Method and apparatus for providing electrical energy

• US 9,783,068 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Eger, Kolja, Kepka, Alexander, Zwirlein, Andreas, Von Wichert, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bowers, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US14/239,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20140225565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,244 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/50 using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• 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 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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: 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 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 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 : using wireless data transmission

Abstract

Electrical energy is made available incrementally for at least one session (for example for charging an electric vehicle), i.e. to prevent, by way of the delayed provision of the electrical energy, the occurrence of brief severe loading of the energy network. For example, a newly determined load distribution can lead to redistribution of electrical energy for a large number of charging stations, and this redistribution is preferably not carried out at once at a single time for all the affected charging stations but instead is carried out distributed, for example, over multiple points in time. This is advantageous and useful in electric mobility and in load management when charging multiple electric vehicles.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing electrical energy, the apparatus comprising:

a processing unit configured to set a distribution for a plurality of sessions by a temporally graduated allocation of the electrical energy during the sessions, wherein the sessions are charging operations for a plurality of electrical consumers, the electrical energy is charging current provided to the electrical consumers or a power consumption of the electrical consumers during the charging operation, and the distribution sets the charging current or the power consumption during the charging operation;

said processing unit being further configured to allocate temporally graduated electrical energies for the plurality of sessions, and to set the distribution for the plurality of sessions by;

first setting the sessions with a reduced electrical energy;

checking whether the reduced electrical energy has been successfully set or reached; and

subsequently setting the sessions with an increased electrical energy.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit is configured to enable a proportion of the electrical energy provided for the session that has not been called up to be provided to at least one other session.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrical consumer is an electric vehicle, and said processing unit is disposed at least partially in a charging station of the electric vehicle.

4. A method of providing electrical energy to a plurality of electrical consumers, the method which comprises:

during charging operations for a plurality of electrical consumers, wherein the plurality of electrical consumers are provided electrical energy in the form of charging current or a power consumption of the electrical consumer during the charging operation;

setting a distribution for a plurality of sessions by a temporally graduated allocation of the electrical energy during each session, the distribution setting the charging current or the power consumption during the charging operation;

allocating temporally graduated electrical energies for the plurality of sessions, and setting the distribution for a plurality of sessions by;

first setting the sessions with a reduced electrical energy;

checking whether the reduced electrical energy has been successfully set or reached; and

subsequently setting the sessions with an increased electrical energy.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the allocation of the electrical energy comprises a plurality of steps, with a predetermined time period between the steps.

6. The method according to claim 5, which comprises reducing or disconnecting the electrical energy if, after the predetermined time period has elapsed, the allocated electrical energy has not been set.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined time period is a constant time period or a variable time period.

8. The method according to claim 4, which comprises setting the sessions with the increased electrical energy if electrical energy drawn at that time is less than or equal to a setpoint value for the electrical energy.

9. The method according to claim 4, which comprises providing at least a proportion of an electrical energy that has been readied for a given session, but that has not been called up, to at least one other session.

10. The method according to claim 9, which comprises providing the electrical energy that has not been called up by the given session completely or substantially completely to the at least one other session.

11. The method according to claim 9, which comprises providing a proportion of the electrical energy that has not been called up by the given session to the at least one other session.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the electrical energy provided to the session is dependent on a type of session.

13. The method according to claim 9, which comprises providing at least the proportion of the electrical energy provided for the given session that has not been called up to the at least one other session if at least the proportion of the electrical energy not called up reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

14. The method according to claim 13, which comprises providing at least the proportion of the electrical energy provided for the given session that has not been called up to the at least one other session if a maximum of the proportion of the electrical energy not called up and intended for different times reaches or exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

15. The method according to claim 9, which comprises providing at least the proportion of the electrical energy provided for the given session that has not been called up to the at least one other session for a predetermined time period.

16. The method according to claim 15, which comprises:

once the predetermined time period has elapsed, determining the electrical energy required by the session;

if the electrical energy provided to the session is not called up, providing at least a proportion of the provided electrical energy to the at least one other session.

17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the electrical energy is the charging current for the electrical consumer.

18. The method according to claim 4, wherein the electrical consumer is an electric vehicle.

19. The method according to claim 4, wherein the session comprises a charging operation for an electric vehicle.