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US 8,933,321 B2Granted
Systems and methods for an enhanced watchdog in solar module installations
AssigneeTigo Energy, Inc.
InventorsRon Hadar, Shmuel Arditi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for automatically or remotely rendering a solar array safe during an emergency or maintenance. A watchdog unit is disclosed for monitoring a signal from a central controller. If the signal is lost, interrupted, or becomes irregular, or if a shutdown signal is received, then the watchdog unit can shutdown one or more solar modules. Shutting down a solar module can mean disconnecting it from a power bus of the solar array or lowering the solar module voltage to a safe level.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a watchdog unit coupled between a solar module and a power bus, the power bus configured to connect a plurality of solar modules to an inverter, the watchdog unit having:
- a local controller configured to monitor a communication from a central controller remote from the solar module and determine whether the communication has been interrupted for a time period longer than a predetermined number of allowed skips;
- and
- at least one switch configured to disconnect the solar module from the power bus in response to a determination by the location controller that the communication from the central controller has been interrupted for a time period longer than the predetermined number of allowed skips;
- wherein the watchdog unit is configured to connect the solar module to the power bus when the communication is not interrupted.
2 more elements
A system comprising:
- a watchdog device coupled between a solar module and a power bus, the power bus configured to connect a plurality of solar modules to an inverter, the watchdog device configured to:
- verify communication with a central controller remote from the solar module;
- and
- shutdown the solar module from the power bus if communication with the central controller cannot be verified for a time period longer than a predetermined number of allowed skips.
1 more element
A computer-implemented method comprising:
- monitoring, via a computing device, a signal from a central controller remote from the computing device;
- determining, via the computing device, if the signal has been lost more than a predetermined number of times;
- disconnecting, via the computing device, one or more solar modules from a power bus if the signal has been lost more than the predetermined number of times, the power bus configured to connect a plurality of solar modules to an inverter;
- waiting, via the computing device, for a restart signal;
- and
- connecting, via the computing device, the one or more solar modules to the power bus when the restart signal is received.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.