Energy storage system, method of operating the same, and charging system comprising the energy storage system

Abstract

An energy storage system according to embodiments disclosed in the present document can include an interface configured to receive charging information of a battery and a power supply request from a plurality of charging devices, and a controller configured to control power supply to a target battery connected to a target charging device among the plurality of charging devices based on the power supply request received from the target charging device, and perform a process for reallocating power supplied to the target battery to a battery connected to at least one charging device other than the target charging device among the plurality of charging devices based on the charging information of the target battery connected to the target charging device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0039346, filed on March 21, 2024, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2025-0035752, filed on March 20, 2025, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The embodiments disclosed herein relate to energy storage systems, methods of operating the same, and charging systems including energy storage systems. Background Technology

[0004] An energy storage system (ESS) is a device that stores generated electricity in storage units such as batteries and supplies power when needed to improve the efficiency of electricity use. An ESS can store electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as sunlight and wind power, or electricity transmitted from power plants, in batteries, allowing the electricity to be stored at night when power consumption is low and used during the day when power consumption is high.

[0005] Furthermore, to charge the battery, it can be connected to an energy storage system or a slow-charging or fast-charging device. In this case, in an environment equipped only with a slow-charging device, the demand for fast charging may not be met, which is a limitation. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] The embodiments disclosed herein aim to provide an energy storage system capable of supporting fast charging of a charging device, a method of operating such a system, and a charging system including the energy storage system.

[0008] The embodiments disclosed herein also aim to provide an energy storage system capable of supplying additional power to a charging device, a method of operating such a system, and a charging system including the energy storage system.

[0009] The embodiments disclosed herein also aim to provide an energy storage system and its operation method that can improve the charging efficiency of a charging device by integrating it into the charging device.

[0010] The embodiments disclosed herein also aim to provide a charging system that can improve the charging efficiency of the charging device by comprehensively managing the charging device and the energy storage system.

[0011] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to those mentioned above, and other objectives not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art based on the following description.

[0012] Technical solution

[0013] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, an energy storage system is provided, the energy storage system comprising: an interface configured to receive charging information and power supply requests regarding a battery from a plurality of charging devices; and a controller configured to control the power supply to a target battery connected to the target charging device based on the power supply request received from the target charging device among the plurality of charging devices, and to perform processing for redistributing the power to be supplied to the target battery to batteries connected to batteries of one or more other charging devices among the plurality of charging devices besides the target charging device, based on the charging information regarding the target battery connected to the target charging device.

[0014] According to the implementation method, when the state of charge (SOC) of the target battery reaches a preset reference SOC, the controller can perform a process for redistributing power to the batteries of the respective charging devices connected to one or more other charging devices.

[0015] According to an implementation, the controller can determine a redistribution priority based on the SOC of the batteries of each charging device connected to one or more other charging devices, and determine the order of power supply to the batteries of each charging device connected to one or more other charging devices based on the redistribution priority.

[0016] According to one implementation, the controller can determine the redistribution priority inversely proportional to the current SOC order of the batteries of the various charging devices connected to one or more other charging devices.

[0017] According to the implementation method, the controller can determine the amount of power supplied to the target battery connected to the target charging device or the battery connected to one or more other charging devices based on the charging cost at the time when the energy storage system is charged.

[0018] According to the implementation method, the controller can determine the amount of power to be supplied to the target battery based on the charge of the energy storage system at the time the power supply request is received.

[0019] According to the implementation, the interface can also receive charging mode information about each battery connected from multiple charging devices.

[0020] According to the implementation, the controller can control the power supply to the target battery or a battery connected to one or more other charging devices by taking into account charging mode information.

[0021] According to the implementation, the controller can determine the amount of power that needs to be supplied from the charging mode information, and control the power supply to the target battery or a battery connected to one or more other charging devices in response to the amount of power that needs to be supplied.

[0022] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, an operating method for an energy storage system is provided, the operating method comprising the following steps: receiving charging information and power supply requests for a battery from a plurality of charging devices; controlling the power supply to a target battery connected to the target charging device based on the power supply request received from a target charging device among the plurality of charging devices; and performing processing for redistributing the power to be supplied to the target battery to batteries connected to batteries of one or more other charging devices among the plurality of charging devices besides the target charging device, based on the charging information regarding the target battery connected to the target charging device.

[0023] According to the implementation method, the processing can be performed when the SOC of the target battery reaches a preset reference SOC.

[0024] According to an implementation, the steps of performing the processing may include determining a redistribution priority based on the SOC of the batteries of the respective charging devices connected to one or more other charging devices, and determining the order of power supply to the batteries of the respective charging devices connected to one or more other charging devices based on the redistribution priority.

[0025] According to an implementation, the steps of performing the processing may include determining a redistribution priority that is inversely proportional to the current state of charge (SOC) of the batteries of the respective charging devices connected to one or more other charging devices.

[0026] According to an implementation, the operating method may further include determining the amount of power supplied to the target battery or a battery connected to one or more other charging devices based on the charging cost at the point in time when the energy storage system is being charged.

[0027] According to an implementation, the operating method may further include determining the amount of power to be supplied to the target battery based on the charge of the energy storage system at the time the power supply request is received.

[0028] According to an implementation, the operation method may further include receiving charging mode information about each target battery from a plurality of charging devices, and controlling the power supply to the target battery or batteries connected to one or more other charging devices by taking into account the charging mode information.

[0029] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a charging system is provided, the charging system including a plurality of charging devices and at least one energy storage system electrically connected to the plurality of charging devices, wherein each of the at least one energy storage system includes: an interface configured to receive charging information and power supply requests regarding a battery from the plurality of charging devices; and a controller configured to control the power supply to a target battery connected to a target charging device based on a power supply request received from a target charging device among the plurality of charging devices, and to perform processing for redistributing power to be supplied to the target battery to batteries connected to batteries of one or more other charging devices among the plurality of charging devices besides the target charging device, based on the charging information regarding the target battery connected to the target charging device.

[0030] Beneficial effects

[0031] The energy storage system, its operation method, and the charging system including the energy storage system disclosed herein can support fast charging of the charging device.

[0032] The energy storage system, its operation method, and the charging system including the energy storage system disclosed herein can shorten charging time by supplying additional power to the charging device.

[0033] The energy storage system and its operation method according to the embodiments disclosed herein can improve the charging efficiency of a charging device by integrating the energy storage system into the charging device.

[0034] The charging system according to the embodiments disclosed herein can improve the charging efficiency of the charging device by managing the charging device and the energy storage system as a whole. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a charging system according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0036] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating an energy storage system according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0037] Figure 3 The process of power supply and redistribution by an energy storage system according to an embodiment is illustrated schematically.

[0038] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a diagram used to illustrate the operation of an energy storage system according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an operation method for an energy storage system according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating a charging device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a charging system according to another embodiment disclosed herein.

[0042] Figure 9 This is a diagram used to illustrate the operation of an energy storage system according to another embodiment disclosed herein. Detailed Implementation

[0043] In the following, various embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this disclosure, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements in the drawings, and repeated descriptions of the same elements are omitted.

[0044] In the various embodiments disclosed herein, the specific structural or functional descriptions are merely exemplary for the purpose of describing the embodiments, and the various embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0045] Terms such as “first,” “second,” “first,” “second,” etc., used in various embodiments may modify various components regardless of order and / or importance, but do not limit the components. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element without departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein, and similarly, conversely, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

[0046] The terms and phrases used herein are provided only to describe particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form may include the plural form.

[0047] All terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein pertain. Terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having the meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant field and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein. In some cases, even the terms defined herein should not be construed as excluding the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0048] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a charging system according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0049] Reference Figure 1The charging system 1000 may include an energy storage system (ESS) 100 and a plurality of charging devices 200. Here, the charging device 200 may include a charger for charging a battery included in a mobile device including an electric vehicle (EV), an electric scooter, an urban air mobility (UAM), etc., using electricity supplied from the power grid 21, etc., and in the following description, for ease of understanding, the charging device 200 will be described as a slow charger.

[0050] Energy storage system 100 can be electrically connected to power grid 21 and / or renewable energy generation module 22 to receive electricity. That is, energy storage system 100 can refer to a system that stores electricity supplied from an external source in batteries and then supplies it to an external system when needed. According to various embodiments, energy storage system 100 can be configured to store surplus electricity during late-night hours and supply that electricity during peak hours to address power supply and demand issues, and the cost of charging can vary depending on when energy storage system 100 is charged. Therefore, depending on when energy storage system 100 is charged, the electricity stored in energy storage system 100 can be used at a lower cost than the electricity supplied from power grid 21 to charging device 200.

[0051] The energy storage system 100 can supply stored electricity to multiple charging devices 200 and / or the charging cables of the multiple charging devices 200. For example, the energy storage system 100 can supply electricity to a target charging device 200a and / or the charging cable of the target charging device 200a in response to a power supply request from the multiple charging devices 200 and / or a user using the multiple charging devices 200. Here, the charging cable can be understood as a power transmission cable that connects the charging device 200 and the target charging device (e.g., an electric vehicle (EV)) to supply electricity to the target charging device when charging the target charging device. Therefore, the electricity stored in the energy storage system 100 can be supplied directly or indirectly to a target battery connected to the target charging device 200a.

[0052] For this purpose, the energy storage system 100 may be equipped with a power supply interface (i.e., a charging interface), and the charging interface of the energy storage system 100 and the charging interface of the target charging device 200a may be electrically connected (e.g., connected via an electrical socket), so that power can be supplied to the target charging device via a single charging cable.

[0053] The energy storage system 100 can be electrically connected to multiple charging devices 200 via communication lines and / or power transmission lines. According to various embodiments, when a user inputs a request (e.g., a fast charging request), the multiple charging devices 200 can send a power supply request to the energy storage system 100. In this way, a target charging device 200a can use the power stored in the energy storage system 100 to fast charge the battery of a target charging device (e.g., an EV).

[0054] According to an embodiment, the energy storage system 100 can receive charging information about a battery from a plurality of charging devices 200. Here, a battery can refer to a battery that is electrically connected to and charged by each of the plurality of charging devices 200. Furthermore, the charging information about the battery may include, but is not limited to, the battery's state of charge (SOC), the degree of battery degradation, the magnitude of the charging current, and the C-rate related to the charging speed.

[0055] The energy storage system 100 can perform a process for redistributing the power supplied to a target battery connected to a target charging device 200a based on charging information received from each of the plurality of charging devices 200. For example, the energy storage system 100 can redistribute the power originally supplied to the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a to be supplied to batteries connected to one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c. Here, redistributing power can mean controlling all or part of the power originally supplied from the energy storage system 100 to the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a to be supplied to batteries connected to one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c.

[0056] According to various embodiments, when the SOC of the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a reaches a reference SOC based on the SOC of the battery included in the battery charging information, the energy storage system 100 can stop supplying power to the target battery and can supply power to the batteries of each charging device connected to one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c. Here, the reference SOC can be set by taking into account an upper limit of the SOC that does not accelerate battery degradation during fast charging, and can be set to, for example, 80% of the SOC value, but is not limited thereto.

[0057] Therefore, the energy storage system 100 can effectively supply the stored power to the batteries of each charging device connected to the plurality of charging devices 200, and in addition to the power supplied from the charging devices 200, can also rapidly charge the batteries of each charging device connected to the plurality of charging devices 200 by additionally using the power supplied from the energy storage system 100, thereby further improving user convenience. This will be described in more detail below.

[0058] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating an energy storage system according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0059] Reference Figure 2 According to the embodiment, the energy storage system 100 may include a controller 110 and an interface 120. The controller 110 includes at least one processor 111 and a memory 112.

[0060] The processor 111 can control the overall operation of the energy storage system 100 by outputting control signals. The processor 111 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs). In this case, the processor 111 may be implemented as an array of multiple logic gates, or it may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor 111 and a memory 112 storing programs that can be executed in the microprocessor 111.

[0061] The memory 112 can store various types of information required for the operation of the energy storage system 100. Specifically, the memory 112 can store the operating system and programs required for the operation of the energy storage system 100, or store data required for driving the energy storage system 100. For example, the memory 112 can store various programs related to the power generation of the renewable energy generation module 22. In addition, the memory 112 can store various battery data, such as the voltage, current, temperature, and characteristic value data of each battery cell.

[0062] According to various embodiments, memory 112 may include volatile memory for temporary data storage, such as static random access memory (S-RAM) or dynamic random access memory (D-RAM). Alternatively, memory 112 may include non-volatile memory for long-term data storage, such as read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

[0063] The processor 111 and memory 112 may be included in the controller 110, and the controller 110 can control the operation of the energy storage system 100 by controlling the aforementioned components.

[0064] According to an embodiment, the controller 110 can be activated from multiple charging devices 200 (see [link]). Figure 1 The system receives charging information and power supply requests regarding the battery. Here, the charging device 200 may include a slow charging device, and the battery may refer to a battery connected to the slow charging device and awaiting charging. According to embodiments, the slow charging device may be contrasted with a fast charging device and can be distinguished by the amount of electricity supplied to the battery by the slow charging device and / or the speed at which the slow charging device supplies power. Furthermore, it can be defined differently based on country or region, technology used, manufacturer, etc. In addition, the charging information regarding the battery may include, but is not limited to, the battery's state of charge (SOC), the degree of battery degradation, the magnitude of the charging current, and the C-rate related to the charging speed.

[0065] Controller 110 can respond to a target charging device 200a from a plurality of charging devices 200 (see [link]). Figure 1 The energy storage system 100 receives power supply requests to control the power supply to a target battery connected to the target charging device 200a. For this purpose, the energy storage system 100 may be equipped with a power supply interface, and the charging interface of the energy storage system 100 and the charging interface of the target charging device 200a may be electrically connected, enabling power to be supplied to the target battery via a single charging cable. The additional power supplied can be used to quickly charge the target battery. For example, the target charging device 200a may refer to a charging device for which a fast charging request has been input by the user, but is not limited to this. This will be referred to below. Figure 4 To describe in more detail.

[0066] The controller 110 can control the power supply to the target battery based on charging information about the target battery received from the target charging device 200a. According to an embodiment, when the degradation level of the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a is at or below a threshold degradation level, the controller 110 can reduce the amount of power supplied to the target battery or the power supply rate. This is to prevent accelerated degradation of the target battery when it is rapidly charged. Here, the threshold degradation level can be set by considering the normal degradation level during the battery's usage period.

[0067] The controller 110 can perform processing to redistribute power supplied to a target battery connected to a target charging device 200a to batteries connected to batteries in one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c based on charging information received from multiple charging devices 200. For ease of understanding, it is assumed that the energy storage system 100 also receives power supply requests from one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the controller 110 can redistribute the power supplied to the target battery to batteries connected to one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c (excluding the target charging device 200a) based on a preset reference SOC reached by the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a. Here, the reference SOC can be set by considering an upper limit of SOC that does not accelerate battery degradation during fast charging, and can be set to, for example, 80% of the SOC value, but is not limited thereto.

[0069] In other words, when the SOC of the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a is charged to a certain level or higher, the controller 110 can reallocate the power supply to increase the charging speed of batteries connected to other charging devices 200b and 200c. This allows overcoming the limitation that the power supplied from the energy storage system 100 is concentrated on certain users, thus restricting the charging speed of other users' batteries. This will be explained below. Figure 5 To describe in more detail.

[0070] Additionally, the controller 110 can determine a redistribution priority for power redistribution based on charging information about each of the batteries connected to the plurality of charging devices 200, and redistribute power based on the redistribution priority. Here, the redistribution priority can be determined to be inversely proportional to the current SOC of the batteries connected to each of the plurality of charging devices 200. For example, the controller 110 can set a higher redistribution priority for batteries with a lower current SOC among the batteries connected to the plurality of charging devices 200. This is to prevent over-discharge of the batteries and maximize the efficiency of fast charging. Therefore, the controller 110 can preferentially redistribute and supply power to the batteries with the lowest current SOC among the batteries connected to the plurality of charging devices 200.

[0071] The controller 110 can control the power supply to the batteries of each of the multiple charging devices 200 connected to the energy storage system 100 by taking into account the charging mode of the energy storage system 100. To this end, the controller 110 can cumulatively manage time intervals corresponding to the charging, discharging, and idle states of the energy storage system 100, and information related to such charging modes can be stored in the memory 112. According to an embodiment, when a power supply request is received from a target charging device 200a, the controller 110 can increase the amount and / or the supply rate of power supplied to the target charging device 200a as the charging start time is approaching, based on the charging mode of the energy storage system 100.

[0072] The controller 110 can determine the amount of power supplied to the batteries of the various charging devices connected to the plurality of charging devices 200 based on the charging cost at the point in time when the energy storage system 100 is being charged. Here, the amount of power can be defined based on various physical quantities such as charge, electric force, and electrical charge.

[0073] The controller 110 can determine the amount of power to be supplied to the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a by considering at least one of the following: the charge level of the energy storage system 100 at the time when a power supply request is received from one of the multiple charging devices 200; and the charging mode for charging the battery. For example, when the current charge level of the energy storage system 100 is greater than or equal to a reference charge level, the controller 110 can supply power to the target battery by an amount corresponding to the difference between the current charge level and the reference charge level. Alternatively, for example, when the current charge level of the energy storage system 100 is less than the reference charge level, the controller 110 can reduce the amount of power supplied to the target battery. Furthermore, by additionally considering the charging mode of the energy storage system 100, the controller 110 can again increase the amount and / or the supply rate of power supplied to the target charging device 200a when the charging start time of the energy storage system 100 is approaching.

[0074] Here, the reference charge can be set by considering factors such as the degree of degradation of the energy storage system 100 and the charging cycle. For example, the shorter the charging cycle of the energy storage system 100, the lower the reference charge can be set, and the lower the degree of degradation of the energy storage system 100, the lower the reference charge can be set. This is to prevent over-discharge of the energy storage system 100 and to achieve stable operation of the energy storage system 100.

[0075] The controller 110 can control the power supply to a target battery connected to a target charging device 200a or to batteries connected to one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c based on charging mode information about the battery received from each of the plurality of charging devices 200. Here, the charging mode information may include fast charging segment information (e.g., this may include a range from 20% to 80% SOC), charging cycles, etc.

[0076] For example, if the current State of Charge (SOC) of the target battery, based on charging information received from the target charging device 200a, is not included in the fast charging segment based on charging mode information for the target battery, the controller 110 may cut off the power supply to the target battery. In this case, the controller 110 may send a power supply unavailable message (e.g., recommending slow charging) to the target charging device 200.

[0077] Furthermore, for example, when considering the charging cycles of batteries received from each of the multiple charging devices 200, the controller 110 may preferentially redistribute and supply power to the battery with the smallest difference in charging time.

[0078] According to an implementation, the controller 110 can determine the amount of power to be supplied based on charging mode information about the battery received from each of the plurality of charging devices 200. For example, when the current SOC (e.g., SOC 60%) of the target battery received from the target charging device 200a is included in the fast charging segment information (e.g., a segment from SOC 20% to 80%) in the charging mode information about the target battery, the controller 110 can determine the difference between the upper end of the fast charging segment (e.g., 80%) and the current SOC (e.g., SOC 20%) as the amount of power to be supplied.

[0079] Interface 120 can communicate with multiple charging devices 200. Interface 120 can receive charging information, power supply requests, and / or charging mode information about the battery from the multiple charging devices 200. Interface 120 may include a wireless communication unit 121 and a wired communication unit 122 for communicating with the charging devices 200.

[0080] The wireless communication unit 121 may include at least one of a short-range communication module and a long-range communication module.

[0081] The short-range communication module can communicate with the charging device 200 located adjacent to the energy storage system 100 using a short-range communication method. Here, the short-range communication module can utilize one of the following communication methods: Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ultra Wideband (UWB), or Near Field Communication (NFC).

[0082] The remote communication module may include communication modules that perform various types of remote communication, and may include a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module can transmit and receive wireless signals with at least one of a base station, external terminal, or external charging device 200 on a mobile communication network. Additionally, the remote communication module can communicate with the charging device 200 or another electronic device acting as the charging device 200 via a nearby access point (AP). The access point (AP) can connect the local area network (LAN) to which the energy storage system 100 is connected to to the wide area network (WAN) to which the communication server is connected. Therefore, the energy storage system 100 and the charging device 200 can be connected to the communication server via the WAN and communicate with each other.

[0083] The wired communication unit 122 can be connected to a wired communication network and communicate with the charging device 200 through the wired communication network. For example, the wired communication unit 122 can be connected to the wired communication network via Ethernet (IEEE 802.3 technical standard) or via CAN communication, and can transmit and receive data with the charging device 200 through the wired communication network.

[0084] Figure 3 The process of power supply and redistribution by an energy storage system according to an embodiment is illustrated schematically.

[0085] Reference Figure 3 The controller 110 can receive power supply requests from the charging device 200. In this case, the charging device 200 can refer to a slow charging device or a fast charging device, and may also include a user terminal through which the user can directly input power supply requests to increase the charging speed.

[0086] According to the implementation, when the charging device 200 includes a user terminal, the user can connect to the user terminal and directly transmit power supply requests to the energy storage system 100, and the user can use the interface provided in the user terminal to set the desired charging speed (e.g., power supply amount, supply speed, etc.) or charging end time.

[0087] The connection determination unit 101 of the controller 110 can determine whether the target charging device 200a and the energy storage system 100 are connected. As a method for the controller 110 to determine whether a connection has been made, a method for determining whether the charging interface of the energy storage system 100 and the charging interface of the target charging device 200a are connected to an additionally provided connection member can be considered.

[0088] When it is determined that the target charging device 200a and the energy storage system 100 are connected, the additional power supply unit 102 of the controller 110 can perform control to supply power from the energy storage system 100 to the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a, corresponding to the charging speed (e.g., power supply amount, supply speed, etc.) and charging end time requested by the user.

[0089] The battery SOC determination unit 103 of the controller 110 can determine the current SOC of the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a for charging, and can determine whether the current SOC has reached the preset reference SOC.

[0090] When the current SOC of the battery is determined to reach a preset reference SOC, the controller 110 can determine the priority for reallocating the power supplied to the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a.

[0091] In this case, the reallocation priority determination unit 104 of the controller 110 can determine which battery in the various charging devices connected to one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c other than the target charging device 200a will be reallocated and supplied when the SOC of the target battery being charged in the target charging device 200a reaches a certain level or higher.

[0092] According to the implementation, the controller 110 can determine the redistribution priority of batteries connected to each of the charging devices 200b and 200c other than the target charging device 200a, such that batteries with lower SOC levels are assigned higher priority, and the power redistribution execution unit 105 of the controller 110 can redistribute and supply power to the batteries connected to each of the charging devices 200b and 200c according to the determined redistribution priority.

[0093] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a diagram used to illustrate the operation of an energy storage system according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0094] First, refer to Figure 4 Multiple electric vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2, and 23-3 can be connected to multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2, and 25-3 respectively, and can perform charging. Here, the multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2, and 25-3 may include reference... Figures 1 to 3 The described charging device 200. Multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 can receive charging information about batteries respectively connected to multiple electric vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3.

[0095] For this purpose, multiple vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3 can communicate with multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3, and each of the multiple vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3 and the multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 can communicate with a user terminal.

[0096] In this case, a power supply request (or an order to increase the charging speed or a request to shorten the charging time) can be received from some or all of the multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3.

[0097] When a power supply request is received from at least one of multiple vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3, multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 or a user terminal, the controller 110 can supply power to the target charging device 25 and / or the battery of the target vehicle 23 connected to the target charging device (e.g., 25) via the charging cable of the target charging device 25.

[0098] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, when a power supply request is received from the target charging device 25 connected to the target vehicle 23, the controller 110 can control the power stored in the energy storage system 100 to be supplied to the battery of the target vehicle 23. In this case, in addition to the power supplied from the target charging device 25 (e.g., the power supplied from the power grid 21), the battery of the target vehicle 23 can also be charged by additionally using the power supplied from the energy storage system 100, and thus fast charging can be performed.

[0099] For example, assuming that multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 can supply 50kW of power to multiple vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3 respectively, the controller 110 can supply an additional 50kW based on the power stored in the energy storage system 100, and therefore the battery of the target vehicle 23 can be charged at twice the speed using 100kW of power.

[0100] In this case, there are no restrictions on the method by which the controller 110 supplies the power stored in the energy storage system 100 to the battery of the target vehicle 23, and for example, the charging interface of the target charging device 25 and the charging interface of the energy storage system 100 can be connected to the input of the connecting member (e.g., an electrical socket) and the battery of the target vehicle 23 can be connected to the output of the connecting member.

[0101] First, refer to Figure 5 Multiple electric vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2, and 23-3 can be connected to multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2, and 25-3 respectively, and can perform charging. Here, the multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2, and 25-3 may include reference... Figures 1 to 3 The described charging device 200. Multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 can receive charging information about batteries respectively connected to multiple electric vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3.

[0102] For this purpose, multiple vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3 can communicate with multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3, and each of the multiple vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3 and the multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 can communicate with a user terminal.

[0103] When a power supply request is received from the target charging device 25, the controller 110 can supply the power stored in the energy storage system 100 to the target charging device 25 and / or the battery of the first target vehicle 23 connected to the target charging device 25 via the charging cable of the target charging device 25, as shown by arrow (a).

[0104] Then, when it is determined that the battery of the first target vehicle 23 has reached a preset reference SOC, the controller 110 can redistribute the power of the energy storage system 100 to the battery of the second target vehicle 23-1 connected to another charging device 25-1.

[0105] In other words, when it is determined that the battery of the first target vehicle 23 has reached a reference SOC, the controller 110 can reallocate the power from the energy storage system 100 to the battery of the second target vehicle 23-1 connected to another charging device 25-1, as shown by arrow (b), based on the reallocation priority. Here, the reallocation priority can be increased in reverse order of the current SOC of the batteries of the target vehicles 23-1, 23-2, and 23-3, which are respectively connected to other charging devices 25-1, 25-2, and 25-3 from which they receive power supply requests. For example, increasing the priority can instruct the battery with the higher priority to receive power from the energy storage system 100 preferentially.

[0106] For example, when the battery SOC of the second target vehicle 23-1 connected to the charging device 25-1 requesting power supply is 20% and the battery SOC of the third target vehicle 23-2 connected to the charging device 25-2 is 50%, the controller 110 can control the power supply so that the power of the energy storage system 100 is preferentially supplied to the second target vehicle 23-1.

[0107] Figure 6 A flowchart of an operation method for an energy storage system according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0108] Reference Figure 6 The controller 110 can receive charging information (600) from multiple charging devices 200 via interface 120. In this case, the controller 110 can receive charging information directly from the multiple charging devices 200, or it can receive charging information through a user terminal.

[0109] The controller 110 can determine whether a power supply request is received from the target charging device 200a among the plurality of charging devices 200 (610), and when a power supply request is received from the target charging device 200a among the plurality of charging devices 200 ("yes" in 610), the controller 110 can determine whether the energy storage system 100 and the target charging device 200a are physically connected (620).

[0110] Then, when it is determined that the energy storage system 100 and the target charging device 200a are physically connected to the connecting member (e.g., electrical socket), the controller 110 can supply power from the energy storage system 100 to the target charging device 200a (630).

[0111] The controller 110 can communicate with the target charging device 200a to determine whether the SOC of the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a has reached a reference SOC (640), and when it is determined that the SOC of the target battery has reached the reference SOC ("yes" in 640), the controller 110 can reallocate the power supply to the batteries connected to the respective charging devices in one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c other than the target charging device 200a based on the reallocation priority (650).

[0112] As described above, the energy storage system 100 according to the embodiments disclosed herein can increase the charging speed of the battery and reduce the time spent completing charging according to the user's request, thereby providing the effect of achieving efficient and user-friendly charging planning and management.

[0113] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating a charging device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0114] Reference Figure 7 The charging device 200 may include a power supply unit 210, an interface 220, and a controller 230.

[0115] Power supply unit 210 can draw power from power grid 21 (see...) Figure 1 It receives power. According to various embodiments, the power supply unit 210 may include a converter for converting AC power supplied from the power grid 21 into DC power.

[0116] Interface 220 can obtain charging information and / or charging mode information about the battery from the battery that is connected for charging.

[0117] Interface 220 can be connected to energy storage system 100 (see...) Figure 1Communication. For example, interface 220 can send charging information and / or charging mode information about the battery connected for charging to energy storage system 100. Furthermore, interface 220 can send power supply requests (e.g., fast charging requests) input by a user to energy storage system 100.

[0118] Furthermore, interface 220 may include a user interface. For example, interface 220 may include an input section and an output section. According to various embodiments, the input section may be implemented as at least one of an input device such as a touch screen, button, membrane button, dial pad, and slider switch, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the output section may be implemented as a display device such as a plasma display panel (PDP), liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, light-emitting diode (LED) panel, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel, active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) panel, curved display panel, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0119] The controller 230 can control the overall operation of the charging device 200. For example, the controller 230 can supply power to the connected battery in response to a slow charging request input by the user. For example, the controller 230 can supply power stored in the power supply unit 210 to the battery.

[0120] The controller 230 can control the power supply to the battery based on charging information and / or charging mode information about the battery.

[0121] The controller 230 can control the power from the energy storage system 100 to be additionally supplied to the battery in response to a power supply request input from the user (e.g., a fast charging request). For example, the controller 230 can use both the power from the power supply unit 210 and the power sent from the energy storage system 100 to charge the battery connected to the charging device 200.

[0122] According to various embodiments, the charging device 200 may include reference Figures 1 to 3 The energy storage system 100 is described. In this case, the controller 230 can provide normal charging (e.g., slow charging) or fast charging functions based on a request input from the user. For example, when a fast charging request is input from the user, the controller 230 can use both the power from the power supply unit 210 and the power from the energy storage system 100 to charge the battery connected to the charging device 200.

[0123] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a charging system according to another embodiment disclosed herein.

[0124] Reference Figure 8 , and reference Figure 1Compared to the described charging system 1000, the charging system 2000 according to another embodiment disclosed herein may further include a control device 300. To avoid repetition, the description of the control device 300 can be omitted. Figure 1 The description includes a detailed description of an energy storage system 100, multiple charging devices 200, a power grid 21, and a renewable energy generation module 22, all with the same configuration.

[0125] The control device 300 can manage the operation of the energy storage system 100 and the multiple charging devices 200. For example, the control device 300 can manage the power supply (or power transmission and reception) between the energy storage system 100 and the multiple charging devices 200. According to various embodiments, the control device 300 can be implemented in the form of a server or the cloud.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the control device 300 can receive a power supply request from at least one target charging device 200a among a plurality of charging devices 200. In this case, the control device 300 can send a power supply request to the energy storage system 100 to perform control, such that the power stored in the energy storage system 100 can be supplied to the battery connected to the target charging device 200a.

[0127] Additionally, when a power supply request is received from at least one target charging device 200a, the control device 300 can send the power supply request to other charging devices (e.g., 200b and 200c). The other charging devices (e.g., 200b and 200c) that have received the power supply request can supply power to the target charging device 200a and / or its charging cable, enabling control to supply power to the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a. For this purpose, the charging interfaces of the other charging devices (e.g., 200b and 200c) and the charging interface of the target charging device 200a can be electrically connected (e.g., via an electrical outlet), allowing a configuration in which power is supplied to the target battery via a single charging cable.

[0128] According to various embodiments, the control device 300 can perform a process for reallocating the power supplied to a target battery connected to a target charging device 200a based on charging information received from each of the plurality of charging devices 200. For example, the control device 300 can reallocate the power originally supplied to the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a to be supplied to batteries connected to one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c.

[0129] According to various embodiments, when the SOC of the target battery connected to the target charging device 200a reaches a reference SOC based on the SOC of the battery included in the battery charging information, the control device 300 may stop supplying power to the target battery and supply power to the batteries of each charging device connected to one or more other charging devices 200b and 200c.

[0130] Figure 9 This is a diagram used to illustrate the operation of an energy storage system according to another embodiment disclosed herein.

[0131] Reference Figure 9 Multiple electric vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2, and 23-3 can be connected to multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2, and 25-3 respectively, and can perform charging. Here, the multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2, and 25-3 may include reference... Figures 1 to 3 The described charging device 200. Multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 can receive charging information about batteries respectively connected to multiple electric vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3.

[0132] For this purpose, multiple vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3 can communicate with multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3, and each of the multiple vehicles 23, 23-1, 23-2 and 23-3 and the multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 can communicate with a user terminal.

[0133] When a power supply request is received from the target charging device 25, the control device 300 can communicate with another charging device 25-1 and transmit a charging start command to the other charging device 25-1, so that the other charging device 25-1 can supply additional power to the battery of the target vehicle 23.

[0134] In this case, there are no restrictions on the method by which the control device 300 supplies power from the other charging device 25-1 to the battery of the target vehicle 23, and for example, the charging interface of the target charging device 25 and the charging interface of the other charging device 25-1 can be connected to the input of the connecting member (e.g., an electrical socket) and the battery of the target vehicle 23 can be connected to the output of the connecting member.

[0135] Therefore, for the target vehicle 23 requesting an increased charging speed, the charging speed can be increased and the time taken to complete charging can be shortened by adding the power supplied from another slow charging device 25-1, which is also a slow charging device, to the power supplied from the target charging device 25, which is also a slow charging device.

[0136] Specifically, assuming that multiple charging devices 25, 25-1, 25-2 and 25-3 can each supply 50kW of power, the control device 300 can supply an additional 50kW from another charging device 25-1, and therefore, the battery of the target vehicle 23 can be charged at twice the speed using 100kW of power.

[0137] Meanwhile, the disclosed embodiments can be implemented in the form of a recording medium storing instructions executable by a computer. The instructions can be stored as program code, and when executed by a processor, a program module can be created to perform the operations of the disclosed embodiments. The recording medium can be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium.

[0138] Computer-readable recording media include all types of recording media in which instructions capable of being decoded by a computer are stored. For example, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic tape, magnetic disk, flash memory, optical data storage devices, etc., may be present.

[0139] Furthermore, computer-readable recording media may be provided in the form of non-transitory storage media. Here, "non-transitory storage media" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), but the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently in the storage medium and cases where data is temporarily stored in the storage medium. For example, a "non-transitory storage medium" may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

[0140] According to embodiments, the methods disclosed herein can be included in a computer program product. The computer program product can be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product can be distributed in the form of a machine-readable recording medium (e.g., an optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an app store (e.g., Play Store™), or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). When distributed online, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable application) can be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable recording medium, such as the memory 102 of a manufacturer's server, an app store server, or a relay server.

[0141] Although all components constituting the embodiments disclosed herein have been described as operating in combination or as a combination, the embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to these embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the embodiments disclosed herein, all components may be selectively combined and operated once or more.

[0142] Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the terms such as “comprising,” “including,” or “having” above imply the presence of corresponding components and should therefore be interpreted as potentially including other components rather than excluding them. Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein pertain. Common terms, such as those defined in dictionaries, should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

[0143] The above description is merely an example of the technical concept disclosed herein, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the basic characteristics of the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to limit the technical concept of the disclosed embodiments, but rather to illustrate them, and the scope of the technical concept disclosed herein is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection disclosed herein should be interpreted by the appended claims, and all technical concepts within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as included within the scope of the claims herein.

Claims

1. An energy storage system, the energy storage system comprising: An interface configured to receive charging information and power supply requests for the battery from multiple charging devices; as well as The controller is configured to: The power supply to the target battery connected to the target charging device is controlled based on the power supply request received from the target charging device among the plurality of charging devices. and Based on charging information about the target battery connected to the target charging device, a process is performed to redistribute the power to be supplied to the target battery to batteries connected to batteries in one or more other charging devices besides the target charging device.

2. The energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein, When the state of charge (SOC) of the target battery reaches a preset reference SOC, the controller performs a process to redistribute power to the batteries of the various charging devices connected to the one or more other charging devices.

3. The energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein, The controller determines a reallocation priority based on the state of charge (SOC) of the batteries of each of the one or more other charging devices connected to the other charging devices, and determines the order in which power is supplied to the batteries of each of the one or more other charging devices based on the reallocation priority.

4. The energy storage system according to claim 3, wherein, The controller determines the reallocation priority inversely proportional to the current SOC of the batteries of the various charging devices connected to the one or more other charging devices.

5. The energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein, The controller determines the amount of power supplied to the target battery connected to the target charging device or the battery connected to one or more other charging devices based on the charging cost at the time when the energy storage system is charged.

6. The energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein, The controller determines the amount of power to be supplied to the target battery based on the charge level of the energy storage system at the time the power supply request is received.

7. The energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein, The interface also receives charging mode information about each battery connected to the plurality of charging devices.

8. The energy storage system according to claim 7, wherein, The controller controls the power supply to the target battery or batteries connected to the one or more other charging devices by taking into account the charging mode information.

9. The energy storage system according to claim 8, wherein, The controller determines the amount of power required from the charging mode information and controls the power supply to the target battery or batteries connected to the one or more other charging devices in response to the amount of power required.

10. An operating method for an energy storage system, the operating method comprising the following steps: Receives charging information and power supply requests for the battery from multiple charging devices; The power supply to the target battery connected to the target charging device is controlled based on the power supply request received from the target charging device among the plurality of charging devices. as well as Based on charging information about the target battery connected to the target charging device, a process is performed to redistribute the power to be supplied to the target battery to batteries connected to batteries in one or more other charging devices besides the target charging device.

11. The operating method according to claim 10, wherein, In the step of performing the processing, the processing is performed when the SOC of the target battery reaches a preset reference SOC.

12. The operating method according to claim 10, wherein, The steps of performing the process include: determining a reallocation priority based on the SOC of the batteries of each of the one or more other charging devices connected to the other charging devices, and determining the order in which power is supplied to the batteries of each of the one or more other charging devices based on the reallocation priority.

13. The operating method according to claim 12, wherein, The steps of performing the processing include determining the reallocation priority inversely proportional to the current SOC of the batteries of the respective charging devices connected to the one or more other charging devices.

14. The operating method according to claim 10, further comprising the following steps: The amount of power supplied to the target battery or the batteries connected to the various charging devices in the one or more other charging devices is determined based on the charging cost at the point in time when the energy storage system is charged.

15. The operating method according to claim 10, further comprising the following steps: The amount of power to be supplied to the target battery is determined based on the charge level of the energy storage system at the time the power supply request is received.

16. The operating method according to claim 10, further comprising the following steps: Receive charging mode information for each target battery from the plurality of charging devices; as well as The power supply to the target battery or the battery connected to one or more other charging devices is controlled by taking into account the charging mode information.

17. A charging system, the charging system comprising: Multiple charging devices; as well as At least one energy storage system, said at least one energy storage system being electrically connected to the plurality of charging devices, Each of the at least one energy storage system includes: An interface configured to receive charging information and power supply requests for the battery from multiple charging devices; and The controller is configured to: The power supply to the target battery connected to the target charging device is controlled based on a power supply request received from the target charging device among the plurality of charging devices; and Based on charging information about the target battery connected to the target charging device, a process is performed to redistribute the power to be supplied to the target battery to batteries connected to batteries in one or more other charging devices besides the target charging device.

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