# US 12,603,607 B2 · Shutdown device control method, system and apparatus, and shutdown controller

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,603,607 B2
- Document ID: US12603607B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/701,233
- Filed: 2022-03-14
- Published: 2024-12-05
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2022-02-22
- Assignees: Altenergy Power System Inc.
- Applicants: Altenergy Power System Inc.
- Inventors: Dongming Zhou; Yuhao Luo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12603607B2

## 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})
- H02H 3/20: responsive to excess voltage
- H02H 3/24: responsive to undervoltage or no-voltage {(H02H3/207 takes precedence)}
- 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 3/00: Circuit arrangements for AC mains or AC distribution networks
- H02J 3/001: Arrangements for handling faults or abnormalities, e.g. emergencies or contingencies
- H02J 3/14: by switching loads on to, or off from, the networks, e.g. progressively balanced loading
- H02J 3/38: Arrangements for feeding a single network from two or more generators or sources in parallel; Arrangements for feeding already energised networks from additional generators or sources in parallel
- H02J 3/381: {Dispersed generators}
- H02J 2101/25: {involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources}
- Y02B 70/3225: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
- Y02E 10/56: Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
- Y04S 20/222: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
- 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)
- 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)
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- 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 shutdown device control method, system and apparatus, and a shutdown controller. If the shutdown controller detects that an input voltage of the shutdown controller is reduced, when the input voltage of the shutdown controller is reduced to a preset protection voltage but has not been reduced to an undervoltage protection threshold voltage, the shutdown controller controls the shutdown of a shutdown device connected to a power supply photovoltaic assembly that supplies power to the shutdown controller, so that a bypass diode connected to the power supply photovoltaic assembly bypasses the power supply photovoltaic assembly, so that the power supply photovoltaic assembly only supplies power to the shutdown controller. After the shutdown device connected to the power supply photovoltaic assembly is shut down, the power supply photovoltaic assembly cannot output any voltage to a photovoltaic inverter apparatus, but voltages outputted by the power supply photovoltaic assembly are all supplied to the shutdown controller to ensure the normal operation of the shutdown controller, thereby ensuring that photovoltaic assemblies, other than the power supply photovoltaic assembly, among photovoltaic assemblies corresponding to the shutdown controller still output voltages to the photovoltaic inverter apparatus, and avoiding large fluctuations in the voltage of the photovoltaic inverter apparatus.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for controlling shutdown devices, wherein the method is applied to shutdown controllers, each of the shutdown controllers controls a plurality of the shutdown devices that are arranged at positive output terminals of photovoltaic modules in one-to-one correspondence, the photovoltaic modules corresponding to a same one of the shutdown controllers are connected in series via the shutdown devices connected to the photovoltaic modules to form a photovoltaic module string, a positive output terminal of the photovoltaic module string is connected to a positive input terminal of a photovoltaic inverter device, a negative output terminal of the photovoltaic module string is connected to a negative input terminal of the photovoltaic inverter device, a bypass diode is connected in parallel between a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal of each of the photovoltaic modules, and the method comprises:
determining whether a voltage inputted to one of the shutdown controllers is reduced to a preset protection voltage which is greater than a under-voltage protection threshold voltage; and
switching off a shutdown device connected to a power supply photovoltaic module supplying power to the one of the shutdown controllers if the voltage inputted to the one of the shutdown controllers is reduced to the preset protection voltage, to cause the bypass diode connected to the power supply photovoltaic module to bypass the power supply photovoltaic module and cause the power supply photovoltaic module to supply power only to the one of the shutdown controllers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for controlling shutdown devices according to claim 1, wherein before determining whether a voltage inputted to one of the shutdown controllers is reduced to a preset protection voltage, the method further comprises:
generating delays of the shutdown devices connected to the one of the shutdown controllers after the one of the shutdown controllers is started, wherein the delays each are greater than duration for which the photovoltaic inverter device performs maximum power point tracking, an absolute value of a difference between a delay of an (i+1)-th shutdown device and a delay of an i-th shutdown device is greater than the duration for which the photovoltaic inverter device performs the maximum power point tracking, N is greater than i and represents the total number of the shutdown devices connected to the one of the shutdown controllers, and N and i are each a positive integer;
determining whether an enabling signal outputted by the photovoltaic inverter device is received; and
switching on one of the shutdown devices after the delay corresponding to the one of the shutdown devices elapses if the enabling signal is received, to cause the photovoltaic module connected to the one of the shutdown devices to output a voltage to the photovoltaic inverter device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method for controlling shutdown devices according to claim 2, wherein the generating of delays of the shutdown devices connected to the one of the shutdown controllers after the one of the shutdown controllers is started comprises:
determining preset delays determined in advance for the shutdown devices as the delays of the shutdown devices.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method for controlling shutdown devices according to claim 2, wherein before generating delays of the shutdown devices connected to the one of the shutdown controllers after the one of the shutdown controllers is started, the method further comprises:
starting the one of the shutdown controllers after a starting delay corresponding to the one of the shutdown controllers elapses from a time instant when the one of the shutdown controllers is powered on, wherein the shutdown controllers are different in the starting delay.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method for controlling shutdown devices according to claim 4, wherein before starting the one of the shutdown controllers after a starting delay corresponding to the one of the shutdown controllers elapses from a time instant when the one of the shutdown controllers is powered on, the method further comprises:
generating correspondence between a restarting ordinal and the starting delay of the one of the shutdown controllers; and
determining the starting delay of the one of the shutdown controllers based on the current restarting ordinal of the one of the shutdown controllers and the correspondence.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method for controlling shutdown devices according to claim 2, wherein before determining whether a voltage inputted to one of the shutdown controllers is reduced to a preset protection voltage, the method further comprises:
enabling a first preset clock signal and a second preset clock signal after the one of the shutdown controllers is started, wherein a first clock period of the first preset clock signal is greater than the duration for which the photovoltaic inverter device performs the maximum power point tracking, and a second clock period of the second preset clock signal is a preset multiple of the first clock period; and
switching on a j-th shutdown device after a j-th cycle of the second clock signal elapses if the enabling signal is received, to cause a photovoltaic module connected to the j-th shutdown device to output a voltage to the photovoltaic inverter device, wherein N is greater than or equal to j and j is a positive integer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method for controlling shutdown devices according to claim 1, wherein after switching off a shutdown device connected to a power supply photovoltaic module supplying power to the one of the shutdown controllers, the method further comprises:
determining whether the voltage inputted to the one of the shutdown controllers is reduced to the under-voltage protection threshold voltage; and
switching off the shutdown devices connected to the one of the shutdown controllers if the voltage inputted to the one of the shutdown controllers is reduced to the under-voltage protection threshold voltage.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

An apparatus for controlling shutdown devices, comprising:
a memory configured to store a computer program; and
a processor configured to execute the computer program to implement the method for controlling shutdown devices according to claim 1.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

A shutdown controller, comprising:
the apparatus for controlling shutdown devices according to claim 8;
a control-signal sampling module configured to sample an enabling signal outputted by a photovoltaic inverter device; and
a communication module configured to transmit the enabling signal to the apparatus for controlling shutdown devices, wherein an input terminal of the communication module is connected to the control-signal sampling module, and an output terminal of the communication module is connected to an input terminal of the apparatus for controlling shutdown devices.

### Claim 10

A system for controlling shutdown devices, wherein the system is applied to shutdown controllers, each of the shutdown controllers controls a plurality of shutdown devices that are arranged at positive output terminals of photovoltaic modules in one-to-one correspondence, the photovoltaic modules corresponding to a same one of the shutdown controllers are connected in series via shutdown devices connected to the photovoltaic modules to form a photovoltaic module string, a positive output terminal of the photovoltaic module string is connected to a positive input terminal of a photovoltaic inverter device, a negative output terminal of the photovoltaic module string is connected to a negative input terminal of the photovoltaic inverter device, a bypass diode is connected in parallel between a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal of each of the photovoltaic modules, and the system comprises:
a determination unit configured to determine whether a voltage inputted to one of the shutdown controllers is reduced to a preset protection voltage which is greater than a under-voltage protection threshold voltage; and
a control unit configured to switch off a shutdown device connected to a power supply photovoltaic module supplying power to the one of the shutdown controllers if the voltage inputted to the one of the shutdown controllers is reduced to the preset protection voltage, to cause the bypass diode connected to the power supply photovoltaic module to bypass the power supply photovoltaic module and cause the power supply photovoltaic module to supply power only to the one of the shutdown controllers.