JP6823818B2 - Maintenance and operation method for battery-equipped devices - Google Patents

Description

The invention disclosed in the present specification relates to a storage battery-equipped device and a maintenance operation system thereof.

As a device equipped with a storage battery, for example, there is an uninterruptible power supply, which is designed to function as a backup power source for supplying AC power from the storage battery to the load device in the event of a power failure in the power system. In recent years, devices equipped with storage batteries such as uninterruptible power supplies are equipped with a large number of high-performance storage batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, and their capacity and functionality are increasing, and operation monitoring via a network has been put into practical use. ..

However, in a storage battery-equipped device equipped with a high-capacity storage battery, the number of cells of the storage battery is extremely large, and the amount of management information is enormous accordingly. Therefore, if the information is sent to the server via the management network, the traffic volume of the network will increase and various failures are expected.

Therefore, for example, management information such as current / voltage measurement information for each cell over time, power failure detection information, and storage battery charging information is stored in a storage device on the uninterruptible power supply side, for example, in an uninterruptible power supply. A mail notification system that sends a mail to the administrator by the e-mail function when the state changes has been put into practical use. Upon receiving the e-mail, the maintenance personnel can access the web server set in the control device of the uninterruptible power supply from the web browser of the management computer to check the management information of the uninterruptible power supply and install the uninterruptible power supply. You will have to go to a place and inspect it directly.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-09531

When maintenance personnel go to the site after receiving an error notification email, they may want to check detailed management information at the site. For that purpose, it is desirable to connect a laptop computer or the like to the network and browse the information from the web server of the uninterruptible power supply. However, in many cases, it is not easy for maintenance personnel who are servicemen of uninterruptible power supply manufacturers to connect laptop computers to the customer company's network due to security problems.

For this reason, there has been a demand for a mechanism that allows easy viewing of management information without connecting to a network for managing storage battery-equipped devices.

Therefore, this specification discloses a technique that allows maintenance personnel to easily check the management information recorded in the storage battery-equipped device when operating and maintaining the storage battery-equipped device.

Battery mounting equipment disclosed herein is a battery-equipped device provided with a charge and discharge control device for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery and its battery, it acquires the status of the storage battery as the management information of the storage battery a management information storage unit for storing Te, a management network communication unit that communicates with the management computer of the storage battery mounted device via the management network, and information terminal wherein the management network via a separate communication line a communication unit for communication provided, in which so as to transmit the management information via the communication line before Kijo report terminal.

When the storage battery-equipped device is controlled by the power management server of the power management system, it is preferable that the portable information terminal has a public line communication unit that communicates with the power management server via a public radiotelephone line.

According to the technique disclosed in the present specification, when operating and maintaining a storage battery-equipped device, maintenance personnel can easily check the management information recorded in the storage battery-equipped device.

Block diagram showing the configuration of the power management system Block diagram showing the configuration of an uninterruptible power supply Block diagram showing the configuration of the network unit and maintenance operation system

The embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

A plurality of load devices 11 to 14 are connected to the AC power system 10. Examples of the load devices 11 and 12 include server devices that require power backup in the event of a power failure in the power system 10, and examples of the load devices 13 and 14 include general load devices such as air conditioners and lighting devices. .. The load devices 11 and 12 are connected to the power system 10 via an uninterruptible power supply device 20 (hereinafter, referred to as “UPS 20”) corresponding to a storage battery-equipped device for power backup.

The two UPS 20s and the load devices 13 and 14 are connected to the EMS controller 31 via the network 30, and their operations are controlled by the EMS controller 31 that receives a signal from the power management server 32 as described in detail later. To. The power management server 32 has a database of information on the operations of the load devices 11 to 14 and the UPS 20, and based on the database, analyzes the optimum operation mode of the load devices according to the actual power supply and demand state. Based on the analysis result, the EMS controller 31 outputs an operation command to the UPS 20 and the load devices 13 and 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the UPS 20 rectifies the alternating current from the power system 10 by the commutator 21 and charges the storage battery 23 such as a lithium ion battery via the bidirectional converter 22. The electric power stored in the storage battery 23 is given to the inverter 24 via the bidirectional converter 22, converted into AC power, and given to the load devices 11 and 12 via the inverter bypass switch 25.

The rectifier 21, the bidirectional converter 22, the inverter 24, and the inverter bypass switch 25, which are the components in the UPS 20, are controlled by the UPS control circuit 26. When the power system 10 normally supplies power, the storage battery 23 is charged so as to maintain a predetermined remaining capacity, and AC power from the inverter 24 is supplied to the load devices 11 and 12.

The remaining capacity of the storage battery 23 is calculated by the UPS control device 26 from information such as the voltage and internal resistance of the storage battery 23. The UPS control device 26 also calculates or measures the voltage, SOC (State Of Charge: remaining capacity), SOH (State Of Health: deteriorated state), and temperature of each cell constituting the storage battery 23 at predetermined time intervals. At the same time, the operating state of the UPS 20 and the failure status of the components constituting the UPS 20 are also acquired and stored in a storage circuit (not shown) provided in the UPS control device 26. Therefore, the UPS control device 26 functions as a management information recording unit that acquires and stores the state of the storage battery 23 as management information of the storage battery.

On the other hand, when a power failure of the power system 10 is detected, the UPS control device 26 supplies the DC power charged in the storage battery 23 to the inverter 24 via the bidirectional converter 22 to convert it into AC power, and the inverter The AC power from 24 is supplied to the load devices 11 and 12. As described above, the UPS control device 26 functions as a charge / discharge control device that controls the charge / discharge of the storage battery 23 according to a predetermined charge / discharge algorithm. The charge / discharge algorithm is recorded in the memory of the UPS control device 26 and the storage unit 41 corresponding to the algorithm storage unit provided in the network unit 40 described later. The inverter bypass switch 25 is switched so as to directly supply the power of the power system 10 to the load devices 11 and 12, for example, when the inverter 24 is stopped during the inspection work of the UPS 20.

The UPS 20 is provided with a network unit 40 for connecting the UPS 20 to the network 30. The network unit 40 has the configuration shown in FIG. 3 in detail, and includes the above-mentioned storage unit 41, a wired LAN communication unit 42, a main calculation unit 43, and a wireless LAN communication unit 44.

The wired LAN communication unit 42 has a connector (not shown) for making a wired connection to the network 30 to which the EMS controller 31 is connected. As shown in FIG. 3, the network 30 can also be connected to a management computer 45 that monitors the operation of the UPS 20, and not only functions as a network for the power management system but also as a management network that manages the operation of the UPS 20. Also works.

The wireless communication unit 44 is an interface for a wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or a wireless communication line such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The wireless communication unit 44 is for connecting, for example, a mobile information terminal 50 for maintenance and inspection by wireless communication, and establishes an independent wireless network separated from the network 30. The mobile information terminal 50 can also communicate with the base station 51 via a public wireless telephone line such as 3G or 4G. A communication program for communicating with the operation server 53 for UPS20, which records the operation parameters and operation logs of the UPS20 group, for example, is installed in the mobile information terminal 50 via the network 52 to which the base station 51 is connected. ing.

The storage unit 41 stores programs that execute various functions of the main calculation unit 43. For example, a program that transfers the management information of the storage battery 23 acquired by the UPS control device 26 to the storage unit 41 before overflowing in the storage unit of the UPS control device 26, a log file program that manages the information, and HTTP / operation information. A WEB server program for providing as an HTTPS-based user interface, an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) program for remote monitoring, a communication control program for communicating with a personal digital assistant 50 via a wireless communication unit 44, UPS 20 A mail transmission program or the like for sending a mail when an abnormality or a power failure is detected on the side is recorded in the storage unit 41. At the same time, the storage unit 41 secures an area for storing the charge / discharge algorithm of the UPS control device 26 and an area for storing the management information of the storage battery 23, and also functions as a management information storage unit.

Next, in the present embodiment, a maintenance procedure when an abnormality occurs in UPS 20 will be described. In UPS 20, for example, when the SOH of the storage battery 23 falls below the set level, or when a component failure is detected, or when the temperature of the storage battery 23 exceeds the set level, it is sent to a predetermined address in the network 30. The e-mail to be notified is transmitted from the network unit 40. By entering a predetermined URL in the browser installed on the management computer 45 connected to the network 30, the operating status of the UPS 20 is transmitted to the management computer 45 from the WEB server set in the network unit 40 and remotely. It can be confirmed with the browser of the ground management computer 45.

As a result, when it is determined that the maintenance personnel need to go to the site where the UPS 20 is installed, the maintenance personnel go to the site with the predetermined mobile information terminal 50. Upon arriving at the installation site of the UPS 20, if the mobile information terminal 50 performs a predetermined authentication operation for wireless LAN connection, the mobile information terminal 50 establishes data communication via the wireless LAN communication unit 44 of the network unit 40. .. Therefore, by launching a predetermined application program of the mobile information terminal 50, the log file of the UPS 20 can be read from the storage unit 41 and viewed on the mobile information terminal 50.

In this case, a huge amount of management information is transmitted via the wireless network established by the wireless communication line between the mobile information terminal 50 and the network unit 40, and the wireless network is for management. Since it is completely independent of the network 30, it does not affect the management operation of the power management system and the monitoring operation of the UPS 20 by the power management server 32 via the network 30, and the power management and the UPS 20 can be safely and stably performed. Monitoring can be continued. Further, since the mobile information terminal 50 cannot enter the network 30, it does not cause any security problem or concern.

The maintenance personnel transfer the management information stored in the UPS control device 26 and the network unit 40 of the UPS 20 to the mobile information terminal 50 and display it on the display, or operate a predetermined analysis application on the mobile information terminal 50. By doing so, it is possible to analyze the problems that have occurred in the UPS 20. Alternatively, the acquired management information may be sent to the operation server 53 via the 3G or 4G public radiotelephone line provided in the mobile information terminal 50 and analyzed here. The analysis result is sent back to the mobile information terminal 50, and the maintenance personnel can see the result and take measures against the abnormality of the UPS 20.

Further, when communication is performed between the mobile information terminal 50 and the operation server 53, such as when an abnormality occurs or during an inspection, the mobile information terminal 50 displays updated information such as the firmware of the UPS 20. The maintenance personnel can also update the firmware of the UPS 20 from the operation server 53 via the mobile information terminal 50 by operating the mobile information terminal 50.

The following can be exemplified as the maintenance procedure using the operation server 53.
For example, the operation server 53 records a desirable power failure detection level for each area where the UPS 20 is installed as a database. The power failure detection level is a standard that, for example, when the voltage of the power system 10 falls below 80% of the rated voltage, it is regarded as a power failure and the backup operation is started. When the management information is transmitted from the mobile information terminal 50 to the operation server 53 and the log is analyzed on the operation server 53, if the power failure detection frequency is extremely high, for example, UPS 20 is based on the GPS data acquired from the mobile information terminal 50. Obtain the installation location of the server and compare the standard power failure detection level at the installation location with the actually set power failure detection level from the database. If they are different, a standard power failure detection level is transmitted to the information terminal 50, and maintenance personnel are instructed to reset the power failure detection level of the UPS 20 to a standard value.

When the maintenance personnel performs the power failure detection level setting operation on the mobile information terminal 50, the information is transmitted to the network unit 40 via the wireless network, and is set in the UPS control device 26 by the signal from the main calculation unit 43. The power failure detection level is set to the new value. At the same time, it is stored in the database of the operation server 53 from the mobile information terminal 50 via the public wireless telephone line that the power failure detection level is updated to a new value in the UPS 20. As a result, the UPS 20 can be operated at an appropriate power failure detection level.

Further, the operation server 53 stores not only the desired power failure detection level for each region but also setting information such as the UP wired LAN communication unit 42 and the wireless communication unit 44, and the UPS 20 is newly installed or updated. At that time, the setting information can be set in the network unit 40 via the portable information terminal 50.

Further, when the UPS 20 is newly installed or updated on the operation server 53, the individual information of the UPS 20 (for example, serial number, hardware / firmware version, installation location, etc.) and the setting to be input from the mobile information terminal 50 are set. The information is stored in the database of the operation server 53 together with the power failure detection level, and when the network unit 40 fails, the setting information stored in the operation server 53 and the setting information such as the power failure detection level are stored. Can be transferred to a new network unit after replacement to improve the efficiency of recovery work.

That is, when a trouble that the network unit 40 cannot communicate with the wired LAN communication unit 42 (for example, a LAN port failure or a communication abnormality) occurs, the setting information stored in the operation server 53 after the network unit 40 is replaced. By transferring the data, the recovery work can be performed efficiently.

Further, by using the operation server 53, the following maintenance procedure can be performed. For example, if the management computer 45 cannot access the network unit 40 using a browser due to forgetting the access password corresponding to the communication setting information, the maintenance personnel first save the access password in advance on the operation server 53 on the wireless network side. The existing security code is acquired by the mobile information terminal 50. Then, by accessing the network unit 40 from the mobile information terminal 50 using the acquired security code, a temporary password with the number of times of use and the expiration date is acquired.

Next, the access password is reset by receiving the temporary password acquired by the maintenance personnel and accessing the network unit 40 using the temporary password from the browser of the management computer 45 of the management network 30. In other words, the wireless network and the management network 30 are constructed independently, and the issuance of the temporary password by the authentication of the security code and the resetting of the access password by the temporary password are performed in different networks. It is now possible to reset the password while strengthening it.

<Other embodiments>
(1) In the above embodiment, an uninterruptible power supply is exemplified as a device equipped with a storage battery, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, for peak shift in which the electric power charged by midnight electric power is discharged in the daytime to equalize the electric power demand. It may be a device equipped with a storage battery or a device equipped with a storage battery for a solar cell that is charged by the output of the solar cell in the daytime and discharged at night.

(2) In the above embodiment, an example in which the storage battery is made of a lithium ion battery is shown, but the storage battery is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that various secondary batteries such as a lead storage battery and a nickel hydrogen battery can be used.

(3) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the power management system manages four load devices 11 to 14 is illustrated for the sake of simplification of the description, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the power management system is the power load of the entire factory. FEMS (Factory Energy Management System) that manages power equipment in the home, HEMS (Home Energy Management System) that manages power equipment in the home, CEMS (Community Energy Management System) that manages power equipment in towns and regions, and the entire building and commercial facilities Of course, it can be applied to BEMS (Building Energy Management System) that manages electric power equipment.

(4) In the above embodiment, a configuration example in which the power management server 32 is provided separately from the EMS controller 31 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the EMS controller 31 is provided with the data processing function of the power management server 32 to provide both. It may be an integrated configuration. Alternatively, a plurality of EMS controllers may be applied to a large-scale power management system connected to a power management server via a network.

(5) In the above embodiment, the management network 30 is an example of a wired network, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least a part thereof may be replaced by a wireless LAN.

(6) In the above embodiment, an example of installing a dedicated application for confirming and setting various information by connecting to the network unit 40 and the operation 53 of the UPS 20 is shown in the mobile information terminal 50. Of course, information may be exchanged with the network unit 40 or the operation server by using the WEB browser function provided in the mobile information terminal 50.
(7) In the above embodiment, an example in which the UPS control device 26 acquires management information such as voltage, SOC, SOH, and temperature for each cell constituting the storage battery 23 is shown. For example, the battery voltage for each battery module is shown. , SOC, SOH, current and temperature may be acquired.

10: Power system 11-14: Load device 20: UPS (device with storage battery)
26: UPS control device (charge / discharge control device)
30: Management network 31: EMS controller 32: Power management server 40: Network unit 41: Storage unit (management information storage unit)
42: Wired LAN communication unit (management network communication unit)
44: Wireless LAN communication unit (communication unit, wireless communication unit)
45: Management computer 53: Operation server

Claims (6)

Network having a for managing network communication unit for communicating with the management computer through a local area network for management, and a communication unit that communicates with the information terminal in a separate communication line to the local area network for the management It is a maintenance and operation method for storage battery-equipped equipment equipped with a unit.
Wherein the information terminal, to establish data communication via the communications unit without connecting to a local area network for the management,
The network unit transmits the management information of the storage battery mounted device, to the information terminal by the previous SL communications line, the method. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the setting information of the storage battery- equipped device is set from the information terminal . The information terminal displays the analysis result before Symbol management information, the method according to claim 1 or claim 2. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information terminal communicates with an operation server having a database for recording the management information of the storage battery-equipped device via a public wireless telephone line . The production server, the Setting Information of the battery-equipped device, via a pre-Symbol information terminal is set to the battery-equipped device, or the setting information that has been set in the storage battery mounted device, via the information terminal The method according to claim 4, wherein the method is acquired and stored. When communication from the management local area network to the management network communication unit becomes impossible, the information terminal acquires a security code preset in the operation server, and the acquired security code is used to acquire the information terminal. accessing said network unit to get the temporary password, to reset the access password of the management network communication unit by accessing said network unit from the management computer by using the acquired temporary password, claim from 4 or the method according to claim 5.

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