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

• US 9,543,785 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US14/678,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20150214776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 705/412, 705/295, 705/7, 700/7, 700/295
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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, the apparatus comprising:

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

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

wherein the communication section and the control section are each implemented via at least one processor.

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

3. The electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power conditioner configured to either supply electric power from an electric-power network to the electric-power accumulation battery when the electrical charging operations are carried out, or to transfer electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery to the electric-power network when the discharging operations are carried out, in accordance with control carried out by the control section.

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

5. 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 the electric-power accumulation battery; and

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

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

6. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electric-power management apparatus further comprises:

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

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

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

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

8. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the electric-power management section issues the command to transfer electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery to the electric-power network and the command to supply electric power from the electric-power network to the electric-power accumulation battery on the basis of the price of electric power in an electric-power transaction market.

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

10. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the electric-power management section issues the command to transfer electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery to the electric-power network if the price of electric power in the electric-power transaction market is higher than a price determined in advance.

11. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the point issuance section increases the number of the transactionable points already issued to the owner of the electric-power accumulation facility if the amount shown by the electric-power accumulation information as the amount of electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery increases.

12. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the point issuance section decreases the number of the transactionable points already issued to the owner of the electric-power accumulation facility if the amount shown by the electric-power accumulation information as the amount of electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery decreases due to electric-power consumption desired by the owner of the electric-power accumulation facility.

13. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electric-power management apparatus further comprises:

a point-rate determination section configured to determine a rate between the amount of electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery and the transactionable points,

wherein the point-rate determination section is implemented via at least one processor.

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

15. An electric-power management method, implemented via at least one processor, the 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 the electric-power accumulation battery; and

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

16. An electric-power management system comprising

an electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus;

and

an electric-power management apparatus,

the 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 the electric-charging/discharging control apparatus comprises;

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

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

wherein the communication section and the control section are each implemented via at least one processor,

wherein the electric-power management apparatus comprises;

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

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

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

17. The electric-power management system according to claim 16,

wherein the electric-charging/discharging control apparatus further comprises a power conditioner configured to either supply electric power from an electric-power network to the electric-power accumulation battery when the electrical charging operations are carried out, or to transfer electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery to the electric-power network when the discharging operations are carried out, in accordance with control carried out by the control section, and

wherein the electric-power management apparatus further comprises an electric-power management section configured to provide the electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus with a command to transfer electric power accumulated in the electric-power accumulation battery to the electric-power network or a command to supply electric power from the electric-power network to the electric-power accumulation battery, wherein the electric-power management section is implemented via at least one processor.