Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

An information processing device for calculating configurations related to cells, which are photoelectric conversion elements, in a panel including a plurality of the cells comprises a calculation unit that calculates power values for each of the cells on the basis of intensity distribution information about light emitted on the panel, and determines a plurality of systems, each including a plurality of cells, on the basis of the power values of each of the cells so that the power values obtained from the panel satisfy a predetermined condition.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to optical wireless power supply technology.

[0002] Optical wireless power transfer technology uses light, such as a laser, as an energy carrier. The laser is irradiated toward the target, and the target converts the laser light into electricity using a solar panel made of photoelectric conversion elements such as solar cells. The design and size of the solar panel vary depending on the transmission environment and the laser used.

[0003] Generally, the solar cell panels used on the laser receiving side are manufactured to a size that matches the transmission situation, beam diameter, etc. In addition, multiple cells are often combined into an array to create a panel that is several tens of centimeters in size.

[0004] Ryosuke Kuribayashi et al., "Research and Development Status for km-Class Laser Wireless Power Transmission to Lunar Polar Region Explorers," 67th Space Science and Technology Joint Symposium, 2023

[0005] As mentioned above, optical wireless power transfer technology requires a solar panel installed on the light receiving side to convert the transmitted laser light into electricity. Furthermore, the solar panel must be optimized to provide the appropriate voltage and current values ​​for each usage situation. However, if a single large solar panel is used, it can receive all the light that enters the panel, but the voltage value is low and it is not suitable for subsequent use as electricity.

[0006] Furthermore, if a solar panel is divided into small cells and all of them are connected in series in order to obtain sufficient voltage, the current value will be limited by the cell with the lowest input laser intensity, and power cannot be extracted efficiently from the incident light.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has an object to provide a technique for calculating a panel configuration that enables efficient extraction of power from incident light.

[0008] According to the disclosed technology, there is provided an information processing device that calculates the configuration of cells in a panel having a plurality of cells that are photoelectric conversion elements, the information processing device including an arithmetic unit that calculates the power value of each cell based on intensity distribution information of light irradiated onto the panel, and determines a plurality of systems, each consisting of a plurality of cells, based on the power value of each cell so that the power value obtained from the panel satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0009] The disclosed technology provides a technology for calculating a panel configuration that enables efficient extraction of power from incident light.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the problem. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a Gaussian beam. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a Gaussian beam is irradiated onto a panel. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an optical wireless power supply system. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an information processing device 10. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the information processing device 10. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a panel divided into systems. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a panel to which a DC-DC converter is connected. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10.

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0012] In the following description, as an example, the light irradiated onto the panel (also referred to as a photoelectric conversion unit) is a laser (beam), but the light irradiated onto the panel is not limited to a laser.

[0013] In the following, first, the problems associated with the technology of this embodiment will be described in more detail, and then the technology of this embodiment will be described.

[0014] (About the issue) Generally, the laser (hereinafter also referred to as beam) output from a laser medium is called a Gaussian beam, and the light intensity distribution on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis is a Gaussian distribution. In particular, in space, there is a high possibility that energy transmission using a Gaussian beam will be possible by utilizing existing technology.

[0015] Optical wireless power transfer technology includes a single-cell type that has only one cell, which is a photoelectric conversion element, as the photoelectric conversion unit that converts received light into electricity, and a multi-cell type that has multiple cells. The voltage that can be extracted from one cell is determined by the band gap of the element, and is, for example, 0.5 V for a typical solar cell. Therefore, when attempting to supply high-power electricity, the current value becomes large, making the single-cell type unsuitable.

[0016] On the other hand, in the case of a multi-cell solar cell, connecting the cells in series increases the voltage and therefore the amount of power that can be extracted. However, if there is a cell among the multiple cells that does not receive enough light, the current value of that cell becomes a bottleneck, limiting the overall current value and preventing high power from being obtained. In addition, the light energy that enters the other cells cannot be extracted as power, but rather turns into heat, which deteriorates the characteristics of the photoelectric conversion section.

[0017] The above-mentioned problem in the case of using a laser (Gaussian beam) will be explained more specifically with reference to FIG.

[0018] In the configuration shown in Fig. 1, a laser medium 1, which is a light source element, and a photoelectric conversion unit 2 on the light receiving side are shown. As for the laser medium 1, a surface 3 (light emitting surface) on the side from which the laser medium 1 outputs light is also shown. As for the photoelectric conversion unit 2, a surface (light receiving surface) on the side from which light is received is also shown. As shown in Fig. 1, the photoelectric conversion unit 2 has a plurality of cells arranged in a lattice pattern.

[0019] As mentioned above, the intensity distribution of a Gaussian beam is a Gaussian distribution, and therefore it is difficult to uniformly apply light to each cell that constitutes the photoelectric conversion unit 2, as shown in Figure 1. In a Gaussian beam, in accordance with the Gaussian distribution, in a circular shape, the light is strong in the center and becomes weaker towards the periphery.

[0020] An image of a Gaussian beam is shown in Fig. 2. An image of a panel being irradiated with a Gaussian beam is shown in Fig. 3. Hereinafter, the photoelectric conversion unit will mainly be referred to as a panel (or solar cell panel).

[0021] As mentioned above, if the panel is divided into small cells and all of them are connected in series to obtain sufficient voltage, the current value will be limited by the cell with the lowest input laser intensity, and a sufficient amount of incident light cannot be extracted efficiently.

[0022] (System Configuration Example) In this embodiment, in an optical wireless power supply system, an information processing device 10 described below calculates a configuration that maximizes the extracted power with respect to the size of the cells constituting the panel, the number of series, etc., depending on the intensity distribution of a laser incident on a light-receiving panel. Note that maximizing the extracted power is an example of calculating a configuration that satisfies a predetermined condition. For example, calculating a configuration that maximizes the extracted power, even if it is not the maximum, so that it is equal to or greater than a certain value, is also an example of "calculating a configuration that satisfies a predetermined condition."

[0023] An example of the configuration of an optical wireless power supply system according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the optical wireless power supply system according to this embodiment includes a light transmitting device 100 and a light receiving device 200. As shown in Fig. 4, the light transmitting device 100 includes a light source unit 300, and the light receiving device 200 includes a photoelectric conversion unit 400.

[0024] The light source unit 300 includes a light source element that emits laser light. The photoelectric conversion unit 400 is a panel (which may be called a solar cell panel, a PV panel, or the like) in which multiple photoelectric conversion elements (cells) are arranged in a grid pattern. This panel is the target of optimization by the information processing device 10.

[0025] (Configuration of Information Processing Device 10) Fig. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the information processing device 10. As shown in Fig. 5, the information processing device 10 includes an input unit 110, a calculation unit 120, and an output unit 130.

[0026] Conditions required for calculations for panel optimization are input from the input unit 110. The calculation unit 120 executes calculations for panel optimization based on the input data from the input unit 110. The output unit 130 outputs the results of calculations performed by the calculation unit 120. The processing contents of the information processing device 10 will now be described in detail.

[0027] (Overview) First, an overview of the technology according to the present embodiment will be described. As described above, in this embodiment, the information processing device 10 calculates and outputs a configuration that maximizes the extracted power, based on the size, number of series, and other factors of the cells that make up the panel, in accordance with the intensity distribution of the laser incident on the panel.

[0028] In determining the panel configuration, a voltage is often specified in many usage situations. The technology according to the present embodiment makes it possible to build an optical wireless power transfer system that can extract maximum power by boosting the voltage even in the case of a voltage less than the typical 5 V, taking into account the boosting efficiency.

[0029] To facilitate understanding of the effects of the technology according to this embodiment, we will now assume a certain Gaussian beam transmission environment and explain a comparison of the power values ​​that can be extracted depending on the panel configuration, as well as the effectiveness of optimization.

[0030] To match the beam size (up to 30 cm), a square panel on the light receiving side with sides of 30 cm was used, and a comparison of the amount of power generated by the series connection method was conducted using a configuration that could output a minimum of 5 V, which is the voltage expected in actual use situations.

[0031] The panel specifications are as follows:

[0032] - Photoelectric conversion efficiency of each cell: 25% - Voltage per cell: 0.5V - Size of one cell (one side of a square): 3cm - Total number of cells: 10 vertically x 10 horizontally, a total of 100 cells When the total power of the laser incident on the panel is 1kW, we compared the power that can be extracted for the three patterns (1) to (3) shown below.

[0033] (1) The power that can be extracted from a panel (voltage 50V) with all cells connected in series. (2) The power that can be extracted from a series group of 10 systems in total, when the cells are connected in series in one vertical row (these 10 cells are called a system, and the voltage of each system is 5V). (3) Under the same 10 systems as in (2), the power that can be extracted when the cells are connected in a way that allows for more efficient extraction of power, as calculated by the information processing device 10. The power that can be extracted for each study pattern is as follows:

[0034] (1) 20 W (2) 160 W (3) 216 W (Operation of Information Processing Device 10) An example of the basic operation of the information processing device 10 will be described below in accordance with the procedure of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0035] <S1 (Step 1): Input> In S1, information to be used for calculation is input from the input unit 110. The information to be input includes, for example, the photoelectric conversion efficiency of each cell, the voltage per cell, the size of one cell, the size of the panel, the total number of cells, intensity information of the beam input to the panel, the photoelectric conversion efficiency, the intensity dependency of the photoelectric conversion efficiency, the total power of the laser incident on the panel, etc. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the following values ​​are input, which are the values ​​when the above-mentioned "216 W" is obtained.

[0036] Photoelectric conversion efficiency of each cell: 25% Voltage per cell: 0.5 V Size of one cell (one side of a square): 3 cm Total number of cells: 10 vertically x 10 horizontally, a total of 100 cells <S2: Generation of intensity distribution information> In S2, the calculation unit 120 divides the laser (beam) intensity information (specifically, a bmp file) input to the panel into cells (i.e., 3 cm x 3 cm) and integrates the values ​​within the area of ​​each cell. This generates intensity distribution information for each cell.

[0037] <S3: Calculation of power value for each cell> In S3, the calculation unit 120 calculates the power value (voltage value x current value) for each cell by multiplying the laser intensity (power) in the cell by the photoelectric conversion efficiency. At this time, the intensity dependency of the photoelectric conversion efficiency may be taken into consideration.

[0038] An example of the intensity dependency of photoelectric conversion efficiency will be described. In the case of a commonly used Si cell, the photoelectric conversion efficiency characteristic changes depending on the laser power density, with respect to a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25%. Specifically, the following values ​​are multiplied as factors with respect to a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25%:

[0039] For example, the power density (W / cm) of the laser incident on each cell ２ The conversion factor of the photoelectric conversion efficiency corresponding to ２ The value is 0.98, which is 1.5 W / cm２ This factor is multiplied by the photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25%, and the final efficiency is 0.1 W / cm ２ The value is 0.245, which is 1.5 W / cm ２ So the result is 0.175.

[0040] <S4: Determining Cell Connection Configuration> In S4, the calculation unit 120 divides the panel into multiple systems, calculates the amount of power that can be extracted from each system, and calculates the amount of power that can be extracted from the panel based on these results. The calculation unit 120 performs system division using various cell combinations and determines a cell connection configuration that is a system division (= multiple systems) that maximizes the amount of power that can be extracted from the panel. The output unit 130 outputs the cell connection configuration.

[0041] In the following, an example in which one type of system division is performed will be described as (a), and an example in which system division is performed using various combinations of cells will be described as (b).

[0042] (a) Example of one type of system division First, to clearly explain how to perform system division and calculate the power consumption of a panel, an example of one type of system division will be described. The system division described here is a system division method that is expected to produce a high power consumption value.

[0043] The calculation unit 120 first arranges the 100 cells in descending order of the power consumption calculated in S3. Next, the calculation unit 120 divides the panel into 10 systems, each containing 10 cells, in descending order of power consumption.

[0044] The 10 systems are designated as system 1, system 2, system 3, system 4, system 5, system 6, system 7, system 8, system 9, and system 10 in descending order of the power values ​​of the cells that make up the system, and a cell included in system x is represented as x. An image of a panel divided into systems is shown in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 7, cells with a large amount of laser irradiation light (cells with a large power value) are located in the central part, and cells with a small amount of laser irradiation light (cells with a small power value) are located in the peripheral part.

[0045] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the cells in each system are connected in series. For each system, the calculation unit 120 acquires information on the power value of the cell with the smallest power value in the system. For each system, the calculation unit 120 uses the information on the smallest power value in the system to calculate the power value that can be extracted from the system.

[0046] Due to the characteristics of series connection, the power that can be extracted from each system is limited by the power value (more specifically, the current value) of the cell with the least amount of light in the system. Therefore, in a system in which 10 cells are connected in series, the current value of the cell with the least amount of light is I ｍｉｎ and the voltage of each cell is 0.5 V, the calculation unit 120 calculates 10×0.5×I ｍｉｎ As a result, the power value that can be extracted from the system can be calculated. As will be described later, if the voltage does not reach 5 V, a DC-DC converter can be used. An example of using a DC-DC converter will be described later.

[0047] The calculation unit 120 calculates the total value of the power values ​​calculated as above for the 10 systems. This total value is the power value that can be extracted from the panel. The output unit 130 may output this total value as the power value that can be extracted from the panel.

[0048] (b) Example of system division using various cell combinations In the case of input data described in S1 (total number of cells = 100), the calculation unit 120 allows for flexibility, for example, by setting the number of systems to 6 to 10 and the number of series to 10 to 14, and calculates the power that can be extracted from the panel using the method described above for each of all possible series connection combinations, and determines the combination (= cell connection configuration) that maximizes the power that can be extracted. Note that setting the number of systems to 6 to 10 and the number of series to 10 to 14 is merely an example. Calculations may also be performed using a subset of the "all possible series connection combinations."

[0049] For example, "calculation for all series connection combinations consisting of 8 to 10 systems and 10 to 12 series connections" means performing calculations for series connections in all cases ("8 systems, each system has 10, 11, or 12 series-connected cells," or "9 systems, each system has 10, 11, or 12 series-connected cells," or "10 systems, each system has 10, 11, or 12 series-connected cells"). However, since the combinations are within the range of total number of cells = 100, in the case of "10 systems, each system has 10, 11, or 12 series-connected cells," the calculation becomes "10 systems, each system has 10 series-connected cells."

[0050] Furthermore, with regard to the combinations of cell connection configurations for "a certain number of systems and a certain number of series connections," calculations may be performed for all possible combinations, or, for example, calculations may be performed only for combinations using the method described in (a). The method described in (a) is a method in which 100 cells are arranged in descending order of power value and are inserted into the system in descending order of power value.

[0051] Even when dividing the systems into various cell combinations, the method for calculating the panel power value for a single cell connection configuration is the same as the method described in (a). That is, the cell with the smallest power value for each system is identified, the power value for each system is calculated from that power value information, and the total value for all systems is calculated.

[0052] The method for determining the cell connection configuration according to this embodiment allows cells in the central area where the intensity of the Gaussian beam is high to be serially connected based on statistical information, and the efficiency of converting the light irradiating the panel into electricity is higher than with the connection methods discussed in (1) and (2).

[0053] (Example of Using a DC-DC Converter) Next, an example of using a DC-DC converter will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that when the voltage obtained from the system is less than 5 V, a DC-DC converter is connected to the system to boost the voltage to 5 V.

[0054] Figure 8 shows an example of a connection configuration when using a DC-DC converter. In Figure 8, "DCDC" represents the DCDC converter, the numbered squares represent cells, and the horizontal lines represent wiring through which current flows. In the example of Figure 8, the panel has multiple systems, each consisting of 10 cells. As shown in Figure 8, each system is connected in series, and the current flowing through the wiring from the last cell in the series is boosted to the desired voltage by the DCDC converter. The power from all systems is then combined and extracted as power for the panel.

[0055] In this embodiment, a simulation was performed under the conditions of "a 30 cm panel, a cell size of 5 cm (= 6 × 6 cell configuration), six cells per system (voltage per system = 6 × 0.5 = 3 V)" and boosting using a DCDC converter, resulting in a maximum power value of 183 W. This simulation result is the result of the method described above in "(a) Example of one type of system division."

[0056] In this simulation, converter characteristic information for the DC-DC converter used was incorporated, and adjustments were made so that all output voltages were 5 V. Converter characteristic information is generally available as product information disclosed on the website of the DC-DC converter manufacturer, and here, information representing the relationship between the output current and conversion efficiency (which may also be called boost efficiency) at 5 V output for each input voltage was used as converter characteristic information. Note that conversion efficiency is the ratio of the power value output from the DC-DC converter to the power value input to the DC-DC converter. If product information does not contain information on the voltage desired to be used in the simulation, the boost efficiency for the desired voltage can be calculated and used.

[0057] In other words, when a DC-DC converter is used to boost a voltage less than 5V to 5V, the information processing device 10 multiplies the power value obtained from the grid by the boost efficiency to calculate the power value obtained from the "grid + DC-DC converter." The total voltage values ​​calculated in this way for all grids can be used to calculate the power value that can be extracted from the panel. The simulation also takes into account the change in photoelectric conversion efficiency according to the laser power density, as described above.

[0058] Simulations were also performed using the method described above in "(b) Example of system division using various cell combinations." Specifically, calculations were performed for all series connection combinations consisting of 6 to 8 systems and 4 to 6 series connections under the above conditions (panel size, number of cells, changes in boost efficiency, photoelectric conversion efficiency, etc.).

[0059] As a result, the cell connection configuration that yields the maximum power generation (power value) was determined to have 8 systems and the number of series connections for each system, in descending order, of [5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4]. The power that can be extracted in this case is 205 W. This calculation was performed using an exhaustive search method (a method that tries all possible options) for all combinations of the number of systems and the number of cells that satisfy the above 36 total number of cells and can be expressed as 6 to 8 systems and 4 to 6 systems.

[0060] As described above, the technology according to the present embodiment makes it possible to accurately estimate the maximum power that can be extracted by incorporating into the calculation the voltage required when actually using the power as power, the efficiency at the time of boosting, and the cell characteristics corresponding to the laser power density.

[0061] (Hardware Configuration Example) The information processing device 10 described in this embodiment can be realized, for example, by causing a computer to execute a program. This computer may be a physical computer or a virtual machine on the cloud.

[0062] That is, the information processing device 10 can be realized by using hardware resources such as a CPU and memory built into a computer to execute a program corresponding to the processing performed by the information processing device 10. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (such as a portable memory) and can be saved or distributed. The program can also be provided via a network such as the Internet or email.

[0063] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer. The computer in Fig. 9 includes a drive device 1000, an auxiliary storage device 1002, a memory device 1003, a CPU 1004, an interface device 1005, a display device 1006, an input device 1007, an output device 1008, and the like, all of which are interconnected via a bus B. The computer may further include a GPU.

[0064] The program that realizes the processing on the computer is provided by a recording medium 1001, such as a CD-ROM or a memory card. When the recording medium 1001 storing the program is set in the drive device 1000, the program is installed from the recording medium 1001 to the auxiliary storage device 1002 via the drive device 1000. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 1001, but may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 1002 stores the installed program as well as necessary files, data, etc.

[0065] The memory device 1003 reads and stores the program from the auxiliary storage device 1002 when an instruction to start the program is received. The CPU 1004 realizes functions related to the information processing device 10 in accordance with the program stored in the memory device 1003. The interface device 1005 is used as an interface for connecting to a network, etc. The display device 1006 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like according to the program. The input device 1007 is composed of a keyboard, mouse, buttons, a touch panel, etc., and is used to input various operation instructions. The output device 1008 outputs the results of calculations.

[0066] (Summary of the embodiment) As described above, in the technology according to the present embodiment, the information processing device 10 separates the light intensity information of the beam incident on the panel for each cell, tries out multiple distribution methods for each system based on that information, and determines the amount of power generated by the entire panel by using the cell with the smallest value in each system as the representative value for that system. For example, in a program that uses this result, the amount of power generated can be processed by replacing it with a simple argument.

[0067] In addition, by inputting the energy transmission specifications (characteristics of the beam to be used, photoelectric conversion efficiency of the cell, its laser power density characteristics, DCDC converter characteristics, etc.) into the information processing device 10, it is possible to simulate the circuit up to extracting power from the panel on the software.

[0068] Furthermore, the information processing device 10 can replace the beam intensity distribution information with the power generation amount (power value) of each cell, and can provide flexibility in the number of systems when calculating the optimal cell connection configuration. In this case, for example, an exhaustive search method can be used, in which trials are performed on all possible combinations.

[0069] Furthermore, in laser energy transmission in outer space, which is an example of application of the optical wireless power transfer system according to the present embodiment, since outer space is a vacuum environment, a laser with the same intensity distribution is basically irradiated onto the light-receiving panel, and the beam specifications and the specifications of the light-receiving panel are fixed in advance, it is possible to maximize the extracted power by optimization calculations specialized for Gaussian beams. Note that application of this technology is not limited to Gaussian beams.

[0070] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, the technology according to the embodiment makes it possible to use beam pattern, intensity distribution, panel size, cell size, number of cells, power generation characteristics of cells, etc. as input conditions, calculate the amount of power generation for all combinations of series configurations, and output connection information for cells that can obtain the maximum amount of power generation.

[0071] When using the power obtained from the panel for charging or connecting to electronic devices, it is necessary to specify the minimum required voltage value, and optimization is possible by taking into account such constraints, etc. Furthermore, depending on the usage scenario, it is possible to use a boost device such as a DC-DC converter, and it is possible to derive a combination that maximizes overall power generation efficiency by taking into account the boost efficiency of such devices, etc.

[0072] Furthermore, by calculating all combinations of the number of systems within a certain degree of freedom, rather than just a single value such as 10, it is possible to output the optimal panel configuration according to the beam characteristics (intensity distribution and spread).

[0073] Furthermore, the technology according to this embodiment can actually extract more power than when the cell size and connection method are intuitively predicted from the beam intensity distribution and then implemented, and it is also possible to significantly reduce the time required to derive the optimal design.

[0074] In particular, Gaussian beams are expected to be used mainly in space for artificial satellites, lunar bases, etc. In such cases, since there is no disturbance in beam intensity due to the atmosphere when transmitting in a vacuum, if the beam information is known, it is possible to maximize the extracted power by optimizing the panels in advance using this technology.

[0075] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments.

[0076] <Additional Notes> (Additional Item 1) An information processing device that calculates a cell configuration in a panel including a plurality of cells that are photoelectric conversion elements, comprising: a calculation unit that calculates a power value for each cell based on intensity distribution information of light irradiated onto the panel, and determines a plurality of systems, each consisting of a plurality of cells, based on the power value of each cell, so that the power value obtained from the panel satisfies a predetermined condition. (Additional Item 2) The information processing device according to Additional Item 1, wherein the plurality of cells are connected in series in each system, and the predetermined condition is that the power value obtained from the panel is maximized. (Additional Item 3) The information processing device according to Additional Item 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates the power value obtained from each system based on a current value of a cell in the system with the smallest power value, and calculates the power value obtained from the panel by summing the power values ​​of all systems. (Additional Item 4) The information processing device according to Additional Item 3, wherein the calculation unit calculates the power value obtained from the panel for each combination of the number of systems and the number of cells in each system, and determines the number of systems and the number of cells in each system that satisfy the predetermined condition. (Supplementary Item 5) The information processing device according to Supplementary Item 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates the power value of each cell using the intensity dependency of the photoelectric conversion efficiency of each cell. (Supplementary Item 6) The information processing device according to Supplementary Item 1, wherein, when a DC-DC converter is connected to each system to perform voltage boosting, the calculation unit calculates the power value obtained from the panel using the boost efficiency of the DC-DC converter. (Supplementary Item 7) An information processing method executed by an information processing device that calculates a cell configuration in a panel including a plurality of cells that are photoelectric conversion elements, the information processing method comprising: a calculation step of calculating a power value of each cell based on intensity distribution information of light irradiated to the panel, and determining a plurality of systems, each consisting of a plurality of cells, based on the power value of each cell, so that the power value obtained from the panel satisfies a predetermined condition. (Supplementary Item 8) A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for causing the information processing device according to any one of Supplementary Items 1 to 6 to function as the calculation unit.

[0077] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

[0078] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Information processing device 110 Input unit 120 Calculation unit 130 Output unit 100 Light transmitting device 300 Light source unit 200 Light receiving device 400 Photoelectric conversion unit

Claims

1. An information processing device that calculates the configuration of cells in a panel that has multiple cells that are photoelectric conversion elements, and includes a calculation unit that calculates the power value of each cell based on intensity distribution information of light irradiated onto the panel, and determines multiple systems, each consisting of multiple cells, based on the power value of each cell so that the power value obtained from the panel satisfies predetermined conditions.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein in each system, the plurality of cells are connected in series, and the predetermined condition is that the power value obtained from the panel is maximized.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates the power value obtained from each system based on the current value in the cell with the smallest power value in that system, and calculates the power value obtained from the panel by summing the power values ​​of all systems.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the calculation unit calculates the power value obtained from the panel for each combination of the number of systems and the number of cells in each system, and determines the number of systems and the number of cells in each system that satisfy the predetermined conditions.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates the power value of each cell using the intensity dependency of the photoelectric conversion efficiency of each cell.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein when a DC-DC converter is connected to each system to perform voltage boosting, the calculation unit calculates the power value obtained from the panel using the boost efficiency of the DC-DC converter.

7. An information processing method executed by an information processing device that calculates the configuration of cells in a panel having a plurality of cells that are photoelectric conversion elements, the information processing method comprising a calculation step of calculating the power value of each cell based on intensity distribution information of light irradiated onto the panel, and determining a plurality of systems, each consisting of a plurality of cells, based on the power value of each cell so that the power value obtained from the panel satisfies a predetermined condition.

8. A program for causing the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 to function as a calculation unit.

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