Power distribution management device and power distribution management method

Abstract

A power distribution management device, comprising a main circuit breaker and a plurality of power measurement and switching modules. By means of a gateway and on the basis of whether a mains power supply is turned off or not, the main circuit breaker receives alternating current power supplied by the mains power supply or an energy storage system. By means of a bus, the power measurement and switching modules are coupled to the main circuit breaker to receive the alternating current power. Each power measurement and switching module comprises a relay, a detection unit and an operation core, the relay and the detection unit being coupled to the bus, and the operation core being in communication connection to the relay and the detection unit. By means of the relays, the plurality of power measurement and switching modules are separately coupled to a load. When the detection units detect that there is no alternating current power on the bus, the operation cores will send turn-off instructions to the relays on this basis, such that the relays are turned off on the basis of the turn-off instructions.

Description

Power distribution management device and power distribution management method TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a power distribution management device, and particularly, to a power distribution management device and a power distribution management method. BACKGROUND

[0002] The existing power distribution management device usually uses a single centralized manner to detect the grid state, and when detecting that the commercial power is off, it disconnects the main relay through the electric control manner to disconnect the connection between the backup power and the load, so as to avoid the backup power from tripping due to the inability to load the required load power in the grid-connected mode. However, when the hot switching occurs, there is a certain probability that the main relay will be stuck, which will cause power loss or even cause the entire power distribution management device to fail.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] At least one embodiment of the present invention provides a power distribution management device, which includes a main circuit breaker and a plurality of power measurement and switching modules. The main circuit breaker receives alternating current power supplied by a commercial power source or an energy storage system through a gateway based on whether the commercial power source is off. The plurality of power measurement and switching modules are coupled to the main circuit breaker through a bus to receive the alternating current power. Each power measurement and switching module includes a relay, a detection unit, and a calculation core. The relay is coupled to the bus. The detection unit is coupled to the bus and is used to detect whether there is alternating current power on the bus. The calculation core is in communication connection with the relay and the detection unit. The plurality of power measurement and switching modules are respectively coupled to one load through the relay. When the detection unit detects that there is no alternating current power on the bus, the calculation core sends off instructions to the relay, so that the relay is turned off according to the off instructions.

[0005] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the power distribution management device further includes a main controller in communication connection with the plurality of power measurement and switching modules. Each power measurement and switching module further includes a communication module in communication connection with the main controller and the calculation core. When the detection unit detects that there is alternating current power on the bus, the communication module receives a setting instruction from the main controller, and the calculation core receives the setting instruction from the communication module and controls the relay to be turned on or off accordingly.

[0006] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the main controller is in communication connection with the energy storage system to know whether the commercial power source is off from the energy storage system. When the commercial power source is not off, the main controller provides a setting instruction corresponding to the grid-connected mode. When the commercial power source is off, the main controller provides a setting instruction corresponding to the off-grid mode.

[0007] In at least one embodiment of the present application, one end of the main circuit breaker is directly coupled to the gateway and the other end of the main circuit breaker is directly coupled to the bus.

[0008] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the power distribution management device further comprises a power supply coupled to the main controller and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules for powering the main controller and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules. When the power supply receives AC power from the bus, the power supply powers the main controller and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules based on the AC power. When the power supply fails to receive AC power from the bus, the main controller and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules are directly powered by the power supply.

[0009] In at least one embodiment of the present application, each power measurement and switching module further comprises a power module coupled to the detection unit, the operation core and the communication module for powering the detection unit, the operation core and the communication module. When the power supply receives AC power from the bus, the power supply converts the AC power to DC power and powers the power module based on the DC power. When the power supply fails to receive AC power from the bus, the power module is directly supplied with DC power by the power supply.

[0010] In at least one embodiment of the present application, a power distribution management method is provided, comprising: detecting, by a detection unit included in each of a plurality of power measurement and switching modules, whether there is AC power on a bus, wherein the AC power is supplied to the plurality of power measurement and switching modules by a utility power source or an energy storage system through the bus based on whether the utility power source is powered off; and when the detection unit detects that there is no AC power on the bus, an operation core included in each power measurement and switching module sends off a turn-off instruction to a relay included in each power measurement and switching module, so that the relay is turned off according to the turn-off instruction. The plurality of power measurement and switching modules are respectively coupled to a load through the relay.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the power distribution management method further comprises: when the detection unit detects that there is AC power on the bus, a communication module included in each power measurement and switching module receives a setting instruction from the main controller, and the operation core receives the setting instruction from the communication module and controls the relay to be turned on or turned off accordingly.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the power distribution management method further comprises: when the utility power source is not powered off, the main controller provides a setting instruction corresponding to a grid-connected mode; and when the utility power source is powered off, the main controller provides a setting instruction corresponding to an off-grid mode. The main controller is communicatively connected to the energy storage system to learn whether the utility power source is powered off from the energy storage system.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the power distribution management method further comprises: when the power supply receives AC power from the bus, the power supply supplies power to the main controller and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules according to the AC power; and when the power supply fails to receive AC power from the bus, the power supply directly supplies power to the main controller and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the power distribution management method further comprises: when the power supply receives AC power from the bus, the power supply converts the AC power into DC power and supplies the power to the power module included in each of the power measurement and switching modules; and when the power supply fails to receive AC power from the bus, the power supply directly supplies DC power to the power module. The power module is used to supply power to the detection unit, the operation core and the communication module.

[0015] In order to make the above features and advantages of the present application more apparent, specific embodiments are described below in detail, and are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The aspects of the present application can be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings. It is noted that each feature is not necessarily drawn to scale in accordance with standard practice in the industry. In fact, the dimensions of the various features can be arbitrarily increased or decreased for the sake of discussion.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power distribution management device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a power measurement and switching module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a power distribution management method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] FIG. 4 is an example on diagram illustrating the power distribution management device in a grid-connected mode according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG. 5 is an example on diagram illustrating the power distribution management device in an off-grid mode according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a detailed flowchart of a power distribution management method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] In the drawings:

[0025] 100: power distribution management device

[0026] 110: main circuit breaker

[0027] 120: power measurement and switching module

[0028] 121: relay

[0029] 122: detection unit

[0030] 123: operation core

[0031] 124: communication module

[0032] 125: power module

[0033] 130: main controller

[0034] 140: power supply

[0035] 150: bus

[0036] 160: circuit breaker

[0037] 200: gateway

[0038] 300: utility power source

[0039] 400: energy storage system

[0040] 500: load

[0041] S1-S3, T1-T9: steps

[0042] Best mode for carrying out the present application

[0043] Embodiments of the present application are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments provide many applicable concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The embodiments discussed, disclosed, and taught herein are merely for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Aspects of the present application for use with the described embodiments are not meant to be a literal recitation of all combinations of the aspects which can be claimed as new. Reference to the "first", "second", etc. herein does not necessarily imply a particular order or sequence, but is used to distinguish one element from another.

[0044] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power distribution management apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The power distribution management apparatus 100 includes a main circuit breaker 110, a plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120, a main controller 130, and a power supply 140.

[0045] The main breaker 110 receives AC power supplied by the utility power source 300 or the energy storage system 400 through the gateway 200 based on whether the utility power source 300 is off or not. Specifically, when the utility power source 300 is not off, AC power is supplied to the power distribution management device 100 by the utility power source 300; when the utility power source 300 is off, AC power is supplied to the power distribution management device 100 by the energy storage system 400. In other words, the energy storage system 400 is a backup power supply system and is used to supply backup AC power to the power distribution management device 100 when the utility power source 300 is off.

[0046] The plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120 are coupled to the main breaker 110 through the bus 150 to receive AC power supplied by the utility power source 300 or the energy storage system 400. The plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120 are respectively coupled to a load 500 through a circuit breaker 160.

[0047] Some existing power distribution management devices have a main relay connected in series between the gateway and the bus. These existing power distribution management devices use a single centralized manner to detect the grid state and automatically disconnect the main relay when the utility power is detected to be off. However, when the main relay is subjected to a hot switching, the main relay can be stuck, causing power loss or even causing the entire power distribution management device to fail. In other words, these existing power distribution management devices are prone to failure of a single component (i.e., the main relay) causing the entire device to fail. In contrast, the power distribution management device 100 of the present application does not have a main relay connected in series between the gateway 200 and the bus 150. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the main breaker 110 is directly coupled to the gateway 200 and the other end of the main breaker 110 is directly coupled to the bus 150. Therefore, the power distribution management device 100 of the present application can avoid failure of a single component causing the entire device to fail.

[0048] The main controller 130 is communicatively connected to the plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120 and the energy storage system 400 (as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 1). Specifically, the main controller 130 can communicate with the energy storage system 400 so that the main controller 130 can know whether the utility power source 300 is off or not from the energy storage system 400. For example, when the energy storage system 400 has output AC power, it means that the utility power source 300 is off; when the energy storage system 400 does not output AC power, it means that the utility power source 300 is not off.

[0049] The power supply 140 is coupled to the main controller 130 and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120 for powering the main controller 130 and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120 (as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1). The power supply 140 is coupled to the bus 150 for receiving AC power supplied by the utility power source 300 or the energy storage system 400 through the bus 150.

[0050] When the power supply 140 receives AC power from the bus 150, the power supply 140 powers the main controller 130 and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120 according to the AC power. When the power supply 140 fails to receive AC power from the bus 150, the main controller 130 and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120 are directly powered by the power supply 140.

[0051] In detail, when the power supply 140 receives AC power from the bus 150, the power supply 140 converts the AC power to low voltage DC power (e.g. DC 24V) for powering the main controller 130 and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120. When the power supply 140 fails to receive AC power from the bus 150, the main controller 130 and the plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120 are directly powered by the power supply 140 with backup DC power stored by the power supply 140. The above mechanism ensures that the power distribution management device 100 can still operate when the utility power source 300 is just powered off and the energy storage system 400 has not yet supplied backup AC power to the power distribution management device 100.

[0052] Some existing power distribution management devices use a single detection circuit to detect whether the utility power source is powered off or not, and control the plurality of branch switches to disconnect or not disconnect the branch circuits according to the detection result, which causes these existing power distribution management devices to be vulnerable to the failure of the single component (i.e. the single detection circuit) to cause the overall function to fail. In contrast, the power distribution management device 100 of the present application performs grid detection in a distributed manner (which will be described later) by the plurality of power measurement and switching modules 120, and controls each branch to disconnect or not disconnect according to the detection result. Therefore, the power distribution management device 100 of the present application can avoid the failure of a single component to cause the overall function to fail.

[0053] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the power measurement and switching module 120 according to an embodiment of the present application. The power measurement and switching module 120 comprises a relay 121, a detection unit 122, a computing core 123, a communication module 124, and a power module 125. One end of the relay 121 is coupled to the bus 150 to receive the AC power supplied by the utility power source 300 or the energy storage system 400 from the bus 150. The other end of the relay 121 is coupled to a load 500 through the circuit breaker 160. In other words, the power measurement and switching module 120 is coupled to the load 500 through the relay 121. Specifically, when the relay 121 is turned on, the load 500 receives the AC power supplied by the utility power source 300 or the energy storage system 400 to operate.

[0054] The detection unit 122 is coupled to the bus 150 to detect whether there is AC power on the bus 150. In at least one embodiment of the present application, the detection unit 122 detects whether there is AC power on the bus 150 by a voltage detection method. Specifically, when the utility power source 300 or the energy storage system 400 supplies the AC power to the power distribution management device 100, the detection unit 122 detects that there is AC power on the bus 150. When the utility power source 300 is just powered off and the energy storage system 400 has not supplied the backup AC power to the power distribution management device 100, the detection unit 122 detects that there is no AC power on the bus 150.

[0055] The computing core 123 is communicatively connected to the relay 121 and the detection unit 122. When the detection unit 122 detects that there is no AC power on the bus 150, the computing core 123 sends an off command to the relay 121 according to the detection result of the detection unit 122, so that the relay 121 is turned off according to the off command.

[0056] The communication module 124 is communicatively connected to the main controller 130 (as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2) and the computing core 123. When the detection unit 122 detects that there is AC power on the bus 150, the communication module 124 receives a setting command from the main controller 130, and the computing core 123 receives the setting command from the communication module 124 to control the relay 121 to be turned on or turned off (which will be described below).

[0057] The power module 125 is coupled to the relay 121, the detection unit 122, the computing core 123, and the communication module 124 to supply power to the relay 121, the detection unit 122, the computing core 123, and the communication module 124. The power module 125 is coupled to the power supply 140 (as shown by the dotted line in Figure 2) to receive the DC power supplied by the power supply 140 from the power supply 140.

[0058] When the power supply 140 receives AC power from the bus 150, the power supply 140 converts the AC power into DC power and supplies the DC power to the power modules 125. When the power supply 140 cannot receive AC power from the bus 150, the power supply 140 directly supplies backup DC power to the power modules 125 for a short time with the power stored by the power supply 140. The above mechanism ensures that the power measurement and switching module 120 can still operate when the utility power 300 is just powered off and the energy storage system 400 has not supplied backup AC power to the power distribution management device 100.

[0059] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a power distribution management method according to an embodiment of the present application. In step S1, the detection unit 122 detects whether there is AC power on the bus 150. In step S2, when the detection unit 122 detects that there is no AC power on the bus 150, the operation core 123 sends a turn-off instruction to the relay 121 according to the turn-off instruction, so that the relay 121 is turned off according to the turn-off instruction. Specifically, when the utility power 300 is just powered off and the energy storage system 400 has not supplied backup AC power, the detection unit 122 detects that there is no AC power on the bus 150, and accordingly causes the relay 121 to be turned off, thereby avoiding that the backup AC power supplied by the energy storage system 400 cannot be loaded due to the required load power in the grid-connected mode, and causing the energy storage system 400 to be powered off.

[0060] In step S3, when the detection unit 122 detects that there is AC power on the bus 150, the communication module 124 receives a setting instruction from the main controller 130, and the operation core 123 receives the setting instruction from the communication module 124 and controls the relay 121 to be turned on or turned off according to the setting instruction. Specifically, when the detection unit 122 detects that there is AC power on the bus 150, the AC power at this time can be supplied by the utility power 300 or the energy storage system 400, and the main controller 130 communicates with the energy storage system 400, so that the main controller 130 can know from the energy storage system 400 that the AC power at present is supplied by the utility power 300 or the energy storage system 400.

[0061] FIG. 4 is an exemplary on-state schematic diagram for explaining the power distribution management device 100 in the grid-connected mode of the energy storage system 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. When the main controller 130 knows that the AC power at present is supplied by the utility power 300 (i.e., the utility power 300 is not powered off, and the energy storage system 400 is in the grid-connected mode), the main controller 130 provides a setting instruction corresponding to the grid-connected mode. As shown in FIG. 4, in the grid-connected mode, the relay 121 of each power measurement and switching module 120 is in the on state, so that the AC power supplied by the utility power 300 is provided to each load 500, but the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is only exemplary, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0062] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the power distribution management device 100 when the energy storage system 400 is in the off-grid mode according to an embodiment of the present application. When the main controller 130 knows that the AC power is supplied by the energy storage system 400 (i.e. the utility power source 300 is off and the energy storage system 400 is in the off-grid mode), the main controller 130 sends the setting instruction corresponding to the off-grid mode. As shown in Figure 5, in the off-grid mode, only the relays 121 of the three power measurement and switching modules 120 are turned on, so that the AC power supplied by the utility power source 300 is provided to the three loads 500. However, Figure 5 is only an example and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0063] In particular, the main controller 130 adjusts the relays 121 of the power measurement and switching modules 120 to be turned on or turned off according to whether the current mode is the on-grid mode or the off-grid mode. In this way, when the energy storage system 400 provides backup power, the main controller 130 can control the loads 500 to be connected or not connected according to the power supply limit of the energy storage system 400, so that the energy storage system 400 does not trip due to all the loads being connected and exceeding the upper limit of the power supply of the energy storage system 400, and the loads do not have to be allocated into different zones when the loads are initially planned.

[0064] In other words, when the utility power source 300 is off and the energy storage system 400 has not yet supplied backup AC power, the relays 121 of the power measurement and switching modules 120 are turned off (to prevent the backup AC power supplied by the energy storage system 400 from tripping due to being unable to support the required load power of the on-grid mode), and after the main controller 130 confirms whether the current mode is the on-grid mode or the off-grid mode and sends the setting instruction, the relays 121 of the power measurement and switching modules 120 are turned on or turned off according to the setting instruction.

[0065] Figure 6 is a detailed flowchart of a power distribution management method according to an embodiment of the present application. In step T1, the utility power source 300 is not off and the AC power supplied by the utility power source 300 is provided to the power distribution management device 100. In step T2, the main controller 130 knows from the energy storage system 400 that the AC power is supplied by the utility power source 300, and the main controller 130 sends the setting instruction corresponding to the on-grid mode to the communication module 124. In step T3, the operation core 123 receives the setting instruction corresponding to the on-grid mode from the communication module 124 and controls the relays 121 to be turned on or turned off. In step T4, the detection unit 122 detects whether there is AC power on the bus 150, and if there is, it means that the utility power source 300 is not off and the process returns to step T3, and if there is not, it means that the utility power source 300 is off and the process proceeds to step T5.

[0066] At step T5, when the detection unit 122 detects that there is no AC power on the bus 150, it means that the utility power source 300 is off, and the operation core 123 sends a turn-off command to the relay 121 according to the turn-off command, so that the relay 121 is turned off. At step T6, the switch-over is performed by the gateway 200, so that the energy storage system 400 supplies AC power to the power distribution management device 100. At step T7, the main controller 130 knows that the AC power is supplied by the energy storage system 400, and the main controller 130 sends a setting command corresponding to the off-grid mode to the communication module 124. At step T8, the operation core 123 receives the setting command corresponding to the off-grid mode from the communication module 124 and controls the relay 121 to be turned on or off. At step T9, the main controller 130 knows that the AC power has been changed to be supplied by the utility power source 300 (i.e. the main controller 130 judges whether the utility power source 300 has been restored), if not, it means that the utility power source 300 has not been restored, and returns to step T8, if yes, it means that the utility power source 300 has been restored, and returns to step T1.

[0067] The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present application. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the present application as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures, as well as the same or equivalent implementations thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent implementations do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application, and that they can make various changes, substitutions and alterations thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0068] Industrial Applicability

[0069] The power distribution management device and the power distribution management method of the present application can avoid the overall function failure caused by the failure of a single part.

Claims

1. A power distribution management device, characterized by, Comprising: a main breaker coupled to a gateway to receive an alternating current power supplied by a utility power source or an energy storage system based on whether the utility power source is off or not; and a plurality of power measurement and switching modules coupled to the main breaker through a bus to receive the alternating current power, wherein each of the power measurement and switching modules comprises: a relay coupled to the bus; a detection unit coupled to the bus and configured to detect whether the alternating current power is present on the bus; and a computing core communicatively coupled to the relay and the detection unit; wherein the power measurement and switching modules are respectively coupled to a load through the relay, wherein when the detection unit detects that the alternating current power is not present on the bus, the computing core sends a turn-off instruction to the relay to cause the relay to turn off according to the turn-off instruction.

2. The power distribution management device of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: a main controller communicatively coupled to the power measurement and switching modules; wherein each of the power measurement and switching modules further comprises a communication module communicatively coupled to the main controller and the computing core; wherein when the detection unit detects that the alternating current power is present on the bus, the communication module receives a setting instruction from the main controller, and the computing core receives the setting instruction from the communication module and controls the relay to turn on or off accordingly.

3. The power distribution management device of claim 2, wherein, wherein the main controller is communicatively coupled to the energy storage system to learn whether the utility power source is off or not from the energy storage system, wherein when the utility power source is not off, the main controller provides the setting instruction corresponding to a grid-connected mode, and wherein when the utility power source is off, the main controller provides the setting instruction corresponding to an off-grid mode.

4. The power distribution management device of claim 1, wherein, wherein one end of the main breaker is directly coupled to the gateway and the other end of the main breaker is directly coupled to the bus.

5. The power distribution management device of claim 2, wherein, Further comprising: a power supply coupled to the main controller and the power measurement and switching modules to supply power to the main controller and the power measurement and switching modules; wherein when the power supply receives the alternating current power from the bus, the power supply supplies power to the main controller and the power measurement and switching modules according to the alternating current power; wherein when the power supply fails to receive the alternating current power from the bus, the power supply directly supplies power to the main controller and the power measurement and switching modules.

6. The power distribution management device of claim 5, wherein, wherein each of the power measurement and switching modules further comprises: a power module coupled to the detection unit, the computing core, and the communication module to supply power to the detection unit, the computing core, and the communication module; wherein when the power supply receives the alternating current power from the bus, the power supply converts the alternating current power to a direct current power and supplies power to the power module accordingly; wherein when the power supply fails to receive the alternating current power from the bus, the power supply directly supplies the direct current power to the power module.

7. A power distribution management method characterized by, Comprising: detecting, by a detection unit comprised in each of a plurality of power measurement and switching modules, whether an alternating current power is present on a bus, wherein the alternating current power is supplied by a utility power source or an energy storage system to the power measurement and switching modules through the bus based on whether the utility power source is off or not; and When the detection unit detects that the AC power is not present on the bus, an operation core included in each of the power measurement and switching modules sends an off command to a relay included in each of the power measurement and switching modules, so that the relay is opened according to the off command, wherein the power measurement and switching modules are coupled to a load through the relay, respectively.

8. The power distribution management method of claim 7, wherein, Further comprising: When the detection unit detects that the AC power is present on the bus, a communication module included in each of the power measurement and switching modules receives a setting command from a master controller, and the operation core receives the setting command from the communication module and controls the relay to be on or off.

9. The power distribution management method of claim 8, wherein, Further comprising: When the power supply is not powered off, the master controller provides the setting command corresponding to a grid-connected mode; and When the power supply is powered off, the master controller provides the setting command corresponding to an off-grid mode; Wherein the master controller is communicatively connected to the energy storage system to know whether the power supply is powered off or not from the energy storage system.

10. The power distribution management method of claim 8, wherein, Further comprising: When a power supply receives the AC power from the bus, the power supply supplies power to the master controller and the power measurement and switching modules according to the AC power; and When the power supply cannot receive the AC power from the bus, the power supply directly supplies power to the master controller and the power measurement and switching modules.

11. The power distribution management method of claim 10, wherein, Further comprising: When the power supply receives the AC power from the bus, the power supply converts the AC power into a DC power and supplies the DC power to a power module included in each of the power measurement and switching modules; and When the power supply cannot receive the AC power from the bus, the power supply directly supplies the DC power to the power module; Wherein the power module is used to supply power to the detection unit, the operation core and the communication module.

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