Device for controlling the power drawn from or injected into an electrical installation by a power electrical appliance, associated system and method

Abstract

A device for controlling the power drawn from or injected into an electrical installation by a power electrical appliance, and an associated system and method. According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a device (1) for controlling the power drawn from or injected into an electrical installation by a power electrical appliance (2). This device comprises a digital processing subset (5, 6, 7), means (10) for providing information (4') to means (3a, 3b) of the appliance (2), and at least one program (11) for determining the information (4') so that the appliance (2) draws from or injects into the installation a current or power corresponding to a control signal (9) obtained by means (8). According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a system comprising a device (1) according to the invention and an appliance (2). According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a method implemented by software in a device (1) according to the invention.Figure for the abridged version: Fig 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Device for controlling the power drawn from or injected into an electrical installation by a power electrical appliance, associated system and method. Technical field

[0001] The invention is in the field of electrical energy management. Previous technique

[0002] Most electric vehicle chargers have the ability to determine the maximum power that can be drawn from an electrical installation for charging an electric vehicle.

[0003] This may be a static setting within the charger, made during installation to adapt the maximum electrical power that can be drawn for charging the vehicle to the characteristics of the electrical installation. The main purpose is to limit the maximum power that can be drawn for charging the electric vehicle so that it does not cause the installation to trip, particularly when other common uses are also drawing power from the electrical installation.

[0004] Most high-quality chargers also include a function known as "dynamic load balancing." This is a refinement based on monitoring the total power drawn from the electrical installation upstream of the charger, allowing the charger to continuously adjust the power drawn for charging the vehicle so that the installation's tripping threshold is never reached. This function requires a measurement of the total current or power drawn from the installation, which is generally done using a current sensor clipped onto the phase wire(s) of the main electrical supply, or via a wired or wireless connection to a communicating energy meter located upstream of the charger, or even via a connection to an automated management system in the case of multiple chargers, such as in a parking lot or on public roads.

[0005] Chargers intended for self-service charging or designed to be integrated into a managed infrastructure include an Ethernet communication port or local radio connectivity such as according to the Wi-Fi standard or radio connectivity to a cellular telephone network and implement a communication protocol such as "OCPP" (Acronym meaning Open Charge Point Protocol in English) or a functionally equivalent protocol.

[0006] Most electric vehicle chargers, especially those intended for the residential market, do not offer simple and standardized means to directly control the maximum power drawn for charging a vehicle.

[0007] Chargers that include connectivity and support for a protocol such as "OCPP" for energy management require face-to-face connectivity, computing power, and a certain level of technical expertise for equipment configuration, representing significant complexity and costs on the control or energy management automation side. This complexity and these costs do not pose a problem in professionally managed charging infrastructures, particularly in light of other advantages such as the interoperability of the hardware and software used, but they constitute a drawback for small, isolated installations and for energy management systems intended for residential use.

[0008] More sophisticated chargers associated with suitable vehicles are bidirectional. They offer the possibility of using the vehicle as a home battery capable of injecting power into the electrical installation of the premises (a use known as "vehicle to home" and by the acronym "V2H" in English), or even into the general electrical network upstream of the electrical installation of the premises (a use known as "vehicle to grid" and by the acronym "V2G" in English).

[0009] These chargers offer a function most often known as dynamic load balancing. This function is either integrated directly into the device or offered in whole or in part as an optional accessory, depending on the manufacturer's implementation choices. It is an automatic system capable of automatically adjusting the power drawn from, or injected into, the electrical installation by the charger according to the current or power drawn from or injected into the electrical installation. The current or power consumed, or injected into the electrical network, is measured by one or more current sensors, depending on whether the installation is single-phase, two-phase, or three-phase. The current sensors are located at the head of the electrical installation, between the incoming supply from the distribution network and the outgoing connections to the various loads.

[0010] The same applies to inverters, supplemented where appropriate by one or more accessories, which are used to convert the direct current produced by photovoltaic panels, and / or stored in a battery, into alternating current usable in a conventional electrical installation. Description of the invention

[0011] The aim of the present invention is to remedy, at least partially, the problems mentioned above by proposing an efficient and economical technical solution that is compatible with most models of power electrical equipment on the market where control by means external to the device according to the invention and to the equipment being controlled is of interest. This relates in particular to most variants of electric vehicle chargers, conventional unidirectional chargers but also bidirectional chargers known as "V2H" or "V2G" capable of injecting alternating current back into the electrical system thanks to an inverter included in the vehicle or in the charging station, inverters associated with photovoltaic panels or batteries, and certain heat pumps capable of modulating the power they draw from their electrical system.It is also planned to implement the invention to control an automated system that manages the power drawn from or injected by a power electrical device. For example, this could be an automated system specifically designed to control the power drawn from a water heater or a heat pump so that the power produced by photovoltaic panels or a wind turbine is continuously and entirely self-consumed within the electrical installation in question, without being fed into the external electrical grid.

[0012] According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a device for controlling the power drawn from or injected into all or part of an electrical installation by a power electrical appliance, such as an electric vehicle charger or a heat pump or an inverter, which comprises, or is associated with, hardware and / or software means for acquiring or receiving information related to the current or power drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and for controlling the power drawn from or injected by the appliance according to said information, said device comprising: • at least one digital processing subset comprising at least one microprocessor, at least one program memory,

[0013] said device being characterized in that it further comprises: • hardware and / or software means to acquire or receive control information related to the current or power to be drawn from or injected by said electrical power equipment into all or part of said electrical installation, • hardware and / or software means to provide at least one piece of information related to a current or power to hardware and / or software means included in, or associated with, the electrical power equipment, • at least one program to determine at least one piece of information so that said electrical power device draws or injects into all or part of said electrical installation a current or power related to said control information.

[0014] Controlling the power drawn from or injected into an electrical installation by a power electrical device means being able to exercise this control by means external to the device according to the invention and external to the power electrical device to be controlled.

[0015] This is particularly true when the electrical power device to be controlled does not natively include means allowing its control by external means.

[0016] It is also envisaged that the invention will allow control of a power electrical device by means alternative to those it natively includes for this purpose where appropriate.

[0017] This involves, for example, making said power controllable by an energy manager, by a receiver capable of remotely controlling consumption flexibility actions, by an intelligent electricity meter, by a power limiter, by a flexibility manager, by a building management system or by any other relevant automation.

[0018] A current or power related to said control information is most often understood to mean a current or power less than or equal to said control information. In some embodiments of the invention, it refers to a current or power equal to said control information. In other embodiments of the invention, it refers to a current or power greater than or equal to said control information.

[0019] Acquiring control information means collecting analog, logic or digital control information, for example through a sensor or detector.

[0020] Receiving control information means receiving control information in a structured, or even standardized, digital form via a communication protocol. In most embodiments of the invention, said control information is comparable to a setpoint, for example, a current value or a power value to be drawn from or injected into the electrical installation by the device to be controlled.

[0021] It is further provided in the device according to the invention that said hardware and / or software means for acquiring or receiving control information related to the current or power to be drawn or injected by said electrical power device, comprise a subset for acquiring or receiving information transmitted by radio frequency, or by carrier currents, or by electrical or optical wired means.

[0022] It is further provided in the device according to the invention that said hardware and / or software means for providing said hardware and / or software means included in, or associated with, the electrical power device, at least one piece of information related to a current or to a power, include a signal generator capable of generating a signal analogous to a signal generated by a current sensor.

[0023] The invention provides for example an alternating current generator capable of delivering a signal on an appropriate load resistance so that a downstream alternating current measurement device, for example in the context of current acquisition from an alternating power measurement subset, does not see any difference with a signal from a sensor such as a current transformer, or a shunt, or even a Hall effect sensor.

[0024] A voltage generator proportional to an alternating current is also provided in the case of an alternating current sensor with an alternating voltage output or a direct current sensor in the case of sensors integrating a rectifier.

[0025] A digital signal generator emulating the signal produced by a digital output current sensor is also provided, i.e. including an analog-to-digital converter and a direct interface according to an appropriate standard that can be connected directly to a digital bus or to a digital processing circuit such as a microcontroller.

[0026] We do not depart from the scope of the invention when it concerns information related to a current or to a power implementing direct currents.

[0027] The invention further provides that said signal generator is an alternating current generator synchronized to the alternating voltage of the electrical network.

[0028] The invention preferably provides that said alternating current is in phase with the alternating voltage of the electrical network, so that if the electrical power device to be controlled uses the information not as current alone but as part of a power measurement, the power value measured by the charger is stable and of maximum amplitude.

[0029] However, we do not depart from the scope of the invention if the generated alternating current is synchronized with the alternating voltage of the electrical network with a phase shift between the current and the voltage.

[0030] It is further provided in the device according to the invention that said hardware and / or software means for providing said hardware and / or software means included in, or associated with, the electrical power device, at least one piece of information related to a current or to a power, include a signal generator capable of generating a signal analogous to an information-carrying signal generated by an electrical energy meter.

[0031] It is further provided in the device according to the invention that said hardware and / or software means for providing said hardware and / or software means included in, or associated with, the electrical power device, at least one piece of information related to a current or to a power, include a subset of information transmission by radio frequency, or by carrier currents, or by electrical or optical wired means.

[0032] The device according to the invention is intended to be implemented in the form of a relatively compact electronic device and to be installed inside the enclosure of the power electrical equipment to be made controllable. This is particularly relevant in the case of electric vehicle chargers and heat pumps, whose enclosures can be opened and which generally have sufficient free space to allow the addition of a device according to the invention within their casing.

[0033] The invention also provides that said device is implemented in the form of an electronic device that can be installed outside the enclosure of the power electrical equipment to be made controllable. For example, advantageous embodiments of the invention are contained in a modular DIN standard housing and are easily installed in the main electrical panel of the installation that includes the charger or in a suitable sub-panel.

[0034] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a system forming an electrical device whose power which it draws or injects into all or part of an electrical installation is controllable according to a control information.

[0035] Said system according to the invention comprises an electrical power device which includes, or is associated with, hardware and / or software means for acquiring or receiving information related to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and for controlling the power drawn or injected by the device according to said information, and a device according to the invention, said device being arranged to control said device according to said control information.

[0036] Said electrical power device is, for example, an electric vehicle charger or an inverter or a heat pump, which includes, or is associated with, hardware and / or software means for acquiring or receiving information related to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation, and hardware and / or software means automatically controlling the power drawn or injected by the device according to said current or said power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation so that the maximum current or power that can be drawn or injected into the installation is not exceeded.

[0037] The invention provides that said electrical power device is made controllable by external means such as, for example, an energy manager, or a power limiter, or a flexibility manager, or a smart electricity meter. This is done via the device according to the invention.

[0038] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a method for controlling, based on control information, the power drawn from or injected into all or part of an electrical installation by a power electrical device that includes, or is associated with, hardware and / or software means for acquiring or receiving information related to the current or power drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and for controlling the power drawn from or injected by said device based on this information, said method being implemented by software in a system according to the invention. Said method comprises:

[0039] - a step of acquiring or receiving piloting information related with the current or power to be drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation by said electrical power device,

[0040] - a step of determining at least one piece of information to be provided to said device electrical power, or an accessory associated with the latter, such that said electrical power device draws or injects a current or power in relation to said control information,

[0041] - a step of supplying said electrical power device, or an accessory associated with the latter, at least one piece of information to be provided, by means capable of generating a signal usable by said electrical power device to control the power which it draws from or injects into all or part of said electrical installation.

[0042] A method implemented by software in a system according to the invention means a method implemented mainly by software in a device according to the invention, and to a lesser extent in said electrical power device.

[0043] The invention provides that said method further comprises:

[0044] - at least one preliminary adjustment and / or calibration step for said electrical device said device so that said electrical power device draws or injects a current or power in relation to said control information.

[0045] Depending on the type and model of electrical device to be made controllable according to the invention, at least one preliminary adjustment step of the device may be necessary to obtain the desired ratio between said control information and the power actually drawn from or injected by said electrical device. For example, when the at least one piece of information to be provided to said power electrical device, or to an accessory associated therewith, is analog in nature, at least one preliminary calibration step of the The device according to the invention may be necessary to obtain the desired ratio between said control information and the power actually drawn from or injected by said electrical device.

[0046] In the most frequent embodiments of the invention, the current or power drawn from or injected into the installation is equal to the control input. However, it does not depart from the scope of the invention if the current or power actually drawn from or injected differs from the control input. For example, if it is a current or power lower than the control input, or higher than, or proportional to, the control input.

[0047] The invention provides that said method further comprises:

[0048] - at least one step of determining at least one technical characteristic dependent on said electrical power equipment, and / or the environment of said electrical power equipment.

[0049] In the case where the electrical power device is a unidirectional or bidirectional electric vehicle charger, it is necessary to determine at least one technical characteristic which is, for example, related to the maximum charging or reinjection current in the electrical installation connected to the charger, the cable connecting to the vehicle, or the vehicle itself, or related to the ambient temperature, or to the battery charge level, or to a duration or time related to the use of the vehicle, or to identification information for the vehicle or its user. Some of these characteristics are also relevant in the case of an electrical energy storage battery.

[0050] In the case where the electrical power device is a heat pump, it is necessary to determine at least one technical characteristic which is for example related to an outside, inside, setting or regulation setpoint temperature, or related to its operating cycle or to the detection of an anomaly such as the presence of frost in an exchanger.

[0051] In the case where the electrical power device is an inverter, or a plurality of micro-inverters, supplied with direct current by one or more photovoltaic panels or by a battery, it is necessary to determine at least one technical characteristic which is for example related to the power produced, to the level of sunshine or to the detection of an anomaly.

[0052] In the case where the electrical power device is a controller of an electric water heater or storage heater, it is necessary to determine at least one technical characteristic which is for example related to the level of thermal storage reached or to the storage capacity still available, or to an internal, setting or setpoint temperature.

[0053] The invention provides that said method further comprises:

[0054] - at least one step of acquiring or receiving information related with the current or power drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation.

[0055] Said information relating to the current or power drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation is, for example, metrological information from the electricity meter located at the head of the installation that supplies the system according to the invention. Said information is used, for example, by said device as default control information to reproduce a control function normally provided for in the context of use of said device, for example, a dynamic load balancing function that automatically adapts the power drawn from or injected by said device according to said current or said power drawn from or injected or available in said installation, in the absence of any flexibility action aimed at temporarily modifying the power drawn from or injected into said electrical installation.

[0056] In certain embodiments of the invention, it is also envisaged that the device could be used to change the method of acquiring or receiving information about the current or power drawn from or injected into the installation, which is used by the power electrical device to control the power that the latter draws from or injects into the electrical installation. For example, to allow a power electrical device designed to use one or more current sensors to receive this information in a digital form such as that provided by a communicating electricity meter, or vice versa. Brief description of the drawings

[0057] Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from an examination of the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments and the accompanying drawings where:

[0058] [Fig.1] illustrates a first variant of implementation of a dynamic load balancing function in a state-of-the-art electric vehicle charger.

[0059] [Fig.2] illustrates a second variant of implementing a balancing function dynamic charging in a state-of-the-art electric vehicle charger.

[0060] [Fig.3] illustrates the structure of a device according to the invention.

[0061] [Fig.4] illustrates the structure of a system according to the invention.

[0062] [Fig.5] illustrates the software implementation of the process according to the invention. Detailed description

[0063] Fig. 1 illustrates a first variant of implementation of a dynamic load balancing function in a state-of-the-art electric vehicle charger.

[0064] This first variant of implementing a dynamic load balancing function is the most common, particularly in domestic electric vehicle chargers, because it is universal and does not depend on a particular standard implemented in third-party equipment to receive information on the power drawn from the electrical installation.

[0065] The principle is to measure the current drawn from the electrical installation at the level of the primary supply line which is generally located immediately downstream of the electrical meter 13a, 13b at the head of the installation.

[0066] The most common current sensor is a current transformer 14 through which the phase conductor from the meter 13a passes in the case of a single-phase electrical installation. Three current transformers 14 are used in the case of a three-phase electrical installation, one for each line feeder from the electrical meter 13b.

[0067] The current measurement is, where appropriate, supplemented by a measurement of the network voltage in the installation in the case of a control based on the active or apparent power consumed rather than only on the current consumed.

[0068] The objective of the function is to prevent the tripping of the circuit breaker which is calibrated to limit the power drawn from the installation to the power subscribed to by the customer.

[0069] This involves continuously adapting the power drawn for the charging of the electric vehicle, taking into account the consumption of other uses of electricity in the installation so that the total consumption is always less than the tripping limit.

[0070] The same solutions are also used in new generation heat pumps which are able to modulate the power they draw from the electrical installation so that the total power consumed, taking into account other uses of electricity in the building, does not exceed, where applicable, the power limit which was assigned during the installation of the heat pump and does not exceed the tripping limit of the installation either.

[0071] Similar technical solutions are also implemented in inverters converting direct current from a battery or photovoltaic panels to adjust the power injected into the building's electrical installation in relation to the demand in that installation so as not to inject energy into the external distribution network.

[0072] Such solutions for controlling the total power drawn from an installation are also implemented in specialized automation systems designed to prevent power injection into the external electrical distribution network in installations equipped with photovoltaic panels intended for self-consumption of All the power produced is used without generating any surplus that is injected into the external electricity distribution network. This is achieved through a control system that appropriately varies the consumption of an electric water heater, a thermal storage tank, or the charging current of a battery in order to continuously consume all the local electricity production.

[0073] The information 4 relating to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and to control the power drawn or injected by the device 2 is acquired by hardware and / or software means 3a included in the device 2 or by external hardware and / or software means 3b associated with the latter.

[0074] Figure 2 illustrates a second variant of implementing a function dynamic load balancing in a state-of-the-art electric vehicle charger.

[0075] This variant differs from that of [Fig.1] in that the total consumption information in the electrical installation is not provided to the automation implementing the control by one or more sensors but in digital form by the electric energy meter, directly or via a local network.

[0076] Indeed, electronic meters are replacing electromechanical meters in most countries. In addition to remote meter reading capabilities used by the distribution network operator, electronic meters generally include a local communication interface allowing the connection of optional external automation devices to the end user's electrical installation. The connection is made directly to the meter's interface designed for this purpose, via an accessory acting as a telecom gateway, or via a local network.Gateway accessories allow users to bypass the meter's native interface standard, which is often specialized or even proprietary, by retransmitting information using a more generic communication standard, commonly used in home automation or consumer electronics, thus offering greater interoperability. This is most often a widely used radio communication standard such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth Low Energy, or equivalent, to facilitate the installation of additional devices that may use the data from the meter.

[0077] In the example of meter 13a, it is a French communicating meter of the "Linky" type, registered trademark of Enedis, comprising an accessory 15 acting as a radio gateway known as "ERL", registered trademark of Electricité de France.

[0078] In the example of counter 13b, it is an electronic counter comprising an output port intended for a wired connection 16.

[0079] In the example of the counter 13c, it is an electronic counter comprising an optical output port based on communication by infrared signals between the electronics of the counter and a suitable coupling accessory 17, communicating for example according to the IEC62056-21 standard.

[0080] In the referenced example 18, the information used by the automation is received from a local network, for example by a wired connection according to the Ethernet standard using an RJ45 type connector.

[0081] The information 4 relating to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and to control the power drawn or injected by the device 2 is received by hardware and / or software means 3a included in the device 2 or 3b associated with the latter.

[0082] Figure 3 illustrates the structure of a device according to the invention.

[0083] The device 1 according to the invention comprises at least one digital processing subset 5 comprising at least one microprocessor 6, at least one program memory 7.

[0084] At least one digital processing subset 5 is, for example, an ATtinyl624 microcontroller, a product of Microchip Technology Inc., or an equivalent microcontroller. At least one digital processing subset 5 is also, for example, a wireless communication processor with sufficient memory capacity and embedded peripherals to implement the application according to the invention. Such a radio communication processor is, for example, an nRF52840, a product of Nordic Semiconductor, or an ESP32 series communication processor, a product of Espressif Systems.Such communication processors make it possible to implement the invention in a system-on-a-chip and to provide the device according to the invention with a radio communication capability according to a common standardized protocol such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Thread or equivalent, or according to a proprietary radio communication protocol if necessary.

[0085] Device 1 further comprises hardware and / or software means 8 for acquiring or receiving control information 9 related to the current or power to be drawn from or injected by said power electrical device 2 into all or part of said electrical installation. Such hardware and / or software means 8 are, for example, a radio or power line communication modem, or a wired communication port capable of receiving control instructions transmitted by a higher-level automation system and / or an external control system.

[0086] The invention also provides that the hardware and / or software means 8 are capable of providing usable information within the scope of the invention from at least one sensor. This is, for example, at least one current sensor to reproduce, in a default operating mode, the native control function included or associated with the power electrical device 2 in the absence of a setpoint according to the invention forcing said device to draw or inject a predetermined power into the installation.

[0087] Device 1 further includes hardware and / or software means 10 for providing at least one piece of information 4' related to a current or a power to hardware and / or software means 3a, 3b included in, or associated with, the electrical power device 2.

[0088] The device according to the invention is intended to emulate the means normally used to generate information related to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation so that said electrical power device 2 continues to operate normally in its context but on the basis of measured information 4' which has become controllable according to the invention.

[0089] This involves, for example, generating an alternating current of the same nature as that delivered by a standard current sensor. For example, a sinusoidal alternating current of 0 to 50 mA at the frequency of the electrical network, i.e., at a frequency of 50 Hz in Europe or 60 Hz in the United States of America or Japan.

[0090] Such a current is suitable for the case of devices 2 that only use the measurement of the total current consumed in the electrical installation in which they are installed.

[0091] This involves, for example, generating an alternating current at the frequency of the network and whose intensity is variable in a manner analogous to the total current consumed in an electrical installation divided by a thousand, that is to say a current of the same type as that delivered by a conventional current transformer having a transformation ratio of 1 for 1000.

[0092] The invention also provides for the frequent case of devices 2 arranged to control the power which they draw or inject into the electrical installation not according to the measured current alone but according to the measured power, that is to say taking into account also the alternating voltage of the network.

[0093] In this case, the invention provides for synchronizing the alternating signal generated by the means 10, which is representative of a current, with the alternating voltage of the electrical network.

[0094] The aim is to ensure that the power measurement carried out by the means 3a included in a device 2, or associated with the latter if they are included in an accessory 3b external to the casing of the device 2, is stable.

[0095] The invention advantageously provides that the alternating current generated by the means 10 is not only synchronized with the alternating voltage of the electrical network to meet the need for stability of its interpretation by the device 2 or by an accessory 3b associated with it, but that it is also in phase with the voltage so that the amplitude of the measured power is maximum relative to the intensity of the current generated by the means 10 of the device according to the invention.

[0096] It is indeed advantageous to minimize the signal power to be supplied by the means 10 to obtain a given effect on the device 2 to be controlled in order to reduce implementation costs, size and power consumption of the means 10.

[0097] The invention also provides for an indirect action on means 3a embedded in the device 2 by acting at the level of an accessory 3b acting for example as a measurement front end comprising the electronics for managing the sensor(s) in certain embodiment variants of the devices 2 concerned.

[0098] Certain embodiments of devices 2 further delegate to an external accessory 3b the regulation function aimed at continuously adapting the power drawn or injected by device 2 according to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of the electrical installation.

[0099] The device according to the invention also emulates the means normally used to transmit information related to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation so that said electrical power device 2 continues to operate normally in its context but on the basis of information 4' received which has become controllable according to the invention.

[0100] For example, in the context of the French implementation of the invention, it is a matter of transmitting structured digital information 4', including at least one piece of information relating to the total current or the total power consumed or injected into the installation, which is capable of being received and decoded by the device 2, or by an accessory 3b associated with it, as if it were analogous information transmitted by the type of standard equipment, such as a Linky meter, normally expected by the designers of the device 2.

[0101] Thus in this implementation context, the means 10 are for example a message generator and a physical interface conforming to the "Customer Tele-Information" output in "historical mode" or in "standard mode" according to the Enedis-NOLCPT_54E specification implemented in the Linky meter.

[0102] The invention also provides for an indirect action on means 3a embedded in the device 2 by acting at the level of an accessory 3b acting for example as an information reception front end or as a telecommunications gateway.

[0103] Device 1 further includes at least one program 11 for determining at least one piece of information 4' so that said electrical power device 2 draws or injects into all or part of said electrical installation a current or power related to said control information 9.

[0104] In the case of emulating a signal from a current sensor, the program of the device according to the invention is to match the amplitude of the signal 4' generated by the means 10 with said control information 9 taking into account the technical characteristics of the means included in, or associated with, the device 2, including those of the control it includes.

[0105] The invention provides that the program 11 further includes a mode for adjusting said electrical device so that said electrical power device draws or injects a current or power in relation to said control information.

[0106] For example, in the case where the electrical device to be made controllable according to the invention is an electric vehicle charger, the maximum charging current that the charger is allowed to draw from the installation can be set, for example to 32A.

[0107] In some charger models, the minimum charging current can also be set, for example to 6A to avoid excessively frequent cycling which is detrimental to the longevity of the vehicle battery when the power available in the installation is low.

[0108] Another useful setting is that of the current threshold from which the dynamic load management control, which is included in said device 2 or in an accessory 3b associated with it, comes into operation.

[0109] Advantageously, this threshold setting is set to the same value as the maximum load current setting, so that the mathematical function determining the value of the current or power drawn from or injected into the electrical installation by said device as a function of at least one piece of information 4' is an inverse proportionality relationship passing through the value zero. Where applicable, values ​​below a minimum withdrawal or injection threshold that has been set or that is imposed by design in the device 2 to be controlled are inoperative and result in a zero current or power drawn from or injected into the electrical installation.

[0110] Depending on the models and variants of electrical devices 2, the settings are made for example via a mobile application, a rotary encoder, micro switches, via a micro web server integrated into the device or by any other functionally equivalent means.

[0111] In the case of emulating a signal from a current sensor, the invention further provides that the program 11 includes a calibration method for said device so that said electrical power device draws or injects a current or power in relation to said control information.

[0112] Indeed, it is necessary to know at least one point in the inverse proportionality relationship linking the value of the current or power drawn or injected into the electrical installation by said device as a function of at least one piece of information 4' in order to be able to calculate all the others in a numerical way or where appropriate in a wholly or partly analog way.

[0113] In certain embodiments of the invention, calibration is carried out during the design of the device according to the invention from the specification of the technical characteristics of the current sensor to be used normally with a device 2 or with a given associated accessory 3b, or even at the factory during its manufacture.

[0114] The program 11 then uses calibration data represented by predetermined constants in the software, or by values ​​stored in non-volatile memory. The invention also provides for refinements such as the use of metrology information from the meter at the head of the electrical installation to compare the expected theoretical effect of a given piece of information 4' on the current or power drawn from or injected into the electrical installation in order to correct or refine the calibration data with the aim of obtaining better accuracy in controlling the consumption or production of electrical power of the device 2.

[0115] In the case where at least one piece of information 4' emulates a signal carrying digital information analogous to a signal from a communicating electric meter that said device 2 is capable of exploiting, calibration of the device according to the invention is generally not necessary since the latter can easily communicate directly the digital value of at least one piece of information 4'.

[0116] Figure 4 illustrates the structure of a system according to the invention.

[0117] Figure 4 illustrates the structure of a system 12 forming an electrical device of which the power it draws or injects into all or part of an electrical installation is controllable according to a control information 9.

[0118] The system 12 according to the invention comprises an electrical power device 2 which includes, or is associated with, hardware and / or software means 3a, 3b for acquiring or receiving information 4' related to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and for controlling the power drawn or injected by the device 2 according to said information 4', and a device 1 according to the invention.

[0119] Most electrical power devices 2 that can be made controllable according to the invention have a certain size due to their function, and their casing generally contains enough empty space to allow the integration of a device according to the invention, optionally in the form of an added bare functional printed circuit board.

[0120] It is therefore planned to be able to offer electrical power devices in a version controllable by simple integration of a device according to the invention within them, as a first or second installation according to the operator's preferences.

[0121] It is also provided that we do not depart from the framework of a system 12 according to the invention when the device according to the invention associated with a power electrical apparatus is installed outside the envelope of the latter and connected in a manner appropriate to fulfill its function according to the invention.

[0122] Figure 5 illustrates the software implementation of the process according to the invention in a device according to the invention.

[0123] After a step 20 of initialization upon power-up of the device executing the software implementing the method according to the invention, the latter comprises a step 21 of acquiring or receiving control information related to the current or power to be drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation by said electrical power device, a step 22 of determining at least one piece of information to be provided to said electrical power device, or to an accessory associated therewith, so that said electrical power device draws from or injects a current or power related to said control information, a step 23 of providing said electrical power device, or to an accessory associated therewith, with the at least one piece of information to be provided,by means capable of generating a signal usable by said electrical power equipment to control the power it draws from or injects into all or part of said electrical installation.

[0124] The invention provides that said method further includes, where appropriate, at least one preliminary step 24 of adjusting said electrical apparatus and / or calibrating said device so that said electrical power apparatus draws or injects a current or power in relation to said control information, and / or at least one step 25 of determining at least one technical characteristic dependent on said electrical power apparatus, and / or the environment of said electrical power apparatus, and / or at least one step 26 of acquiring or receiving information in relation to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation.

[0125] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples just described and many modifications can be made to them without going out of the scope of the invention, in particular by combining several variants in the same implementation or by combining elements taken from several examples differently.

Claims

1.

2. Demands Device (1) for controlling the power drawn from or injected into all or part of an electrical installation by a power electrical appliance (2), such as an electric vehicle charger or a heat pump or an inverter, which includes, or is associated with, hardware and / or software means (3a, 3b) for acquiring or receiving information (4) relating to the current or power drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and for controlling the power drawn from or injected by the appliance (2) according to said information (4), said device (1) comprising: • at least one digital processing subset (5) comprising at least one microprocessor (6), at least one program memory (7), said device (1) being characterized in that it further comprises: • hardware and / or software means (8) for acquiring or receiving control information (9) related to the current or power to be drawn from or injected by said electrical power equipment (2) into all or part of said electrical installation, • hardware and / or software means (10) to provide at least one piece of information (4') related to a current or a power to hardware and / or software means (3a, 3b) included in, or associated with, the electrical power equipment (2), • at least one program (11) to determine at least one piece of information (4') so that said electrical power device (2) draws or injects into all or part of said electrical installation a current or power related to said control information (9). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said hardware and / or software means (8) for acquiring or receiving control information (9) related to the current or power to be drawn from or injected by said electrical power device (2), comprise an acquisition or reception of information transmitted by radio frequency, or by carrier currents, or by electrical or optical wired means.

3. Device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said hardware and / or software means (10) for providing said hardware and / or software means (3a, 3b) included in, or associated with, the electrical power device (2), at least one piece of information (4') related to a current or to a power, comprise a signal generator capable of generating a signal analogous to a signal generated by a current sensor.

4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said signal generator is an alternating current generator synchronized to the alternating voltage of the electrical network.

5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said hardware and / or software means (10) for providing said hardware and / or software means (3a, 3b) included in, or associated with, the electrical power device (2), at least one piece of information (4') related to a current or to a power, comprise a signal generator capable of generating a signal analogous to an information-carrying signal generated by an electrical energy meter.

6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said hardware and / or software means (10) for providing said hardware and / or software means (3a, 3b) included in, or associated with, the electrical power device (2), at least one piece of information (4') related to a current or to a power, comprise a subset of information transmission by radio frequency, or by carrier currents, or by electrical or optical wired means.

7. System (12), forming an electrical apparatus whose power drawn from or injected into all or part of an electrical installation is controllable according to a control signal (9), said system being characterized in that it comprises an electrical power apparatus (2) which includes, or is associated with, hardware and / or software means (3a, 3b) for acquiring or receiving information (4') relating to the current or power drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and for controlling the power drawn from or injected by the apparatus (2) according to said information (4'), and a device (1) according to one any of claims 1 to 6, said device (1) being arranged to control said apparatus (2) according to said piloting information (9).

8. A method for controlling, based on control information, the power drawn from or injected into all or part of an electrical installation by a power electrical device, comprising, or associated with, hardware and / or software means for acquiring or receiving information related to the current or power drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation and for controlling the power drawn from or injected by said device based on this information, said method being implemented by software in a system according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises: - a step (21) of acquiring or receiving control information related to the current or power to be drawn from or injected into all or part of said electrical installation by said power electrical device,- a step (22) of determining at least one piece of information to be supplied to said electrical power equipment, or to an accessory associated therewith, so that said electrical power equipment draws or injects a current or power in relation to said control information, - a step (23) of supplying said electrical power equipment, or to an accessory associated therewith, with the at least one piece of information to be supplied, by means capable of generating a signal usable by said electrical power equipment to control the power it draws or injects into all or part of said electrical installation.

9. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that it further comprises at least one preliminary step (24) of adjusting said electrical apparatus and / or calibrating said device so that said electrical power apparatus draws or injects a current or power in relation to said control information.

10. A method according to any one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that it further comprises at least one step (25) of determining at least one technical characteristic dependent on said electrical power equipment, and / or the environment of said electrical power equipment. 21

11. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that it further comprises at least one step (26) of acquiring or receiving information related to the current or power drawn or injected into all or part of said electrical installation.

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