Power management device and power management system

Abstract

To provide a power management device and a power management system which can stably manage supply-demand balance of power.SOLUTION: A power management system includes a plurality of power management devices, and a plurality of devices which are connected to the plurality of power management devices, and function as any one of a load, a power generator and a capacitor. The power management device has three or more power input-output ports which are configured to be connectable between the devices and other power management devices through wiring, and a switch part which connects the two power input-output ports out of the power input-output ports in a switchable manner, and transmits power between the two power input-output ports connected to each other. The power management device creates supply-demand information including the magnitude of power consumption required for the devices connected to the power management device and an insufficient rate of power, or the magnitude of suppliable power and an excessive rate of the power, and price information presented for purchase or sales of power, and transmits the supply-demand information to the other power management devices for each predetermined unit time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric power supply and demand management technique for managing the supply and consumption of electric power. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electricity consumed in urban areas is generated at power plants located in areas far from urban areas, such as mountainous or coastal areas, and the voltage is converted and transmitted to urban areas via transmission lines. It is said that the power loss caused by transmission is considerable, for example, when transmitting electricity from mountainous areas to urban areas.

[0003] On the other hand, in recent years, various power generation devices such as solar power generation and small-scale hydroelectric power generation have been commercialized for ordinary households and small-scale businesses. In addition, the recent liberalization of the retail electricity market has led many businesses to enter the power generation business. In this way, there are more options for procuring electricity than the traditional method of receiving electricity from major power companies.

[0004] Incidentally, the amount of electricity consumed in ordinary households and many business establishments is monitored by a power meter installed in each house. The electricity charges for ordinary households and small businesses are usually set based on the peak value of electricity consumption within a specified period (for example, one day) based on the monitored value of this power meter, and are billed to the electric power company.

[0005] As a technology related to charging for power consumption, Patent Document 1 discloses a power supply method for charging for the supply of power to each device. In this power supply method, the device transmits a power supply request, a power supply station receives the power supply request, and the power supply station that has received the power supply request starts transmitting a power packet. When the power supply station starts transmitting the power packet, the device starts receiving the power packet. The device and the power supply station receive and transmit the power packet that is power-routed, respectively. The power supply request includes a power supply destination address in the power routing, and the power supply station adds the power supply destination address included in the power supply request to the power packet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2012 / 81312 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Considering the above-mentioned power loss, in order to shorten the transmission distance as much as possible, it is conceivable to generate electricity in-house or to have nearby power users share the electricity they generate. In this case, the nearby power users can be both power suppliers and consumers. In order to maintain a system in which power can be shared between users, it is important to maintain a stable balance between power supply and demand in the system.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a power management device and a power management system that can stably maintain the balance between power supply and demand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, a power management device according to one aspect of the present invention is a power management device that relays the transmission of power between a plurality of devices functioning as either a power load, a generator, or a power storage device in a power management system, and includes three or more power input / output ports that are configured to be connectable via wiring between the devices functioning as either a power load, a generator, or a power storage device, and another power management device, a switch unit that switchably connects two of the three or more power input / output ports and transmits power between the two power input / output ports that are connected to each other, a storage unit that stores device identification information that is individually assigned to the power management device, and other power management devices connected to the power management device. the power management device connected to said power management device, the supply and demand information including the amount of required power consumption and a power shortage rate, or the amount of power that can be supplied and a power surplus rate, and price information presented for purchasing or selling power, and the supply and demand information is transmitted to another power management device connected to said power management device at every predetermined unit time; and a selection unit configured to determine, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management device, which two power input / output ports are to be connected to each other among the three or more power input / output ports at every predetermined unit time.

[0010] The above-mentioned power management device further has a power measurement unit configured to measure the direction and amount of power transmitted between two power input / output ports connected to each other at every specified unit time, and a power information generation unit configured to generate power information including the direction and amount of power measured by the power measurement unit, price information included in the supply and demand information transmitted or received between another power management device connected to one of the two power input / output ports connected to each other, and device identification information of the other power management device, wherein the memory unit further stores user identification information assigned to each user of the power management device, and the communication unit is configured to link the power information generated by the power information generation unit to the user identification information assigned to the power management device and transmit it to a communication network.

[0011] In the above-mentioned power management device, when an apparatus functioning as a load is connected to the power management device, the selection unit may select, based on the supply and demand information received from another power management transmission, a power input / output port to which another power management device having the highest surplus power rate is connected as one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other.

[0012] In the above-mentioned power management device, when an apparatus that functions as a generator is connected to the power management device, the selection unit may select, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management device, a power input / output port to which the other power management device having the highest power shortage rate is connected as one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other.

[0013] In the above-mentioned power management device, when an apparatus functioning as a power storage device is connected to the power management device, when the apparatus is in a power storage mode, the selection unit may select, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management device, a power input / output port to which the other power management device having the highest power surplus rate is connected as one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other, and when the apparatus is in a discharging mode, the selection unit may select, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management device, a power input / output port to which the other power management device having the highest power shortage rate is connected as one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other.

[0014] In the above-mentioned power management device, when the selection unit receives the supply and demand information from another power management device, it may select one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other based on price information contained in the supply and demand information.

[0015] In the power management device, the supply and demand information generating unit may adjust the price information according to the amount of necessary power consumption and a power shortage rate, or the amount of supplyable power and a power surplus rate.

[0016] In the above-mentioned power management device, the supply and demand information generation unit may modify the price information so as to raise the purchase price of electricity when the power shortage rate does not change for a specified period when an equipment functioning as a load is connected to the power management device, and may modify the price information so as to lower the selling price of electricity when the power surplus rate does not change for a specified period when an equipment functioning as a generator is connected to the power management device.

[0017] In the power management device, the supply and demand information may be transmitted and received between other power management devices by power line communication.

[0018] In the above power management device, the supply and demand information may be transmitted and received between other power management devices via a communication network.

[0019] Another aspect of the present invention is a power management system comprising a plurality of power management devices as described above, connected via wiring, and a plurality of devices that function as either power loads, generators or storage batteries and are connected to the plurality of power management devices. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a power management device and a power management system that can stably maintain the balance between power supply and demand. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power management device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3A] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of a port portion. [Figure 3B] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of a port portion. [Figure 3C] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of a port portion. [Figure 4] 1 is a table illustrating supply and demand information and power information. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the power management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, a power management apparatus and a power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In addition, in the description of each drawing, the same parts are indicated by the same reference numerals.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the power management system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of power management devices 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, ... connected via wiring W, and a plurality of devices functioning as either a power load, a generator, or a battery. In FIG. 1, generators 11a, 11d, battery 12a, 12d, and loads 13a, 13b, 13c are displayed. Hereinafter, the power management devices 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, ... may be collectively referred to as the power management device 10. In addition, the generators 11a, 11d may be collectively referred to as the generator 11, the battery 12a, 12d may be collectively referred to as the battery 12, and the loads 13a, 13b, 13c may be collectively referred to as the load 13. The generator 10 is, for example, a solar power generation system, a wind power generation system, an ocean temperature difference power generation system, a wave power generation system, etc. As the electricity storage device 12, in addition to a general electricity storage device, an electric vehicle can also be applied.

[0024] In detail, a generator 11a, a battery 12a, and a load 13a are connected to a power management apparatus 10a used by a user A. A load 13b is connected to a power management apparatus 10b used by a user B. A load 13c is connected to a power management apparatus 10c used by a user C. A generator 11d and a battery 12d are connected to a power management apparatus 10d used by a user D. Furthermore, the power management apparatuses 10a, 10b, and 10c are connected to each other, and the power management apparatuses 10b and 10d are connected to each other.

[0025] In this way, the number of generators 11, storage devices 12, loads 13, and other power management devices 10 that can be connected to one power management device 10 is not limited as long as it is equal to or less than the number of power input / output ports (described later) provided in each power management device 10. In other words, in the power management system 1, by connecting the power management devices 10 to each other via wiring W, any type of power transmission network can be formed.

[0026] The power management device 10 is a device that relays the transmission of power among the generator 11, the battery 12, and the load 13. As described below, each power management device 10 has a wired or wireless communication function, and can transmit information generated by itself to other power management devices 10 or a terminal 20 via wiring W or a communication network N.

[0027] The communication network N may be, for example, the Internet, a LAN, a telecommunication line, or a combination of these, and may be either wired or wireless. The terminal 20 may be, for example, a computer (PC), a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like. In addition, a server device for settling electricity usage fees between users may be connected to the communication network N.

[0028] 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the power management apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the power management apparatus 10 includes a port unit 110, a communication unit 120, and a controller .

[0029] The port unit 110 includes three or more power input / output ports P1, P2, ..., P3, P4, and P5, a switch unit 111, and a power measurement unit 112. Each of the power input / output ports P1, P2, ..., P3, P4, and P5 is configured to be connectable to the generator 11, the battery 12, the load 13, and other power management devices 10 via wiring.

[0030] The switch unit 111 is configured, under the control of the controller 130, to switchably connect two of the three or more power input / output ports P1, P2, ..., P3, P4, P5, and transmit power between the two power input / output ports that are connected to each other.

[0031] The power measurement unit 112 is configured to measure the direction and amount of power transmitted between two power input / output ports connected to each other at a predetermined unit time. Here, the predetermined unit time is not particularly limited and can be set appropriately, for example, every 30 seconds, every minute, every 5 minutes, every 30 minutes, every hour, etc.

[0032] 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the port unit 110, and show the port unit 110 in the power management device 10a of user A as an example. Hereinafter, the power input / output port will also be referred to simply as a port. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, a power management device 10b of user B is connected to port P1 of the power management device 10a, and a power management device 10c of user C is connected to port P2, via wiring W. In addition, a generator 11a is connected to port P3, a battery 12a is connected to port P4, and a load 13a is connected to port P5.

[0033] 3A, when port P1 and port P3 are connected in switch unit 111, power is supplied from generator 11a to load 13b via power management device 10b. At this time, power measurement unit 112 measures the amount and direction of power flowing from port P3 to port P1.

[0034] 3B, when port P2 and port P4 are connected in switch unit 111, power is supplied from power storage device 12a to load 13c via power management device 10c. At this time, power measurement unit 112 measures the amount and direction of power flowing from port P4 to port P2.

[0035] 3C, when port P3 and port P5 are connected in switch unit 111, power is supplied from generator 11a to load 13a. At this time, power measurement unit 112 measures the amount and direction of power flowing from port P3 to port P5.

[0036] The communication unit 120 is a communication interface that transmits and receives information to and from another power management apparatus 10 connected via wiring W by power line communication (PLC). Alternatively, the communication unit 120 may use Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), or other various communication technologies to connect the power management apparatus 10 to a communication network N and transmit and receive information to and from devices (other power management apparatuses 10 and terminals 20) connected to the communication network N. Of course, the communication unit 120 may also communicate with other devices by combining PLC with other communication technologies.

[0037] The communication unit 120 is configured to transmit and receive at least device identification information (described later) assigned to each of the power management apparatuses 10 and the other connected power management apparatuses 10 to each other.

[0038] The controller 130 is configured by, for example, a microcomputer, and has a storage unit 140 and a processing unit 150 .

[0039] The storage unit 140 is a storage medium configured by, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or a RAM, and includes a program storage unit 141, an identification information storage unit 142, and a power information storage unit 143. The program storage unit 141 stores a program to be executed by the processing unit 150 and various parameters used during the execution of the program.

[0040] The identification information storage unit 142 stores device identification information (hereinafter also referred to as device ID) that is individually assigned to the power management apparatus 10, and user identification information (hereinafter also referred to as user ID) that is assigned to each user who uses the power management apparatus 10. In principle, the device ID cannot be rewritten. On the other hand, the user ID can be rewritten.

[0041] The power information storage unit 143 stores the power information generated by the power information generation unit 153, which will be described later.

[0042] Processing unit 150 is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls each unit of power management device 10 overall by reading programs stored in program storage unit 141, and manages the supply and demand of power by transmitting and receiving information generated in power management device 10 to and from other power management devices 10 and terminals 20, and executes various calculation processes for managing information used in the settlement of power usage fees. Functional units realized by processing unit 150 include supply and demand information generation unit 151, selection unit 152, power information generation unit 153, and identification information determination unit 154.

[0043] The supply and demand information generating unit 151 generates power supply and demand information for devices connected to the power management device 10, and transmits the supply and demand information between the power management device 10 and other power management devices 10 connected to the power management device 10 at predetermined unit time intervals. The supply and demand information includes the amount of power consumption required and the power shortage rate, or the amount of power that can be supplied and the power surplus rate, and price information presented for the purchase or sale of power in the power management device 10. The supply and demand information may also include a device ID assigned to the power management device 10.

[0044] For example, the supply and demand information generated in user A's power management device 10a may include the amount of power that can be supplied by the generator 11a and the power surplus rate, the amount of power consumed by the load 13a and the power shortage rate, or the amount of power that can be supplied by the battery 12a and the surplus rate or the amount of power required for charging and the shortage rate, etc.

[0045] Here, the supply and demand information regarding the generator 11a may be generated according to the power generation output at that time in addition to the rated output of the generator 11a. For example, if the generator 11a is a solar power generation system, the power that can be supplied is large when it is sunny and the power that can be supplied is small when it is rainy. Furthermore, the supply and demand information regarding the battery 12a may be generated according to the charging rate of the battery 12a. For example, when the charging rate is equal to or higher than a threshold, supply and demand information including the amount of power that can be supplied and the surplus rate may be generated, and when the charging rate is less than the threshold, supply and demand information including the required power and the shortage rate may be generated.

[0046] Furthermore, the supply and demand information generated in the power management device 10b used by user B may include the amount of power consumption required by the load 13b and the power shortage rate. In other words, the supply and demand information generating unit 151 generates supply and demand information according to the devices (the generator 11, the battery 12, the load 13) connected to the power management device 10 and their operating states (power on / off, charging rate, etc.).

[0047] The price information included in the supply and demand information is information that represents the purchase price offered when receiving power supply from another power management device 10 (or a device connected to it), or information that represents the sales price offered when supplying power to another power management device 10 (or a device connected to it). The price information may be the amount itself, a multiple of a predetermined base price, or the number of points.

[0048] The supply and demand information generation unit 151 may adjust the price information presented according to the amount of power consumption required by the equipment connected to the power management device 10 and the power shortage rate, or the amount of power that can be supplied and the power surplus rate.

[0049] Furthermore, when a load 13 is connected to the power management device 10, and the power shortage rate does not change for a predetermined period, the supply and demand information generating unit 151 may change the price information to raise the power purchase price. Conversely, when a generator 11 is connected to the power management device 10, and the power surplus rate does not change for a predetermined period, the supply and demand information generating unit 151 may change the price information to lower the power sales price.

[0050] Furthermore, the supply and demand information generating unit 151 may add the user ID stored in the identification information storage unit 142 to the supply and demand information and transmit it.

[0051] The time interval at which supply and demand information generating unit 151 generates supply and demand information and transmits it to other power management apparatuses 10 may, in principle, be synchronized with the unit time at which power measuring unit 112 measures power.

[0052] The supply and demand information may be transmitted and received between other power management devices 10 connected to the power management device 10 via wiring W using power line communication (PLC), or may be transmitted and received between other power management devices 10 via a communication network N.

[0053] The selection unit 152 is configured to determine, for each of the predetermined unit time, two ports to be connected to each other among the three or more ports P1, P2, ..., based on the received supply and demand information when the power management device 10 receives supply and demand information from another power management device 10. The selection unit 152 may be configured to operate in synchronization with the reception of supply and demand information by the supply and demand information generation unit 151.

[0054] In detail, the selector 152 can select one of the two ports P1, P2, . . . to be connected to each other, based on price information included in the supply and demand information received from another power management apparatus 10.

[0055] As an example, when user A's generator 11a is operating and user A's power management device 10a receives supply and demand information requesting power (i.e., including required power and shortage rate) from both user B's power management device 10a and user C's power management device 10c, the power management device 10a compares the price information contained in the supply and demand information, connects the port connected to the power management device 10b, 10c with the higher purchase price represented by the price information to the port connected to the generator 11a, and transmits power from the generator 11a.

[0056] As another example, when user B's load 13b is operating and user B's power management device 10b receives supply and demand information indicating that power will be supplied from both user A's power management device 10a and user D's power management device 10d (i.e., including supplied power and surplus rate), the power management device 10b compares the price information contained in the supply and demand information, and connects the port connected to the power management device 10a, 10d with the lower selling price represented by the price information to the port connected to load 13b, and transmits power to load 13b.

[0057] Furthermore, when a load 13 is connected to the power management device 10, the selection unit 152 may select the port P1, P2, ... to which the other power management device 10 with the highest surplus rate of power is connected as one of the two ports to be connected to each other, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management device 10. For example, when the power management device 10b of user B receives supply and demand information from both the power management device 10a of user A and the power management device 10d of user D, the power management device 10b can connect the port to which the power management device 10a, 10d with the higher surplus rate of power included in the supply and demand information is connected to the port to which the load 13b is connected, and transmit power to the load 13b.

[0058] Furthermore, when a generator 11 is connected to the power management device 10, the selection unit 152 may select the port P1, P2, ... to which the other power management device 10 with the highest power shortage rate is connected as one of the two ports to be connected to each other, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management device 10. For example, when the power management device 10a of user A receives supply and demand information from both the power management device 10b of user B and the power management device 10c of user C, the power management device 10a can connect the port to which the power management device 10b, 10c with the higher power shortage rate included in the supply and demand information is connected to the port to which the generator 11 is connected, and transmit power from the generator 11.

[0059] Furthermore, in the case where a power storage device 12 is connected to the power management device 10, when the power storage device 12 is in a storage mode, the selection unit 152 may select, based on supply and demand information received from the other power management device 10, a port P1, P2, ... to which the other power management device 10 having the highest power surplus rate is connected, as one of the two ports to be connected to each other. On the other hand, when the power storage device 12 is in a discharge mode, the selection unit 152 may select, based on supply and demand information received from the other power management transmission 10, a port to which the other power management device 10 having the highest power shortage rate is connected, as one of the two ports P1, P2, ... to which the other power management device 10 having the highest power shortage rate is connected.

[0060] Parameters for adjusting price information according to the power surplus rate or shortage rate may be set by each user operating power management device 10 via terminal 20.

[0061] The power information generation unit 153 is configured to generate power information including the direction and amount of power measured by the power measurement unit 112, price information included in supply and demand information transmitted or received between the power management device 10 and another power management device 10 connected to one of the two mutually connected ports, and the device ID of the other power management device 10, and to record the power information in the power information storage unit 143. The power information stored in the power information storage unit 143 is linked to the device ID assigned to the power management device 10, and is configured to be transmitted to the communication network N by the communication unit 120.

[0062] When a user ID is included in the supply and demand information received from another power management device 10, the identification information determination unit 154 determines whether or not this user ID is identical to the user ID stored in its own identification information storage unit 142.

[0063] Next, the operation of each power management device 10 in the power management system 1 will be described in detail. Fig. 4 is a table illustrating supply and demand information and power information, and shows an example of supply and demand information and power information generated by power management device 10b used by user B. As shown in Fig. 1, a load 13b is connected to power management device 10b, so that when load 13b is used, power needs to be supplied through wiring W. In Fig. 4, supply and demand information and power information are generated every minute. Also, in Fig. 4, price information indicates a multiple against a reference price.

[0064] Here, when each power management device 10 is connected to another power management device 10 via wiring W, the device ID is transmitted to and received from the other power management device 10. This allows each power management device 10 to identify the source or destination of supply and demand information, and the power management device 10 that is the destination or source of power transmission.

[0065] When user B turns on the power switch of load 13b, power management device 10b generates supply and demand information for receiving power supply to load 13b and transmits it to power management devices 10a and 10d connected via wiring W. As shown in Fig. 4, in the supply and demand information at the beginning when the switch is turned on (time 10:11:00), the required power is 20 W, the shortage rate is 100%, and the price information is 1.0.

[0066] User A's power management device 10a, User C's power management device 10c, and User D's power management device 10d receive the supply and demand information transmitted from User B's power management device 10b. Among these, a power management device 10 that is in a state where it can supply power generates supply and demand information including the amount of power that can be supplied, the surplus rate of power, and price information, and transmits it to power information management device 10b. Here, it is assumed that the supply and demand information is transmitted from User A's power management device 10a to User B's power management device 10b. Note that the price information included in the supply and demand information transmitted from power management device 10a may be the same as or different from the price information included in the supply and demand information transmitted from power management device 10b.

[0067] User A's power management device 10a transmits supply and demand information to power management device 10b and connects the port to which power generator 11a is connected to the port to which power management device 10b is connected. Upon receiving the supply and demand information from power management device 10a, power management device 10b connects the port to which power management device 10a is connected to the port to which load 13b is connected. This starts power supply to load 13b (from time 10:12:00). After power supply starts, the power shortage in load 13b is resolved, and the shortage rate in the supply and demand information generated by power management device 10b becomes 0%.

[0068] If the price information included in the supply and demand information received by power management device 10b from power management device 10a differs from the price information presented by power management device 10b, power management device 10b may determine whether or not to connect the port. The range (parameter) of price information for determining that the port should be connected can be set in advance in power management device 10b via terminal 20.

[0069] The power information generating unit 153 of the power management device 10b generates power information including the amount and transmission direction of power measured by the power measuring unit 112. This power information includes price information (1.0 at the time of 10:12:00) in the supply and demand information transmitted by the power management device 10b to the power management device 10a, and the device ID of the user A's power management device 10a.

[0070] When user B increases the power of load 13b to 30 W (time 10:19:00), load 13b will experience a power shortage if the power supply from power management apparatus 10a remains at 20 W. In response to this, power management apparatus 10b generates supply and demand information including information that the required power is 30 W and the shortage rate is 33%, and transmits this information to power management apparatuses 10a, 10c, and 10d connected via wiring W.

[0071] When the amount of power transmitted from any of the power management devices 10a, 10c, and 10d is not increased and the shortage rate does not change for a predetermined period of time, the power management device 10b changes the price information to raise the purchase price of power and transmits supply and demand information (time 10:24:00). In response to this, when one of the power management devices 10a, 10c, and 10d (for example, the power management device 10a) transmits supply and demand information with an increased supply of power, the power management device 10b connects the ports based on this supply and demand information. This increases the transmitted power (see 10:25:00 in the power information) and the shortage rate in the supply and demand information becomes 0%. Additionally, the price information in the power information is also changed accordingly.

[0072] When user B switches off load 13b (time 10:30:00), the required power in the supply and demand information becomes 0 W and the shortage rate also becomes 0%. When load 13b is switched off, power management device 10b may transmit supply and demand information indicating a required power of 0 W and a shortage rate of 0%, or may stop transmitting the supply and demand information. Power management device 10b also disconnects the port. This also stops the transmission of power from power management device 10a to power management device 10b.

[0073] The power information generated by the power management device 10b is linked to the user ID of user B and transmitted to the communication network N. The power information is stored by utilizing a so-called block chain mechanism in which the power information is distributed and held among a plurality of terminals 20 connected to the communication network N, and, as necessary, the power charges (or points) may be settled between users using the terminals 20. Alternatively, the power information may be stored in a settlement server device, and the settlement between users may be carried out in this server device.

[0074] As described above, according to this embodiment, supply and demand information is transmitted and received between the power management devices 10 connected via the wiring W, and the power supply destination or power supply source is determined based on the supply and demand information. Therefore, by performing such an operation at a predetermined time interval, the system as a whole naturally approaches a state in which supply and demand are balanced. Therefore, it becomes possible to stably maintain the power supply and demand balance in the power management system 1.

[0075] Moreover, according to this embodiment, it is possible to settle the charges for the electricity supplied or consumed by each device by transmitting the electricity information to the terminal 20 connected to the communication network N. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the electricity supply destination or the electricity supply source is determined based on the price information included in the supply and demand information, so that the electricity usage charges are generally stable.

[0076] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the price information presented in the supply and demand information fluctuates depending on the electricity supply and demand situation, providing incentives to reduce electricity consumption when the price is high, use electricity when the price is low, store electricity when the price is low and discharge it when the price is high, making it possible to optimize the electricity supply and demand situation for the entire system.

[0077] In the above example, the power management device 10a supplies power according to the supply and demand information transmitted by the power management device 10b. However, if both the power management devices 10a and 10d are able to supply power to the power management device 10b, the power management device 10b may determine (switch the port in the port unit 110) to receive power from the device with a higher power surplus rate or a device with a lower price offered based on price information, based on the supply and demand information transmitted from the power management devices 10a and 10d. Such port switching may be performed at predetermined time intervals.

[0078] In the above example, the case where power management device 10b receives power supply has been described, but for example, when power management device 10a supplies power, the power supply destination can be determined in a similar manner by transmitting and receiving supply and demand information. That is, when power management device 10a receives supply and demand information indicating a power shortage from both power management devices 10b and 10c, it may determine to supply power to the one with a higher power shortage rate or the one offering a higher price based on price information.

[0079] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a modified example of the power management system. The power management system 2 shown in Fig. 5 is different from the power management system shown in Fig. 1 in that power management devices 10a(1), 10a(2), and 10a(3) are connected to the end of the power management device 10a of user A, and power management devices 10d(1) and 10d(2) are connected to the end of the power management device 10d of user D. That is, the generator 11a, the battery 12a, and the load 13a of user A are connected to the power management device 10a via the power management devices 10a(1), 10a(2), and 10a(3), respectively. In addition, the generator 11d and the battery 12d of user D are connected to the power management device 10d via the power management devices 10d(1) and 10d(2), respectively.

[0080] In this way, by connecting the generator 11a, the battery 12a, and the load 13a via the power management devices 10a(1), 10a(2), and 10a(3), it is possible to automatically manage the generation and consumption of power at the user A. For example, when the power management device 10a receives supply and demand information generated in the power management device 10a(1) when the generator 11a is operating and supply and demand information generated in the power management device 10a(3) when the load 13a is operating, the power management device 10a can determine (connect a port) so that the power generated in the generator 11a is consumed by the load 13a. Furthermore, based on the supply and demand information generated in the power management device 10a(2), the power management device 10a can determine (connect the port) to supply the power generated in the generator 11a to the battery 12a when the battery 12a is in charging mode (when the charging rate is less than a predetermined value), and to supply the power generated in the generator 11a to another user's device when the battery 12a is sufficiently charged (when the charging rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value).

[0081] Here, the power management devices 10a, 10a(1), 10a(2), and 10a(3) are assigned the user ID of the same user A. Thus, the supply and demand information generation unit 151 of each power management device 10 may link its own user ID to the generated supply and demand information and transmit it to the other power management devices 10, and the identification information determination unit 154 may determine whether the user ID linked to the supply and demand information received from the other power management devices 10 is the same as its own user ID. Then, when the power management device 10 receives supply and demand information from multiple other power management devices 10, it may give priority to the supply and demand information linked to the same user ID as its own.

[0082] For example, when user A's power management device 10a receives supply and demand information from both user A's power management device 10a(3) and user B's power management device 10b simultaneously, the power generated by the generator 11a may be preferentially transmitted to the power management device 10a(3) of the same user.

[0083] In the above embodiment and modified example, two ports are connected in the port unit 111. However, depending on the system configuration, three or more ports may be connected to each other. In this case, for example, it is possible to supply power from one generator to multiple loads, supply power from multiple generators to one load, or supply power from one generator to a load while charging a battery with surplus power.

[0084] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and modified examples, and may be embodied in various other forms without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiment and modified examples, or the components shown in the above embodiment and modified examples may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1,2...power management system, 10,10a,10a(1),10a(2),10a(3),10b,10c,10d,10d(1),10d(2)...power management device, 11,11a,11d...generator, 12,12a,12d...storage battery, 13,13a,13b,13c...load, 20...terminal, 110...port unit, 111...switch unit, 112...power measurement unit, 120...communication unit, 130...controller, 140...storage unit, 141...program storage unit, 142...identification information storage unit, 143...power information storage unit, 150...processing unit, 151...supply and demand information generation unit, 152...selection unit, 153...power information generation unit, 154...identification information determination unit, P1,P2,...,P3,P4,P5...power input / output port (port)

Claims

1. A power management device that relays power transmission between a plurality of devices that function as power loads, power generators, or power storage devices in a power management system, Three or more power input / output ports configured to be connectable via wiring between a device functioning as a power load, a power generator, or a power storage device and another power management device; a switch unit configured to switchably connect two of the three or more power input / output ports and transmit power between the two power input / output ports connected to each other; A storage unit configured to store device identification information individually assigned to the power management apparatus; a communication unit configured to transmit and receive at least the device identification information between the power management apparatus and another power management apparatus connected to the power management apparatus; a supply and demand information generating unit configured to generate supply and demand information for the equipment connected to the power management device, the supply and demand information including the amount of required power consumption and a power shortage rate, or the amount of power that can be supplied and a power surplus rate, and price information presented for purchasing or selling power, and to transmit the supply and demand information to other power management devices connected to the power management device at predetermined unit times; a selection unit configured to determine, for each of the predetermined unit time, two power input / output ports to be connected to each other among the three or more power input / output ports based on the supply and demand information received from another power management device; A power management device having:

2. a power measurement unit configured to measure a direction and an amount of power transmitted between two power input / output ports connected to each other for each predetermined unit time; a power information generating unit configured to generate power information including a direction and amount of power measured by the power measuring unit, price information included in the supply and demand information transmitted or received between another power management device connected to one of the two mutually connected power input / output ports, and device identification information of the other power management device; and The storage unit further stores user identification information assigned to each user of the power management device; The power management device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication unit is configured to link the power information generated by the power information generation unit with user identification information assigned to the power management device and transmit the information to a communication network.

3. 2. The power management device of claim 1, wherein when an equipment functioning as a load is connected to the power management device, the selection unit selects, based on the supply and demand information received from another power management transmission, a power input / output port to which another power management device having the highest surplus power rate is connected as one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other.

4. 2. The power management device of claim 1, wherein when an equipment functioning as a generator is connected to the power management device, the selection unit selects, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management devices, a power input / output port to which another power management device having the highest power shortage rate is connected as one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other.

5. When a device that functions as a power storage device is connected to the power management device, when the device is in a power storage mode, the selection unit selects, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management device, a power input / output port to which another power management device having the highest surplus rate of power is connected, as one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other; 2. The power management device of claim 1, wherein when the equipment is in a discharging mode, the selection unit selects, based on the supply and demand information received from the other power management device, a power input / output port to which the other power management device having the highest power shortage rate is connected as one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other.

6. The power management device according to claim 1 , wherein when the selection unit receives the supply and demand information from another power management device, the selection unit selects one of the two power input / output ports to be connected to each other based on price information contained in the supply and demand information.

7. The power management device according to claim 6 , wherein the supply and demand information generating unit adjusts the price information according to a level of necessary power consumption and a power shortage rate, or a level of supplyable power and a power surplus rate.

8. The supply and demand information generating unit When a device functioning as a load is connected to the power management device, if a power shortage rate does not change for a predetermined period of time, the price information is changed so as to raise the power purchase price; When a device functioning as a power generator is connected to the power management device, if the surplus rate of power does not change for a predetermined period of time, the price information is changed so as to lower the selling price of power.

8. The power management apparatus of claim 7.

9. The power management device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the supply and demand information is transmitted and received between another power management device by power line communication.

10. 9. The power management device according to claim 1, wherein the supply and demand information is transmitted and received between another power management device and the power management device via a communication network.

11. A plurality of power management devices according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the plurality of power management devices being connected via wiring; A plurality of devices functioning as any of a power load, a power generator, and a power storage device and connected to the plurality of power management devices; A power management system comprising:

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