Power supply control system and power supply control method

• US 9,651,927 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Noguchi, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US14/360,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20140288724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/006 of fuel cells with rechargeable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/10 Batteries in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/10 Fuel cells in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04365 of other components of a fuel cell or fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04604 Power, energy, capacity or load
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04626 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04925 Power, energy, capacity or load
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0494 of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04947 of auxiliary devices, e.g. batteries, capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0612 from carbon-containing material
• 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 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A power supply control system includes a remaining level detector 22 of a power-storing device 20; and an estimate computing unit 42 which estimates a prospective power generation of power-generating equipment 10 and a prospective load power consumption of connected loads, and thus, based thereupon and remaining level, a dischargeable time until remaining level reaches the minimum level, and computes an average power generation output of a power-generating equipment 10 and an average load power consumption connected loads 101-105, and thus power generation reaching time until the average power generation output reaches the average load power consumption; and a controller 43 which controls, if the dischargeable time is shorter than the power generation reaching time, to reduce power consumption of the connected loads 101-105.

Claims

1. A power supply control system, which has a power-generating equipment and a power-storing device, comprising:

a power storage level detector configured to detect a remaining level of the power-storing device;

a computing unit and a controller,

wherein the computing unit performs steps of;

computing a prospective power generation of the power-generating equipment and a prospective load power consumption of the connected load;

computing dischargeable time of the power-storing device until the remaining level reaches the minimum level based upon the prospective power generation, the prospective load power consumption and the remaining level detected by the remaining level detector;

computing an average power generation output of the power-generating equipment and an average load power consumption of the load; and

computing a power generation reaching time until the average power generation output reaches the average load power consumption, and

the controller controls, in the case that the dischargeable time computed by the computing unit is shorter than the power generation reaching time, to reduce power consumption of the connected load.

2. The power supply control system according to claim 1, wherein in the case of the power supply control system operating disconnected with grid, the controller compares the dischargeable time computed by the computing unit and the power generation reaching time, and controls the connected load based upon the comparison.

3. The power supply control system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls, in the case that at least the dischargeable time computed by the computing unit is shorter than the power generation reaching time, and equal to or shorter than a predetermined operation time, to reduce power consumption of the connected load.

4. The power supply control system according to claim 3, wherein if a plurality of loads of different priorities are each connected as the connected load and the dischargeable time computed by the computing unit is shorter than the power generation reaching time, the controller obtains from the computing unit a first dischargeable time which is a dischargeable time in a case that power consumption of a load with the lowest priority among a plurality of the connected loads is reduced, and if the first dischargeable time is shorter than the power generation reaching time and equal to or shorter than the predetermined operation time, the controller reduces power consumption of a load with the lowest priority among a plurality of the connected loads.

5. The power supply control system according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls to switch an operation mode of the connected load from a normal-operation mode to a power-saving-operation mode, to reduce power consumption.

6. The power supply control system according to claim 5, wherein if a plurality of loads of different priorities are each connected as the connected load, the controller obtains from the computing unit a second dischargeable time which is a dischargeable time in a case that a load with the highest priority among loads other than the connected load is connected in the normal-operation mode, and if the second dischargeable time is equal to or more than the power generation reaching time or the second dischargeable time is longer than a second predetermined operation time which is longer than the predetermined operation time, the controller controls to connect the load.

7. The power supply control system according to claim 5, wherein if a plurality of loads of different priorities are each connected as the connected load, the controller obtains from the computing unit a third dischargeable time which is a dischargeable time in a case that power consumption of a load with the lowest priority among loads among the connected load is reduced and that a load with a lower priority than the load of which power consumption is reduced among disconnected loads in the power-saving mode, if the third dischargeable time is longer than a third predetermined operation time which is longer than the predetermined operation time, the controller controls to connect the load.

8. The power supply control system according to claim 7, wherein if a load with a lower priority than the highest priority of the unconnected loads is connected, the controller controls to reduce power consumption of the load and to obtain from the computing unit a fourth dischargeable time which is a dischargeable time in a case that a load with the highest priority among disconnected loads other than the load of which power consumption is reduced is connected, and if the fourth dischargeable time is equal to or longer than the power generation reaching time, or the dischargeable time is longer than a fourth predetermined operation time which is longer than the predetermined operation time, the controller controls to connect the corresponding load.

9. The power supply control system according to claim 5, wherein if on the power saving mode a plurality of loads among the connected loads are to be on the power saving mode, the controller obtains from the computing unit a fifth dischargeable time which is a dischargeable time in a case that the power-saving mode of a load with the highest priority among the plurality of the loads is canceled, and if the fifth dischargeable time is equal to or longer than the power generation reaching time, or the dischargeable time is longer than a fifth predetermined operation time which is longer than the predetermined operation time, the controller controls to cancel the power-saving-operation mode of the load with the highest priority.

10. A power supply control method for a power-generating equipment and a power-storing device, comprising steps of:

a remaining level detector detecting a remaining level of the power-storing device;

a computing unit computing a prospective power generation of the power-generating equipment and a prospective load power consumption of the connected load;

a computing unit computing dischargeable time of the power-storing device until the remaining level reaches the minimum level based upon the prospective power generation, the prospective load power consumption and the remaining level detected by the remaining level detector;

a computing unit computing an average power generation output of the power-generating equipment and an average load power consumption of the load; and

a computing unit computing a power generation reaching time until the average power generation output reaches the average load power consumption, and a controller controlling in the case that the dischargeable time computed by the computing unit is shorter than the power generation reaching time, to reduce power consumption of the connected load.