Power line communication routing system and method of operating the same
AssigneeDelta Electronics, Inc.
InventorSheng-Hua LI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A power line communication (PLC) routing system includes a plurality of micro inverters and a data collection apparatus connected to the micro inverters through a power line. After being installed in the building, the micro inverters are registered to the data collection apparatus. When submitting a connection request to the micro inverters but cannot receive the corresponding response, the data collection apparatus commands a micro inverter which has responded the request to transmit the request to another micro inverter which is out of time to response, and re-transmits data from the another micro inverter to the data collection apparatus.
Claims20
A power line communication routing system comprising:
- a power line;
- a plurality of micro inverters connected to the power line, each micro inverter having a solar panel and a DC-to-AC converter;
- the DC-to-AC converter electrically connected to the solar panel and the power line, and configured to output an AC power through the power line;
- and
- a data collection apparatus connected to the power line, and configured to submit requests to the micro inverters and receive responses transmitted from the micro inverters;
- wherein the data collection apparatus is configured to regard the micro inverter as a first-type micro inverter when the micro inverter does not submit the response within a predetermined time, and command a second-type micro inverter of the micro inverters to submit the request instead of the first-type micro inverter;
- the second-type micro inverter is configured to receive the data replied from the first-type micro inverter through the power line, and transmit the received data to the data collection apparatus through the power line.
A method of operating a power line communication routing system applied in a building, a power line, a plurality of micro inverters, and a data collection apparatus installed in a building, wherein each micro inverter comprises a solar panel and a DC-to-AC converter connected to the solar panel, and the micro inverters are connected to the data collection apparatus through the power line;
- the method comprising following steps:
- (a) submitting a connection request to one of the micro inverters by the data collection apparatus through the power line;
- (b) judging whether a response transmitted from the micro inverter is received by the data collection apparatus within a predetermined time;
- (c) regarding the micro inverter as a first-type micro inverter when the data collection apparatus does not receive the response;
- (d) communicating with a second-type micro inverter of the micro inverters and commanding the second-type micro inverter to submit the connection request instead of the first-type micro inverter after the step (c);
- wherein the second-type micro inverter has responded the connection request submitted from the data collection apparatus;
- (e) receiving the response transmitted from the first-type micro inverter by the second-type micro inverter;
- and
- (f) transmitting the response to the data collection apparatus by the second-type micro inverter.
A power line communication routing system comprising:
- a power line;
- two solar panels configured to receive external light sources and generate electricity;
- two DC-to-AC converters connected to the two solar panels to form two micro inverters, the two micro inverters connected to the power line via the DC-to-AC converters to output AC powers through the power line;
- and
- a data collection apparatus connected to the power line, and connected to the two micro inverters through the power line and configured to submit a request to the two micro inverters and receive the data replied from the two micro inverters;
- wherein the two micro inverters include a first-type micro inverter and a second-type micro inverter;
- the second-type micro inverter is the micro inverter that can normally reply the request within the determined time, and the first-type micro inverter is that micro inverter that cannot reply the request within the determined time;
- the data collection apparatus is configured to command the second-type micro inverter to submit the request instead of the first-type micro inverter when the data collection apparatus is configured to collect the data of the first-type micro inverter;
- the second-type micro inverter is configured to submit the request to the first-type micro inverter, receive the data replied from the first-type micro inverter, and transmit the received data to the data collection apparatus through the power line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.