Storage battery control device, charging station, and storage battery control method

• US 9,178,381 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ishida, Takaharu, Watanabe, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Siek, Vuthe
• Application Number:
  US13/810,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20130119947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 320/157, 320/159, 320/162, 320/165
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• 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: B60L 58/12 : responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/25 : by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 : using pulsed signals
• 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 3/12 : for adjusting voltage in ac networks by changing a characteristic of the network load
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 : by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 : Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 : for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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 20/242 : Home appliances
• 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

Abstract

The battery charging of electric vehicles, etc. is controlled so that the impact on the electric power system is lightened even when a lot of electric vehicles, etc. start the charging all at once. A device for controlling an electricity storage device installed in an electric vehicle or the like calculates a voltage drop by applying a load current at the time of performing the charging of the electricity storage device, and limits the charging quantity of the storage battery (installed in the electric vehicle or the like) based on the calculated voltage drop so that the voltage drop of the electric power system remains less than a prescribed level. Consequently, it becomes possible to reduce the voltage fluctuation around each of the electric vehicles, etc. that is about to execute the charging in cases where a lot of electric vehicles, etc. start the charging all at once.

Claims

1. A storage battery control device comprising:

a calculation unit which calculates a voltage drop caused to an electric power system when a storage battery is connected to the system;

a resistor element having a resistance value set by a control unit;

a control device that controls a charging load on the storage battery;

a sensor that measures an electric current value and a voltage value of a load current applied from the electric power system to the storage battery,

wherein the voltage drop is calculated based on a difference in a voltage value measured when the load current passes through the resistor element and when the load current does not pass through the resistor element when the load current is applied from the electric power system to the storage battery,

wherein the control unit outputs the control command signal based on the calculated voltage drop to the control device that controls the charging load on the storage battery, and

wherein the control command signal is a resistance setting signal for setting the resistance value of the resistor element for limiting the electric current supplied from the electric power system to the storage battery.

2. The storage battery control device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance value is determined so that the voltage drop remains within a prescribed range.

3. The storage battery control device according to claim 2, comprising:

a first switch which blocks or conducts the electric current supplied from the electric power system to the storage battery via the load limiting element; and

a second switch which blocks or conducts electric current supplied from the electric power system to the storage battery bypassing the load limiting element,

wherein the control unit outputs a signal for controlling the blockage/conduction of the first and second switches.

4. The storage battery control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit receives an electric power requirement quantity regarding the charging of the storage battery, calculates a charging plan for the storage battery based on the electric power requirement quantity so that the voltage drop remains within a prescribed range, and outputs the control command signal according to the calculated charging plan.

5. The storage battery control device according to claim 4, wherein some of the information is communicated according to a power line communication protocol.

6. The storage battery control device according to claim 4, comprising a charging time comparison unit which compares a charging time in the charging plan with a predetermined charging time,

wherein an alarm signal is outputted based on the result of the comparison.

7. The storage battery control device according to claim 1, comprising a billing calculation unit which calculates a billing quantity based on the load on the storage battery from the electric power system.

8. The storage battery control device according to claim 1, wherein

a load allocation indicating the amount of allocation to the storage battery from the electric power system is acquired, and

the load on the storage battery from the electric power system is limited according to the load allocation.