Solar communication gateway, communication system, and power supply switching method

Abstract

The present invention provides a solar communication gateway, a communication system, and a power supply switching method that adjusts power generation and consumption methods in green energy facilities, switches between supplying electricity from solar power generation and selling electricity, supplies electricity via an electric vehicle / battery, and utilizes surplus solar energy, thereby improving the flexibility of the electricity supply method. [Solution] The power supply switching method uses a solar communication gateway connected in series between a power grid and a distribution panel, and includes a first smart meter 11 with a built-in first power relay, a second smart meter 12 with a built-in second power relay, and a communication hub 14 for wireless connection to a cloud server 21 or a mobile terminal 22. The communication hub is wired to the first smart meter and the second smart meter, respectively. The first smart meter can be connected to the second smart meter, and both are connected in series between the power grid and the distribution panel, and the second smart meter is used to connect to a solar power inverter.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of solar communication gateways, and more particularly to a solar communication gateway, a communication system, and a power supply switching method. [Background technology]

[0002] With the continuous advancement of computer technology and information and communication technology, communication has already progressed from person-to-person to person-to-thing and thing-to-thing communication, and further from local connections between things to horizontal cross-application and cross-regional networks.

[0003] The smart solar communication gateway connects devices or sensors within a short range to the network through nodes, realizes protocol conversion between different types of network devices, realizes interconnection of wide-area networks, and also has device management functions, manages information related to each node through the network, and realizes remote control.

[0004] As it is an important communication device in the network area, different worksite situations will result in different situations.

[0005] Current solar communication gateways cannot automatically change the settings of solar power generation and battery equipment according to power consumption, which results in poor utilization and waste of green energy equipment.

[0006] Therefore, in the present invention, the applicant devotes himself to researching a solar communication gateway, a communication system and a power supply switching method to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention addresses the shortcomings of the existing technology by providing a solar communication gateway, a communication system, and a power supply switching method, which allows users to use different green energy equipment to achieve zero carbon emissions by adjusting the power generation, energy storage, or consumption methods, and switch between supplying or selling excess solar power in the electricity supply system.Furthermore, electricity can be supplied via an electric vehicle or battery, making full use of excess solar energy, greatly improving the flexibility of the electricity supply system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following solution.

[0009] The solar communication gateway is used to connect the power grid and the distribution panel in series, and includes a first smart meter with a built-in first power relay, a second smart meter with a built-in second power relay, and a communication hub for wireless connection to a cloud server or a mobile terminal.

[0010] The communication hub is wired to the first smart meter and the second smart meter, respectively, and the first smart meter is connected to the second smart meter, and both are connected in series between the power grid and the distribution board. The first smart meter is used to connect to the power grid.

[0011] The second smart meter is used to connect to the distribution panel, solar inverter, battery and carbon dioxide heat pump fuel dispenser.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, a third smart meter incorporating a third power relay is further included for connection to the electrically powered vehicle, and the third smart meter is connected to the communications hub.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the first smart meter, the second smart meter and the third smart meter is a guide rail type smart meter.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the communication hub is connected to an artificial intelligence AI chip.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the device further includes a memory, the memory being connected to the communication hub.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the system further includes a housing, and the communication hub, the first smart meter and the second smart meter are all mounted on the housing.

[0017] The communication system includes a cloud server, a mobile terminal, a photovoltaic inverter, a power grid, a power distribution panel, and a gateway, and the gateway is a photovoltaic communication gateway.

[0018] A preferred embodiment further includes an electrically powered vehicle, with the cloud server or communication hub being wired to directly manage the charging or discharging of the electrically powered vehicle.

[0019] The power supply switching method is applied to a communication system, wherein the solar communication gateway further includes a third smart meter having a built-in third power relay, the communication hub is connected to the third smart meter, and the third smart meter is connected to an electric power-driven vehicle used to supply electricity to a distribution panel.

[0020] The power supply switching method includes the following steps.

[0021] In step 1, the photovoltaic inverter, battery, or electric vehicle is first controlled via the communication hub, and simultaneously performs the preset operations, i.e., the first power relay of the first smart meter is disconnected, the second power relay of the second smart meter is disconnected, and the third power relay of the third smart meter is disconnected.

[0022] Next, it detects and determines whether the solar communication gateway and the cloud server are connected to each other. If yes, proceed to step 2; if no, proceed to step 11.

[0023] In step 2, the solar communication gateway itself directly reports the energy source data that has been integrated and analyzed within the first smart meter, the second smart meter, and the third smart meter to the cloud server, and then proceeds to step 3.

[0024] In step 3, the power grid powers the distribution panel, and at the same time, the battery or electric vehicle is charged via the communication hub, after which the system proceeds to step 4.

[0025] Step 4 determines whether the solar power generation energy is greater than the energy consumption of the house. If yes, proceed to step 5. If no, keep the first power relay of the first smart meter in the OFF state through the communication hub to continue supplying electricity to the power grid.

[0026] In step 5, first, the first power relay of the first smart meter is opened through the communication hub to disconnect it from the power grid. Then, the solar power generation energy is used to charge the battery or the CO2 heat pump fuel dispenser through the communication hub. When the battery or the CO2 heat pump fuel dispenser is full, it is determined whether the solar power generation energy is less than the energy consumption of the house. If yes, proceed to step 2; if no, proceed to step 6.

[0027] In step 6, the third power supply relay of the third smart meter is kept in an OFF state via the communication hub, so that the electric vehicle can be charged with energy generated by solar energy.

[0028] Step 7: If the electric vehicle is already full or the photovoltaic energy is less than the energy consumption of the house, stop charging the electric vehicle; if not, continue charging the electric vehicle until it is full.

[0029] Step 8 determines whether the solar power generation energy is greater than the energy consumption of the house, if yes, proceed to step 9, if no, return to step 3.

[0030] In step 9, a user selects whether to output the photovoltaic energy to the power grid or to continue using it only for in-home consumption. If the user selects to output the photovoltaic energy to the power grid, the first power relay of the first smart meter is controlled to be turned off via the communication hub, and then the photovoltaic energy is output to the power grid to sell the electricity. If the user selects to continue using the photovoltaic energy only for in-home consumption, the user first controls the third power relay of the third smart meter to be opened via the communication hub, and then adjusts the photovoltaic inverter output power via the communication hub to match the power distribution board to each home device in the house, and electricity is supplied until the photovoltaic energy is insufficient to power each home device in the house. Then, the user proceeds to step 10.

[0031] In step 10, the communication hub controls the battery or the third power relay of the third smart meter to cut off, so that the electric vehicle supplies electricity to each home device in the house until the battery or the electric vehicle is insufficient to supply electricity to the home devices. Then, return to step 1.

[0032] Step 11: First, wirelessly connect the solar communication gateway to the mobile terminal via the short-range wireless communication module, then wirelessly connect the mobile terminal to the cloud server, and then realize the wireless connection between the solar communication gateway and the cloud server. The solar communication gateway reports the integrated and analyzed energy source data from the first smart meter, the second smart meter, and the third smart meter to the cloud server via the mobile terminal. Then, return to step 3. [Effects of the Invention]

[0033] The solar communication gateway, communication system, and power supply switching method of the present invention mainly form a solar communication gateway via three parties: a first smart meter, a second smart meter, and a communication hub. Users can use different green energy equipment to adjust power generation, energy storage, or consumption modes to achieve zero carbon emissions. In particular, the electricity supply mode can be switched between supplying electricity from surplus solar power generation or selling it. Furthermore, electricity can be supplied via an electric vehicle or battery, making full use of surplus solar energy, greatly improving the flexibility of the electricity supply mode.

[0034] Next, by installing a third smart meter, it will be possible to manage electric vehicles collectively, increasing the efficiency of overall energy resource usage and enabling electric vehicles to be used as emergency power sources. Installing the communications hub, first smart meter, second smart meter and third smart meter all on the same housing provides a high level of integration, making subsequent installation even easier. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a solar communication gateway according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the general control principle of a solar communication gateway according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a power supply switching method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] In order to further explain the structural features, technical means and specific objects and functions that can be achieved by the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with specific examples in conjunction with the drawings. (One embodiment)

[0037] The following is a schematic diagram and a specific implementation of the present invention.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the solar communication gateway is used to connect the power grid and the distribution board in series, and includes a housing, a memory, a first smart meter 11 with a first power relay built-in, a second smart meter 12 with a second power relay built-in, a third smart meter 13 used to connect to an electric vehicle and with a third power relay built-in, and a communication hub 14 for wirelessly connecting to a cloud server 21 or a mobile terminal 22.

[0039] The communication hub 14, the first smart meter 11, the second smart meter 12 and the third smart meter 13 are all mounted on a housing 15. The communication hub 14 is connected to the memory, the first smart meter 11, the second smart meter 12 and the third smart meter 13 by wires, respectively.

[0040] In this embodiment, the communication hub 14 includes an MCU, an external communication interface module connected to the MCU, and a power management module for power supply. The MCU is connected to a memory, the first smart meter 11, the second smart meter 12, and the third smart meter 13 by wires.

[0041] The external communication interface module includes at least two communication modules, one of which is a remote communication module (e.g., 4G, 5G, 5GA, etc.) that is mainly used for communication with the cloud server 21. The other is a short-range wireless communication module (e.g., Wi-Fi®, Wi-SUN®, Bluetooth®, etc.) that communicates with various energy sources, household appliance devices (e.g., utility smart meters, batteries, carbon dioxide heat pump fuel dispensers, etc.) or mobile terminals.

[0042] In addition to wireless communication channels, the external communication interface module can also be connected via wired LAN, RS485 and PLC, for example, to directly handle different energy source devices such as photovoltaic inverters, charging / discharging devices for electric vehicles, network routers and electric vehicles.

[0043] The first smart meter and the second smart meter 12 are connected together in series between the power grid and a power distribution panel, which is used to power household devices.

[0044] The first smart meter is used to connect to the power grid. In this embodiment, the cloud server 21 can remotely disconnect the connection between the first smart meter 11 and the power grid to reduce current fluctuations or solve safety issues during maintenance. In addition, when the solar communication gateway of this embodiment detects that energy is flowing from the first smart meter 11 to the power grid, the solar communication gateway of this embodiment will automatically disconnect from the power grid. This prevents energy sources (such as photovoltaic power generation or electric vehicles) from outputting to the power grid, ensuring that all green energy sources are used only by household appliances and their corresponding apps.

[0045] The second smart meter 12 is used to connect to the distribution panel, the solar power inverter, the battery and the carbon dioxide heat pump fuel dispenser.

[0046] The second smart meter 12 can measure the amount of solar power generation at any time and report it to the cloud server 21 via the communication hub 14. This allows the cloud server 21 to remotely adjust the power of the solar power inverter and manage the battery and CO2 heat pump fuel dispenser. Energy generated by the solar panels during the day is stored in the battery and / or CO2 heat pump fuel dispenser and then released at night to power household appliances, thereby maximizing solar energy efficiency and reducing the need for a power grid.

[0047] At least one of the first smart meter, the second smart meter and the third smart meter is a guide rail type smart meter. In this embodiment, the first smart meter 11, the second smart meter 12 and the third smart meter are all guide rail type smart meters.

[0048] The third smart meter 13 is connected to a communication hub 14 .

[0049] The third smart meter 13 is used to measure the energy flow between the electric vehicle's charger / discharger and the system. It can switch the power connection of the electric vehicle device using an internal third power relay. An increasing number of electric vehicles are able to charge or output energy to the power grid like large batteries, and the third smart meter 13 can measure the electrical energy and remotely control household appliances or emergency use electric vehicle energy sources. A wired cable (e.g., LAN, PLC, RS485, etc.) connects the solar communication gateway of this embodiment to the electric vehicle device or electric vehicle. This allows the cloud server 21 to directly communicate with the electric vehicle or V2H device to manage the electric vehicle and solar power generation operations, and manage data collection via the new communication center.

[0050] The communication hub 14 is connected to the AI chip, which performs machine learning when analyzing energy source data. The MCU reserves a dedicated program area in advance and continuously updates the AI learning model from the cloud server 21 via MCU OTA.

[0051] The communication system includes a cloud server 21, a mobile terminal 22, a solar power inverter, a power grid, a distribution panel, a gateway, an electric vehicle, a battery, and a carbon dioxide heat pump fuel dispenser, and the gateway is a solar communication gateway.

[0052] The first smart meter is connected to the interconnected power grid, and the second smart meter 12 is connected to the distribution panel, the photovoltaic inverter, the battery, and the carbon dioxide heat pump fuel dispenser.

[0053] The cloud server 21 or communication hub is wired to the electric vehicle to directly manage the charging or discharging of the electric vehicle.

[0054] The power supply switching method is applied to a communication system.

[0055] Electrically powered vehicles, also known as EVs, refer to vehicles that are propelled by an electric motor and have a local device to supply stored power to the motor, which can also be used to supply electricity to a home.

[0056] The power supply switching method includes the following steps.

[0057] In step 1, first, the photovoltaic inverter, the battery, or the electric vehicle is controlled via the communication hub, and simultaneously performs the preset operations, i.e., the first power relay of the first smart meter is disconnected, the second power relay of the second smart meter is disconnected, and the third power relay of the third smart meter is disconnected.

[0058] Next, it detects and determines whether the solar communication gateway and the cloud server are connected to each other. If yes, proceed to step 2; if no, proceed to step 11.

[0059] In step 2, the solar communication gateway itself directly reports the energy source data after integration and analysis within the first smart meter, second smart meter and third smart meter to the cloud server, and then proceeds to step 3.

[0060] In step 3, the power grid powers the distribution panel, while simultaneously charging the battery or electric vehicle through the communications hub, before proceeding to step 4.

[0061] In step 4, it is determined whether the solar power generation energy is greater than the energy consumption of the house. If yes, proceed to step 5. If no, keep the first power relay of the first smart meter in the OFF state through the communication hub to continue supplying electricity to the power grid.

[0062] In step 5, first, the first power relay of the first smart meter is opened through the communication hub to disconnect it from the power grid. Then, the solar power generation energy is used to charge the battery or the CO2 heat pump fuel dispenser through the communication hub. When the battery or the CO2 heat pump fuel dispenser is full, it is determined whether the solar power generation energy is less than the energy consumption of the house. If yes, proceed to step 2; if no, proceed to step 6.

[0063] In step 6, the third power supply relay of the third smart meter is kept in the OFF state via the communication hub, so that the electric vehicle can be charged with energy from the solar energy.

[0064] In step 7, if the electric vehicle is already full or the photovoltaic energy is less than the energy consumption of the house, stop charging the electric vehicle; if not, continue charging the electric vehicle until it is full.

[0065] In step 8, it is determined whether the solar energy is greater than the energy consumption of the house; if yes, proceed to step 9; if no, return to step 3.

[0066] In step 9, the user selects whether to output the solar power generation energy to the power grid or to continue using it only for home consumption. If the user selects to output the solar power generation energy to the power grid, the first power relay of the first smart meter is controlled to be turned off via the communication hub, and then the solar power generation energy is output via the power grid to sell the electricity. If the user selects to continue using it only for home consumption, the user first controls the third power relay of the third smart meter to be opened via the communication hub, and then adjusts the solar power generation inverter output power via the communication hub to match the distribution board to each home device in the house, and electricity is supplied until the solar power generation energy is insufficient to power each home device in the house. Then, the user proceeds to step 10.

[0067] In step 10, the communication hub controls the battery or controls the third power relay of the third smart meter to disconnect, so that the electric vehicle supplies electricity to each individual home device in the house until the battery or the electric vehicle is insufficient to supply electricity to the home devices. Then, proceed to step 1.

[0068] In step 11, the solar communication gateway is first wirelessly connected to the mobile terminal via the short-range wireless communication module, then the mobile terminal is wirelessly connected to the cloud server, and then the solar communication gateway and the cloud server are wirelessly connected. The solar communication gateway reports the integrated and analyzed energy source data from the first smart meter, the second smart meter, and the third smart meter to the cloud server via the mobile terminal. Then, the process returns to step 3.

[0069] As mentioned above, it mainly forms a solar communication gateway through the first smart meter, the second smart meter, and the communication hub, allowing users to use different green energy equipment and adjust the power generation, energy storage, or consumption methods to achieve zero carbon emissions. In particular, the electricity supply method can be switched between supplying electricity from surplus solar power or selling it. Furthermore, electricity can be supplied via electric vehicles or batteries, making full use of surplus solar energy, greatly improving the flexibility of the electricity supply method.

[0070] Next, by installing a third smart meter, it will be possible to manage electric vehicles collectively, increasing the efficiency of overall energy resource usage and enabling electric vehicles to be used as emergency power sources. Installing the communications hub, first smart meter, second smart meter and third smart meter all on the same housing provides a high level of integration, making subsequent installation even easier.

[0071] The above is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the scope of the claims of the present invention. Therefore, any minor modifications and equivalent changes and modifications of the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention are all intended to fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 11 First Smart Meter 12 Second smart meter 13 Third smart meter 14. Communications Hub 15 Housing 21 Cloud Server 22 Mobile devices

Claims

1. A solar communication gateway is used to connect a power grid and a distribution panel in series, and includes a first smart meter with a first power relay built-in, a second smart meter with a second power relay built-in, and a communication hub for wirelessly connecting to a cloud server or a mobile terminal, The communication hub is respectively wired to the first smart meter and the second smart meter, and the first smart meter is connected to the second smart meter, and the first smart meter and the second smart meter are connected in series between the power grid and the distribution panel; the first smart meter is adapted to connect to a power grid; The solar communication gateway is characterized in that the second smart meter is used to connect to a distribution panel, a solar power inverter, a battery and a carbon dioxide heat pump fuel dispenser.

2. The solar communication gateway according to claim 1, further comprising a third smart meter used for connecting to an electric vehicle and having a third power relay built in, and the third smart meter is connected to a communication hub.

3. 3. The solar communication gateway according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the first smart meter, the second smart meter and the third smart meter is a guide rail type smart meter.

4. The solar communication gateway according to claim 1, wherein the communication hub is connected to an artificial intelligence (AI) chip.

5. The solar communication gateway according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory, the memory being connected to a communication hub.

6. The solar communication gateway according to claim 1 , further comprising a housing, wherein the communication hub, the first smart meter and the second smart meter are all installed on the housing.

7. In communication systems including cloud servers, mobile terminals, solar inverters, power grids, distribution panels and gateways, 7. A communication system, wherein the gateway is a solar communication gateway according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the communication system further includes an electric vehicle, and the cloud server or communication hub is wired to the electric vehicle for directly managing the charging or discharging of the electric vehicle.

9. In the power supply switching method, The communication system is applied to claim 7, and the solar communication gateway further includes a third smart meter with a third power relay built-in, the communication hub is connected to the third smart meter, and the third smart meter is connected to an electric vehicle used to supply electricity to a distribution board; The power supply switching method includes the following steps: Step 1: First, the photovoltaic inverter, the battery, or the electric vehicle is controlled through the communication hub, and simultaneously performs a preset operation, i.e., the first power relay of the first smart meter is disconnected, the second power relay of the second smart meter is disconnected, and the third power relay of the third smart meter is disconnected; Next, detect and determine whether the solar communication gateway and the cloud server are connected to each other. If yes, proceed to step 2; if no, proceed to step 11; Step 2: The solar communication gateway itself directly reports the energy source data after integration and analysis within the first smart meter, the second smart meter, and the third smart meter to the cloud server, and then proceeds to step 3. Step 3: The power grid powers the distribution panel, and at the same time, the battery or the electric vehicle is charged through the communication hub. Then, step 4 is executed. Step 4 is to determine whether the photovoltaic energy is greater than the energy consumption of the house, and if yes, proceed to step 5; if no, keep the first power relay of the first smart meter in an off state through the communication hub to continue supplying electricity to the power grid; Step 5: first, open the first power relay of the first smart meter through the communication hub to disconnect it from the power grid; then, use the photovoltaic energy to charge the battery or the carbon dioxide heat pump fuel dispenser through the communication hub; when the battery or the carbon dioxide heat pump fuel dispenser is full, determine whether the photovoltaic energy is less than the energy consumption of the house; if yes, proceed to step 2; if no, proceed to step 6; Step 6: Keeping the third power relay of the third smart meter in an OFF state via the communication hub, so that the electric vehicle can be charged with energy generated by solar energy; Step 7: If the electric vehicle is already full or the photovoltaic energy is less than the energy consumption of the house, stop charging the electric vehicle; if not, continue charging the electric vehicle until it is full; Step 8 determines whether the solar power generation energy is greater than the energy consumption of the house, if yes, proceed to step 9, if no, return to step 3; Step 9: Select whether to output the photovoltaic power generation energy to the power grid or continue to use it only for home consumption. If the selection is made to output the photovoltaic power generation energy to the power grid, control the first power relay of the first smart meter to be turned off via the communication hub. Then, if the selection is made to output the photovoltaic power generation energy to the power grid to sell the power or continue to use it only for home consumption, first control the third power relay of the third smart meter to be opened via the communication hub. Then, adjust the photovoltaic power generation inverter output power via the communication hub to match the power distribution board to each home device in the house until the photovoltaic power generation energy is insufficient to supply each home device in the house with electricity, and then proceed to step 10. Step 10: The communication hub controls the battery or controls the third power relay of the third smart meter to cut off, so that the electric vehicle supplies electricity to each individual home device in the house until the battery or the electric vehicle is insufficient to supply electricity to the home devices, and then returns to step 1; Step 11: firstly, wirelessly connect the solar communication gateway to the mobile terminal via the short-range wireless communication module, then wirelessly connect the mobile terminal to the cloud server, and then realize the wireless connection between the solar communication gateway and the cloud server. The solar communication gateway reports the integrated and analyzed energy source data from the first smart meter, the second smart meter, and the third smart meter to the cloud server via the mobile terminal, and then proceeds to step 3. A power supply switching method comprising:

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