Patent ID: 11967930
Assignee: TIGO ENERGY, INC.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  Y | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A device, comprising:
a local controller in communication with a central controller,
the local controller verifying communication with the central controller by determining whether the communication with the central controller has been interrupted for a time period longer than a threshold number of allowed skips,
wherein the communication is a power line communication, and the power line communication is a signal whose modulation represents coded information; and

at least one switch coupled between a first photovoltaic module of a plurality of photovoltaic modules and a power bus,
wherein the power bus serially connects the plurality of photovoltaic modules to an inverter,
wherein the power bus includes a diode coupled in series with the power bus,
the at least one switch reducing an output voltage from the first photovoltaic module to the power bus independently of others of the plurality of photovoltaic modules in response to the local controller failing to verify the communication with the central controller for the time period longer than the threshold number of allowed skips,
wherein reducing the output voltage from the first photovoltaic module to the power bus comprises opening and closing the at least one switch at a duty cycle such that a portion of the output voltage from the first photovoltaic module is provided to the power bus,

wherein the device is configured to connect the first photovoltaic module of the plurality of photovoltaic modules to the power bus when the communication with the central controller has not been interrupted for the time period longer than the threshold number of allowed skips,
wherein the device is configured to connect the first photovoltaic module of the plurality of photovoltaic modules to the power bus when a restart signal is received;
wherein the local controller includes a bypass path for a current to go through the device without passing through the diode when the first photovoltaic module is disconnected from the power bus.