Electrical charging/discharging control apparatus, electric-power management apparatus, electric-power management method and electric-power management system

• US 9,035,598 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2012
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ukita, Masakazu, Yoshida, Asami, Moriai, Shiho, Katagi, Masanobu
• Primary Examiner(s): DIAO, M BAYE
• Application Number:
  US13/402,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20120249056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 705/412, 705/295, 705/7, 700/7, 700/295
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus composing an electric-power accumulation facility in conjunction with an electric-power accumulation battery and including: a communication section configured to receive a command to carry out either of electrical charging and discharging operations on the electric-power accumulation battery from an electric-power management apparatus for managing the electrical charging and discharging operations carried out on the electric-power accumulation battery; a control section configured to control the electrical charging and discharging operations carried out on the electric-power accumulation battery on the basis of the command; and a power conditioner for supplying electric power from an electric-power network to the electric-power accumulation battery and transferring electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery to the electric-power network in accordance with control carried out by the control section.

Claims

1. An electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus of an electric-power accumulation facility that controls electric charging and discharging of an electric-power accumulation battery, said apparatus comprising:

a communication section configured to receive a command to carry out either electrical charging or discharging operations on said electric-power accumulation battery from an electric-power management apparatus for managing said electrical charging or discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery;

a control section configured to control said electrical charging or discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery on the basis of said command; and

a power conditioner for supplying electric power from an electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery when said electrical charging operations are carried out, and for transferring electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network when said discharging operations are carried out, in accordance with control carried out by said control section.

2. The electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said communication section transmits electric-power accumulation information showing the amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power management apparatus.

3. The electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said control section controls said electrical charging and discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery by changing an operation of said power conditioner on the basis of said command.

4. An electric-power management apparatus comprising:

a communication section configured to receive electric-power accumulation information showing the amount of electric power accumulated in an electric-power accumulation battery from an electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus of an electric-power accumulation facility that controls electric charging and discharging of said electric-power accumulation battery; and

a point issuance section configured to issue transactionable points, which correspond to an amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery, to an owner of said electric-power accumulation facility,

wherein said communication section and said point issuance section are each implemented via at least one processor.

5. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 4, said electric-power management apparatus further comprising:

an electric-power management section configured to issue a command to transfer electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to an electric-power network and a command to supply electric power from said electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery,

wherein said communication section transmits said commands issued by said electric-power management section to said electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus, and

wherein said electric-power management section is implemented via at least one processor.

6. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said point issuance section neither increases nor decreases the number of said transactionable points already issued to the owner of said electric-power accumulation facility if said amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery decreases due to an electrical discharging command issued by said electric-power management section.

7. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said electric-power management section issues said command to transfer electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network and said command to supply electric power from said electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery on the basis of the price of electric power in an electric-power transaction market.

8. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said electric-power management section issues said command to supply electric power from said electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery if said price of electric power in said electric-power transaction market is lower than a price determined in advance.

9. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said electric-power management section issues said command to transfer electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network if said price of electric power in said electric-power transaction market is higher than a price determined in advance.

10. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said point issuance section increases the number of said transactionable points already issued to the owner of said electric-power accumulation facility if said amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery increases.

11. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said point issuance section decreases the number of said transactionable points already issued to the owner of said electric-power accumulation facility if said amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery decreases due to electric-power consumption desired by the owner of said electric-power accumulation facility.

12. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 4, said electric-power management apparatus further comprising a point-rate determination section configured to determine a rate between said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery and said transactionable points, wherein said point-rate determination section is implemented via at least one processor.

13. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said point-rate determination section determines said rate on the basis of an average value of said prices of electric power in said electric-power transaction market.

14. An electric-power management method comprising:

receiving electric-power accumulation information showing the amount of electric power accumulated in an electric-power accumulation battery from an electric-power accumulation facility that controls electric charging and discharging of said electric-power accumulation battery; and

issuing transactionable points, which correspond to an amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery, to an owner of said electric-power accumulation facility.

15. An electric-power management system comprising

an electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus and

an electric-power management apparatus,

said electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus being of an electric-power accumulation facility that controls electric charging and discharging of an electric-power accumulation battery, wherein said electric-charging/discharging control apparatus comprises:

a communication section configured to receive a command to carry out electrical charging or discharging operations on said electric-power accumulation battery from said electric-power management apparatus for managing said electrical charging or discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery and transmit electric-power accumulation information showing the amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power management apparatus,

a control section configured to control said electrical charging or discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery on the basis of said command, and

a power conditioner for supplying electric power from an electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery when said electrical charging operations are carried out, and for transferring electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network when said discharging operations are carried out, in accordance with control carried out by said control section;

said electric-power management apparatus comprising;

a communication section configured to receive said electric-power accumulation information showing said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery from said electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus,

a point issuance section configured to issue transactionable points, which correspond to an amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery, to an owner of said electric-power accumulation facility, and

an electric-power management section configured to provide said electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus with a command to transfer electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network or a command to supply electric power from said electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery.