising a positive terminal and a negative terminal, the rapid shutdown device comprising: a switching circuit comprising a first switch and a second switch, wherein a first terminal of the first switch is electrically connected with the positive terminal of a first photovoltaic element of the multiple photovoltaic elements, a second terminal of the first switch is directly and electrically connected with the negative terminal of a second photovoltaic element of the multiple photovoltaic elements, and a first terminal of the second switch is electrically connected with the negative terminal of the first photovoltaic element; a control circuit electrically connected with the first switch and the second switch, controlling the first switch and the second switch to turn on or turn off according to a command signal, wherein the multiple serially-connected photovoltaic elements are divided into multiple photovoltaic modules by turning off the first switch and the second switch; a communication circuit electrically connected with the control circuit and in communication with the inverter, receiving the command signal from the inverter, and transmitting the command signal to the control circuit; and an auxiliary power circuit providing required electric energy to power the rapid shutdown device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein a second terminal of the second switch is electrically connected with the positive terminal of a third photovoltaic element of the multiple photovoltaic elements. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein a second terminal of the second switch is electrically connected with a second input terminal of the inverter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein the communication circuit is a power line communication (PLC) circuit, and the command signal is a PLC command signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 4, wherein the rapid shutdown device further comprises a capacitor, and the capacitor is electrically connected between the second terminal of the first switch and a second terminal of the second switch, wherein when first switch and the second switch are turned off, a PLC communication between the inverter and the photovoltaic elements excluding the first photovoltaic element is still established. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein when the command signal from the inverter is a close-state command signal, the communication circuit transmits the close-state command signal to the control circuit, and the first switch and the second switch are turned on under control of the control circuit, so that the first photovoltaic element is electrically connected with the photovoltaic system, and the photovoltaic system is normally operated, when the command signal from the inverter is an open-state command signal, the communication circuit transmits the open-state command signal to the control circuit, and the first switch and the second switch are turned off under control of the control circuit, so that the first photovoltaic element is disconnected from the photovoltaic system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit further detects whether the switching circuit is normally operated, when the control circuit detects that the switching circuit has a fault, the control circuit issues a fault message to the inverter through the communication circuit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary power circuit is electrically connected with the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the first photovoltaic element, and the auxiliary power circuit receives electric energy from the first photovoltaic element and converts the electric energy into a regulated voltage for powering the rapid shutdown device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein the photovoltaic system further comprises a third switch, a first terminal of the third switch is electrically connected with the positive terminal of a fourth photovoltaic element of the multiple photovoltaic elements, a second terminal of the third switch is electrically connected with a first input terminal of the inverter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiple photovoltaic elements comprises at least one photovoltaic panel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein the first switch and the second switch are mechanical switches or electronic switches. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A photovoltaic system, comprising: multiple photovoltaic elements serially connected with each other, converting solar energy into DC voltage; an inverter converting the DC voltage into AC voltage; and a rapid shutdown device according to claim 1, wherein the rapid shutdown device is electrically connected with the first photovoltaic element of the multiple photovoltaic elements, and the first photovoltaic element is controlled by the rapid shutdown device to electrically connect with the photovoltaic system or disconnect from the photovoltaic system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The photovoltaic system according to claim 12, wherein the photovoltaic system comprises multiple rapid shutdown devices and multiple first photovoltaic elements, each of the first photovoltaic elements is electrically connected with one of the rapid shutdown devices, and each of the first photovoltaic elements is controlled by the corresponding rapid shutdown device to electrically connect with the photovoltaic system or disconnect from the photovoltaic system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The photovoltaic system according to claim 13, wherein when all of the multiple rapid shutdown devices are turned off, the corresponding first photovoltaic elements are disconnected from the photovoltaic system, and all of the multiple photovoltaic elements are disconnected from the photovoltaic system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The photovoltaic system according to claim 12, wherein the photovoltaic system comprises multiple rapid shutdown devices, each of the multiple photovoltaic elements is electrically connected with one of the rapid shutdown devices, and each of the multiple photovoltaic elements is controlled by the corresponding rapid shutdown device to electrically connect with the photovoltaic system or disconnect from the photovoltaic system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The photovoltaic system according to claim 12, wherein a second terminal of the second switch is electrically connected with the positive terminal of a third photovoltaic element of the multiple photovoltaic elements, or electrically connected with a second input terminal of the inverter. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The photovoltaic system according to claim 12, wherein the communication circuit is a power line communication (PLC) circuit, and the command signal is a PLC command signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The photovoltaic system according to claim 17, wherein the rapid shutdown device further comprises a capacitor, and the capacitor is electrically connected between the second terminal of the first switch and a second terminal of the second switch, wherein when first switch and the second switch are turned off, a PLC communication between the inverter and the photovoltaic elements excluding the first photovoltaic element is still established. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The photovoltaic system according to claim 12, wherein when the command signal from the inverter is a close-state command signal, the communication circuit transmits the close-state command signal to the control circuit, and the first switch and the second switch are turned on under control of the control circuit, so that the first photovoltaic element is electrically connected with the photovoltaic system and the photovoltaic system is normally operated, when the command signal from the inverter is an open-state command signal, the communication circuit transmits the open-state command signal to the control circuit, and the first switch and the second switch are turned off under control of the control circuit, so that the first photovoltaic element is disconnected from the photovoltaic system. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The photovoltaic system according to claim 12, wherein the control circuit further detects whether the switching circuit is normally operated, when the control circuit detects that the switching circuit has a fault, the control circuit issues a fault message to the inverter through the communication circuit.