Communication Abnormality Handling Device and Method in VPP

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication anomaly response device and method in a VPP. Information related to a charge-discharge operation in a second period longer than a first period is sent from a control server as a control instruction. This communication anomaly response device stores, in a memory that can be accessed from a charger without being affected by the communication state between the control server and the charger, the control instructions sent from the control server at the cycle of the first period. When a communication anomaly occurs between the control server and the charger, this communication anomaly response device causes the charger to perform a charge-discharge operation in accordance with the control instructions stored in the memory.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication anomaly response device and method in a VPP. Background Art

[0002] Currently, research on VPP (Virtual Power Plant) that uses electric vehicles as energy sources has been developed. An example is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-124674. The technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-124674 is related to a V2G system that exchanges electric power bidirectionally between a power system and storage batteries mounted on multiple electric vehicles. In this technology, information related to charging and discharging is sent from a sub-aggregator to an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Service Equipment). The sub-aggregator is a control server that manages charging and discharging, and the EVSE is a charger / discharger that charges and discharges an electric vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The control server and the charger / discharger are connected via a wired or wireless communication network. Therefore, there is a possibility that a communication anomaly may occur between the control server and the charger / discharger during the operation of the VPP. In the case where communication is cut off, the charger / discharger cannot receive control instructions related to charging and discharging from the control server and cannot continue the charging and discharging operation for the electric vehicle. As a result, the charging and discharging performance of the VPP decreases.

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can suppress a decrease in charging and discharging performance in the case where a communication anomaly occurs between a control server and a charger / discharger in a VPP.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a communication anomaly response device for achieving the above object. The communication anomaly response device of the present disclosure is a communication anomaly response device in a VPP, and the VPP includes: a charger / discharger that can connect a power system and an electric vehicle to perform a charging and discharging operation for the electric vehicle; and a control server that sends control instructions for controlling the charging and discharging operation to the charger / discharger at a cycle of a first period. The communication anomaly response device includes a processor and a memory. The processor is programmed to cause the charger / discharger to perform a charging and discharging operation. The memory can be accessed from the processor without being affected by the communication state between the control server and the charger / discharger, and stores control instructions sent at a cycle of the first period. Here, information related to the charging and discharging operation in a second period longer than the first period is sent as the control instruction. In the case where a communication anomaly occurs between the control server and the charger / discharger, the processor reads out information related to the charging and discharging operation in the second period from the memory and causes the charger / discharger to perform a charging and discharging operation in accordance with the information read out from the memory.

[0006] In this communication anomaly response device, the processor may also cause the charger / discharger to perform a fail-safe operation after a second period has elapsed since the occurrence of the communication anomaly. Additionally, in this communication anomaly response device, the memory may be provided in the charger / discharger, or may be provided in a communication device that sets up communication between the relay control server and one or more charger / dischargers, or may be provided in each electric vehicle participating in the VPP. Further, in this communication anomaly response device, the larger the number of electric vehicles participating in the VPP, the longer the second period may be set; the smaller the allowable amount of power variation in the power system, the shorter the second period may be set; and the higher the achievement rate of the target power amount in the VPP at the time of the occurrence of the communication anomaly, the shorter the second period may be set.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a communication anomaly response method for achieving the above object. The communication anomaly response method of the present disclosure is a communication anomaly response method in a VPP, which includes: a charger / discharger capable of connecting a power system and an electric vehicle to perform charging and discharging operations on the electric vehicle; and a control server that sends control instructions for controlling the charging and discharging operations to the charger / discharger at a cycle of a first period. This communication anomaly response method includes three steps. The first step is a step of sending information related to the charging and discharging operation during a second period longer than the first period as a control instruction. The second step is a step of storing the control instruction sent at the cycle of the first period in a memory that can be accessed from the charger / discharger without being affected by the communication state between the control server and the charger / discharger. The third step is a step of, when a communication anomaly occurs between the control server and the charger / discharger, reading out the information related to the charging and discharging operation during the second period from the memory and causing the charger / discharger to perform the charging and discharging operation according to the information read out from the memory.

[0008] According to the communication anomaly response device and method of the present disclosure, during the period when communication is normally carried out between the control server and the charger / discharger, the charging and discharging operation of the electric vehicle is performed by the charger / discharger according to the control instruction sent from the control server at the cycle of the first period, and the control instruction is stored in the memory. Moreover, when a communication anomaly occurs between the control server and the charger / discharger, the information related to the charging and discharging operation during the second period is read out from the memory. The control instruction stored in the memory has information related to the charging and discharging operation during a second period longer than the first period, which is its update cycle. Therefore, even if the control instruction is not received from the control server due to the communication anomaly, for a short period, the charging and discharging operation of the electric vehicle is performed by the charger / discharger according to the information read out from the memory. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the charging and discharging performance when a communication anomaly occurs between the control server and the charger / discharger in the VPP. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, and in which:

[0010] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall structure of the VPP of a communication anomaly response device to which an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.

[0011] Figure 2 is a diagram showing Figure 1 the normal operation of the VPP shown.

[0012] Figure 3 is a diagram showing Figure 1 the operation of the VPP when a communication anomaly occurs.

[0013] Figure 4 is a diagram explaining the problems that occur when a communication anomaly occurs in a general VPP in relation to the transmission period of a control instruction and the data duration of the control instruction.

[0014] Figure 5 is a diagram explaining the effects of the communication anomaly response device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in relation to the transmission period of a control instruction and the data duration of the control instruction.

[0015] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the communication anomaly response method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 7 is a diagram explaining the first determination method of the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data included in the control instruction.

[0017] Figure 8 is a diagram explaining the second determination method of the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data included in the control instruction.

[0018] Figure 9 is a diagram explaining the third determination method of the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data included in the control instruction.

[0019] Figure 10 is a diagram explaining the third determination method of the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data included in the control instruction. Detailed Embodiments

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, when referring to numbers such as the number, quantity, amount, range, etc. of each element in the embodiments shown below, unless otherwise specifically stated or clearly determined to be that number in principle, the idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the mentioned number. In addition, the structures described in the embodiments shown below are not necessarily essential in the idea of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specifically stated or clearly determined to be so in principle.

[0021] 1. Overall Structure of VPP

[0022] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram showing the overall structure of a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) 100 of a communication anomaly response device to which the embodiments of the present disclosure are applied. The VPP 100 of the present embodiment is a VPP that uses a plurality of electric vehicles 8 as energy sources. The electric vehicles 8 used in the VPP 100 include all electric vehicles recorded as xEV. For example, pure electric vehicles (EV), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV), and fuel cell vehicles (FCEV) are included in the electric vehicles 8 that can participate in the VPP 100.

[0023] The VPP 100 includes a plurality of charging / discharging devices (EVPS: EV Power Station) 6 connected to the power system 16 via a power line 18. The charging / discharging device 6 is a power conversion device capable of performing charging and discharging operations on the electric vehicle 8. The electric vehicle 8 that becomes the energy source of the VPP 100 is connected to the power system 16 via the charging / discharging device 6. Using the charging / discharging device 6, charging from the power system 16 to the electric vehicle 8 and discharging from the electric vehicle 8 to the power system 16 are performed. However, not all electric vehicles can be connected to the power system 16. The electric vehicles that can be connected to the power system 16 are limited to the electric vehicles 8 registered in the VPP 100.

[0024] The VPP 100 includes a control server 2 that manages the charging and discharging operations of the charging / discharging device 6. The control server 2 is connected to each charging / discharging device 6 via a wired or wireless communication network 12, 14. Specifically, the VPP 100 is connected to one or more communication devices (relay devices) 4 via an upper communication network 12, and each communication device 4 is connected to one or more charging / discharging devices 6 via a lower communication network 14. The control server 2 creates a charging / discharging plan for each electric vehicle 8 according to the power supply and demand required by the VPP 100. Since the request for the power supply and demand of the VPP 100 is updated, for example, at intervals of about 1 minute to 30 minutes, the charging / discharging plan is periodically updated in response to the update of the request for the power supply and demand.

[0025] The control server 2 generates control instructions in accordance with the charge and discharge plans of each electric vehicle 8. The control instructions are information for controlling the charge and discharge operations of the charger 6 for the electric vehicle 8, and are generated for each electric vehicle 8. The control server 2 determines which electric vehicle 8 is connected to which charger 6 based on the information related to the electric vehicle 8 sent from the charger 6. Then, the control server 2 sends the control instructions prepared for the charger 6 to which the electric vehicle 8 is connected to the charger 6 to which the electric vehicle 8 is connected. The transmission cycle of the control instructions sent by the control server 2 to the charger 6 is set to a cycle shorter than the update cycle of the charge and discharge plan. For example, the control instructions are sent at intervals of about 5 to 10 seconds.

[0026] Although described in detail later, regarding the control instructions generated in this embodiment, the data time length thereof is different from that of a general VPP. Regarding the control instructions sent in a general VPP, they are updated with the same length as their transmission cycle, so they have a data time length equal to the transmission cycle. However, the control instructions generated in this embodiment have a data time length longer than the transmission cycle.

[0027] The charger 6 to which the above control instructions are sent includes a memory 20 and a processor 30. The processor 30 operates the charger 6 in accordance with the control instructions sent from the control server 2. By operating the charger 6 in accordance with the control instructions, the charge and discharge operations of the charger 6 for the electric vehicle 8 are executed. The memory 20 temporarily stores the control instructions sent from the control server 2 to the charger 6. The control instructions stored in the memory 20 can be read out by the processor 30.

[0028] 2. Operation of VPP

[0029] Use Figure 2 And Figure 3 , the operation of the VPP 100 having the above structure will be described. First, Figure 2 is a diagram showing the normal operation of the VPP 100. In Figure 2 , the flow of the control instruction CI_VPP in the case where communication is normally carried out between the control server 2 and the charger 6 is shown. The control instruction CI_VPP is composed of basic data D0 having a data time length equal to the transmission cycle (update cycle) and exception response data Derr having a data time length for exception response described later. The basic data D0 corresponds to the control instructions sent in a general VPP. The control instruction CI_VPP includes instruction contents up to the far future corresponding to the amount of the exception response data Derr.

[0030] The memory 20 is a part of the charger 6, but in Figure 2In order to facilitate the explanation of the flow of the control instruction CI_VPP, the memory 20 is shown separated from the charger 6. When communication is normally carried out between the control server 2 and the charger 6, the control instruction CI_VPP is sent to both the charger 6 and the memory 20. The charger 6 executes the charging and discharging operations for the electric vehicle 8 in accordance with the sent control instruction CI_VPP. However, only a part of the basic data D0 consistent with the update period is the data required in the charger 6 among the control instructions CI_VPP sent from the control server 2. Therefore, only the basic data D0 in the control instruction CI_VPP is temporarily stored in the cache of the processor 30, and the processor 30 makes the charger 6 perform the charging and discharging operations in accordance with the basic data D0. On the other hand, the memory 20 stores only the exception handling data Derr in the sent control instruction CI_VPP. Then, when a new control instruction CI_VPP is sent for each transmission period, the stored exception handling data Derr is updated.

[0031] Next, Figure 3 is a diagram showing the operations when a communication exception occurs in the VPP 100. In Figure 3 it shows the flow of the control instruction CI_VPP when a communication exception occurs between the control server 2 and the charger 6. In Figure 3 In the example shown, a communication exception occurs in the upper communication network 12 connecting the control server 2 and the communication device 4. In this case, after the occurrence of the communication exception, the control instruction CI_VPP cannot reach the charger 6 from the control server 2. Therefore, in the case of a general VPP, the charging and discharging operations of the charger for the electric vehicle cannot be continued.

[0032] However, in the memory 20, the exception handling data Derr included in the latest control instruction CI_VPP is stored. The exception handling data Derr stored in the memory 20 is not the data generated before the occurrence of the communication exception, but includes the instruction content up to the future after the occurrence of the communication exception. Therefore, the exception handling data Derr stored in the memory 20 can be used as substitute data for the basic data D0 that would be sent from the control server 2 to the charger 6 if no communication exception occurred. The processor 30 reads the exception handling data Derr from the memory 20 and makes the charger 6 perform the charging and discharging operations in accordance with the exception handling data Derr read from the memory 20. Thus, even after the occurrence of the communication exception, the charging and discharging operations of the charger 6 for the electric vehicle 8 can be continued for a long amount of time corresponding to the data of the exception handling data Derr, and the reduction of the charging and discharging performance of the request for power supply and demand can be suppressed.

[0033] The communication abnormality response device according to the present embodiment is configured to include: a memory 20 that stores a control instruction CI_VPP having the above data structure; and a processor 30 programmed to execute the above processing when a communication abnormality occurs.

[0034] 3. Effects of the communication abnormality response device

[0035] Next, using Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the effects of the communication abnormality response device according to the present embodiment will be described based on the relationship between the transmission cycle of the control instruction and the time length of the control instruction. First, Figure 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the transmission cycle of the control instruction in a general VPP and the time length of the control instruction. In a general VPP, the transmission cycle (first period) T1 of the control instruction CI_VPP is constant, and the data time length of the control instruction CI_VPP is equal to the transmission cycle T1.

[0036] In normal times when no communication abnormality occurs, for example, at the timing when the charge and discharge operation based on the (i - 1)-th control instruction CI_VPP(i - 1) ends, the charger / discharger 6 receives the i-th control instruction CI_VPP(i). Then, the charge and discharge operation based on the i-th control instruction CI_VPP(i) is started. That is, in a general VPP, usually, the charge operation of the charger / discharger 6 is continuously performed by the control instruction CI_VPP having a data time length equal to the transmission cycle T1.

[0037] However, in the case where the communication between the control server 2 and the charger / discharger 6 is cut off due to a communication abnormality occurring during the execution of the charge and discharge operation based on the control instruction CI_VPP(i), the charger / discharger 6 cannot receive the (i + 1)-th control instruction CI_VPP(i + 1). In this case, since the charger / discharger 6 cannot continue to execute the charge and discharge operation for the electric vehicle 8, a predetermined fail-safe operation is performed. In the fail-safe operation, in order to limit the adverse effects caused by a charge and discharge operation different from the original control instruction to the minimum, for example, the charge and discharge power of the electric vehicle 8 is set to 0 kW.

[0038] Next, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the transmission cycle of the control instruction in the VPP100 to which the communication abnormality response device according to the present embodiment is applied and the time length of the control instruction. In the VPP100, the control instruction CI_VPP includes basic data D0 and abnormality response data Derr. The data time length of the basic data D0 is equal to the transmission cycle T1, but the overall data time length (second period) T2 of the control instruction CI_VPP including the abnormality response data Derr is longer than the transmission cycle T1.

[0039] In normal times when there is no communication anomaly, for example, at the timing when the charge / discharge operation of the basic data D0 based on the (i - 1)-th control instruction CI_VPP(i - 1) ends, the charge / discharge device 6 receives the i-th control instruction CI_VPP(i). Then, it starts the charge / discharge operation of the basic data D0 based on the i-th control instruction CI_VPP(i). That is, in the VPP100, normally, the charge / discharge operation of the charge / discharge device 6 is continuously performed through the basic data D0 of the control instruction CI_VPP having a data time length equal to the transmission period T1.

[0040] Here, it is assumed that a communication anomaly occurs during the execution of the charge / discharge operation based on the control instruction CI_VPP(i), and the communication between the control server 2 and the charge / discharge device 6 is cut off. In this case, the charge / discharge device 6 cannot receive the (i + 1)-th control instruction CI_VPP(i + 1) and cannot continue to execute the charge / discharge operation based on the basic data D0. However, in the memory 20, the anomaly response data Derr of the latest control instruction CI_VPP(i) is stored. The processor 30 constituting the communication anomaly response device of this embodiment reads out this anomaly response data Derr from the memory 20 and causes the charge / discharge device 6 to execute the charge / discharge operation in accordance with the anomaly response data Derr. Thereby, the charge / discharge device 6 can continue to execute the charge / discharge operation for the electric vehicle 8 for a time corresponding to the data time length Terr of the anomaly response data Derr, and can suppress the reduction of the charge / discharge performance of the request for power supply and demand. After passing through the data time length Terr, the charge / discharge device 6 executes a predetermined fail-safe operation and shifts to the standby mode.

[0041] 4. Communication anomaly response method in VPP

[0042] Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing the communication anomaly response method in the VPP100 to which the communication anomaly response device of this embodiment is applied. The communication anomaly response method shown in this flowchart is executed by the processor 30 constituting the communication anomaly response device of this embodiment.

[0043] In step S100, the processor 30 determines whether it is during the execution of the charge / discharge operation based on the control instruction from the control server 2. For example, if the electric vehicle 8 is not connected to the charge / discharge device 6, the charge / discharge operation of the charge / discharge device 6 for the electric vehicle 8 is not performed. In addition, even when the electric vehicle 8 is connected to the charge / discharge device 6, after the required charge power or discharge power in the charging plan is achieved, the charge / discharge operation of the charge / discharge device 6 for the electric vehicle 8 is not performed.

[0044] If the current charge and discharge operation is performed based on the control instruction from the control server 2, the determination in step S200 is then carried out. In step S200, the processor 30 determines whether a communication abnormality has occurred between it and the control server 2. There is no restriction on where the communication abnormality occurs. The processor 30 determines that a communication abnormality has occurred when it fails to receive the latest control instruction at the time point when the transmission cycle T1 has elapsed since the reception of the previous control instruction.

[0045] When no communication abnormality occurs and the control instruction can be received for each transmission cycle T1, the processor 30 executes steps S300 and S400. In step S300, the processor 30 saves the abnormality response data Derr included in the latest control instruction into the memory 20. In step S400, the processor 30 causes the charger / discharger 6 to perform the charge and discharge operation for the electric vehicle 8 in accordance with the basic data D0 in the latest control instruction sent from the control server 2.

[0046] When the control instruction cannot be received from the control server 2 due to the occurrence of a communication abnormality, the processor 30 first makes a determination in step S500. In step S500, the processor 30 uses existing diagnostic techniques to determine whether there is no abnormality in the charger / discharger (EVPS) 6 and the electric vehicle (xEV) 8 connected thereto. This abnormality determination is made to confirm that the communication abnormality is not caused by an abnormality in the charger / discharger 6 or the electric vehicle 8. If it is assumed that an abnormality has occurred in any component of the charger / discharger 6 and the electric vehicle 8, the processor 30 executes step S900. In step S900, the processor 30 stops the charge and discharge operation for the electric vehicle 8 and causes the charger / discharger 6 to perform a fail-safe operation. After performing the fail-safe operation, the charger / discharger 6 transitions to the standby mode.

[0047] When both the charger / discharger 6 and the electric vehicle 8 are normal, the processor 30 executes steps S600 and S700. In step S600, the processor 30 reads out the abnormality response data Derr of the latest control instruction stored in step S300 from the memory 20. In step S700, the processor 30 causes the charger / discharger 6 to perform the charge and discharge operation for the electric vehicle 8 in accordance with the abnormality response data Derr of the control instruction read out from the memory 20.

[0048] In step S800, the processor 30 determines whether the duration of the communication anomaly has exceeded the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data Derr. Until the duration of the communication anomaly exceeds the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data Derr, steps S200, S500, and S700 are repeatedly executed (step S600 is only executed once initially and then skipped). That is, during the period from the occurrence of the communication anomaly to the elapsed time Terr, the processor 30 causes the charger / discharger 6 to continue performing the charge / discharge operation for the electric vehicle 8.

[0049] During the period before the elapsed time Terr, if the communication anomaly is restored and the control instruction can be received from the control server 2 again, the processor 30 resumes the execution of the normal processing, that is, steps S300 and S400. If the duration of the communication anomaly exceeds the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data Derr, the processor 30 executes step S900. In step S900, the processor 30 causes the charger / discharger 6 to perform a fail-safe operation. After performing the fail-safe operation, the charger / discharger 6 transitions to the standby mode.

[0050] 5. Method for determining the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data

[0051] As described above, in the communication anomaly response device and method of this embodiment, the control instruction sent from the control server 2 to the charger / discharger 6 includes the anomaly response data Derr. The data duration Terr of the anomaly response data Derr can be arbitrarily set and can be, for example, a fixed value. In addition, the longer the data duration Terr is set, the longer the charge / discharge operation of the electric vehicle 8 using the charger / discharger 6 can continue after the communication anomaly occurs. However, the latest power condition after the occurrence of the communication anomaly is not reflected in the anomaly response data Derr included in the control instruction. Therefore, if the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data Derr is set too long, there is a possibility that the obtained charge / discharge power deviates from the request of the power supply and demand, having an adverse impact on the power system 16.

[0052] Therefore, preferably, the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data Derr is determined by the method described below. As the method for determining the data duration Terr of the anomaly response data Derr, the following three methods can be cited.

[0053] First, in the first determination method, the data time length Terr is determined according to the number of participating vehicles in the VPP100. In the VPP100, multiple electric vehicles 8 with a scale of 100 or more perform charge and discharge operations between the power system 16 in the same area. In this case, the more the number of electric vehicles 8 connected to the power system 16, the smaller the impact on each vehicle, so the impact caused by the long data time length Terr also becomes smaller. That is, the more the number of electric vehicles 8 participating in the VPP100 (the number of connected vehicles), the longer the data time length Terr can be set. However, since it is possible to assume a situation where communication anomalies occur simultaneously in multiple vehicles, the data time length Terr needs an upper limit.

[0054] Figure 7 Fig. shows the time-based change of the charge and discharge power in the case where, after a communication anomaly occurs, the charge and discharge operation is controlled using the anomaly response data Derr having the data time length Terr determined by the first determination method. In Figure 7 the solid line curve labeled Pcalc_nrm represents the target value of the charge and discharge power in the case where no communication anomaly occurs. On the other hand, the solid line curve labeled Pcalc_err represents the calculated value of the charge and discharge power based on the anomaly response data Derr. In addition, the dashed line curve labeled Pact_err0 represents the change in the actual value of the charge and discharge power in the case where the charge and discharge operation based on the anomaly response data Derr is not performed after a communication anomaly occurs. In contrast, the dashed line curve labeled Pact_err represents the change in the actual value of the charge and discharge power in the case where the charge and discharge operation based on the anomaly response data Derr is performed after a communication anomaly occurs.

[0055] As can also be seen from the comparison between Pact_err0 and Pact_err in Figure 7 by performing the charge and discharge operation based on the anomaly response data Derr, the reduction in the charging performance can be suppressed. However, the deviation between the target value Pcalc_nrm as the latest calculated value and the past calculated value Pcalc_nrm expands over time, and as a result, the deviation between the target value Pcalc_nrm and the actual value Pact_err also becomes larger. Therefore, in the first determination method, the time when it is considered that the error between the target value Pcalc_nrm and the actual value Pact_err exceeds the allowable error is determined as the data time length Terr. The allowable error is determined by the number of electric vehicles 8 participating in the VPP100, and the more the number of participating vehicles, the larger the value set. Hereinafter, the data time length Terr determined by the first determination method is denoted as Terr_1.

[0056] In the second determination method, the data time length Terr is determined according to the allowable variation amount of the total power in the power system 16 in the same region. The longer the data time length Terr, the greater the error of the actual value Pact_err relative to the target value Pcalc_nrm. Therefore, the smaller the allowable variation amount of the power, the shorter the data time length Terr needs to be. The allowable variation amount of the power can be calculated based on the capabilities of the power system 16 itself and the power usage status. In addition, as an example of a smaller allowable variation amount of the power, cases where the state of the power system 16 in the region approaches saturation through solar power generation, or cases where the power usage is high and it is difficult to maintain the voltage, etc. can be cited.

[0057] However, depending on whether the charging and discharging operation of the electric vehicle 8 is charging or discharging, the power of the power system 16 changes. In addition, whether it is charging or discharging also affects the battery of the electric vehicle 8. Therefore, in the second determination method, when the charging and discharging are switched during the calculation of the abnormal response data Derr, the abnormal response data Derr is limited until the charging and discharging power becomes zero. That is, as Figure 8 shown, the period during which the calculated value Pcalc_err of the charging and discharging power based on the abnormal response data Derr is maintained on the charging side is determined as the data time length Terr. Or, conversely, the period during which the calculated value Pcalc_err of the charging and discharging power based on the abnormal response data Derr is maintained on the discharging side is determined as the data time length Terr. Hereinafter, the data time length Terr determined by the second determination method is denoted as Terr_2.

[0058] In the third determination method, the data time length Terr is determined according to the achievement rate of the target power amount in the VPP100. The charging and discharging operation after the communication abnormality can suppress the reduction of the charging and discharging actual results. However, on the other hand, in the case of continuing for a long time, it becomes the main cause of errors. Therefore, as the actual result of the VPP100, if the target power amount at each certain time has been achieved to a certain extent, after the communication abnormality occurs, there is no need to execute the charging and discharging operation based on the abnormal response data Derr for a long time. Therefore, in the third determination method, the achievement degree of the target power amount of the VPP100 is monitored as the actual result, and the data time length Terr is determined according to the achievement rate of the target power amount at the time point when the communication abnormality occurs.

[0059] Here, Figure 9 and Figure 10An example of the time-based change in the achievement rate of the target power amount is shown. In each figure, the solid line curve labeled Wnrm represents the achievement rate of the target power amount in the case where no communication abnormality occurs. On the other hand, the solid line curve labeled Werr represents the achievement rate of the target power amount in the case where, after a communication abnormality occurs, the charge and discharge operation based on the abnormality response data Derr is performed and then the fail-safe operation is performed. In addition, the dashed line curve labeled Werr0 represents the achievement rate of the target power amount in the case where the fail-safe operation is immediately performed after a communication abnormality occurs.

[0060] When the achievement rate of the target power amount at the time point when a communication abnormality occurs is relatively low, as Figure 9 shown, the data time length Terr is set to a relatively long time. Thereby, after a communication abnormality occurs, it is also possible to continue the charge and discharge operation for the electric vehicle 8 and suppress the decrease in the charge and discharge actual results. On the other hand, when the achievement rate of the target power amount at the time point when a communication abnormality occurs is relatively high, as Figure 10 shown, the data time length Terr is set to a relatively short time. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the achievement rate of the target power amount from decreasing due to the error generated by the charge and discharge operation after the communication abnormality occurs. Hereinafter, the data time length Terr determined by the third determination method is denoted as Terr_3.

[0061] As described above, three determination methods for determining the data time length Terr of the abnormality response data Derr have been described. Any one of the determination methods can be used, or multiple determination methods can be used in combination. For example, if the first to third determination methods are used in combination, the shortest data time length among the data time lengths Terr_1, Terr_2, and Terr_3 obtained by each determination method is determined as the final data time length Terr.

[0062] 6. Other Embodiments

[0063] In the above embodiment, the memory 20 is provided in the charger / discharger 6, but the installation position of the memory 20 is a position that can be accessed from the processor 30 without being affected by the communication state between the control server 2 and the charger / discharger 6. For example, the memory 20 can be provided in each electric vehicle 8, or the memory 20 can be provided in each communication device 4. Similarly, the processor 30 can be provided in each electric vehicle 8, or the processor 30 can be provided in each communication device 4.

Claims

1. A communication anomaly response device in a VPP, where the VPP, i.e., the virtual power plant, has: A charge and discharge device capable of connecting to the power system and an electric vehicle to perform charge and discharge operations on the electric vehicle; and A control server that sends control instructions for controlling the charge and discharge operations to the charge and discharge device at a cycle of a first period, The communication anomaly response device in the VPP is characterized in that The control instruction is composed of basic data with a data duration of the first period and anomaly response data with a data duration for anomaly response, The communication anomaly response device in the VPP has: A processor that causes the charge and discharge device to perform the charge and discharge operations, and the basic data in the control instruction is temporarily stored in the cache of the processor; and A memory that can be accessed from the processor without being affected by the communication state between the control server and the charge and discharge device, stores the anomaly response data in the control instruction sent at the cycle of the first period, and updates the anomaly response data at the cycle of the first period, When there is no communication anomaly between the control server and the charge and discharge device, the processor causes the charge and discharge device to perform the charge and discharge operations on the electric vehicle according to the basic data in the latest control instruction sent from the control server, When a communication anomaly occurs between the control server and the charge and discharge device, the processor reads out the anomaly response data in the latest control instruction from the memory, and causes the charge and discharge device to perform the charge and discharge operations on the electric vehicle according to the anomaly response data read out from the memory.

2. The communication anomaly response device in the VPP according to claim 1, characterized in that After a time period obtained by adding the first period and the data duration of the anomaly response data has elapsed since the occurrence of the communication anomaly, the processor causes the charge and discharge device to perform a fail-safe operation.

3. The communication anomaly response device in the VPP according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The memory is provided in the charge and discharge device.

4. The communication anomaly response device in the VPP according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The memory is provided in a communication device that relays the communication between the control server and one or more charge and discharge devices.

5. The communication anomaly response device in the VPP according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The memory is provided in each electric vehicle participating in the VPP.

6. The communication anomaly response device in the VPP according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The larger the number of electric vehicles participating in the VPP, the longer the data duration of the anomaly response data is set.

7. The communication anomaly response device in the VPP according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The smaller the allowable change amount of the power in the power system, the shorter the data duration of the anomaly response data is set.

8. The communication anomaly response device in the VPP according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the higher the achievement rate of the target power amount in the VPP at the time point when the communication anomaly occurs, the shorter the data time period of the anomaly response data is set.

9. The communication anomaly response device in the VPP according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the communication anomaly occurs, the processor determines whether there is an anomaly in the electric vehicle and the charger / discharger. If an anomaly occurs in the electric vehicle or the charger / discharger, the charger / discharger is made to stop the charging and discharging operation for the electric vehicle.

10. A communication anomaly response method in a VPP, where the VPP, i.e., the virtual power plant, includes: a charger / discharger capable of connecting to the power system and an electric vehicle to perform charging and discharging operations on the electric vehicle; and a control server that sends control instructions for controlling the charging and discharging operations to the charger / discharger at a cycle of a first period, the communication anomaly response method in the VPP is characterized in that the control instruction consists of basic data with a data time period of the first period and anomaly response data with a data time period for anomaly response, the communication anomaly response method in the VPP includes: a step of temporarily storing the basic data in the control instruction in a cache of a processor that makes the charger / discharger perform the charging and discharging operations; a step of storing the anomaly response data in the control instruction sent at a cycle of the first period in a memory that can be accessed from the charger / discharger without being affected by the communication state between the control server and the charger / discharger, and updating the anomaly response data at a cycle of the first period; when there is no communication anomaly between the control server and the charger / discharger, the processor makes the charger / discharger perform the charging and discharging operations on the electric vehicle according to the basic data in the latest control instruction sent from the control server; and when a communication anomaly occurs between the control server and the charger / discharger, the processor reads out the anomaly response data in the latest control instruction from the memory and makes the charger / discharger perform the charging and discharging operations on the electric vehicle according to the anomaly response data read out from the memory.

Images