JP2010045929A - Load operation control device and load operation control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently supply the power charged to a storage battery to a load executing a plurality of processings different in priority, depending on the residual capacity. <P>SOLUTION: In a load operation control device 8 for controlling the operation of a load 4 for executing a plurality of processings using the power supplied from a solar cell 1 or a combination battery 3, a residual capacity acquiring section 81 uses a serial resistor 6 to acquire the residual capacity of the combination battery 3. If the residual capacity has a value lower than a first set value stored in a set value storage section 82, an execution frequency control section 83 controls so as to expand a time interval of weather data measurement by an environment observation device 41 and an interval of weather data transmission by a radio transmitter 42, and if the residual capacity has a value lower than a second set value, the control section 83 controls so as to stop the weather data transmission by the radio transmitter 42, and to execute only the transmission processing of alarm information having the highest priority. Further, if the residual capacity has a value equivalent to a discharging completion voltage of the combination battery 3, the execution frequency control section 83 releases a switch 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a load operation control device and a load operation control method.

  Conventionally, a solar cell system combining a solar cell and a storage battery has been used as a power source for a load installed in a place where it is difficult to secure a power infrastructure. For example, in a solar cell system, the electric power generated by the solar cell is supplied to the load during the daytime, the storage battery is charged with surplus power, and the electric power necessary for the load is covered by the discharge from the storage battery at night.

  A specific configuration example of such a solar cell system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the prior art.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the conventional solar cell system is composed of a solar cell, a converter, and an assembled battery, and is further connected to a load that operates using electric power supplied from the solar cell system.

  The solar cell is a device that generates electric power by sunlight, and the assembled battery has a configuration in which a plurality of storage batteries are connected in series or in parallel. The converter is a device that converts DC power generated by the solar battery into a voltage that can be received by the assembled battery and the load.

  In the solar cell system having such a configuration, when the generated power of the solar cell is sufficiently large and the output power of the converter exceeds the required power of the load, the surplus is supplied to the assembled battery to configure the assembled battery. Charging is performed by the storage battery. Conversely, when the power supplied to the load is insufficient with the generated power of the solar battery, the insufficient power is supplemented by the discharge of the assembled battery. As a result, the solar cell system can supply power to the load not only at night without sunlight but also at daytime when the weather worsens.

  In addition, once the generated power of the solar battery is stored in an electric double layer capacitor (capacitor), the battery is supplied with the desired voltage and current, thereby efficiently charging the battery without overcharging or insufficient charging. A stand-alone photovoltaic power generation system that can do this is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, once the generated power of the solar cell is stored in the electric double layer capacitor, the desired voltage and current are distributed and supplied to multiple storage cells, thereby reducing the power flowing through each storage battery and configuring the system. A stand-alone photovoltaic power generation system that can realize a reduction in size and price of a storage battery is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2000-250646 A JP 2001-069688 A

  Here, the load connected to the above-described conventional solar cell system or stand-alone photovoltaic power generation system is operated by the power supplied from the solar cell or the assembled battery. If the state of shortage continues for a long period of time, the remaining capacity of the assembled battery (storage battery) decreases. Finally, the discharge is terminated and the power supply to the load is stopped, so that the operation is stopped.

  This is because the load requires a certain amount of power consumption regardless of the remaining capacity of the assembled battery even if the generated power of the solar battery is insufficient due to unsunshine, but the load performs a plurality of processes with different priorities. Even in this case, the power consumption required by the load is always a constant amount.

  For example, a load is a meteorological observation device that measures meteorological data such as solar radiation and temperature every minute, and meteorological data that the meteorological observation device measures every minute is sequentially transmitted to the disaster prevention center, and the measured temperature In the case of a wireless device that transmits alarm information to the disaster prevention center when the value falls below a predetermined threshold, the highest priority processing in the load processing is to transmit the alarm information to the disaster prevention center.

  However, when solar cells and storage batteries are used as power sources for the load, the load always requires a certain amount of power consumption to execute all of the plurality of processes with different priorities. When the remaining capacity of the storage battery is exhausted and the discharge is terminated, the highest priority processing (sending of alarm information) cannot be executed.

  That is, in the above-described conventional solar cell system and stand-alone photovoltaic power generation system, the operation of a load for performing a plurality of processes cannot be controlled according to the remaining capacity of the storage battery, so that the remaining capacity of the storage battery is reduced. However, since load processing with low priority, such as measuring and transmitting weather data every minute, is continuously executed, the power consumption of the load is always constant, and the time for executing load processing with high priority Will be shortened.

  As described above, the above-described conventional technique has a problem in that the power charged in the storage battery cannot be efficiently supplied according to the remaining capacity with respect to a load that performs a plurality of processes having different priorities.

  Note that the same problem occurs even when a simple DC power supply (for example, an AC adapter, a primary battery, or the like) supplies power for charging to the storage battery instead of the solar battery.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and the power charged in the storage battery is efficiently determined according to the remaining capacity with respect to a load that performs a plurality of processes having different priorities. It is an object of the present invention to provide a load operation control device and a load operation control method that can be supplied well.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, this device is a load operation control device that controls the operation of a load that executes a plurality of processes using electric power supplied from a predetermined DC power supply or a storage battery. The remaining capacity acquisition means for acquiring the remaining capacity of the storage battery, and when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition means is lower than a predetermined set value, And an execution frequency control means for controlling the execution frequency so as to be lower than the execution frequency when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition means is greater than or equal to the predetermined set value. And

  Further, this method is a load operation control method for controlling the operation of a load that executes a plurality of processes using electric power supplied from a predetermined DC power source or a storage battery, and acquires the remaining capacity of the storage battery. When the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the acquiring step and the remaining capacity acquiring unit is lower than a predetermined set value, the execution frequency of the low priority process among the plurality of processes is acquired by the remaining capacity acquiring unit. And an execution frequency control step for performing control so as to reduce the value of the remaining capacity to be lower than the execution frequency when the value is equal to or greater than a predetermined set value.

  According to the disclosed apparatus and method, it is possible to prevent the load from requesting a certain amount of power consumption regardless of the priority level, and to reduce the execution frequency in order from the processing with the lower priority, thereby increasing the priority. By extending the execution time of the process, for example, it is possible to increase the opportunity to acquire important information necessary for transmitting alarm information, and for the load of performing a plurality of processes with different priorities, It becomes possible to efficiently supply the power charged in the storage battery according to the remaining capacity.

  Exemplary embodiments of a load operation control device and a load operation control method according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, below, the solar cell system comprised including the load operation control apparatus concerning this invention is demonstrated as an Example.

  First, the structure of the solar cell system in a present Example is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a solar cell system in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the solar cell system in this embodiment includes a solar cell 1, a converter 2, an assembled battery 3, a load 4, a switch 5, a series resistor 6, and a load operation control device 8. Further, the disaster prevention center 7 is connected to the load 4 via a wireless or wired communication line. The disaster prevention center 7 is provided with a receiving device that receives information notified via a communication line and a management device that manages the received information. In this embodiment, the receiving device and the management device are collectively referred to as the disaster prevention center 7. In FIG. 1, the power line is indicated by a solid line, the communication line is indicated by a dotted arrow, and the control communication line by the load operation control device 5 is indicated by a solid arrow.

  The solar cell 1 is a device that generates electric power from sunlight. For example, the solar cell 1 in the present embodiment has a power generation capability of a maximum of 90W. The solar cell 1 corresponds to a “predetermined DC power source” described in the claims.

  The converter 2 is a device that converts DC power generated by the solar battery 1 into a voltage that can be received by the assembled battery 3 and the load 4. For example, the converter 2 in the present embodiment is a DC / DC converter that can output a maximum of 16V.

The assembled battery 3 has a configuration in which a plurality of storage batteries are connected in series or in parallel, and is charged and discharged using electric power generated by the solar battery 1. For example, the assembled battery 3 in the present embodiment has a storage capacity of 1200 Wh in which 10 nickel-metal hydride storage cells having “rated voltage: 1.2 V, rated capacity: 100 Ah” are connected in series. Since one nickel metal hydride storage battery has a maximum charge voltage (V _H ) of 1.6 V and a discharge end voltage (V _L ) of 1.0 V, the assembled battery 3 in this example is “highest”. Charge voltage: 16V, discharge end voltage: 10V ".

  Here, when the generated power of the solar battery 1 is sufficiently large and the output power of the converter 2 exceeds the required power of the load, the surplus is supplied from the converter 2 to the assembled battery 3, thereby forming the nickel constituting the assembled battery 3. Charging is performed in the hydrogen storage battery cell. On the contrary, when the power supplied to the load 4 is insufficient with the generated power of the solar battery 1, the insufficient power is supplemented by the discharge of the assembled battery 3.

  The load 4 is a device that operates with the electric power supplied from the solar cell 1 or the assembled battery 3, and is between the maximum charging voltage that is the usage range of the assembled battery 3 and the end-of-discharge voltage (between 10 V and 16 V in this embodiment). ) Is an operable device. Further, the load 4 stops its operation when the sun continues and the generated power of the solar cell 1 is insufficient for a long period of time, and when the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 decreases and the discharge ends.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the load 4 in this embodiment includes an environment observation device 41 and a wireless communication device 42, and executes a plurality of processes with different priorities.

  The environment observation device 41 measures the weather data of the temperature and the amount of solar radiation, for example, every minute as the information on the environment in which the environment observation device is installed, and notifies the wireless communication device 42 of the measured weather data sequentially. Note that the observation target of the environment observation device 41 may be environmental pollutants such as ultraviolet rays, dust, and photochemical smog, and monitoring information for disaster prevention such as river water amount and seismic intensity other than the above meteorological data.

  In order to notify the weather data measured by the environment observation device 41, the wireless communication device 42 converts the weather data notified by the environment observation device 41 every minute into a radio signal and sequentially transmits it to the disaster prevention center 7 at a remote location. Send. Further, the wireless communication device 42 transmits alarm information to the disaster prevention center 7 when the temperature measured by the environment observation device 41 falls below a predetermined threshold.

  Here, the process with the highest priority among the plurality of processes executed by the load 4 is a process of transmitting alarm information to the disaster prevention center 7.

  In addition, the measurement process of the meteorological data and the process of notifying the measured meteorological data to the wireless communication device 42 in the environmental observation device 41 require power consumption of 0.15 Wh for one time. It is assumed that power consumption of 0.1 Wh is required for one process.

  In this case, as described above, the environment observation device 41 and the wireless communication device 42 perform periodic processing every minute. Therefore, if the warning information transmission processing is excluded, the power consumption of the load 4 per day is 360 Wh.

  On the other hand, since the generated power obtained from the solar cell 1 through the converter 2 is 360 Wh in fine weather, the energy balance becomes “0” as long as the sunny day continues during normal operation of the load 4. A plurality of processes by the load 4 using electric power supplied from the solar cell system including the battery 1 and the assembled battery 3 are continuously executed.

  However, on days when sunny weather is not available, such as cloudy days or rainy days, a part of the power consumption of the load 4 is covered by the discharge from the battery pack 3, so the remaining capacity of the battery pack 3 is discharged. Will decline. Further, if the non-sunshine continues, the voltage of the assembled battery 3 that continues to discharge finally reaches the end-of-discharge voltage, so it is necessary to stop the discharge from the assembled battery 3.

  Therefore, the solar cell system in the present embodiment installs the switch 5, the series resistor 6, and the load operation control device 8 described in detail below to control the operation of the load 4, thereby performing a plurality of processes with different priorities. The main feature is that the power charged in the assembled battery 3 can be efficiently supplied to the load 4 to be performed according to the remaining capacity.

  This main feature will be described with reference to FIG. 2 together with FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the execution frequency control unit.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the load operation control device 8 installed in the solar cell system in the present embodiment includes a remaining capacity acquisition unit 81, a set value storage unit 82, and an execution frequency control unit 83. Here, the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 corresponds to “remaining capacity acquisition means” recited in the claims, and the execution frequency control unit 83 similarly corresponds to “execution frequency control means”.

  In this embodiment, the case where the load operation control device 8 is incorporated in the assembled battery 3 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the load operation control device 8 is incorporated in the load 4. The load operation control device 8 may be installed as an independent device. Further, the load operation control device 8 described below can be constituted by a low power consumption microcomputer and a memory, and can be operated by a battery inside the device. Alternatively, since the power consumption of the load operation control device 8 is sufficiently small compared to the environment observation device 41 and the wireless communication device 42, even if the power is supplied from the assembled battery 3, the remaining power of the assembled battery 3 varies greatly. Don't give.

  The remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 acquires the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the series resistor 6 is inserted in the wiring connected to the assembled battery 3, and the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 measures the voltage generated at both ends of the series resistor 6. Thus, the charge / discharge current is detected, and the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 is acquired based on the integrated value of the detected charge / discharge current.

  The setting value storage unit 82 stores various setting values used for processing by the execution frequency control unit 83. For example, the set value storage unit 82 stores “30%” as the first set value and stores “10%” as the second set value. The set value storage unit 82 stores the discharge end voltage of the assembled battery 3 and the like. The remaining capacity corresponding to the return voltage set from the discharge end voltage is stored. Further, the set value storage unit 82 also stores the control processing content for the load 4 according to the remaining capacity by the execution frequency control unit 83.

  The execution frequency control unit 83 has a low priority among the plurality of processes of the load 4 when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is lower than the first setting value stored in the setting value storage unit 82. The execution frequency of the process is controlled to be lower than the execution frequency when the value of the remaining capacity is equal to or greater than the first set value.

  Specifically, when the remaining capacity value acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 30%, the execution frequency control unit 83 determines the frequency with which the environment observation device 41 acquires weather data and the wireless transmitter 42 At least one of the data transmission frequencies is reduced as compared with the case where the value of the remaining capacity is 30% or more.

  Here, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is 30% or more, the execution frequency control unit 83 determines the weather data measurement interval by the environment observation device 41 as shown in FIG. Are controlled so that both the temperature and the amount of sunlight are 1 minute intervals, and the weather data transmission interval by the wireless transmitter 42 is an interval of 1 minute for both the temperature and the amount of sunlight. Furthermore, the execution frequency control unit 83 controls the alarm information to be transmitted to the disaster prevention center 7 when the measured temperature falls below a predetermined threshold.

  However, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 30%, the execution frequency control unit 83 sets the weather data measurement interval by the environment observation device 41 as shown in FIG. The temperature and the amount of sunshine are controlled at 10-minute intervals, and the weather data transmission interval by the wireless transmitter 42 is controlled at both the temperature and the amount of sunshine at 10-minute intervals. Even if the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 30%, the execution frequency control unit 83 transmits alarm information to the disaster prevention center 7 when the measured temperature falls below a predetermined threshold value. To control.

  Thus, excluding the warning information transmission process, the power consumption of the load 4 per day can be reduced to 36 Wh, which is 1/10 of that during normal operation. That is, assuming that no sunshine is obtained from the time when the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 is 100% (1200 Wh), the operating days of the load 4 when the operation frequency is set to 1 minute intervals are “1200/360 = 3 .3 days ", but after the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 is reduced to 30%, the operating days of the load 4 when the operation frequency is set to an interval of 10 minutes is“ (1200 × 0.7) / 360 + ”. (1200 × 0.3) /36=12.3 days ”.

  Alternatively, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 30%, the execution frequency control unit 83 performs the meteorological data measurement by the environment observation device 41 as shown in FIG. Only the temperature measurement is executed at intervals of 5 minutes to stop the measurement of the amount of sunlight, and at the weather data transmission interval by the wireless transmitter 42, only the temperature data is transmitted at intervals of 5 minutes, and the transmission of the amount of sunlight is stopped. To control. Even if the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 30%, the execution frequency control unit 83 transmits alarm information to the disaster prevention center 7 when the measured temperature falls below a predetermined threshold value. To control. This also reduces the power consumption of the load 4 per day, excluding the warning information transmission process. In addition, the meteorological data measurement interval necessary for transmitting the warning information may be left as it is, and only the meteorological data transmission interval may be expanded (for example, expanded to an interval of 2 hours).

  Further, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 falls below 10%, which is the second set value, the execution frequency control unit 83, as shown in FIG. While the meteorological data measurement interval is set to 10 minutes for both the temperature and the amount of sunshine, control is performed so that the meteorological data transmission by the wireless transmitter 42 is stopped and only the alarm information transmission process with the highest priority is executed.

  Moreover, the execution frequency control part 83 stops the electric power supply to the load 4, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition part 81 is a value corresponding to the discharge final voltage (10V) of the assembled battery 3. Therefore, the switch 5 is opened (turned off).

  The execution frequency control unit 83 controls the execution frequency of the load 4 even when the sunshine recovers and the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 increases, which will be described in detail later.

  Next, processing of the load operation control device 8 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the processing of the load operation control apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the following, processing of the load operation control device 8 after the solar cell 1 is connected to the solar cell system and the assembled battery 3 is fully charged will be described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the load operation control device 8 according to the present embodiment controls the execution frequency control unit 83 to start the operation of the load 4 when the assembled battery 3 is fully charged (Yes at Step S <b> 301). At the same time, the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 starts acquiring the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 (step S302).

  That is, the execution frequency control unit 83 sets the meteorological data measurement interval by the environment observation device 41 to 1 minute intervals for both the temperature and the sunshine amount, and sets the meteorological data transmission interval for the wireless transmitter 42 to 1 minute intervals for both the temperature and the sunshine amount. The remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 detects the charge / discharge current by measuring the voltage generated at both ends of the series resistor 6, and the integrated value of the detected charge / discharge current is controlled. Based on the above, the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 is acquired.

  Then, the execution frequency control unit 83 determines whether or not the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 has fallen below the first set value (step S303).

  Here, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is equal to or larger than the first set value (No at Step S303), the execution frequency control unit 83 continuously determines the value of the remaining capacity.

  On the other hand, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquiring unit 81 falls below the first set value (Yes at Step S303), the execution frequency control unit 83 reduces the measurement frequency and transmission frequency of weather data (frequency reduction mode). 1, step S304).

  Specifically, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is lower than 30%, which is the first set value, the execution frequency control unit 83 sets the weather data measurement interval by the environment observation device 41 as the temperature. Both the amount of sunlight and the amount of sunlight are set to 10 minutes, and the weather data transmission interval by the wireless transmitter 42 is controlled to be both the temperature and the amount of sunlight of 10 minutes. Even if the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 30%, the execution frequency control unit 83 transmits alarm information to the disaster prevention center 7 when the measured temperature falls below a predetermined threshold value. To control.

  After that, the execution frequency control unit 83 determines whether or not the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is equal to or greater than the first set value (step S305).

  Here, the execution frequency control unit 83 returns the processing frequency of the load 4 to the state at the start of the operation when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 becomes equal to or greater than the first set value (Yes in step S305). (Step S307), returning to step S303, it is determined whether or not the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 has fallen below the first set value.

  On the other hand, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 falls below the first set value (No at Step S305), the execution frequency control unit 83 determines that the remaining capacity acquired continuously by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 It is determined whether or not the value has fallen below the second set value (step S306).

  Here, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is equal to or greater than the second set value (No at Step S306), the execution frequency control unit 83 returns to Step S305 and continues to determine the remaining capacity value. To do.

  On the other hand, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is lower than the second set value (Yes in step S306), the execution frequency control unit 83 stops the weather data transmission process (frequency reduction mode 2, step S308). ).

  Specifically, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 10%, which is the second set value, the execution frequency control unit 83 sets the weather data measurement interval by the environment observation device 41 as the temperature. Further, the weather data transmission by the wireless transmitter 42 is stopped while the amount of sunlight is kept at an interval of 10 minutes, and only the alarm information transmission process with the highest priority is executed.

  After that, the execution frequency control unit 83 determines whether or not the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is equal to or greater than the second set value (step S309).

  Here, the execution frequency control unit 83 returns the processing frequency of the load 4 to the frequency reduction mode 1 when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is equal to or greater than the second set value (Yes in step S309) ( Step S311), returning to step S305, it is determined whether or not the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is equal to or greater than the first set value.

  On the other hand, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 falls below the second set value (No in step S309), the execution frequency control unit 83 determines that the remaining capacity acquired continuously by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 It is determined whether or not a value corresponding to the final discharge voltage of the assembled battery 3 has been reached (step S310).

  Here, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is larger than the value corresponding to the discharge end voltage (No at Step S310), the execution frequency control unit 83 returns to Step S309 and continues the value of the remaining capacity. Judgment.

  On the other hand, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquiring unit 81 becomes a value corresponding to the end-of-discharge voltage (Yes at Step S310), the execution frequency control unit 83 switches the switch 5 to off (Step S312). The operation of 4 is stopped.

  Then, the execution frequency control unit 83 determines whether or not the remaining capacity continuously acquired by the remaining capacity acquiring unit 81 is greater than a value corresponding to the return voltage set from the discharge end voltage of the assembled battery 3. (Step S313). Here, the return voltage is a voltage value serving as a determination criterion for turning on the switch 5. A storage battery has the property that when discharging is stopped, the voltage naturally recovers even if it is not charged. That is, when the assembled battery 3 reaches the end-of-discharge voltage, the voltage of the assembled battery 3 naturally increases when the switch 5 is opened and the discharge is stopped in step S312. For this reason, if the criterion for turning on the switch 5 is the discharge end voltage, the discharge starts even though the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 does not actually increase. For this reason, it is necessary to use the return voltage set at a value higher than the discharge end voltage as a criterion. In the case of the assembled battery 3 in which the rated voltage is 12V (1.2 × 10) and the discharge end voltage is 10V as in the present embodiment, the return voltage is set to 12V, for example.

  Here, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is equal to or less than the value corresponding to the return voltage (No at Step S313), the execution frequency control unit 83 continues to acquire the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81. The remaining capacity determination is continued.

  On the other hand, when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquiring unit 81 becomes larger than the value corresponding to the return voltage (Yes in step S313), the execution frequency control unit 83 switches the switch 5 on and executes the load 4 The frequency is returned to the frequency reduction mode 2 (step S314), and the process returns to step S309 to determine whether or not the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquiring unit 81 is equal to or greater than the second set value.

  In this way, the load operation control device 8 in the present embodiment adjusts the execution frequency of a plurality of processes by the load 4 according to the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 detects the charging / discharging current by measuring the voltage generated at both ends of the series resistor 6, and based on the detected integrated value of the charging / discharging current. The remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 is acquired. When the remaining capacity value acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 30%, which is the first setting value stored in the setting value storage unit 82, the execution frequency control unit 83 determines the weather by the environment observation device 41. The data measurement interval (1 minute interval) is set to 10 minutes for both the temperature and the amount of sunlight, and the weather data transmission interval (1 minute interval) by the wireless transmitter 42 is controlled to be 10 minutes for both the temperature and the amount of sunlight. . Even if the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 30%, the execution frequency control unit 83 transmits alarm information to the disaster prevention center 7 when the measured temperature falls below a predetermined threshold value. To control.

  In addition, when the remaining capacity value acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit 81 is less than 10%, which is the second set value, the execution frequency control unit 83 sets the weather data measurement interval by the environment observation device 41 to the temperature and the amount of sunlight. Control is performed so that weather data transmission by the wireless transmitter 42 is stopped and only the alarm information transmission process with the highest priority is executed while the interval is 10 minutes. Moreover, the execution frequency control part 83 stops the electric power supply to the load 4, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition part 81 is a value corresponding to the discharge final voltage (10V) of the assembled battery 3. Therefore, since the switch 5 is opened (off), it is possible to avoid the load 4 from requesting a certain amount of power consumption regardless of the priority level, and to reduce the execution frequency in order from the processing with the lower priority level. Thus, the execution time of a process with high priority can be extended, and as described above, the remaining capacity is used to charge the assembled battery 3 to the load 4 that performs a plurality of processes with different priorities. It becomes possible to supply efficiently according to.

  In addition, although the present Example demonstrated the case where the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 was acquired from the integrated value of charging / discharging electric energy, this invention is not limited to this, The voltage of the assembled battery 3 is measured, The case where the remaining capacity of the assembled battery 3 is acquired from the measured voltage may be used. For example, the voltage of the assembled battery 3 corresponding to the remaining capacity of 30% is stored as the first set value, and the processing of the load 4 is performed when the measured voltage falls below the voltage corresponding to the remaining capacity of 30%. May be transferred to the frequency reduction mode 1.

  In this embodiment, the load 4 that executes a plurality of processes with different priorities includes an environment observation device 41 that measures weather data and a wireless transmitter 42 that transmits weather data and warning information. Although the case where it is configured has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to any load 4 that executes a plurality of processes having different priorities.

  For example, a load 4 that executes a plurality of processes having different priorities transmits a camera that captures an image as information on an environment in which the load 4 is installed, and transmits an image captured by the camera to a crime prevention center. It may be configured as a transmitter that transmits warning information to the crime prevention center when a person is reflected in the image. In this case, the process with the highest priority is to transmit the warning information to the crime prevention center, and the processing frequency with a low priority of the load 4 is set to the battery pack 3 so that the transmission process time of the warning information can be extended. Adjust according to the remaining capacity.

  Alternatively, it may be a case where a buzzer is sounded as the warning information to notify the guards around the load 4 of the presence of the suspicious person. In this case, the process of the device that emits the buzzer is the process with the highest priority.

  Moreover, although the storage battery which comprises the assembled battery 3 was demonstrated in the present Example about the case where it is a nickel hydride storage battery, this invention is not limited to this, The storage battery which comprises the assembled battery 3 is, for example, It may be a case of a lead storage battery, a nickel cadmium storage battery, a lithium ion storage battery, or the like.

  Moreover, although the present Example demonstrated the case where the electric power used when the assembled battery 3 charges was supplied from the solar cell 1, this invention is not limited to this, For example, a power situation is very bad. It may be a case where power used when the assembled battery 3 is charged at a place is supplied from a DC power source such as an AC adapter or a primary battery.

  As described above, the load operation control device and the load operation control method according to the present invention control the operation of a load that executes a plurality of processes using electric power supplied from a DC power source such as a solar cell or a storage battery. It is useful, and is particularly suitable for efficiently supplying the power charged in the storage battery according to the remaining capacity to a load that performs a plurality of processes having different priorities.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the solar cell system in a present Example. It is a figure for demonstrating an execution frequency control part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process of the load operation control apparatus in a present Example. It is a figure for demonstrating a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Solar cell 2 Converter 3 Battery assembly 4 Load 41 Environmental observation apparatus 42 Wireless transmitter 5 Switch 6 Series resistance 7 Disaster prevention center 8 Load operation control apparatus 81 Remaining capacity acquisition part 82 Setting value memory | storage part 83 Execution frequency control part

Claims (10)

A load operation control device that controls the operation of a load that executes a plurality of processes using electric power supplied from a predetermined DC power supply or a storage battery,
A remaining capacity acquisition means for acquiring a remaining capacity of the storage battery;
When the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit is below a predetermined set value, the execution frequency of the low priority process among the plurality of processes is determined as the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit. Execution frequency control means for controlling the capacity value to be lower than the execution frequency when the value is equal to or greater than the predetermined set value;
A load operation control device comprising: The load acquires environment information that is information on an environment in which the load is installed, notifies the acquired environment information, and also notifies warning information when the acquired environment information is outside a predetermined threshold. Execute the process of
The execution frequency control means, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition means is less than the predetermined set value, at least one of the frequency of acquiring the environment information and the frequency of notifying the environment information The load operation control device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed so as to reduce the load.   The execution frequency control means, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition means falls below a second set value that is smaller than the predetermined set value, the environment information acquisition process and the warning The load operation control device according to claim 2, wherein control is performed so that only information notification processing is executed.   The execution frequency control means controls the power supply to the load to be stopped when the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition means is a value corresponding to a discharge end voltage of the storage battery. 4. The load operation control device according to claim 3, wherein   The said remaining capacity acquisition means detects the charging / discharging current of the said storage battery, and acquires the said remaining capacity based on the integrated value of the detected said charging / discharging current, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The load operation control device according to one.   The load operation control device according to claim 1, wherein the remaining capacity acquisition unit acquires the remaining capacity based on a voltage of the storage battery.   The load operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined DC power source is a solar cell that generates power by sunlight. A load operation control method for controlling the operation of a load that executes a plurality of processes using electric power supplied from a predetermined DC power supply or a storage battery,
A remaining capacity acquisition step of acquiring a remaining capacity of the storage battery;
When the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit is below a predetermined set value, the execution frequency of the low priority process among the plurality of processes is determined as the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition unit. An execution frequency control step for controlling the capacity value to be lower than the execution frequency when the value is equal to or greater than a predetermined set value;
The load operation control method characterized by including. The load acquires environment information that is information on an environment in which the load is installed, notifies the acquired environment information, and also notifies warning information when the acquired environment information is outside a predetermined threshold. Execute the process of
The execution frequency control step includes at least one of a frequency of acquiring the environment information and a frequency of notifying the environment information when the value of the remaining capacity acquired by the remaining capacity acquisition step is lower than the predetermined set value. 9. The load operation control method according to claim 8, wherein control is performed so as to reduce the load.   In the execution frequency control step, when the value of the remaining capacity acquired in the remaining capacity acquisition step is below a second set value that is smaller than the predetermined set value, the environment information acquisition process and the warning The load operation control method according to claim 9, wherein control is performed so that only information notification processing is executed.

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