Solar charging system

Abstract

To provide a solar charging system capable of accurately detecting an abnormality caused by a solar panel or an abnormality caused by a sensor that measures a state of the solar panel.SOLUTION: A solar charging system using a plurality of layer panels configured by laminating a plurality of solar panels, the system comprising: an acquisition section for acquiring actual power generation amounts in a first solar panel and a second solar panel constituting the plurality of layer panels, respectively; a calculation section for calculating a power generation amount predicted by the second solar panel on the basis of the actual power generation amount in the first solar panel, and calculating a power generation amount predicted by the first solar panel on the basis of the actual power generation amount in the second solar panel; and an abnormality determination section for determining an abnormality of a sensor for measuring an abnormality of the plurality of layer panels and a state of the plurality of layer panels on the basis of a difference between the actual power generation amount and the predicted power generation amount in each of the first solar panel and the second solar panel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a solar charging system using multiple solar panels. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a solar charging system that uses multiple solar panels mounted on a vehicle. The solar charging system acquires the amount of power generated by each of the multiple solar panels and the amount of power required by the power supply destination, and appropriately controls the operation of multiple power converters provided corresponding to the multiple solar panels based on the acquired results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-141545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventionally, abnormalities in the solar power generation system that controls the solar panels have been detected by detecting extreme changes, such as when the measurement values ​​of sensors that measure the state of the solar panels (voltage, current, temperature, etc.) rise to a high value that exceeds a specified range, or fall to a low value that falls below the specified range.

[0005] However, this type of detection method has the problem that while it can detect sensor abnormalities by detecting extreme changes in measurement values, it cannot detect abnormalities where the sensor measurement values ​​do not fall outside a specified range, such as deterioration of solar panels.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a solar charging system that can accurately detect abnormalities caused by solar panels and abnormalities caused by sensors that measure the state of the solar panels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the disclosed technology is a solar charging system using a multi-layer panel formed by stacking multiple solar panels, and includes: an acquisition unit that acquires the actual power generation amount of each of the first solar panel and the second solar panel that form the multi-layer panel; a calculation unit that calculates the predicted power generation amount of the second solar panel based on the actual power generation amount of the first solar panel and calculates the predicted power generation amount of the first solar panel based on the actual power generation amount of the second solar panel; and an abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality in the multi-layer panel or an abnormality in a sensor that measures the state of the multi-layer panel based on the difference between the actual power generation amount and the predicted power generation amount of each of the first solar panel and the second solar panel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the solar charging system disclosed herein, in a multi-layer panel in which multiple solar panels are exposed to the same amount of sunlight, abnormalities in the multi-layer panel or in the sensor that measures the condition of the multi-layer panel can be accurately detected based on how much the actual power generation of a solar panel in any layer deviates from the power generation predicted from the actual power generation of solar panels in other layers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a solar charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of a vehicle equipped with multiple layer panels. [Figure 3] Processing flowchart of abnormality determination control executed by the control device [Figure 4] Processing flowchart of abnormality cause determination control executed by the control device DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The solar charging system disclosed herein uses a multi-layer panel consisting of multiple stacked solar panels. The system estimates the power generation capacity of the lower layer panel from the actual power generation capacity of the upper layer panel, or vice versa, and determines whether there is an abnormality based on the discrepancy between the actual and predicted power generation capacity of each panel. This determination improves the accuracy of detecting abnormalities in the solar panels and power generation sensors. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Embodiment> [composition] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a solar charging system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The solar charging system 1 illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a first solar power generation system 10, a second solar power generation system 20, a battery 50, and a control device 70. The first solar power generation system 10 and the second solar power generation system 20 are connected in parallel to the battery 50. In Fig. 1, connection lines through which power is transmitted are indicated by solid lines, and connection lines through which signals other than power, such as control signals and measured values, are transmitted and received are indicated by dotted lines.

[0012] This solar charging system 1 can be mounted on vehicles such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

[0013] The first solar power generation system 10 includes a first solar panel 11, a first sensor 12, and a first power converter 13, and controls the power generation by the first solar panel 11 and the supply of the generated power to the battery 50, etc.

[0014] The first solar panel 11 is configured to generate power according to the amount of sunlight irradiated, and is typically an assembly of solar cells. While Fig. 1 shows an example in which there is one first solar panel 11 belonging to the first solar power generation system 10, the number of solar panels is not limited to this.

[0015] The first sensor 12 is configured to acquire the power generation state of the first solar panel 11. The first sensor 12 measures physical quantities such as the voltage, current, and temperature of the first solar panel 11 as the power generation state. The first sensor 12 uses detection elements such as a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a temperature sensor.

[0016] The first power converter 13 is configured to control the power generated by the first solar panel 11. This first power converter 13 typically includes an MPPT control unit that controls the power generated by the first solar panel 11 using a maximum power point tracking method, a DC-DC converter (not shown) that converts the controlled generated power into power of a predetermined voltage and outputs it to the battery 50, and the like.

[0017] The second solar power generation system 20 includes a second solar panel 21, a second sensor 22, and a second power converter 23, and controls the power generation by the second solar panel 21 and the supply of the generated power to the battery 50, etc.

[0018] The second solar panel 21 is configured to generate power according to the amount of sunlight irradiated, and is typically an assembly of solar cells. While Fig. 1 shows an example in which there is one second solar panel 21 belonging to the second solar power generation system 20, the number of solar panels is not limited to this.

[0019] The second sensor 22 is configured to acquire the power generation state of the second solar panel 21. The second sensor 22 measures physical quantities such as the voltage, current, and temperature of the second solar panel 21 as the power generation state. The second sensor 22 uses detection elements such as a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a temperature sensor.

[0020] The second power converter 23 is configured to control the power generated by the second solar panel 21. This second power converter 23 typically includes an MPPT control unit that controls the power generated by the second solar panel 21 by a maximum power point tracking method, a DC-DC converter (not shown) that converts the controlled generated power into power of a predetermined voltage and outputs it to the battery 50, and the like.

[0021] The first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21 described above are formed as a multi-layer panel structure stacked one above the other so that the conditions for receiving solar radiation from the sun (such as the area exposed to sunlight and the angle at which sunlight hits) are the same. Fig. 2 shows an example of an image of a multi-layer panel in which the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21 are installed on the vehicle 100.

[0022] In the example of FIG. 2, the first solar panel 11 is the "top layer panel" that receives solar radiation directly from the sun, and the second solar panel 21 is the "bottom layer panel" that receives solar radiation indirectly from the sun through the top layer panel. The first solar panel 11, which is the top layer panel, generates the most power, and the second solar panel 21, which is the bottom layer panel, generates less power than the first solar panel 11. There is a correlation between the power generation amounts of the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21 based on the light transmittance (or light attenuation rate) of the first solar panel 11. Therefore, when the conditions for receiving solar radiation are the same, the power generation amount of the second solar panel 21 can be predicted from the actual power generation amount of the first solar panel 11, and conversely, the power generation amount of the first solar panel 11 can be predicted from the actual power generation amount of the second solar panel 21.

[0023] For example, if the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21 have the same power generation performance and the light transmittance of the first solar panel 11 is 50%, if the actual power generation amount (measured value) of the first solar panel 11 is "70W", the power generation amount (predicted value) of the second solar panel 21 can be predicted to be "35W (=70W x 0.5)".

[0024] The battery 50 is a secondary battery configured to be rechargeable, such as a lithium-ion battery or a lead-acid battery. The battery 50 is connected to each of the first solar power generation system 10 and the second solar power generation system 20, and is configured to be able to charge the power generated by the first solar panel 11 via the first power converter 13, and to be able to charge the power generated by the second solar panel 21 via the second power converter 23.

[0025] The solar power generation systems connected in parallel to the battery 50 are not limited to the first solar power generation system 10 and the second solar power generation system 20 shown in Fig. 1, but three or more solar power generation systems may be connected to the battery 50. In this case, the number of solar panels stacked as a multi-layer panel (number of layers) increases in proportion to the number of solar power generation systems connected to the battery 50.

[0026] The control device 70 is configured to determine an abnormality occurring in the first solar power generation system 10 and the second solar power generation system 20. The control device 70 includes an acquisition unit 71, a calculation unit 72, and an abnormality determination unit 73.

[0027] The acquisition unit 71 acquires, from the first solar power generation system 10, the amount of power generated actually by the first solar panel 11 (hereinafter referred to as the "actual amount of power generated"). In addition, the acquisition unit 71 acquires, from the second solar power generation system 20, the amount of power actually generated by the second solar panel 21.

[0028] The calculation unit 72 calculates the power predicted to be generated by the second solar panel 21 (hereinafter referred to as the "predicted power generation amount") based on the actual power generation amount of the first solar panel 11. The calculation unit 72 also calculates the predicted power generation amount of the first solar panel 11 based on the actual power generation amount of the second solar panel 21.

[0029] The abnormality determination unit 73 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the first solar power generation system 10 and the second solar power generation system 20, based on the actual power generation amounts of the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21 obtained by the acquisition unit 71 and the calculation unit 72, and the predicted power generation amounts of the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21. The method of abnormality determination by this abnormality determination unit 73 will be described later.

[0030] A part or all of the above-described control device 70 may be configured as an electronic control unit (ECU) that typically includes a processor, a memory, an input / output interface, etc. This electronic control unit realizes a part or all of the functions of the acquisition unit 71, the calculation unit 72, and the abnormality determination unit 73 by the processor reading and executing a program stored in the memory.

[0031] [control] Next, with further reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the control performed by the solar charging system 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0032] (1) Abnormality detection control 3 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of abnormality presence / absence determination control executed by the control device 70 of the solar charging system 1. This abnormality presence / absence determination control is performed, for example, at any timing while the solar charging system 1 is operating.

[0033] (Step S301) The acquisition unit 71 of the control device 70 acquires the actual power generation amount W1 of the first solar panel 11. The acquisition unit 71 also acquires the actual power generation amount W2 of the second solar panel 21. The actual power generation amount W1 and the actual power generation amount W2 can be derived from the measured values ​​(voltage, current, temperature, etc.) acquired by the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 22, respectively. It is desirable that the timing for acquiring the measured values ​​from the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 22 be the same so that the influence of solar radiation from the sun does not change between the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21.

[0034] When the acquisition unit 71 acquires the actual power generation amount W1 of the first solar panel 11 and the actual power generation amount W2 of the second solar panel 21, the process proceeds to step S302.

[0035] (Step S302) The calculation unit 72 of the control device 70 calculates the predicted power generation amount W2' of the second solar panel 21 from the actual power generation amount W1 of the first solar panel 11. Further, the calculation unit 72 calculates the predicted power generation amount W1' of the first solar panel 11 from the actual power generation amount W2 of the second solar panel 21.

[0036] The predicted power generation amount W1' and the predicted power generation amount W2' can be inferred from the actual power generation amount W1 and the actual power generation amount W2 based on the light transmittance (or light attenuation rate) of the first solar panel 11. For example, using the light transmittance a (0 < a < 1), the predicted power generation amount W1' and the predicted power generation amount W2' can be obtained by the following formulas 1 and 2. Predicted power generation amount W1' = Actual power generation amount W2 × (1 / a) … (Formula 1) Predicted power generation amount W2' = Actual power generation amount W × a … (Formula 2)

[0037] When the calculation unit 72 calculates the predicted power generation amount W1' of the first solar panel 11 and the predicted power generation amount W2' of the second solar panel 21, the process proceeds to step S303.

[0038] (Step S303) The abnormality determination unit 73 of the control device 70 determines the discrepancy between the actual power generation amount W1 and the predicted power generation amount W1' of the first solar panel 11, and the discrepancy between the actual power generation amount W2 and the predicted power generation amount W2' of the second solar panel 21. More specifically, the abnormality determination unit 73 determines whether the absolute value of the difference (|W1-W1'|) between the actual power generation amount W1 and the predicted power generation amount W1' of the first solar panel 11 is less than a first predetermined value, and whether the absolute value (|W2-W2'|) of the difference between the actual power generation amount W2 and the predicted power generation amount W2' of the second solar panel 21 is less than a second predetermined value.

[0039] If the abnormality determination unit 73 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the actual power generation amount W1 and the predicted power generation amount W1' is less than the first predetermined value and that the absolute value of the difference between the actual power generation amount W2 and the predicted power generation amount W2' is less than the second predetermined value (step S303, Yes), the process proceeds to step S304. On the other hand, if the abnormality determination unit 73 determines that the absolute value of the difference between the actual power generation amount W1 and the predicted power generation amount W1' is equal to or greater than the first predetermined value and / or that the absolute value of the difference between the actual power generation amount W2 and the predicted power generation amount W2' is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value (step S303, No), the process proceeds to step S305.

[0040] (Step S304) The abnormality determination unit 73 of the control device 70 determines that there is no abnormality in either the first solar power generation system 10 or the second solar power generation system 20, since the actual measured values ​​and predicted values ​​for the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21 do not deviate significantly from each other.

[0041] When the abnormality determination unit 73 determines that there is no abnormality in the solar power generation system, this abnormality presence / absence determination control ends.

[0042] (Step S305) The abnormality determination unit 73 of the control device 70 determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the power generation systems, the first solar power generation system 10 and the second solar power generation system 20, because there is a large discrepancy between the actual measured value and the predicted value for either or both of the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21.

[0043] When the abnormality determination unit 73 determines that there is an abnormality in the solar power generation system, this abnormality presence / absence determination control ends.

[0044] (2) Abnormality cause determination control 4 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the abnormality cause determination control executed by the control device 70 of the solar charging system 1. This abnormality cause determination control is executed when it is determined in the abnormality presence / absence determination control described above that there is an abnormality in the solar power generation system.

[0045] (Step S401) The abnormality determination unit 73 of the control device 70 checks the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 22 of the solar power generation system determined to have an abnormality, i.e., the first solar power generation system 10 and the second solar power generation system 20. To check the sensors, a well-known method can be used, for example, to determine whether a failure or abnormality has occurred based on the voltage, current, and temperature obtained by the sensors.

[0046] When all sensors in the solar power generation system that have been determined to have an abnormality by the abnormality determination unit 73 have been checked, the process proceeds to step S402.

[0047] (Step S402) The abnormality determination unit 73 of the control device 70 determines whether or not all the sensors checked in step S401, that is, the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 22, are normal.

[0048] If the abnormality determination unit 73 determines that the checked first sensors 12 and second sensors 22 are all normal (Yes in step S402), the process proceeds to step S403. On the other hand, if the abnormality determination unit 73 determines that at least one of the checked first sensors 12 and second sensors 22 is not normal (No in step S402), the process proceeds to step S404.

[0049] (Step S403) Since the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 22 are normal, the abnormality determination unit 73 of the control device 70 determines that an abnormality has occurred in one or both of the first solar panel 11 and the second solar panel 21.

[0050] When the abnormality determination unit 73 determines that there is an abnormality in the solar panel, this abnormality cause determination control ends.

[0051] (Step S404) Since the first sensor 12 and the second sensor 22 were not normal, the abnormality determination unit 73 of the control device 70 determines that there is an abnormality in the first sensor 12 and / or the second sensor 22 that were not normal.

[0052] When the abnormality determination unit 73 determines that there is an abnormality in the sensor, this abnormality cause determination control ends.

[0053] <Effects> As described above, the solar charging system 1 using the multilayer panels (11, 21) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure calculates the predicted power generation amounts (W1', W2') using the actual power generation amounts (W1, W2) for the multilayer panels (11, 21) that are exposed to the same solar radiation conditions for the multiple solar panels. The solar charging system 1 then determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the solar power generation system (10, 20) based on the magnitude of the deviation between the actual measured values ​​(W1, W2) of the power generation amounts and the predicted values ​​(W1', W2').

[0054] This determination method makes it possible to detect abnormalities such as deterioration of the solar panels (11, 21) that occur in the solar charging system 1 and that do not cause the measured values ​​of the sensors (12, 22) to fall outside the specified range.

[0055] Furthermore, the solar charging system 1 of this embodiment performs a sensor check on the solar power generation system (10, 20) that is determined to have an abnormality, so it can accurately determine whether the cause of the abnormality is the solar panel (11, 21) or the sensor (12, 22) that measures the condition of the solar panel (11, 21). [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The solar charging system of the present disclosure can be used in vehicles equipped with multiple solar panels. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Solar charging system 10, 20 Solar power generation system 11, 21 Solar panels 12, 22 sensors 13, 23 Power converter 50 Battery 70 Control device 71 Acquisition Department 72 Calculation section 73 Abnormality determination section 100 vehicles

Claims

1. A solar charging system using a multi-layer panel formed by stacking multiple solar panels, an acquisition unit that acquires actual amounts of power generated by each of the first solar panel and the second solar panel that constitute the multi-layer panel; a calculation unit that calculates a predicted amount of power generation by the second solar panel based on the actual amount of power generation by the first solar panel, and calculates a predicted amount of power generation by the first solar panel based on the actual amount of power generation by the second solar panel; an abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality in the multilayer panel or an abnormality in a sensor that measures the state of the multilayer panel based on a difference between the actual amount of power generated and the predicted amount of power generated in each of the first solar panel and the second solar panel, Solar charging system.

2. the abnormality determination unit determines that at least one of the first solar panel and the second solar panel is abnormal if the measurement value of the sensor is within a predetermined range, and determines that the sensor is abnormal if the measurement value of the sensor is outside the predetermined range. The solar charging system according to claim 1 .

3. the first solar panel is a panel installed on the top layer of the multi-layer panel; The second solar panel is a panel installed on a lower surface layer other than the uppermost surface layer of the multi-layer panel. The solar charging system according to claim 1 or 2.

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