Determining insulation resistance for photovoltaics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9869710-B2
Application number	US-201414580442-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2014
Priority date	Dec 27, 2013
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

Method and device for determining an insulation resistance R ISO of a photovoltaic system ( 1 ) with respect to earth potential (EP), comprising a DC-DC converter unit ( 4 ) which converts a first DC voltage generated by the photovoltaic generator ( 2 ) into a second DC voltage which is applied to an intermediate circuit ( 5 ) that temporarily stores the electrical energy, supplied by the photovoltaic generator ( 2 ), for a DC-AC converter unit ( 6 ) connected thereto, wherein the intermediate circuit ( 5 ) contains a reference node (BK) having an adjustable reference potential (BP), and comprising a measuring unit ( 7 ) which picks up the measuring voltages between the reference potential (BP) and the earth potential (EP) at different reference potentials (BP), and an evaluation unit ( 8 ) which evaluates the measuring voltages that have been picked up in order to determine the insulation resistance of the photovoltaic generator ( 2 ) of the photovoltaic system ( 1 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for determining an insulation resistance (R ISO ) of a photovoltaic system with respect to earth potential (EP), comprising
a DC-DC converter unit which converts a first DC voltage generated by a photovoltaic generator into a second DC voltage, which is applied to an intermediate circuit that temporarily stores the electrical energy, supplied by the photovoltaic generator, for a DC-AC converter unit connected thereto, the DC-DC converter unit comprising at least one controllable booster switch operated in a clocked manner in order to charge the intermediate circuit;

wherein the intermediate circuit contains a reference node (BK) having an adjustable reference potential (BP), and comprising
a measuring unit, which picks up measuring voltages between the reference potential (BP) and the earth potential (EP) at different reference potentials (BP), and
an evaluation unit which evaluates the measuring voltages that have been picked up in order to determine the insulation resistance of the photovoltaic generator of the photovoltaic system; and

a discharge circuit connected to the intermediate circuit for adjusting the reference potential (BP) at the reference node (BK) of the intermediate circuit.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein, in order that the measuring unit picks up a measuring voltage, the adjusted reference potential (BP) at the reference node (BK) of the intermediate circuit is changed in the event of the photovoltaic generator getting short circuited or disconnected.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the controllable booster switch of the DC-DC converter unit is closed by a sequence controller such that the measuring unit can pick up a measuring voltage.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the DC-DC converter unit comprises a two-pole voltage input for the DC voltage which is generated by the photovoltaic generator and is applied to the intermediate circuit by means of a coil and a booster diode.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate circuit comprises capacitors which are interconnected in series at the reference node (BK) and are charged during the clocked operation of the booster switch of the DC-DC converter unit.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge circuit comprises discharge resistors which are each arranged in parallel with the capacitors of the intermediate circuit and are wired in series with controllable discharge switches of the discharge circuit.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein, in order to change the reference potential (BP) at the reference node (BK) of the intermediate circuit, capacitors of the intermediate circuit can be discharged, via the associated discharge resistors, by closing the corresponding discharge switches of the discharge circuit.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a sequence controller is provided which actuates the controllable booster switch of the DC-DC converter unit and/or actuates the discharge switches of the discharge circuit.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the measuring unit comprises a measuring operation amplifier having a two-pole differential voltage input for applying a differential voltage and an output for outputting to the evaluation unit the measuring voltage that has been picked up.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the output of the measuring operation amplifier is connected to a first pole of the two-pole differential voltage input of the measuring operation amplifier by means of a feedback resistor.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the first pole of the two-pole differential voltage input of the measuring operation amplifier of the measuring unit is connected to the earth potential (EP) by means of a measuring resistor in order to pick up a measuring voltage.

12. The device according to claim 9 , wherein a reference voltage, which is generated by a reference voltage source, is applied to the second pole of the two-pole differential voltage input of the measuring operation amplifier of the measuring unit.

13. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit compares the determined insulation resistance (R ISO ) of the photovoltaic system with a predetermined threshold value and generates an insulation fault warning signal if the determined insulation resistance (R ISO ) of the photovoltaic generator falls short of the predetermined threshold value.

14. The device according to claim 13 , wherein the DC-AC converter unit connected to the intermediate circuit is automatically disabled as a result of the insulation fault warning signal generated by the evaluation unit.

15. The device according to claim 1 , wherein, in order for the measuring unit to pick up a plurality of measuring voltages, a plurality of different reference potentials (BP) at the reference node (BK) of the intermediate circuit are adjusted sequentially by actuating the discharge circuit.

16. A photovoltaic system comprising a device according to claim 1 .

17. A method for determining an insulation resistance (R ISO ) of a photovoltaic system with respect to earth potential (EP), comprising the steps of:
(a) applying (S 1 ) a DC voltage, supplied by the photovoltaic system, to an intermediate circuit which temporarily stores the electrical energy generated by the photovoltaic system, wherein the intermediate circuit has a reference node having an adjustable reference potential;
(b) adjusting the reference potential (BP) at the reference node (BK) of the intermediate circuit using a discharge circuit connected to the intermediate circuit;
(c) picking up (S 2 ) measuring voltages between the reference potential (BP) and the earth potential (EP) at different reference potentials; and
(c) evaluating (S 3 ) the measuring voltages that have been picked up in order to determine the insulation resistance (R ISO ) of the photovoltaic system.

18. A photovoltaic system comprising a device according to claim 6 .

Assignees

• Fronius Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Oberzaucher Friedrich
• Reiter Gerhard

Classifications

• H02S50/10

  Testing of PV devices, e.g. of PV modules or single PV cells (testing of semiconductor devices during manufacturing {H10P74/00}) · CPC title

• G01R27/18 Primary

  Measuring resistance to earth {, i.e. line to ground} · CPC title

• G01R31/12 Primary

  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

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title