Method for controlling an electronic device and its charger

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electronic device and a control method for the charger thereof, and more specifically, an electronic device and a control method for controlling multiple chargers connected via a DC bus to charge or discharge one or more vehicles, provide power grid services such as frequency response, and reduce the voltage of the DC bus when an emergency stop occurs. [Solution] An electronic device for controlling a plurality of chargers is disclosed, which includes a bidirectional power conversion module and a controller that controls the bidirectional power conversion module and the plurality of chargers, each of which includes a bidirectional DC / DC converter and a sub-controller that controls the bidirectional DC / DC converter, the bidirectional power conversion module being connected to the plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters included in the plurality of chargers via a DC bus, and the controller controlling the bidirectional power conversion module and the sub-controllers included in the plurality of chargers to control charging or discharging of one or more vehicles connected to one or more of the plurality of chargers.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and system for controlling multiple chargers connected by a DC bus to charge or discharge one or more vehicles, and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric vehicles are becoming more popular worldwide due to environmental benefits such as improved air quality and reduced carbon dioxide emissions, energy security benefits that reduce dependence on oil, and the industrial benefits of fostering new industries. Accordingly, interest is growing in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which allows electric vehicle batteries to be used not just as energy devices to power the vehicle but also as mobile energy storage devices that can be used for a variety of purposes to help operate the power grid.

[0003] However, for V2G to be put into practical use, a charging system that can charge and discharge electric vehicle batteries more efficiently based on various factors is required.

[0004] In this regard, reference may be made to prior art documents such as Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0058239 or Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0085541. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The disclosed embodiments aim to provide an electronic device and a control method for the charger thereof, and more specifically, an electronic device and a control method for controlling multiple chargers connected via a DC bus to charge or discharge one or more vehicles, provide power grid services such as frequency response, and reduce the voltage of the DC bus when an emergency stop situation occurs.

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned technical problem, and other technical problems can be inferred from the following embodiments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure can provide an electronic device that includes a bidirectional power conversion module and a controller that controls the bidirectional power conversion module and the plurality of chargers, each of the plurality of chargers including a bidirectional DC / DC converter and a sub-controller that controls the bidirectional DC / DC converter, the bidirectional power conversion module being connected to the plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters included in the plurality of chargers via a DC bus, and the controller controlling the bidirectional power conversion module and the plurality of sub-controllers included in the plurality of chargers to control charging or discharging of one or more vehicles connected to one or more chargers among the plurality of chargers.

[0008] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which a maximum integrated charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module is set to be equal to or less than a sum of the respective maximum charging powers of the plurality of chargers, and a maximum integrated discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module is set to be equal to or less than a sum of the respective maximum discharging powers of the plurality of chargers.

[0009] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which, when the control unit controls charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles, the control unit controls charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles based on at least one of the maximum integrated charging power, the maximum charging power of each of the multiple chargers, the required charging power of each of the multiple chargers, the maximum integrated discharging power, the maximum discharging power of each of the multiple chargers, the required discharging power of each of the multiple chargers, the priority of each of the one or more chargers, the priority of each user of the one or more vehicles, the scheduled departure time of each user of the one or more vehicles, charging fees by time, revenue from discharging by time, revenue from discharging by purpose, remaining battery capacity of each of the one or more vehicles, the required charging amount of each of the one or more vehicles, and the user's setting information regarding whether discharging is allowed.

[0010] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which, when controlling charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles, the control unit charges the one or more vehicles with the charging power required by each of the one or more chargers if the sum of the charging power required by each of the one or more chargers is smaller than the maximum integrated charging power.

[0011] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit may provide an electronic device that, when controlling charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles, if the sum of the charging power requests of each of the one or more chargers is greater than the maximum integrated charging power, charges the one or more vehicles according to a priority of the one or more vehicles determined based on at least one of a priority of the one or more chargers to which each of the one or more vehicles is connected and a priority of a user of each of the one or more vehicles.

[0012] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the control unit controls the charging power and discharging power of each of the one or more chargers based on the priority of the one or more vehicles when charging the one or more vehicles, so as to charge the charging request amount of each of the one or more vehicles before the scheduled departure time of each user of the one or more vehicles.

[0013] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which, when the control unit controls the charging power and discharging power of the one or more chargers, the control unit controls the charging power and discharging power of each of the one or more chargers so that the charging fee imposed on each of the one or more vehicles is minimized based on the time-based charging fee.

[0014] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which, when controlling the charging power and discharging power of the one or more chargers, the control unit controls the charging power and discharging power of each of the one or more chargers based on at least one of the revenue from time-based discharging and the revenue from purpose-based discharging so as to maximize the economic revenue from discharging of each of the one or more vehicles.

[0015] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which, when controlling charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles, if a situation occurs in which discharging is necessary while charging the one or more vehicles, the control unit discharges at least one third vehicle among the one or more vehicles that is set to allow discharging within the corresponding maximum dischargeable time.

[0016] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the maximum dischargeable time of a fourth vehicle among the at least one third vehicle is determined based on at least one of the current remaining battery level of the fourth vehicle, the minimum dischargeable battery level, the scheduled departure time of the user of the fourth vehicle, and the charging request amount of the fourth vehicle.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device may further include a measuring instrument, and when the measuring instrument detects a power system frequency fluctuation above a certain range, the control unit controls charging or discharging of at least one fifth vehicle set to a frequency compatible tolerance among the one or more vehicles based on the frequency fluctuation, and the measuring instrument measures the amount of charging power or discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module in response to the charging or discharging of the at least one fifth vehicle.

[0018] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the control unit checks fast shutdown information and controls the bidirectional power conversion module and multiple sub-controllers to reduce the voltage of the DC bus.

[0019] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which, when the control unit reduces the voltage of the DC bus, the control unit discharges output voltages of the plurality of chargers via the DC bus and discharges the voltage of the DC bus to a power grid via the bidirectional power conversion module.

[0020] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device can include a forced discharge circuit, and when the control unit reduces the voltage of the DC bus, the control unit stops the power conversion operation of the bidirectional power conversion module and drives the forced discharge circuit to reduce the voltage of the DC bus.

[0021] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the electronic device includes a forced discharge circuit, and a plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters included in each of the plurality of chargers each include a forced discharge circuit, and when the voltage of the DC bus decreases, the control unit stops charging of the one or more chargers, stops the power conversion operation of the bidirectional power conversion module, drives the plurality of forced discharge circuits included in each of the plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters to decrease the voltage of the DC bus, and drives the forced discharge circuit included in the electronic device to decrease the voltage of the DC bus.

[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure can provide a charging system including: an electronic device including a bidirectional power conversion module and a control unit; a plurality of chargers each including a bidirectional DC / DC converter and a sub-controller that controls the bidirectional DC / DC converter; and a DC bus that connects the plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters and bidirectional power conversion modules included in the plurality of chargers; wherein the control unit controls the bidirectional power conversion module and the plurality of sub-controllers included in the plurality of chargers, thereby controlling charging or discharging of one or more vehicles connected to each of one or more chargers among the plurality of chargers.

[0023] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the proposed embodiment, one or more of the following advantages can be expected:

[0025] According to the embodiments of the present specification, an electronic device that collectively performs the bidirectional power conversion functions required for multiple chargers controls multiple chargers in an integrated manner, thereby managing power more efficiently and reducing initial installation costs.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the embodiments of the present specification, appropriate charge / discharge control can be performed according to the power system frequency fluctuation.

[0027] Furthermore, according to the embodiments of the present specification, when a command for rapid shutdown is issued due to an emergency situation, the high voltage of the DC bus within the system can be quickly reduced to a safe level.

[0028] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a charging system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 7a] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 7b] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 7c] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 7d] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 8a]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 8b] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 8c] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 9a] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 9b] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device controls multiple chargers according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 11a] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 11b] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 12a] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 12b] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 12c] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 13a] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 13b] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 13c] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device reduces the voltage of a DC bus according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] 1 illustrates a charging network according to one embodiment. [Figure 15] 1 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The terms used in the embodiments are currently commonly used and general terms that have been selected as much as possible while taking into consideration the functions in the present disclosure, but these may change depending on the intentions of engineers in the field, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms, and in such cases, the meanings thereof will be described in detail in the relevant explanation section. Therefore, the terms used in the present disclosure should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of the present disclosure, rather than simply by the names of the terms.

[0031] Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "comprise" some element, this means that it may further include other elements, rather than excluding other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0032] Throughout the specification, the expression "at least one of a, b, and c" may encompass "a alone," "b alone," "c alone," "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "all of a, b, and c."

[0033] The "terminal" referred to below may be embodied as a computer or a portable terminal that can connect to a server or another terminal via a network. Here, the computer may include, for example, a notebook computer, desktop computer, or laptop computer equipped with a web browser, and the portable terminal may include, for example, a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility, such as communication-based terminals like IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), and LTE (Long Term Evolution), as well as all kinds of handheld-based wireless communication devices like smartphones and tablet PCs.

[0034] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates a charging system 100 according to one embodiment.

[0037] The charging system 100 is a system that provides charging services to one or more vehicles 145, 165 that use batteries, and can help operate the power grid stably by controlling the charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles 145, 165 according to the needs of the power grid. Referring to FIG. 1, the charging system 100 can include at least one of an electronic device 110, a plurality of chargers 130, 150, and a DC bus 170. Meanwhile, the system shown in FIG. 1 only shows components relevant to the present embodiment. Therefore, a person skilled in the art related to the present embodiment can understand that other general-purpose components may be included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1.

[0038] The electronic device 110 is a device for controlling the multiple chargers 130, 150 included in the charging system 100, and may include a bidirectional power conversion module 115 and a control unit 120. Unlike existing systems in which each charger operates independently, the charging system 100 according to the present disclosure has the electronic device 110 integrally control the multiple chargers 130, 150, thereby enabling more efficient power management and reducing initial installation costs.

[0039] The bidirectional power conversion module 115 is a component that converts between direct current (DC) power (voltage) and alternating current (AC) power (voltage), and can perform the conversion depending on whether one or more vehicles 145, 165 are charging or discharging. For example, when charging one or more vehicles 145, 165, the bidirectional power conversion module 115 can convert AC power received from the power grid 180 to DC power and transmit the DC power to one or more bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155 via the DC bus 170. Alternatively, when discharging one or more vehicles 145, 165, the bidirectional power conversion module 115 can convert DC power received from one or more bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155 to AC power and transmit the AC power to the power grid 180 via the DC bus 170.

[0040] The control unit 120 is a component that controls the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the multiple sub-controllers 140, 160 included in the multiple chargers 130, 150, and can control the charging or discharging of one or more vehicles 145, 165. For example, the control unit 120 can control the charging or discharging of one or more vehicles 145, 165 based on the maximum combined charging power or maximum combined discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, the maximum combined charging power or maximum discharging power of each of the multiple chargers 130, 150, the remaining battery charge or required charging amount of each of the one or more vehicles 145, 165, or the user priority of each of the one or more vehicles 145, 165. Alternatively, the control unit 120 can check rapid shutdown information in the event of an emergency such as a fire and control the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the multiple sub-controllers 140, 160 to reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 to a safe level that can respond to the emergency.

[0041] 1 illustrates electronic device 110 including one bidirectional power conversion module 115, electronic device 110 may include additional bidirectional power conversion modules as the number of chargers included in charging system 100 increases or the charge or discharge power of the chargers increases. In this manner, when charging system 100 includes multiple bidirectional power conversion modules, charging system 100 may continue to operate without interruption even if one of the modules stops operating.

[0042] The chargers 130, 150 are devices that charge or discharge one or more vehicles 145, 165, and each may include a bidirectional DC / DC converter 135, 155 and a sub-controller 140, 160.

[0043] The bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155 are components that convert DC voltage and can step down or step up the voltage depending on whether the connected vehicle 145, 165 is charging or discharging. For example, when charging the connected vehicle 145, 165, the bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155 can convert the voltage of the DC power received from the bidirectional power conversion module 115 via the DC bus 170 to a voltage suitable for the connected vehicle 145, 165. Alternatively, when discharging the connected vehicle 145, 165, the bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155 can convert the voltage of the DC power received from the connected vehicle 145, 165 to a voltage suitable for the bidirectional power conversion module 115.

[0044] The sub-control units 140 and 160 are components for controlling the bidirectional DC / DC converters 135 and 155, and can control the bidirectional DC / DC converters 135 and 155 according to instructions from the control unit 120 or vehicles 145 and 165 connected to the chargers.

[0045] The DC bus 170 is a device for transferring power between the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the multiple bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155, and can transfer high-voltage power ranging from 100V to 1000V depending on whether one or more vehicles 145, 165 are charging or discharging. For example, when one or more vehicles 145, 165 are charging, the DC bus 170 can transfer power from the bidirectional power conversion module 115 to the multiple bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155. Alternatively, when one or more vehicles 145, 165 are discharging, the DC bus 170 can transfer power from the bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155 to the multiple bidirectional power conversion modules 115.

[0046] Meanwhile, the electronic device 110 may further include a meter in addition to the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the control unit 120, and each of the plurality of chargers 130, 150 may further include a watt-hour meter in addition to the bidirectional DC / DC converters 135, 155 and the sub-controllers 140, 160. This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9a and 9b.

[0047] 2 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device 110 controls a plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 according to an embodiment. Content that overlaps with that in FIG. 1 will be briefly described or omitted.

[0048] According to one embodiment, charging system 100 may include electronic device 110, multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, and DC bus 170. Control unit 120 included in electronic device 110 may control bidirectional power conversion module 115 and multiple sub-controllers 210, 230, 250, 270, and 290 to control charging or discharging of one or more vehicles connected to one or more chargers among the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280. For example, referring to Fig. 2, the maximum charging powers of the first charger 200, the second charger 220, and the third charger 240 may be 10 kW, the maximum charging power of the fourth charger 260 may be 20 kW, and the maximum charging power of the fifth charger 280 may be 40 kW. Thus, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 40 kW, which is less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, which is 90 kW. In this way, by setting the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 to be smaller than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, most situations in which only some of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 are used can be implemented at a lower cost.

[0050] In this case, the maximum combined peak power-charging (CCP_C) of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may refer to the maximum power that can be charged through the bidirectional power conversion module 115 or the maximum AC power that can be converted into DC power by the bidirectional power conversion module 115. The maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may indicate a value determined when the charging system 100 is designed, or a value that is temporarily changed by an external input.

[0051] Furthermore, the peak power-charging (PP_C) of each of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 may refer to the maximum power that can be charged via each of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, or the maximum DC power that can be converted by each of the multiple bidirectional DC / DC converters 205, 225, 245, 265, and 285. The maximum charging power of each of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 may represent a value that is determined when the charging system 100 is designed, or a value that is temporarily changed by an external input.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the maximum combined discharge power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum discharge powers of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280. For example, referring to FIG. 2 , the maximum discharge powers of the first charger 200, the second charger 220, and the third charger 240 may be 10 kW, the maximum discharge power of the fourth charger 260 may be 20 kW, and the maximum discharge power of the fifth charger 280 may be 40 kW. Thus, the maximum combined discharge power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 40 kW, which is less than the 90 kW sum of the maximum discharge powers of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280.

[0053] In this case, the combined peak power-discharging (CCP_D) of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may refer to the maximum power that can be transmitted to the power grid through the bidirectional power conversion module 115 or the maximum DC power that can be converted into AC power by the bidirectional power conversion module 115. The maximum combined discharge power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may indicate a value determined when the charging system 100 is designed, or a value that is temporarily changed by an external input.

[0054] Furthermore, the peak power-discharging power (PP_D) of each of the chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 may refer to the maximum power that can be discharged from the battery of an electric vehicle connected to each of the chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, or the maximum DC power that can be converted by each of the bidirectional DC / DC converters 205, 225, 245, 265, and 285. The maximum discharge power of each of the chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 may represent a value that is determined when the charging system 100 is designed, or a value that is temporarily changed by an external input.

[0055] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can control the charging or discharging of one or more vehicles based on a variety of factors. For example, the electronic device 110 can control charging or discharging of one or more vehicles based on at least one of the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, the maximum charging power of each of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the requested charging power of each of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the maximum combined discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, the maximum discharging power of each of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the requested discharging power of each of the multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the priority of each of the one or more chargers, the priority of each of the users of the one or more vehicles, the scheduled departure time of each of the users of the one or more vehicles, charging fees by hour, revenue from discharging by hour, revenue from discharging by purpose, the remaining battery level of each of the one or more vehicles, the requested charging amount of each of the one or more vehicles, and user setting information regarding whether to allow discharging.

[0056] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can charge one or more vehicles based on the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the charging power requirements of each of multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280. For example, electronic device 110 can allocate charging power to each of multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 so that the total power supplied to each of multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 does not exceed the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115.

[0057] Here, the requested charging power of each of the chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 is a value indicating the charging power that each of the sub-controllers 210, 230, 250, 270, and 290 requests from the control unit 120, and may be determined based on the requirements of the vehicle connected to each of the chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, or the internal environment of each of the chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280. Furthermore, the requested charging power of each of the chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 may represent a value equal to or less than the maximum charging power of each of the chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280. Meanwhile, in the following description, the requested charging power may have the same value as the maximum charging power when a charger requests charging power from the electronic device 110 at its maximum charging power, but this is merely an example, and the requested charging power may have a value equal to or less than the maximum charging power.

[0058] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can discharge one or more vehicles based on the maximum combined discharge power of bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the discharge power requirements of each of multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280. For example, electronic device 110 can determine the discharge power for each charger such that the total power received from each of multiple chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 does not exceed the maximum combined discharge power of bidirectional power conversion module 115.

[0059] In this case, the discharge power request of each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 is a value indicating the discharge power that each of the plurality of sub-controllers 210, 230, 250, 270, and 290 requests from the control unit 120, and may be determined based on the requirements of the vehicle connected to each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, or the internal environment of each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280. Furthermore, the discharge power request of each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 may indicate a value equal to or less than the maximum discharge power of each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280. Meanwhile, in the following description, the charger requests the electronic device 110 to discharge power at its maximum discharge power, so that the discharge power request may have the same value as the maximum discharge power, but this is merely an example, and the discharge power request may have a value equal to or less than the maximum discharge power.

[0060] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may charge one or more vehicles based on the respective priorities of the one or more chargers. More specifically, electronic device 110 may assign different priorities to one or more chargers depending on whether the one or more chargers that are capable of fast charging are fast charging or slow charging.

[0061] For example, if electronic device 110 confirms an input from a user of a vehicle connected to fourth charger 260 and fifth charger 280 to select fast charging, electronic device 110 can assign a higher priority to fifth charger than first charger 200, second charger 220, third charger, and fourth charger 260, assign a higher priority to fourth charger 260 than first charger 200, second charger 220, and third charger, and assign the same priority to first charger 200, second charger 220, and third charger. This allows electronic device 110 to supply higher charging power or supply charging power earlier to the vehicle connected to fifth charger 280 among one or more vehicles than to other vehicles.

[0062] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may charge one or more vehicles based on a user's priority for each of the one or more vehicles. For example, electronic device 110 may provide more charging power or provide charging power earlier to a vehicle among the one or more vehicles that has a higher user priority than other vehicles.

[0063] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may charge one or more vehicles based on the planned departure times of the users of the one or more vehicles. For example, electronic device 110 may provide higher charging power or provide charging power earlier to a vehicle among the one or more vehicles whose user's planned departure time is earlier than the other vehicles.

[0064] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can charge one or more vehicles based on a scheduled departure time of each user of the one or more vehicles, a charging request amount of each of the one or more vehicles, and a time-based charging fee. More specifically, electronic device 110 can control the charging power and discharging power of each of the one or more chargers so as to minimize the charging fee imposed on each of the one or more vehicles.

[0065] For example, the time-based charging fees can be determined based on the number of users for each time period or the amount of power usage for each time period in the following order: fourth fee (corresponding to 5 PM to 9 PM) > third fee (corresponding to 8 AM to 10 AM) > second fee (corresponding to 10 AM to 5 PM) > first fee (corresponding to 9 PM to 8 AM). As a result, the electronic device 110 can charge the requested amount of charging by the time before the scheduled departure time of each user of one or more vehicles, and can prioritize charging the one or more vehicles during the time period when the fee is low, thereby minimizing the charging fee imposed on each of the one or more vehicles.

[0066] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can discharge one or more vehicles based on the scheduled departure time of each user of the one or more vehicles, the charging demand of each of the one or more vehicles, the revenue from discharging by time, and the revenue from discharging by purpose. More specifically, electronic device 110 can control the charging power and discharging power of each of the one or more chargers to maximize the economic revenue from discharging each of the one or more vehicles.

[0067] For example, the revenue from discharge can be determined based on the number of users by time period or the amount of power usage by time period in the following order: fourth revenue (corresponding to 5 PM to 9 PM) > third revenue (corresponding to 8 AM to 10 AM) > second revenue (corresponding to 10 AM to 5 PM) > first revenue (corresponding to 9 PM to 8 AM). As a result, the electronic device 110 can maximize the economic revenue from the discharge of each of the one or more vehicles by preferentially discharging one or more vehicles during a time period with high revenue within the dischargeable amount of power and the dischargeable time period determined based on the scheduled departure time of each user of the one or more vehicles and the charge request amount of each of the one or more vehicles.

[0068] As another example, the revenue from discharging may be formulated differently based on the purpose of discharging the vehicle, such as for adjusting frequency or for reducing maximum load, etc. Thus, the electronic device 110 can maximize the economic revenue from discharging each of the one or more vehicles by preferentially discharging one or more vehicles for a purpose with a higher revenue within the dischargeable amount of power and the dischargeable time determined based on the scheduled departure times of the users of each of the one or more vehicles and the charging requirements of each of the one or more vehicles.

[0069] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can discharge one or more vehicles based on the remaining battery level of each of the one or more vehicles and user setting information regarding whether discharge is permitted. For example, electronic device 110 can check setting information entered by a user regarding whether discharge is permitted and discharge at least one vehicle set to allow discharge. Alternatively, electronic device 110 can discharge at least one vehicle so that the remaining battery level of the at least one vehicle set to allow discharge remains equal to or greater than the minimum battery level that allows discharge.

[0070] Meanwhile, the specific examples of the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, the maximum charging power of each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the charging power demands of each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the maximum combined discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, the maximum discharging power of each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the discharging power demands of each of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the priority of the plurality of chargers 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280, the charging fee by time, the revenue from discharging by time, and the revenue from discharging by purpose described above are merely exemplary embodiments, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains that the present disclosure may be embodied in examples other than those described above.

[0071] 3 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device 110 controls a plurality of chargers 300, 320, 340, 360, and 380 according to an embodiment. Content that overlaps with that in FIG. 2 will be briefly described or omitted.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the multiple chargers 300, 320, 340, 360, and 380. For example, referring to Fig. 3, the maximum charging powers of the first charger 300, the second charger 320, and the third charger 340 may be 10 kW, the maximum charging power of the fourth charger 360 may be 20 kW, and the maximum charging power of the fifth charger 380 may be 40 kW. Thus, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 40 kW, which is less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the multiple chargers 300, 320, 340, 360, and 380, which is 90 kW.

[0073] According to one embodiment, one or more vehicles 310, 330, 350 may be connected to and charged at one or more chargers 300, 320, 340 of the plurality of chargers 300, 320, 340, 360, 380. For example, a first vehicle 310 may be connected to a first charger 300, a second vehicle 330 may be connected to a second charger 320, and a third vehicle 350 may be connected to a third charger 340.

[0074] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can charge one or more vehicles 310, 330, 350 at the charging power requirements of one or more chargers 300, 320, 340 by verifying that the sum of the charging power requirements of one or more chargers 300, 320, 340 is less than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, electronic device 110 can charge one or more vehicles 310, 330, 350 at the charging power requirements of one or more chargers 300, 320, 340, which is 10 kW, by verifying that the sum of the charging power requirements of one or more chargers 300, 320, 340 is 30 kW, which is less than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115, which is 40 kW.

[0075] 4 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device 110 controls a plurality of chargers 400, 420, 440, 460, and 480 according to an embodiment. Content that overlaps with that in FIG. 2 will be briefly described or omitted.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the chargers 400, 420, 440, 460, and 480. For example, referring to Fig. 4, the maximum charging powers of the first charger 400, the second charger 420, and the third charger 440 may be 10 kW, the maximum charging power of the fourth charger 460 may be 20 kW, and the maximum charging power of the fifth charger 480 may be 40 kW. Thus, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 40 kW, which is less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the chargers 400, 420, 440, 460, and 480, which is 90 kW.

[0077] According to one embodiment, the maximum integrated charging power and maximum integrated discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be temporarily changed. For example, the maximum integrated charging power and maximum integrated discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be temporarily changed from 40 kW to 20 kW, respectively, based on information received from a power grid or a building power management system, administrator input, or the like.

[0078] According to one embodiment, one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 may be connected to and charged at one or more chargers 400, 420, 440, respectively, among the plurality of chargers 400, 420, 440, 460, 480. For example, a first vehicle 410 may be connected to a first charger 400, a second vehicle 430 may be connected to a second charger 420, and a third vehicle 450 may be connected to a third charger 440.

[0079] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can prioritize one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 by verifying that the sum of the respective charging power requests of one or more chargers 400, 420, 440 is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, electronic device 110 can prioritize one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 by verifying that the sum of the respective charging power requests of one or more chargers 400, 420, 440 is 30 kW, which is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115, 20 kW.

[0080] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may determine a priority for one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 based on at least one of a priority of one or more chargers 400, 420, 440 to which each of one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 is connected and a priority of a user of each of one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450. For example, electronic device 110 may determine one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 to have the same priority by verifying that the priority of each of one or more chargers 400, 420, 440 and the priority of the user of each of one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 are the same.

[0081] According to one embodiment, if one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 all have the same priority, electronic device 110 may charge one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 with a value obtained by dividing the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115 by the number of one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450. For example, by determining that one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 all have the same priority, electronic device 110 may charge one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450 with 6.5 kW, obtained by dividing the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115, 20 kW, by three, which is the number of one or more vehicles 410, 430, 450.

[0082] 5 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device 110 controls a plurality of chargers 500, 520, 540, 560, and 580 according to an embodiment. Content that overlaps with that of FIG. 2 will be briefly described or omitted.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the multiple chargers 500, 520, 540, 560, and 580. For example, referring to Fig. 5, the maximum charging powers of the first charger 500, the second charger 520, and the third charger 540 may be 10 kW, the maximum charging power of the fourth charger 560 may be 20 kW, and the maximum charging power of the fifth charger 580 may be 40 kW. Thus, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 40 kW, which is less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the multiple chargers 500, 520, 540, 560, and 580, which is 90 kW.

[0084] According to one embodiment, one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570 may be connected to and charged at one or more chargers 500, 520, 540, 560 of the plurality of chargers 500, 520, 540, 560, 580, respectively. For example, a first vehicle 510 may be connected to a first charger 500, and a second vehicle 530 may be connected to a second charger 520. Furthermore, a third vehicle 550 may be connected to a third charger 540, and a fourth vehicle 570 may be connected to a fourth charger 560.

[0085] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may prioritize one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570 by verifying that the sum of the respective charging power requests of one or more chargers 500, 520, 540, 560 is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, electronic device 110 may prioritize one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570 by verifying that the sum of the respective charging power requests of one or more chargers 500, 520, 540, 560 is 50 kW, which is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115, 40 kW.

[0086] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may determine the priority of one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570 based on at least one of the priority of one or more chargers 500, 520, 540, 560 to which each of one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570 is connected and the priority of each user of one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570. For example, by obtaining input from a user of fourth vehicle 570 selecting fast charging, electronic device 110 may determine that fourth charger 560 has a higher priority than the other chargers 500, 520, 540. Furthermore, by verifying that the priority of each user of one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570 is the same, electronic device 110 may determine that fourth vehicle 570 has a higher priority than the other vehicles 510, 530, 550, and that the other vehicles 510, 530, 550 have the same priority.

[0087] According to one embodiment, when one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570 have different priorities, electronic device 110 can charge at least one first vehicle with a higher priority among one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, 570 with the charging power required by the corresponding charger. Also, electronic device 110 can charge at least one second vehicle with a power value obtained by subtracting the sum of the charging power required by the chargers corresponding to the at least one first vehicle from the maximum combined charging power, and dividing the result by the number of at least one second vehicle with a lower priority.

[0088] For example, the electronic device 110 can charge the fourth vehicle 570, which has a higher priority among the one or more vehicles 510, 530, 550, and 570, with 20 kW, which is the charging power requirement of the fourth charger 560. The electronic device 110 can also charge the lower-priority vehicles 510, 530, and 550 with 6.5 kW, which is obtained by subtracting 20 kW, which is the charging power requirement of the fourth charger 560, from 40 kW, which is the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, and dividing the resulting 20 kW by three, which is the number of lower-priority vehicles 510, 530, and 550.

[0089] 6 is a diagram illustrating a process in which an electronic device 110 controls a plurality of chargers 600, 620, 640, 660, and 680 according to an embodiment. Content that overlaps with that of FIG. 2 will be briefly described or omitted.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the chargers 600, 620, 640, 660, and 680. For example, referring to Fig. 6, the maximum charging powers of the first charger 600, the second charger 620, and the third charger 640 may be 10 kW, the maximum charging power of the fourth charger 660 may be 20 kW, and the maximum charging power of the fifth charger 680 may be 40 kW. Thus, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 40 kW, which is less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the chargers 600, 620, 640, 660, and 680, which is 90 kW.

[0091] According to one embodiment, one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, 670 may be connected to and charged at one or more chargers 600, 620, 640, 660 of the plurality of chargers 600, 620, 640, 660, 680. For example, a first vehicle 610 may be connected to a first charger 600, and a second vehicle 630 may be connected to a second charger 620. Furthermore, a third vehicle 650 may be connected to a third charger 640, and a fourth vehicle 670 may be connected to a fourth charger 660.

[0092] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can prioritize one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, 670 by verifying that the sum of the respective charging power requests of one or more chargers 600, 620, 640, 660 is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, electronic device 110 can prioritize one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, 670 by verifying that the sum of the respective charging power requests of one or more chargers 600, 620, 640, 660 is 50 kW, which is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115, 40 kW.

[0093] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may determine the priority of one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, 670 based on at least one of the priority of one or more chargers 600, 620, 640, 660 to which each of one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, 670 is connected and the priority of each user of one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, 670. For example, by obtaining input from the user of fourth vehicle 670 selecting fast charging, electronic device 110 may determine that fourth charger 660 has higher priority than the other chargers 600, 620, 640. Electronic device 110 may also determine that the user of third vehicle 650 has higher priority than the users of the other vehicles 610, 630, 670. As a result, electronic device 110 may determine that third vehicle 650 and fourth vehicle 670 have higher priority than first vehicle 610 and second vehicle 630.

[0094] On the other hand, which of the priority of the charger to which the vehicle is connected and the priority of the vehicle user is given priority in determining the priority of the vehicle may be determined differently by the system operator.

[0095] According to an embodiment, when one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, 670 have different priorities, electronic device 110 can charge at least one first vehicle with a higher priority among one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, 670 with the charging power required by the corresponding charger. Also, electronic device 110 can charge at least one second vehicle with a power value obtained by subtracting the sum of the charging power required by the chargers corresponding to the at least one first vehicle from the maximum combined charging power, and dividing the result by the number of at least one second vehicle with a lower priority.

[0096] For example, the electronic device 110 can charge the third vehicle 650 and the fourth vehicle 670, which are the highest priority vehicles among the one or more vehicles 610, 630, 650, and 670, with 10 kW, which is the charging power required by the third charger 640, and 20 kW, which is the charging power required by the fourth charger 660, respectively. Also, the electronic device 110 can charge the lower priority vehicles 610 and 630 with 5 kW obtained by subtracting 30 kW, which is the sum of 10 kW, which is the charging power required by the third charger 640, and 20 kW, which is the charging power required by the fourth charger 660, from 40 kW, which is the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, and dividing the resulting 10 kW by 2, which is the number of lower priority vehicles 610 and 630.

[0097] 7a to 7d are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device 110 controls a plurality of chargers 700, 720, 740, 760, and 780 according to an embodiment. Contents that overlap with those in FIG. 2 will be briefly described or omitted.

[0098] According to one embodiment, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the chargers 700, 720, 740, 760, and 780. For example, referring to FIG. 7a, the maximum charging powers of the first charger 700, the second charger 720, and the third charger 740 may be 10 kW, the maximum charging power of the fourth charger 760 may be 20 kW, and the maximum charging power of the fifth charger 780 may be 40 kW. Thus, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 40 kW, which is less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the chargers 700, 720, 740, 760, and 780, which is 90 kW.

[0099] According to one embodiment, one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 may be connected to and charged at one or more chargers 700, 720, 740, 760, respectively, among the plurality of chargers 700, 720, 740, 760, 780. For example, a first vehicle 710 may be connected to a first charger 700, and a second vehicle 730 may be connected to a second charger 720. Furthermore, a third vehicle 750 may be connected to a third charger 740, and a fourth vehicle 770 may be connected to a fourth charger 760.

[0100] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may ascertain an expected departure time of each user of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 and a charge request amount of each of the one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770. More specifically, electronic device 110 may obtain input from each user of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 regarding an expected departure time and a charge request amount. Alternatively, electronic device 110 may obtain input from each user of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 regarding an expected departure time and an expected distance traveled, and ascertain a charge request amount of each of the one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 based on the expected distance traveled.

[0101] 7b, the user of the first vehicle 710 may enter 30 kWh as the required charging amount and 4:00 PM as the scheduled departure time, the user of the second vehicle 730 may enter 50 kWh as the required charging amount and 2:00 PM as the scheduled departure time, the user of the third vehicle 750 may enter 30 kWh as the required charging amount and 3:00 PM as the scheduled departure time, and the user of the fourth vehicle 770 may enter 20 kWh as the required charging amount and 12:00 PM as the scheduled departure time. As a result, the electronic device 110 may determine that the remaining time from the current time of 8:00 AM to the scheduled departure time of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, and 770 is 8 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, and 4 hours, respectively.

[0102] As yet another example, a user of each of the one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 may input an expected driving distance. The electronic device 110 may determine the charging requirements of each of the one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 based on the expected driving distance and electricity cost (km / kWh) of each of the one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770.

[0103] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can confirm the time-based charging rates. For example, the electronic device 110 can confirm that the time-based charging rates are established in the following order: fourth rate (corresponding to 5 PM to 9 PM) > third rate (corresponding to 8 AM to 10 AM) > second rate (corresponding to 10 AM to 5 PM) > first rate (corresponding to 9 PM to 8 AM).

[0104] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can prioritize one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 by verifying that the sum of the charging power requests of one or more chargers 700, 720, 740, 760 is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, electronic device 110 can prioritize one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 by verifying that the sum of the charging power requests of one or more chargers 700, 720, 740, 760 is 50 kW, which is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115, 40 kW.

[0105] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may determine the priority of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 based on at least one of the priority of one or more chargers 700, 720, 740, 760 to which each of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 is connected and the priority of each user of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770. For example, by obtaining input from a user of a fourth vehicle 770 selecting fast charging, electronic device 110 may determine that the fourth charger 760 has a higher priority than the other chargers 700, 720, 740. Furthermore, by verifying that the priority of each user of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 is the same, electronic device 110 may determine that the fourth vehicle 770 has a higher priority than the other vehicles 710, 730, 750, and that the other vehicles 710, 730, 750 have the same priority.

[0106] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can charge one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 based on the priority of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770, the scheduled departure time of each user of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770, the charging request amount and the hourly charging fee of each of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770. More specifically, electronic device 110 can charge one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 to charge the charging request amount before the scheduled departure time of each user of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770 while minimizing the charging fee imposed on each of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, 770.

[0107] 7c and 7d, the electronic device 110 may determine that the remaining time until the scheduled departure times of one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, and 770 are 8 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, and 4 hours, respectively, and therefore that all of the one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, and 770 should be charged in the third tariff zone (8:00 AM to 10:00 AM) or the second tariff zone (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM). In this case, in order to minimize the charging fee imposed on each of the one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, and 770, the electronic device 110 may prioritize charging the one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, and 770 in the second tariff zone (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM), which has a lower tariff.

[0108] However, because the total charging power requirement of one or more chargers 700, 720, 740, and 760 is greater than the maximum integrated charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, the electronic device 110 can charge the fourth vehicle 770, which has a higher priority, from 10:00 to 11:00 with 20 kW, which is the charging power requirement of the fourth charger 760. Also, although the first vehicle 710, the second vehicle 730, and the third vehicle 750 have the same priority, the second vehicle 730 has a higher charging requirement than the other vehicles 710 and 750 and has less time remaining until the scheduled departure time, so the electronic device 110 can charge the second vehicle 730 with 10 kW, which is the charging power requirement of the second charger 720, from 10:00 to 14:00. Although the first vehicle 710 and the third vehicle 750 have the same priority and the same charging request amount, the remaining time until the scheduled departure time of the third vehicle 750 is shorter than that of the first vehicle 710. Therefore, the electronic device 110 can charge the third vehicle 750 from 10:00 to 13:00 with the 10 kW charging power requested by the third charger 740. After that, the charging of the fourth vehicle 770 is completed, and the electronic device 110 can charge the first vehicle 710 from 11:00 to 14:00 with the 10 kW charging power requested by the first charger 700.

[0109] Meanwhile, even if the electronic device 110 charges the second vehicle 730 from 10:00 to 14:00, which is the scheduled departure time, at 10 kW, which is the charging power required by the second charger 720, the electronic device 110 cannot charge the second vehicle 730's required charging amount of 50 kWh. Therefore, the electronic device 110 may charge the second vehicle 730 in a third tariff zone (8:00 to 10:00), which has a higher tariff. The electronic device 110 may charge the second vehicle 730 from 9:00 to 10:00 at 10 kW, which is the charging power required by the second charger 720, as shown in FIG. 7c, or may charge the second vehicle 730 from 8:00 to 10:00 at 5 kW, which is lower than the charging power required by the second charger 720, as shown in FIG. 7d. In this case, in preparation for a situation in which the charging system 100 needs to discharge before 9:00, the electronic device 110 may be set to charge the second vehicle 730 as shown in FIG. 7d, but is not limited to the above.

[0110] As yet another example, the electronic device 110 may charge one or more vehicles 710, 730, 750, and 770 with minimum charging power in consideration of the minimum charging power. The electronic device 110 may also charge the first vehicle 710, the third vehicle 750, and the fourth vehicle 770 with minimum charging power in the third fare zone (8:00 AM to 10:00 AM) in preparation for the occurrence of a situation requiring discharge.

[0111] 8a to 8c are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device 110 controls a plurality of chargers 800, 820, 840, 860, and 880 according to an embodiment. Contents that overlap with those in FIGS. 7a to 7d will be briefly described or omitted.

[0112] According to one embodiment, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to be equal to or less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the chargers 800, 820, 840, 860, and 880. For example, referring to FIG. 8a, the maximum charging powers of the first charger 800, the second charger 820, and the third charger 840 may be 10 kW, the maximum charging power of the fourth charger 860 may be 20 kW, and the maximum charging power of the fifth charger 880 may be 40 kW. Thus, the maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 40 kW, which is less than the sum of the maximum charging powers of the chargers 800, 820, 840, 860, and 880, which is 90 kW.

[0113] According to one embodiment, one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 may be connected to and charged at one or more chargers 800, 820, 840, 860, respectively, among the plurality of chargers 800, 820, 840, 860, 880. For example, a first vehicle 810 may be connected to a first charger 800, and a second vehicle 830 may be connected to a second charger 820. Furthermore, a third vehicle 850 may be connected to a third charger 840, and a fourth vehicle 870 may be connected to a fourth charger 860.

[0114] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may ascertain the scheduled departure time of each user of one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 and the amount of charging required for each of one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870. For example, electronic device 110 may ascertain input from each user of one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 regarding the scheduled departure time and the amount of charging required, as described above in connection with FIG. 7b, and based thereon, ascertain the time remaining until the scheduled departure time for each of one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870.

[0115] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can confirm the time-based charging rates. For example, the electronic device 110 can confirm that the time-based charging rates are established in the following order: fourth rate (corresponding to 5 PM to 9 PM) > third rate (corresponding to 8 AM to 10 AM) > second rate (corresponding to 10 AM to 5 PM) > first rate (corresponding to 9 PM to 8 AM).

[0116] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can prioritize one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 by verifying that the sum of the respective charging power requests of one or more chargers 800, 820, 840, 860 is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, electronic device 110 can prioritize one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 by verifying that the sum of the respective charging power requests of one or more chargers 800, 820, 840, 860 is 50 kW, which is greater than the maximum combined charging power of bidirectional power conversion module 115, 40 kW.

[0117] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may determine the priority of one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 based on at least one of the priority of one or more chargers 800, 820, 840, 860 to which each of the one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 is connected and the priority of each user of the one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870. For example, by obtaining input from the user of the fourth vehicle 870 selecting fast charging, electronic device 110 may determine that the fourth charger 860 has a higher priority than the other chargers 800, 820, 840. Furthermore, by verifying that the priority of each user of the one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 is the same, electronic device 110 may determine that the fourth vehicle 870 has a higher priority than the other vehicles 810, 830, 850, and that the other vehicles 810, 830, 850 have the same priority.

[0118] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can charge one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 based on a priority of the one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870, a planned departure time of each user of the one or more chargers 810, 830, 850, 870, a charging request amount and hourly charging rate of each of the one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870.

[0119] 8b, as described above in connection with FIG. 7c, the electronic device 110 can charge the first vehicle 810 from 11:00 to 14:00 at 10 kW, which is the charging power required by the first charger 800, and can charge the second vehicle 830 from 9:00 to 14:00 at 10 kW, which is the charging power required by the second charger 820. The electronic device 110 can also charge the third vehicle 850 from 10:00 to 13:00 at 10 kW, which is the charging power required by the third charger 840, and can charge the fourth vehicle 870 from 10:00 to 11:00 at 20 kW, which is the charging power required by the fourth charger 860.

[0120] 8c, as described above in connection with FIG. 7d, electronic device 110 can charge first vehicle 810 from 11:00 to 14:00 at 10 kW, which is the charging power required by first charger 800, charge second vehicle 830 from 8:00 to 10:00 at 5 kW, which is lower than the charging power required by second charger 820, and charge second vehicle 830 from 10:00 to 14:00 at 10 kW, which is the charging power required by second charger 820. Also, electronic device 110 can charge third vehicle 850 from 10:00 to 13:00 at 10 kW, which is the charging power required by third charger 840, and charge fourth vehicle 870 from 10:00 to 11:00 at 20 kW, which is the charging power required by fourth charger 860.

[0121] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may determine that a situation requiring discharging has occurred while charging one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870. For example, electronic device 110 may determine that discharging is required at 10:30 while charging one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870.

[0122] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may check setting information of each user of one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, and 870 regarding whether or not to allow discharge. More specifically, the electronic device 110 may check setting information input by each user of one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, and 870 regarding whether or not to allow discharge. For example, referring to FIGS. 8b and 8c, the electronic device 110 may check a user's input for setting the first vehicle 810, the second vehicle 830, and the third vehicle 850 to allow discharge. Alternatively, the electronic device 110 may check a user's input for setting the fourth vehicle 870 to not allow discharge.

[0123] According to one embodiment, when a situation requiring discharge occurs while charging one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870, electronic device 110 can discharge at least one vehicle set to allow discharge among one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 within the corresponding maximum dischargeable time. For example, referring to Figures 8b and 8c, electronic device 110 can discharge a first vehicle 810, a second vehicle 830, and a third vehicle 850 set to allow discharge among one or more vehicles 810, 830, 850, 870 within the corresponding maximum dischargeable time.

[0124] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can determine the maximum dischargeable time of the vehicle as the smaller of: 1) the time obtained by subtracting the minimum dischargeable battery remaining capacity from the vehicle's current battery remaining capacity and dividing the result by the maximum discharge power of the charger to which the vehicle is connected, and 2) the time obtained by subtracting the current time or the vehicle's charging start time from the vehicle user's scheduled departure time by the charging request capacity of the vehicle and the charging request power of the charger to which the vehicle is connected, and dividing the result by two.

[0125] That is, on the premise that the vehicle is discharged at the maximum discharge power of the connected charger, the maximum dischargeable time of the vehicle can be determined as the smaller of the following first dischargeable time and second dischargeable time.

[0126] First remaining discharge time = (current remaining battery power of the vehicle - minimum remaining battery power that can be discharged) / maximum discharge power

[0127] Second available discharge time = (scheduled departure time of vehicle - required charging amount / required charging power - (current time or charging start time)) / 2

[0128] In relation to the first available discharge time, a minimum remaining battery level that can be discharged may be set so that the remaining battery level of the vehicle does not fall below the minimum remaining battery level required for vehicle operation in preparation for various situations, such as when a user needs to use the vehicle while the vehicle is being charged. Thus, to enable the vehicle to be discharged under conditions where the remaining battery level of the vehicle does not fall below the minimum remaining battery level that can be discharged, the electronic device 110 may obtain the first available discharge time by subtracting the minimum remaining battery level that can be discharged from the current remaining battery level of the vehicle and dividing the result by the maximum discharge power of the charger to which the vehicle is connected.

[0129] In relation to the second available discharge time, if the vehicle is currently being charged, the electronic device 110 may obtain a third time by subtracting the time obtained by dividing the vehicle's required charging amount by the required charging power of the charger connected to the vehicle from the scheduled departure time of the vehicle so that the vehicle can be discharged on the condition that the required charging amount of the vehicle is fully charged before the vehicle departs. Alternatively, if charging of the vehicle has not yet started, the electronic device 110 may obtain the third time by subtracting the time obtained by dividing the vehicle's required charging amount by the required charging power of the charger connected to the vehicle from the scheduled departure time of the vehicle and the current time. Then, the electronic device 110 may obtain a second available discharge time by dividing the third time by two, taking into account that the discharged amount of power must be recharged.

[0130] As a result, the maximum dischargeable time of the first vehicle 810, the second vehicle 830, and the third vehicle 850 can be calculated as follows: At this time, the minimum dischargeable remaining battery capacity can be set to 10 kWh.

[0131] For example, for the first vehicle 810, the first available discharge time may be determined as (vehicle's current remaining battery level - minimum dischargeable remaining battery level) / maximum discharge power = (30 kWh - 10 kWh) / 10 kW = 2 hours. Furthermore, because charging of the first vehicle 810 did not start at 10:30, the second available discharge time may be determined as (vehicle's scheduled departure time - requested charging amount / requested charging power - current time) / 2 = (4:00 PM - 30 kWh / 10 kW - 10:30 AM) / 2 = 2 hours 30 minutes / 2 = 1 hour 15 minutes. Therefore, the maximum available discharge time of the first vehicle 810 may be determined as 1 hour 15 minutes, which is the shorter of the first available discharge time and the second available discharge time. As a result, the electronic device 110 can discharge the first vehicle 810 at 10 kW for a maximum of 1 hour 15 minutes from 10:30 AM.

[0132] For example, in the case of the second vehicle 830, the first available discharge time may be determined as (vehicle's current remaining battery level - minimum dischargeable remaining battery level) / maximum discharge power = (20 kWh - 10 kWh) / 10 kW = 1 hour. Furthermore, because the second vehicle 830 is being charged at 10:30, the second available discharge time may be determined as (vehicle's scheduled departure time - requested charging amount / requested charging power - charging start time) / 2 = (14:00 - 50 kWh / 10 kW - 9:00) / 2 = 0 hours. Therefore, the maximum available discharge time of the second vehicle 830 may be determined as 0 hours, which is the shorter of the first available discharge time and the second available discharge time. This allows the electronic device 110 to continue charging the second vehicle 830 without discharging it.

[0133] As yet another example, for the third vehicle 850, the first available discharge time may be determined as (vehicle's current remaining battery level - minimum dischargeable remaining battery level) / maximum discharge power = (15 kWh - 10 kWh) / 10 kW = 30 minutes. Furthermore, because the third vehicle 850 is being charged at 10:30, the second available discharge time may be determined as (vehicle's scheduled departure time - requested charging amount / requested charging power - charging start time) / 2 = (15:00 - 30 kWh / 10 kW - 10:00) / 2 = 2 hours / 2 = 1 hour. Therefore, the maximum available discharge time of the third vehicle 850 may be determined as 30 minutes, which is the shorter of the first available discharge time and the second available discharge time. This allows the electronic device 110 to discharge the third vehicle 850 at 10 kW for a maximum of 30 minutes starting from 10:30.

[0134] However, since the second dischargeable time is calculated under the assumption that the vehicle is charged at the charger's required charging power, if the vehicle is not actually charged at the charger's required charging power, the formula for calculating the second dischargeable time can be modified as follows.

[0135] Second available discharge time = (scheduled departure time of vehicle - Σ charge amount / charging power - (current time or charging start time)) / 2

[0136] For example, referring to FIG. 8c, since the second vehicle 830 was charged at 5 kW instead of the required charging power of 10 kW from 8:00 to 10:00, the second dischargeable time can be determined as (scheduled departure time of vehicle - Σ charging amount / charging power - (charging start time)) / 2 = (14:00 - (10 kWh / 5 kW + 40 kWh / 10 kW) - 8:00 / 2 = (14:00 - (2 hours + 4 hours) - 8:00) = 0 hours.

[0137] 9a and 9b are diagrams illustrating a process in which an electronic device 110 controls a plurality of chargers 900, 920, 940, 960, and 980 according to an embodiment.

[0138] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 110 may further include a meter 125 (or a power / frequency meter) in addition to the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the control unit 120. The meter 125 may measure the AC power of the entire charging system 100 that is charged or discharged via the bidirectional power conversion module 115 or the amount of charging or discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115. In addition, the meter 125 is a meter that meets measurement standards for frequency compatibility and may have frequency and power measurement precision and accuracy suitable for performing a frequency adjustment function.

[0139] According to one embodiment, each of the multiple chargers 900, 920, 940, 960, 980 may further include, in addition to the bidirectional DC / DC converter and the sub-controller, an energy meter 905, 925, 945, 965, 985. Each of the multiple energy meters 905, 925, 945, 965, 985 can measure the power and amount of power charged to or discharged from the vehicle via the bidirectional DC / DC converter.

[0140] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can accurately measure the total amount of power and energy transferred through charging or discharging of the electric vehicle battery using the meter 125 and the plurality of energy meters 905, 925, 945, 965, 985. This allows the electronic device 110 to more accurately and fairly settle costs or compensation for the vehicles 910, 930, 950, 970 connected to each of the plurality of chargers 900, 920, 940, 960, 980 based on the measured charging or discharging amounts.

[0141] According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can accurately measure rapidly changing frequency variations using meter 125 and multiple energy meters 905, 925, 945, 965, and 985, and can control charging or discharging of one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, and 970 based on the measured power values. More specifically, if electronic device 110 detects a frequency variation of +0.02 to 0.05 Hz, electronic device 110 can charge at least one of one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, and 970, and if electronic device 110 detects a frequency variation of -0.02 to 0.05 Hz, electronic device 110 can discharge at least one of one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, and 970.

[0142] At this time, the electronic device 110, when the frequency is corresponding, determines the maximum integrated charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, the maximum charging power of each of the plurality of chargers 900, 920, 940, 960, 980, the charging request power of each of the plurality of chargers 900, 920, 940, 960, 980, the maximum integrated discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115, the maximum discharging power of each of the plurality of chargers 900, 920, 940, 960, 980, the discharging request power of each of the plurality of chargers 900, 920, 940, 960, 980, the priority of each of the one or more chargers 900, 920, 940, 960, and the one or more vehicles 910, 930, and the like. Charging or discharging of one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, 970 can be controlled based on at least one of the user priority of each of the one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, 970, the scheduled departure time of each of the one or more users of the one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, 970, the hourly charging fee, the revenue from hourly discharge, the revenue from purpose-specific discharge, the remaining battery level of each of the one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, 970, the charging request amount of each of the one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, 970, user setting information regarding whether discharge is allowed, and the frequency response duration (e.g., 10 minutes).

[0143] 9b, by detecting a negative frequency fluctuation, the electronic device 110 can discharge the first vehicle 910, the second vehicle 930, and the fourth vehicle 970, which are set to allow discharging, among one or more vehicles 910, 930, 950, and 970. Furthermore, the electronic device 110 can discharge the first vehicle 910, the second vehicle 930, and the fourth vehicle 970 at 10 kW, 10 kW, and 20 kW, respectively, taking into account the battery charge rates and the expected time until charging is completed for each of the first vehicle 910, the second vehicle 930, and the fourth vehicle 970. Meanwhile, the electronic device 110 can continuously charge the third vehicle 950, which is set to prohibit discharging, at 10 kW. As a result, the frequency-responsive power of the entire charging system 100 can be 30 kW.

[0144] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the electronic device 110 reduces the voltage of the DC bus 170 according to one embodiment.

[0145] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can check the quick shutdown information 1040, 1050. For example, the electronic device 110 can receive the first quick shutdown information 1040 from an external source, such as an operator pressing an emergency stop button. Alternatively, the electronic device 110 can receive the second quick shutdown information 1050 from an automatic sensing system based on sensors in the multiple chargers 1000, 1020.

[0146] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 110 may check the quick shutdown information 1040 and 1050 and thereby control the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the sub-controllers 1010 and 1030 to reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170. For example, after checking the quick shutdown information 1040 and 1050, the electronic device 110 may reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 to a safe level of 60 V or less. This may prevent electric shock accidents due to arcing or ground faults that may occur secondary to an emergency situation such as a fire in the DC bus 170, which transmits high-voltage power of 100 V to 1000 V.

[0147] Meanwhile, a specific embodiment in which the electronic device 110 controls the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the multiple sub-controllers 1010 and 1030 to reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11a to 14c.

[0148] 11a and 11b are diagrams illustrating a process in which the electronic device 110 reduces the voltage of the DC bus 170 according to an embodiment.

[0149] According to one embodiment, the charging system 100 may include an electronic device 110, multiple chargers 1100, 1130, and a DC bus 170. A control unit 120 included in the electronic device 110 may reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 by controlling the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and multiple sub-controllers 1110, 1140.

[0150] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can check the quick shutdown information. For example, the electronic device 110 can receive first quick shutdown information from an external device through an operator's operation, or can receive second quick shutdown information from an automatic sensing system based on sensors in the chargers 1100 and 1130.

[0151] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can confirm the fast shutdown information and control the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and the sub-controllers 1110 and 1140 to reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170. For example, the electronic device 110 can control the sub-controllers 1110 and 1140 to discharge the output voltages of the chargers 1100 and 1130 via the DC bus 170. Then, the electronic device 110 can control the bidirectional power conversion module 115 to discharge the voltage of the DC bus 170 to the power grid 180 via the bidirectional power conversion module 115.

[0152] 11b, the result of the electronic device 110 reducing the voltage of the DC bus 170 according to one embodiment is shown. In this case, the maximum discharge power of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may be set to 50 kW, and the charging system 100 may be configured to include five chargers 1100 and 1130. In addition, in the event of an emergency, the voltage of the DC bus 170 may be set to 800 V, and the output voltages of the chargers 1100 and 1130 may be set to 400 V.

[0153] The electronic device 110 can forcibly discharge the output voltages of the multiple chargers 1100, 1130 via the DC bus 170 and forcibly discharge the voltage of the DC bus 170 to the power grid 180 via the bidirectional power conversion module 115, thereby reducing the voltage of the DC bus 170 to 60V or less within 0.2 seconds and reducing the voltage of the chargers 1100, 1130 to 60V or less within 0.14 seconds.

[0154] That is, when the quick shutdown function is implemented according to this embodiment, it is possible to satisfy the international standard (IEC61851-23) and the domestic standard (KC61851-23) which require that the voltage of the DC bus within the system be reduced to a safe level of 60V or less when a quick shutdown command is issued, and that the output voltage of the charger be reduced to less than 60V within one second after the power supply is cut off. Also, unlike what will be described later with reference to Figures 12a to 13c, according to this embodiment, the quick shutdown function is implemented without a separate resistor circuit for forced discharge, which can reduce implementation costs.

[0155] 12a to 12c are diagrams illustrating a process in which the electronic device 110 reduces the voltage of the DC bus 170 according to an embodiment.

[0156] According to one embodiment, charging system 100 may include electronic device 110, multiple chargers 1200, 1220, 1240, 1260, and 1280, and a DC bus 170. A controller 120 included in electronic device 110 may control bidirectional power conversion module 115 to reduce the voltage of DC bus 170.

[0157] According to one embodiment, the bidirectional power conversion module 115 of the electronic device 110 may include a forced discharge circuit 116. For example, referring to Fig. 12b, the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may include a resistor 117 for performing forced discharge. In this case, the resistor 117 may have specifications such as a length of 381 mm, an outer diameter (OD) of 63.5 mm, an inner diameter (ID) of 44.5 mm, and a power capacity of 1 kW, but the specifications of the resistor that can be used are not limited to those described above.

[0158] 12a and 12b illustrate the bidirectional power conversion module 115 as including the forced discharge circuit 116, the forced discharge circuit 116 may be external to the bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, the forced discharge circuit 116 may be included in the electronic device 110 as a separate module and may be controlled by the control unit 120.

[0159] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can confirm the quick shutdown information and stop the power conversion operation of the bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, the electronic device 110 can receive first quick shutdown information from an external device operated by an operator or second quick shutdown information from an automatic sensing system based on sensors in the plurality of chargers 1200, 1220, 1240, 1260, and 1280, and stop the power conversion operation of the bidirectional power conversion module 115.

[0160] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 by driving the forced discharge circuit 116. For example, referring to FIG. 12b, the electronic device 110 can reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 by passing a current through a resistor 117 included in the bidirectional power conversion module 115.

[0161] 12c shows the result of the electronic device 110 reducing the voltage of the DC bus 170 according to one embodiment. In this case, the voltage of the DC bus 170 in the event of an emergency may be set to 800 V. The electronic device 110 can reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 to 60 V or less within 9.3 seconds after the start of the forced discharge by driving the forced discharge circuit 116.

[0162] 13a to 13c are diagrams illustrating a process in which the electronic device 110 reduces the voltage of the DC bus 170 according to an embodiment.

[0163] According to one embodiment, the charging system 100 may include an electronic device 110, a plurality of chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380, and a DC bus 170. A control unit 120 included in the electronic device 110 may reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 by controlling the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and a plurality of sub-control units 1310, 1330, 1350, 1370, and 1390.

[0164] According to one embodiment, the bidirectional power conversion module 115 of the electronic device 110 may include a forced discharge circuit 116. For example, referring to Fig. 13b, the bidirectional power conversion module 115 may include a resistor 118 for performing forced discharge. In this case, the resistor 118 may be a resistor having specifications such as a length of 138 mm, an outer diameter of 39 mm, and a power capacity of 180 W, but the specifications of the resistor that may be used are not limited to those described above.

[0165] In this case, since the resistors 1308, 1328, 1348, 1368, and 1388 included in the plurality of chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380 are used together, the resistor 118 used in this embodiment may have a lower power capacity and a smaller volume than the resistor 117 used in the embodiment described above with reference to Figures 12a to 12c. This reduces the cost of implementing the quick shutdown function.

[0166] 13a and 13b illustrate the bidirectional power conversion module 115 as including the forced discharge circuit 116, the forced discharge circuit 116 may be external to the bidirectional power conversion module 115. For example, the forced discharge circuit 116 may be included in the electronic device 110 as a separate module and be controlled by the control unit 120.

[0167] According to one embodiment, the bidirectional DC / DC converters 1305, 1325, 1345, 1365, and 1385 included in the plurality of chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380 may each include a forced discharge circuit 1306, 1326, 1346, 1366, and 1386. For example, referring to FIG. 13b, the plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters 1305, 1325, 1345, 1365, and 1385 may each include a resistor 1308, 1328, 1348, 1368, and 1388 for performing the forced discharge.

[0168] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can confirm the quick shutdown information and stop charging of the plurality of chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380. For example, the electronic device 110 can receive first quick shutdown information externally through an operator's operation or second quick shutdown information from an automatic sensing system based on sensors in the plurality of chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380, and stop charging of the plurality of chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380. As a result, the output voltages of the plurality of chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380 can be reduced to 60V or less in accordance with the international standard (IEC 61851-23) and the domestic standard (KC 61851-23).

[0169] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 by stopping the power conversion operation of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and driving the multiple forced discharge circuits 1306, 1326, 1346, 1366, and 1386. For example, referring to FIG. 13b, the electronic device 110 can reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 by stopping the power conversion operation of the bidirectional power conversion module 115 and passing current through each of the resistors 1308, 1328, 1348, 1368, and 1388 included in the multiple bidirectional DC / DC converters 1305, 1325, 1345, 1365, and 1385. At this time, since the charging of the chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380 is stopped, the voltage of the DC bus 170 may be reduced while the output voltage of the chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380 is maintained at 60V or less.

[0170] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 by driving the forced discharge circuit 116. For example, referring to FIG. 13b, when the voltage of the DC bus 170 decreases below a set voltage via the plurality of chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380, the electronic device 110 may further reduce the voltage of the DC bus 170 by passing a current through the resistor 118 included in the bidirectional power conversion module 115. In this case, the set voltage may be determined differently based on the specific specifications of the charging system 100.

[0171] 13c, the result of electronic device 110 reducing the voltage of DC bus 170 according to one embodiment is shown, where charging system 100 is configured to include five chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380, and the voltage of DC bus 170 may be set to 800V in the event of an emergency situation.

[0172] The electronic device 110 first drives the forced discharge circuits 1306, 1326, 1346, 1366, and 1386 included in the chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380, thereby reducing the voltage of the DC bus 170 to 400 V or less within 27 seconds after the start of forced discharge. Then, the electronic device 110 drives the forced discharge circuit 116, thereby reducing the voltage of the DC bus 170 to 60 V or less within 31.4 seconds after the start of forced discharge. At this time, because the charging of the chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380 is stopped, the output voltage of the chargers 1300, 1320, 1340, 1360, and 1380 can be maintained at 60 V or less.

[0173] FIG. 14 illustrates a charging network according to one embodiment.

[0174] According to one embodiment, a charging network refers to an infrastructure for providing charging services to a large administrative area such as a city or a state. The charging network may include k charging stations, each of the k charging stations may include m charging systems, and each of the m charging systems may include n chargers. Therefore, the charging network may refer to a multi-point charging network that provides charging services to a maximum of k*m*n vehicles.

[0175] According to one embodiment, each of the multiple charging systems in a charging station may include a controller, and depending on its role, may include a master controller 1400 or a slave controller 1420. For example, referring to Fig. 14, the master controller 1400 included in the first charging system in the first charging station may perform the role of a master and control the slave controllers 1420 included in the other charging systems.

[0176] According to one embodiment, the charging station may include a charging station local energy control unit 1440 for managing various types of energy used at the charging station. The charging station local energy control unit 1440 may manage various types of energy, such as energy used for heating and cooling, lighting, power, hot water, or energy used for home appliances, in addition to energy used when charging a vehicle. While FIG. 14 shows the charging station local energy control unit 1440 as being separate from the charging system, this is merely one embodiment, and the charging station local energy control unit 1440 may be included in the master control unit 1400.

[0177] According to one embodiment, the charging network may include an energy remote management system 1460 and a charging station remote management system 1480 for managing energy used throughout the charging network. The energy remote management system 1460 can manage energy used throughout the charging network by controlling the charging station local energy control unit 1440 and the charging station remote management system 1480. Furthermore, the charging station remote management system 1480 can manage energy used when charging or discharging a vehicle by controlling the control units 1400 and 1420 included in each charging system.

[0178] 15 shows a block diagram of an electronic device 110 according to one embodiment. Content that overlaps with content previously described in connection with the electronic device 110 of FIG. 1 will be briefly described or omitted.

[0179] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may include a bidirectional power conversion module 115 and a controller 120. In the electronic device 110 shown in Fig. 15, only components relevant to this embodiment are shown. Therefore, a person skilled in the art related to this embodiment will understand that the electronic device 110 may further include other general-purpose components in addition to the components shown in Fig. 15.

[0180] For example, the electronic device 110 may further include a communication unit. The communication unit is a device for performing wired / wireless communication and can communicate with an external electronic device. The external electronic device may be a terminal or a server. In addition, communication technologies used by the communication unit may include Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Code Division Multi Access (CDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G, Wireless LAN (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), etc.

[0181] The control unit 120 can control the overall operation of the electronic device 110 and process data and signals. The control unit 120 can be configured with at least one hardware unit. Furthermore, the control unit 120 can operate by one or more software modules generated by executing program code stored in a memory. The control unit 120 can include a processor and a memory, and the processor can execute the program code stored in the memory to control the overall operation of the electronic device 110 and process data and signals. Furthermore, in an embodiment, the control unit 120 can include at least one processor.

[0182] The control unit 120 can control the charging or discharging of one or more vehicles connected to one or more chargers among the multiple chargers by controlling the bidirectional power conversion module and multiple sub-controllers included in the multiple chargers.

[0183] The electronic device according to the above-described embodiments may include a processor, memory for storing and executing program data, permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communication port for communicating with external devices, and interface devices such as a touch panel, keys, buttons, etc. Methods embodied as software modules or algorithms may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium as computer-readable code or program instructions executable on the processor. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), floppy disks, hard disks, etc.) and optically readable media (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc.). The computer-readable recording media may be distributed across computer systems connected via a network, allowing the computer-readable code to be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The medium is computer-readable, can be stored in memory, and can be executed by a processor.

[0184] The present embodiments may be illustrated using functional blocks and various processing steps. These functional blocks may be embodied in any number of hardware and / or software components that perform specific functions. For example, the embodiments may employ direct circuitry, such as memory, processing, logic, look-up tables, and the like, that can perform various functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. While components may be implemented in software programming or software elements, the present embodiments include various algorithms embodied in a combination of data structures, processes, routines, or other programming components, and may be embodied in programming or scripting languages ​​such as C, C++, Java, and assembler. Functional aspects may be embodied in algorithms executed by one or more processors. The present embodiments may also employ conventional techniques for electronic configuration, signal processing, and / or data processing. Terms such as "mechanism," "element," "means," and "component" may be used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical components. These terms may include the meaning of a series of software routines in conjunction with a processor or the like.

[0185] The above-described embodiments are by way of example only, and other embodiments may be embodied within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. An electronic device for controlling a plurality of chargers, comprising: a bidirectional power conversion module; a controller that controls the bidirectional power conversion module and the plurality of chargers; each of the plurality of chargers includes a bidirectional DC / DC converter and a sub-controller that controls the bidirectional DC / DC converter; the bidirectional power conversion module is connected to a plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters included in the plurality of chargers via a DC bus; The control unit controls the bidirectional power conversion module and a plurality of sub-controllers included in the plurality of chargers, thereby controlling charging or discharging of one or more vehicles connected to one or more chargers among the plurality of chargers.

2. a maximum combined charging power of the bidirectional power conversion module is set to be equal to or less than a sum of the respective maximum charging powers of the plurality of chargers; The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein a maximum combined discharge power of the bidirectional power conversion module is set to be equal to or less than a sum of maximum discharge powers of the respective chargers.

3. When controlling charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles, the control unit: the maximum integrated charging power; a maximum charging power of each of the plurality of chargers; and a charging power requirement of each of the plurality of chargers; the maximum integrated discharge power; a maximum discharge power of each of the plurality of chargers; and a discharge power requirement of each of the plurality of chargers; a priority level for each of the one or more chargers; and a priority of users of each of the one or more vehicles; and a scheduled departure time for each user of the one or more vehicles; Hourly charging rates and Revenue from hourly discharge, Revenue from purpose-specific discharge, a remaining battery charge for each of the one or more vehicles; a charging requirement for each of the one or more vehicles; and The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the electronic device controls charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles based on at least one of the user's setting information regarding whether or not discharging is permitted.

4. When controlling charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles, the control unit: The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein if the sum of the respective charging power requirements of the one or more chargers is less than the maximum combined charging power, the one or more vehicles are charged with the respective charging power requirements of the one or more chargers.

5. When controlling charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles, the control unit:

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein if the sum of the charging request powers of each of the one or more chargers is greater than the maximum integrated charging power, the electronic device charges the one or more vehicles according to a priority of the one or more vehicles determined based on at least one of a priority of the one or more chargers to which each of the one or more vehicles is connected and a priority of a user of each of the one or more vehicles.

6. When charging the one or more vehicles, the control unit:

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device controls charging power and discharging power of each of the one or more chargers based on the priority of the one or more vehicles so as to charge the charging request amount of each of the one or more vehicles before the scheduled departure time of each user of the one or more vehicles.

7. When controlling the charging power and discharging power of the one or more chargers, the control unit: The electronic device according to claim 6 , wherein the charging power and discharging power of each of the one or more chargers are controlled based on the time-of-day charging fee so as to minimize the charging fee imposed on each of the one or more vehicles.

8. When controlling the charging power and discharging power of the one or more chargers, the control unit: The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the charging power and discharging power of each of the one or more chargers are controlled based on at least one of the revenue from the time-based discharge and the revenue from the purpose-based discharge so as to maximize the economic revenue from the discharge of each of the one or more vehicles.

9. When controlling charging or discharging of the one or more vehicles, the control unit:

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein, when a situation requiring discharge occurs during charging of the one or more vehicles, at least one third vehicle among the one or more vehicles that is set to allow discharge is discharged within a corresponding maximum dischargeable time.

10. The maximum dischargeable time of the fourth vehicle among the at least one third vehicle is: The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the determination is based on at least one of a current remaining battery charge of the fourth vehicle, a minimum remaining battery charge that can be discharged, a scheduled departure time of a user of the fourth vehicle, and a charging request amount of the fourth vehicle.

11. the electronic device further includes a meter; When the measuring instrument detects a power system frequency fluctuation exceeding a certain range, the control unit controls charging or discharging of at least one fifth vehicle set to a frequency correspondence tolerance among the one or more vehicles based on the frequency fluctuation; The electronic device according to claim 3 , wherein the meter measures an amount of charging or discharging power of the bidirectional power conversion module due to charging or discharging of the at least one fifth vehicle.

12. The control unit Check the rapid shutdown information, The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the bidirectional power conversion module and a plurality of sub-controllers are controlled to reduce the voltage of the DC bus.

13. When the control unit decreases the voltage of the DC bus, Discharging the output voltages of the plurality of chargers through the DC bus; The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the voltage of the DC bus is discharged to a power grid through the bidirectional power conversion module.

14. the electronic device includes a forced discharge circuit; When the control unit decreases the voltage of the DC bus, Stopping the power conversion operation of the bidirectional power conversion module; The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the voltage of the DC bus is reduced by driving the forced discharge circuit.

15. the electronic device includes a forced discharge circuit; a plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters included in each of the plurality of chargers each include a forced discharge circuit; When the control unit decreases the voltage of the DC bus, Stopping charging of the one or more chargers; Stopping the power conversion operation of the bidirectional power conversion module; reducing the voltage of the DC bus by driving a plurality of forced discharge circuits included in each of the plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters; The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the voltage of the DC bus is reduced by activating a forced discharge circuit included in the electronic device.

16. A charging system, an electronic device including a bidirectional power conversion module and a control unit; a plurality of chargers each including a bidirectional DC / DC converter and a sub-controller for controlling the bidirectional DC / DC converter; a DC bus connecting a plurality of bidirectional DC / DC converters included in the plurality of chargers and the bidirectional power conversion module; The control unit controls the bidirectional power conversion module and a plurality of sub-controllers included in the plurality of chargers, thereby controlling charging or discharging of one or more vehicles connected to each of one or more chargers among the plurality of chargers.

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