Ev charger control device and ev charger

Abstract

To provide an EV charger control device 1 and an EV charger 3 capable of controlling the EV charger 3 by wire without wireless communication, following rapid power consumption, and easy installation work.SOLUTION: An EV charger control device 1 includes: a control unit 10 that measures a main current value of power supplied through main electric wires L1 and L2 from a power grid, a first current value of electric wires L1(0) and L2 (0) of a house or the like connected by branching from the main electric wires L1 and L2, and a second current value of the electric wires L1(1) and L2 (1) of an EV charger 3 connected by branching from the main electric wires L1 and L2, and controls the EV charger 3 such that the sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value; and an electric wire L5 that transmits a power supply signal to continue or stop charging the EV charger 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charger control device for an electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as EV) and an EV charger, and more particularly to an EV charger control device and an EV charger that control charging according to the power usage status. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, the amount of current required to charge an EV is often greater than the amount of current consumed by general electrical devices such as television sets and air conditioners. When these electrical devices are in use in homes, residential areas, and commercial facilities, and one or more EVs are being charged at the same time, the current supplied from the power grid increases significantly. When the current supplied from the power grid increases significantly in this way, it becomes necessary to replace the electrical cables used in the wiring with ones with higher capacity and to change the contracted power with the power company.

[0003] If such measures are not taken, an overload current caused by EV charging may trip the main breaker of the distribution board, cutting off the electrical circuit and cutting off the power supply. Even if such measures are taken, the main breaker of the distribution board may trip due to an overload current caused by charging multiple EVs. Therefore, chargers and power monitoring devices have been developed that control the charging current when EVs are being charged, taking into account the overall power usage of homes, residential areas, and commercial facilities.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a power monitoring device that controls the charging current according to the power usage status to continue or cut off charging. According to this invention, it is possible to grasp the charging status of an EV on a mobile terminal, and to continue or cut off EV charging even when away from home.

[0005] To prevent power outages caused by EV charging, a control device known as a demand controller is known that measures the power usage of the load and cuts off the power supply when a current exceeding a set current threshold (e.g., a contracted current value) is passed, thereby controlling the operation of the load. This demand controller allows the user to constantly monitor the amount of power usage, and issues warnings and performs automatic control so that the set current threshold is not exceeded. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6830021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In Patent Document 1, a power monitoring device controls the charging status of an EV so that the current does not exceed a set threshold, and the charging status of the EV can be grasped on a mobile device, and charging can be continued or cut off from the mobile device even when away from home. However, when the control of each charger, such as cutting off charging, is performed from the distribution board via communication such as wireless LAN or LTE, a time lag occurs, and it is not possible to follow the sudden power consumption, and the main breaker of the entire power supply system may trip, causing the power supply to stop. The same is true when each charger is controlled by wireless communication using the above-mentioned demand controller. In addition, specialized knowledge is required to build a communication area such as wireless LAN or LTE, and the installation work of multiple EV charging devices requires a huge amount of work and costs. Furthermore, specialized knowledge is also required for maintenance after the installation of the EV charging devices.

[0008] In consideration of the above problems, the present invention provides an EV charger control device and an EV charger that can control an EV charger directly and wiredly without wireless communication, can follow sudden power consumption, and facilitates installation work for the EV charging equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The invention described in claim 1 is an EV charging device including a control unit (10) that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power grid via main electric wires (L1, L2), a first current value of electric wires (L1(0), L2(0)) of a house or the like that branch off and are connected to the main electric wires (L1, L2), and a second current value of electric wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of an EV charger (3) that branch off and are connected to the main electric wires (L1, L2), and controls the second current value of the electric wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of the EV charger (3) so that the sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current. The EV charger control device (1) includes an electric wire (L5) for transmitting a power supply signal for continuing or cutting off charging of the EV charger (3), and the control unit (10) calculates a sum of a first current value and a second current value, and when the sum is less than the current threshold, transmits a signal for continuing charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wire (L5), and when the sum is equal to or greater than the current threshold, transmits a signal for cutting off charging of the EV charger (3), thereby controlling energization or cut-off of the electric wires (L1(1), L2(2)) of the EV charger (3). The invention described in claim 2 is an EV charger control device (1) including a control unit (10) that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power grid via main electric wires (L1, L2), a first current value of electric wires (L1(0), L2(0)) of a house or the like that branch off from the main electric wires (L1, L2) and is connected, and a second current value of electric wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of an EV charger (3) that branch off from the main electric wires (L1, L2) and is connected, and controls the second current value of the electric wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of the EV charger (3) so that the sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current. The EV charger control device (1) is characterized in that it includes an electric wire (L5) that transmits a power supply signal to continue or cut off charging of the EV charger (3), and the control unit (10) calculates a margin value that is the difference between the current threshold and a residential etc. threshold, and when a second current value is less than the margin value, transmits a signal to continue charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wire (L5), and when the second current value is equal to or greater than the margin value, transmits a signal to cut off charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wire (L5), thereby controlling energization or cut-off of the electric wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of the EV charger (3). The invention described in claim 3 is an EV charger control device (1) including a control unit (10) that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power grid via main electric wires (L1, L2), a first current value of electric wires (L1(0), L2(0)) of a house or the like branching off from the main electric wires (L1, L2) and connected thereto, and a second current value of a plurality of electric wires (L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N)) of a plurality of EV chargers (3) branching off from the main electric wires (L1, L2) and connected thereto, and controls the second current value of the electric wires (L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N)) of the EV chargers (3) so that the sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current, The EV charger control device (1) comprises a plurality of electric wires (L5(1)-(N)) for transmitting a power supply signal to continue or cut off charging of the EV chargers (3), and the control unit (10) calculates a sum of a first current value and a plurality of second current values, and when the sum is less than the current threshold, transmits a signal to continue charging of the EV chargers (3) via the electric wires (L5(1)-(N)), and when the sum is equal to or greater than the current threshold, transmits a signal to cut off charging of the EV chargers (3) via the electric wires (L5(1)-(N)). The invention described in claim 4 is an EV charger control device (1) including a control unit (10) that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power grid via main electric wires (L1, L2), a first current value of electric wires (L1(0), L2(0)) of a house or the like branching off from the main electric wires (L1, L2) and connected, and a second current value of a plurality of electric wires (L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N)) of a plurality of EV chargers (3) branching off from the main electric wires (L1, L2) and connected, and controls the second current value of the electric wires (L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N)) of the EV chargers (3) so that the sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current, The EV charger control device (1) is characterized in that it includes a plurality of electric wires (L5(1)-(N)) that transmit a power supply signal to continue or cut off charging, and the control unit (10) calculates a margin value that is the difference between the current threshold value and a residential or other threshold value, calculates a total value of a plurality of second current values, and when the total value of the second current values ​​is less than the margin value, transmits a signal to continue charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wires (L5(1)-(N)), and when the total value of the second current values ​​is equal to or greater than the margin value, transmits a signal to cut off charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wires (L5(1)-(N)). The invention described in claim 5 is an EV charger (3) that connects to the EV charger control device (1) described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the EV charger (3) is configured to include, in addition to power line wires (L1 (1), L2 (1)) and an earth wire, a wire (L5) through which a power supply signal to continue or cut off charging is sent from the charger control device (1). Effect of the Invention

[0010] The EV charger control device and EV charger of the present invention can directly control the EV charger by wires without wireless communication, so it can respond to sudden power consumption and prevent the main breaker of the entire power supply system from tripping. In addition, the labor required for installing the EV charging equipment can be significantly reduced, making the installation work easier. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing wiring of an EV charger control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an EV charger control device according to one embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as examples) will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate common parts, and duplicated explanations of the parts with the same reference numerals will be omitted.

[0013] [EV charger control device 1] The wiring and configuration of an EV charger control device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the wiring of an EV charger control device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an EV charger control device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The EV charger control device 1 is a device that monitors the main amount of power supplied from the power grid via the main electric wires L1 and L2, the amount of power used by multiple electrical devices such as air conditioners and lighting devices installed in homes and commercial facilities (hereinafter referred to as homes, etc.), and the amount of power used by the EV charger 3, and controls the amount of power used by the EV charger 3. The electrical devices 2 and EV 5 in the home, etc. shown in Figures 1 and 2 are existing devices.

[0015] The charger control device 1 is equipped with a control unit 10 that measures the main current value of the power supplied from the power system through the main electric wires L1 and L2, the first current value of the electric wires L1(0) and L2(0) of the house or the like that are branched off from the main electric wires L1 and L2 and connected, and the second current value of the electric wires L1(1) and L2(1) of the EV charger 3 that are branched off from the main electric wires L1 and L2 and connected, and controls the second current value of the electric wires L1(1) and L2(1) of the EV charger 3 so that the sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed the current threshold value of the main current. In addition, the charger control device 1 is connected to an electric wire L5 that transmits a power supply signal that continues or cuts off charging of the EV charger 3. This electric wire L5 is branched off from the electric wires L1(1) and L2(1) and connected. Therefore, the EV charger 3 has four electric wires because the electric wire L5 is added to the three wires of the electric wires L1(1), L2(1) and the earth wire E.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in a house or the like where multiple (N) EV chargers 3 are installed, the charger control device 1 is equipped with a control unit 10 that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power grid via main wires L1, L2, a first current value of wires L1(0), L2(0) of the house or the like that branch off from the main wires L1, L2 and are connected, and a second current value of multiple wires L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N) of multiple EV chargers 3 that branch off from the main wires L1, L2 and are connected, and controls the second current value of the wires L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N) of the EV chargers 3 so that the sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current. Similarly to the above, multiple electric wires L5(1)-(N) that send power supply signals to continue or cut off charging of the EV charger 3 are connected to the charger control device 1, and each EV charger 3 has four electric wires: two electric wires, a ground wire E, and an electric wire L5. Similarly to the above, the electric wires L5(1)-(N) are connected by branching off from the electric wires L1(1)-(N) and L2(1)-(N).

[0017] A CT (Current Transformer) is attached to the main electric wires L1, L2, and the current value is measured by a measuring instrument (power meter) 4 and output to the charger control device 1. Similarly, a CT0 is attached to the electric wires L1(0), L2(0) of a house, etc., and a first current value is measured by a measuring instrument 6 and output to the charger control device 1. Furthermore, a CT1 is attached to the electric wires L1(1), L2(1) of the EV charger 3, and a second current value is measured by a measuring instrument 7 and output to the charger control device 1. When multiple EV chargers 3 are installed, CT1-CTN are attached to each electric wire L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N) of each EV charger 3, respectively, and the second current values ​​(1)-(N) are measured by each measuring instrument 7.

[0018] [Electrical configuration of EV charger control device 1] As shown in FIG. 2, the EV charger control device 1 includes a control unit 10, a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, a display unit 13, and the like.

[0019] The storage unit 12 stores a set current threshold for the main electric wire, a current threshold for the house, etc. (hereinafter referred to as the house, etc. threshold), and a program for controlling the entire EV charger control device 1. The house, etc. threshold is the maximum current that can be used in the house, etc. Also, the main current value, the first current value, and the second current value obtained from the communication unit 11 are updated as needed and stored.

[0020] The communication unit 11 receives the main current value, the first current value, and the second current value measured by the measuring instruments 4, 6, and 7 at any time. It also transmits a power supply signal to the EV charger 3 to continue or cut off charging of the EV charger 3 via the electric wire L5. In this embodiment, the above transmission and reception are performed by wire. Furthermore, the communication unit 11 may be configured to communicate from the EV charger control device 1 to an external device (such as a cloud server) via a communication network such as a LAN or the Internet. With such a configuration, the user can check the charging state of the EV charger 3 on a smartphone or the like.

[0021] The control unit 10 is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and functions as a control, calculation, and storage means, and performs control of each functional block of the EV charger control device 1 and the entire device, and performs calculation processing on data from the measuring instrument 7. Note that part of the information stored in the storage unit 12 may be stored in the ROM 103.

[0022] The setting unit 101 sets the current threshold, the residential threshold, etc., etc. For example, the upper limit of the main current value is set to 200 A, and the current threshold is set to 190 A. The residential threshold is set to, for example, 80 A. The current threshold and the residential threshold can be set directly from the input unit 14, or from an external device via the communication unit 11. The set current threshold and threshold are stored in the memory unit 12.

[0023] The calculation unit 102 performs calculations using the current threshold and the home etc. threshold set by the setting unit 101, and the main current value, the first current value, and the second current value received by the communication unit 11. For example, the calculation unit 102 calculates the sum of the first current value and the second current value, and determines whether the sum is equal to or greater than the current threshold. When the sum is less than the current threshold, the communication unit 11 sends a signal to continue charging to the EV charger 3 via the electric wire L5. When the sum is equal to or greater than the current threshold, the communication unit 11 sends a signal to cut off charging to the EV charger 3 via the electric wire L5. In this way, the continuation or cut-off of charging by the EV charger 3 (energization or cut-off of the electric wires L1(1) and L2(1)) is controlled by the power supply signal sent to the electric wire L5. After sending the signal to cut off charging to the EV charger 3, if there is a surplus between the sum of the first current value and the second current value and the current threshold, the communication unit 11 sends a signal to continue charging to the EV charger 3 via the electric wire L5 again. At this time, a signal to continue charging may be sent to the EV charger 3 immediately, or a signal to continue charging may be sent to the EV charger 3 after monitoring the situation for a predetermined period of time.

[0024] Another calculation method is, for example, the following method. First, a margin value (the maximum value that the EV charger 3 can use) which is the difference between the current threshold and the residential threshold is calculated, and it is determined whether the second current value is equal to or greater than the margin value or less. For example, when the current threshold is 190A and the residential threshold is 80A, the margin value is 110A, and this value is the maximum value that the EV charger 3 can use. When the second current value is less than the margin value, a signal to continue charging is sent from the communication unit 11 to the EV charger 3 via the electric wire L5. When the second current value is equal to or greater than the margin value, a signal to cut off charging is sent from the communication unit 11 to the EV charger 3 via the electric wire L5. As above, after sending a signal to cut off charging to the EV charger 3, if the second current value becomes less than the margin value again, a signal to continue charging is sent from the communication unit 11 to the EV charger 3 via the electric wire L5. The method for sending a signal to continue charging to the EV charger 3 is the same as above.

[0025] Even when there are multiple EV chargers 3, the total value of the first current value and multiple second current values ​​is calculated in the same manner as above, and it is determined whether the total value is equal to or greater than the current threshold value. When the total value is less than the current threshold value, a signal to continue charging at each EV charger 3 is sent via the electric wires L5(1)-(N), and when the total value is equal to or greater than the current threshold value, a signal to cut off charging is sent from the communication unit 11 to the EV chargers 3 via the electric wires L5(1)-(N). At this time, a priority order may be set for the multiple EV chargers 3, and a signal to cut off charging may be sent in order starting from the EV charger 3 with the lowest priority. Alternatively, a signal to cut off charging may be sent from any EV charger 3 without prioritizing the EV chargers 3, or a signal to cut off charging may be sent simultaneously to all EV chargers 3. The method for sending a signal to continue charging to the EV chargers 3 is the same as above, but a priority order may also be set for the multiple EV chargers 3 in this case.

[0026] As another calculation method when there are multiple EV chargers 3, first, a margin value (the maximum value that the EV charger 3 can use) which is the difference between the current threshold and the residential etc. threshold is calculated, the second current values ​​(1)-(N) are added up, and it is determined whether the sum is equal to or greater than the margin value. As above, a power supply signal to continue or cut off charging is sent to each EV charger 3 via electric wires L5(1)-(N) depending on whether the sum is equal to or greater than the margin value. Also, as above, a priority order can be set for multiple EV chargers 3. The method for sending a signal to continue charging again to the EV charger 3 is also the same as above.

[0027] The method (calculation method) of controlling the second current value of the electric wires L1(1), L2(1) of the EV charger 3 so that the sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed the current threshold value is not limited to the above method, and any method may be used.

[0028] The display unit 13 may be a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting display (OLED). It may display a current threshold, current power consumption, predicted power consumption, graphs, and the like. The display unit 13 may be configured to output sound information in addition to visual information. For example, the display unit 13 may have a function of outputting a warning sound when a signal to cut off charging is sent from the communication unit 11 to the EV charger 3 via the electric wire L5 through calculation by the calculation unit 102.

[0029] The input unit 14 operates as an interface for performing various operations of the EV charger control device 1. For example, a user can turn on the power and input a current threshold and a home threshold etc. via the input unit 14. The input unit 14 can be, for example, a button or a touch panel.

[0030] [EV charger 3] As mentioned above, the EV charger 3 has four wires, since wire L5 is added to the three wires of wires L1(1), L2(1), and earth wire E. Therefore, the EV charger 3 is configured with one four-core cable in the same conduit shared with the existing power circuit, or one single wire added to the existing power circuit.

[0031] As explained above, the EV charger control device 1 and the EV charger 3 are configured. By configuring the EV charger control device 1 as described above, it is possible to keep up with sudden power consumption while the EV is charging, and prevent tripping of the main breaker for the entire power supply system.

[0032] The EV charger control device and the EV charger in the above-mentioned embodiment are merely examples, and the configurations can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. The EV charger control device can also be applied to charging a load other than an EV through which a relatively large current flows, such as a home storage battery. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 EV charger control device 2. Electrical equipment for homes, etc. 3 EV charger 4. Measuring Instruments 5 EV 6,7 Measuring Instruments 10 Control section 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Display section 14 Input section 101 Setting section 102 Arithmetic section 103 ROM and RAM

Claims

1. An EV charger control device (1) including a control unit (10) that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power grid through main wires (L1, L2), a first current value of wires (L1(0), L2(0)) of a house or the like branching off and connected to the main wires (L1, L2), and a second current value of wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of an EV charger (3) branching off and connected to the main wires (L1, L2), and controls the second current value of the wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of the EV charger (3) so that a sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current, A wire (L5) is provided for transmitting a power supply signal for continuing or cutting off charging of the EV charger (3), The control unit (10) calculates a sum of a first current value and a second current value, sends a signal to continue charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wire (L5) when the sum is less than the current threshold, and sends a signal to cut off charging of the EV charger (3) when the sum is equal to or greater than the current threshold, thereby controlling the flow of electricity through the electric wires (L1 (1), L2 (2)) of the EV charger (3).

2. An EV charger control device (1) including a control unit (10) that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power grid through main wires (L1, L2), a first current value of wires (L1(0), L2(0)) of a house or the like branching off and connected to the main wires (L1, L2), and a second current value of wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of an EV charger (3) branching off and connected to the main wires (L1, L2), and controls the second current value of the wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of the EV charger (3) so that a sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current, A wire (L5) is provided for transmitting a power supply signal for continuing or cutting off charging of the EV charger (3), The control unit (10) calculates a margin value which is the difference between the current threshold value and a residential etc. threshold value, and sends a signal to continue charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wire (L5) when a second current value is less than the margin value, and sends a signal to cut off charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wire (L5) when the second current value is equal to or greater than the margin value, thereby controlling the flow of electricity through the electric wires (L1(1), L2(1)) of the EV charger (3).

3. an EV charger control device (1) including a control unit (10) that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power system through main electric wires (L1, L2), a first current value of electric wires (L1(0), L2(0)) of a house or the like branching off and connected to the main electric wires (L1, L2), and a second current value of a plurality of electric wires (L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N)) of a plurality of EV chargers (3) branching off and connected to the main electric wires (L1, L2), and controls the second current value of the electric wires (L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N)) of the EV chargers (3) so that a sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current; A plurality of electric wires (L5(1) to (N)) are provided for transmitting power supply signals for continuing or cutting off the charging of the plurality of EV chargers (3), The control unit (10) calculates a total value of a first current value and a plurality of second current values, and when the total value is less than the current threshold value, sends a signal to continue charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wires (L5(1) to (N)), and when the total value is equal to or greater than the current threshold value, sends a signal to cut off charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wires (L5(1) to (N)), thereby controlling energization or cut-off of the electric wires (L1(1) to (N), L2(1) to (N)) of a plurality of the EV chargers (3).

4. an EV charger control device (1) including a control unit (10) that measures a main current value of power supplied from a power system through main electric wires (L1, L2), a first current value of electric wires (L1(0), L2(0)) of a house or the like branching off and connected to the main electric wires (L1, L2), and a second current value of a plurality of electric wires (L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N)) of a plurality of EV chargers (3) branching off and connected to the main electric wires (L1, L2), and controls the second current value of the electric wires (L1(1)-(N), L2(1)-(N)) of the EV chargers (3) so that a sum of the first current value and the second current value does not exceed a current threshold value of the main current; A plurality of electric wires (L5(1) to (N)) are provided for transmitting power supply signals for continuing or cutting off the charging of the plurality of EV chargers (3), The control unit (10) calculates a margin value which is the difference between the current threshold value and a residential or other threshold value, calculates a total value of a plurality of second current values, sends a signal to continue charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wires (L5(1) to (N)) when the total value of the second current values ​​is less than the margin value, and sends a signal to cut off charging of the EV charger (3) via the electric wires (L5(1) to (N)) when the total value of the second current values ​​is equal to or greater than the margin value, thereby controlling the passage or cut-off of current through the electric wires (L1(1) to (N), L2(1) to (N)) of a plurality of the EV chargers (3).

5. 3. An EV charger (3) connected to the EV charger control device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the EV charger (3) is configured to include, in addition to electric power line wires (L1 (1), L2 (1)) and an earth wire, an electric wire (L5) through which a power supply signal to continue or cut off charging is sent from the charger control device (1).

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