Energy Device Interfaces with Dedicated Power Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for managing interactions between multiple electrical devices, such as energy sources and storage devices, face challenges in accurate charging, flexibility, communication, and user expertise, leading to inefficiencies, safety concerns, and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a control bus, power bus, and energy device interfaces with a power management unit that determines and implements control strategies for energy sources, loads, and storage devices, using a packet-switched communication protocol and dedicated power agents to manage interactions and ensure optimal power settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple energy sources are used to charge multiple batteries concurrently, then energy supply capability is improved, but charging accuracy and battery life are compromised due to inability to apply multistage charging to each individual accumulator
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the power management function into separate power agents, with each agent dedicated to controlling a specific energy source or storage device. This segmentation allows each agent to independently manage multistage charging parameters for its associated device, ensuring charging accuracy is maintained even when multiple energy sources operate concurrently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a control bus as an intermediary communication interface between power agents and the power management system. This control bus enables standardized data exchange and coordination among multiple power agents, allowing the system to maintain centralized oversight and charging accuracy while supporting multiple energy sources operating simultaneously.
2Device complexity
If a typical power subsystem with multiple components is used, then power management capability is achieved, but flexibility and upgradeability are reduced making changes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The power subsystem is segmented into independent, modular power agents that can be individually added, removed, or upgraded. Each power agent operates as a self-contained unit with dedicated control logic, allowing system customization without requiring complex reconfiguration of the entire power management infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The control bus provides a universal communication interface that works with different types of energy sources and storage devices. This standardized protocol enables the system to accommodate various device types and configurations without requiring proprietary integration solutions, thereby enhancing adaptability and ease of upgrade.
3Power
If electrical devices are properly connected, then power transmission is achieved, but communication between devices is prevented due to proprietary communication standards or lack of communication protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The control bus serves as a universal communication medium that enables standardized data exchange between diverse devices. By implementing a common communication protocol on the control bus, the system allows devices with different proprietary standards to communicate effectively, transmitting operational status, charging parameters, and control commands without information loss.
4Ease of operation
If dynamic information and remote controls of electrical power devices are made available to the user, then user accessibility is improved, but interconnection complexity increases due to absence of interoperable interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The control bus provides a standardized interoperable interface that enables user devices to communicate with multiple power devices using a common protocol. This universal interface allows users to access dynamic information and control functions across different devices without dealing with proprietary connections, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is disclosed for managing interactions between a plurality of devices selected from a group consisting of energy sources, energy loads and energy storage devices, the system comprising a control bus; a power bus; a plurality of energy device interfaces, each energy device interface comprising a control bus port, a power bus port and a device port, the device port for operatively connecting the energy device interface to a corresponding device selected from the group consisting of energy sources, energy loads and energy storage devices and for controlling the corresponding device, the energy device interface being operatively connected to the control bus via the control bus port and to the power bus via the power bus port, wherein each of the plurality of energy device interfaces comprises a dedicated power agent for operating the corresponding device, wherein each dedicated power agent directly manages low level physical details associated with operating the corresponding device such that each power agent provides a normalized power interface with the power bus; a power management unit operatively connected to the control bus, the power management unit configured to control each of the plurality of energy device interfaces according to a determined control strategy to thereby control interactions between the plurality of corresponding devices by controlling how and when each power agent interacts with the power bus at any time wherein the low level physical details directly managed by any one of the dedicated power agents are not shared with the power management unit.