Control of power infrastructure integrated with solid state transformer

Abstract

A system for controlling an electrical infrastructure includes one or more interfaces coupled to one or more stations. The stations are operable to receive first electrical energy via a bus. Each station is operable to receive first electrical energy from a power source and transmit second electrical energy to one or more entities. Each station is operable to transmit third electrical energy back toward the bus. A controller system includes the one or more interfaces and a controller. The controller system includes one or more hardware processors that detect a presence of a fault within the electrical infrastructure, determine a fault type, and adjust operation of a particular station of the stations to compensate for the fault based on the fault type. The fault indicates an interruption or a loss of performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the control of power infrastructure. For example, control of power infrastructure may include operating the power infrastructure under different changing conditions, such as faults or imbalances. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, global energy-related carbon (CO2) emissions exceed 36.8 billion tons annually. Transportation accounts for approximately one-quarter of global CO2 emissions. The conversion of vehicles (such as land vehicles and ships) to electric powertrains is expected to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. This surge in electric vehicles has already presented new challenges to existing power infrastructure, which may currently lack sufficient versatility or flexibility to effectively respond to different changing conditions, such as failures or imbalances. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The claimed solution, rooted in computer technology, overcomes problems particularly prevalent in the field of computer technology (especially the maintenance and control of power infrastructure, networks, or grids used for the distribution of electricity or energy). Energy can be supplied by one or more power sources and distributed to one or more stations via one or more connections or lines (such as transmission lines) (hereinafter referred to as "transmission lines"). These transmission lines can be connected to a bus, such as a point of common coupling (PCC). The bus integrates or connects one or more stations with one or more power sources. Any or all of the one or more stations may include one or more solid-state transformers (SSTs) to generate and / or distribute energy in different forms (e.g., direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC)) and at different voltages. The SSTs are equipped with the ability to bidirectionally transfer energy to and / or deliver energy from stations. The claimed solution facilitates the implementation of additional functionalities to seamlessly adapt to different changing conditions, scenarios, and / or situations (hereinafter referred to as "changing conditions").

[0004] Each station may include, for example, one or more chargers, batteries, generators, motors, substations, and / or energy sources (hereinafter referred to as "energy sources"). Each station may also be integrated with one or more ports, channels, substations, lines, or connections (hereinafter referred to as "ports") that connect, link, attach, or insert (hereinafter referred to as "connections") to entities, equipment, or loads (hereinafter referred to as "entities") that can draw or consume energy from the station.

[0005] The power infrastructure may also include controllers that can detect changing conditions within the power infrastructure and control the operation of the power infrastructure to adjust to or adapt to these changing conditions. Changing conditions may include, for example, faults within the power infrastructure (e.g., reduced or impaired performance). In some examples, a fault manifests as a deterioration in transmission quality, which can be demonstrated by a drop in voltage, a drop in current, an increase in interference, or a deterioration in energy quality at transmission lines and / or buses. In other examples, a fault may include at least a partial outage of the power infrastructure and / or a demand, need, deficit, and / or request for energy (e.g., which may exceed the available energy at a particular station or port).

[0006] In determining whether to supply reactive or active power from one or more stations, the controller can distinguish between faults or fault types. In the context of power infrastructure, reactive power can be used to maintain the stability of the power infrastructure by maintaining voltage within the infrastructure (e.g., at a bus or transmission line) for efficient energy transfer, but not directly for the energy consumption of entities. Therefore, when the controller is coordinating the supply of reactive power from one or more stations, it is maintaining the quality of the power infrastructure, not supplying consumable energy to entities. Faults that the controller determines may cause reactive power supply during reactive power compensation include voltage drops within the power infrastructure, but where the infrastructure remains connected or at least partially operational. Conversely, active power can be directly used for the energy consumption of entities. The controller determines to supply active power during faults such as interruptions (where voltage is zero or negligible).

[0007] In some examples, if the controller detects an interruption, it can control a station to switch from energy harvesting mode to energy supply mode. During energy supply mode, the station can supply energy to temporarily restore at least a portion of the power infrastructure, rather than harvesting energy. Additionally or alternatively, during a fault, some requests for energy or dispatched energy at a particular station or port may exceed or deplete the available energy supply, resulting in a potential shortage. The controller can then direct one or more other ports of the station to transfer or distribute energy to that particular port.

[0008] Additionally or alternatively, variations may include imbalances and / or irregularities. Imbalances may include uneven distribution of available electrical energy across different stations and / or different ports of a particular station.

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention implement a system for controlling power infrastructure. The system includes one or more interfaces coupled to one or more stations. Each station includes one or more solid-state transformers (SSTs). The one or more stations are operable to receive first electrical energy from a power source via a bus. Each station is operable to transmit second electrical energy to one or more entities. Each station is also operable to transmit third electrical energy back toward the bus. The system also includes a controller system including one or more interfaces and a controller. The controller system also includes one or more hardware processors; and a memory storing computer instructions configured to perform operations when executed by the one or more hardware processors. These operations include: detecting or inferring the presence of a fault within the power infrastructure, the fault indicating an interruption or performance loss of at least a portion of the power infrastructure. These operations also include determining the type of fault in response to detecting the presence of a fault. These operations also include adjusting the operation of a specific station in the station to compensate for the fault based on the fault type, the adjustment operation including coordinating the transmission of the third electrical energy toward the bus to compensate for the fault.

[0010] In some embodiments, determining the fault type includes detecting a fault type including a voltage drop; and coordinating the transmission of third power includes coordinating a specific station to inject a portion of reactive power toward the bus to compensate for the voltage drop.

[0011] In some embodiments, determining the fault type includes detecting that the fault type includes an interruption; and coordinating the transmission of third power includes selecting a specific station based on power stored in a specific station to transmit the third power toward the bus.

[0012] In some embodiments, selecting a particular station includes determining whether the station has remaining storage energy based on the expected energy demand corresponding to the particular station.

[0013] In some embodiments, when executed by one or more hardware processors, the computer instructions are also configured to perform: switching the mode of a particular station from an energy harvesting mode to an energy supply mode, wherein the energy supply mode transforms or converts one or more particular stations into one or more grid-forming inverters.

[0014] In some embodiments, when executed by one or more hardware processors, the computer instructions are further configured to: receive a request for emergency power from a specific entity; determine the urgency or priority level of the request; determine that the stored energy at the first station is insufficient to satisfy the request; and selectively reallocate external power from one or more other stations besides the first station to satisfy the request. The first station may include a specific station or different stations.

[0015] In some embodiments, the urgency level or priority level is determined based on the type of a particular entity.

[0016] In some embodiments, selectively redistributing external electrical energy from one or more other stations to a first station includes redistributing the external electrical energy in proportion to the available energy levels at the respective other stations.

[0017] In some embodiments, when executed by one or more hardware processors, the computer instructions are also configured to: detect imbalances within the power infrastructure, including uneven distribution of available electrical energy across different stations; and, in response to detecting an imbalance, selectively redistribute available electrical energy among at least a subset of the different stations.

[0018] In some embodiments, a method is implemented by a controller system within a power infrastructure. The controller system includes a controller and one or more interfaces coupled to and communicating with one or more stations, each station including one or more solid-state transformers (SSTs). The method includes receiving first electrical energy from a power source via a bus at one or more stations; transmitting second electrical energy to one or more entities at the one or more stations; detecting the presence of a fault within the power infrastructure, wherein the fault indicates an interruption or performance loss of at least a portion of the power infrastructure; determining the type of fault in response to detecting the presence of the fault; and adjusting the operation of a particular station among the one or more stations to compensate for the fault based on the type of fault, wherein the adjustment of operation includes coordinating the transmission of third electrical energy from the particular station toward the bus of the power infrastructure to compensate for the fault.

[0019] In some embodiments, determining the type of fault includes: detecting a fault type including voltage drop; and wherein coordinating the transmission of third power includes coordinating a specific station to inject a portion of reactive power toward the bus to compensate for the voltage drop.

[0020] In some embodiments, determining the fault type includes detecting a fault type including an interruption; and wherein coordinating the transmission of third power includes selecting a particular station based on power stored within that station to transmit the third power toward the bus.

[0021] In some embodiments, selecting a particular station includes determining whether the station has remaining storage energy based on the expected energy demand corresponding to the particular station.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method further includes switching the mode of a particular station from an energy harvesting mode to an energy supply mode, wherein the energy supply mode transforms or converts one or more particular stations into one or more grid-connected inverters.

[0023] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving a request for emergency power from a specific entity; determining the urgency or priority level of the request; determining that the stored energy at the first station is insufficient to satisfy the request; and selectively reallocating external power from one or more other stations besides the first station to satisfy the request. The first station may be a specific station or different stations.

[0024] In some embodiments, the urgency level or priority level is determined based on the type of a particular entity.

[0025] In some embodiments, selectively redistributing external electrical energy from one or more other stations to a first station includes redistributing the external electrical energy in proportion to the available energy levels at the respective other stations.

[0026] In some embodiments, determining the fault type includes determining that the fault type includes harmonic distortion within the waveform of electrical energy; and coordinating the transmission of the third electrical energy includes coordinating the transmission of harmonic signals at a specific station to cancel out the harmonic distortion.

[0027] In some embodiments, the method includes detecting an imbalance within the power infrastructure, the imbalance comprising an uneven distribution of available electrical energy across different stations; and, in response to detecting the imbalance, selectively redistributing available electrical energy among at least a subset of the different stations.

[0028] These and other features of the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media disclosed herein, as well as the operation and function of the related elements of the structure, and the economy of combination and manufacture of the components, will become more apparent when considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form part of this specification, wherein similar reference numerals identify corresponding portions in the various figures. However, it should be clearly understood that the drawings are for illustrative and descriptive purposes only and are not intended to be construed as limiting the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a diagram of a power infrastructure that distributes electrical energy and responds to faults or imbalances occurring within the power infrastructure, according to some embodiments of the present invention. The power infrastructure includes one or more SSTs to distribute energy.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an implementation of multiple SSTs within an electrical infrastructure according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating details of a controller according to some embodiments of the invention, which coordinates the operation of a station to detect and respond to any faults and / or imbalances.

[0032] Figure 4This is a block diagram illustrating details of a fault detection engine according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating details of a fault addressing engine according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example system for performing non-functional quantity compensation when a reduction in transmission quality is detected within a power infrastructure, according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating details of an imbalance detection engine according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating details of an imbalance resolution engine according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting and responding to any fault within a power infrastructure according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 10 It is a block diagram showing the details of the computing system. Detailed Implementation

[0039] A claimed solution rooted in computer technology overcomes problems particularly prevalent in the field of computer technology (especially the maintenance and control of power infrastructure). The claimed solution facilitates additional functionality to seamlessly adapt to and respond to various changing conditions (e.g., irregularities), such as faults (e.g., degraded performance or interruptions) and / or imbalances within the power infrastructure. The power infrastructure may contain one or more solid-state transformers (SSTs) (which supply and distribute energy) and buses within one or more stations for connecting the one or more SSTs to one or more power sources. The power infrastructure may include connections to stations that can supply energy to one or more entities. The power infrastructure may include controllers that control the operation of the power infrastructure and respond to certain changing conditions.

[0040] Each station and power infrastructure can have bidirectional energy flow attributes. Bidirectional energy flow attributes include the ability to capture energy into the station via a connection and to transmit energy outside the station via a connection. Two distinct modes can include an energy capture mode and an energy supply mode. During energy capture mode, the controller can control the station to capture and / or store energy delivered through one or more SSTs at the station. During energy supply mode, the controller can control the station to convert direct current (DC) energy back to alternating current (AC) energy and direct the AC energy back via connections to the power infrastructure. Energy supply mode may occur, for example, in response to a fault in the power infrastructure (such as an interruption), which may be due to energy loss. Therefore, by directing energy back to the power infrastructure, the station can temporarily restore the power infrastructure affected by the interruption.

[0041] Another pattern involves transferring or transferring energy between different ports within and / or between stations. For example, upon detecting a fault, a controller may transfer energy to a specific station based on a request to draw energy and / or the level of urgency associated with that request. The level of urgency may depend on the specific entity and / or entity type that has requested energy. For example, an emergency response vehicle may be associated with a higher level of urgency (e.g., a higher priority) compared to a non-emergency vehicle.

[0042] Another mode involves harmonic filtering. The controller can initiate the harmonic filtering process when harmonic currents above a threshold level and / or nonlinear loads above a threshold level are detected. Yet another mode involves power factor correction.

[0043] Figure 1A diagram of an example power infrastructure 100 is depicted. Power infrastructure 100 may include a power source 155, a transmission line 175, a bus (e.g., a common coupling point or PCC) 120 linking the power source 155 and transmission line 175 to a regional infrastructure 119 including stations 102, 122, and 142, connections 101, 121, and 141 between the bus 120 and stations 102, 122, and 142 respectively, and a controller 160 configured to control the operation of stations 102, 122, and 142. Controller 160 may communicate with each station via interfaces 184, 186, and 188, with the bus 120 via interface 189, and / or with the transmission line 175 via interface 185. Each of the aforementioned interfaces 184, 186, 188, 189, and / or 185 may be linked to or include one or more sensors to detect changing conditions (e.g., sensors 179 and 183 associated with bus 120 and transmission line 183). For example, sensor 179 may detect any of the current, voltage, harmonic interference, and / or nonlinear load associated with bus 120. Sensor 183 may detect any of the current, voltage, harmonic interference, and / or nonlinear load associated with transmission line 175. Controller 160 may control the operation of a region or zone (hereinafter referred to as "region"), while each of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 may control the operation within a sub-region. Regions and / or sub-regions, and / or further divisions thereof, may be defined geographically or non-geographically. Transmission lines may also be connected to one or more different regional infrastructures 195, which may be implemented in the same or similar manner as regional infrastructure 119.

[0044] In some embodiments, the power infrastructure 100 may additionally include a station at another level or hierarchy between the regional infrastructure 119 and the transmission line 175. For example, such a scenario may apply if the bus 120 is a low-voltage bus.

[0045] For example, each SST implemented within one or more of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 may include multiple stages, sub-components, converters, or sections (hereinafter referred to as "stages"), including a first stage that converts AC energy of a first voltage to DC energy of a second voltage, a second stage that converts DC energy of the second voltage to DC energy of a third voltage, and a third stage that converts DC energy of the third voltage to AC energy of a fourth voltage. In some examples, the first voltage may be higher than the second voltage, the second voltage may be higher than the third voltage, and the third voltage may be higher than the fourth voltage. Thus, successive stages can continuously decrease the output voltage. Other modes are also possible (e.g., successive stages that provide voltage, cause voltage rise and fall, cause voltage fall and rise, etc.). Bus 120 may include a low-voltage bus or a medium-voltage bus.

[0046] One or more input terminals can supply AC energy to one or more SSTs to be processed in the first stage. In some examples, the first voltage can be in the range of approximately 2 kV to 7 kV, or any subrange thereof. Alternatively, the first voltage can be higher or lower. In a particular example, the first voltage can be approximately 6.6 kV. After processing in the first stage, the output DC energy can be processed in the second stage. In some examples, the second voltage can be in the range of approximately 1 kV to 6 kV, or any subrange thereof. Alternatively, the second voltage can be higher or lower. The second stage may include a high-frequency transformer and a bidirectional dual-active bridge, which facilitates bidirectional energy flow into and out of one or more SSTs. At the output of the second stage, terminals can correspond to the DC bus for outputting a third voltage, which can be in the range of approximately 100 volts to 600 volts. Alternatively, the third voltage can be higher or lower.

[0047] Although three stations 102, 122, and 142 are shown, the power infrastructure 100 may include any number of stations. In some examples, stations 102, 122, and 142 may include charging stations. Station 122 may include an energy source 124, such as a charger and / or generator. Although only a single energy source is shown for illustration, each station may include any number of energy sources. In some examples, energy source 124 may include an inverter that converts DC energy to AC energy, which may be applicable when station 122 distributes power back to bus 120 and / or one or more SSTs 102 via connection 121. Station 122 may also include one or more ports, shown as ports 126 and 128. Ports 126 and 128 may include links to entities 130 and 132, respectively. Entities 130 and 132 may request, draw, and / or consume power from energy source 124 via ports 126 and 128. In some examples, entities 130 and 132 may include any load (e.g., a vehicle) that requires, consumes, and / or stores electrical energy. Station 142 may be implemented in an equivalent or similar manner to station 122 and may include equivalent or similar components, including energy source 144 and ports 146 and 148, through which entities 150 and 152 may be linked. Station 102 may be implemented in an equivalent or similar manner to station 122 and may include equivalent or similar components, including energy source 104 and ports 106 and 108, through which entities 110 and 112 may be linked.

[0048] Controller 160 may include software, hardware, and / or firmware to control the operation of one or more stations 102, 122, and / or 142. These operations may include detecting changes in conditions (e.g., faults, imbalances, and / or other irregularities) within the power infrastructure 100 (particularly within the regional infrastructure 119) and implementing responses to the detected changes. The response may include adjusting the operation or mode of one or more stations 102, 122, and / or 142. Controller 160 may include one or more processors and instructions (e.g., which may include parameters, expressions, protocols, evaluations, logical conditions, variables, and / or functions) to implement control over the operations, such as... Figures 3-9 As will be described below, as a result of detecting and responding to changing conditions, controller 160 enables seamless transitions between different operating modes of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 to mitigate or prevent any faults and / or other problems within the power infrastructure 100, while improving the quality of power transmission. Controller 160 can utilize secure and efficient communication protocols to communicate with all stations (e.g., stations 102, 122, and 142). In some examples, controller 160 can be adapted to be used in conjunction with different types of stations and / or SSTs.

[0049] Controller 160 can be connected via network 162 to any of stations 102, 122, and 142 and / or any of entities 110, 112, 130, 132, 150, and 152, receiving and / or transmitting communications to them. Network 162 can include any secure communication network, such as an encrypted network. Network 162 can represent one or more computer networks (e.g., LAN, WAN, etc.) or other transmission media. Network 162 can provide communication within and / or between regional infrastructure 119 and other different regional infrastructures 195. In some embodiments, network 162 includes one or more computing devices, routers, cables, buses, and / or other network topologies (e.g., mesh, etc.). In some embodiments, network 162 can be wired and / or wireless. In some embodiments, network 162 can be another bus. In various embodiments, network 162 can include the Internet, one or more wide area networks (WANs) or local area networks (LANs), and can be one or more networks that are public, private, IP-based, non-IP-based, etc.

[0050] Controller 160 can transmit and receive communications (e.g., requests and / or commands) (hereinafter referred to as "communications") from one or more stations 102, 122, and 142 and / or any other location within the power infrastructure 100 via one or more interfaces 188, 184, and 186 connected through network 162. In some examples, interfaces 188, 184, and 186 may constitute circuit interfaces and / or client interfaces. Figure 1 For illustrative purposes, interface 188 can receive and transmit communication between controller 160 and station 102. Interface 184 can receive and transmit communication between controller 160 and station 122. Interface 186 can receive and transmit communication between controller 160 and station 142. Additionally or alternatively, controller 160 can communicate with interface 189, which can be connected to bus 120, and / or interface 185, which can be connected to transmission line 175, and can transmit and receive communication from controller 160 to any location within power infrastructure 100. Other configurations including different numbers and / or arrangements of interfaces are also envisioned.

[0051] In some examples, interfaces 188, 184, and 186 may include software, hardware, and / or firmware to connect to one or more stations 102, 122, and / or 142 and / or any other part of the power infrastructure 100 and control its operation. Interfaces 188, 184, and 186 may decrypt, convert, and / or transform (hereinafter “converted”) any communication from controller 160 into actions (e.g., changes to the circuitry system (e.g., switching on or off access to a particular station and / or port)) and / or programming to implement commands. Interfaces 188, 184, and 186 may also acquire data, such as operating parameters and attributes within stations 102, 122, and 142 (e.g., electrical parameters such as voltage or signal or transmission quality indicators), and / or any results of actions (e.g., whether the action successfully resolved a fault, imbalance, and / or other irregularity). Interfaces 188, 184, and 186 may transmit any acquired data to controller 160. Controller 160 may then store the data within one or more data storage devices 170.

[0052] In some examples, interfaces 188, 184, and 186 may include or be associated with a graphical user interface and / or a network-based interface to enable access to any data and / or communication obtained and / or to allow configuration or management of other aspects of controller 160 and / or power infrastructure 100. Interfaces 188, 184, and 186 may support load balancing during any concurrent requests for access.

[0053] In some examples, controller 160 can implement any or all of the functions described with respect to interfaces 188, 184, 186, 189, and 185. In some examples, controller 160, combined with interfaces 188, 184, 186, 189, and 185 and / or network 162, can form a controller system to control the operation of power infrastructure 100. In some examples, controller 160 can communicate in an ad-hoc manner with one or more other controllers corresponding to different regional infrastructures (e.g., different regional infrastructure 195) and / or with a central controller (not shown) that controls the operation of all regional controllers within infrastructure 100. Thus, in some examples, a hierarchical structure of controllers can be implemented using a central controller, where the central controller coordinates the regional controllers. Although Figure 1 Not shown, but controller system 190 may also include any associated engines (e.g., communication engines 401, 501, 701 and / or 801) that facilitate communication between controller 160 and interfaces 188, 184 and 186.

[0054] Controller 160 can detect and respond to one or more faults within regional infrastructure 119. For example, controller 160 can receive a signal or indication of a fault (hereinafter referred to as an "indication") from station 102 via interface 188. For example, a fault might be an insufficient total amount of energy (e.g., below a threshold level) identified within station 102 and / or one of entities 110 or 112. Controller 160 can receive an indication that other entities within station 102, either individually or collectively, have no remaining energy to address the deficiency. Controller 160 can transmit a message via interfaces 184 and / or 186 to one or more other stations 122 and / or 142 within regional infrastructure 119 to request energy. Controller 160 can, for example, receive a signal from station 122 via interface 184 that station 122 has a remaining amount of energy. Controller 160 can then instruct station 122 to deliver some or all of the remaining energy to station 102 via bus 120 via interface 184. For example, controller 160 can instruct station 122 to control one or more switches to allow energy to flow from station 122 to bus 120. Controller 160 can then instruct station 102 to control one or more switches to allow energy delivery to station 102. Simultaneously, controller 160 can then instruct station 142 to control one or more switches to prevent any unintentional transfer of energy to station 142. In this way, controller 160 can control the transmission and reception of energy at each individual station in a granular manner.

[0055] In some scenarios, conversely, if controller 160 determines that stations 102, 122, and 142 within regional infrastructure 119 do not have sufficient energy to address the shortage at station 102, controller 160 may transmit messages to interface 185 and / or the central controller of infrastructure 100 to request energy from different regions. Upon receiving an indication or determining that different regions have surplus energy to address the shortage, controller 160 may control or coordinate one or more switches associated with transmission line 175 via interface 185 to receive energy from different regions. Similarly, controller 160 may also respond to messages from different controllers in different regions (e.g., within different regional infrastructure 195) to address shortages within different regional infrastructure 195.

[0056] Furthermore, controller 160 can respond to changes in conditions within bus 120 and / or transmission line 175. For example, upon detecting a voltage drop at bus 120 and / or transmission line 175, controller 160 can coordinate reactive power injection from any of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 via interfaces 188, 184, and / or 186, respectively. As another example, upon detecting a current drop at 120 and / or transmission line 175, controller 160 can coordinate the conversion or transformation of one or more of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 into one or more grid-connected inverters. As yet another example, upon detecting that waveform distortion (such as harmonic distortion and / or nonlinear load) associated with bus and / or transmission line 175 exceeds a threshold level, controller 160 can activate mechanisms (such as harmonic filtering) to address waveform distortion. In this way, controller 160 can also resolve faults in different areas.

[0057] Controller 160 may include one or more different processors. For example, controller 160 may acquire battery voltage, state of charge, and charging power, and incorporate available battery power and battery energy into a representation such as a matrix. Controller 160 may additionally monitor the voltage of bus 120 and determine whether stations 102, 122, and / or 142 should remain connected to infrastructure 100 during low voltage ride-through (LVRT). Controller 160 may incorporate the power being consumed by individual stations into a representation such as a matrix. Controller 160 may perform spectral analysis, such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), on the current within any of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 and / or bus 120, and determine the harmonic amplitude and phase of the current. When cancelling sags (e.g., voltage dips) within bus 120, controller 160 may control any of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 as a STATCOM. Controller 160 can coordinate harmonic filtering, power factor correction, STATCOM and / or grid formation switching or mode of any of stations 102, 122 and / or 142.

[0058] Controller 160 can address waveform defects (such as harmonics) by arranging harmonic components in descending order of amplitude, selecting the harmonic components to be addressed based on amplitude (e.g., selecting the largest harmonic component), and selecting the entity with the highest available energy to be used as an active filter. In some examples, if a harmonic component cannot be reduced to an acceptable threshold level, it can be ignored, and the largest harmonic component that can be reduced to an acceptable threshold level can be addressed. In some examples, before addressing one or more harmonic components, controller 160 can calculate or predict the apparent power resulting from addressing one or more harmonic components. If the resulting apparent power is within an acceptable range, controller 160 can perform harmonic filtering and / or compensation. If the resulting apparent power is outside an acceptable range, controller 160 can remove the smallest remaining harmonic component from the one or more harmonic components and re-evaluate whether the resulting apparent power is within an acceptable range after removing the smallest remaining harmonic component.

[0059] Controller 160 may also be associated with one or more data storage devices 170, which may store data accessible to controller 160 and may be the destination for data writes. As a non-limiting example, data within data storage device 170 may include historical data, records or logs (hereinafter “records”) of any faults, imbalances and / or other irregularities within power infrastructure 100, records of any operations performed at any of stations 102, 122 and / or 142, the results of any performed operations (e.g., whether the operation successfully resolved a fault, imbalance or other irregularity), and / or records of energy extraction at any of ports 106, 108, 126, 128, 146 and / or 148. In some embodiments, data storage device 170 may represent one or more logical storage devices. In some embodiments, data storage device 114 may include a relational database management system (RDBMS), an object-based database system, etc.

[0060] Figure 2 Example implementations of one or more SSTs, which may be implemented in any of stations 102, 122 and / or 142, are shown to illustrate combinations of multiple SSTs 200 to increase the voltage to be distributed. Figure 1 Any principles described in it can also be applied to Figure 2Conversely, the same applies. Combination 200 may include a first segment 202, a second segment 214, and a third segment 224, each segment potentially having equivalent or similar components and functions. The first segment 202 may include a first stage 206 that converts input AC energy to DC energy, and a second stage 208 that, for example, uses a dual active bridge to reduce the voltage of the DC energy. In the first segment, terminal 207 may correspond to a DC bus, and terminal 209 may correspond to a DC bus at a lower voltage. The first segment 202 may be linked to the second segment 214 via terminal 211. By including three segments, the resulting voltage of combination 200 can be increased. For example, if the first segment 202 corresponds to a voltage of approximately 2.5 kV, the voltage of combination 200 may be nearly three times the voltage of the individual segments, or approximately 6.6 kV, as measured between terminal 201 of the first segment 202 and terminal 231 of the third segment 224. In some embodiments, the third stage 212 may include auxiliary circuitry. In some embodiments, the combination of multiple SSTs 200 may exclude the third stage 212.

[0061] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating details of controller 160, which coordinates the operation of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 to detect and respond to any faults, imbalances, and / or other irregularities within the power infrastructure 100. Controller 160 includes hardware, software, and / or firmware capable of secure and efficient communication with any of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 and / or entities 110, 112, 130, 132, 150, and / or 152, for example, through any of the previously described interfaces (e.g., interfaces 188, 184, and 186). Controller 160 may include a fault detection engine 302, a fault resolution engine 304, an imbalance detection engine 306, and / or an imbalance resolution engine 308. Any engine mentioned may include software, hardware, firmware, and / or circuitry for performing and / or coordinating operations. While engines are described separately to illustrate different concepts, it is conceivable that the separately described engines do not necessarily constitute different or separate physical processors. Conversely, any engine can be integrated or combined into a single processor.

[0062] Controller 160 (specifically, fault detection engine 302) can detect the presence of a fault, such as a loss, degradation, or deterioration in performance (hereinafter referred to as "loss"), or an interruption of any part of the power infrastructure 100. Performance loss may include a reduction in transmission quality, which can be demonstrated, for example, by voltage drops and / or waveform defects such as harmonic distortion. Controller 160 (specifically, fault resolution engine 304) can respond by adjusting the operation and / or mode of any station (e.g., stations 102, 122, and / or 142) upon detecting such a fault. Figure 4and Figure 5 As described in the description, controller 160 can distinguish between faults or fault types that supply reactive power from any station and faults or fault types that supply active power. Reactive power will be provided to maintain the stability and / or quality (hereinafter referred to as "quality") of the power infrastructure in response to deteriorating quality. For example, a voltage drop in the power infrastructure can indicate deteriorating quality when the power infrastructure remains at least partially operational. Simultaneously, active power will be provided to deliver consumable energy to entities in response to power infrastructure interruptions.

[0063] In some embodiments, controller 160 (specifically, fault detection engine 302) can detect harmonic distortion within a waveform. Upon detecting harmonic distortion, fault resolution engine 304 can initiate or control a harmonic filtering process to mitigate or eliminate the harmonic distortion. Fault resolution engine 304 can control one or more of stations 102, 122, and 142 to perform harmonic filtering. In some examples, harmonic filtering may include actively injecting electrical signals (such as harmonic signals) to cancel out the distortion.

[0064] Imbalance detection engine 306 can detect imbalances, such as those relating to parameters or attributes (hereinafter referred to as "parameters") within the power infrastructure 100. Such parameters may be obtained, for example, from relevant interfaces (e.g., any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186) and / or from data storage device 170. For instance, an imbalance in a parameter might refer to the amount of stored energy across different stations and / or the amount of stored energy across different energy sources within a specific station, deviating from certain benchmarks. These benchmarks may be based on factors such as historical energy demand at different stations and / or projected energy demand at different stations. For example, if station 122 has historically had higher energy demand compared to station 142, the amount of available energy at station 122 should be higher than the amount of available energy at station 142. In some examples, if the amount of available energy at station 122 is less than the projected future energy demand, station 122 may be predicted to be energy-deficient. Imbalance resolution engine 308 can selectively resolve imbalances (e.g., by reallocating, transferring, or redistributing energy from other stations and / or other external sources to station 122). Details of imbalance detection engine 306 and imbalance resolution engine 308 will be discussed later. Figure 7 and Figure 8 Further details are provided below.

[0065] Figure 4This is a block diagram illustrating details of fault detection engine 302. Fault detection engine 302 includes hardware, software, and / or firmware capable of secure and efficient communication with any of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 and / or entities 110, 112, 130, 132, 150, and / or 152. Fault detection engine 302 includes a communication engine 401, a transmission quality monitoring engine 402, and an interruption detection engine 404, configured to detect different faults or fault types. Fault detection engine 302 can distinguish between faults or fault types that will be injected with reactive power (e.g., when a reduction in transmission quality is detected, while the power infrastructure remains at least partially operational) and faults or fault types that will be injected with active power (e.g., when an interruption is detected). Communication engine 401 includes hardware, software, and / or firmware capable of secure and efficient communication with different locations or positions of power infrastructure 100 (hereinafter referred to as "locations"). These different locations may correspond to stations 102, 122, and / or 142, and / or any of entities 110, 112, 130, 132, 150, and / or 152. Communication engine 401 may receive and / or transmit communications via any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186. Specifically, communication engine 401 may receive readings and / or communications from one or more sensors or components. These sensors may measure parameters of the energy being transmitted, such as voltage (e.g., RMS voltage), current, the amount of energy delivered, and / or indicators of energy quality (such as harmonic distortion). Communication engine 401 may receive additional records or logs of events occurring within the power infrastructure 100 (e.g., degradation and / or interruption of transmission quality). In some embodiments, communication engine 401 may transmit requests for information to any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186. In some embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the communication engine 401 may receive event and / or data communications from interfaces 188, 184, and 186 in real time, near real time, or automatically at specific intervals. The communication engine 401 may transmit any received communications to the transmission quality monitoring engine 402.

[0066] The transmission quality monitoring engine 402 can be configured to receive communications from the communication engine 401 and detect, determine, or infer a degradation in transmission quality, which can be demonstrated, for example, by waveform changes in the transmitted signal, voltage drops (e.g., voltage sags or undervoltage conditions), and / or harmonic distortion. In the event of a voltage drop, the root mean square (RMS) voltage value across at least a portion of the electrical infrastructure 100 can be reduced. In some examples, the transmission quality monitoring engine 402 can definitively determine a degradation in transmission quality when it detects that the voltage has dropped below a low voltage ride-through (LVRT) value for a duration of half a cycle to 500 milliseconds (ms), or has decreased by at least 10% compared to the previous average RMS voltage.

[0067] Simultaneously, the interruption detection engine 404 can be configured to receive communications from the communication engine 401 and detect, determine, or infer interruptions within any part of the power infrastructure 100. Interruptions may include intentional or planned interruptions, or unplanned interruptions. The interruption detection engine 404 can definitively determine an interruption when it detects that a measured voltage is zero for at least a threshold time period or is negligible within a certain range.

[0068] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating details of fault resolution engine 304, which includes hardware, software, and / or firmware capable of secure and efficient communication with any of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 and / or entities 110, 112, 130, 132, 150, and / or 152. Fault resolution engine 304 includes communication engine 501, compensation engine 502, energy injection engine 504, and energy redistribution engine 506, which implement different responses based on the type of fault detected by fault detection engine 302. Communication engine 501 can be configured to communicate with different locations or positions of power infrastructure 100 (hereinafter referred to as "locations") (e.g., together with compensation engine 502, energy injection engine 504, and energy redistribution engine 506 when commands are issued to perform certain operations to resolve faults). These different locations may correspond to one or more stations 102, 122 and / or 142, and / or any one of entities 110, 112, 130, 132, 150 and / or 152. Communication engine 501 may receive and / or transmit communications via any one of interfaces 188, 184 and 186.

[0069] Compensation engine 502 (together with communication engine 501) can be configured to address transmission quality degradation, such as that identified by transmission quality monitoring engine 402. In the event of transmission quality degradation, which can be demonstrated by voltage drop, compensation engine 502 can first determine to terminate charging at any station (e.g., stations 102, 122, and 142) affected or potentially affected by the transmission quality degradation, and initiate such a process. Specifically, communication engine 501 can provide transmission instructions or communications (hereinafter referred to as "communications") to any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186 to terminate charging at any of the corresponding stations 102, 122, and 142. For example, communication may include commands to adjust or open switches or modify the circuitry, which would result in preventing energy from flowing into one of stations 102, 122, or 142.

[0070] Secondly, compensation engine 502 can determine the mode of any of switching stations 102, 122, and 142 to inject reactive power toward bus 120. Communication engine 501 can transmit communication to any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186 to switch the mode of any of stations 102, 122, and 142. Communication may include commands to adjust switches and / or activate or modify a portion of the circuitry to inject reactive power.

[0071] Figure 6 An example implementation of reactive power injection is shown. Compensation engine 502 can determine whether to activate or control compensation circuitry or any other equivalent or similar mechanism connected to or associated with one of stations 102, 122, and 142. Communication engine 501 can transmit communications to any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186 to activate or control the compensation circuitry or perform any other equivalent or similar mechanism. In some examples, compensation engine 502 can activate a static synchronous compensator mode associated with and / or with compensation circuitry of one of stations 102, 122, and 142. Compensation circuitry may include a voltage source converter (VSC) connected to reactances (such as inductors or transformers) that can switch a portion of the circuitry to supply reactive power (e.g., capacitive reactive power) toward connections 101, 121, and / or 141 when a voltage drop is detected. However, if no voltage drop is detected, compensation circuitry may switch different portions of the circuitry such that no reactive power is supplied. The reactive power can then be transmitted toward bus 120. Therefore, by supplying reactive power, the compensation engine 502 promotes voltage stability, reliability, and efficiency of energy transmission across the power infrastructure 100.

[0072] In some embodiments, compensation engine 502 can be configured to resolve harmonic distortion. Compensation engine 502 can determine to initiate a harmonic filtering process and / or actively inject harmonic current to counteract harmonic distortion. Communication engine 501 can transmit communication to any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186 to initiate such a harmonic filtering process and / or actively inject harmonic current.

[0073] Simultaneously, the energy injection engine 504 and / or the energy redistribution engine 506 can be configured to resolve interruptions such as those detected by the interruption detection engine 404. First, the energy injection engine 504 can determine to close the circuit breaker to allow the flow of electrical energy. Next, the energy injection engine 504 can determine to switch the mode of any of stations 102, 122, and 142 from an energy harvesting mode, during which stations 122 and / or 142 may be charging and harvesting energy from one or more stations 102, 122, and / or 142, and one or more stations 102, 122, and / or 142 are injecting or distributing electrical energy toward connections 101, 121, and / or 141. The communication engine 501 can transmit communications to interfaces 188, 184, and / or 186 to issue commands to stations 102, 122, and / or 142 to perform these operations. Electrical energy can then be transferred toward bus 120. This injection of electrical energy can at least temporarily resolve the interruption and restore the operation of the power infrastructure 100. In practice, the energy injection engine 504 can switch the direction of energy flow at stations 102, 122, and / or 142, which effectively transforms stations 102, 122, and / or 142 into grid-type inverters. In some examples, as stations 122 and / or 142 distribute AC energy, the AC energy can be routed to bus 120 after a boost or conversion process to increase the voltage of the AC energy at stations 102, 122, and / or 142.

[0074] In some embodiments, the energy injection engine 504 may select one or more specific stations to supply energy based on attributes within one or more specific stations, such as stored energy, the amount of remaining energy, the predicted amount of remaining energy, predicted demand, and / or the predicted remaining amount of energy. The energy injection engine 504 may determine these attributes, for example, based on historical data of the station. For instance, compared to other stations connected within the power infrastructure 100, the energy injection engine 504 may select a specific station with the highest stored energy (across all combinations of energy sources) to supply energy. In other examples, the energy injection engine 506 may select multiple specific stations with nearly the highest stored energy compared to other stations. In some examples, additionally or alternatively, the energy injection engine 504 may select one or more specific stations to supply energy based on other criteria, such as location, utilization frequency, demand, predicted or expected utilization frequency or demand of the entity, historical information (such as the age of the station), and / or efficiency (such as the charging efficiency of the station)). As a particular example, the energy injection engine 504 may select a specific station that is closest or nearly closest to an interruption compared to other stations to reduce the distance the energy will travel. As another specific example, energy injection engine 504 can select a specific station that is least frequently used or requested, or has the lowest predicted energy consumption, to prevent depletion or energy shortage at frequently used or requested stations. As another specific example, energy injection engine 504 can select a specific station with the highest predicted remaining energy (e.g., the difference between currently available energy and expected energy demand). As another specific example, energy injection engine 504 can select a specific station that is newest, nearly newest, or most efficient compared to other stations, because this specific station can replenish or restore energy more efficiently than other stations. When energy injection engine 504 selects one or more specific stations, communication engine 501 can transmit communication to one or more corresponding interfaces (e.g., interfaces 188, 184, and / or 186) indicating that one or more specific stations will supply energy. Following this communication, the corresponding interfaces 188, 184, and / or 186 can initiate a process of switching the mode of one or more specific stations to supply energy.

[0075] In the event of an interruption, the energy redistribution engine 506 can redistribute electrical energy among energy sources within a specific station. For example, the energy redistribution engine 506 may receive a request for charging at a specific station (e.g., port 130 of station 122). The charging request may also indicate an urgency and / or priority level, which may be associated with a specific type of entity or a particular entity requesting charging. For example, a government vehicle, such as an emergency response vehicle, may be associated with a higher priority level compared to other non-government vehicles. Therefore, if the priority level is higher than a threshold priority level (e.g., such as one corresponding to a government vehicle), the energy redistribution engine 506 can determine whether the amount of energy stored in energy source 126 connected to port 130 is sufficient to satisfy the charging request. If the amount of energy is insufficient, indicating a potential shortage, the energy redistribution engine 506 may redistribute energy from or direct the redistribution of energy from any other remaining energy source within station 122 besides energy source 126 to supply sufficient energy to energy source 126.

[0076] Energy redistribution may involve directing the transfer of electrical energy from other remaining energy sources in proportion to the individual remaining energy levels within other energy sources. For example, if energy source 128 has 10 kilowatt-hours (kWh) available, while a third energy source within station 122 ( Figure 1 If 15 kWh of energy (not shown) is available, 40% of the total energy redistributed to energy source 126 will be transferred from energy source 128, while 60% of the total energy redistributed will be transferred from a third energy source. In other examples, the redistribution of energy from other remaining energy sources may be proportional to the estimated remaining energy level within the other energy sources (e.g., the difference between available energy and expected energy demand). Communication engine 501 may transmit communication to interface 184 to redistribute energy by transferring energy from remaining energy sources to energy source 126. After the transmission of communication, interface 184 may activate the redistribution process, which may include adjusting one or more circuit components within station 122. For example, interface 184 may initiate a process of closing a switch or otherwise modifying the circuitry or functionality within station 122 to allow energy source 126 to receive energy.

[0077] In some embodiments, if energy transfer from station 142 to station 122 has been restored and / or is possible, the energy redistribution engine 506 may also redistribute energy from one or more other stations (e.g., station 142) to compensate for potential or actual shortages within station 122. In some embodiments, when multiple candidate stations can redistribute energy to station 122, the energy redistribution engine 506 may select one or more specific stations from the candidate stations using similar criteria, including any or all of the principles described above with respect to individual energy sources. For example, the energy redistribution engine 506 may make a selection based on the estimated remaining energy level within the station, the available energy level within the station, and / or the location of the station.

[0078] When the energy redistribution engine 506 selects one or more specific stations, the communication engine 501 can transmit communication to one or more corresponding interfaces to redistribute energy by transferring energy from one or more specific stations to station 122. Furthermore, the communication engine 501 can transmit communication to interface 184, indicating that station 122 is configured to receive energy. After transmitting communication, one or more corresponding interfaces can initiate a redistribution process (e.g., by adjusting corresponding circuit components within one or more specific stations to transfer energy). Additionally, interface 184 can initiate a process of adjusting the circuit components of station 122 (e.g., closing a switch) to prepare for receiving energy transfer. In this way, the energy redistribution engine 506 can ensure that energy reaches the intended station.

[0079] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates example operation of reactive power compensation (as associated with compensation engine 502) when a transmission quality degradation (such as a voltage drop) is detected within power infrastructure 100. In some examples, compensation engine 502 may activate and / or control the operation of compensation circuit 602 or some equivalent or similar mechanism to supply reactive power. Compensation circuit 602 may be associated with or connected to any station (e.g., station 122). Compensation circuit 602 may include a VSC connected to a reactance (such as an inductor or transformer) that can supply reactive power (e.g., capacitive reactive power) toward connections 101, 121, and / or 141. The reactive power may then be transmitted toward bus 120.

[0080] Figure 7This is a block diagram illustrating details of an imbalance detection engine 306, including hardware, software, and / or firmware capable of secure and efficient communication with any of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 and / or entities 110, 112, 130, 132, 150, and / or 152. The imbalance detection engine 306 may include a communication engine 701, an intrastation imbalance detection engine 702, and an interstation imbalance detection engine 704. The communication engine 701 may receive communication via any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186 and transmit communication to any of the intrastation imbalance detection engine 702 and the interstation imbalance detection engine 704. Specifically, the communication engine 701 may receive readings and / or communication from one or more sensors or components. These sensors can measure parameters indicating imbalance (e.g., the amount of energy stored in individual energy sources (e.g., energy sources 126, 128, 146, and 148) and the amount of energy stored in stations (e.g., stations 122 and 142), indicators of transmission and / or energy quality (e.g., voltage and / or frequency consistency or stability levels and / or signal waveform properties)). Communication engine 701 can receive additional records or logs of events occurring within the power infrastructure 100. In some embodiments, communication engine 701 can transmit requests for information to any of interfaces 188, 184, and 186. In some embodiments, additionally or alternatively, communication engine 701 can receive communications of events and / or data from interfaces 188, 184, and 186 in real-time, near real-time, or automatically at specific intervals. Communication engine 701 can transmit any received communications to intra-station imbalance detection engine 702 and inter-station imbalance detection engine 704.

[0081] The site imbalance detection engine 702 can be configured to detect imbalances between specific site parameters after the communication engine 701 receives any transmitted communication. For example, the site imbalance detection engine 702 can detect uneven distribution of stored energy among individual energy sources within the site (e.g., energy sources 126 and 128 within site 122). If, for example, one or more individual energy sources deviate from a certain index (e.g., the average amount of stored energy of the energy sources within the site), the site imbalance detection engine 702 can determine an uneven distribution. A specific scenario might be that, for site 122, energy source 126 has 1 kWh of available stored energy, while energy source 128 has 15 kWh of available stored energy, which is fifteen times the available stored energy of energy source 126. In this scenario, the site imbalance detection engine 702 can detect the uneven distribution of stored energy. The in-station imbalance detection engine 702 can also detect uneven distribution and / or other imbalances of other parameters within a specific station, such as energy quality indicators (e.g., voltage and / or frequency consistency or stability levels and / or signal waveform properties).

[0082] Inter-station imbalance detection engine 704 can be configured to detect imbalances related to parameters across different stations after communication engine 701 receives any transmitted communication. For example, inter-station imbalance detection engine 704 can detect uneven distribution of stored energy between different stations, and / or deviations between current parameters (e.g., current stored energy) and a baseline (e.g., expected or recommended total stored energy at the station) in one or more specific stations. In some embodiments, as previously described... Figure 3As mentioned, baseline values ​​for different stations may differ from one another and may be based on relative and / or absolute geospatial location, historical demand, and / or projected demand. For example, if historically, a station (e.g., station 122) has drawn more energy than a different station (e.g., station 142), then the baseline amount of total energy at that station may be higher (compared to the baseline amount of total energy at different stations) due to the higher projected demand at station 122. Additionally or alternatively, if historically, a station has been associated with a higher failure rate (compared to different stations), then more energy may be expected to be drawn from that station (compared to that different station). Therefore, the baseline amount of total energy at that station may be higher than the baseline amount of total energy at that different station. Additionally or alternatively, if historically, a station (compared to different stations) has been associated with a higher energy request priority (e.g., a particular type of entity is more likely to request at that station), then the baseline amount of total energy at that station may be higher (compared to the baseline amount of total energy at that different station). In other examples, additionally or alternatively, the inter-station imbalance detection engine 704 may detect an imbalance if the current energy demand or request from an entity exceeds the available energy. The inter-station imbalance detection engine 704 may also detect uneven distribution and / or other imbalances of other parameters across different stations, such as energy quality indicators (e.g., consistency or stability levels of voltage and / or frequency and / or signal waveform properties).

[0083] Figure 8This is a block diagram illustrating details of an imbalance resolution engine 308, including hardware, software, and / or firmware capable of secure and efficient communication with any of stations 102, 122, and / or 142 and / or entities 110, 112, 130, 132, 150, and / or 152. The imbalance resolution engine 308 may include a communication engine 801, an intra-station imbalance resolution engine 802, and an inter-station imbalance resolution engine 804. The communication engine 801 may be configured to translate and / or transmit any commands received by the intra-station imbalance resolution engine 802 and the inter-station imbalance resolution engine 804 to any interface (e.g., interfaces 188, 184 and 186, 189, and / or 185). The intra-station imbalance resolution engine 802 may be configured to selectively resolve any imbalances detected by the intra-station imbalance detection engine 702, such as restoring or rebuilding the balance between specific intra-station parameters. For example, when the in-station imbalance detection engine 702 detects an uneven distribution of energy between different energy sources, the in-station imbalance resolution engine 802 can control the transfer or shift of stored energy from one energy source (e.g., energy source 128) to another energy source (e.g., energy source 126). The communication engine 801 can transmit communication to the interface 184 so that the station 122 can redistribute energy from energy source 128 to energy source 126. Furthermore, the interface 184 can initiate a process to adjust the circuitry or other functions within the station 122 to begin transferring energy from the energy source and allow energy source 126 to receive energy.

[0084] Inter-station imbalance resolution engine 804 can be configured to selectively resolve any imbalances detected by inter-station imbalance detection engine 704, such as controlling the redistribution of stored energy between different stations to meet the baseline of all or as many stations as possible. In some embodiments, the redistribution of stored energy may depend on the aforementioned criteria, such as the station's historical access or utilization frequency, the failure rate occurring at or near the station or the failure rate associated with the station, and / or the priority or urgency of energy requests at the station. Therefore, inter-station imbalance resolution engine 804 can allocate electrical energy between stations based on the difference in expected energy consumption, the expected or actual energy demand between different stations, and / or based on current energy demand. For example, based on different current energy amounts and predicted energy demand, inter-station imbalance resolution engine 804 may transfer or redistribute energy from a station with expected surplus energy to another station with expected energy shortage. Communication engine 801 can transmit communication to any interface (e.g., interfaces 188, 184, 186, 189, and / or 185) to redistribute or receive energy. Furthermore, interfaces 188, 184, and / or 186 can initiate the process of adjusting the circuitry or functions within stations 102, 122, and / or 142 to begin transmitting or receiving energy, ensuring that energy is correctly routed from the source to the destination, rather than being mistakenly delivered to an unintended destination.

[0085] Figure 9 It is to control the power infrastructure (e.g.) Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a method 900 for responding to a fault detected within the power infrastructure 100. In this flowchart and other flowcharts and / or sequence diagrams, the flowchart illustrates a series of steps by way of example. It should be understood that these steps can be reorganized to be performed in parallel, or reordered as appropriate. Furthermore, for clarity, some steps that could have been included may have been omitted to avoid providing too much information, and for clarity of illustration, some steps that may have been included may have been omitted.

[0086] Method 900 begins at step 902, where one or more processors (e.g., controller 160, particularly fault detection engine 302) detect the presence of a fault within the power infrastructure. For example, as previously described, a fault may include interruptions or performance losses, such as voltage drops and harmonic distortion. In step 904, one or more hardware processors (e.g., fault detection engine 302) may determine the type of fault in response to the detection of its presence. In step 906, one or more hardware processors (e.g., fault resolution engine 304) may, in response to the detection of a fault, adjust the operation or mode of a particular station or one or more stations (e.g., stations 102, 122, and / or 142) to compensate for the fault, based on the detected fault type. Adjustment of operation or mode may include coordinating the transmission of electrical signals or power from the station toward bus 120 (e.g., in the opposite direction of receiving power from power source 155 or alternatively from one or more different regional infrastructures 195 to one or more stations) to compensate for the fault. For example, coordination of electrical signal transmission may include injecting reactive power in response to the detection of a transmission quality loss. Such a transmission quality loss can be demonstrated by a voltage drop. As another example, coordination of electrical signal transmission may include transmitting harmonic currents to compensate for harmonic distortion. As yet another example, coordination of electrical signal transmission may include responding to an interruption in the transmission of AC energy from one or more stations.

[0087] Figure 10This is a block diagram of computing device 1000. Any of the controller 160 and / or engine described herein may include instances of one or more computing devices 1000. In some embodiments, the functionality of computing device 1000 is modified to perform some or all of the functions described herein. Computing device 1000 includes processor 1002, memory 1004, storage device 1006, input device 1010, communication network interface 1014, and output device 1012 communicatively coupled to communication channel 1008. Processor 1002 is configured to execute executable instructions (e.g., programs) and may be implemented as controller 160. In some embodiments, processor 1002 includes a circuit system or any processor capable of processing executable instructions.

[0088] Memory 1004 stores data. Some examples of memory 1004 include storage devices such as RAM, ROM, RAM cache, virtual memory, etc. In various embodiments, working data is stored in memory 1004. Data in memory 1004 can be erased or eventually transferred to storage device 1006.

[0089] Storage device 1006 includes any storage device configured to retrieve and store data. Some examples of storage device 1006 include flash drives, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, cloud storage devices, and / or magnetic tapes. In some embodiments, storage device 1006 may include RAM. Each of memory 1004 and storage device 1006 includes a computer-readable medium storing instructions or programs executable by processor 1002.

[0090] Input device 1010 can be any device that inputs data (e.g., a mouse and keyboard). Output device 1012 can be any device that outputs data and / or processed data (e.g., a speaker or a monitor). It should be understood that storage device 1006, input device 1010, and output device 1012 can be optional. For example, a router / switch may include processor 1002 and memory 1004, as well as devices for receiving and outputting data (e.g., communication network interface 1014 and / or output device 1012).

[0091] The communication network interface 1014 can be coupled to a network (e.g., network 162) via link 1008. The communication network interface 1014 can support communication via Ethernet, serial, parallel, and / or ATA connections. The communication network interface 1014 can also support wireless communication (e.g., 802.11a / b / g / n, WiMax, LTE, WiFi). Clearly, the communication network interface 1014 can support many wired and wireless standards.

[0092] It should be understood that the hardware components of computing device 1000 are not limited to those depicted. Computing device 1000 may include more or fewer hardware, software, and / or firmware components (e.g., drivers / drivers, operating systems, touchscreens, biometric analyzers, etc.) than those depicted. Furthermore, hardware components may share functionality and remain as described in the various embodiments herein. In one example, encoding and / or decoding may be performed by processor 1002 and / or a coprocessor located on a GPU (i.e., NVIDIA).

[0093] It should be understood that “engine,” “system,” “data storage device,” and / or “controller” can include software, hardware, firmware, and / or circuitry. In one example, one or more software programs including processor-executable instructions can perform one or more functions of the engine, system, data storage device, and / or controller described herein. In another example, a circuitry can perform the same or similar functions. Alternative embodiments can include more, fewer, or functionally equivalent engines, systems, data storage devices, or databases, and still remain within the scope of this embodiment. For example, the functions of various engines, systems, data storage devices, and / or controllers can be combined or partitioned differently. Data storage devices can include cloud storage devices. It should also be understood that the term “or,” as used herein, can be interpreted in an inclusive or exclusive sense. Furthermore, multiple instances can be provided for a resource, operation, or structure described herein as a single instance. It should be understood that the term “request” should include any computer request or instruction, whether optional or mandatory.

[0094] The data storage device described herein can be any suitable structure (e.g., active database, relational database, self-referencing database, table, matrix, array, flat file, document-oriented storage system, non-relational No-SQL system, etc.), and can be cloud-based or otherwise.

[0095] The systems, methods, engines, data storage devices, and / or controllers described herein may be implemented at least partially by a processor, where one or more specific processors are examples of hardware. For example, at least some operations of a method may be performed by one or more processors or an engine implemented by a processor. Furthermore, one or more processors may also operate to support the execution of related operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as “Software as a Service” (SaaS). For example, at least some operations may be performed by a group of computers (as an example of a machine including processors), where these operations are accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more suitable interfaces (e.g., application programming interfaces (APIs)).

[0096] The execution of certain operations can be distributed across processors (not just residing within a single machine, but deployed across several machines). In some example embodiments, the processor or processor-implemented engine can be located in a single geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, office environment, or server farm). In other example embodiments, the processor or processor-implemented engine can be distributed across several geographic locations.

[0097] Throughout this specification, multiple instances can be implemented as components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. While individual operations of one or more methods are shown and described as separate operations, one or more individual operations may be performed concurrently, and it is not required that they be performed in the order shown. Structures and functions presented as separate components in the example configuration can be implemented as composite structures or components. Similarly, structures and functions presented as single components can be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of this document's subject matter.

[0098] Unless the context otherwise requires, throughout this specification and the claims, the word “comprising” and its variations (such as “including” and “contains”) shall be interpreted in an open, inclusive sense, meaning “including but not limited to”. Throughout this specification, statements of numerical ranges of values ​​are intended to be used as abbreviations, whereby individual references pertain to each separate value within a range that includes the values ​​defining that range, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as it is individually stated herein. References to “approximate” may be interpreted as including values ​​within a specific range of the specified values ​​(e.g., within 25%, 10%, 5%, 1%, or any other applicable value). Furthermore, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural indicators. Phrases such as “at least one of…,” “at least one selected from the group of…,” or “at least one selected from the group consisting of…” shall be interpreted in a selection relation (e.g., not as at least one A and at least one B).

[0099] The present invention has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made and other embodiments can be used without departing from the broader scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is intended to cover these and other variations with respect to the exemplary embodiments.

Claims

1. A system for controlling power infrastructure, comprising: One or more interfaces coupled to one or more stations, each station including one or more solid-state transformers (SSTs), the one or more stations being operable to receive first electrical energy from a power source via a bus, each station being operable to transmit second electrical energy to one or more entities, and each station also being operable to transmit third electrical energy back toward the bus; and A controller system, comprising the one or more interfaces and a controller, further comprising: One or more hardware processors; and A memory storing computer instructions configured to execute when executed by the one or more hardware processors: Detect the presence of a fault within the power infrastructure, the fault indicating an interruption or performance loss of at least a portion of the power infrastructure; In response to the detection of a fault, the fault type is determined; and Based on the fault type, the operation of a specific station in the station is adjusted to compensate for the fault, and the adjusted operation includes coordinating the transmission of the third electrical energy toward the bus to compensate for the fault.

2. The system according to claim 1, in, Determining the fault type includes detecting that the fault type includes voltage drop; and The coordinated transmission of the third electrical energy includes coordinating the injection of a portion of reactive power from the specific station toward the bus to compensate for the voltage drop.

3. The system according to claim 1, in, Determining the fault type includes detecting that the fault type includes an interrupt; and The coordinated transmission of the third electrical energy includes selecting the specific station based on the electrical energy stored within the specific station to transmit the third electrical energy toward the bus.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein, Selecting the specific station involves determining whether the specific station has remaining storage energy based on the expected energy demand corresponding to the specific station.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, are further configured to perform: Switching the mode of the specific station from energy harvesting mode to energy supply mode, wherein the energy supply mode transforms or converts the one or more specific stations into one or more grid-type inverters.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, are further configured to perform: Receive a request for emergency power from a specific entity, wherein the first station includes the specific station or different stations; Determine the urgency or priority level of the request; It was determined that the storage energy at the first station was insufficient to meet the request. and External electrical power from one or more other stations besides the first station may be selectively redistributed to meet the request.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein, The urgency level or priority level is determined based on the type of the specific entity.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein, Selectively redistributing the external electrical energy from one or more other stations to the first station includes redistributing the external electrical energy in proportion to the available energy levels at the respective other stations.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein Determining the fault type includes determining that the fault type includes harmonic distortion within the waveform of the electrical energy; and Coordinating the transmission of the third electrical energy includes coordinating the transmission of harmonic signals at the specific station to cancel out the harmonic distortion.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, are further configured to perform: Detecting imbalances within the power infrastructure, including uneven distribution of available electrical energy across different stations; and In response to the detection of the imbalance, the available electrical energy is selectively redistributed among at least a subset of the different stations.

11. A method implemented by a controller system within a power infrastructure, wherein the controller system includes a controller and one or more interfaces, the one or more interfaces being coupled to and communicating with one or more stations, each station including one or more solid-state transformers (SSTs), the method comprising: At one or more stations, first electrical energy is received from a power source via a bus; At the one or more stations, the second electrical energy is transmitted to one or more entities; Detect the presence of a fault within the power infrastructure, wherein the fault indicates an interruption or performance loss of at least a portion of the power infrastructure; In response to the detection of the presence of the fault, the type of the fault is determined; and Based on the type of the fault, the operation of a specific station among the one or more stations is adjusted to compensate for the fault, wherein adjusting the operation includes coordinating the transmission of third electrical energy from the specific station toward the bus of the power infrastructure to compensate for the fault.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Determining the type of the fault includes: The detected fault types include voltage drop; and The coordinated transmission of the third electrical energy includes coordinating the injection of a portion of reactive power from the specific station toward the bus to compensate for the voltage drop.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Determining the fault type includes detecting that the fault type includes an interrupt; and The coordinated transmission of the third electrical energy includes selecting the specific station based on the electrical energy stored within the specific station to transmit the third electrical energy toward the bus.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, Selecting the specific station involves determining whether the specific station has remaining storage energy based on the expected energy demand corresponding to the specific station.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: Switching the mode of the specific station from energy harvesting mode to energy supply mode, wherein the energy supply mode transforms or converts the one or more specific stations into one or more grid-type inverters.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: Receive a request for emergency power from a specific entity, wherein the first station includes the specific station or different stations; Determine the urgency or priority level of the request; It was determined that the storage energy at the first station was insufficient to meet the request. and External electrical energy from one or more other stations besides the first station may be selectively redistributed to meet the request.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The urgency level or priority level is determined based on the type of the specific entity.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein, Selectively redistributing the external electrical energy from one or more other stations to the first station includes redistributing the external electrical energy in proportion to the available energy levels at the respective other stations.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Determining the fault type includes determining that the fault type includes harmonic distortion within the waveform of the electrical energy; and Coordinating the transmission of the third electrical energy includes coordinating the transmission of harmonic signals at the specific station to cancel out the harmonic distortion.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising: Detecting imbalances within the power infrastructure, including uneven distribution of available electrical energy across different stations; and In response to the detection of the imbalance, the available electrical energy is selectively redistributed among at least a subset of the different stations.

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