Method and apparatus for control

• US 9,444,255 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rutherford, Christopher, Marivoet, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US13/274,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 700/297, 429/90, 429/91
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/28 Arrangements for balancing of the load in a network by storage of energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• 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: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/12 Monitoring or controlling equipment for energy generation units, e.g. distributed energy generation [DER] or load-side generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/14 Energy storage units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

A method of controlling the connection of a collection of a plurality of electricity providing devices to an electrical power network is described. In this, the plurality of electricity providing devices having a communication line therebetween and the method comprises receiving a message at a first electricity providing device from a controlling device and, in response to the message: connecting the first electricity providing device to the electrical power network; and sending, from the first electricity providing device to a second electricity providing device, a second message containing data in response to which the second electricity providing device is connected to the electrical power network.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the transfer of electricity between a collection of a plurality of electricity storage devices and an electrical power network, the plurality of electricity storage devices having a communication line therebetween, the method comprising:

receiving a message at a first electricity storage device from a controlling device and, in response to the message

transferring electricity between the first electricity storage device and the electrical power network independently of a second electricity storage device in one of

a first transfer direction to the electrical power network, or

a second transfer direction from the electrical power network; and

sending, from the first electricity storage device to a the second electricity storage device, a second message containing data in response to which the second electricity storage device transfers electricity between the second electricity storage device and the electrical power network in the one of the first transfer direction or the second transfer direction in which the first electricity storage device transfers electricity in response to the message.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the first electricity storage device, an acknowledgment from the second electricity storage device, and in response to said acknowledgment and the transfer of electricity between the first electricity storage device and the electrical power network, the first electricity storage device sends an acknowledgment to the controlling device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling device is a server or a further electricity storage device.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

sending, from the first electricity storage device to a third electricity storage device, a third message containing data in response to which the third electricity storage device transfers electricity to or from the electrical power network,

receiving from the third electricity storage device an acknowledgment and, in response to said acknowledgment from said second and third electricity storage devices, sending the acknowledgment to the controlling device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein any one of the first, second or third electricity storage device transfers energy to or from the electrical power network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first electricity storage device has an identifier stored thereon, the identifier uniquely identifying the second electricity storage device in the collection whereby the identifier is used to route the second message to the second electricity storage device.

7. The method according to claim 6 further comprising:

selecting a different electricity storage device within the collection as the second electricity storage device, wherein the different electricity storage device has a unique identifier attributed thereto, and updating the identifier stored in the first electricity storage device to be the different unique identifier, wherein the selection is made in dependence upon the reliability of the communication line to the second electricity storage device and to the different electricity storage device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the reliability of the communication line to the second electricity storage device is below a threshold, and the reliability of the communication line to the different electricity storage device is above that of the communication line to the second electricity storage device.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising periodically measuring the energy in the second electricity storage device and sending the measured energy value, and an identifier that uniquely identifies the second electricity storage device, to the first electricity storage device.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to claim 1.

11. An electricity storage device operable to provide electrical energy to an electrical power network, comprising:

a communication interface operable to communicate with a second electricity storage device and to receive a message at the electricity storage device from a controlling device; and

a controller operable in response to the message to

transfer electricity between the electricity storage device and the electrical power network independently of the second electricity storage device in one of

a first transfer direction to the electrical power network, or

a second transfer direction from the electrical power network; and

using the communication interface, send to the second electricity storage device, a second message containing data in response to which the second electricity storage device transfers electricity between the second electricity storage device and the electrical power network in the one of the first transfer direction or the second transfer direction in which the controller transfers electricity in response to the message.

12. A device according to claim 11, wherein the communication interface is further operable to receive an acknowledgment from the second electricity storage device, and in response to said acknowledgment and the transfer of electricity between the first electricity storage device and the electrical power network, the communication interface is operable to send an acknowledgment to the controlling device.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the communication interface is operable to send to a third electricity storage device, a third message containing data in response to which the third electricity storage device transfers electricity to or from the electrical power network, and the communication interface is further operable to receive from the third electricity storage device an acknowledgment and, in response to said acknowledgment from said second and third electricity storage devices, the communication interface is operable to send the acknowledgment to the controlling device.

14. The device according to claim 13 wherein any of the device, the second electricity storage device, or the third electricity storage device is operable to transfer energy to or from the electrical power network.

15. A device according to claim 11, wherein the controlling device is a server or a further electricity storage device.

16. The device according to claim 11, comprising a memory operable to store an identifier thereon, the identifier uniquely identifying the second electricity storage device in the collection whereby the identifier is used to route the second message to the second electricity storage device.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the controller is further operable to select a different electricity storage device within the collection as the second electricity storage device, wherein the different electricity storage device has a unique identifier attributed thereto, and to update the identifier stored in the memory to be the different unique identifier, wherein the selection is made in dependence upon the reliability of the communication line to the second electricity storage device and to the different electricity storage device.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the reliability of the communication line to the second electricity storage device is below a threshold, and the reliability of the communication line to the different electricity storage device is above that of the communication line to the second electricity storage device.

19. The device according to claim 11, comprising a charge measurement device operable to periodically measure the available energy and wherein the communication interface is operable to send the measured energy value, and an identifier that uniquely identifies the second electricity storage device, to the controller.