Solar photovoltaic panel and solar photovoltaic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9917214-B2
Application number	US-201314651054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2013
Priority date	Jan 11, 2013
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

A solar photovoltaic panel disposed in a matrix for use, wherein the solar photovoltaic panel comprises a plurality of antennas configured to communicate with antennas placed on adjoining solar photovoltaic panels, a receptor configured to receive a search command via the plurality of antennas, a transmitter configured to transmit a search command from the antennas excluding the antenna having received the search command in response to the received search command, and a responder configured to create a response signal including the panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel and transmit the response signal from the antenna having received the search command when no response signal to the search command transmitted from the transmitter is received, and when a response signal to the search command transmitted from the transmitter is received, transmit the response signal with the addition of information from the antenna having received the search command.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solar photovoltaic panel disposed in a matrix for use, wherein the solar photovoltaic panel comprises:
a plurality of antennas configured to communicate with antennas placed on adjoining solar photovoltaic panels; and
a controller, wherein the controller
is configured to receive, via each of the plurality of antennas, a first search command;
transmits a second search command from the plurality of antennas excluding an antenna having received the first search command, in response to reception of the first search command;
determines whether a first response signal to the transmitted second search command is received;
when the first response signal to the transmitted second search command is determined as not received, creates a second response signal including a panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel and transmits the second response signal from the antenna having received the first search command, and
when the first response signal to the transmitted second search command is determined as received, creates the second response signal by the addition of information including the panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel to the first response signal and transmits the second response signal from the antenna having received the first search command.

2. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 , wherein
the solar photovoltaic panel comprises at least three antennas,
when the first response signal to the transmitted second search command is determined as not received, the controller creates the second response signal including the ID of the antenna to which the second search command was transmitted and the ID of the antenna having received the first search command together with the panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel and transmits the second response signal from the antenna having received the first search command, and
when the first response signal to the transmitted second search command is determined as received, adds information including the ID of the antenna having received the first response signal together with the panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel to the first response signal to create the second response signal and transmits the second response signal from the antenna having received the first search command.

3. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 , wherein
the solar photovoltaic panel comprises two antennas,
when the first response signal to the transmitted second search command is determined as not received, the controller creates the second response signal including the panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel and transmits the second response signal from the antenna having received the first search command, and
when the first response signal to the transmitted second search command is determined as received, transmits the second response signal with the addition of information including the panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel from the antenna having received the first search command.

4. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 , wherein
the solar photovoltaic panel further comprises a sensor, and
when the first response signal to the transmitted second search command is determined as not received, the controller creates the second response signal including measurement data of the sensor together with the panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel and transmits the second response signal from the antenna having received the first search command, and

when the first response signal to the transmitted second search command is determined as received, creates the second response signal by the addition of information including the measurement data of the sensor together with the panel ID of its own solar photovoltaic panel to the first response signal and transmits the second response signal from the antenna having received the first search command.

5. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 4 , wherein
the sensor includes at least one of a sensor measuring a physical quantity indicating the power generation state, an inclination sensor, and a sunlight amount sensor.

6. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller operates with the power generated by the solar photovoltaic panel.

7. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas is configured by a coil that is disposed on a side surface of the solar photovoltaic panel to generate a magnetic flux the direction of which is perpendicular to the side surface.

8. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 7 , comprising:
a frame formed by a non-magnetic metal.

9. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas is configured by a coil that is disposed on a panel surface of an end portion of the solar photovoltaic panel to generate a magnetic flux the direction of which is perpendicular to the panel surface, and the solar photovoltaic panel is configured so that the coils overlap with each other.

10. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 3 , wherein
each of the plurality of antennas is disposed at output cable connectors of the solar photovoltaic panel.

11. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of antennas is configured by a coil, further comprising
an inverter configured to apply an AC voltage to the coils.

12. The solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of antennas is configured by a coil, and
the induced power generated by the coils is supplied to the controller.

13. A solar photovoltaic system, provided with:
the solar photovoltaic panel according to claim 1 disposed in a matrix, and a measuring device, wherein
the measuring device comprises an antenna and a controller,
the controller transmits a search command to the solar photovoltaic panel via the antenna, receives a response signal from the solar photovoltaic panel via the antenna, and obtains the placement of a plurality of the solar photovoltaic panels based on the received response signal.

Assignees

• Higuma Toshiyasu
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Higuma Toshiyasu

Classifications

• H02S40/36

  characterised by special electrical interconnection means between two or more PV modules, e.g. electrical module-to-module connection · CPC title

• H02S40/32

  comprising DC/AC inverter means associated with the PV module itself, e.g. AC modules · CPC title

• H02S50/00 Primary

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

• Y02E10/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] energy · CPC title

• H04B7/04

  using two or more spaced independent antennas · CPC title