Power Feeding Control Apparatus and Charging System

• US 20100079000A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Japan Atomic Energy Agency
• Original Assignee: Japan Atomic Energy Agency & Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Company Limited
• Inventors: Ikeda, Mitsuo, Yamamota, Yuzo, Uno, Kiichiro, Higo, Hideyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,421,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/39
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/52 The controlling of the operation of the load not being the total disconnection of the load, i.e. entering a degraded mode or in current limitation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/58 The condition being electrical
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0018 using separate charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

In order to actualize a power feeding control apparatus and a charging system that are capable of efficiently charging plural storage batteries using a load-capacity controlled power source, the power feeding control apparatus 1 is configured so that a changeover control of the feeding of the alternating-current voltage to each charger will be performed monitoring the magnitude of the alternating current flowing in each of the plural chargers 4 to 6, therewith, the power feeding control apparatus performs the feeding changeover control comprising the steps of: feeding only to a predetermined one particular charger at the early stage of the start of charging, in which stage a large charging current flows into a storage battery; monitoring inflow current of the predetermined one particular charger; and switching power feeding to another charger to start feeding thereto when the inflow current reduces to the charging saturation current (a current still flowing even at the fully charged state).

Claims

1. A charging system comprising a power feeding control apparatus that distributes the alternating-current voltage received from a single alternating-current power source to plural chargers, and a plurality of chargers that rectify and smooth said alternating-current voltage received from said alternating-current power source to charge plural storage batteries parallel, wherein said power feeding control apparatus is configured so that a changeover control of the feeding of said alternating-current voltage to each of said plural chargers will be performed monitoring the magnitude of the alternating current flowing in each of said plural chargers, therewith, said power feeding control apparatus performs the feeding changeover control comprising the steps of:

feeding only to a predetermined one particular charger at the early stage of the start of charging, in which stage a large charging current flows into a storage battery;

monitoring inflow current of said predetermined one particular charger; and

switching power feeding to another charger to start feeding thereto when said inflow current reduces to the charging saturation current.

2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein said power feeding control apparatus receives said alternating-current voltage being connected to a single outlet under a commercial power supply.

3. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein said power feeding control apparatus is comprised of a plurality of output-outlets to which chargers are to be connected, and a means of detection of existence or non-existence of connections of chargers for detecting such chargers as are connected with said output-outlets.

4. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein said power feeding control apparatus is comprised of a control circuit that executes said control processings, and a Web controller that reports charging status on E-mail over a communication line.

5. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein a first charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be not greater than a first maximum value;

a second charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be the second maximum value that is the remainder of subtraction of charging saturation current of said first charger from said first maximum value;

a third charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be the third maximum value that is the remainder of subtraction of said charging saturation current of said first charger and charging saturation current of said second charger from said first maximum value.

7. The charging system according to claim 2, wherein said power feeding control apparatus is comprised of a plurality of output-outlets to which chargers are to be connected, and a means of detection of existence or non-existence of connections of chargers for detecting such chargers as are connected with said output-outlets.

8. The charging system according to claim 2, wherein said power feeding control apparatus is comprised of a control circuit that executes said control processings, and a Web controller that reports charging status on E-mail over a communication line.

9. The charging system according to claim 3, wherein said power feeding control apparatus is comprised of a control circuit that executes said control processings, and a Web controller that reports charging status on E-mail over a communication line.

10. The charging system according to claim 2, wherein a first charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be not greater than a first maximum value;

a second charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be the second maximum value that is the remainder of subtraction of charging saturation current of said first charger from said first maximum value;

a third charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be the third maximum value that is the remainder of subtraction of said charging saturation current of said first charger and charging saturation current of said second charger from said first maximum value.

11. The charging system according to claim 3, wherein a first charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be not greater than a first maximum value;

a second charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be the second maximum value that is the remainder of subtraction of charging saturation current of said first charger from said first maximum value;

a third charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be the third maximum value that is the remainder of subtraction of said charging saturation current of said first charger and charging saturation current of said second charger from said first maximum value.

12. The charging system according to claim 4, wherein a first charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be not greater than a first maximum value;

a second charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be the second maximum value that is the remainder of subtraction of charging saturation current of said first charger from said first maximum value;

a third charger is configured so that the maximum value of the inflow current of the received alternating-current voltage will be the third maximum value that is the remainder of subtraction of said charging saturation current of said first charger and charging saturation current of said second charger from said first maximum value.

6. A power feeding control apparatus that distributes the alternating-current voltage received from a single alternating-current power source to plural chargers, wherein said power feeding control apparatus is configured so that a changeover control of the feeding of said alternating-current voltage to each of said plural chargers will be performed monitoring the magnitude of the alternating current flowing in each of said plural chargers, therewith, said power feeding control apparatus performs the feeding changeover control comprising the steps of:

feeding only to a predetermined one particular charger at the early stage of the start of charging, in which stage a large charging current flows into a storage battery;

monitoring inflow current of said predetermined one particular charger; and

switching power feeding to another charger to start feeding thereto when said inflow current reduces to the charging saturation current.