Battery control system, HEMS management device, and battery control method

Abstract

In a VPP, the parts that handle communication with external parties such as resource aggregators regarding battery charge / discharge control and battery status acquisition are consolidated, providing a method that can further simplify communication at the upper layer. [Solution] A battery control system comprising a battery system that performs charge and discharge control related to the charging and discharging of a battery, and a HEMS management unit that includes a VPP communication unit and receives VPP control instructions, wherein the HEMS management unit communicates with the battery system related to charge and discharge control based on requests related to charging and discharging, including VPP control instructions, manages state transitions using state properties that are states that the battery system can take and take different values ​​corresponding to states related to charge and discharge control, obtains from the battery system the state related to charging and discharging that the battery system takes through the charge and discharge control, and transitions the state properties according to the obtained state.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage battery control system, a HEMS management device, and a storage battery control method that are installed in facilities of power consumers, such as ordinary homes. [Background technology]

[0002] Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) are known as systems that control the electricity and other energy used by consumers, such as ordinary homes. In recent years, many HEMS systems are equipped with at least one of a small-scale private power generation facility, such as a solar power generation system, and a small-scale power storage facility, such as a storage battery. ECHONET Lite (registered trademark) is known as the standard protocol for communication between HEMS devices, and many HEMS devices communicate in accordance with ECHONET Lite. ECHONET is derived from Energy Conservation and Home care Network.

[0003] Another well-known technology is the Virtual Power Plant (VPP), which connects and manages small-scale power generation and storage facilities installed in homes, buildings, etc. via a network system. A VPP is a system in which a business operator called a resource aggregator integrates and controls the energy resources of contracted consumers, allowing them to function virtually as a single power plant.

[0004] Some HEMSs have a function to fully charge storage batteries with power generated by private power plants or purchased from the power grid in preparation for a power outage when a weather warning is issued, such as for high tide, high waves, heavy snow, storms, floods, heavy rain, or blizzards. Meanwhile, resource aggregators attempt to control the charging and discharging of storage batteries of contracted consumers from the perspective of demand response (DR), which balances power generation and consumption on the power grid. Storage battery control by HEMS and storage battery control by VPP are not necessarily compatible. Therefore, a power control device and a power control method have been proposed that assign priorities to storage battery control by HEMS and storage battery control by VPP, respectively, and enable the two types of control to be performed exclusively (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] The following technology is also known. In a VPP, a power management server transmits a first message to a local control device in accordance with, for example, a protocol conforming to Open ADR (Automated Demand Response) or a first protocol, which is a proprietary protocol. For example, the first message is a DR-related message, such as a power flow control message requesting power flow control or a reverse flow control message requesting reverse flow control. The first message is an instruction requesting the setting of the device's operating state. Meanwhile, the local control device transmits a second message to a device in accordance with a second protocol different from the first protocol, such as a protocol conforming to ECHONET Lite, SEP (Smart Energy Profile) 2.0, or KNX. In such a configuration, there may be cases where information elements conforming to the first protocol do not correspond one-to-one to information elements included in the second message response. For example, there may be cases where the unit of the information element conforming to the first protocol is different from the unit of the information element included in the second message response. Or there may be cases where the information element conforming to the first protocol can only be expressed by two or more information elements included in the second message response. In such a case, the control unit 112 calculates an information element compatible with the first protocol based on the information element included in the second message response. For example, the control unit 112 calculates an information element expressed in AC power based on the information element expressed in DC power, or calculates an information element expressed in power amount per unit time based on the information element expressed in instantaneous power, or calculates one information element based on two or more information elements (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-023083 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2018 / 079813 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In Patent Document 1, when a resource aggregator controls the charging and discharging of storage batteries in a VPP, it communicates with the HEMS controller of the contracted consumer via a VPP gateway and adjusts the priority of storage battery control between the resource aggregator and the HEMS controller. When the resource aggregator is ready to prioritize storage battery control over the HEMS controller, it communicates with the storage battery system via the VPP gateway and performs charging and discharging control. When sending a request to start or end VPP control to the HEMS controller, it checks whether the request has been accepted, and when controlling the charging and discharging of storage batteries, it checks the status of the storage batteries to which the request was sent. As a result, the communication related to VPP control from the resource aggregator's perspective (hereinafter referred to as upper-layer communication in this specification) tends to involve many complicated procedures. It is desirable to simplify the processes related to the charging and discharging control of storage batteries and obtaining the status of storage batteries from the resource aggregator's perspective—in other words, upper-layer communication.

[0008] In Patent Document 2, in a VPP, a power management server is configured to send and receive messages related to DR control with a local control device. This is not the case where the power management server controls a storage battery (distributed power source) via a VPP gateway, as in Patent Document 1. As a specific example, the local control device selects information elements included in a message received from the power management server and sends them to the distributed power source or load device (selection process). Then, it converts information elements included in a response from the destination device into information elements compatible with a first protocol (conversion process). Furthermore, as part of power management, the local control device manages information elements received from the distributed power source or load device (management process) and determines whether to query the target device for information about the target device regarding a message received from the power management server (determination process). Patent Document 2 focuses on the processes related to the charge / discharge control of a storage battery and acquisition of its status from the perspective of a resource aggregator—in other words, the conversion of communication protocols rather than simplification of upper-layer communication. In the example, the first protocol is the well-known Open ADR, and the second protocol is the well-known ECHONET Lite. This does not propose a communication configuration from the viewpoint of how to simplify the procedures related to communication (upper layer communication) related to VPP control between a resource aggregator and a battery control system. This invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides a method in which, in a VPP, the parts that handle communication with external parties such as resource aggregators and those involved in controlling the charging and discharging of storage batteries and obtaining the status of storage batteries are consolidated, thereby simplifying communication at higher levels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention provides a battery control system comprising: a battery system including a battery and performing charge / discharge control related to charging and discharging of the battery; and a HEMS management unit including a VPP communication unit and receiving VPP control instructions, wherein the HEMS management unit communicates with the battery system regarding the charge / discharge control based on requests related to the charging and discharging, including the VPP control instructions, manages the state transitions using state properties that are states that the battery system can take and take different values ​​corresponding to states related to the charge / discharge control, obtains from the battery system the state related to charging and discharging that the battery system takes by the charge / discharge control, and transitions the state property according to the obtained state.

[0010] From a different perspective, the present invention provides a HEMS management device comprising: a communication unit that communicates with external devices regarding VPP control; an acquisition unit that acquires VPP control instructions contained in these communications; an equipment control unit that controls the charging and discharging of the storage battery by communicating with the storage battery system including the storage battery regarding charge and discharge control based on requests related to the charging and discharging of the storage battery, including the acquired instructions; and a state setting unit that manages the transition of the state using a state property that is a state that the storage battery system can take and takes different values ​​corresponding to the state related to the charge and discharge control, wherein the acquisition unit acquires from the storage battery system the state related to the charging and discharging that the storage battery system takes as a result of the charge and discharge control, and the state setting unit transitions the state property according to the acquired state.

[0011] Furthermore, from a different perspective, the present invention provides a control method for a storage battery, comprising the steps of: communicating with an external device regarding VPP control; acquiring instructions for VPP control contained in the communications; communicating with a storage battery system including the storage battery regarding charge / discharge control based on requests related to charging and discharging of the storage battery, including the acquired instructions for VPP control; and managing the transition of the state using a state property that is a state that the storage battery system can take and that takes different values ​​corresponding to the state related to the charge / discharge control, wherein the step of communicating regarding the charge / discharge control includes a process of acquiring from the storage battery system the state related to charging and discharging that the storage battery system takes by the charge / discharge control, and the step of managing the transition of the state includes a process of transitioning the state property in accordance with the acquired state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the battery control system of this invention, the HEMS management unit communicates with the battery system regarding charge and discharge control based on requests related to charge and discharge, including instructions for VPP control, manages state transitions using state properties that are states that the battery system can take and that take different values ​​corresponding to states related to charge and discharge control, obtains from the battery system the state related to charge and discharge that the battery system takes through the charge and discharge control, and transitions the state property according to the obtained state.Therefore, in the VPP, the parts that handle communication with external parties such as resource aggregators regarding battery charge and discharge control and battery state acquisition are consolidated in the HEMS management unit, making it possible to further simplify communication at upper levels. The HEMS management device and the storage battery control method according to the present invention also achieve the same advantageous effects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery control system including a HEMS controller according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a battery control system (second embodiment) in which a connection form with a resource aggregator is different from that in FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a main part of the HEMS controller shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing storage battery classes included in the storage battery system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 5] 4 is a first diagram showing controller classes included in the HEMS controller shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a second diagram showing the controller classes included in the HEMS controller shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a state transition diagram of the HEMS controller in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transition from a VPP controllable state (initial state) to a VPP controlled state and being charged at maximum charge power in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 9] 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example in which an attempt to transition from a VPP controllable state (initial state) to a VPP controlled state and being charged with maximum charging power is unsuccessful, similar to FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transition from a VPP controlled state and charging at maximum charge power to a VPP controllable state (initial state), opposite to that in FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transition from a VPP controlled state and a clean mode operation state to a VPP controllable state in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 12] 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example in which an attempt is made to transition from a VPP controlled state and a state in which charging is being performed with maximum charging power to a VPP controllable state but is not successful, similar to FIG. 10. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example in which a write request to transition to a VPP controllable state is successful when the VPP controlled state continues for a predetermined period in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 14] 13, this is a sequence diagram showing an example in which a write request to transition to a VPP controllable state is unsuccessful when the VPP controlled state continues for a predetermined period of time. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example in which a weather warning is issued in a VPP controllable state and the state transitions to a VPP controllable state (weather warning issued) in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example in which a weather warning is cancelled and the system transitions to a VPP controllable state (initial state) in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example in which, in the first or second embodiment, a write request is received in the same state as the VPP control state and the maximum charging power state. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example in which, in the first or second embodiment, while the device is in a VPP control state and is being charged to the maximum charge power, a write request is received in the same VPP control state but in a different detailed state. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a case in which the battery system becomes uncontrollable while under VPP control and charging at maximum charging power in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a case in which the HEMS controller restarts itself in a VPP control state and in a state in which charging is being performed at maximum charging power in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a case where, in a VPP controllable state (initial state), a write request in the same state as that state is received in the first or second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transition from a VPP controllable state (initial state) to a VPP controlled state and a surplus power charging state in the first or second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following description is given by way of example only in all respects and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a storage battery control system 100 according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a storage battery control system in which a connection form with a resource aggregator is different from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a main part of a HEMS controller 110 shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

[0015] <Battery control system 100> 1 and 2, the battery control system 100 includes a HEMS controller 110 (control device), a battery system 130 (storage battery), and a router 140. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the battery control system 100 further includes a VPP gateway 120.

[0016] The HEMS controller 110 is a control device equipped with an ECHONET Lite communication function, which controls devices and acquires their status information. In the example configuration shown in FIG. 1 (which will be referred to as a first embodiment), the VPP gateway 120 is a device in which a resource aggregator installs VPP-dedicated communication equipment in the consumer's battery control system 100 and controls the battery system 130 (VPP control). The VPP gateway 120 communicates with the resource aggregator 170 via a router 140 and the Internet 150. Alternatively, the VPP gateway 120 may communicate directly with the resource aggregator 170 without going through the router 140 using a built-in mobile communication module. When the VPP gateway 120 receives a VPP control instruction from the resource aggregator 170, the VPP gateway 120 is equipped with an ECHONET Lite communication function, and therefore can also directly control the battery system 130; however, in this embodiment, direct control is not performed. Instead, it uses the ECHONET Lite communication function to send instructions to the HEMS controller 110, thereby indirectly controlling the storage battery system 130. The VPP gateway 120 corresponds to a first device that constitutes a VPP communication unit.

[0017] The HEMS controller 110 communicates with the HEMS server 160 periodically or at predetermined times via the Internet 150 and the router 140. Upon receiving control-related information from the HEMS server 160, the HEMS controller 110 controls the storage battery system 130 (HEMS control) using the ECHONET Lite communication function. The control-related information is, for example, information related to weather warnings and weather forecasts. This information is information related to charge / discharge control of the storage battery system 130. The HEMS server 160 acquires this information from an external server (not shown). Furthermore, as described above, upon receiving instructions from the VPP gateway 120, the HEMS controller 110 controls the storage battery system 130 (VPP control) using the ECHONET Lite communication function. However, this control is performed exclusively with the HEMS control. The HEMS controller 110 corresponds to a second device constituting a HEMS communication unit and a HEMS management unit. From the perspective of the HEMS controller 110, the partner of upper-layer communication is the VPP gateway 120. In the first embodiment, the upper layer communication refers to the communication between the HEMS controller 110 and the VPP gateway 120.

[0018] In the example shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as the second embodiment), the VPP gateway 120 does not exist. Therefore, the aggregator server 170S sends information related to VPP control to the HEMS server 160 via the Internet 150. The HEMS controller 110 communicates with the HEMS server 160 periodically or at predetermined times via the Internet 150 and the router 140. Furthermore, if the HEMS controller 110 is constantly connected to a server (not shown), the HEMS server 160 can start communication with the HEMS controller 110 at any time. The following explanation also assumes that communication can be initiated from the server.

[0019] This communication includes not only control-related information but also VPP control instructions. When the HEMS controller 110 receives the VPP control instructions, it controls the storage battery system 130 (VPP control) using the ECHONET Lite communication function. However, this is performed exclusively with HEMS control. The HEMS control is the same as in FIG. 1. That is, when the HEMS controller 110 receives control-related information from the HEMS server 160, it controls the storage battery system 130 using the ECHONET Lite communication function.

[0020] The HEMS server 160 corresponds to a third device that constitutes a VPP communication unit and a HEMS communication unit. The HEMS controller 110 corresponds to a fourth device that constitutes a HEMS management unit. From the perspective of the HEMS controller 110, the other party in upper layer communication is the HEMS server 160. In the second embodiment, upper layer communication refers to communication between the HEMS controller 110 and the HEMS server 160. It is up to the resource aggregator to decide whether to use the configuration shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2. Recently, the configuration shown in Figure 2, which does not require the installation of a VPP gateway, has become popular.

[0021] In the second embodiment, the exclusive control between VPP control from the aggregator server 170S and storage battery control (HEMS control) based on the issuance of a weather warning can be considered to be performed as follows: When the HEMS server 160 receives an instruction for VPP control from the aggregator server 170S, it transmits an instruction for VPP control to the HEMS controller 110. When the HEMS server 160 receives a notification from the HEMS controller 110 that the HEMS server 160 has transitioned to the instructed state, it recognizes that the instruction to the HEMS controller 110 has been successful. In other words, it recognizes that VPP control of the storage battery system 130 has been successful. On the other hand, when the HEMS server 160 receives a negative response to the VPP control instruction from the HEMS controller 110, or when it does not receive a notification that the HEMS server 160 has transitioned to the instructed state even after a predetermined period has elapsed, it recognizes that VPP control of the storage battery system 130 has been unsuccessful. In this case, the HEMS controller 110 may be configured to retry the process after a certain period of time has elapsed by issuing an instruction to the HEMS controller 110, or the HEMS controller 110 may not perform the retry process. In the case of the configuration in which the retry process is performed, if the control of the battery storage system 130 is still not successful even after the retry process, the VPP control is abandoned.

[0022] In addition to VPP control, the HEMS controller 110 periodically or at predetermined times acquires information (control-related information) related to weather warnings and weather forecasts via the HEMS server 160. When a weather warning is issued, the HEMS controller 110 prioritizes control to fully charge the storage battery 131 in preparation for a power outage (weather warning linkage). When the HEMS controller 110 prioritizes control to fully charge the storage battery 131 due to the issuance of a weather warning, VPP control according to instructions from the resource aggregator 170 becomes impossible. This is because the HEMS control of weather warning linkage is set to have a higher priority than VPP control. This is the storage battery exclusive control function of the HEMS controller 110. To realize the storage battery exclusive control function, the HEMS controller 110 has a storage battery exclusive control property. The storage battery exclusive control property corresponds to the above-mentioned state property. The state property (storage battery exclusive control property) is not a standard property of ECHONET Lite, but is a property that has been independently extended and defined by the applicant.

[0023] In the second embodiment, regarding the exclusive control of the storage battery 131, the HEMS server 160 may exchange information related to the exclusive control of the storage battery system with the aggregator server 170S as follows: When, for example, a weather warning is issued and control to fully charge the storage battery 131 takes priority, the HEMS controller 110 transitions its own state to a VPP controllable state (weather warning issued) and notifies the HEMS server 160 of that state. That is, the HEMS controller 110 sets the property value of the storage battery exclusive control to the VPP controllable state (weather warning issued) and sends the property value to the HEMS server 160. When the HEMS server 160 receives a notification that the HEMS controller 110 has entered the VPP controllable state (weather warning issued), the HEMS server 160 can notify the aggregator server 170S of that fact (inter-server cooperation). Alternatively, the aggregator server 170S can periodically inquire about the state of the HEMS server 160 and thereby determine that the VPP controllable state (weather warning issued) has been entered. In the case where the resource aggregator 170 is aware of the operating state of the storage battery 131, the resource aggregator 170 suppresses instructions for VPP control while the VPP control is not possible (when a weather warning is issued).

[0024] After that, upon receiving notification that the weather warning has been lifted, the HEMS controller 110 stops controlling the storage battery 131 to full charge and transitions to a VPP controllable state (initial state). The HEMS controller 110 then notifies the HEMS server 160 of the transition to that state. Specifically, the property value of the storage battery exclusive control is set to the VPP controllable state (initial state) and the property value is sent to the HEMS server 160. Upon receiving the notification, the HEMS server 160 notifies the aggregator server 170S that the weather warning linkage state has been lifted and VPP control is now possible. Alternatively, the aggregator server 170S periodically queries the HEMS server 160 about the state, thereby determining that the VPP controllable state (initial state) has been reached. Note that, as will be described later in the state transition diagram of FIG. 7 , a direct transition from the VPP controllable state (weather warning issued) to one of the VPP control states does not occur. Transition to one of the VPP control states is possible by issuing another instruction from the resource aggregator 170.

[0025] As described above, the resource aggregator 170 sends a VPP control instruction to the HEMS server 160. The HEMS server 160 interprets the VPP control instruction and sends it to the HEMS controller 110 as a property value for storage battery exclusive control. The HEMS controller 110 communicates with the power monitor 134 of the storage battery system 130 to control charging and discharging of the storage battery according to the requested property value. The HEMS controller 110 controls the operation of the storage battery 131 using various property values ​​managed as storage battery classes. The HEMS controller 110 also receives a response related to the control result from the power monitor 134. When the operating state of the storage battery 131 changes, the HEMS controller 110 receives a notification of various property values ​​managed as storage battery classes from the power monitor 134. The HEMS controller 110 determines whether the control of the storage battery system 130 was successful by receiving these responses and notifications from the power monitor 134. If the control was successful, the HEMS controller 110 changes the internal property value for storage battery exclusive control and returns a normal response to the HEMS server 160 in response to the VPP control instruction. If the control fails, the property value of the internal storage battery exclusive control is not changed, and a response indicating that the VPP control instruction is not possible is returned to the HEMS server 160.

[0026] In the second embodiment, the aggregator server 170S first sends a VPP control instruction to the HEMS server 160. Alternatively, the HEMS manufacturer 160M receives the VPP control instruction from the resource aggregator 170 and registers it in the HEMS server 160. The HEMS server 160 interprets the instruction and sends it to the HEMS controller 110. It does not send it directly to the storage battery system 130. The HEMS controller 110 communicates with the storage battery system 130. The HEMS server 160 obtains information from the HEMS controller 110 as to whether the VPP control instruction was successful. It does not obtain information directly from the storage battery system 130. This is the same as in the first embodiment. However, the difference is that the resource aggregator 170 communicates with the HEMS server 160 in the second embodiment, whereas it communicates with the VPP gateway 120 in the first embodiment.

[0027] In the second embodiment, two types of modes, an inter-server cooperation mode and a schedule mode, in which the resource aggregator 170 communicates with the HEMS server 160 regarding VPP control are shown in FIG.

[0028] 1. Server-to-server collaboration method The first mode is a server-to-server cooperation mode in which the server of the resource aggregator 170 (the aggregator server 170S shown in FIG. 2 ) and the HEMS server 160 communicate with each other via the Internet 150. The HEMS server 160 communicates with the HEMS controller 110 according to the content of the communication with the aggregator server 170S. In this mode, the HEMS server 160 interprets an instruction received from the aggregator server 170S, converts it into one of the property values ​​for the storage battery exclusive control, and then sends it to the HEMS controller 110. Alternatively, an instruction may come from the aggregator server 170S as a property value for the storage battery exclusive control. In this case, the HEMS server 160 simply sends the content of the instruction received from the aggregator server 170S to the HEMS controller 110 as is. Furthermore, the HEMS server 160 transmits responses and notifications received from the HEMS controller 110 to the aggregator server 170S directly, or converts them if necessary, and then sends them to the aggregator server 170S. The communication between the HEMS server 160 and the aggregator server 170S is not limited to the embodiment described here, as various possibilities are possible.

[0029] In the first and second embodiments, the storage battery system 130 uses ECHONET Lite as its communication standard (communication protocol). The HEMS controller 110 communicates with the storage battery system 130 using ECHONET Lite. In the first embodiment, the VPP gateway 120 communicates with the HEMS controller 110 using ECHONET Lite. In the second embodiment, a communication protocol conforming to ECHONET Lite can also be used for communication between the HEMS controller 110 and the HEMS server 160. Although details of communication between the aggregator server 170S and the HEMS controller 110 are not described in this embodiment, a communication protocol conforming to ECHONET Lite may also be used. In this case, the HEMS server 160 only needs to mechanically relay communication between the two. Here, a communication protocol conforming to ECHONET Lite is, for example, a communication protocol that uses a communication format in which communication data includes content that is mechanically converted from a portion of an ECHONET Lite message. In the first mode, the aggregator server 170S can also acquire information on whether or not the VPP control instruction has been successful each time.

[0030] 2. Schedule method In the second aspect, a notification (e.g., email) is sent from the communication terminal of the resource aggregator 170 to the communication terminal of the business operator (the HEMS manufacturer 160M shown in FIG. 2 ) that operates the HEMS server 160 according to a predetermined schedule. The notification includes one or more DR schedule instructions, and each DR schedule instruction includes a start time, an end time, a DR control instruction content, a target group, and the like. The HEMS manufacturer 160M automatically or manually interprets the notification received from the resource aggregator 170 and registers it in the HEMS server 160. The HEMS server 160 communicates with the HEMS controller 110 at the specified start time and end time according to the registered content. The communication format between the HEMS server 160 and the HEMS controller 110 may be the same as in the first aspect. In the second aspect, the resource aggregator 170 cannot acquire information on whether or not a VPP control instruction has been successful every time.

[0031] The battery system 130 includes a storage battery 131, a solar module 132, a power conditioner 133, and a power monitor 134. The storage battery 131 stores and discharges electricity under the control of various control devices. The solar module 132 is a device that generates solar power.

[0032] The power conditioner 133 is a control device that controls the storage battery 131 and the solar module 132. The power conditioner 133 converts DC electricity supplied from the storage battery 131 and the solar module 132 into AC electricity and supplies it to a load such as a home appliance (not shown in FIG. 1). The power conditioner 133 also converts AC electricity supplied from a power grid (not shown in FIG. 1) into DC electricity and supplies it to the storage battery 131. The power conditioner 133 also controls the supply of power from the solar module 132 to the power grid (this is called reverse power flow, and corresponds to the supply of power from the consumer side to the contracted power provider side). The power conditioner 133 charges and discharges the storage battery 131 based on instructions from the user received via the power monitor 134. Supplying power to the power grid is called selling power, and receiving power from the power grid is called purchasing power.

[0033] The power monitor 134 has a function for communicating with ECHONET Lite devices. Therefore, it can communicate with the HEMS controller 110 via ECHONET Lite. It also displays various information related to the storage battery system 130, such as power and operation mode. The power monitor 134 determines primitive operation instructions for the storage battery 131 and instructs the power conditioner 133 to operate the storage battery 131 according to the determined operation. Primitive operation instructions basically include charge, discharge, standby, and clean. Clean is an operation that discharges the storage battery 131 when power is purchased and charges the storage battery 131 with surplus power when power is sold. The primitive operation instructions determined by the power monitor 134 are broadly divided into an automatic operation mode and a HEMS control mode, and are determined as follows for each mode. In the automatic operation mode, the power monitor 134 operates in one of the following automatic operation modes: "Economy mode (automatic)," "Economy mode (time specified)," "Clean mode (with night charging)," and "Clean mode (without night charging)." At this time, the power monitor 134 determines a primitive instruction based on the night time zone, etc., and the current time. For example, when the automatic operation mode is "Clean mode (with night charging)," the power monitor 134 instructs cleaning when the current time is not a night time zone, and charging when the current time is a night time zone. The automatic operation mode and night time zone, etc., of the power monitor 134 can be specified by the user. In addition, in the HEMS control mode, the power monitor 134 follows the instructions from the external ECHONET Lite device. That is, it is either charging, discharging, or standby.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of properties related to the control of the storage battery 131 in the storage battery system 130. The storage battery control system 100 uses ECHONET Lite as its communication standard (communication protocol), and therefore the storage battery system 130 has a storage battery class in ECHONET Lite. The storage battery system 130 operates according to the property value of the storage battery class. When an external device instructs the operation of the storage battery, it sends a property value write request (Set) to the power monitor 134 that manages the storage battery class. The power monitor 134, which has received the property value write request, returns a response to the property value write request. When the external device obtains the status of the storage battery, it sends a property value read request (Get) to the power monitor 134. The power monitor 134, which has received the property value read request, returns a response to the property value read request. When the status of the storage battery (some property values) changes, the storage battery system 130 issues a state change announcement (INF).

[0035] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the storage battery classes. Fig. 4 shows storage battery classes that are closely related to the first and second embodiments, and omits storage battery classes that are less related to the first and second embodiments. The "Property Name" column in Fig. 4 shows the names of the properties of the storage battery 131 in the storage battery system 130 defined by the ECHONET Lite standard. A property represents the function or specifications of a device (a storage battery in the case of Fig. 4). However, the automatic operation mode (EPC=0xF0) shown in Fig. 4 is a property that has been independently extended and defined by the applicant. The other properties are defined in the ECHONET Lite standard.

[0036] Here, the operation mode setting is a property that sets the storage battery 131 to one of a plurality of operation modes. The plurality of operation modes are "charge," "discharge," "standby," and "automatic." The automatic operation mode is a property that specifies which of the plurality of automatic operation modes the storage battery 131 will operate in when its operation mode is "automatic."

[0037] The "Access Rule" column shows information indicating the rules for the actions that can be performed for each property. In the example in Figure 4, the Access Rule column shows three options: "Set," "Get," and "State Change Announcement." "Set" indicates that a value can be written to that property. "Get" indicates that a value can be read from that property. "State Change Announcement" indicates that an INF notification will be sent when the value of the property is changed. This INF notification is sent via multicast. Therefore, any ECHONET Lite device connected to the same LAN can receive the notification. However, this does not necessarily mean that all ECHONET Lite devices connected to the same LAN will be able to receive the notification. This is because multicast is unreliable, especially in a wireless LAN environment.

[0038] The "Description" column shows the name and value of each operation mode and each automatic operation mode. As shown in Figure 4, the operation modes include "Charge," "Discharge," "Standby," and "Automatic." As shown in Figure 4, the automatic operation modes include "Economy mode (Automatic)," "Economy mode (Time specified)," "Clean mode (with overnight charging)," "Clean mode (without overnight charging)," and "ECHONET Lite device-only mode."

[0039] The economical mode is a mode in which surplus electricity generated by solar power generation, minus the amount used for self-consumption, is sold, and during nighttime hours, electricity is purchased at a discount during the night and stored. The "economical mode (automatic)" is a mode in this economical mode in which automatic discharge occurs while purchasing electricity outside of nighttime hours. The "economical mode (time specified)" is a mode in this economical mode in which the user can set the start time of discharge while purchasing electricity outside of nighttime hours.

[0040] Clean mode is an automatic driving mode in which the storage battery is charged when the amount of electricity generated by solar power generation exceeds self-consumption, and the storage battery is discharged when the amount of electricity generated is low. This allows as much of the electricity generated by solar power generation to be used for self-consumption as possible. "Clean mode (with night charging)" is a mode in which electricity is purchased and charged during nighttime hours in this clean mode. "Clean mode (without night charging)" is a mode in which charging is not performed even during nighttime hours.

[0041] Unlike other modes, the "ECHONET Lite device-only mode" is not an automatic operation mode, but rather a mode indicating that the storage battery 131 is controlled by an external ECHONET Lite device. If the operation mode setting of the storage battery 131 is "charge," "discharge," or "standby," the automatic operation mode of the storage battery 131 becomes the "ECHONET Lite device-only mode." Also, if the operation mode setting of the storage battery 131 is "automatic," the automatic operation mode of the storage battery 131 becomes one of the automatic operation modes other than the "ECHONET Lite device-only mode." The user can specify which automatic operation mode the storage battery 131 will operate in. However, the user cannot specify the "ECHONET Lite device-only mode."

[0042] Furthermore, the storage battery class properties related to the charge / discharge control of the storage battery 131 in the storage battery system 130 include a "charging method" and a "discharging method." As shown in FIG. 4, the charging methods include "maximum charging power charging," "surplus power charging," and "specified power charging." "Maximum charging power charging" charges the storage battery 131 at rated power. "Surplus power charging" charges the storage battery 131 within the surplus power range, which is the power generated by solar power generation minus the power used for self-consumption. "Specified power charging" charges the storage battery 131 within a separately set power range. The initial value of the charging method is "maximum charging power charging." Discharging methods include "maximum discharging power discharging," "load additional charging discharge," and "specified power discharging." "Maximum discharging power discharging" discharges from the storage battery 131 at rated power. "Load additional charging discharge" discharges from the storage battery 131 according to the load consumed by the user, thereby reducing the amount of purchased power. "Specified power discharging" discharges from the storage battery 131 within a separately set power range. The initial value of the discharge method is "load charge discharge."

[0043] The property values ​​of the charging method and discharging method may be settable depending on the storage battery system 130. If the property values ​​of the charging method and discharging method are settable and overwritten, the storage battery 131 will not operate as intended. Therefore, the property values ​​of the charging method and discharging method must be set appropriately. If the property values ​​of the charging method and discharging method cannot be set, they should not be set. Other property values ​​that may affect charging and discharging include the "charge power setting value," "discharge power setting value," "AC charge upper limit setting," "AC discharge lower limit setting," "AC charge amount setting value," and "AC discharge amount setting value." The "charge power setting value" specifies the power (W(AC)) used when charging when the charging method is "specified power charging." The "discharge power setting value" specifies the power (W(AC)) used when discharging when the discharging method is "specified power discharging." The initial values ​​of the "charge power setting value" and "discharge power setting value" are 9990 (W(AC)), which indicates the rated maximum. However, if the value is other than the initial value and is an unintended value, there will be restrictions on charging and discharging.

[0044] The "AC charging upper limit setting" specifies the upper limit value in % (AC) when charging the storage battery 131. Charging will stop when the specified % (AC) is reached. The "AC discharging lower limit setting" specifies the lower limit value in % (AC) when discharging the storage battery 131. Discharging will stop when the specified % (AC) is reached. If the "AC charging upper limit setting" is set to 100% and the "AC discharging lower limit setting" is set to the same value as the remaining capacity (%) separately specified by the user, these property values ​​will no longer restrict charging and discharging. The "AC charging amount setting value" specifies the amount of charging power (Wh (AC)) when charging the storage battery 131. Charging will stop when the specified amount of power is charged. The "AC discharging amount setting value" specifies the amount of discharging power (Wh (AC)) when discharging from the storage battery 131. Discharging will stop when the specified amount of power is discharged. If the "AC charging amount setting value" and "AC discharging amount setting value" are set to 0, there will be no restrictions on charging or discharging due to these property values.

[0045] In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the HEMS controller 110 acquires control-related information related to HEMS control of the storage battery system 130 from the HEMS server 160 via the router 140 and the Internet 150. The control-related information is, for example, information related to weather warnings and weather forecasts. Based on the acquired control-related information, the HEMS controller 110 determines how to control the storage battery system 130 and outputs the control information to the storage battery system 130. This places the storage battery system 130 under the control of the HEMS. The VPP gateway 120 acquires instructions related to VPP control of the storage battery system 130 from the resource aggregator 170 via the router 140 and the Internet 150. Upon receiving the instructions, the VPP gateway 120 indirectly controls the storage battery system 130 by sending the instructions to the HEMS controller 110. The HEMS controller 110 outputs the control information to the storage battery system 130 based on the instructions. The storage battery system 130 receives control information from the HEMS controller 110 and operates the storage battery 131 in accordance with the control information. This places the storage battery system 130 under the control of the VPP. However, the storage battery exclusive control function of the HEMS controller 110 adjusts the storage battery control by the HEMS and the storage battery control by the VPP so that they are performed exclusively. As a modification of the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the VPP gateway 120 may be connected to the Internet 150 without going through the router 140, and the VPP gateway 120 may acquire information from the resource aggregator 170.

[0046] In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the HEMS controller 110 acquires control-related information regarding the HEMS control of the battery system 130 and instructions regarding the VPP control from the HEMS server 160 via the router 140 and the Internet 150. Based on the control-related information and the instructions regarding the VPP control acquired from the HEMS server 160, the HEMS controller 110 determines how to control the battery system 130 and outputs control information to the battery system 130. The battery system 130 that has received the control information from the HEMS controller 110 operates the battery 131 according to the control information. As a result, the battery system 130 will be placed under the control of the VPP or the HEMS according to the situation.

[0047] <Main Component Configuration of HEMS Controller 110> Referring to FIG. 3, the main component configuration of the HEMS controller 110 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the HEMS controller 110 includes a communication unit 111, a control unit 112, and a storage unit 113. The communication unit 111 is hardware that transmits and receives information to and from devices external to the HEMS controller 110 by wired or wireless communication. External devices include, for example, the above-described VPP gateway 120, the battery system 130 (specifically, the power monitor 134), the HEMS server 160, and the like.

[0048] The control unit 112 controls the HEMS controller 110 overall. The storage unit 113 is hardware that permanently stores programs and data used by the HEMS controller 110 and can also be expressed as storage. The storage unit 113 is realized, for example, as a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a hard disk device, a flash memory, or other non-volatile storage devices.

[0049] 3, the storage unit 113 stores at least a controller status 1131 and an equipment status backup 1132. The controller status 1131 is information indicating the current status of the HEMS controller 110. The equipment status backup 1132 is information indicating the operation mode of the storage battery system 130 immediately before the storage battery system 130 was placed under the control of the HEMS.

[0050] The HEMS controller 110 according to the first and second embodiments includes a processor and a memory as hardware components for implementing the control unit 112. The processor executes a series of instructions contained in a program stored in the memory or storage unit 113 based on a signal provided to the HEMS controller 110 or based on the establishment of a predetermined condition. The processor may be implemented as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other device, for example. The memory temporarily stores programs and data. The programs are loaded from the storage unit 113, for example. The data includes data input to the computer and data generated by the processor. The memory may be implemented as a random access memory (RAM), or other volatile memory, for example.

[0051] As an example, the processor accesses the storage unit 113, loads a program stored in the storage unit 113 into memory, and executes a series of instructions included in the program, thereby configuring each unit included in the control unit 112. The storage unit 113 may be realized as a removable storage device such as a memory card. Alternatively, instead of the storage built into the HEMS controller 110, a configuration may be used in which programs and data stored in an external storage device are used.

[0052] The control unit 112 includes an acquisition unit 1121 , a device control unit 1122 , a notification unit 1123 , a status setting unit 1124 , and a time measurement unit 1125 .

[0053] The acquisition unit 1121 acquires (receives) information transmitted from a device external to the HEMS controller 110. As an example, the acquisition unit 1121 acquires control-related information from the HEMS server 160. As another example, the acquisition unit 1121 acquires control information from the VPP gateway 120. The acquisition unit 1121 outputs the acquired information to at least one of the device control unit 1122 and the status setting unit 1124. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 1121 acquires information transmitted from the storage battery system 130.

[0054] The device control unit 1122 controls the storage battery system 130 based on the information acquired from the acquisition unit 1121. As an example, the device control unit 1122 transmits control information for controlling the storage battery system 130 to the storage battery system 130. The device control unit 1122 transmits a write request or a read request compliant with ECHONET Lite to the storage battery system 130 as the control information. The device control unit 1122 may also acquire information from the storage battery system 130 via the acquisition unit 1121 and control the storage battery system 130 based on the information. The device control unit 1122 may instruct the notification unit 1123 to execute at least one of a property value notification and a response in accordance with the control of the storage battery system 130.

[0055] Based on an instruction from the device control unit 1122 or the status setting unit 1124, the notification unit 1123 performs at least one of notifying the VPP gateway 120 (in the first embodiment) or the HEMS server 160 (in the second embodiment) of the property value and sending a response.

[0056] The state setting unit 1124 changes the controller state 1131, i.e., the current state of the HEMS controller 110, to another state based on the information acquired from the acquisition unit 1121, etc. Furthermore, when the state setting unit 1124 sets the state of the HEMS controller 110 to one of the VPP control states (the detailed states (value of the storage battery exclusive control property) shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is one of 0x82 to 0x8B), the state setting unit 1124 performs the following process: It instructs the time measurement unit 1125 to start measuring the period during which one of the VPP control states continues. It also instructs the notification unit 1123 to notify the VPP gateway 120 (in the first embodiment) or the HEMS server 160 (in the second embodiment) of the property value.

[0057] The time measurement unit 1125 measures the time elapsed since an instruction from the state setting unit 1124, based on the instruction. When the elapsed time reaches a predetermined threshold (for example, 24 hours), the time measurement unit 1125 notifies the state setting unit 1124 of this fact.

[0058] The controller state 1131 will be described in more detail. Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing examples of properties of controller classes managed by the HEMS controller 110. The HEMS controller 110 has a controller class in ECHONET Lite and operates based on this controller class. Note that Figures 5 and 6 show controller classes that are closely related to the first and second embodiments, and omit descriptions of classes that are less related to the first and second embodiments.

[0059] 5 and 6, the column "Property Name" stores the property name of battery exclusive control. Battery exclusive control indicates a state related to battery exclusive control in the configurations of the first and second embodiments, and is a property that the applicant has uniquely defined as an extension of ECHONET Lite. Details of battery exclusive control will be described later. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the property number indicating battery exclusive control is "EPC=0xF0."

[0060] 5 and 6, the "Access Rule" column stores three rules: "Set," "Get," and "State Change Announcement," just like in Fig. 4. That is, in the battery exclusive control, the possible actions are "Set," "Get," and "State Change Announcement."

[0061] The column "description" stores the states that the HEMS controller 110 can take during storage battery exclusive control. As shown in Fig. 4, during storage battery exclusive control, the HEMS controller 110 can take any one of the following states: a VPP controllable state (initial state), a VPP control in progress state, and a VPP control uncontrollable state (when a weather warning is issued).

[0062] The VPP controllable state (initial state) is a state in which the storage battery system 130 is not under VPP control but allows the storage battery system 130 to be placed under VPP control. The HEMS controller 110 is in the VPP controllable state (initial state) when it starts operating (for example, when the power is turned on). The VPP controllable state (weather warning issued) is a state in which the storage battery system 130 is not allowed to be placed under VPP control. The VPP controlled state is a state in which the storage battery system 130 is under VPP control. The VPP controllable state can also be said to be a state in which it is able to respond to VPP control, the VPP controllable state can also be said to be a state in which it is unable to respond to VPP control, and the VPP controlled state can also be said to be a state in which it is responding to VPP control.

[0063] In the VPP control state, the value ranges from 0x82 to 0x8B, which corresponds to a more detailed state (value of the battery exclusive control property). Detailed states are shown in Figures 5 and 6, corresponding to values ​​0x82 to 0x8B. Figure 5 shows the states corresponding to values ​​0x82 to 0x86, and Figure 6 shows the states corresponding to values ​​0x87 to 0x8B. The value 0x82 shown in Figure 5 corresponds to a state in which the VPP is under control and charging at maximum charge power. The value 0x83 corresponds to a state in which the VPP is under control and discharging at load following power. The value 0x84 corresponds to a state in which the VPP is under control and is on standby. The value 0x85 corresponds to a state in which the VPP is under control and operating in clean mode. The value 0x86 corresponds to a state in which the VPP is under control and charging at a specified power (specified power 2 kW). The value 0x87 shown in Figure 6 corresponds to a state in which the VPP is under control and discharging at a specified power (specified power 2 kW). The value 0x88 corresponds to a state in which the VPP control is in progress and the specified power is being charged (specified power 1 kW). The value 0x89 corresponds to a state in which the VPP control is in progress and the specified power is being discharged (specified power 1 kW). The value 0x8A corresponds to a state in which the VPP control is in progress and the maximum discharge power is being discharged. The value 0x8B corresponds to a state in which the VPP control is in progress and surplus power is being charged. In this way, the VPP control state is classified based on the charging and discharging of the storage battery 131 in the storage battery system 130 and the method of charging and discharging.

[0064] As noted in *1 in Figure 5, if a write request for VPP control is received and there is no storage battery capable of VPP control, the HEMS controller 110 immediately returns a write-disabled response. If the write request for VPP control is unsuccessful, the HEMS controller 110 performs a retry process by repeatedly sending the write request. If the request is unsuccessful after a predetermined number of retries (e.g., one time), the HEMS controller determines that the request was unsuccessful. In this case, the current state is maintained without a state transition. The right side of Figures 5 and 6 also shows whether or not two controls—weather warning linkage and weather forecast linkage—can be performed in each state. In each state, the HEMS controller can perform weather warning linkage when in the VPP control state. However, weather forecast linkage is not performed. If a predetermined period (e.g., 24 hours) has elapsed in the VPP control state, the HEMS controller transitions to the VPP controllable state (initial state). However, if a write request for the same property value as the current one is received before that, the current state is extended.

[0065] Weather warning linkage involves the HEMS controller 110 acquiring weather warning information as control-related information and controlling the storage battery system 130 when a weather warning for high tide, high waves, heavy snow, strong winds, flooding, heavy rain, blizzards, etc. is issued. The HEMS controller 110 places the storage battery system 130 under the control of the HEMS and charges the storage battery 131 until it is fully charged. Specifically, the HEMS controller 110 charges the storage battery 131 by continuously issuing charging instructions to the storage battery system 130 (power monitor 134). Once the storage battery 131 is fully charged, it maintains that state. As a result, even in the unlikely event of a power outage, various devices in the home, such as home appliances, can be used with the electricity stored in advance in the storage battery.

[0066] Weather forecast linkage is a control in which the HEMS controller 110 acquires weather forecast information as control-related information, places the storage battery system 130 under the control of the HEMS, and operates the storage battery 131 based on the acquired weather forecast information. Shortly before the start of the nighttime charging period, the HEMS controller 110 switches the automatic operation mode of the storage battery system 130 to clean mode (without nighttime charging) or to clean mode (with nighttime charging) in accordance with the weather forecast for the next day. However, because VPP control is set to have a higher priority than weather forecast linkage, VPP control is possible even during weather forecast linkage.

[0067] VPP control is a control in which the storage battery system 130 is placed under VPP control and the storage battery 131 operates based on instructions from the resource aggregator 170. Instructions to the storage battery system 130 under VPP control can be broadly classified as “charge,” “discharge,” “standby,” or “clean.” Depending on the resource aggregator, more detailed instructions to the storage battery system 130 may be desired. For example, a user may wish to specify the charging power (W) or discharging power (W) during charging and discharging. Alternatively, in the case of clean mode, a user may wish to charge only when surplus power is generated, without discharging. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4 , there are multiple properties that can affect charging and discharging. Therefore, these properties must be appropriately set to charge and discharge as intended. While it is possible for the HEMS server 160 to directly set these multiple properties for the storage battery system 130, this may require cumbersome processing. Furthermore, reading multiple properties and understanding the status of the storage battery 131 is also cumbersome processing. There is also a problem that the amount of communication between the HEMS controller 110 and the HEMS server 160 increases in order to write or read multiple properties of the storage battery class.

[0068] For this reason, in the first and second embodiments, the HEMS controller 110 handles detailed communication with the storage battery system 130, and the resource aggregator 170 is configured to only issue basic VPP control instructions. Specifically, the HEMS controller 110 sets a value of 0x82 to 0x8B (state) in the storage battery exclusive control property (EPC=0xF0) of the controller class, and makes a request to the storage battery system 130 when one of these values ​​is written. If the request to the storage battery system 130 is successful, the HEMS controller 110 transitions the state related to charge and discharge control. If the request to the storage battery 131 fails, the state is not transitioned. When the state related to charge and discharge control is transitioned, the HEMS controller 110 notifies the HEMS server 160. From the perspective of the HEMS server 160, the only property that needs to be written or read is the storage battery exclusive control property of the controller class, which reduces the amount of communication between the HEMS controller 110 and the HEMS server 160. The value of the battery exclusive control property of the controller class: 0x82 to 0x8B (state) is a summary of the battery control desired by the resource aggregator. Although it may not be possible to achieve detailed battery control, it is possible to achieve the battery control desired by most resource aggregators. In addition, the storage battery system 130 may be set not to be under the control of the VPP based on instructions from the resource aggregator 170. In such cases, the operation of the storage battery 131 is set to "automatic." The storage battery system 130 automatically operates the storage battery 131 according to one of the automatic operation modes provided in the power monitor 134.

[0069] <Controller state transition> FIG. 7 is a state transition diagram of the controller state managed by the HEMS controller 110. The controller state 1131 is data stored in the storage unit 113 as information indicating the state of the HEMS controller 110. Also, it is a property value of the controller class. As shown in FIG. 7, the HEMS controller 110 can transition from any of the broadly classified VPP controllable state (initial state), VPP control in progress state, and VPP uncontrollable state (during weather warning issuance) to other states. However, it does not transition from the VPP uncontrollable state (during weather warning issuance) to the VPP control in progress state. The VPP control in progress state is not a single state, but mainly takes any of the states corresponding to the above-mentioned values of 0x82 to 0x8B classified based on the charge and discharge of the battery 131 in the battery system 130 and its method. FIG. 7 shows each state that the battery exclusive control property (EPC = 0xF0) can take as an ellipse, and after / it shows the value taken by the battery exclusive control property. Also, the transition from one state to another state is indicated by an arrow. In addition to the transitions between the states shown by the arrows in FIG. 7, each state corresponding to the values of 0x82 to 0x8B in the VPP control in progress state can transition to each other. Since showing them in FIG. 7 would result in too many arrows, they are omitted. Also, when the VPP control in progress state continues for a predetermined period (for example, 24 hours), it transitions to the VPP controllable state which is the initial state, but when a write request with the same parameter values as the current controller state is received, the current state can be maintained beyond the aforementioned predetermined period (for example, 24 hours). That is, the current state can be extended.

[0070] Each arrow connecting the states in the state transition diagram shown in FIG. 7 is labeled with <T number> to identify each state transition. The description following the <T number> shown in FIG. 7 describes the trigger (event) for the state transition. Since the actions during the state transition are not shown in FIG. 7, they will be described in the text. The actions will also be described in FIGS. 8 and later.

[0071] At T7, the issuance of weather information triggers a transition from the VPP controllable state to the VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning in effect). During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 stores the original automatic operation mode in the device state backup 1132. Then, it sends a series of write requests to the power monitor 134 to charge the battery until it is fully charged (see D1504 in FIG. 15). If the series of write requests is successful, the controller state 1131 transitions to the VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning in effect).

[0072] At T8, the cancellation of the weather information triggers a transition from the VPP controllable state to the VPP controllable state. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 reads the original automatic operation mode from the device state backup 1132. Then, it sends a write request to the power monitor 134 to return to the original automatic operation mode (Set EPC=0xDA / 0x46 or Set EPC=0xF0 / original automatic operation mode, see D1608 in Figure 16). Which method is used depends on the specifications of the power monitor 134. If the write request is successful, the controller state 1131 transitions to the VPP controllable state.

[0073] T13 is a transition from the VPP controllable state to the VPP control state and the maximum charging power state. The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x82) sent from the upper layer. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 saves the original automatic operation mode as a backup. Then, it sends a series of write requests to the power monitor 134 to charge (charge at maximum charge power). Specifically, it sends the following series of write requests: Set EPC=0xDA / 0x42 (set operation mode to charge), Set EPC=0xA6 / 100 (set AC charging upper limit to 100%) Set EPC=0xC1 / 0x01 (set the charging method to maximum charging power), Set EPC=0xEB / 9990 (Set the charging power setting value to the rated maximum) Furthermore, if the AC charging amount setting value is not 0, Set EPC=0xAA / 0 (sets the AC charging amount setting value to 0) is sent (see D802 in Figure 8). If the series of write requests is successful, an instruction is given to the time measurement unit 1125 to start measuring the duration of the VPP control state, and the controller state 1131 is changed to a VPP control state and maximum charge power charging.

[0074] T14 is a transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP control state and load following discharge state. The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x83) sent from the upper layer. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 saves the original automatic operation mode as a backup. Then, it sends a series of write requests to the power monitor 134 to discharge (load following discharge). Specifically, it sends the following series of write requests: Set EPC=0xDA / 0x43 (set operation mode to discharge), Set EPC=0xA7 / Keep remaining capacity (set the lower limit of discharge to keep remaining capacity), Set EPC=0xC2 / 0x02 (set discharge method to load following discharge), Set EPC=0xEC / 9990 (Request to set the discharge power setting to the rated maximum) Furthermore, if the AC discharge amount setting value is not 0, Set EPC=0xAB / 0 (sets the AC discharge amount setting value to 0) is sent (the series of write requests is the same as D1802 in FIG. 18). If the series of write requests are successful, the time measurement unit 1125 is instructed to start measuring the duration of the VPP control state, and the controller state 1131 is transitioned to a VPP control state and load following discharge.

[0075] T15 is a transition from the VPP controllable state to the VPP control and standby state. The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x84) sent from the upper layer. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 saves the original automatic operation mode in a backup. Then, it sends a write request to the power monitor 134 to set the operation mode of the storage battery 131 to standby. Specifically, Set EPC=0xDA / 0x44 (set operation mode to standby) Send. If the write request is successful, the timer 1125 is instructed to start measuring the duration of the VPP control state, and the controller state 1131 is changed to the VPP control state and standby state.

[0076] T16 is a transition from a VPP controlled state with EPC = 0xF0 / 0x82 to 0x8B (excluding 0x85) to a VPP controllable state. The transition is triggered when an instruction to terminate VPP control (DR control) is sent from a higher layer, i.e., an instruction (Set EPC = 0xF0 / 0x80) to transition from a VPP controlled state to a VPP controllable state (initial state). Alternatively, the transition is triggered when the VPP controlled state continues for a predetermined period of time, or when the storage battery becomes abnormal (Set not possible state). During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request (Set EPC=0xDA / 0x46) to the power monitor 134 to return to the automatic operation mode before transition to the VPP control state (see, for example, D1002 in FIG. 10). If the write request is successful, the time measurement unit 1125 is instructed to end measurement of the duration of the VPP control state, and the controller state 1131 is transitioned to a VPP controllable state.

[0077] T17 is a transition from a VPP controllable state where EPC=0xF0 / 0x82 to 0x8B (excluding 0x85) to a VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning issued). The transition to this state is triggered by the issuance of weather information. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request to the power monitor 134 to charge until full charge, and if the request is successful, transitions the controller state 1131 to a VPP controllable state.

[0078] T18 is a transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP controlled state and clean mode operation. The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x85) sent from the upper layer. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 stores the original automatic operation mode in the device state backup 1132. Then, it sends a write request to change the automatic operation mode to clean mode (no overnight charging) (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x85) to the power monitor 134. If the write request is successful, it transitions the controller state 1131 to a VPP control state and clean mode operation.

[0079] T19 is a transition from a VPP control state and clean mode operation to a VPP controllable state. The transition is triggered when an instruction to end DR control (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x80) is sent from the upper layer, when the VPP control state continues for a specified period, or when the storage battery state becomes abnormal (Set not possible state). During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 reads the original automatic operation mode from the device state backup 1132. Then, it sends a write request to return to the original automatic operation mode (Set EPC=0xF0 / original automatic operation mode) to the power monitor 134 (see D1102 in FIG. 11). If the write request is successful, it instructs the time measurement unit 1125 to end measurement of the duration of the VPP control in progress state. Then, it transitions the controller state 1131 to a VPP controllable state.

[0080] T20 is a transition from a VPP control state and clean mode operation to a VPP control unavailable state (weather warning issued). The transition to this state is triggered by the issuance of weather information. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request to the power monitor 134 to charge until full charge, and if the write request is successful, transitions the controller state 1131 to a VPP controllable state (weather warning issued).

[0081] T21 is a transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP control state and a specified power charging state (2 kW specified). The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x86) sent from the upper layer. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 saves the original automatic operation mode as a backup. Then, a series of write requests to charge (charge the specified power) are sent to the power monitor 134. Specifically, the following series of write requests are sent. Set EPC=0xDA / 0x42 (set operation mode to charge), Set EPC=0xA6 / 100 (set AC charging upper limit to 100%) Set EPC=0xC1 / 0x03 (set charging method to specified power charging), Set EPC=0xEB / 2000 (Set the charging power setting to 2kW) (However, If there are multiple storage batteries, a value obtained by dividing the predetermined value proportionally is assigned to each storage battery. For example, if you specify 2kW for two storage batteries, you need to assign 1kW to each storage battery. (Specify Furthermore, if the AC charging amount setting value is not 0, Set EPC=0xAA / 0 (sets the AC charging amount setting value to 0) is sent. If the series of write requests is successful, the timer 1125 is instructed to start measuring the duration of the VPP control state, and the controller state 1131 is transitioned to a VPP control state and designated power charging (2 kW designated).

[0082] T22 is a transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP control state and a specified power discharging state (2 kW specified). The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x87) sent from the upper layer. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 saves the original automatic operation mode as a backup. Then, it sends a series of write requests to the power monitor 134 to discharge (specified power discharge). Specifically, it sends the following series of write requests: Set EPC=0xDA / 0x43 (set operation mode to discharge), Set EPC=0xA7 / Keep remaining capacity (set the lower limit of discharge to keep remaining capacity), Set EPC=0xC2 / 0x03 (set the discharge method to specified power discharge), Set EPC=0xEC / 2000 (discharge power setting value is set to 2kW) (However, If there are multiple storage batteries, a value obtained by dividing the predetermined value proportionally is assigned to each storage battery. For example, if you specify 2kW for two storage batteries, you need to assign 1kW to each storage battery. (Specify the Furthermore, if the AC discharge amount setting value is not 0, Set EPC=0xAB / 0 (sets the AC discharge amount setting value to 0) is sent. If the series of write requests is successful, the timer 1125 is instructed to start measuring the duration of the VPP control state. Then, the controller state 1131 is transitioned to a VPP control state with specified power discharging (specified at 2 kW). Note that in specified power discharge, reverse flow discharge is possible if the storage battery reverse flow setting state is set to possible, but if it is set to impossible, discharge is limited to the range of self-consumption. In other words, discharge is limited to a range that does not result in electricity being sold.

[0083] T23 is a transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP control state and a specified power charging state (1 kW specified). The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x88) sent from the upper layer. The only difference from T21 is that the charging power setting value for designated power charging is set to 1kW, but otherwise it is the same.

[0084] T24 is a transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP control state and a specified power discharging state (1 kW specified). The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x89) sent from the upper layer. The only difference from T22 is that the discharge power setting value for specified power discharge is set to 1 kW, but otherwise it is the same.

[0085] T25 is a transition from the VPP controllable state to the VPP control state and the maximum discharge power discharging state. The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x8A) sent from the upper layer. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 saves the original automatic operation mode as a backup. Then, it sends a series of write requests to the power monitor 134 to discharge (discharge the maximum discharge power). Specifically, it sends the following series of write requests: Set EPC=0xDA / 0x43 (set operation mode to discharge), Set EPC=0xA7 / Keep remaining capacity (set the lower limit of discharge to keep remaining capacity), Set EPC=0xC2 / 0x01 (set the discharge method to maximum discharge power discharge), Set EPC=0xEC / 9990 (Set the discharge power setting to the maximum rated value) Furthermore, if the AC discharge amount setting value is not 0, Set EPC=0xAB / 0 (sets the AC discharge amount setting value to 0) is sent. If the series of write requests is successful, the timer 1125 is instructed to start measuring the duration of the VPP control state. Then, the controller state 1131 is transitioned to a VPP control state and maximum discharge power discharging. Note that in maximum discharge power discharging, reverse power discharge is possible if the storage battery reverse power flow setting state is set to possible, but if it is set to impossible, discharge is limited to the range of self-consumption. In other words, discharge is limited to a range that does not result in selling of electricity.

[0086] T26 is a transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP control state and surplus power charging state. The transition is triggered by a DR control instruction (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x8B) sent from the upper layer. During this state transition, the HEMS controller 110 saves the original automatic operation mode as a backup. Then, it sends a series of write requests to the power monitor 134 to charge (charge surplus power). Specifically, it sends the following series of write requests: Set EPC=0xDA / 0x42 (set operation mode to charge), Set EPC=0xA6 / 100 (set AC charging upper limit to 100%) Set EPC=0xC1 / 0x02 (set charging method to surplus power charging), Set EPC=0xEB / 9990 (Set charging power to the rated maximum) Furthermore, if the AC charging amount setting value is not 0, Set EPC=0xAA / 0 (sets the AC charging amount setting value to 0) is sent. If the series of write requests is successful, an instruction is given to the time measurement unit 1125 to start measuring the duration of the VPP control state. Then, the controller state 1131 is transitioned to a VPP control state with surplus power charging. Note that surplus power charging is performed within the range of surplus power. In other words, charging is performed within a range that does not result in power purchase. There are other ways of giving an instruction to charge surplus power, which will be described later.

[0087] <Flow of communication and processing in the storage battery control system 100> Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing communications between the upper layer (VPP gateway 120 shown in Figure 1 or HEMS server 160 shown in Figure 2), the HEMS controller 110, and the power monitor 134 in the battery storage system 130, as well as the timeline of these communications. In the first embodiment, the VPP gateway 120 is the host that communicates with the HEMS controller 110. In the second embodiment, the HEMS controller 110 communicates with the HEMS server 160 on the higher-level side. In the following description of the sequence diagrams, the counterpart communicating with the HEMS controller 110 on the upper side will be simply referred to as the upper layer (unless there is a particular need to distinguish between them). Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram when an upper layer requests one of the VPP control states (for example, charging at maximum charge power) from the HEMS controller 110. When the HEMS controller 110 receives the request while in a VPP controllable state, it performs processing to transition to a VPP control state and a state in which charging at maximum charge power is in progress. Fig. 8 shows an example of the processing flow during this state transition. In the first embodiment, the communication protocol between the VPP gateway 120 and the HEMS controller 110 is the ECHONET Lite standard. In the second embodiment, the communication protocol between the HEMS server 160 and the HEMS controller 110 is one in which part of the message content follows the ECHONET Lite standard. Therefore, communications between them (write request, write response, etc.) will be described in the same manner as the ECHONET Lite standard.

[0088] The upper layer sends a write request (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x82) to the HEMS controller 110 (D801). This is a request to write "VPP controlled state and charging at maximum charge power" to the storage battery exclusive control property value of the controller class managed by the HEMS controller 110, and is a request to control the storage battery system 130 in this manner.

[0089] When the acquisition unit 1121 of the HEMS controller 110 acquires a write request (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x82), it outputs the write request to the device control unit 1122. Upon acquiring the write request, the device control unit 1122 saves the original automatic operation mode in the device state backup 1132 (step S80; hereafter, "step" is omitted). Because the HEMS controller 110 sequentially acquires the automatic operation mode of the storage battery 131, there is no need to acquire the automatic operation mode again at this timing. The original automatic operation mode is required when terminating the VPP control state. This is particularly required when returning to the initial state from the VPP control state and clean mode operation. In the VPP control state, transitions can occur between other detailed states (where the value of the storage battery exclusive control property is 0x82 to 0x8B), so processing is required to save the original automatic operation mode. Then, the device control unit 1122 performs the processing described above for the state transition at T13 in FIG. 7. (D802) In response to the write request, the storage battery system 130 operates the storage battery 131 at the maximum charging power (S81).

[0090] The power monitor 134 returns a write response (D803) to each of these write requests. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the response indicates that the write requests have been successful. When the acquisition unit 1121 acquires these write responses, it outputs the acquired write responses to the device control unit 1122. When the device control unit 1122 determines that the write requests have been successful, it notifies the state setting unit 1124 that the write requests have been successful. The state setting unit 1124 instructs the time measurement unit 1125 to start measuring the duration of the VPP controlled state (S82). Furthermore, it transitions the state of the HEMS controller 110, indicated by the controller state 1131, to a VPP controlled state and a state in which the HEMS controller 110 is being charged at maximum charge power (S83). Furthermore, the state setting unit 1124 instructs the notification unit 1123 to send a write response to the upper layer.

[0091] Based on an instruction from the status setting unit 1124, the notification unit 1123 transmits a write response (D804) to the upper layer to the upper layer. The notification unit 1123 also transmits a status notification (D805) to the upper layer indicating that the device has transitioned to a VPP controlled state and a maximum charging power charging state. This status notification is common to the first and second embodiments and is transmitted by multicast. Therefore, any ECHONET Lite device (including the VPP gateway 120) connected to the same LAN can receive the notification. However, this does not necessarily mean that all ECHONET Lite devices connected to the same LAN can receive the notification. In the second embodiment, in addition to the multicast notification, the status notification (D805) is also transmitted to the HEMS server 160. Communication with the HEMS server 160 may conform to the ECHONET Lite standard. The same applies to the status notification below.

[0092] If the storage battery system 130 includes multiple storage batteries, the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request to each storage battery. If the request to one or more storage batteries is successful, the state transitions to a VPP controlled state and a state in which the battery is being charged at maximum charge power. The above is an example of the flow of communication and processing in the transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP controlled state and a state in which the battery is being charged at maximum charge power. FIG. 8 shows an example of the transition to a VPP controlled state and a state in which the battery is being charged at maximum charge power (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x82), but the same applies to transitions to other VPP controlled states (the values ​​indicating the detailed state are 0x83 to 0x8B).

[0093] Fig. 9 shows an example of the flow of communication and processing when the HEMS controller 110 receives a request for one of the VPP control states (for example, charging at maximum charge power) but is unsuccessful in the VPP controllable state, as in Fig. 8. D901, S90, and D902 are the same as D801, S80, and D802 in Fig. 8, respectively.

[0094] The HEMS controller 110 waits for a write response to each of a series of write requests (D902) to the property value of the storage battery class related to maximum charge power charging. Unlike FIG. 8, FIG. 9 illustrates a case where a response (D903) indicating that the writing of the property value was unsuccessful is returned, or a timeout (D903) occurs without a write response being returned. When the acquisition unit 1121 receives an unsuccessful write response or a timeout occurs, the acquisition unit 1121 performs a retry process to repeatedly send the write request (D904) and waits for a write response (D905) to the resent write request. When a write-disabled response is received or a timeout occurs for any of the write requests, the HEMS controller 110 retries the unsuccessful write request until a predetermined number of times is reached. FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which the predetermined number of times is one. However, the predetermined number of times for performing the retry process is not limited to this.

[0095] Upon receiving the write response, the receiving unit 1121 outputs the received write response to the device control unit 1122. If the device control unit 1122 determines that the write has not been successful even after a predetermined number of retries, it notifies the state setting unit 1124 that the write request has not been successful. If the write request has not been successful, the state setting unit 1124 maintains the current state without changing the state of the HEMS controller 110 from the current VPP controllable state. Then, the state setting unit 1124 instructs the notification unit 1123 to send a write response to the upper layer. This is a response indicating that the request has not been successful. Based on the instruction from the state setting unit 1124, the notification unit 1123 sends a write response (D906) indicating that the request has not been successful to the upper layer.

[0096] The above is an example of the communication and processing flow when the transition from a VPP controllable state to a VPP controlled state and charging at maximum charge power is unsuccessful. There are various possible situations in which a write request may be unsuccessful. For example, communication may be unstable, the write request may not be accepted due to stand-alone operation or an error, or the storage battery may be in the process of recalculating its effective capacity.

[0097] Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a state transition in the opposite direction to that in Fig. 8. Specifically, the upper layer requests the HEMS controller 110 to transition to a VPP controllable state (initial state). When the HEMS controller 110 receives the request while in a VPP controlled state (for example, during charging with maximum charging power), it transitions to the VPP controllable state (initial state). Fig. 10 shows an example of the flow of communication and processing at that time. If the VPP controlled state continues for a predetermined period, the HEMS controller 110 also transitions to the VPP controllable state, which will be described separately later.

[0098] The upper layer sends a write request (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x80) to the HEMS controller 110 (D1001). When the acquisition unit 1121 of the HEMS controller 110 acquires the write request, it outputs the write request to the device control unit 1122. When the device control unit 1122 acquires the write request, it performs processing related to the state transition of T16 shown in FIG. 7. That is, it sends a write request (D1002) to the storage battery system 130, more specifically, to the power monitor 134, to set the property value of the storage battery class to return the storage battery 131 to the original automatic operation mode. For example, this is Set EPC=0xDA / 0x46 (a request to set the operation mode to automatic). In response to the write request, the storage battery system 130 operates the storage battery 131 in the automatic operation mode (S101).

[0099] The power monitor 134 returns a write response (D1003) to each write request. In the example shown in FIG. 10, a response indicating that the write request was successful is returned. When the acquisition unit 1121 acquires the write response, it outputs the acquired write response to the device control unit 1122. When the device control unit 1122 determines that the write request is successful, it notifies the status setting unit 1124 that the write request was successful. The status setting unit 1124 instructs the time measurement unit 1125 to stop timing the duration of the VPP controlled state (S102). Then, the state of the HEMS controller 110 transitions to a VPP controllable state (S103). Furthermore, the status setting unit 1124 instructs the notification unit 1123 to send a write response to the upper layer. Based on the instruction from the status setting unit 1124, the notification unit 1123 transmits the write response (D1004) to the upper layer. Furthermore, the notification unit 1123 transmits a state notification (D1005) to the upper layer indicating that the state has transitioned to a VPP controllable state.

[0100] The above is an example of the flow of communication and processing in the transition from the VPP controlled state (for example, charging at maximum charge power) to the VPP controllable state (initial state). Fig. 10 shows an example of the transition from the VPP controlled state and the state of charging at maximum charge power (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x82) to the VPP controllable state, but the transition from other VPP controlled states (the values ​​indicating the detailed state are 0x83 to 84, 0x86 to 0x8B) to the VPP controllable state is similar. However, the transition from the VPP controlled state and the clean mode operating state (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x85) to the VPP controllable state is slightly different.

[0101] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a transition from a VPP control state and clean mode operation state to a VPP controllable state. FIG. 11 is almost the same as FIG. 10, except for the write request to the storage battery to return to the automatic operation mode. That is, in FIG. 10, a request to set the operation mode of the storage battery to automatic (Set EPC=0xDA / 0x46) is issued. The decision of which automatic operation mode to return to is left to the power monitor 134. In contrast, in FIG. 11, the HEMS controller 110 directly rewrites the automatic operation mode setting of the power monitor 134. That is, the HEMS controller 110 reads the original automatic operation mode stored in the device status backup 1132 (S111). Then, the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x40, 0x41, 0x46, or 0x47) corresponding to the original automatic operation mode (a request to return the automatic operation mode setting to the original mode) to the power monitor 134 (S112).

[0102] 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a case where an attempt to transition from a VPP controlled state (for example, charging at maximum charge power) to a VPP controllable state (initial state) is unsuccessful, similar to that of FIG. 10. Write requests D1201 and D1202 are the same as D1001 and D1002 in FIG. 10, respectively.

[0103] The HEMS controller 110 waits for a write response to each write request Set EPC=0xDA / 0x46 (a request to set the operation mode to automatic, D1202) to return to the original automatic operation mode. Unlike FIG. 10, FIG. 12 illustrates a case where a response (D1203) indicating that the writing of the property value was unsuccessful is returned, or a timeout (D1203) occurs without a write response being returned. When the acquisition unit 1121 receives an unsuccessful write response or a timeout occurs, the acquisition unit 1121 performs a retry process to repeatedly send the write request (D1204) and waits for a write response (D1205) to the resent write request. In this way, when an unsuccessful write response is received for any write request or a timeout occurs, the HEMS controller 110 retries the unsuccessful write request until a predetermined number of times is reached. FIG. 12 illustrates an example in which the predetermined number of times is one. However, the predetermined number of times for performing the retry process is not limited to this.

[0104] When the acquisition unit 1121 acquires the write response, it outputs the acquired write response to the device control unit 1122. If the device control unit 1122 determines that the write has not been successful even after a predetermined number of retries, it notifies the state setting unit 1124 that the write request has not been successful. If the write request has not been successful, the state setting unit 1124 maintains the current state of the HEMS controller 110, without changing it from the current VPP control state and maximum charge power charging state. Then, the state setting unit 1124 instructs the notification unit 1123 to send a write response to the upper layer. This is a response indicating that the request has not been successful.

[0105] Based on instructions from the state setting unit 1124, the notification unit 1123 transmits a write response (D1206) indicating that the request was unsuccessful to the upper layer. The above is an example of the flow of communication and processing when the transition from the VPP controlled state (for example, charging at maximum charge power) to the VPP controllable state (initial state) is unsuccessful. There are various possible situations in which the write request may be unsuccessful. For example, this may be when communication is unstable, when the write request cannot be accepted due to independent operation or an error, or when the storage battery is in the process of recalculating the effective capacity.

[0106] 13 and 14 are sequence diagrams illustrating an example of transitioning to a VPP controllable state (initial state) after a predetermined period of time has passed since the VPP control state began. When the VPP control state has continued for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 24 hours), the time measurement unit 1125 of the HEMS controller 110 notifies the state setting unit 1124 of this (S131). Upon receiving this notification, the state setting unit 1124 sends a write request (D1302) to the power monitor 134 of the battery system 130 to write to the property value of the battery class, requesting that the battery 131 be returned to the original automatic operation mode. For example, this is Set EPC=0xDA / 0x46 (a request to set the operation mode to automatic). In response to the write request, the battery system 130 operates the battery 131 in the automatic operation mode (S132).

[0107] 13, the power monitor 134 returns a successful write response (D1303) in response to the write request. When the acquisition unit 1121 acquires the write response, it outputs the acquired write response to the device control unit 1122. When the device control unit 1122 determines that the write request is successful, it notifies the status setting unit 1124 that the write request is successful. The status setting unit 1124 transitions the status of the HEMS controller 110 to a VPP controllable status (S133). Furthermore, the status setting unit 1124 instructs the notification unit 1123 to transmit a status notification indicating that the status has transitioned to a VPP controllable status. The notification unit 1123 transmits a status notification (D1305) to an upper layer indicating that the status has transitioned to a VPP controllable status.

[0108] The above is an example of the flow of communication and processing in the transition from the VPP control state and charging at maximum charge power to the VPP controllable state. Fig. 13 shows an example of the transition from the VPP control state and charging at maximum charge power (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x82) to the VPP controllable state. The same applies to the transition from other VPP control states (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x83-84, 0x86-0x8B) to the VPP controllable state. In the transition from the VPP control state and clean mode operation state (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x85) to the VPP controllable state, the communication D1302 for returning the storage battery to the original automatic operation mode differs from the write request D1002. That is, the write request for the HEMS controller 110 to return the storage battery to the original automatic operation mode is Set EPC=0xF0 / (original automatic operation mode).

[0109] The example shown in FIG. 14 shows a case where a response (D1403) indicating that writing of the property value was unsuccessful is returned, or a timeout (D1403) occurs without a write response being returned. When the acquisition unit 1121 receives an unsuccessful write response or times out, it performs a retry process of repeatedly sending the write request (D1404) and waits for a write response (D1405) to the resent write request. In this way, when an unsuccessful write response is received for any write request or a timeout occurs, the HEMS controller 110 retries the unsuccessful write request until a predetermined number of times is reached. FIG. 14 shows an example where the predetermined number of times is one. However, the predetermined number of times for performing the retry process is not limited to this.

[0110] When the acquisition unit 1121 acquires the write response, it outputs the acquired write response to the device control unit 1122. If the device control unit 1122 determines that the write has not been successful even after a predetermined number of retries, it notifies the state setting unit 1124 that the write request has not been successful. Even if the write request has not been successful, the state setting unit 1124 transitions the state of the HEMS controller 110 to a VPP controllable state (S142). This is because if the VPP control in progress state continues for a predetermined period of time, it is highly likely that the state corresponding to the VPP control instruction received from the upper layer cannot be maintained. The notification unit 1123 transmits a state notification (D1406) to the upper layer indicating that the state has transitioned to a VPP controllable state (initial state).

[0111] The above is an example of the communication and processing flow for the transition from the VPP controlled state (for example, charging at maximum charge power) to the VPP controllable state in the example shown in Figure 14. Figure 14 shows an example of the transition from the VPP controlled state and charging at maximum charge power (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x82) to the VPP controllable state, but the transition from other VPP controlled states (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x83 to 84, 0x86 to 0x8B) to the VPP controllable state is similar. The transition from the VPP controlled state and operating in clean mode (the value indicating the detailed state is 0x85) to the VPP controllable state differs in the communication of D1402, which returns the storage battery to its original automatic operation mode, but the rest is the same.

[0112] 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transition from a VPP controllable state (initial state) to a VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning issued) when a weather warning is issued. As shown in Fig. 15, the HEMS controller 110 periodically acquires information notifying the issuance of a weather warning from the HEMS server 160 as control-related information. When the HEMS controller 110 determines that the acquired control-related information notifies the issuance of a weather warning, it executes the process related to the state transition at T7 described above (S153, D1504, and S154 shown in Fig. 15).

[0113] The power monitor 134 returns a write response (D1505) to each of these write requests. If the HEMS controller 110 determines that these write requests have been successful, it transitions the state of the HEMS controller 110 from a VPP controllable state (initial state) to a VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning issued) (S155). The HEMS controller 110 also transmits a state notification (D1506) to the upper layer indicating that it has transitioned to a VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning issued). This notification lets the upper layer know that VPP control is not possible. The above is an example of transitioning from a VPP controllable state to a VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning issued).

[0114] The HEMS controller 110 notifies the upper layer that it has transitioned to a VPP control unavailable state (weather warning issued) using the above-mentioned state notification (D1506). If the upper layer is aware of the state of the HEMS controller 110 through the state notification, the upper layer will not send a write request related to VPP control while the HEMS controller 110 is in a VPP control unavailable state (weather warning issued). On the other hand, if the upper layer is not aware of the state of the HEMS controller 110, the upper layer may send a write request related to VPP control regardless of the state of the HEMS controller 110. However, if the HEMS controller 110 receives a write request related to VPP control from the upper layer while in a VPP control unavailable state (weather warning issued) (D1507), it immediately returns a write unavailable response (D1508). There is no state transition. The above is the example shown in FIG. 15. Basically, if the upper layer is aware that the HEMS controller 110 is in a VPP control unavailable state (weather warning issued), it will not send a write request related to VPP control. While the HEMS controller 110 is in a VPP control uncontrollable state (when a weather warning is issued), the HEMS controller 110 immediately returns a write uncontrollable response even if a write request related to VPP control is received.

[0115] 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of transitioning from a VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning issued) to a VPP controllable state (initial state) when the weather warning is lifted. As shown in FIG. 7, there is no direct transition from the VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning issued) to a VPP controlled state. When the weather warning is lifted, there is a transition from the VPP uncontrollable state (weather warning issued) to a VPP controllable state (initial state).

[0116] When the HEMS controller 110 determines that the control-related information (D1607) acquired from the HEMS server 160 indicates that the weather warning has been lifted (S166), it reads the original automatic operation mode from the backup (S167) and performs the following process: The original automatic operation mode is read from the backup (S167), and the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request (Set EPC=0xDA / 0x46, or Set EPC=0xF0 / original automatic operation mode) to the property value of the storage battery class to the power monitor 134 of the storage battery system 130 to return the storage battery 131 to the original automatic operation mode (D1608). In response to the write request, the storage battery system 130 operates the storage battery 131 in the original automatic operation mode (S168).

[0117] Furthermore, the power monitor 134 returns a successful write response (D1609) to the HEMS controller 110 in response to the write request. When the HEMS controller 110 receives the write response and determines that the write request has been successful, it transitions the state of the HEMS controller 110 to a VPP controllable state (S169). The HEMS controller 110 also transmits a state notification (D1610) to the upper layer indicating that the state has transitioned to a VPP controllable state (initial state). This notification informs the upper layer that VPP control is again possible. The above is an example of the flow of communication and processing when a weather warning is lifted and the state transitions from a VPP controllable state (weather warning in effect) to a VPP controllable state (initial state).

[0118] FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a case where, while the HEMS controller 110 is in a VPP control state (for example, charging at maximum charge power), it receives a write request for the controller state 1131 that is the same as the current state. The HEMS controller 110 receives a write request for a value indicating the same VPP control state (for example, charging at maximum charge power) as the current state from an upper layer (D1701). The HEMS controller 110 then sends a series of write requests (D1702) to the property values, similar to D902 in FIG. 9. This notifies the storage battery system 130 that HEMS control is continuing. In response to the write request, the storage battery system 130 continues charging the storage battery 131 at maximum charge power (S172).

[0119] The power monitor 134 returns a write response (D1703) to each of these write requests. If the HEMS controller 110 receives these write responses and determines that the write requests were successful, it extends the measurement of the duration of the VPP controlled state (S173). At this time, the state does not transition. The HEMS controller 110 also returns a successful write response to the upper layer (D1704). The above is an example of the flow of communication and processing for extending the VPP controlled state. While FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a write request to the same state from a VPP controlled state and maximum charging power charging, the same applies to other VPP controlled states.

[0120] FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a case where, while in a VPP controlled state (for example, charging at maximum charge power), a write request is received for the controller state 1131, which is still in the VPP controlled state but has a different value for the storage battery exclusive control property indicating the detailed state. The HEMS controller 110 receives from an upper layer a write request for a value indicating a VPP controlled state different from the current state (for example, during load following discharging). This causes a transition from the VPP controlled state and during maximum charge power charging to the VPP controlled state and during load following discharging. D1802, S181, and D1803 shown in FIG. 18 are the same as D802, S81, and D803 shown in FIG. 8, respectively, except that the detailed state of the transition destination is 0x83.

[0121] If it is determined that the write request was successful, the HEMS controller 110 instructs the time measurement unit 1125 to start measuring the duration of the VPP controlled state (S182). Then, the state transitions to a VPP controlled state and load following discharging state (S183). Subsequent steps D1804 and D1805 are the same as steps D804 and D805 shown in FIG. 8. The above is an example of the flow of communication and processing for extending the VPP controlled state and maximum charging power charging state. FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a transition from a VPP controlled state and maximum charging power charging state to a VPP controlled state and load following discharging state, but the same applies to transitions from another VPP controlled state to another VPP controlled state.

[0122] FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example in which the storage battery system 130 becomes uncontrollable during VPP control (for example, during maximum charge power charging). The HEMS controller 110 normally acquires the status of the storage battery 131 of the storage battery system 130. The HEMS controller 110 sends a read request for property values ​​indicating various states of the storage battery 131 to the power monitor 134 (D1901). For example, the read request may indicate whether an abnormality has occurred, a manufacturer abnormality code indicating the type of abnormality, the grid connection status, the operation mode setting (indicating a state such as the effective capacity being recalculated), and the ECHONET Lite setting (whether Set is permitted) (D1901). In response to the read request, the storage battery system 130 transmits a read response for the requested property values ​​to the HEMS controller 110 (D1902). In this way, the HEMS controller 110 recognizes various states of the storage battery system 130.

[0123] Furthermore, for properties with status change announcements, if there is a change in the value, an INF notification is sent from the power monitor 134. The HEMS controller 110 can also recognize various states of the storage battery system 130 by receiving the INF notification from the power monitor 134 (D1903).

[0124] When the HEMS controller 110 determines that the storage battery 131 has entered an uncontrollable state (a state in which the property value cannot be set), if the state of the HEMS controller 110 is other than the VPP controllable state (initial state), the HEMS controller 110 transitions to the VPP controllable state (initial state) (S191). Examples of states in which the storage battery 131 cannot be controlled include the following: when the grid connection state becomes independent; when the abnormality state becomes abnormal (an error that does not automatically return); when the operation mode setting becomes effective capacity recalculation (a mode not shown in FIG. 4); when the ECHONET Lite setting (a property not shown in FIG. 4) becomes set prohibited; or when a state in which communication with the storage battery system cannot be performed continues for 30 minutes or more. In these cases, the HEMS controller 110 transitions to the VPP controllable state (initial state) (S191). The HEMS controller 110 also transmits a state notification (D1904) to the upper layer indicating that the storage battery 131 has transitioned to the VPP controllable state (initial state). This notification lets the upper layer know that VPP control has been interrupted. The above is an example of a case where the battery storage system 130 becomes uncontrollable during VPP control. In Figure 19, as an example, the battery storage system is in a VPP control state and is being charged to maximum charge power, but the same applies to other VPP control states.

[0125] 20 is a sequence diagram showing an example of when the HEMS controller 110 restarts during VPP control (for example, during charging at maximum charge power). The HEMS controller 110 does not restart autonomously, but may be restarted, for example, during a firmware update or by remote control. Before restarting, the HEMS controller 110 stores the value of the storage battery exclusive control property (the value is 0x82 when the HEMS controller 110 is under VPP control and charging at maximum charge power) in the nonvolatile storage device of the storage unit 113 (S202). Then, the HEMS controller 110 restarts itself (S203).

[0126] After restarting, the HEMS controller 110 sets its own state to a VPP controllable state (initial state) (S204). The HEMS controller 110 reads the state of the storage battery exclusive control before restart that was stored in non-volatile memory. The HEMS controller 110 also sends a read request to the power monitor 134 to acquire the current state of the storage battery 131 (D2003). In response to the read request, the power monitor 134 returns the state of the storage battery 131 (S205). Upon receiving the read response (D2004) from the power monitor 134, the HEMS controller 110 checks whether the read state of the storage battery 131 is consistent with the value of the storage battery exclusive control property before restart that is stored in the non-volatile storage device of the memory unit 113. For example, if the value of the storage battery exclusive control property before restart is 0x82, the HEMS controller 110 checks whether the operation mode setting of the storage battery 131 is charging and the charging method is maximum charging power charging. If there is no inconsistency, the state before restart is restored (S206). On the other hand, if there is an inconsistency, the state before the restart is not restored and the initial state (VPP controllable state) is maintained. When the state is restored, the HEMS controller 110 transmits a state notification (D2005) to the upper layer indicating that the state has transitioned to a VPP controlled state (for example, charging at maximum charge power). Furthermore, when restored, the HEMS controller 110 transitions to the state before the restart, "VPP controlled state and charging at maximum charge power." The above is an example of when the HEMS controller 110 restarts itself in a VPP controlled state. In FIG. 20, the VPP controlled state and charging at maximum charge power is shown as an example, but the same applies to other VPP controlled states.

[0127] FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a case where, in a VPP controllable state (initial state), the HEMS controller 110 receives a write request for the same controller state 1131 as the VPP controllable state. When the HEMS controller 110 receives a write request (D2101 shown in FIG. 21, Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x80) from an upper layer to write a value indicating the VPP controllable state (initial state) to the property value of the storage battery exclusive control, the HEMS controller 110 performs the following process. Even if the received write request is the same as the current controller state 1131, the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request (D2102) to the property value of the storage battery class to the power monitor 134. The write request is Set EPC=0xDA / 0x46 (a request to set the operation mode to automatic). This is because, even if the state of the HEMS controller 110 and the state of the storage battery 131 are inconsistent, the storage battery 131 can be returned to the automatic operation mode by issuing another write request to the storage battery system 130. In response to the write request, the storage battery system 130 operates the storage battery 131 in the automatic operation mode (S211). If the storage battery 131 was originally in the automatic operation mode, the operation in the automatic operation mode continues.

[0128] The power monitor 134 returns a write response (D2103) to each of these write requests (D2102). However, since the current state is already a VPP controllable state (initial state), no state transition occurs. The HEMS controller 110 returns a write response to the upper layer indicating that the write request was successful (D2104). The above is an example of a case where the same write request as in the VPP controllable state (initial state) is received.

[0129] In the first and second embodiments, the upper layer preferably instructs the HEMS controller 110 to transition to the initial state when VPP control ends, regardless of whether the previous VPP control instruction was successful or unsuccessful. This is because there is a slight possibility that the state related to the storage battery exclusive control managed by the HEMS controller 110 will become inconsistent with the operation state related to charging and discharging of the storage battery 131. For example, the HEMS controller 110 may determine that it has failed to control the storage battery 131, but in fact it has succeeded in controlling the storage battery 131. Such inconsistencies may occur when the communication environment is unstable. Because such a situation is likely to occur, the upper layer preferably instructs the HEMS controller 110 to transition to the initial state when VPP control ends. The HEMS controller 110 then instructs the storage battery 131 to return to the automatic operation mode regardless of the state of the storage battery exclusive control, which increases the likelihood that the above-mentioned inconsistency in the state will be resolved.

[0130] FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of transition from a VPP controllable state (initial state) to a VPP control state and surplus power charging, in which the HEMS controller 110 communicates with the storage battery system 130 without using the charging method property. Some storage battery systems 130 do not support the EPC=0xC1 (charging method) storage battery class. Furthermore, even if the charging method is supported, surplus power charging may not be supported. This example demonstrates that surplus power charging is possible even in these cases. The HEMS controller 110 periodically calculates surplus power in a process not shown. The basic concept is to operate the system in clean mode (no overnight charging) if there is a certain amount of surplus power, and to put the storage battery into standby mode to prevent discharge if there is no surplus power.

[0131] The surplus power can be calculated as follows: Total power generation = solar power generation + externally generated power Power consumption = Total power generation + (power discharged from storage battery - power charged to storage battery) + (Power purchased - Power sold) Surplus power = Total power generated - Power consumed The HEMS controller 110 periodically calculates this surplus power and stores historical data for the past 20 to 30 minutes in its internal RAM.

[0132] The sequence diagrams in FIG. 22 all show normal cases (successful examples), but in the case of abnormal cases (unsuccessful cases), the same procedure as explained in FIG. 9 and the like can also be used. When the HEMS controller 110 receives from the upper layer a write request (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x8B) of a value indicating that the VPP control state is in progress and surplus power is being charged (D2201), it sends a write request (Set EPC=0xDA / 0x44) to the storage battery system 130 to set the operating mode of the storage battery 131 to "standby" (D2202). When the battery storage system 130 starts standby operation (S2201) and returns a write response (D2203), the HEMS controller 110 changes the state property to VPP control in progress and surplus power charging (property value: 0x8B) (S2202). The HEMS controller 110 then sends a successful write response (D2204) and a state transition notification (D2205) to the upper layer. From this point on, standby operation processing begins.

[0133] If the HEMS controller 110 detects that the surplus power of the storage battery system 130 has been equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 100 W) for a predetermined period of time while the storage battery system 130 is in standby mode and that no storage battery is discharging, the HEMS controller 110 performs the following process. Specifically, the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request (Set EPC=0xF0 / 0x47) to the storage battery system 130 to instruct the storage battery 131 to change its operation mode to the clean mode, automatic operation mode without overnight charging (D2206). In other words, if the HEMS controller 110 determines that there is surplus power, it requests that the storage battery 131 store the surplus power. Once the storage battery system 130 starts operating in the clean mode, automatic operation mode without overnight charging (S2203) and returns a write response (D2207), the HEMS controller 110 enters the clean mode operation process. If the write request fails, the HEMS controller 110 waits a certain period of time and then returns to the standby operation process.

[0134] While the battery system 130 is operating in clean mode, if the HEMS controller 110 detects that the surplus power remains below 0 W for a predetermined period of time or that a battery is discharging, the HEMS controller 110 performs the following process. Specifically, the HEMS controller 110 sends a write request (Set EPC=0xDA / 0x44) to the battery system 130 to instruct the battery system 131 to change its operating mode to "standby" (D2208). In other words, if the battery system 130 determines that there is no surplus power, the HEMS controller 110 requests the battery system 130 to wait without discharging the battery 131. Once the battery system 130 starts standby operation (S2204) and returns a write response (D2209), the HEMS controller 110 enters standby operation processing. If the write request fails, the HEMS controller 110 waits for a certain period of time and then returns to clean mode operation processing. These processes are repeated until the battery system 130 transitions to another state. This allows for control equivalent to surplus power charging. Note that some processes are omitted in FIG. 22 .

[0135] As mentioned above, (i) A battery control system according to the present invention comprises a battery system including a battery and performing charge / discharge control related to the charging and discharging of the battery, and a HEMS management unit including a VPP communication unit and receiving instructions for VPP control, wherein the HEMS management unit communicates with the battery system regarding the charge / discharge control based on requests related to the charging and discharging, including the instructions for the VPP control, manages the transition of the state using a state property which is a state that the battery system can take and which takes different values ​​corresponding to the state related to the charge / discharge control, obtains the state related to the charging and discharging that the battery system takes by the charge / discharge control, and transitions the state property according to the obtained state.

[0136] In this invention, VPP control is a control technique used in a technology in which a business operator called a resource aggregator aggregates small-scale private power generation facilities and power storage facilities of contracted consumers, etc., and performs integrated control of energy resources to function as a virtual power plant. Demand response (DR), in which consumers adjust their power usage in accordance with local power demand patterns or supply power to the grid, is closely related to the concept of a virtual power plant. VPP control includes DR control.

[0137] Furthermore, the HEMS management unit may manage the entire home energy management system, but in this invention, it manages the charge / discharge control of the storage battery system. The home energy management system is a system in which consumers control energy, such as electricity, for their own use. Specific examples of HEMS include systems that control private power generation equipment, such as solar power generation equipment, and power storage equipment, such as storage batteries. The HEMS management unit receives requests related to the charging and discharging of the storage battery, causes the storage battery system to charge and discharge the storage battery, and manages the state of the storage battery system using state properties. A VPP control instruction is one of the requests related to the charging and discharging of the storage battery. Other examples of requests related to the charging and discharging of the storage battery include the weather warning linkage and weather forecast linkage mentioned above. The HEMS controller in the above-described embodiment corresponds to the HEMS management unit.

[0138] As an example, the status property may be an extension of the properties of the ECHONET Lite standard. Battery control systems have good compatibility with the ECHONET Lite standard, since many devices are compatible with the standard ECHONET Lite. The ECHONET Lite standard is a standard for the communication protocol between devices that make up a HEMS. According to the ECHONET Lite standard, devices that make up a HEMS have properties that indicate their respective attributes. Each device operates according to the value of the property. When controlling the operation of a device from outside, a property value write request (Set) is sent to the device to be controlled. The controlled device that receives the property value write request returns a response to the property value write request. Furthermore, when an external device wants to obtain the status of the controlled device, it sends a property value read request (Get) to the controlled device. The controlled device that receives the property value read request returns a response to the property value read request.

[0139] Further, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. (ii) The state property may indicate whether the storage battery system is capable of responding to the VPP control, unable to respond, or responding, and which state the storage battery system can assume through communication related to the charging / discharging control. According to this aspect, in a VPP, a resource aggregator can determine whether the battery control system is capable of responding to VPP control, unable to respond, or responding, and which state the battery control system can assume depending on the charge / discharge control, simply by looking at the state property.

[0140] (iii) The VPP communication unit may receive an instruction for the VPP control using the state property, the HEMS management unit may send an instruction related to charge / discharge control to the storage battery system based on the instruction for the VPP control, and the VPP communication unit may respond that the storage battery system has transitioned to the state of the state property. According to this aspect, the resource aggregator that provides instructions for VPP control only needs to communicate with the HEMS management unit using state properties when issuing instructions for VPP control, and does not need to communicate with the battery system, thereby further simplifying the communication procedures in the upper layers related to VPP control.

[0141] (iv) The system may further include a HEMS communication unit that receives control-related information related to control of a home energy management system from an external source, and the state properties include a VPP control-uncontrollable state in which the storage battery is controlled based on the control-related information as one of the states corresponding to VPP control of the storage battery system, and the HEMS management unit may prioritize the control-related information received by the HEMS communication unit over the VPP control instruction received by the VPP communication unit, transmit instructions related to charge / discharge control to the storage battery system based on the control-related information, obtain the state of the storage battery system based on the instruction, transition the state property according to the obtained state, obtain the state of the storage battery system, and transition the state property to the VPP control-uncontrollable state according to the obtained state. According to this aspect, the state in which the storage battery is charged or discharged based on VPP control instructions and the state in which the storage battery is charged or discharged based on control-related information are separated into different states by the state property, so that the HEMS management unit can exclusively control the storage battery based on VPP control instructions and control the storage battery based on control-related information.

[0142] (v) The state property may take a plurality of values ​​corresponding to the charge / discharge control, which values ​​correspond to different charging and discharging methods of the storage battery. According to this aspect, the HEMS management unit can exclusively control the storage battery according to the charging and discharging methods of the storage battery based on the state property. The resource aggregator can issue VPP control instructions, including the charging and discharging methods of the storage battery, by communicating with the HEMS management unit using the state property, without having to manage various storage battery properties related to the charging and discharging methods of the storage battery one by one.

[0143] (vi) The VPP communication unit may be configured as a first device, communication related to the charge / discharge control may be performed with the storage battery system, and the main body of the HEMS management unit that manages the state of the storage battery system related to the charge / discharge control may be configured as a second device, and the second device may communicate with the first device to obtain instructions for the VPP control, and the instructions may include the state property. According to this aspect, the first device receives the VPP control instruction, the second device receives the control-related information, and the second device can manage the state of the storage battery using the state property.

[0144] (vii) The VPP communication unit may be configured as a third device, communication related to the charge / discharge control may be performed between the VPP communication unit and the storage battery system, and the main body of the HEMS management unit that manages the state of the storage battery system related to the charge / discharge control may be configured as a fourth device, and the fourth device may communicate with the third device to obtain instructions for the VPP control and set the state property based on the obtained instructions. According to this embodiment, the third device receives VPP control instructions and control-related information, and the fourth device can manage the state of the storage battery using the state property.

[0145] (viii) One aspect of the present invention includes a communication unit that communicates with external devices regarding VPP control; an acquisition unit that acquires VPP control instructions contained in these communications; an equipment control unit that controls the charging and discharging of the storage battery by communicating with the storage battery system including the storage battery regarding charge and discharge control based on requests related to the charging and discharging of the storage battery, including the acquired instructions; and a state setting unit that manages the transition of the state using a state property that is a state that the storage battery system can take and that takes different values ​​corresponding to the state related to the charge and discharge control, wherein the acquisition unit acquires from the storage battery system the state related to the charging and discharging that the storage battery system takes by the charge and discharge control, and the state setting unit includes a HEMS management device that transitions the state property according to the acquired state.

[0146] (ix) One aspect of the present invention includes a method for controlling a storage battery, comprising the steps of: communicating with an external device regarding VPP control; acquiring instructions for VPP control contained in the communications; communicating with a storage battery system including the storage battery regarding charge / discharge control based on requests related to charging / discharging of the storage battery, including the acquired instructions for VPP control; and managing the transition of the state using a state property that is a state that the storage battery system can take and that takes different values ​​corresponding to the state related to the charge / discharge control, wherein the step of communicating regarding the charge / discharge control includes a process of acquiring from the storage battery system the state related to charging / discharging that the storage battery system takes by the charge / discharge control, and the step of managing the transition of the state includes a method for controlling a storage battery that includes a process of transitioning the state property according to the acquired state. The aspects of the present invention also include combinations of any of the above-described aspects.

[0147] Further features of the present disclosure include the following: 1. Regarding the charging and discharging of storage batteries, VPP control (demand response control) performed in response to a request from the resource aggregator and HEMS control performed independently by the HEMS (for example, control of weather warning linkage in response to a weather warning, and control of weather forecast linkage under normal circumstances) can be controlled without conflict by setting priorities. 2. Regarding demand response control, the resource aggregator or the device that sends VPP control instructions can control the charging and discharging of the storage battery simply by sending instructions to the HEMS management device, and there is no need to directly control the storage battery (storage battery system). 3. When the state of the storage battery (storage battery system) changes, the state property managed by the HEMS management unit transitions accordingly. Therefore, from the perspective of the resource aggregator or external devices, the state of the storage battery (storage battery system) can be obtained simply by monitoring the state property, and there is no need to process the state of the storage battery (storage battery system) directly.

[0148] The HEMS controller 110 described in the above embodiment generally controls the power of not only the storage battery system 130 but also other power devices in the home, and in some cases, devices such as a hot water storage system and an EV (Electric Vehicle). However, this specification focuses on the control of the storage battery system 130, and omits the power control of other devices. Because the control unit 112 is specialized in controlling the charging and discharging of the storage battery system 130, the control unit 112 can also be called a storage battery system control unit, deriving from its function. Furthermore, because VPP control is closely related to demand response (DR) control, the VPP communication unit can also be called a demand response communication unit. Also, VPP control instructions can also be called demand response instructions.

[0149] The present disclosure further provides the following preferred embodiments: (x) a battery system control unit that controls the battery system; a demand response communication unit that receives a demand response instruction; a state property corresponding to a state of the battery system; The battery system control unit Controlling the battery system; transitioning the state property in response to a change in the state of the battery system after the control; Includes HEMS management device.

[0150] (xi) the battery system control unit, Based on the control-related information received by the HEMS communication unit, depending on its content, the storage battery system may be controlled in priority over demand response instructions, and the state property may be transitioned in response to changes in the state of the storage battery system after control.

[0151] (xii) The battery system control unit may continuously monitor the state of the battery system and transition the state property in response to a change in the state of the battery system due to a factor other than its own control.

[0152] (xiii) The demand-response communication unit may have a function of notifying an external device of the value of the state property after the transition when the state property is transitioned.

[0153] (xiv) The battery system control unit may start counting a timer immediately after the state property transitions due to control based on the demand response instruction, and when a predetermined time has elapsed without a new demand response instruction, control the battery system to return to the automatic operation mode before the transition, thereby transitioning the state property to its initial state.

[0154] (xv) The state property may take different values ​​depending on the content of the demand response instruction.

[0155] (xvi) the demand response instruction includes at least a charge instruction, a discharge instruction, and a standby instruction to the storage battery system; In the case of charging instructions, it also includes specification of the charging method such as maximum charging power charging, specified power charging, surplus power charging, etc. The discharge instruction may further include a designation of a discharge method such as load additional discharge, specified power discharge, or maximum discharge power discharge.

[0156] The aspects of the present invention also include combinations of any of the above-described aspects. In addition to the above-described embodiment, various modifications of the present invention are possible. These modifications should not be interpreted as not falling within the scope of the present invention. The present invention should include all modifications and equivalents to the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0157] 100: Battery control system, 110: HEMS controller, 111: Communication unit, 112: Control unit, 113: Memory unit, 120: VPP gateway, 130: Battery system, 131: Battery, 132: Solar module, 133: Power conditioner, 134: Power monitor, 140: Router, 150: Internet, 160: HEMS server, 160M: HEMS manufacturer, 170: Resource aggregator, 170S: Aggregator server, 1121: Acquisition unit, 1122: Device control unit, 1123: Notification unit, 1124: Status setting unit, 1125: Time measurement unit, 1131: Controller status, 1132: Device status backup

Claims

1. a storage battery system that includes a storage battery and performs charge / discharge control related to charging / discharging of the storage battery; a HEMS management unit that includes a VPP communication unit and receives an instruction for VPP control; The HEMS management unit performing communication related to the charge / discharge control with the storage battery system based on a request related to the charge / discharge, including an instruction for the VPP control; managing the transition of the state using a state property that is a state that the storage battery system can take and that takes different values ​​corresponding to states related to the charge / discharge control; A battery control system that acquires from the battery system the state related to the charging and discharging that the battery system assumes through the charging and discharging control, and transitions the state property in accordance with the acquired state.

2. The battery control system of claim 1, wherein the state property indicates whether the battery system is capable of responding to the VPP control, unable to respond, or responding, and which state the battery system can assume through communication related to the charging and discharging control.

3. the VPP communication unit receives an instruction for the VPP control using the state property; the HEMS management unit transmits an instruction related to charge / discharge control to the storage battery system based on the instruction of the VPP control, The battery control system according to claim 1 , wherein the VPP communication unit responds that the battery system has transitioned to the state of the state property.

4. The home energy management system further includes a HEMS communication unit that receives control-related information related to control of the home energy management system from an external device, the state property includes, as one of states corresponding to VPP control of the storage battery system, a VPP control disabled state in which the storage battery is controlled based on the control-related information; The battery control system of claim 1, wherein the HEMS management unit prioritizes the control-related information received by the HEMS communication unit over the VPP control instructions received by the VPP communication unit, transmits instructions related to charge / discharge control to the battery system based on the control-related information, acquires the state that the battery system will take based on the instructions, and transitions the state property to the VPP control-disabled state according to the acquired state.

5. The battery control system according to claim 4 , wherein the state property takes a plurality of values ​​corresponding to the charge / discharge control, the values ​​representing different charging and discharging methods of the battery.

6. the VPP communication unit is configured by a first device, a main body of the HEMS management unit that performs communication related to the charge and discharge control with the storage battery system and manages a state of the storage battery system related to the charge and discharge control is configured by a second device, The battery control system according to claim 1 , wherein the second device communicates with the first device to obtain an instruction for the VPP control, and the instruction includes the state property.

7. the VPP communication unit is configured by a third device, a main body of the HEMS management unit that performs communication related to the charge and discharge control with the storage battery system and manages a state of the storage battery system related to the charge and discharge control is configured by a fourth device, The battery control system according to claim 1 , wherein the fourth device communicates with the third device to obtain an instruction for the VPP control, and sets the state property based on the obtained instruction.

8. a communication unit that performs communication related to VPP control with an external device; an acquisition unit that acquires VPP control instructions included in the communications; an equipment control unit that controls charging and discharging of the storage battery by communicating with a storage battery system including the storage battery regarding charge and discharge control based on a request related to charging and discharging of the storage battery, including the acquired instruction; a state setting unit that manages transitions of the states using state properties that are states that the storage battery system can take and that take different values ​​corresponding to states related to the charge / discharge control; the acquisition unit acquires, from the storage battery system, a state related to the charging and discharging that the storage battery system assumes through the charging and discharging control; The HEMS management device, wherein the state setting unit transitions the state property in accordance with the acquired state.

9. The processor: performing communication related to VPP control with an external device; obtaining VPP control instructions contained in those communications; performing communication related to charge / discharge control with a storage battery system including the storage battery based on a request related to charge / discharge of the storage battery, including the acquired instruction for VPP control; managing the transition of the state using a state property that is a state that the storage battery system can take and that takes different values ​​corresponding to states related to the charge / discharge control; the step of performing communication related to the charge / discharge control includes a process of acquiring, from the storage battery system, a state related to the charge / discharge that the storage battery system assumes due to the charge / discharge control; A method for controlling a storage battery, wherein the step of managing the state transition includes a process of transitioning the state property according to the acquired state.

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