Solar power generation control device

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to efficiently charge a storage device with power generated by a solar cell. A solar power generation control device controls a solar power generation system capable of charging a storage battery with power generated by a plurality of solar cell panels respectively arranged on different surfaces of a vehicle body, and comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the output of each solar cell panel included in the plurality of solar cell panels; a determination unit that determines a solar cell panel that performs power generation for charging the storage battery from among the plurality of solar cell panels based on the information indicating the output of the solar cell panel acquired by the acquisition unit; and a control unit that enables the charging of the storage battery with power generated by the solar cell panel determined by the determination unit, and stops the charging of the storage battery with power generated by other solar cell panels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a solar power generation control device for controlling a solar power generation system. Background Art

[0002] In the past, there was a solar power generation system that includes a solar cell and a power storage device, and charges the power storage device with the power generated by the solar cell. Generally, such a solar power generation system is started when light irradiating to the solar cell is detected (specifically, when the output voltage of the solar cell is greater than a predetermined voltage value), thereby charging the power storage device with the power generated by the solar cell. In addition, Patent Document 1 describes that such a solar power generation system is installed in a vehicle.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-85707 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] When installing a solar power generation system on a vehicle, it is considered to arrange a plurality of solar cells on different surfaces of the vehicle body. When a plurality of solar cells are arranged on different surfaces of the vehicle body, the solar power generation system is activated only when there is light irradiating the solar cells, and the power storage device cannot be efficiently charged with the power generated by the solar cells. There is room for improvement in this regard.

[0008] The present invention provides a solar power generation control device, which can efficiently charge a power storage device with the power generated by the solar cells when a plurality of solar cells are arranged on different surfaces of a vehicle body.

[0009] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0010] A solar power generation control device of the present invention controls a solar power generation system capable of charging a power storage device of a vehicle using power generated by a plurality of solar cells respectively provided on different surfaces of a vehicle body, the solar power generation control device comprising:

[0011] an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating an output of each solar cell included in the plurality of solar cells;

[0012] a determination unit that determines, from among the plurality of solar cells, a startup solar cell that performs power generation for charging the power storage device, based on the information indicating the output of the solar cell acquired by the acquisition unit;

[0013] A control unit that charges the power storage device with the power generated by the starting solar cell determined by the determination unit and stops charging the power storage device with the power generated by another solar cell different from the starting solar cell.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, when a plurality of solar cells are arranged on different surfaces of a vehicle body, respectively, the power storage device can be efficiently charged with electric power generated by the solar cells. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle provided with a solar power generation system controlled by a solar power generation control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement position of each solar cell panel.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the power generation control device according to the present embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing an example of control processing performed by the power generation control device according to the present embodiment.

[0020] Description of Reference Numerals

[0021] 1 Vehicle

[0022] 2 Solar power generation system

[0023] 10, 10a, 10b, 10c Solar cell panels (solar cells)

[0024] 32 Solar power generation control device

[0025] 321 Acquisition Department

[0026] 322 Determination Department

[0027] 322a Forecasting Department

[0028] 323 Control Department

[0029] 50. Battery (electricity storage device) DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the solar power generation control device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the following description, front and rear, left and right, and top and bottom are described according to the direction of observation by the user of the vehicle. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the front of the vehicle is represented as Fr, the rear is represented as Rr, the left side is represented as L, the right side is represented as R, the top is represented as U, and the bottom is represented as D.

[0031]

vehicle

[0032] First, refer to Figure 1 A vehicle including a solar power generation system controlled by a solar power generation control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the solid lines represent control wiring, and the double dashed lines represent power wiring.

[0033] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle (Electrical Vehicle) that includes a solar power generation system 2 that can generate electricity by irradiation light (hereinafter, also referred to as irradiation light) directed toward the vehicle 1 and a travel motor 3 (e.g., a three-phase AC motor) driven by the power generated by the solar power generation system 2, and can travel by the power of the travel motor 3. The irradiation light is, for example, sunlight whose light source is the sun. The sunlight can include direct light that directly reaches the ground (i.e., the vehicle 1) and scattered light that reaches the ground after being scattered and reflected by clouds, dust in the atmosphere, etc.

[0034]

Solar power generation system

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the solar power generation system 2 is configured to include a solar cell panel 10 , a light sensor unit 20 , a solar power generation control unit 30 , a charging control device 40 , and a storage battery 50 .

[0036] The solar cell panel 10 is an example of a solar cell in the present invention. The solar cell panel 10 is formed by, for example, connecting in series a plurality of solar cell units that convert light energy into electricity, and outputs the electricity generated by these plurality of solar cell units according to irradiated light to the solar power generation control unit 30. In the vehicle 1, a plurality of such solar cell panels 10 are provided, and these plurality of solar cell panels 10 are respectively connected to the solar power generation control unit 30.

[0037] Specifically, the solar cell panel 10 includes a solar cell panel 10a, a solar cell panel 10b, and a solar cell panel 10c. The solar cell panel 10a, the solar cell panel 10b, and the solar cell panel 10c are respectively arranged on different surfaces of the vehicle body. An example of the arrangement position of the solar cell panel 10a, the solar cell panel 10b, and the solar cell panel 10c is by using Figure 2 And it will be described later.

[0038] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the example of providing three solar cell panels 10, namely, solar cell panel 10a, solar cell panel 10b and solar cell panel 10c, is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the number of solar cell panels 10 may be one, two, or more than four.

[0039] In addition, solar cell sensor units (in Figure 1 The solar cell sensor unit 11 detects the output of the corresponding solar cell panel 10, and sends a detection signal including the detection result and an identifier (i.e., ID) of its own device to the solar power generation control unit 30. The solar cell sensor unit 11 detects the output voltage and output current of the solar cell panel 10 as the output of the solar cell panel 10. Thus, the solar power generation control unit 30 (e.g., the solar power generation control device 32 described later) can obtain information indicating the output voltage and output current of each solar cell panel 10 based on the detection signals from each solar cell sensor unit 11.

[0040] The light sensor unit 20 includes a light sensor such as a photodiode that converts light energy into electricity, and is configured to detect the intensity of the light inside the vehicle 1 (e.g., illuminance) through the light sensor. It should be noted that, hereinafter, the light inside the vehicle 1 is also referred to as the interior light. The light sensor unit 20 sends a detection signal including information indicating the intensity of the detected interior light to the solar power generation control unit 30. In addition, when there is no interior light, the light sensor unit 20 sends a detection signal indicating that the intensity of the interior light is 0 (zero) to the solar power generation control unit 30, for example. Thus, the solar power generation control unit 30 (e.g., the solar power generation control device 32 described later) can obtain information indicating the presence or absence of interior light and the intensity of the interior light based on the detection signal from the light sensor unit 20.

[0041] The solar power generation control unit 30 includes a power conditioning device 31 and a solar power generation control device 32. A plurality of power conditioning devices 31 are provided in a manner corresponding to each solar cell panel 10. Specifically, in the present embodiment, a power conditioning device 31a is provided corresponding to the solar cell panel 10a. In addition, a power conditioning device 31b is provided corresponding to the solar cell panel 10b. Furthermore, a power conditioning device 31c is provided corresponding to the solar cell panel 10c.

[0042] Each power conditioning device 31 receives the power generated by the corresponding solar cell panel 10, and outputs the received power to the charging control device 40. It should be noted that the power conditioning device 31 can output the power generated by the corresponding solar cell panel 10 directly to the charging control device 40, or can output it to the charging control device 40 via other power conditioning devices 31.

[0043] In addition, each power conditioning device 31 controls the power generated by the corresponding solar cell panel 10. Specifically, each power conditioning device 31 is controlled by maximum power point tracking (hereinafter also referred to as MPPT control) to maximize the power generated by the corresponding solar cell panel 10. The power conditioning device 31 can be implemented, for example, by a so-called micro converter having a function of performing MPPT control.

[0044] It should be noted that, hereinafter, the combination of the solar cell panel 10a and the power conditioning device 31a is sometimes referred to as the first solar power generation unit α. The first solar power generation unit α is operated by consuming a predetermined amount of power (e.g., power for operating the power conditioning device 31a), so that the storage battery 50 can be charged with power generated by the solar cell panel 10a.

[0045] In addition, the combination of the solar cell panel 10b and the power conditioning device 31b is sometimes referred to as the second solar power generation unit β. The second solar power generation unit β is operated by consuming a predetermined amount of power (e.g., power for operating the power conditioning device 31b), so that the storage battery 50 can be charged with power generated by the solar cell panel 10b.

[0046] In addition, in the following, the combination of the solar cell panel 10c and the power conditioning device 31c is sometimes referred to as the third solar power generation unit γ. The third solar power generation unit γ is operated by consuming a predetermined amount of power (for example, the power consumed for operating the power conditioning device 31c), so that the storage battery 50 can be charged with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10c.

[0047] The solar power generation control device 32 is an example of a solar power generation control device of the present invention. The solar power generation control device 32 controls the solar cell panels 10 and the like that generate electricity for charging the storage battery 50, for example, based on the output of each solar cell panel 10. The solar power generation control device 32 controls the operation mode of the solar power generation system 2, for example.

[0048] In this embodiment, the solar power generation system 2 can adopt a startup mode and a sleep mode (sleep mode) in which the solar power generation system 2 consumes less power than the startup mode as operation modes. Specifically, the startup mode is an operation mode in which the battery 50 is charged with power generated by one or more solar cell panels 10.

[0049] Specifically, the solar power generation control device 32 can activate or stop each solar power generation unit. Moreover, when in the startup mode, the solar power generation control device 32 activates one or more solar power generation units, thereby charging the battery 50 with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10 of the activated solar power generation unit. On the other hand, in the solar power generation unit that has stopped operating, for example, the power conditioning device 31 turns off functions other than the communication function for communicating with the solar power generation control device 32 (for example, the function of performing MPPT control). As a result, the power consumption of the stopped solar power generation unit is reduced, so the overall power consumption of the solar power generation system 2 is reduced.

[0050] In addition, the rest mode is an operation mode in which the battery 50 is not charged with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10. That is, in the rest mode, all the solar power generation units stop operating. It should be noted that in the rest mode, not only the power conditioning device 31, but also other components (such as the charging control device 40) can also stop the function of charging the battery 50 as appropriate. Figure 3 And it will be described later.

[0051] The charging control device 40 receives the power generated by the solar cell panel 10 via the solar power generation control unit 30, and charges the storage battery 50 with the received power. The storage battery 50 is an example of a power storage device in the present invention, and is composed of a plurality of storage battery modules 51 connected in series. These plurality of storage battery modules 51 are respectively connected to the charging control device 40, and the charging control device 40 can selectively charge each storage battery module 51.

[0052] For example, the charging control device 40 distributes power to each battery module 51 so that the remaining capacity of each battery module 51 is equal to each other, and charges them. The charging control device 40 can be implemented, for example, by a predetermined integrated circuit. It should be noted that the power of the battery 50 is supplied to the driving motor 3 via the power conversion device 4 that converts direct current into alternating current. The power conversion device 4 can be implemented, for example, by an inverter device.

[0053] [An example of the arrangement position of each solar cell panel]

[0054] Next, refer to Figure 2 An example of the arrangement position of each solar cell panel 10 is described below. Figure 2 As shown, the solar cell panel 10a is arranged on the top 1a of the vehicle 1 with the light receiving portion capable of receiving the irradiated light facing upward. In addition, the solar cell panel 10b is arranged on the hood portion 1b of the vehicle 1 with the light receiving portion capable of receiving the irradiated light facing upward. Furthermore, the solar cell panel 10c is arranged on the left side 1c (e.g., the left door) of the vehicle 1 with the light receiving portion capable of receiving the irradiated light facing leftward.

[0055] In this way, the solar cell panel 10a, the solar cell panel 10b, and the solar cell panel 10c are respectively arranged at different positions of the vehicle 1. In addition, the solar cell panel 10a, the solar cell panel 10b, and the solar cell panel 10c have sizes corresponding to the surfaces on which they are arranged. Therefore, the area of ​​the light receiving portion (hereinafter, also referred to as the light receiving area) of each solar cell panel 10 is different.

[0056] It should be noted that, as described above, more than four solar cell panels 10 may be provided in the solar power generation system 2. For example, a solar cell panel 10 may be provided on the right side (e.g., the right door) of the vehicle 1, similarly to the left side 1c of the vehicle 1. In addition, the light sensor of the light sensor unit 20 is arranged on the inner side of the top 1a of the vehicle 1, for example, with the light receiving portion facing the inner side of the vehicle, and the illustration and detailed description are omitted.

[0057] [Functional structure of solar power generation control device]

[0058] Next, refer to Figure 3 An example of the functional structure of the solar power generation control device 32 is described below. Figure 3 As shown, the solar power generation control device 32 includes an acquisition unit 321 , a determination unit 322 , and a control unit 323 .

[0059] The acquisition unit 321 acquires information indicating the output of each solar cell panel 10. The acquisition unit 321 acquires, for example, information indicating the output per unit area of ​​each solar cell panel 10 as information indicating the output of each solar cell panel 10. Here, the output per unit area of ​​the solar cell panel 10 is obtained by dividing the generated power of the solar cell panel 10 by the light receiving area of ​​the solar cell panel 10. It should be noted that the generated power of each solar cell panel 10 can be obtained based on the detection signal from each solar cell sensor unit 11. In addition, the information indicating the light receiving area of ​​each solar cell panel 10 is pre-stored in the solar power generation control device 32, for example.

[0060] The determination unit 322 determines the solar cell panel 10 that performs power generation for charging the storage battery 50 from among the plurality of solar cell panels 10 based on the information indicating the output of the solar cell panel 10 acquired by the acquisition unit 321. The determination unit 322 determines the solar power generation unit that operates to charge the storage battery 50 based on the output per unit area of ​​each solar cell panel 10, for example.

[0061] Specifically, the determination unit 322 determines to operate the solar power generation unit of the solar cell panel 10 whose output per unit area is greater than the threshold value. In other words, in this case, the determination unit 322 determines to stop the operation of the solar power generation unit of the solar cell panel 10 whose output per unit area is less than the threshold value. It should be noted that the information indicating the threshold value is pre-stored in the solar power generation control device 32, for example. In addition, the determination unit 322 may also determine to operate the solar power generation unit of the solar cell panel 10 whose output per unit area is greater than the threshold value when the irradiated light directed to the vehicle 1 is direct light, that is, when the irradiated light directed to the vehicle 1 substantially does not contain scattered light components.

[0062] In addition, the determination unit 322 may determine to operate the solar power generation unit with a gain power of 0 or more. That is, in this case, the determination unit 322 includes a prediction unit 322a. The prediction unit 322a predicts the gain power when the storage battery 50 is charged with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10 for each solar cell panel 10 based on the information indicating the output of the solar cell panel 10 and the power consumption when the storage battery 50 is charged with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10.

[0063] The prediction unit 322a predicts the gain power (hereinafter also referred to as the gain power of the first solar power generation unit α) when the storage battery 50 is charged with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10a, for example, based on the difference between the power generated by the solar cell panel 10a and the power consumed by the first solar power generation unit α. Specifically, for example, if the power generated by the solar cell panel 10a is Pa and the power consumed by the first solar power generation unit α is Pb, the prediction unit 322a predicts Pa-Pb as the gain power of the first solar power generation unit α.

[0064] Similarly, the prediction unit 322a predicts the gain power (hereinafter also referred to as the gain power of the second solar power generation unit β) when the storage battery 50 is charged with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10b based on the difference between the power generated by the solar cell panel 10b and the power consumed by the second solar power generation unit β. Moreover, the prediction unit 322a predicts the gain power (hereinafter also referred to as the gain power of the third solar power generation unit γ) when the storage battery 50 is charged with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10c based on the difference between the power generated by the solar cell panel 10c and the power consumed by the third solar power generation unit γ. It should be noted that the information indicating the power consumption of each solar power generation unit is pre-stored in the solar power generation control device 32, for example.

[0065] Furthermore, the determination unit 322 may determine the solar power generation unit predicted by the prediction unit 322a to have a gain power of 0 or more as the solar power generation unit to be operated, and determine the solar power generation unit predicted to have a gain power of less than 0 as the solar power generation unit to be stopped. In this case, the determination unit 322 may determine the solar power generation unit predicted to have a gain power of 0 or more as the solar power generation unit to be operated when the irradiation light directed to the vehicle 1 includes a scattered light component.

[0066] The control unit 323 controls the charging of the storage battery 50 by the solar power generation system 2 based on the processing result of the determination unit 322. Specifically, the control unit 323 operates the solar power generation unit determined by the determination unit 322 to charge the storage battery 50 with the power generated by the solar cell panel 10 of the solar power generation unit. The control unit 323 operates the power conditioning device 31 of the solar power generation unit determined to be in operation, so that the storage battery 50 can be charged with the power generated by the solar power generation unit.

[0067] On the other hand, the control unit 323 stops the operation of the solar power generation unit other than the solar power generation unit determined to be in operation by the determination unit 322. The control unit 323 can stop the charging of the storage battery 50 by the solar power generation unit, for example, by turning off the functions of the power conditioning device 31 of the solar power generation unit that has stopped operating, except for the communication function with the solar power generation control device 32.

[0068] In this way, the solar power generation control device 32 can operate only the solar power generation unit including the solar cell panel 10 whose output per unit area is greater than the threshold value. Thus, the solar power generation control device 32 can operate only the solar power generation unit including the solar cell panel 10 that is expected to have sufficient generated power, and can suppress the power consumption of the solar power generation system 2, and can efficiently charge the storage battery 50 with the power generated by the operated solar power generation unit.

[0069] In addition, the solar power generation control device 32 operates only the solar power generation unit whose gain power is greater than 0. Thus, the solar power generation control device 32 can operate only the solar power generation unit whose power generation is predicted to be greater than the power consumption during operation, thereby suppressing the power consumption of the solar power generation system 2 and efficiently charging the storage battery 50 with the power generated by the operated solar power generation unit.

[0070] It should be noted that the functional units of the aforementioned solar power generation control device 32 can be realized, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a prescribed program (software). In addition, part or all of the functional units of the solar power generation control device 32 can also be realized by hardware such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc., and can also be realized by the collaboration of software and hardware.

[0071] [Control processing performed by the solar power generation control device]

[0072] Next, refer to Figure 4 An example of control processing of the solar power generation system 2 by the solar power generation control device 32 will be described. For example, the solar power generation control device 32 performs control processing when the operation mode of the solar power generation system 2 is set to the shutdown mode. Figure 4 The control process shown.

[0073] like Figure 4As shown, the solar power generation control device 32 first makes the solar power generation system 2 standby in the sleep mode (step S01), and when the predetermined timing comes, it determines whether to set it to the start mode (step S02). In step S02, for example, if the output of any solar cell panel 10 is above the threshold value (that is, if any solar cell panel 10 is generating electricity), the solar power generation control device 32 determines that it is set to the start mode. When it is determined that it is not set to the start mode ("No" in step S02), the solar power generation control device 32 transfers to the processing of step S01.

[0074] When it is determined that the start-up mode is set (Yes in step S02 ), the solar power generation control device 32 sets the solar power generation system 2 to the start-up mode (step S03 ), and obtains information indicating the output per unit area of ​​each solar cell panel 10 (step S04 ).

[0075] Next, the solar power generation control device 32 compares the outputs per unit area of ​​each solar cell panel 10 with each other (step S05), and determines whether the irradiated light contains scattered light (step S06). In step S06, for example, if the difference between the outputs per unit area of ​​each solar cell panel 10 is less than a threshold value, that is, each solar cell panel 10 generates electricity roughly equally, the solar power generation control device 32 determines that the irradiated light contains scattered light.

[0076] It should be noted that, in step S06, the solar power generation control device 32 preferably also considers the detection result of the light sensor unit 20. Specifically, in this case, if the difference between the outputs per unit area of ​​each solar cell panel 10 is less than a threshold value, and the difference in illumination inside and outside the vehicle is also less than a threshold value, it is determined that the irradiated light contains scattered light.

[0077] When it is determined that the irradiated light does not include scattered light ("No" in step S06), the solar power generation control device 32 operates the solar power generation unit of the solar cell panel 10 including the output per unit area that is greater than the threshold value, and on the other hand, stops the solar power generation unit of the solar cell panel 10 including the output per unit area that is less than the threshold value (step S07), and then transfers to the processing of step S10.

[0078] If it is determined that the irradiated light includes scattered light ("Yes" in step S06), the solar power generation control device 32 predicts the gain power of each solar power generation unit (step S08). Then, the solar power generation control device 32 operates the solar power generation unit with a gain power of 0 or more, and stops the operation of the solar power generation unit with a gain power of less than 0 (step S09), and then transfers to the processing of step S10.

[0079] Next, the solar power generation control device 32 determines whether the state of the irradiation light directed to the vehicle 1, such as the intensity of the irradiation light, the irradiation position, etc., has changed (step S10). When the state of the irradiation light has not changed ("No" in step S10), the solar power generation control device 32 waits until the state of the irradiation light has changed. When the state of the irradiation light has changed ("Yes" in step S10), the solar power generation control device 32 determines whether the irradiation light has disappeared (whether the intensity of the irradiation light is 0) (step S11). When the irradiation light has not disappeared ("No" in step S11), the solar power generation control device 32 transfers the processing to step S04. When the irradiation light has disappeared ("Yes" in step S11), the solar power generation control device 32 sets the solar power generation system 2 to the sleep mode (step S12), and ends. Figure 4 The control process shown.

[0080] As described above, according to the solar power generation control device 32 , when the plurality of solar cell panels 10 are disposed on different surfaces of the vehicle body, the battery 50 can be efficiently charged with the electric power generated by the solar cell panels 10 .

[0081] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. may be made as appropriate.

[0082] For example, although the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 1 may be a hybrid electric vehicle (Hybrid Electrical Vehicle) or a fuel cell vehicle (Fuel Vehicle).

[0083] At least the following matters are described in this specification. It should be noted that, in brackets, corresponding components and the like in the above-mentioned embodiment are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0084] (1) A solar power generation control device (solar power generation control device 32) that controls a solar power generation system (solar power generation system 2) capable of charging a power storage device (battery 50) of a vehicle using power generated by a plurality of solar cells (solar cell panels 10) disposed on different surfaces of a vehicle body, wherein:

[0085] The solar power generation control device comprises:

[0086] an acquisition unit (acquisition unit 321) that acquires information indicating an output of each solar cell included in the plurality of solar cells;

[0087] a determination unit (determination unit 322) that determines, from among the plurality of solar cells, a startup solar cell that performs power generation for charging the power storage device, based on the information indicating the output of the solar cell acquired by the acquisition unit;

[0088] A control unit (control unit 323) charges the power storage device with the power generated by the starting solar cell determined by the determination unit, and stops charging the power storage device with the power generated by another solar cell different from the starting solar cell.

[0089] According to (1), based on the information indicating the output of each solar cell, a starting solar cell that performs power generation for charging the power storage device is determined, the power storage device is charged with power generated by the determined starting solar cell, and the power storage device is stopped with power generated by other solar cells different from the starting solar cell. Thus, the power storage device can be charged only by the solar cell that is expected to have sufficient power generation, so the power storage device can be efficiently charged with the power generated by the solar cell.

[0090] (2) The solar power generation control device according to (1), wherein:

[0091] The acquisition unit acquires information indicating an output per unit area of ​​each of the solar cells as information indicating an output of each of the solar cells.

[0092] According to (2), even when the sizes of the solar cells are different, it is possible to appropriately determine the starting solar cell used for charging the power storage device.

[0093] (3) The solar power generation control device according to (1) or (2), wherein:

[0094] The determination unit determines the solar cell having an output equal to or greater than a threshold value as the startup solar cell.

[0095] According to (3), a solar cell having an output equal to or greater than a threshold value is determined as a startup solar cell, so that a solar cell that is expected to have sufficient generated power can be determined as a startup solar cell.

[0096] (4) The solar power generation control device according to (1) or (2), wherein:

[0097] The determination unit includes a prediction unit (prediction unit 322a) that predicts, for each of the solar cells, a gain power when the power storage device is charged with the power generated by the solar cell based on information indicating the output of the solar cell and power consumption when the power storage device is charged with the power generated by the solar cell.

[0098] The determination unit determines the solar cell predicted by the prediction unit as having the gain power equal to or greater than 0 as the startup solar cell.

[0099] According to (4), for each solar cell, the gain power when the power storage device is charged with the power generated by the solar cell is predicted based on the information indicating the output of the solar cell and the power consumption when the power storage device is charged with the power generated by the solar cell, and the solar cell predicted to have a gain power of 0 or more is determined as a start-up solar cell. Thus, a solar cell predicted to have a power generation power greater than the power consumption when used for charging the power storage device can be determined as a start-up solar cell, and the power storage device can be efficiently charged with the power generated by the solar cell.

Claims

1. A solar power generation control device for controlling a solar power generation system capable of charging a power storage device of a vehicle using power generated by a plurality of solar cells respectively provided on different surfaces of a vehicle body, wherein: The solar power generation control device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating an output of each solar cell included in the plurality of solar cells; a determination unit that determines, from among the plurality of solar cells, a startup solar cell that performs power generation for charging the power storage device, based on the information indicating the output of the solar cell acquired by the acquisition unit; a control unit that charges the power storage device with the power generated by the starting solar cell determined by the determination unit and stops charging the power storage device with the power generated by another solar cell different from the starting solar cell, the acquisition unit acquires information indicating the output per unit area of ​​each of the solar cells as the information indicating the output of each of the solar cells, The determination unit performs the following processing: determining whether a difference between the outputs per unit area of ​​each of the solar cells is less than a first threshold value, When it is determined that the difference is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the solar cell having an output per unit area equal to or greater than a second threshold is determined as the startup solar cell, When it is determined that the difference is smaller than the first threshold value, the solar cell having a gain power of 0 or more is determined as the startup solar cell.

2. The solar power generation control device according to claim 1, wherein: The determination unit includes a prediction unit that predicts, for each of the solar cells, a gain in power when the power storage device is charged with power generated by the solar cell based on information indicating the output of the solar cell and power consumption when the power storage device is charged with power generated by the solar cell. The determination unit determines the solar cell predicted by the prediction unit as having the gain power equal to or greater than 0 as the startup solar cell when it is determined that the difference is smaller than the first threshold value.

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