Power storage system and power storage systems control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10536008-B2
Application number	US-201715588983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2012
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

A distribution board includes: a pack housing unit which houses a battery pack and includes a connecting unit; and a charge control unit. The battery pack includes a connecting terminal unit for charge and discharge of power and can supply power to the distribution board and another device different from the distribution board. The connecting unit is connectable to and disconnectable from the connecting terminal unit. The charge control unit converts AC power supplied from a power system into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the battery pack housed in the pack housing unit to charge the battery pack.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power storage system comprising:
a power storage unit which includes one or more batteries;
a signal receiver which externally receives a signal;
a charge controller which converts AC power supplied from a power system into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the one or more batteries to charge the one or more batteries; and
a switching controller which switches between a first mode and a second mode according to the signal received by the signal receiver, the first mode being a mode in which the AC power supplied from the power system is supplied to a load and the second mode being a mode in which electric power is supplied to the load by using electric power charged in the one or more batteries,
wherein the signal received by the signal receiver is a power saving request signal, and
the switching controller switches from the first mode to the second mode when the signal receiver receives the power saving request signal.

2. The power storage system according to claim 1 , comprising
a discharge controller which converts the DC power in the one or more batteries into AC power,
wherein, when the switching controller switches a mode into the second mode, electric power discharged from the one or more batteries is supplied to the load via the discharge controller.

3. The power storage system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the signal received by the signal receiver is a control signal indicating which one of the first mode and the second mode is to be selected, and
the switching controller switches between the first mode and the second mode according to the mode indicated by the control signal.

4. The power storage system according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when a remaining power level of the one or more batteries is below a predetermined threshold value in the first mode, the charge controller charges the one or more batteries by supplying, to the one or more batteries, the electric power supplied from the power system, and when the remaining power level is above or equal to the predetermined threshold value, the charge controller stops supplying, to the one or more batteries, the electric power supplied from the power system.

5. The power storage system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a detector which detects whether or not electric power is being supplied from the power system,
wherein the switching controller selects the first mode when the detector detects that electric power is being supplied from the power system, and selects the second mode when the detector detects that no electric power is being supplied from the power system.

6. The power storage system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a mode switch for selecting the first mode or the second mode,
wherein the switching controller switches between the first mode and the second mode according to the mode selected by the mode switch.

7. The power storage system according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the one or more batteries is a battery pack,
the power storage system further comprises:
a connecting unit connectable to and disconnectable from a connecting terminal unit of the battery pack; and
a pack housing which houses the battery pack and includes the connecting unit.

8. The power storage system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the battery pack includes a display which displays a remaining power level of the battery pack, and
the pack housing houses the battery pack in an orientation that allows the display of the battery pack connected to the connecting unit to be viewed.

9. The power storage system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the connecting unit comprises a plurality of connecting units, and
a plurality of the battery packs are connected to the plurality of the connecting units, respectively.

10. The power storage system according to claim 9 ,
wherein, when at least one of the battery packs is removed while electric power is supplied from the battery packs to the load, the switching controller continuously supplies electric power to the load by using the battery packs excluding the at least one battery pack that has been removed.

11. A power storage system control method comprising:
externally obtaining a signal;
converting AC power supplied from a power system into DC power, and supplying the DC power to a battery to charge the battery; and
switching between a first mode and a second mode according to the signal obtained in the obtaining, the first mode being a mode in which the AC power supplied from the power system is supplied to a load and the second mode being a mode in which electric power is supplied to the load by using electric power charged in the battery,
wherein the signal obtained is a power saving request signal, and
in the switching, the first mode is switched to the second mode when the power saving request signal is obtained.

12. A power storage system comprising:
a power storage unit which includes one or more batteries;
a signal receiver which externally receives a signal;
a charge controller which converts AC power supplied from a power system into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the one or more batteries to charge the one or more batteries; and
a switching controller which switches between a first mode and a second mode according to the signal received by the signal receiver, the first mode being a mode in which the AC power supplied from the power system is supplied to a load, the second mode being a mode in which electric power is supplied to the load by using electric power charged in the one or more batteries,
wherein each of the one or more batteries is a battery pack, and
the power storage system further comprises:
a connecting unit connectable to and disconnectable from a connecting terminal unit of the battery pack; and
a pack housing which houses the battery pack and includes the connecting unit.

13. A power storage system control method for a power storage system, the power storage system including a power storage unit which includes one or more batteries, the method comprising:
receiving externally, using a signal receiver, a signal;
using a charge controller, converting AC power supplied from a power system into DC power and supplying the DC power to the one or more batteries to charge the one or more batteries; and
switching, using a switching controller, between a first mode and a second mode according to the signal received by the signal receiver, the first mode being a mode in which the AC power supplied from the power system is supplied to a load and the second mode being a mode in which electric power is supplied to the load by using electric power charged in the one or more batteries,
wherein each of the one or more batteries is a battery pack, and
the method further comprising:
connecting the power storage system to and disconnecting the power storage system from a connecting terminal unit of the battery pack using a connecting unit; and
housing the battery pack and the connecting unit in a pack housing.

14. A distribution board comprising:
a power line for supplying, to a load, AC power that is supplied from a power system;
a pack housing which houses a battery pack and includes a connecting unit, the battery pack including a connecting terminal unit for charge and discharge, the connecting unit being connectable to and disconnectable from the connecting terminal unit of the battery pack; and
an AC/DC converter which converts the AC power supplied from the power system into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the battery pack housed in the pack housing to charge the battery pack,
wherein the load comprises

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Toya Shoichi
• Ito Motoshi

Classifications

• H02J7/751

  concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries · CPC title

• H02J9/06

  with automatic change-over {, e.g. UPS systems} · CPC title

• H02J7/02

  for charging batteries from AC mains by converters · CPC title

• H02B1/42

  Mounting of devices therein · CPC title

• H02J7/35 Primary

  with light sensitive cells · CPC title