Arc detection device and arc detection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10985693-B2
Application number	US-201716478799-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2017
Priority date	Feb 14, 2017
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

In an arc detector, a frequency analyzer analyzes frequency components of a current subject to detection in a first frequency band. A detector detects an occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the first frequency band. When the detector does not detect the occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the first frequency band, the frequency analyzer analyzes frequency components of the current subject to detection in a second frequency band lower than the first frequency band, and the detector detects the occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the second frequency band.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An arc detector comprising:
a frequency analyzer that analyzes frequency components of a current subject to detection in a first frequency band; and
a detector that detects an occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the first frequency band, wherein
when the detector does not detect the occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the first frequency band, the frequency analyzer analyzes frequency components of the current subject to detection in a second frequency band lower than the first frequency band, and the detector detects the occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the second frequency band.

2. The arc detector according to claim 1 , wherein
when the detector detects the occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the first frequency band, the frequency analyzer does not analyze the frequency components of the current subject to detection in the second frequency band.

3. The arc detector according to claim 1 , wherein
the current subject to detection is a direct current.

4. The arc detector according to claim 3 , wherein
the current subject to detection is a current output from a solar cell.

5. A method of detecting an arc, comprising:
analyzing frequency components of a current subject to detection in a first frequency band;
detecting an occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the first frequency band;
when the occurrence of an arc is not detected by referring to the frequency components in the first frequency band, analyzing frequency components of the current subject to detection in a second frequency band lower than the first frequency band; and
detecting the occurrence of an arc by referring to the frequency components in the second frequency band.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okita Atsushi
• Koga Tatsuo

Classifications

• H02S50/00 Primary

  Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification · CPC title

• G01R31/12

  Testing dielectric strength or breakdown voltage {; Testing or monitoring effectiveness or level of insulation, e.g. of a cable or of an apparatus, for example using partial discharge measurements; Electrostatic testing (G01R31/08, G01R31/327 and G01R31/72 take precedence; measuring in plasmas G01R19/0061; measuring dielectric constants G01R27/2617; ESD, EMC or EMP testing of circuits G01R31/002)} · CPC title

• G01R31/52 Primary

  Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults · CPC title

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• G01R31/1272

  of cable, line or wire insulation, e.g. using partial discharge measurements (locating faults in cables G01R31/083) · CPC title