WO2021118062A1 - Solar cell module monitoring apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a solar cell module monitoring apparatus and method by which whether each solar cell module, which is a minimum unit of a solar panel of a solar power generation system, is broken can be determined. The disclosed apparatus comprises: a channel monitoring device which monitors the power production of a channel including several solar cell modules; a control unit which determines which channel is broken, on the basis of the power production of each channel monitored by the channel monitoring device; a monitoring data transmission unit which is connected to each of the several solar cell modules, and monitors a solar cell module of the broken channel according to a voltage measurement scheme by a control of the control unit, to output monitoring data through infrared communication; and a monitoring data reception unit which determines whether the corresponding solar cell module is broken, on the basis of the monitoring data, and displays a result of the determination.

Description

Solar cell module monitoring device and method

The present invention relates to a solar cell module monitoring apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method capable of monitoring the state of a module (unit panel), which is the minimum unit of a solar panel constituting a solar power generation system. .

As the depletion of fossil fuels and the consequent seriousness of environmental pollution rise, interest in new and renewable energy is increasing.

In particular, solar power generation systems that produce electricity using sunlight have a small impact on the environment and are relatively easy to manage, so their use is increasing.

Such a photovoltaic system includes a photovoltaic panel to convert sunlight into electrical energy, and the photovoltaic panel is composed of a plurality of solar cell modules. A solar cell module is a minimum unit of a solar panel, and a plurality of solar cells may be configured in a series/parallel combination.

In the conventional photovoltaic power generation system, a conventional fault detection system installs a channel monitor that monitors multiple solar cell modules into one channel on the connection panel, and when the difference in output voltage for each channel is significantly large, the corresponding channel It can be determined that this is a malfunction.

However, if there are multiple solar cell modules in the corresponding channel determined as a failure, in order to find the solar cell module that has actually failed, maintenance personnel must be put in to perform measurement work on individual modules for additional failure determination for each module. do.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a solar cell module monitoring apparatus and method capable of determining whether each of the solar cell modules, which is a minimum unit of a solar panel of a photovoltaic system, has a failure that has its purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, a solar cell module monitoring device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes: a channel monitor for monitoring the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; a control unit for determining which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor; a monitoring data transmission unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, for monitoring the solar cell module of the faulty channel by a voltage measurement method under the control of the control unit and outputting monitoring data through infrared communication; and a monitoring data receiving unit for determining and displaying whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data.

On the other hand, the solar cell module monitoring device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a channel monitor for monitoring the amount of power generation of a channel comprising a plurality of solar cell modules; a control unit for determining which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor; a monitoring data transmission unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, for monitoring the solar cell module of the faulty channel by a current measurement method under the control of the control unit, and outputting monitoring data through infrared communication; and a monitoring data receiving unit for determining and displaying whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data.

On the other hand, the solar cell module monitoring method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the channel monitor, monitoring the amount of power generation of a channel including several solar cell modules; determining, by the control unit, which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor; The monitoring data transmitting unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, monitors the solar cell module of the failed channel by the voltage measurement method under the control of the control unit, and outputs the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit through infrared communication. to do; determining, by the monitoring data receiving unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; and displaying, by the monitoring data receiving unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the result of the determining.

On the other hand, the solar cell module monitoring method according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the channel monitor, monitoring the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; determining, by the control unit, which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor; The monitoring data transmission unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, monitors the solar cell module of the faulty channel by the current measurement method under the control of the control unit, and outputs the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit through infrared communication. to do; determining, by the monitoring data receiving unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; and displaying, by the monitoring data receiving unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the result of the determining.

According to the present invention having such a configuration, by connecting a monitoring device to a connector for connecting an output terminal for each solar cell module to directly detect and analyze the output voltage or output current of each solar cell module, the failure of the corresponding solar cell module is additionally determined. You can tell right away without taking any measurements.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring data transmitter and a monitoring data receiver applied to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring data transmitter and a monitoring data receiver applied to a second embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring data transmitter and a monitoring data receiver applied to a third embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring data transmitter and a monitoring data receiver applied to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram of a solar cell module monitoring device according to the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for monitoring a solar cell module according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for monitoring a solar cell module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 to 11 are views showing a modified example of the present invention.

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail.

However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application. does not

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present invention, in order to facilitate the overall understanding, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions of the same components are omitted.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring data transmitter and a monitoring data receiver applied to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The monitoring data transmitting unit 10 and the monitoring data receiving unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 are components included in the solar cell module monitoring apparatus of the present invention.

The monitoring data transmission unit 10 may be mounted (connected) to the solar cell module in normal times. That is, the monitoring data transmission unit 10 is fastened to the connector terminal unit 1 on the solar cell side and the connector terminal unit 2 on the inverter side.

The monitoring data transmitting unit 10 may monitor the connected solar cell module by a voltage measurement method and transmit the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit 20 . To this end, the monitoring data transmitter 10 may include an amplifier 11 , a comparator 12 , and an infrared transmitter 13 .

In the case of monitoring, it is preferable to dispose the monitoring data receiving unit 20 to face the monitoring data transmitting unit 10 in a short distance. Alternatively, it may be constantly placed in a short distance and monitored at all times. This is because the monitoring data transmitting unit 10 and the monitoring data receiving unit 20 use infrared communication. Since infrared communication has a short communication distance, in the case of monitoring, it is better to arrange the infrared transmitter 13 of the monitoring data transmitter 10 and the infrared receiver 21 of the monitoring data receiver 20 to face each other in a short distance. good. On the other hand, the advantage of infrared communication is that it is difficult to steal or modulate data from the outside.

The amplifying unit 11 amplifies the measured voltage of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch S1 is turned on by the monitoring control signal. Here, the switch S1 may maintain an always-on state, and may maintain an ON state only when necessary (ie, when monitoring is performed) and may maintain an OFF state in normal times. On the other hand, it is assumed that the above-described measured voltage of the solar cell module is measured when the amount of solar radiation is such that the voltage is output from the solar cell in the solar cell module.

In other words, when the switch S1 is turned on, the amplifying unit 11 may receive a voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side in the corresponding solar cell module and amplify it to a predetermined level.

The comparison unit 12 compares the voltage value from the amplifying unit 11 with a preset reference value, and when the voltage value from the amplifying unit 11 is equal to or greater than the preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal may be sent to the infrared transmitter 13 .

Meanwhile, when the voltage value from the amplifying unit 11 is less than a preset reference value, the comparator 12 may send a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal to the infrared transmitter 13 .

Here, the reference value is up to the designer to design. And, that the measured and amplified voltage value is smaller than the preset reference value means that the output voltage of the corresponding solar cell module in the solar panel is smaller than the reference value, which means that the probability that the corresponding solar cell module has a failure is high. do.

The infrared transmitter 13 includes an infrared (IR) light emitting lamp (eg, an infrared light emitting LED) (not shown).

When the infrared transmitter 13 receives a signal indicating that it is normal from the comparator 12 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver 20 .

On the other hand, when the infrared transmitter 13 receives a signal indicating that it is abnormal from the comparator 12 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off and thus the infrared light cannot be transmitted to the monitoring data receiver 20 .

Since the above-described monitoring data transmission unit 10 is mounted (connected) to each solar cell module, each monitoring data transmission unit 10 has a unique identification number (ID). Accordingly, when the infrared transmitter 13 transmits infrared rays, it can be seen that the corresponding unique identification number (ID) is also transmitted. In this way, the monitoring data receiving unit 20 can quickly identify the infrared rays from which monitoring data transmitting unit 10 .

The monitoring data receiving unit 20 determines and displays whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty based on the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitting unit 10 (that is, the result according to the on/off of the infrared light emitting lamp), and displays it outside (eg, , server) to send the judgment result.

To this end, the monitoring data receiving unit 20 may include an infrared receiving unit 21 , a determining unit 22 , a display unit 23 , a storage unit 24 , and a communication unit 25 .

The infrared receiver 21 includes an infrared (IR) light receiving lamp (eg, an infrared light receiving LED) (not shown).

The infrared receiver 21 may receive infrared rays from the infrared transmitter 13 of the monitoring data transmitter 10 . That is, it can be seen that the infrared receiver 21 receives the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitter 10 .

The determination unit 22 may determine whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the presence or absence of infrared rays received by the infrared reception unit 21 (ie, monitoring data).

For example, the determination unit 22 may determine that the corresponding solar cell module is normal when there is infrared light received by the infrared receiving unit 21 for a preset period of time.

Meanwhile, the determination unit 22 may determine that the corresponding solar cell module has failed when the infrared rays received by the infrared reception unit 21 are absent for a preset period of time.

The display unit 23 may display whether the corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the determination result (ie, normal or failed) of the determination unit 22 .

For example, when receiving a normal determination signal from the determination unit 22 , the display unit 23 may display a character indicating that the solar cell module is normal or may light a blue lamp to inform that the solar cell module is normal.

On the other hand, when the display unit 23 receives the failure determination signal from the determination unit 22 , it may display a text indicating that the corresponding solar cell module is defective or may light a red lamp to notify the failure.

The storage unit 24 may store the determination result of the determination unit 22 .

The communication unit 25 may transmit the determination result of the determination unit 22 to an external server (not shown).

In the description of the first embodiment described above, when the voltage value from the amplifier 11 is less than a preset reference value, the comparator 12 sends a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the solar cell module is abnormal to the infrared transmitter 13 . However, the question of whether to notify when the measured value is greater than the reference value or when it is less is only up to the designer's choice, and the result is the same.

Meanwhile, although the amplifying unit 11 is employed in FIG. 1 described above, it may be substituted with a step-down unit that steps down the measured voltage to an appropriate level if necessary.

In FIG. 1, unexplained reference numeral 3 denotes a diode for preventing reverse current.

Meanwhile, unlike the above-described first embodiment, the comparator 12 may be replaced with an analog/digital converter. In this way, the voltage value output from the amplifying unit 11 is converted into a digital value corresponding thereto by the analog/digital conversion unit and applied to the infrared transmitting unit 13, and the infrared transmitting unit 13 is a digital value of the measured voltage. may be transmitted to the monitoring data receiving unit 20 through an infrared communication method. Here, the infrared communication method may be implemented as an infrared pulse transmission/reception method. Accordingly, the determination unit 22 of the monitoring data receiving unit 20 compares the digital value of the measured voltage received by the infrared receiving unit 21 with digital values from the monitoring data transmitting unit connected to another solar cell module to a specific size. (or ratio) or less, it is determined that the corresponding solar cell module has failed and it can be displayed.

As described above, the configuration of directly monitoring the amount of output voltage from the monitoring data transmitting unit 10 and applying it to the monitoring data receiving unit 20 and determining whether the monitoring data receiving unit 20 has a failure is not presented in the drawing, but in the same industry Those who are engaged in the above will be able to fully understand through the above description and the configuration of FIG.

2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring data transmitter and a monitoring data receiver applied to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The monitoring data transmitter 30 and the monitoring data receiver 40 shown in FIG. 2 are components included in the solar cell module monitoring apparatus of the present invention.

The monitoring data transmitter 30 may be mounted (connected) to the solar cell module in normal times. That is, the monitoring data transmitting unit 30 is fastened to the connector terminal unit 1 on the solar cell side and the connector terminal unit 2 on the inverter side.

The monitoring data transmitting unit 30 may monitor the connected solar cell module by a voltage measurement method and transmit the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit 40 . To this end, the monitoring data transmitting unit 30 may include an amplifying unit 31 , a comparing unit 32 , a determining unit 33 , and an infrared transmitting unit 34 .

In the case of monitoring, it is preferable to dispose the monitoring data receiving unit 40 to face the monitoring data transmitting unit 30 in a short distance. Alternatively, it may be constantly placed in a short distance and monitored at all times. This is because the monitoring data transmitting unit 30 and the monitoring data receiving unit 40 use infrared communication. Since infrared communication has a short communication distance, when monitoring is performed, it is recommended to place the infrared transmitter 34 of the monitoring data transmitter 30 and the infrared receiver 41 of the monitoring data receiver 40 in a short distance to face each other. good. On the other hand, the advantage of infrared communication is that it is difficult to steal or modulate data from the outside.

The amplifying unit 31 amplifies the measured voltage of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch S1 is turned on by the monitoring control signal. Here, the switch S1 may maintain an always-on state, and may maintain an ON state only when necessary (ie, when monitoring is performed) and may maintain an OFF state in normal times. On the other hand, it is assumed that the above-described measured voltage of the solar cell module is measured when the amount of solar radiation is such that the voltage is output from the solar cell in the solar cell module.

In other words, when the switch S1 is turned on, the amplifying unit 31 may receive a voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side in the corresponding solar cell module and amplify it to a predetermined level.

The comparison unit 32 compares the voltage value from the amplification unit 31 with a preset reference value, and when the voltage value from the amplification unit 31 is greater than or equal to the preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the solar cell module is normal may be sent to the determination unit 33 .

Meanwhile, when the voltage value from the amplifying unit 31 is less than a preset reference value, the comparator 32 may send a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal to the determination unit 33 .

Here, the reference value is up to the designer to design. And, that the measured and amplified voltage value is smaller than the preset reference value means that the output voltage of the corresponding solar cell module in the solar panel is smaller than the reference value, which means that the probability that the corresponding solar cell module has a failure is high. do.

The determination unit 33 may determine whether the corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the signal from the comparison unit 32 .

For example, when receiving a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal, the determination unit 33 may determine that the corresponding solar cell module is normal. Accordingly, the determination unit 33 may transmit a corresponding normal determination signal to the infrared transmission unit 34 .

Meanwhile, when the determination unit 33 receives a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal, the determination unit 33 may determine that the corresponding solar cell module has failed. Accordingly, the determination unit 33 may transmit a corresponding failure determination signal to the infrared transmission unit 34 .

The infrared transmitter 34 includes an infrared (IR) light emitting lamp (eg, an infrared light emitting LED) (not shown).

When the infrared transmitting unit 34 receives a normal determination signal from the determining unit 33 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit 40 .

On the other hand, when the infrared transmitting unit 34 receives a failure determination signal from the determining unit 33 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned OFF and thus the infrared light cannot be transmitted to the monitoring data receiving unit 40 .

Since the above-described monitoring data transmitting unit 30 is mounted (connected) to each solar cell module, each monitoring data transmitting unit 30 has a unique identification number (ID). Accordingly, when the infrared transmitter 34 transmits infrared rays, it can be seen that the corresponding unique identification number (ID) is also transmitted. In this way, the monitoring data receiving unit 40 can quickly identify the infrared rays from which monitoring data transmitting unit 30 .

The monitoring data receiving unit 40 displays whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty based on the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitting unit 30 (ie, the result of on/off of the infrared light emitting lamp), and external (eg, the server). ) to send fault information.

To this end, the monitoring data receiving unit 40 may include an infrared receiving unit 41 , a display unit 42 , a storage unit 43 , and a communication unit 44 .

The infrared receiver 41 includes an infrared (IR) light receiving lamp (eg, an infrared light receiving LED) (not shown).

The infrared receiver 41 may receive infrared rays from the infrared transmitter 34 of the monitoring data transmitter 30 . That is, it can be seen that the infrared receiver 41 receives the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitter 30 .

The display unit 42 may display whether the corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the signal received from the infrared receiver 41 .

For example, when infrared light is received by the infrared receiver 41 , the display unit 42 may display a character indicating that the solar cell module is normal or may light a blue lamp to inform that the solar cell module is normal.

On the other hand, if the infrared receiving unit 41 does not receive infrared light, the display unit 42 may display a text indicating that the solar cell module is faulty or may light a red lamp to notify the fault.

The storage unit 43 may store the signal (including the date and time) received by the infrared receiving unit 41 .

The communication unit 44 may transmit the signal (including the date and time) received by the infrared receiving unit 41 to an external server (not shown).

In the second embodiment described above, when the voltage value from the amplifying unit 31 is less than a preset reference value, the comparator 32 sends a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal to the determination unit 33 . However, the question of whether to notify when the measured value is greater than the reference value or when it is less is only up to the designer's choice, and the result is the same.

Meanwhile, although the amplifying unit 31 is employed in FIG. 2 described above, if necessary, it may be substituted with a step-down unit that steps down the measured voltage to an appropriate level.

3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring data transmitter and a monitoring data receiver applied to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The monitoring data transmitting unit 50 and the monitoring data receiving unit 60 shown in FIG. 3 are components included in the solar cell module monitoring apparatus of the present invention.

The monitoring data transmitter 50 may be mounted (connected) to the solar cell module in normal times. That is, the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 is fastened to the connector terminal unit 1 on the solar cell side and the connector terminal unit 2 on the inverter side.

The monitoring data transmitter 50 may monitor the connected solar cell module by a current measurement method and transmit the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiver 60 . To this end, the monitoring data transmitter 50 may include an amplifier 51 , a comparator 52 , and an infrared transmitter 53 .

In the case of monitoring, it is preferable to dispose the monitoring data receiving unit 60 to face the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 in a short distance. Alternatively, it can be constantly placed in a short-distance state and monitored at all times. This is because the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 and the monitoring data receiving unit 60 use infrared communication. Since infrared communication has a short communication distance, when monitoring is performed, it is preferable to arrange the infrared transmitter 53 of the monitoring data transmitter 50 and the infrared receiver 61 of the monitoring data receiver 60 to face each other in a short distance. good. On the other hand, the advantage of infrared communication is that it is difficult to steal or modulate data from the outside.

As the switch S2 is turned on by the monitoring control signal, the amplification unit 51 converts the current measured by the current sensor 4 (that is, the current value measured by the current sensor 4) to a corresponding It means that it is converted into voltage value) and amplifies it to an appropriate size. Here, the switch S2 may maintain an always-on state, and may maintain an ON state only when necessary (ie, when monitoring is performed) and may maintain an OFF state in normal times. Meanwhile, it is assumed that the above-described measured current of the solar cell module is measured when the amount of solar radiation is such that the current is output from the solar cell in the solar cell module.

In other words, when the switch S2 is turned on, the amplifying unit 51 may receive the converted current measured by the current sensor 4 installed between the solar cell side and the inverter side in the corresponding solar cell module and amplify it to a predetermined level. . The current sensor 4 may be configured as a non-inductive resistor having a very low value, or may be configured as a Hall sensor capable of measuring both AC and DC current.

The comparator 52 compares the current value from the amplifying unit 51 (that is, the amplified measured current converted voltage) with a preset reference value, and if the current value from the amplifying unit 51 is greater than or equal to the preset reference value, the A signal indicating that the generated current of the battery module is normal may be sent to the infrared transmitter 53 .

On the other hand, if the current value from the amplifying unit 51 (ie, the amplified measured current converted voltage) is less than a preset reference value, the comparator 52 transmits a signal indicating that the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal. ) can be sent to

Here, the reference value is up to the designer to design. And, the fact that the measured and amplified current value is smaller than the preset reference value means that the output current of the corresponding solar cell module in the solar panel is smaller than the reference value, which means that the probability that the corresponding solar cell module has a failure is high. do.

The infrared transmitter 53 includes an infrared (IR) light emitting lamp (eg, an infrared light emitting LED) (not shown).

When the infrared transmitter 53 receives a signal indicating that it is normal from the comparator 52 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver 60 .

On the other hand, when the infrared transmitter 53 receives a signal indicating that it is abnormal from the comparator 52 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off and thus the infrared light cannot be transmitted to the monitoring data receiver 60 .

Since the above-described monitoring data transmission unit 50 is mounted (connected) to each solar cell module, each monitoring data transmission unit 50 has a unique identification number (ID). Accordingly, when the infrared transmitter 53 transmits infrared rays, it can be seen that the corresponding unique identification number (ID) is also transmitted. In this way, the monitoring data receiving unit 60 can quickly identify the infrared from which monitoring data transmitting unit 50 .

The monitoring data receiving unit 60 determines and displays whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty based on the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 (that is, the result according to the on/off of the infrared light emitting lamp), and displays it outside (eg, , server) to send the judgment result.

To this end, the monitoring data receiving unit 60 may include an infrared receiving unit 61 , a determining unit 62 , a display unit 63 , a storage unit 64 , and a communication unit 65 .

The infrared receiver 61 includes an infrared (IR) light receiving lamp (eg, an infrared light receiving LED) (not shown).

The infrared receiver 61 may receive infrared rays from the infrared transmitter 53 of the monitoring data transmitter 50 . That is, it can be seen that the infrared receiver 61 receives the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitter 50 .

The determination unit 62 may determine whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty according to the presence or absence of infrared rays received by the infrared receiving unit 61 (ie, monitoring data).

For example, the determination unit 62 may determine that the corresponding solar cell module is normal when there is infrared light received by the infrared receiving unit 61 for a preset period of time.

On the other hand, the determination unit 62 may determine that the corresponding solar cell module is malfunctioning when the infrared rays received by the infrared receiving unit 61 are absent for a preset period of time.

The display unit 63 may display whether the corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the determination result (ie, normal or failed) of the determination unit 62 .

For example, when receiving a normal determination signal from the determination unit 62 , the display unit 63 may display a text indicating that the corresponding solar cell module is normal or may light a blue lamp to inform that it is normal.

On the other hand, when the display unit 63 receives the failure determination signal from the determination unit 62 , the display unit 63 may display a text indicating that the solar cell module is defective or may light a red lamp to notify the failure.

The storage unit 64 may store the determination result of the determination unit 62 .

The communication unit 65 may transmit the determination result of the determination unit 62 to an external server (not shown).

In the description of the third embodiment, the comparison unit 52 indicates that the generated current of the solar cell module is abnormal when the current value (that is, the amplified measured current converted voltage) from the amplifying unit 51 is less than a preset reference value. Although it has been said that a signal can be sent to the infrared transmitter 53, the issue of whether to notify when the measured value is larger than the reference value or smaller than the reference value only depends on the designer's choice, and the result is the same.

Meanwhile, unlike the above-described third embodiment, the comparator 52 may be replaced with an analog/digital converter. In this way, the current value output from the amplifying unit 51 (ie, the amplified measured current converted voltage) is converted into a digital value corresponding thereto in the analog/digital conversion unit and applied to the infrared transmitting unit 53, and the infrared The transmitter 53 may transmit the digital value of the measured current to the monitoring data receiver 60 through an infrared communication method. Here, the infrared communication method may be implemented as an infrared pulse transmission/reception method. Accordingly, the determination unit 62 of the monitoring data receiving unit 60 compares the digital value of the measured current received by the infrared receiving unit 61 with digital values from the monitoring data transmitting unit connected to another solar cell module to a specific size. (or ratio) or less, it is determined that the corresponding solar cell module has failed and it can be displayed.

As described above, the configuration for directly monitoring the amount of output voltage from the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 and applying it to the monitoring data receiving unit 60 and determining whether the monitoring data receiving unit 60 has a failure is not presented in the drawing, but in the same industry Those who are engaged in the above will be able to fully understand through the above description and the configuration of FIG.

4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring data transmitter and a monitoring data receiver applied to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The monitoring data transmitting unit 70 and the monitoring data receiving unit 80 shown in FIG. 4 are components included in the solar cell module monitoring apparatus of the present invention.

The monitoring data transmission unit 70 may be mounted (connected) to the solar cell module in normal times. That is, the monitoring data transmitting unit 70 is fastened to the connector terminal unit 1 on the solar cell side and the connector terminal unit 2 on the inverter side.

The monitoring data transmitter 70 may monitor the connected solar cell module by a current measurement method and transmit the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiver 80 . To this end, the monitoring data transmitting unit 70 may include an amplifying unit 71 , a comparing unit 72 , a determining unit 73 , and an infrared transmitting unit 74 .

In the case of monitoring, it is preferable to dispose the monitoring data receiving unit 80 to face the monitoring data transmitting unit 70 in a short distance. Alternatively, it may be constantly placed in a short distance and monitored at all times. This is because the monitoring data transmitting unit 70 and the monitoring data receiving unit 80 use infrared communication. Since infrared communication has a short communication distance, in the case of monitoring, it is better to arrange the infrared transmitter 74 of the monitoring data transmitter 70 and the infrared receiver 81 of the monitoring data receiver 80 to face each other in a short distance. good. On the other hand, the advantage of infrared communication is that it is difficult to steal or modulate data from the outside.

As the switch S2 is turned on by the monitoring control signal, the amplification unit 71 converts the current measured by the current sensor 4 (that is, the current value measured by the current sensor 4) to the corresponding It means that it is converted into voltage value) and amplifies it to an appropriate size. Here, the switch S2 may maintain an always-on state, and may maintain an ON state only when necessary (ie, when monitoring is performed) and may maintain an OFF state in normal times. Meanwhile, it is assumed that the above-described measured current of the solar cell module is measured when the amount of solar radiation is such that the current is output from the solar cell in the solar cell module.

In other words, when the switch S2 is turned on, the amplifying unit 71 may receive the measured current converted voltage of the current sensor 40 installed between the solar cell side and the inverter side in the corresponding solar cell module and amplify it to a predetermined level. .

The comparator 72 compares the current value from the amplifying unit 71 (that is, the amplified measured current converted voltage) with a preset reference value, and if the current value from the amplifying unit 71 is greater than or equal to the preset reference value, the A signal indicating that the generated current of the battery module is normal may be sent to the determination unit 73 .

On the other hand, the comparator 72 determines a signal indicating that the generated current of the solar cell module is abnormal when the current value (ie, the amplified measured current converted voltage) from the amplifying unit 71 is less than a preset reference value. ) can be sent to

Here, the reference value is up to the designer to design. And, the fact that the measured and amplified current value is smaller than the preset reference value means that the output current of the corresponding solar cell module in the solar panel is smaller than the reference value, which means that the probability that the corresponding solar cell module has a failure is high. do.

The determination unit 73 may determine whether the corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the signal from the comparison unit 72 .

For example, when the determination unit 73 receives a signal indicating that the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is normal, the determination unit 73 may determine that the corresponding solar cell module is normal. Accordingly, the determination unit 73 may transmit a corresponding normal determination signal to the infrared transmission unit 74 .

Meanwhile, when the determination unit 73 receives a signal indicating that the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal, it may determine that the corresponding solar cell module has failed. Accordingly, the determination unit 73 may transmit a corresponding failure determination signal to the infrared transmission unit 74 .

The infrared transmitter 74 includes an infrared (IR) light emitting lamp (eg, an infrared light emitting LED) (not shown).

When the infrared transmitting unit 74 receives the normal determination signal from the determining unit 73 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit 80 .

On the other hand, when the infrared transmitting unit 74 receives a failure determination signal from the determining unit 73 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned OFF and thus the infrared light cannot be transmitted to the monitoring data receiving unit 80 .

Since the above-described monitoring data transmission unit 70 is mounted (connected) to each solar cell module, each monitoring data transmission unit 70 has a unique identification number (ID). Accordingly, when the infrared transmitter 74 transmits infrared rays, it can be seen that the corresponding unique identification number (ID) is also transmitted. In this way, the monitoring data receiving unit 80 can quickly identify the infrared from which monitoring data transmitting unit 70 .

The monitoring data receiving unit 80 determines and displays whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty based on the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitting unit 70 (that is, the result according to the on/off of the infrared light emitting lamp), and displays it outside (eg, , server) to send the judgment result.

To this end, the monitoring data receiving unit 80 may include an infrared receiving unit 81 , a display unit 82 , a storage unit 83 , and a communication unit 84 .

The infrared receiver 81 includes an infrared (IR) light receiving lamp (eg, an infrared light receiving LED) (not shown).

The infrared receiver 81 may receive infrared rays from the infrared transmitter 74 of the monitoring data transmitter 70 . That is, it can be seen that the infrared receiver 81 receives the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitter 70 .

The display unit 82 may display whether the corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the signal received by the infrared receiver 81 .

For example, when infrared light is received by the infrared receiver 81 , the display unit 82 may display a text indicating that the solar cell module is normal or may light a blue lamp to inform that the solar cell module is normal.

On the other hand, if the infrared receiving unit 41 does not receive infrared light, the display unit 82 may display a text indicating that the solar cell module is faulty or may light a red lamp to notify the fault.

The storage unit 83 may store the signal (including the date and time) received by the infrared receiver 81 .

The communication unit 84 may transmit the signal (including time) received by the infrared receiving unit 81 to an external server (not shown).

In the above-described fourth embodiment, the comparison unit 72 indicates that the generated current of the solar cell module is abnormal when the current value (that is, the amplified measured current converted voltage) from the amplifying unit 31 is less than a preset reference value. Although it has been said that a signal can be sent to the determination unit 73 , the issue of whether to notify when the measured value is greater than or less than the reference value only depends on the designer's choice and the result is the same.

5 is a block diagram of a solar cell module monitoring device according to the present invention.

The solar cell module monitoring apparatus according to the present invention may include a monitoring data transmitter, a monitoring data receiver, channel monitors 130a to 130n, and a controller 140 .

In FIG. 5 , the reference numeral 10 of the monitoring data transmission unit is only an example. Here, the monitoring data transmission unit is any one of the monitoring data transmission unit 10 of FIG. 1 , the monitoring data transmission unit 30 of FIG. 2 , the monitoring data transmission unit 50 of FIG. 3 , and the monitoring data transmission unit 70 of FIG. 4 . can

In addition, although the monitoring data receiving unit is not shown in FIG. 5 , the monitoring data transmitting unit during monitoring includes the monitoring data transmitting unit 10 of FIG. 1 , the monitoring data transmitting unit 30 of FIG. 2 , the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 of FIG. 3 , and Of course, depending on which one of the monitoring data transmitting unit 70 of FIG. 4, the corresponding monitoring data receiving unit may be disposed in a short distance to face each other.

A plurality of solar cell modules are disposed in the solar panel 10 , and the plurality of solar cell modules are bundled in a channel unit. In FIG. 5, reference numerals 110a and 110n denote channels.

In addition, one monitoring data transmitter (one of 10, 30, 50, and 70) is connected to each solar cell module.

Each channel monitor (130a ~ 130n) detects the amount of power generation of the corresponding channel and transmits it to the control unit (140).

The control unit 140 determines which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from each of the channel monitors 130a to 130n, and outputs a monitoring control signal for the corresponding channel. That is, the controller 140 may determine that the corresponding channel is faulty if there is a power generation amount that is significantly different from the generation amount of other channels among the generation amount of each channel of each channel monitor 130a to 130n.

On the other hand, after receiving the monitoring control signal from the control unit 140, several monitoring data transmitters 10, 30, 50, and 70 of the corresponding channel receive monitoring data corresponding to each monitoring as described above. (ie, an infrared light emitting lamp on signal or off signal) is sent to the monitoring data receiving unit (any one of 20, 40, 60, 80). Thereafter, the monitoring data receiving unit (any one of 20, 40, 60, and 80) may display whether the solar cell module has failed based on monitoring data from several monitoring data transmitting units.

In FIG. 5 , reference numeral 120 denotes an inverter that receives generation amount (ie, direct current power) for each channel and converts it into AC power. The AC power converted by the inverter 120 will be supplied to a consumer (ie, a device or facility that consumes power).

In FIG. 5 described above, the channel monitors 130a and 130n and the control unit 140 are configured to perform individual monitoring of the solar cell modules of the failed channel after the channel monitoring to identify the actually failed solar cell module.

However, unlike FIG. 5 , the monitoring data of the solar cell module may be transmitted directly from the monitoring data transmitter mounted on the solar cell module to the control unit 140 without using the channel monitors 130a and 130n. Accordingly, it is possible to directly monitor the solar cell module without using the channel monitors 130a and 130n.

Of course, in another configuration that does not use the channel monitors 130a and 130n, the monitoring data transmitter mounted on the solar cell module directly transmits the monitoring data of the solar cell module to the monitoring data receiver as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 . In addition, the monitoring data receiving unit may be configured to send information about the failed solar cell module to the outside.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for monitoring a solar cell module according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

First, the n channel monitor (130a ~ 130n) monitors each channel (S10).

As a result of monitoring, the channel monitors 130a to 130n detect the generation amount of the corresponding channel and transmit it to the controller 140 .

Accordingly, the control unit 140 determines which channel is faulty based on the generation amount for each channel from each of the channel monitors 130a to 130n (S12).

As a result of the determination, if there is a faulty channel (“Yes” in S12), a monitoring control signal is transmitted to each monitoring data transmitter (one of 10 and 50) connected to the solar cell modules of the corresponding channel. Accordingly, each of the monitoring data transmitters 10 and 50 receiving the monitoring control signal is activated. That is, the switch S1 or S2 is turned on (S14).

Each of the monitoring data transmitters 10 and 50 activated in this way monitors the currently connected solar cell module, and transmits the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiver (any one among 20 and 60). (S16, S18).

For example, when the monitoring data transmitting unit connected to the solar cell modules of the failed channel is the monitoring data transmitting unit 10 of FIG. 1 , the following monitoring is performed. That is, as the switch S1 of the monitoring data transmitting unit 10 is turned on, the amplifying unit 11 amplifies the voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module to a predetermined level and sends it to the comparator 12 . approve The comparison unit 12 compares the voltage value from the amplifying unit 11 with a preset reference value, and when the voltage value from the amplifying unit 11 is equal to or greater than the preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal is sent to the infrared transmitter 13 , and when the voltage value from the amplifier 11 is less than a preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal is sent to the infrared transmitter 13 . Accordingly, when the infrared transmitting unit 13 receives a signal indicating that it is normal, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit 20. When a signal indicating abnormality is received, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on. is OFF, so that infrared rays cannot be transmitted to the monitoring data receiving unit 20 . Here, the result according to the on/off of the infrared light emitting lamp may be referred to as monitoring data. At this time, the infrared transmitter 13 also transmits the unique identification number (ID) of the solar cell module.

On the other hand, different from the description of the monitoring data transmission unit 10 of FIG. 1 described above, the comparison unit 12 may be replaced with an analog/digital conversion unit to perform monitoring. In this way, the voltage value output from the amplifying unit 11 is converted into a digital value corresponding thereto by the analog/digital conversion unit and applied to the infrared transmitting unit 13, and the infrared transmitting unit 13 is a digital value of the measured voltage. is transmitted to the monitoring data receiving unit 20 in the infrared communication method. Here, the digital value of the measured voltage may be referred to as monitoring data.

As another example, when the monitoring data transmitting unit connected to the solar cell modules of the failed channel is the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 of FIG. 3 , the following monitoring is performed. That is, as the switch S2 of the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 is turned on, the amplifying unit 51 amplifies the current between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module to a predetermined level and sends it to the comparator 52 . approve The comparison unit 52 compares the current value from the amplification unit 51 with a preset reference value, and when the current value from the amplification unit 51 is equal to or greater than the preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated current of the solar cell module is normal is sent to the infrared transmitter 53 , and when the current value from the amplification part 51 is less than a preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal is sent to the infrared transmitter 53 . Accordingly, when the infrared transmitting unit 53 receives a signal indicating that it is normal, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit 20, and when a signal indicating that it is abnormal is received, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on. is OFF, so that infrared rays cannot be transmitted to the monitoring data receiving unit 20 . Here, the result according to the on/off of the infrared light emitting lamp may be referred to as monitoring data. At this time, the infrared transmitter 53 also transmits the unique identification number (ID) of the solar cell module.

On the other hand, different from the description of the monitoring data transmission unit 50 of FIG. 3 described above, the comparison unit 52 may be replaced with an analog/digital conversion unit to perform monitoring. In this way, the current value output from the amplifying unit 51 is converted into a corresponding digital value by the analog/digital conversion unit and applied to the infrared transmitting unit 53, and the infrared transmitting unit 53 is a digital value of the measured current. is transmitted to the monitoring data receiving unit 20 in the infrared communication method. Here, the digital value of the measured current may be referred to as monitoring data.

Next, the monitoring data receiving units 20 and 60 determine whether the solar cell module is faulty based on the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitting units 10 and 50 and display it (S20 and S22).

For example, if the monitoring data transmitting unit 10 has the same configuration as in FIG. 1 , in the case of the monitoring data receiving unit 20 , the determination unit 22 determines the presence or absence of infrared rays received by the infrared receiving unit 21 (that is, of the infrared light emitting lamp). As a result of on/off, it is determined whether the corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the monitoring data). The determination unit 22 may determine that the solar cell module is normal when there is infrared rays received by the infrared receiver 21 for a preset time, and the infrared rays received by the infrared receiver 21 are not present for a preset time. In this case, it can be determined that the corresponding solar cell module has failed. In addition, the display unit 23 displays whether the solar cell module is faulty according to the determination result (ie, normal or faulty) of the determination unit 22 . Of course, in addition, the determination result of the determination unit 22 may be stored in the storage unit 24 and transmitted to an external server (not shown). If the monitoring data transmitting unit 50 has the same configuration as in FIG. 3 , the monitoring data receiving unit 60 operates in the same manner as the above-described operating description of the monitoring data receiving unit 20 , so a description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, it was said that the comparison units 12 and 52 of the monitoring data transmitting units 10 and 50 described above can be replaced with an analog/digital conversion unit. In this way, the determination units 22 and 62 of the monitoring data receiving units 20 and 60 are ) compares the digital value of the measured voltage or measured current received by the infrared receivers 21 and 61 with digital values from the monitoring data transmitter connected to another solar cell module, and if the value is less than a specific size (or ratio), the corresponding It may be determined that the solar cell module has failed, and the determination result may be displayed.

In FIG. 6 described above, the channel is monitored to monitor the solar cell modules of the faulty channel, but the channel monitoring step may be excluded. That is, if the channel monitoring step is excluded, the monitoring data transmitter (one of 10, 50) connected to the solar cell module in a voltage measurement method monitors the solar cell module and transmits the monitoring data through infrared communication. It may be output to the receiving unit (one of 20 and 60), and the monitoring data receiving unit (one of 20 and 60) may determine whether the corresponding solar cell module is in failure based on the monitoring data and display the failure.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for monitoring a solar cell module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

First, the n channel monitor (130a ~ 130n) monitors each channel (S30).

As a result of monitoring, the channel monitors 130a to 130n detect the generation amount of the corresponding channel and transmit it to the controller 140 .

Accordingly, the control unit 140 determines which channel is faulty based on the generation amount for each channel from each channel monitor (130a ~ 130n) (S32).

As a result of the determination, if there is a faulty channel (“Yes” in S32), a monitoring control signal is transmitted to each monitoring data transmitter (any one of 30 and 70) connected to the solar cell modules of the corresponding channel. Accordingly, each of the monitoring data transmitters 30 and 70 receiving the monitoring control signal is activated. That is, the switch S1 or S2 is turned on (S34).

Each of the monitoring data transmitters 30 and 70 activated in this way performs monitoring on the currently connected solar cell module and determines whether there is a failure (S36, S38).

For example, when the monitoring data transmitting unit connected to the solar cell modules of the failed channel is the monitoring data transmitting unit 30 of FIG. 2 , the following monitoring is performed. That is, as the switch S1 of the monitoring data transmitting unit 30 is turned on, the amplifying unit 31 amplifies the voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module to a predetermined level and sends it to the comparator 32 . approve The comparison unit 32 compares the voltage value from the amplification unit 31 with a preset reference value, and when the voltage value from the amplification unit 31 is greater than or equal to the preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the solar cell module is normal is sent to the determination unit 33 , and when the voltage value from the amplification unit 31 is less than a preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal is transmitted to the determination unit 33 . When the determination unit 33 receives a signal indicating that the power generation voltage of the solar cell module is normal from the comparison unit 32 , it determines that the solar cell module is normal and sends a corresponding normal determination signal to the infrared transmitting unit 34 . send to Conversely, when the determination unit 33 receives a signal indicating that the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal from the comparator 32, it is determined that the corresponding solar cell module has failed and transmits a corresponding failure determination signal to the infrared transmitter 34 ) is sent to

As another example, when the monitoring data transmitting unit connected to the solar cell modules of the failed channel is the monitoring data transmitting unit 70 of FIG. 4 , the following monitoring is performed. That is, as the switch S2 of the monitoring data transmitting unit 70 is turned on, the amplifying unit 71 amplifies the current between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module to a predetermined level and sends it to the comparator 72 . approve The comparison unit 72 compares the current value from the amplification unit 71 with a preset reference value, and when the current value from the amplification unit 71 is greater than or equal to the preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated current of the solar cell module is normal is sent to the determination unit 73 , and when the current value from the amplification unit 71 is less than a preset reference value, a signal indicating that the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal is transmitted to the determination unit 73 . When the determination unit 73 receives a signal indicating that the power generation current of the solar cell module is normal from the comparison unit 72 , it determines that the solar cell module is normal and sends a corresponding normal determination signal to the infrared transmitter 74 . send to Conversely, when the determination unit 73 receives a signal indicating that the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is abnormal from the comparison unit 72, it is determined that the corresponding solar cell module is faulty and transmits a corresponding failure determination signal to the infrared transmitting unit 74 ) is sent to

Thereafter, the infrared transmitters 34 and 74 transmit a failure signal to the monitoring data receivers 40 and 80 ( S40 ). That is, when the infrared transmitting units 34 and 74 receive a normal determination signal from the determining units 33 and 73, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving units 40 and 80, and the determination is made. When a failure determination signal is received from the units 33 and 73 , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off, so that infrared rays cannot be transmitted to the monitoring data receivers 40 and 80 . Here, the result according to the on/off of the infrared light emitting lamp may be referred to as monitoring data. At this time, the infrared transmitters 34 and 74 also transmit the unique identification number (ID) of the corresponding solar cell module.

Subsequently, the monitoring data receiving units 40 and 80 display whether the solar cell module is faulty based on the monitoring data from the monitoring data transmitting units 30 and 70 ( S42 ). For example, the display units 42 and 82, when receiving infrared light from the infrared receiving unit 41, display a character indicating that the solar cell module is normal or light a blue lamp to inform that it is normal, and the infrared receiving unit 41, If infrared rays are not received in 81), a text indicating that the solar cell module is faulty is displayed or a red lamp is turned on to notify the fault.

In FIG. 7 described above, the channel is monitored to monitor the solar cell modules of the failed channel, but the channel monitoring step may be excluded. That is, when the channel monitoring step is excluded, the monitoring data transmitter (any one of 30 and 70) connected one-to-one to the solar cell module monitors the solar cell module and transmits the fault determination signal for the corresponding solar cell module through infrared communication monitoring data. It may be output to the receiving unit (one of 40 and 80), and the monitoring data receiving unit (one of 40 and 80) may display whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty.

8 to 11 are views showing a modified example of the present invention.

The above-described FIGS. 1 to 4 employ the monitoring data receiving unit, but in FIGS. 8 to 11, the monitoring data transmitting unit measures the current or voltage of the solar cell module without going through the monitoring data receiving unit and directly to the monitoring server or smart phone. Configured for remote notification.

That is, in the case of FIG. 8 , the monitoring data transmitting unit 150 detects the output voltage of the connected solar cell module and notifies the remote monitoring server 160 or the monitoring smart phone 170 by wire/wireless. have. In this case, the monitoring data transmission unit 150 may include an amplifying unit 151 , and an MPU 152 .

In other words, in the case of FIG. 8 , when the voltage starts to be output from the solar cell of the solar cell module, the amplification unit 151 of the monitoring data transmission unit 150 amplifies the voltage to an appropriate size, and the amplified voltage is applied to the MPU (152). ) is converted into digital data in the analog/digital conversion unit. The output voltage value converted into digital data is transmitted to the monitoring server 160 or the monitoring smart phone 170 through the data remote communication unit. Of course, when transmitting the output voltage value converted into digital data from the monitoring data transmitter 150 connected to each solar cell module to the monitoring server 160 or the monitoring smart phone 170, a unique identification number (ID) to be transmitted together. Accordingly, the monitoring server 160 or the monitoring smart phone 170 can store and compare/analyze the received output voltage value of each solar cell module to determine which solar cell module is faulty, and as a result can be displayed on the screen and notified to the administrator. The method of notifying the administrator may be a mobile phone message, e-mail, or the like.

Meanwhile, the configuration of FIG. 8 may be modified as shown in FIG. 9 . That is, FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the monitoring data transmission unit 150 for a case in which the solar cell module in the channel is composed of one solar cell, whereas FIG. 9 shows the case in which the solar cell module in the channel is composed of two solar cells. There is only a difference in that the configuration of the monitoring data transmitter 180 is expressed.

In the case of FIG. 10 , the monitoring data transmitter 200 may detect the output current of the connected solar cell module and notify the remote monitoring server 210 or the monitoring smart phone 220 by wire/wireless. In this case, the monitoring data transmission unit 200 may include an amplifying unit 201 and an MPU 202 .

In other words, in the case of FIG. 10, when the voltage starts to be output from the solar cell of the solar cell module, the amplification unit 201 of the monitoring data transmission unit 200 amplifies the measured current converted voltage to an appropriate size, and the amplified voltage is It is converted into digital data in the analog/digital conversion unit of the MPU 202 . The output current value converted into digital data is transmitted to the monitoring server 210 or the monitoring smart phone 220 through the data remote communication unit. Of course, when transmitting the output current value converted into digital data from the monitoring data transmission unit 200 connected to each solar cell module to the monitoring server 210 or the monitoring smart phone 220, a unique identification number (ID) to be transmitted together. Accordingly, the monitoring server 210 or the monitoring smart phone 220 may store and compare/analyze the output current value of each received solar cell module to determine which solar cell module is faulty, as a result can be displayed on the screen and notified to the administrator. The method of notifying the administrator may be a mobile phone message, e-mail, or the like.

Meanwhile, the configuration of FIG. 10 may be modified as shown in FIG. 11 . That is, FIG. 10 shows the configuration of the monitoring data transmission unit 200 for a case in which the solar cell module in the channel is composed of one solar cell, and FIG. 11 is a case in which the solar cell module in the channel is composed of two solar cells. There is only a difference in that the configuration of the monitoring data transmission unit 230 is expressed.

In addition, the solar cell module monitoring method of the present invention described above can be implemented as a computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data readable by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device. In addition, the computer-readable recording medium is distributed in a computer system connected through a network, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the method can be easily inferred by programmers in the art to which the present invention pertains.

As described above, the best embodiment has been disclosed in the drawings and the specification. Although specific terms are used herein, they are only used for the purpose of describing the present invention, and are not used to limit the meaning or the scope of the present invention described in the claims. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims (18)

a channel monitor for monitoring the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; a control unit that determines which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor and outputs a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required for the faulty channel; a monitoring data transmission unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, for monitoring the solar cell module of the faulty channel by a voltage measurement method under the control of the control unit and outputting monitoring data through infrared communication; and A monitoring data receiving unit arranged to face the monitoring data transmitting unit and spaced apart from each other to determine and display whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by the monitoring control signal; an amplifier for receiving and amplifying a voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver in response to the signal from the comparator. The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a signal indicating normal from the comparator, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and is abnormal from the comparison unit The solar cell module monitoring device, characterized in that when receiving a signal indicating that the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off not to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit. The method according to claim 1, The monitoring data receiving unit, an infrared receiver for receiving infrared rays from the infrared transmitter; a determination unit for determining whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the presence or absence of infrared rays received by the infrared receiving unit; and and a display unit for displaying whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the determination result of the determination unit. 3. The method according to claim 2, The determination unit determines that the solar cell module is normal when there is infrared rays received by the infrared receiver for a preset time period, and when the infrared rays received by the infrared receiver do not exist for a preset period of time, it is determined that the solar cell module is faulty Solar cell module monitoring device, characterized in that. a channel monitor for monitoring the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; a control unit that determines which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor and outputs a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required for the faulty channel; Each of the solar cell modules connected to the plurality of solar cell modules is monitored by a voltage measurement method under the control of the controller for the solar cell module of the failed channel to determine whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty, and monitoring data as a result of the determination a monitoring data transmitter for outputting through infrared communication; and and a monitoring data receiving unit that is spaced apart from the monitoring data transmitting unit and displays whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by the monitoring control signal; an amplifier for receiving and amplifying a voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; a determination unit for determining whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the signal from the comparison unit; and an infrared transmitting unit that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit in response to the determination result signal from the determination unit; The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light-emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a normal determination signal from the determination unit, the infrared light-emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and the determination unit determines a failure When a signal is received, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off, and the solar cell module monitoring device, characterized in that the infrared light is not transmitted to the monitoring data receiver. 5. The method according to claim 4, The monitoring data receiving unit, an infrared receiver for receiving infrared rays from the infrared transmitter; and and a display unit for displaying whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to whether the infrared receiving unit has received infrared light. a channel monitor for monitoring the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; a control unit that determines which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor and outputs a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required for the faulty channel; a monitoring data transmission unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, for monitoring the solar cell module of the faulty channel by a current measurement method under the control of the control unit, and outputting monitoring data through infrared communication; and A monitoring data receiving unit arranged to face the monitoring data transmitting unit and spaced apart from each other to determine and display whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by the monitoring control signal; an amplifying unit for receiving and amplifying the measured current converted voltage of the current sensor installed between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the measured current converted voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver in response to the signal from the comparator. The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a signal indicating normal from the comparator, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and is abnormal from the comparison unit The solar cell module monitoring device, characterized in that when receiving a signal indicating that the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off not to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit. 7. The method of claim 6, The monitoring data receiving unit, an infrared receiver for receiving infrared rays from the infrared transmitter; a determination unit for determining whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the presence or absence of infrared rays received by the infrared receiving unit; and and a display unit for displaying whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the determination result of the determination unit. 8. The method of claim 7, The determination unit determines that the solar cell module is normal when there is infrared rays received by the infrared receiver for a preset time period, and when the infrared rays received by the infrared receiver do not exist for a preset period of time, it is determined that the solar cell module is faulty Solar cell module monitoring device, characterized in that. a channel monitor for monitoring the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; a control unit that determines which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor and outputs a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required for the faulty channel; Each of the solar cell modules connected to the plurality of solar cell modules is monitored by a current measurement method under the control of the control unit for the solar cell module of the failed channel to determine whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty, and monitoring data as a result of the determination a monitoring data transmitter for outputting through infrared communication; and and a monitoring data receiving unit that is spaced apart from the monitoring data transmitting unit and displays whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by the monitoring control signal; an amplifying unit for receiving and amplifying the measured current converted voltage of the current sensor installed between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the measured current converted voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and a determination unit for determining whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the signal from the comparison unit; and an infrared transmitting unit that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit in response to the determination result signal from the determination unit; The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light-emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a normal determination signal from the determination unit, the infrared light-emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and the determination unit determines a failure When a signal is received, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off, and the solar cell module monitoring device, characterized in that the infrared light is not transmitted to the monitoring data receiver. 10. The method of claim 9, The monitoring data receiving unit, an infrared receiver for receiving infrared rays from the infrared transmitter; and and a display unit for displaying whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to whether the infrared receiving unit has received infrared light. monitoring, by the channel monitor, the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; determining, by the control unit, which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor, and outputting a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required for the faulty channel; The monitoring data transmitting unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, monitors the solar cell module of the failed channel by the voltage measurement method under the control of the control unit, and outputs the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit through infrared communication. to do; determining, by the monitoring data receiving unit spaced apart from the monitoring data transmitting unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module fails based on the monitoring data; and Displaying, by the monitoring data receiving unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the result of the determining; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by the monitoring control signal; an amplifier for receiving and amplifying a voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver in response to the signal from the comparator. The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a signal indicating normal from the comparator, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and is abnormal from the comparison unit The method for monitoring a solar cell module, characterized in that when receiving a signal indicating that , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off so as not to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit. monitoring, by the channel monitor, the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; determining, by the control unit, which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor, and outputting a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required for the faulty channel; A monitoring data transmission unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, monitors the solar cell module of the failed channel in a voltage measurement method under the control of the control unit to determine whether the solar cell module is faulty, and determine outputting the resulting monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit through infrared communication; and and displaying, by the monitoring data receiving unit spaced apart from the monitoring data transmitting unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by the monitoring control signal; an amplifier for receiving and amplifying a voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; a determination unit for determining whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the signal from the comparison unit; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver according to the determination result signal from the determination unit; The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light-emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a normal determination signal from the determination unit, the infrared light-emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and the determination unit determines a failure When a signal is received, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off, and the solar cell module monitoring method, characterized in that the infrared light is not transmitted to the monitoring data receiver. monitoring, by the channel monitor, the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; determining, by the control unit, which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor, and outputting a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required for the faulty channel; The monitoring data transmission unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, monitors the solar cell module of the faulty channel by the current measurement method under the control of the control unit, and outputs the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit through infrared communication. to do; determining, by the monitoring data receiving unit spaced apart from the monitoring data transmitting unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module fails based on the monitoring data; and Displaying, by the monitoring data receiving unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the result of the determining; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by the monitoring control signal; an amplifying unit for receiving and amplifying the measured current converted voltage of the current sensor installed between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the measured current converted voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver in response to the signal from the comparator. The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a signal indicating normal from the comparator, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and is abnormal from the comparison unit The method for monitoring a solar cell module, characterized in that when receiving a signal indicating that , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off so as not to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit. monitoring, by the channel monitor, the amount of power generation of a channel including a plurality of solar cell modules; determining, by the control unit, which channel is faulty based on the amount of power generation for each channel from the channel monitor, and outputting a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required for the faulty channel; A monitoring data transmission unit connected to the plurality of solar cell modules, respectively, monitors the solar cell module of the failed channel in a current measurement method under the control of the control unit to determine whether the corresponding solar cell module is faulty, and determine outputting the resulting monitoring data to the monitoring data receiver through infrared communication; and and displaying, by the monitoring data receiving unit spaced apart from the monitoring data transmitting unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by the monitoring control signal; an amplifying unit for receiving and amplifying the measured current converted voltage of the current sensor installed between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the measured current converted voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and a determination unit for determining whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the signal from the comparison unit; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver according to the determination result signal from the determination unit; The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light-emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a normal determination signal from the determination unit, the infrared light-emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and the determination unit determines a failure When a signal is received, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off, and the solar cell module monitoring method, characterized in that the infrared light is not transmitted to the monitoring data receiver. a monitoring data transmitter connected to the solar cell module one-to-one, monitoring the solar cell module by a voltage measurement method and outputting monitoring data through infrared communication; and A monitoring data receiving unit arranged to face the monitoring data transmitting unit and spaced apart from each other to determine and display whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required; an amplifier for receiving and amplifying a voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver in response to the signal from the comparator. The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a signal indicating normal from the comparator, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and is abnormal from the comparison unit The solar cell module monitoring device, characterized in that when receiving a signal indicating that the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off not to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit. a monitoring data transmitter connected to the solar cell module one-to-one, monitoring the solar cell module by a current measurement method and outputting monitoring data through infrared communication; and A monitoring data receiving unit arranged to face the monitoring data transmitting unit and spaced apart from each other to determine and display whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed based on the monitoring data; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required; an amplifying unit for receiving and amplifying the measured current converted voltage of the current sensor installed between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the measured current converted voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver in response to the signal from the comparator. The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a signal indicating normal from the comparator, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and is abnormal from the comparison unit The solar cell module monitoring device, characterized in that when receiving a signal indicating that the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off not to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit. The monitoring data transmitting unit connected to the solar cell module one-to-one, monitoring the solar cell module in a voltage measurement method and outputting the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit through infrared communication; determining, by the monitoring data receiving unit spaced apart from the monitoring data transmitting unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module fails based on the monitoring data; and Displaying, by the monitoring data receiving unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the result of the determining; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required; an amplifier for receiving and amplifying a voltage between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated voltage of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver in response to the signal from the comparator. The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a signal indicating normal from the comparator, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and is abnormal from the comparison unit The method for monitoring a solar cell module, characterized in that when receiving a signal indicating that , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off so as not to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit. The monitoring data transmitting unit connected to the solar cell module one-to-one, monitoring the solar cell module by a current measurement method and outputting the monitoring data to the monitoring data receiving unit through infrared communication; determining, by the monitoring data receiving unit spaced apart from the monitoring data transmitting unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module fails based on the monitoring data; and Displaying, by the monitoring data receiving unit, whether a corresponding solar cell module has failed according to the result of the determining; The monitoring data transmitter may include: a switch turned on by a monitoring control signal indicating that monitoring is required; an amplifying unit for receiving and amplifying the measured current converted voltage of the current sensor installed between the solar cell side and the inverter side of the corresponding solar cell module as the switch is turned on; a comparator comparing the measured current converted voltage value from the amplifying unit with a preset reference value and outputting a signal indicating whether the generated current of the corresponding solar cell module is normal; and an infrared transmitter that transmits or does not transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver in response to the signal from the comparator. The infrared transmitter includes an infrared light emitting lamp, and when the infrared transmitter receives a signal indicating normal from the comparator, the infrared light emitting lamp is turned on and transmits infrared rays to the monitoring data receiver, and is abnormal from the comparison unit The method for monitoring a solar cell module, characterized in that when receiving a signal indicating that , the infrared light emitting lamp is turned off so as not to transmit infrared rays to the monitoring data receiving unit.

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