Power Supply System, Controller of Power Supply System, Method of Operating Power Supply System, and Method of Controlling Power Supply System

• US 20130127249A1
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ukai, Kunihiro, Kaneko, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,246,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/48
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means

Abstract

A power supply system of the present invention includes: a power generation system (101); a power storage unit (107) configured to supply electric power to the power generation system (101) and an external electric power load (105); and a controller (110) configured to, in a case where it is predicted that at least one of the sum of activation electric power of the power generation system (101) and power consumption of the external electric power load (105) when activating the power generation system (101) and the sum of stop electric power of the power generation system (101) and the power consumption of the external electric power load (105) when stopping the power generation of the power generation system (101) exceeds the upper limit electric power receivable from an electric power system (104), supply the electric power of the power storage unit (107) to at least one of the power generation system (101) and the external electric power load (105) such that the electric power amount supplied from the electric power system (104) does not exceed the upper limit electric power.

Claims

1-43. -43. (canceled)

44. A method of controlling a power supply system configured to execute at least one of

a first control operation comprising the steps of:

predicting whether or not a sum of activation electric power of a power generation system and power consumption of an external electric power load exceeds upper limit electric power receivable from an electric power system when activating the power generation system; and

when it is predicted that the sum exceeds the upper limit electric power, supplying electric power of a power storage unit to at least one of the power generation system and the external electric power load such that the electric power supplied from the electric power system does not exceed the upper limit electric power and

a second control operation comprising the steps of;

predicting whether or not a sum of stop electric power of the power generation system and the power consumption of the external electric power load exceeds the upper limit electric power receivable from the electric power system when stopping power generation of the power generation system; and

when it is predicted that the sum exceeds the upper limit electric power, supplying the electric power of the power storage unit to at least one of the power generation system and the external electric power load such that the electric power supplied from the electric power system does not exceed the upper limit electric power.

45. The method according to claim 44, wherein in the first control operation, whether to permit or deny activation of the power generation system is determined based on a power storage amount of the power storage unit.

46. The method according to claim 44, wherein the first control operation includes a step of switching, based on a power storage amount of the power storage unit, an activation mode of the power generation system between a first activation mode in which the activation electric power is relatively high and a second activation mode in which the activation electric power is relatively low.

47. The method according to claim 46, wherein the electric power system is caused to charge the power storage unit in the second activation mode.

48. The method according to claim 47, wherein an activation mode of the power generation system is switched to the first activation mode when the power storage amount of the power storage unit increases by the charging.

49. The method according to claim 46, wherein the activation mode of the power generation system is switched to the first activation mode when the power consumption of the external electric power load decreases.

50. The method according to claim 44, wherein in the first control operation, whether to permit or deny activation of the power generation system is determined based on the electric power which is able to be supplied from the power storage unit.

51. The method according to claim 44, wherein the first control operation includes a step of determining, based on the electric power which is able to be supplied from the power storage unit, whether to permit or deny continuation of an activation process of the power generation system.

52. The method according to claim 44, wherein the first control operation includes a step of switching, based on the electric power which is able to be supplied from the power storage unit, an activation mode of the power generation system between a first activation mode in which the activation electric power is relatively high and a second activation mode in which the activation electric power is relatively low.

53. The method according to claim 44, wherein the first control operation includes a step of causing the electric power system to charge the power storage unit before a scheduled activation time of the power generation system.

54. The method according to claim 44, wherein in the second control operation, whether to permit or deny power generation stop of the power generation system is determined based on a power storage amount of the power storage unit.

55. The method according to claim 44, wherein the second control operation includes a step of switching, based on a power storage amount of the power storage unit, a stop mode of the power generation system between a first stop mode in which the stop electric power is relatively high and a second stop mode in which the stop electric power is relatively low.

56. The method according to claim 55, wherein the electric power system is caused to charge the power storage unit in the second stop mode.

57. The method according to claim 56, wherein the stop mode of the power generation system is switched to the first stop mode when the power storage amount of the power storage unit increases by the charging.

58. The method according to claim 55, wherein the stop mode of the power generation system is switched to the first stop mode when the power consumption of the external electric power load decreases.

59. The method according to claim 44, wherein in the second control operation, whether to permit or deny power generation stop of the power generation system is determined based on the electric power which is able to be supplied from the power storage unit.

60. The method according to claim 44, wherein the second control operation includes a step of determining, based on the electric power which is able to be supplied from the power storage unit, whether to permit or deny continuation of a processing operation executed after power generation stop of the power generation system.

61. The method according to claim 44, wherein the second control operation includes a step of switching, based on the electric power which is able to be supplied from the power storage unit, a stop mode of the power generation system between a first stop mode in which the stop electric power is relatively high and a second stop mode in which the stop electric power is relatively low.

62. The method according to claim 44, wherein the second control operation includes a step of causing at least one of the electric power system and the power generation system to charge the power storage unit before a scheduled stop time of the power generation of the power generation system.

63. The method according to claim 44, wherein when executing at least one of the first control operation and the second control operation, the electric power of the power storage unit is supplied to the external electric power load such that the electric power supplied from the electric power system does not exceed the upper limit electric power.