CONTROL DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20120166011A1
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Oba, Yoshihiro, Tanaka, Yasuyuki, Kanda, Mitsuru
• Granted Patent: US 9,058,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/388 using mutual authentication without cards, e.g. challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a control device includes a detecting unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The detecting unit detects that a power-supplied device is connected to a power supply line relaying supply of power. The communication unit receives consumer authentication information including consumer identification information for identifying a consumer from a communication device when it is detected that the power-supplied device is connected to the power supply line, transmits the consumer authentication information to a first server, receives power-supply-availability determination information representing whether supply of power to the power-supplied device is possible or not, from the first server, and transmits power measurement information representing power supplied to the power-supplied device through the power supply line and the consumer identification information to a second server. The control unit supplies power to the power-supplied device when the power-supply-availability determination information represents that supply of power is possible.

Claims

1. A control device comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect that a power-supplied device is connected to a power supply line relaying supply of power;

a communication unit configured to, when it is detected that the power-supplied device is connected to the power supply line, receive consumer authentication information including consumer identification information for identifying a consumer from a communication device, transmit the consumer authentication information to a first server, receive power-supply-availability determination information representing whether supply of power to the power-supplied device is possible or not, from the first server, and transmit power measurement information representing power supplied to the power-supplied device through the power supply line and the consumer identification information to a second server; and

a control unit configured to supply power to the power-supplied device when the power-supply-availability determination information represents that supply of power is possible.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein

when the communication unit is within an area in which communication with the communication device is possible, the communication unit receives the consumer authentication information from the communication device by exclusively performing communication with the communication device.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein

when the communication device and the power-supplied device correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis, the communication unit transmits the consumer authentication information to the first server.

4. The control device according to claim 3, wherein

the power supply line is given first power supply line identification information for identifying the power supply line, and

the communication unit receives second power supply line identification information from the communication device, and transmits the consumer authentication information to the first server when the first power supply line identification information matches the second power supply line identification information.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein

the consumer identification information includes home electric power company identification information for identifying an electric power company with which a consumer makes a contract,

when the consumer authentication information is received, the control unit selects a first server corresponding to the electric power company identified by the home electric power company identification information included in the consumer authentication information, and a second server corresponding to the electric power company, and

the communication unit transmits the consumer authentication information to the selected first server, and transmits the power measurement information and the consumer identification information to the selected second server.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein

the consumer identification information includes home electric power company identification information for identifying a virtual electric power company,

when the consumer authentication information is received, the control unit selects a first server corresponding to the virtual electric power company identified by the home electric power company identification information included in the consumer identification information included in the consumer authentication information, and a second server corresponding to the virtual electric power company, and

the communication unit transmits the consumer authentication information to the selected first server, and transmits the power measurement information and the consumer identification information to the selected second server.

7. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a measuring unit configured to measure the power,

wherein the communication unit transmits the power measurement information representing the power measured by the measuring unit and the consumer identification information to the second server.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein

the communication unit transmits the consumer authentication information to the first server and receives the power-supply-availability determination information from the first server, through a power measuring device disposed at an upstream of the measuring unit, and

the control unit includes

an authentication unit configured to perform authentication on the power measuring device when the power-supply-availability determination information represents that supply of power is possible, and

a supply unit configured to supply power to the power-supplied device in response to a result of the authentication.

9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein

the control unit further includes

a verification unit configured to perform verification using power measured by the measuring unit and power measured by the power measuring device when the supply unit supplies power to the power-supplied device, and

the communication unit transmits the power measurement information and the consumer identification information to the second server through the power measuring device in response to a result of the verification.

10. The control device according to claim 9, wherein

when the verification fails, the communication unit transmits verification failure information representing a difference between the power measured by the measuring unit and the power measured by the power measuring device, the power measurement information, and the consumer identification information to the second server through the power measuring device.

11. The control device according to claim 1, wherein

the communication unit receives the consumer authentication information from the communication device using RFC 5191 which is an authentication protocol.

12. A control device comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect that a discharge device is connected to a power supply line relaying supply of power;

a communication unit configured to, when it is detected that the discharge device is connected to the power supply line, receive consumer authentication information including consumer identification information for identifying a consumer from a communication device, transmit the consumer authentication information to a first server, receive discharge availability determination information representing whether discharge from the discharge device is possible or not, from the first server, and transmit power measurement information representing power supplied from the discharge device through the power supply line and the consumer identification information to a second server; and

a control unit configured to receive power supplied from the discharge device when the discharge availability determination information represents that discharge is possible.

13. A control method comprising:

detecting that a power-supplied device is connected to a power supply line relaying supply of power;

receiving consumer authentication information including consumer identification information for identifying a consumer from a communication device when it is detected that the power-supplied device is connected to the power supply line;

transmitting the consumer authentication information to a first server;

receiving power-supply-availability determination information, representing whether supply of power to the power-supplied device is possible or not, from the first server;

supplying power to the power-supplied device when the power-supply-availability determination information represents that supply of power is possible; and

transmitting power measurement information representing the power supplied to the power-supplied device through the power supply line and the consumer identification information to a second server.

14. A control method comprising:

detecting that a discharge device is connected to a power supply line relaying supply of power;

receiving consumer authentication information including consumer identification information for identifying a consumer from a communication device when it is detected the discharge device is connected to the power supply line;

transmitting the consumer authentication information to a first server;

receiving discharge availability determination information, representing whether discharge from the discharge device is possible or not, from the first server;

receiving power supplied from the discharge device when the discharge availability determination information represents that discharge is possible; and

transmitting power measurement information representing the power supplied from the discharge device through the power supply line and the consumer identification information to a second server.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium including programmed instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

receiving consumer authentication information including consumer identification information for identifying a consumer from a communication device when it is detected that the power-supplied device is connected to the power supply line;

transmitting the consumer authentication information to a first server;

receiving power-supply-availability determination information, representing whether supply of power to the power-supplied device is possible or not, from the first server;

supplying power to the power-supplied device when the power-supply-availability determination information represents that supply of power is possible; and

transmitting power measurement information representing the power supplied to the power-supplied device through the power supply line and the consumer identification information to a second server.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium including programmed instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

detecting that a discharge device is connected to a power supply line relaying supply of power;

receiving consumer authentication information including consumer identification information for identifying a consumer from a communication device when it is detected the discharge device is connected to the power supply line;

transmitting the consumer authentication information to a first server;

receiving discharge availability determination information, representing whether discharge from the discharge device is possible or not, from the first server;

receiving power supplied from the discharge device when the discharge availability determination information represents that discharge is possible; and

transmitting power measurement information representing the power supplied from the discharge device through the power supply line and the consumer identification information to a second server.