A power source combination circuit has a combination circuit and a controller. The combination circuit includes a first power source, a first field-effect transistor, a second power source, and a second field-effect transistor. The controller is configured to control the combination circuit to supply power to a load circuit, obtain a first input voltage, a second input voltage, and a third input voltage, and diagnose, based on the obtained voltages, whether the combination circuit is in a normal state or an abnormal state. The first input voltage is an input side voltage of the first field-effect transistor, the second input voltage is an input side voltage of the second field-effect transistor, and the third input voltage is a voltage at a power source input end of the load circuit.

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for managing a photovoltaic arrangement. A photovoltaic string combiner may be configured to combine a set of photovoltaic strings of the photovoltaic arrangement. The photovoltaic string combiner comprises a modular platform architecture configured to host one or monitoring modules in a plug and play manner based upon a drop in topology where a user may easily install or remove monitoring modules from the modular platform architecture. A monitoring module may automatically self-detect, such as during boot up, positional data (e.g., an indication that the monitoring module is to monitor a first set of 8 photovoltaic strings) and/or configuration data (e.g., calibration data, a grounded configuration, a floating configuration, etc.). The monitoring modules may provide positional data, configuration data, and/or measurement data (e.g., a current measurement from a photovoltaic string) to a main controller module that manages the photovoltaic arrangement.

An apparatus for detecting difference in operating characteristics of a main circuit by using a replica circuit is presented. In one exemplary case, a sensed difference in operating characteristics of the two circuits is used to drive a tuning control loop to minimize the sensed difference. In another exemplary case, several replica circuits of the main circuit are used, where each is isolated from one or more operating variables that affect the operating characteristic of the main circuit. Each replica circuit can be used for sensing a different operating characteristic, or, two replica circuits can be combined to sense a same operating characteristic.

The present disclosure relates to a short-circuit detection device in a direct current circuit, including a voltage source, a bus including at least two conducting elements each coupled to either one of the terminals of the voltage source, first and second thyristors coupled to the voltage source and to the bus, and at least one capacitive element forming a storage capacitor, whose electrodes are each coupled to either one of the conducting elements of the bus, wherein the short-circuit detection device includes at least one control circuit configured to control the biasing and the modes of operation of the first and second thyristors such that a short circuit detection phase is implemented before a pre-charge of the storage capacitor.

Circuitry, systems, and methods for fault detection and reporting comprise a fault detection circuit configured to detect one or more fault conditions that cause a state change in a fault pin voltage representative of a transceiver failure. Once the state of the fault pin voltage changes, a transceiver input generates a fault detection code. In embodiments, in response to the transceiver input receiving a first signal, the fault detection code is shifted to a transceiver output that may communicate the fault detection code to a controller. Once the transceiver input receives a second signal, the fault pin voltage may be reset to clear the fault detection code before resuming operations, including detecting additional fault conditions as they arise.

The operation of electrical appliances receiving electrical power from an electrical system may be indirectly monitored using monitoring units engaged with outlets on branch circuits of the electrical system. Electrical systems providing power to appliances to be monitored in accordance with the present invention may comprise split phase alternating current systems, tri-phase systems, or any other type of electrical system. Known loads may be applied to calibrate the monitoring system. The monitoring system may measure the power consumption of appliances operating on the electrical system and/or detect possible fault conditions. The application of a known load to each phase of the electrical system for calibration permits different portions of the electrical system to be isolated and, therefor, provides improved accuracy in monitoring power consumption and detection of potential fault conditions.

The operation of electrical appliances receiving electrical power from an electrical system may be indirectly monitored using monitoring units engaged with outlets on branch circuits of the electrical system. Electrical systems providing power to appliances to be monitored in accordance with the present invention may comprise split phase alternating current systems, tri-phase systems, or any other type of electrical system. Known loads may be applied to calibrate the monitoring system. The monitoring system may measure the power consumption of appliances operating on the electrical system and/or detect possible fault conditions. The application of a known load to each phase of the electrical system for calibration permits different portions of the electrical system to be isolated and, therefor, provides improved accuracy in monitoring power consumption and detection of potential fault conditions.

Failure in a self-healing array may be handled by: detecting a failing element of the self-healing array by monitoring characteristics of the failing element; auto-correcting a failing element of the self-healing array by adjusting characteristics of the failing element to compensate for a portion of the failing element which is failing; or correcting performance of the self-healing array when one or more elements of the self-healing array fail by detecting and modeling an impact of the one or more elements of the self-healing array which failed on the performance of the self-healing array.

The operation of electrical appliances receiving electrical power from an electrical system may be indirectly monitored using monitoring units engaged with outlets on branch circuits of the electrical system. Electrical systems providing power to appliances to be monitored in accordance with the present invention may comprise split phase alternating current systems, tri-phase systems, or any other type of electrical system. Known loads may be applied to calibrate the monitoring system. The monitoring system may measure the power consumption of appliances operating on the electrical system and/or detect possible fault conditions. The monitoring system may be distributed across multiple monitoring units and other computing devices. Output devices may be used to output a summary of the power consumption or other operation of monitored electrical appliances.

A method for detecting a device that generates spurious signals in an electrical network, to which several devices and at least one fault detection device are connected, includes the steps of monitoring the electrical network for electrical spurious signals, sequentially deactivating each device for a predetermined time T when an electrical spurious signal has been detected, and checking the electrical network for the disappearance of the respective spurious signal, and signaling as soon as the respective spurious signal has disappeared upon deactivating a respective device. This makes it possible to especially reliably detect a device in an electrical network that couples an undesired spurious signal into the network.