Method and device for managing an electricity supply through an electric network and for controlling an electrical supply to a consumer of electricity

Abstract

A method for controlling a supply of at least one load with voltage and/or electric current through an electric network.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a supply of at least one consumer with voltage, electric current or both voltage and electric current through an electric network, wherein the electric network comprises a multiplicity of phases, the method comprising: determining (i) respective phases of the multiplicity of phases used to supply {i-} the at least one consumer, (ii) and a location of the at least one consumer in the electric network, by transmitting at least one predefined individual consumption pattern assigned to the at least one consumer to the at least one consumer by way of a communication interface, operating the at least one consumer according to the at least one consumption pattern, capturing, at the same time as the operating step, changes in (i) a voltage, (ii) a flow of electric current, or (iii) both the voltage and flow of electric current through the respective phases of the multiplicity of phases by way of respective sensors assigned to the respective phases, creating a map of the electric network on a basis of the changes which are captured using the sensors, and supplying the at least one consumer with the voltage, the electric current or both the voltage and the electric current on the basis of the created map.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising assigning a sensor for capturing (a) a voltage applied to a respective phase, (b) an electric current flowing through a respective phase, or (c) both (a) and (b) to at least each phase of the multiplicity of phases of the electric network.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the step of creating a map comprises creating the map to indicate how much voltage, electric current or both voltage and electric current is requested by the at least one consumer via which phase of the electric network or at which location the at least one consumer is connected to the electric network.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a communication interface between a control device, which is configured to carry out the method, and the at least one consumer is an electric cable, an Ethernet cable, a Powerline Communication connection, a WLAN connection, a Bluetooth connection, a Z-Wave connection or a ZigBee connection.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one consumption pattern comprises a sequence of current-consuming switching operations, voltage-consuming switching operations, or both current-consuming switching operations and voltage-consuming switching operations.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the at least one consumer has a different consumption behavior for different phases, the method comprises assigning at least one specific consumption pattern to a respective phase, transmitting the at least one specific consumption pattern to the at least one consumer, and inferring a topology of the phases, which topology is stored in a control device included in the at least one consumer, on the basis of respective changes in voltages, current flows or both voltages and current flows present in the phases, which changes are captured during operation of the at least one consumer according to the consumption patterns.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein if the topology stored in the control device included in the at least one consumer does not match the map determined on the basis of the changes which are captured by the sensors, then the method further comprises modifying the map according to the topology stored in the control device and carrying out the method again on the basis of the modified map.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising transmitting a control command, which results in a changed transmission power of voltage, electric current or both voltage and electric current via at least one phase of the phases connected to the at least one consumer, to the at least one consumer.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising assigning each sensor of the electric network to a specific phase of a connection for connecting the at least one consumer to the electric network.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the consumer is connected to at least two different sensors, one of the sensors being indicative of location, and the other sensor being indicative of the phase.

11. A management unit for an electric network having a multiplicity of phases and a control device, wherein the control device is configured to determine (i) respective phases of the multiplicity of phases used to supply at least one consumer and (ii) a location of the at least one consumer in the electric network by transmitting at least one predefined individual consumption pattern assigned to the at least one consumer to the at least one consumer by way of a communication interface and transmitting a control command to operate the at least one consumer according to the at least one consumption pattern to the at least one consumer, wherein the control device is also configured to capture changes in voltage, flow of electric current or both the voltage and the flow of electric current through the respective phases of the multiplicity of phases using respective sensors assigned to the respective phases at the same time as operation of the at least one consumer according to the at least one consumption pattern, and wherein the control device is also configured to create a map of the electric network on the basis of the changes in the voltage or electric current which are captured by the sensors and to set a supply of the at least one consumer with voltage, electric current or both voltage and electric current on the basis of the created map.

12. The management unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control device is part of a charging station for supplying at least one vehicle with electric energy.

13. The management unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the consumer is connected to at least two different sensors, one of the sensors being indicative of location, and the other sensor being indicative of the phase.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) Further advantages and configurations of the invention emerge from the description and the accompanying drawings.

(2) It goes without saying that the features mentioned above and the features yet to be explained below can be used not only in the respectively stated combination but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an electric network which is managed according to one possible configuration of the method according to aspects of the invention.

(4) FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the electric network from FIG. 1 which is managed according to another possible configuration of the method according to aspects of the invention.

(5) FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of the electric network from FIG. 1 which is managed according to yet another possible configuration of the method according to aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) FIG. 1 illustrates an electric network 20 having a multiplicity of consumers 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41 and 43. The electric network 20 is fed via a connection 50 having three phases 51, 52 and 53.

(7) In order to create a map of a topology of the electric network 20 and to determine, for example, a location or a phase, used for supply, of a consumer 23 freshly connected to the electric network 20, a management unit of the electric network 20 transmits an individual consumption pattern 55, that is to say a consumption pattern specifically designed for the consumer 23, or a corresponding control command, which results in the consumer 23 being configured to consume electric energy in such a manner that a pattern according to the consumption pattern 55 is established on a respective phase 52 supplying the consumer 23 with electric energy, to the consumer 23 by means of a communication interface, for example a WLAN interface. The consumer 23 is a consumer configured to consume electric energy from only one phase, as is typical of an air-conditioning system, for example.

(8) A diagram 57 shows respective signals measured by sensors 1 to 12. Sensor 2 and sensor 8 which are both assigned to the phase 52 each measure a consumption of electric energy, that is to say electric current or voltage, according to the consumption pattern 55, whereas the further sensors 1, 3 to 7 and 8 to 12 do not measure or measure only a constant consumption of electric energy.

(9) Since the management unit of the electric network 20 knows the phase on which the sensors 2 and 8 measure, the phase 52 which is assigned to the sensors 2 and 8 can be assigned to the consumer 23 on the basis of the consumption pattern 55 which is measured by the sensors 2 and 8 and, on account of its individuality, is most likely to come from the consumer 23. Accordingly, the management unit of the electric network 20 obtains knowledge of the phase to which the consumer 23 is connected, with the result that a supply of the consumer 23 with electric energy is to be controlled or can be controlled via the phase 52.

(10) Furthermore, on account of the consumption pattern 55 captured by the sensor 8, the management unit of the electric network 20 obtains knowledge of where in the electric network 20 the consumer 23 is located, namely at a connection which is monitored by the sensor 8.

(11) In order to assign a respective consumer 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41 or 43 to a respective phase 51, 52 or 53, the sensors 1 to 12 are assigned to permanently respective phases 51, 52 or 53 or respective electric lines connected to the phases 51, 52 or 53. This means that the sensors 1, 4, 7 and 10 measure changes in a current flow and/or voltage fluctuations on the phase 51 and the sensors 2, 5, 8 and 11 furthermore measure changes in a current flow and/or voltage fluctuations on the phase 52 and the sensors 3, 7, 9 and 12 measure changes in a current flow and/or voltage fluctuations on the phase 53.

(12) In FIG. 2, the consumer 29 was freshly connected to the electric network 20. The consumer 29 is configured to obtain electric energy in a uniformly distributed manner via three different phases.

(13) In order to determine a location of the consumer 29 in the electric network 20, the management unit of the electric network 20 transmits a control command to the consumer 29 via a Bluetooth interface, which control command configures the consumer 29 to consume electric energy according to a consumption pattern 59. As soon as the consumer 29 is switched according to the control command, sensors 1 to 3 measure changes in a current flow and/or in a voltage according to the consumption pattern 59 on the phases 51, 52 and 53. Since the further sensors 4 to 12 do not measure any signals corresponding to the consumption pattern 59, the location of the consumer 29 can be inferred according to the topology shown in FIG. 2.

(14) In FIG. 3, a first electrically driven vehicle 41 and a second electrically driven vehicle 35 were freshly connected to the electric network 20. Both the first vehicle 41 and the second vehicle 35 are configured to consume electric energy independently of one another, that is to say in an asymmetrically distributed manner for example, via three different phases.

(15) In order to determine a location of the first electrically driven vehicle 41 and an internal assignment of phases of the first vehicle 41, that is to say an internal topology of the first vehicle 41, the management unit of the electric network 20 transmits three different consumption patterns 61, 62 and 63 to the first vehicle 41 by means of a Powerline Communication connection. This means that a control command to set the consumption patterns 61, 62 and 63 on permanently predefined phases 51, 52 and 53 is transmitted to the first vehicle 41 via an electric line 65 which is selected as the communication line and can also be used, for example, to transmit electric current or voltage. Accordingly, the first vehicle 41 is switched in such a manner that the consumption patterns 61, 62 and 63 are established on respective phases connected to the first vehicle 41 or corresponding electric lines. Since the sensors 1 and 10 capture the consumption pattern 61, the sensors 2 and 11 capture the consumption pattern 62 and the sensors 3 and 13 capture the consumption pattern 63, it can be inferred therefrom that the first vehicle 41 is connected to the electric network 20 at the location corresponding to the topology illustrated in FIG. 3. It can also be inferred that an internal assignment of the consumption patterns 61, 62 and 63 to the respective phases of the first vehicle 41 has been carried out on the basis of an internal map of the phases of the first vehicle 41, which map corresponds to a map of the phases of the first vehicle 41, as is used by the management unit of the electric network 20.

(16) Control commands to generate a consumption pattern 67 on the phase 51, a consumption pattern 68 on the phase 52 and a consumption pattern 69 on the phase 53 were transmitted to the second vehicle 35. The consumption patterns 67, 68 and 69 differ from the consumption patterns 61, 62 and 63 in terms of their shape in order to distinguish the first vehicle 41 from the second vehicle 35.

(17) Since the consumption pattern 69 was measured by the sensor 2 and the consumption pattern 68 was measured by the sensor 3, which is highlighted by the marking 75, it can be assumed that an internal topology of the phases of the second vehicle 35 does not correspond to a topology used by the management unit of the electric network 20, as indicated by crossed electric lines 71 and 73. Accordingly, the management unit of the electric network 20 changes its internal map of the topology of the electric network 20 according to the specification of the second vehicle 35 and repeats the operation until the assignment of the consumption patterns 67, 68 and 69 to the phases 51, 52 and 53 by the second vehicle 35 corresponds to the specifications of the management unit of the electric network 20.