CHARGING CONTROL APPARATUS, CHARGING SYSTEM, AND CHARGING CONTROL METHOD

• US 20130009599A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yukizane, Ryota, Koga, Hisao
• Granted Patent: US 9,045,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• 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 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

A charging control apparatus (1) that controls charging of a plurality of vehicles connected via a power line is provided with an electrical storage section (41) that stores power supplied from a power source, a communication section that receives information relating to supply power from the plurality of vehicles, a power amount calculation section (43) that calculates a supply power amount for the plurality of vehicles based on the information, and a control section that, if the supply power amount exceeds a second threshold value combining a remaining charge amount of the electrical storage section (41) and a contractual power amount, controls supply power for the plurality of vehicles so as to become smaller than the second threshold value.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A charging control apparatus that controls charging of a plurality of vehicles connected via a power line, the charging control apparatus comprising:

an electrical storage section that stores power supplied from a power source;

a communication section that receives information relating to supply power from the plurality of vehicles;

a power amount calculation section that calculates a supply power amount for the plurality of vehicles based on the information; and

a control section that, if the supply power amount exceeds a second threshold value combining a remaining charge amount of the electrical storage section and a contractual power amount, controls supply power for the plurality of vehicles so as to become smaller than the second threshold value.

11. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control section, if the supply power amount exceeds a first threshold value corresponding to the contractual power amount, performs control so that power stored in the electrical storage section is supplied to at least one of the plurality of vehicles.

12. The charging control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control section performs control so that power from the power source is stored in the electrical storage section if the supply power amount is smaller than the first threshold value.

13. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control section, when the communication section receives charging completion information, notifies a user of a vehicle for which charging has been completed of billing information separate from a charging fee.

14. The charging control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the information includes information on a first charging mode and information on a second charging mode in which faster charging is possible than in the first charging mode; and

the control section sets the number of vehicles for which use of the second charging mode is possible.

15. The charging control apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control section sets the number of vehicles for which use of the second charging mode is possible smaller than the maximum number of vehicles for which use of charging is possible.

16. The charging control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control section notifies a user of a time at which the second charging mode can be started.

17. A charging system that performs charging of a plurality of vehicles, the charging system comprising:

a charging control apparatus; and

a charging apparatus connected to the charging control apparatus via a power line, wherein;

the charging control apparatus has;

an electrical storage section that stores power supplied from a power source;

a first communication section that receives information relating to supply power from the charging apparatus and also transmits a control signal to the charging apparatus;

a power amount calculation section that calculates a supply power amount for the plurality of vehicles based on the information; and

a first control section that, if the supply power amount exceeds a second threshold value combining a remaining charge amount of the electrical storage section and a contractual power amount, generates the control signal that performs control so that supply power for the plurality of vehicles becomes smaller than the second threshold value; and

the charging apparatus has;

a second communication section that receives the control signal transmitted from the charging control apparatus; and

a second control section that controls charging of the plurality of vehicles based on the control signal.

18. A charging control method that controls charging of a plurality of vehicles, the charging control method comprising:

a step of storing power supplied from a power source;

a step of receiving information relating to supply power from the plurality of vehicles;

a step of calculating supply power for the plurality of vehicles based on the information; and

a step of if the supply power amount exceeds a second threshold value combining the stored power and a contractual power amount, controlling supply power for the plurality of vehicles so as to become smaller than the second threshold value.