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US 9,425,783 B2Granted
Systems and methods to provide enhanced diode bypass paths
AssigneeTigo Energy, Inc.
InventorMordechay Avrutsky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods are herein disclosed for efficiently allowing current to bypass a group of solar cells having one or more malfunctioning or shaded solar cells without overwhelming a bypass diode. This can be done using a switch (e.g., a MOSFET) connected in parallel with the bypass diode. By turning the switch on and off, a majority of the bypass current can be routed through the switch, which is configured to handle larger currents than the bypass diode is designed for, leaving only a minority of the current to pass through the bypass diode.
Claims11
A solar panel, comprising:
- a set of solar cells;
- and
- a bypass switch circuit connected to the set of solar cells and configured to allow a bypass current to bypass the set of solar cells, the bypass switch circuit comprising:
- a bypass transistor connected in parallel with an output of the set of solar cells, wherein when activated the bypass transistor provides a path for the bypass current, the bypass transistor having a parasitic diode;
- a first diode connected to receive the output and configured to be conductive when the parasitic diode of the bypass transistor is conductive;
- and
- a control circuit coupled with the bypass transistor and the first diode to activate the bypass transistor in response to the parasitic diode of the bypass transistor becoming conductive, wherein the control circuit comprises:
- a first energy storage device connected to the first diode to be charged when the parasitic diode is conductive, the first energy storage device to provide a first voltage, the first energy storage device connected in series with the first diode, and a path formed by the first diode and the first energy storage device is connected in parallel with the bypass transistor;
- a voltage converter connected to receive the first voltage from the first energy storage device as an input, the voltage converter to upconvert a voltage drop across the parasitic diode responsive to the input to generate a second voltage;
- and
- a controller connected to receive the second voltage as an input, the controller configured to provide a signal to control the bypass transistor responsive to the second voltage.
8 more elements
A solar panel, comprising:
- a set of solar cells;
- and
- a bypass switch circuit comprising:
- a bypass transistor connected in parallel with an output of the set of solar cells, the bypass transistor having a parasitic diode;
- a first diode connected to receive the output of the set of solar cells;
- and
- a control circuit comprising:
- a first capacitor connected to the first diode to be charged when the parasitic diode is conductive, the first capacitor connected in series with the first diode, and a path formed by the first diode and the first capacitor connected in parallel with the bypass transistor;
- a voltage converter connected to receive a first voltage from the first capacitor as an input, the voltage converter configured to upconvert a voltage drop across the parasitic diode responsive to the input to generate a second voltage as an output;
- and
- a controller connected to receive the second voltage as an input, the controller configured to provide a signal to control the bypass transistor responsive to the second voltage.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.