Patent ID: 11967931
Assignee: SOMFY ACTIVITES SA
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  Y | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A method for testing compatibility between energy requirements of an electrically stand-alone home-automation device and a plurality of positions on a predefined site for installing a photovoltaic module, the electrically stand-alone home-automation device comprising the photovoltaic module, a device that closes, occults, protects or screens from the sun, and an element for storing electrical energy that is configured to supply the device that closes, occults, protects or screens from the sun with power, the element for storing electrical energy being connected to the photovoltaic module and intended to be charged by electrical energy generated by the photovoltaic module,
the method being performed on a mobile terminal, the method comprising:
selecting the electrically stand-alone home-automation device,
obtaining, from a server remote from the mobile terminal, and storing, in a first memory of the mobile terminal, data identifying technical characteristics of the selected electrically stand-alone home-automation device,
obtaining and storing, in a second memory of the mobile terminal, first position data relating to a first position on the predefined site, the first position having a first location and a first orientation and/or first inclination on the predefined site, wherein the first position data comprise at least first data on the first location and on the first orientation and/or first inclination on the predefined site,
obtaining and storing, in the second memory of the mobile terminal, second position data relating to the predefined site, the second position having a second location and a second orientation and/or second inclination on the predefined site, wherein the second position data comprise at least second data on the second location and on the second orientation and/or second inclination on the predefined site,

wherein at least one of (i) the second orientation is different from the first orientation, or (ii) the second inclination is different from the first inclination,
wherein the first data on the first orientation and/or first inclination and the second data on the second orientation and/or second inclination are provided by an orientation and/or inclination device of the mobile terminal respectively positioned on the predefined site or with a respective orientation and/or inclination as on the predefined site,
estimating and storing, in a third memory of the mobile terminal, data of a sun chart at the predefined site,
for the first position data, computing an estimation of a variation in an amplitude of solar radiation received at the first position on the predefined site over a year while taking into account a position of the predefined site and a shadow mask,
for the second position data, computing an estimation of a variation in an amplitude of solar radiation received at the second position on the predefined site over a year while taking into account the position of the predefined site and a shadow mask,
computing a first energy balance on the basis of the variation in the amplitude of the solar radiation received at the first position on the predefined site and of the energy requirements of the selected electrically stand-alone home-automation device,
computing a second energy balance on the basis of the variation in the amplitude of the solar radiation received at the second position on the predefined site and of the energy requirements of the selected electrically stand-alone home-automation device,
estimating a first confidence index representative of a compatibility between the energy requirements of the selected electrically stand-alone home-automation device and the energy delivered by the photovoltaic module at the first position on the predefined site, and
estimating a second confidence index representative of a compatibility between the energy requirements of the selected electrically stand-alone home-automation device and the energy delivered by the photovoltaic module at the second position on the predefined site,

wherein the estimating of each of the respective first and second confidence indices comprises computing a number of successive operating cycles that may be carried out by the selected electrically stand-alone home-automation device when a value of a charge of the element for storing electrical energy is equal to a yearly threshold value, and
wherein the device that closes, occults, protects or screens from the sun comprises an actuator and a movable element that closes, occults, protects or screens from the sun, wherein the movable element is movable between a completely open position and a completely closed position, and an operating cycle is a movement that brings the movable element from the completely closed position to the completely open position or from the completely open position to the completely closed position.