Public power supply system

• US 9,219,364 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated (Nuclear Damage Compensation Decommissioning Facilitation Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Korea Electric Power Corporation (Government of South Korea)
• Inventors: Tomiyama, Shota, Muraki, Kengo, Shigehara, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, SEAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/634,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/003 for electricity
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• 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: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/128 involving the use of Internet protocol
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

A public power supply system makes it possible to use power in a public location both conveniently and safely without erroneous operations. An outlet, to which power is supplied from a distribution line, is installed in advance in a predetermined public location and a communication terminal requesting the outlet to supply power and a center server are connected in advance via an Internet and when there is a request to the outlet to supply power, the center server outputs a current supply command to a current control unit via a communication network (Internet or telephone network) and the current control unit permits supply of a current to be supplied to the outlet when there is a current supply command and there is information to allow supply of a current to the outlet generated using a remote control prevention device installed near the outlet.

Claims

1. A public power supply system comprising:

an outlet installed in advance in a predetermined public location and supplied with power from a distribution line;

a current control unit connected between the outlet and the distribution line and configured to control whether or not to allow supply of a current to be supplied to the outlet;

a communication terminal requesting the outlet to supply power;

a remote control prevention device installed at the outlet and configured to generate information to allow supply of a current to the outlet by an actual operation of a user; and

a center server connected with the communication terminal via the Internet and connected with the current control unit via a communication network, and configured to determine whether or not information to allow supply of a current has been received from the remote control prevention device when there is a request by a user to supply power to the outlet from the communication terminal and to output a current supply command to the current control unit when the information to allow supply of a current has been received, wherein

the remote control prevention device includes a display device configured to display a variable identification marker for identifying the outlet, which is changed each time the outlet is used, and

the center server determines that information to allow supply of a current is received when an actual operation to cause the communication terminal to read the variable identification marker displayed on the display device is performed by a user and the variable identification marker is transmitted to the center server and the variable identification marker is received from the communication terminal.

2. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

a user specifying information reader configured to read user specifying information for specifying a user is provided to the current control unit at the outlet, and

the center server outputs a current supply command to the current control unit when the user specifying information read by the user specifying information reader is user-registered.

3. The public power supply system according to claim 2, wherein

the user specifying information is user identifying information stored in a contactless IC card and the user specifying information reader is a contactless IC card reader.

4. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the center server transmits information of the outlet installation location to the communication terminal when there is a request by the user to search for the outlet installation location from the communication terminal.

5. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the center server totalizes the time of use of the outlet, the amount of power used, and the use charge for each of the users.

6. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the current control unit blocks a current from the distribution line when detecting an electric leakage in a lower system of the distribution line.

7. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the current control unit blocks a current from the distribution line when a supply current to the outlet exceeds an overcurrent set value determined in advance.

8. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the current control unit has a use time limit value storage unit configured to set a limit value of the time of use of the outlet and a timer configured to turn off current supplied to the outlet when the time of use of the outlet reaches the limit value set in the use time limit value storage unit, and

the center server outputs a count start command of the timer as well as a current supply command of the outlet.

9. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the center server has a use time limit value storage unit configured to set a limit value of the time of use of the outlet and a timer configured to turn off current supplied to the outlet when the time of use of the outlet reaches the limit value set in the use time limit value storage unit and outputs a count start command of the timer as well as a current supply command of the outlet.

10. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the current control unit supplies an AC current supplied from the distribution line to the outlet and at the same time, converts the AC current into a DC current and supplies the converted DC current to a DC outlet.

11. The public power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

a communication network connecting the current control unit and the center server is the Internet or a communication network using a protocol other than the Internet protocol.