US-12626199-B2 - Gateway device, computer program product, and gateway system

US12626199B2US 12626199 B2US12626199 B2US 12626199B2US-12626199-B2

Abstract

A gateway device according to one embodiment includes one or more hardware processors functioning as a data communication unit, a command synthesis unit, and a command unit. The data communication unit serves to receive, from service business operators, pieces of command information each including a desired output value. The command synthesis unit serves to synthesize the pieces of command information and generate synthesis command information indicating instructed output values for each time slot. The command unit serves to transmit the synthesis command information to an energy resource.

Inventors

Asuka SAWADA
Tomonori Maegawa

Assignees

KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220830
Priority Date: 20211216

Claims (17)

1 . A gateway device comprising: one or more hardware processors configured to: receive, from service business operators, pieces of command information each including a desired output value; synthesize the pieces of command information and generate synthesis command information with respect to an energy resource that provides electric power to an electric power system and that is capable of changing an output of the electric power to be provided, the synthesis command information indicating instructed output values for each time slot; and transmit the synthesis command information to the energy resource, wherein the one or more hardware processors generate the synthesis command information by synthesizing the pieces of command information at a distribution ratio, the distribution ratio being based on priority information predetermined for each of contracts with the service business operators, the command information includes the desired output value and a desired provision time slot of the desired output value, and the one or more hardware processors generate, for each overlapping time slot among the desired provision time slots included in the pieces of command information, the synthesis command information by synthesizing output values in accordance with the desired output values for the time slot at the distribution ratio based on the priority information, and wherein generating the synthesis command information for each overlapping time slot includes determining an instructed output value to be provided by the energy resource to two or more service business operators that request provision of electric power from the beginning to the end of each overlapping time slot.
2 . The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors generate, for each overlapping time slot among the desired provision time slots included in the pieces of command information, the synthesis command information in which the command information having a higher command priority is prioritized, the command priority being included in the priority information and indicating a priority of the command information.
3 . The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors generate, for each overlapping time slot among the desired provision time slots included in the pieces of command information, the synthesis command information in which the command information having a higher priority is prioritized, the priority being expressed by items defined in a distribution policy included in the priority information and indicating a priority at synthesis of a command to the corresponding service business operator.
4 . The gateway device according to claim 3 , wherein the distribution policy includes, as the items, command-priority prioritization indicating that a command priority indicating a priority of the command information is prioritized, and prior-reception prioritization indicating that the command information previously received is prioritized.
5 . The gateway device according to claim 4 , wherein the one or more hardware processors generate, for the pieces of command information, the synthesis command information in which the command information having a higher command priority is prioritized, the command priority being included in the priority information and indicating a priority of the command information, and when the command information, which includes the desired provision time slot overlapping after generating the synthesis command information, is additionally received, the one or more hardware processors regenerate, for the overlapping time slot, the synthesis command information in which the command information having a higher priority is prioritized, the priority being expressed by the items defined in the distribution policy.
6 . The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are provided with the priority information of each service business operator in advance, and the one or more hardware processors generate the synthesis command information by synthesizing the pieces of command information at the distribution ratio based on the priority information provided to one or more hardware processors having received the command information.
7 . The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors generate provision plan information including a group of the synthesis command information indicating the instructed output values for each of time slots included in a predetermined future duration, and the one or more hardware processors transmit the provision plan information to the energy resource.
8 . The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors calculate, on the basis of the instructed output values expressed for each time slot by the synthesis command information, a distribution ratio of scheduled provision to the service business operators for each time slot.
9 . The gateway device according to claim 8 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to: collect an actual output value from the energy resource; and determine actual distribution information indicating distribution of the actual output value to the service business operators.
10 . The gateway device according to claim 9 , wherein the one or more hardware processors determine the actual distribution information on the basis of the scheduled provision distribution ratio corresponding to the energy resource.
11 . The gateway device according to claim 10 , wherein the one or more hardware processors determine the actual distribution information including actual distributed output values obtained by distributing the actual output value at the scheduled provision distribution ratio.
12 . The gateway device according to claim 9 , wherein the one or more hardware processors determine the actual distribution information including actual distributed output values obtained by distributing the actual output value such that distribution to the service business operators at transmission sources of the command information having higher priorities is preferentially satisfied.
13 . The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more hardware processors are further configured to: generate the synthesis command information for each energy resource capable of changing an output provided to an electric power system; and transmit the synthesis command information to a corresponding energy resource.
14 . The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the desired output value is a value of the electric power as an output that each of the service business operators desires the energy resource to provide.
15 . The gateway device according to claim 1 , wherein the instructed output values are information, each indicating an amount of an output instructed to the energy resource.
16 . A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which a program executable by a computer is recorded, the program instructing the computer to: receive, from service business operators, pieces of command information each including a desired output value; synthesize the pieces of command information and generate synthesis command information with respect to an energy resource that provides electric power to an electric power system and that is capable of changing an output of the electric power to be provided, the synthesis command information indicating instructed output values for each time slot; and transmit the synthesis command information to the energy resource, wherein the program instructs the computer to generate the synthesis command information by synthesizing the pieces of command information at a distribution ratio, the distribution ratio being based on priority information predetermined for each of contracts with the service business operators, the command information includes the desired output value and a desired provision time slot of the desired output value, and the program instructs the computer to generate, for each overlapping time slot among the desired provision time slots included in the pieces of command information, the synthesis command information by synthesizing output values in accordance with the desired output values for the time slot at the distribution ratio based on the priority information, and wherein generating the synthesis command information for each overlapping time slot includes determining an instructed output value to be provided by the energy resource to two or more service business operators that request provision of electric power from the beginning to the end of each overlapping time slot.
17 . A gateway system comprising: a gateway device including one or more hardware processors; service business operator terminals communicatively connected to the gateway device; and an energy resource communicatively connected to the gateway device and the service business operator terminals, the energy resource providing electric power to an electric power system and that is capable of changing an output of the electric power to be provided, wherein the one or more hardware processors of the gateway device are configured to: receive, from the service business operator terminals, pieces of command information each including a desired output value; synthesize the pieces of command information and generate synthesis command information with respect to the energy resource, the synthesis command information indicating instructed output values for each time slot; and transmit the synthesis command information to the energy resource, and the one or more hardware processors generate the synthesis command information by synthesizing the pieces of command information at a distribution ratio, the distribution ratio being based on priority information predetermined for each of contracts with the service business operators, the command information includes the desired output value and a desired provision time slot of the desired output value, the one or more hardware processors generate, for each overlapping time slot among the desired provision time slots included in the pieces of command information, the synthesis command information by synthesizing output values in accordance with the desired output values for the time slot at the distribution ratio based on the priority information, and wherein generating the synthesis command information for each overlapping time slot includes determining an instructed output value to be provided by the energy resource to two or more service business operators that request provision of electric power from the beginning to the end of each overlapping time slot.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-204405, filed on Dec. 16, 2021; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD Embodiments described herein relate generally to a gateway device, a computer program product, and a gateway system. BACKGROUND In a recently established configuration of energy management toward carbon neutral realization, dispersive energy resources are collectively and integrally controlled by a service business operator, which is referred to as an aggregator, and are utilized for supply-demand balance adjustment of electric power. The configuration of the integrated control is also referred to as virtual power plant (VPP), demand response (DR), and the like. Specifically, the configuration of the integrated control is such that a command for an output necessary at a time point is transmitted from the service business operator toward each energy resource and the energy resource provides an output in accordance with the command, thereby performing overall supply-demand adjustment. However, in a state in which resources of one energy resource are shared among service business operators and can be controlled by those service business operators, there is a possibility that conflict occurs among commands received from the service business operator by the energy resources. Conventionally, a system having functions for setting and managing access permission information indicating which service business operator can control which energy resource has been disclosed. In addition, a system having functions of providing priorities to multiple commands from service business operators and transferring commands having higher priorities first to an energy resource has been disclosed. However, in the conventional technologies, the number of commands that can be received by an energy resource is limited to one for each time slot. Thus, when capacity is available in an output that can be provided by the energy resource in accordance with one command received from one service business operator, the output of the available capacity cannot be provided to any other service business operator. Accordingly, with the conventional technologies, the output that can be provided by the energy resource cannot be utilized to maximum. In other words, with the conventional technologies, it has been difficult that the energy resource can provide an output to a larger number of service business operators in any time slot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a gateway system; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of command information; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of a contract information DB; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of an resource information DB; FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram of synthesis command information generation; FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram of synthesis command information generation; FIG. 5C is an explanatory diagram of synthesis command information generation; FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram of synthesis command information generation; FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram of synthesis command information generation; FIG. 6C is an explanatory diagram of synthesis command information generation; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of a distribution ratio DB; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of synthesis command information; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of scheduled provision output information; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of actual output information; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of actual distribution information; FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of distribution in accordance with a scheduled provision distribution ratio; FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram of distribution in accordance with the scheduled provision distribution ratio; FIG. 12C is a diagram of distribution in accordance with priority information; FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the process of information processing executed by a gateway device; FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of command information before synthesis; FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of synthesis command information; FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the process of information processing executed by the gateway device; FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the gateway system; FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a data configuration of the distribution ratio DB; FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating the process of information processing executed by the gateway device; FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating the process of information processing executed by the gateway device; and FIG. 20 is a hardware configuration diagram. DETAILED DESCRIPTION A gateway device according to one embodiment