Flash testing of photovoltaic modules with integrated electronics
AssigneeSunPower Corporation
InventorRavindranath Naiknaware
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Abstract
A method for testing a photovoltaic (PV) module having an integrated power converter includes: obtaining a reference output signature of a PV module design in response to a flash pattern; applying the flash pattern to a PV module under test; acquiring an observed output signature of the PV module under test in response to the flash pattern; and comparing the observed output signature of the PV module under test to the reference output signature. Second reference output and observed output signatures may be obtained in response to a second flash pattern. The output signatures may be combined using various techniques. One or more parameters of the integrated power converter may be preset to one or more predetermined states prior to applying a flash pattern.
Claims29
A method for testing a photovoltaic (PV) module comprising:
- obtaining a reference output signature of a PV module design by testing a known good PV module in response to a flash pattern, wherein the PV module design includes an arrangement of one or more PV cells and an integrated power converter to process power from the arrangement of one of more PV cells, the reference output signature being produced at output terminals of the integrated power converter;
- applying the flash pattern to a PV module under test similar to the PV module design;
- acquiring an observed output signature produced at output terminals of an integrated power converter of the PV module under test in response to the flash pattern;
- and
- comparing the observed output signature of the PV module under test to the reference output signature.
A method for testing a photovoltaic (PV) module in accordance with a known good PV module of a PV module design having an arrangement of one or more PV cells and an integrated power converter to process power from the arrangement of one or more PV cells, the method comprising:
- presetting one or more parameters of an integrated power converter on a PV module under test similar to the PV module design to one or more predetermined states;
- applying a flash pattern to the PV module under test;
- acquiring an observed output signature produced at output terminals of the integrated power converter of the PV module under test in response to the flash pattern;
- and
- comparing the observed output signature of the PV module under test to a reference output signature produced at output terminals of the integrated power converter of the known good PV module of the PV module design.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.