Vehicle charging system and method of controlling a vehicle charging system

Abstract

A charging system for a vehicle includes at least one charging stand. The at least one charging stand includes a movable portion, a lifting unit, and a notification device. The movable portion includes an inlet for delivering electric power to the vehicle. The lifting unit raises and lowers the movable portion between an exposed state in which the movable portion is exposed to the ground and a housed state in which the movable portion is housed in the ground. The notification device includes at least one of a light emitter that emits light during raising and lowering of the movable portion and a speaker that outputs sound during raising and lowering of the movable portion to notify the surroundings of the raising / lowering of the movable portion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle charging system and a method of controlling a vehicle charging system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Vehicles capable of charging with electric power supplied from a source outside the vehicle (i.e., charging by so-called plug-in charging) are becoming widespread. Charging facilities for plug-in charging are generally installed in parking lots and the like and occupy a certain range of space for installation. Therefore, a technology for providing a movable charging system that can be housed underground has been proposed. For example, the charging column disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5475407 can be placed upright on the ground and can also be housed underground. SUMMARY

[0003] The movable charging system can be installed on a walkway or the like located near a parking space. Because the movable portion is housed underground when not in use, pedestrians are less likely to notice the presence of the movable portion. Therefore, the raising / lowering of the movable portion can obstruct the passage of pedestrians.

[0004] The present disclosure aims to solve the above problem, and an object of the present disclosure is to reduce the risk of obstructing the passage of pedestrians due to the raising / lowering of the movable portion of the movable charging system.

[0005] (1) A charging system for a vehicle according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes at least one charging stand. The at least one charging stand each includes a movable portion, a lifting device, a notification device, and a control device. The movable portion includes a power transmitter that transmits electric power to a vehicle. The lifting device raises and lowers the movable portion between an exposed state in which the movable portion is exposed to the ground and a housed state in which the movable portion is housed underground. The notification device includes at least one of a light emitter that emits light during the raising and lowering of the movable portion and a speaker that outputs sound during the raising and lowering of the movable portion to notify the surroundings of at least one of the raising and lowering of the movable portion. The control device controls the lifting device and the notification device.

[0006] According to the feature of (1) above, the light emitter and / or the speaker notify the surroundings of the raising / lowering of the movable portion. Thereby, the risk of obstructing the passage of pedestrians due to the raising / lowering of the movable portion can be reduced.

[0007] (2) The notification device includes the light emitter. The control device reduces the amount of light emission of the light emitter during a predetermined period of time outside of nighttime relative to the amount of light emission of the light emitter during the predetermined period of time.

[0008] (3) The notification device includes the speaker. The control device reduces the sound volume of the speaker during a predetermined period of time outside of nighttime relative to the sound volume of the speaker during the predetermined period of time.

[0009] According to the above (2) and (3), the light emission amount of the light emitter and / or the sound volume of the speaker is reduced during the nighttime, so it is possible to suppress annoyance that can be caused to nearby residents or pedestrians.

[0010] (4) The at least one charging stand is a plurality of charging stands. The notification device of each of the plurality of charging stands includes a light emitter and a speaker. When the movable portion of each of two or more charging stands among the plurality of charging stands is raised and lowered, the control device causes the speaker included in a part of the two or more charging stands to output sound, and causes the light emitter included in the remaining at least one charging stand among the two or more charging stands to emit light without the speaker outputting sound.

[0011] If the movable portions of two or more charging stands are raised / lowered and sound is output from the respective speakers of all of these charging stands, it is possible to annoy nearby residents or pedestrians. According to the above (4), sound is output only from a part of the two or more charging stands, so it is possible to reduce such annoyance.

[0012] (5) The at least one charging stand is a plurality of charging stands. The notification device of each of the plurality of charging stands includes a speaker. When the movable portion of each of two or more charging stands among the plurality of charging stands is raised and lowered, the control device causes the respective sounds output from the speakers of the two or more charging stands to be synchronized with each other.

[0013] According to the above (5), the respective sounds from the speakers are synchronized with each other, so it is possible to reduce annoyance that can be given to nearby residents or pedestrians, relative to the case where the sounds are not synchronized with each other.

[0014] (6) A method of controlling a control system for a vehicle according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a first step and a second step. The first step is a step of raising and lowering a movable portion between a state in which the movable portion is exposed to the ground and a state in which the movable portion is housed underground, the movable portion including a power transmitter that transmits electric power to the vehicle. The second step is a step of notifying surrounding of at least one of the raising and lowering of the movable portion by light or sound.

[0015] According to the above (6), as with the above (1), it is possible to reduce the risk of obstructing the passage of pedestrians due to the raising / lowering of the movable portion.

[0016] The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present disclosure when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1An exemplary layout of a vehicle charging system according to Embodiment 1 is shown.

[0018] Figure 2 An exemplary configuration of a charging stand housed in the ground and a vehicle is shown.

[0019] Figure 3 An exemplary configuration of a charging stand exposed to the ground and a vehicle is shown.

[0020] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example process of the raising / lowering control of the charging stand according to Embodiment 1.

[0021] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example process related to the condition setting of the raising / lowering control of the charging stand according to Embodiment 1.

[0022] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example process related to the condition setting of the raising / lowering control of the charging stand according to Embodiment 2.

[0023] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example process related to the condition setting of the raising / lowering control of the charging stand according to Embodiment 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference signs, and a description thereof will not be repeated here.

[0025] [Embodiment 1]

[0026] Configuration of Charging System

[0027] Figure 1 An exemplary layout of a vehicle charging system according to Embodiment 1 is shown. In Figure 1 , two respective parking spaces in which vehicles 9 are parked are illustrated among a plurality of parking spaces provided in a parking lot.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the charging system 10 includes a plurality of charging stands 1. The plurality of charging stands 1 are each installed in a space (e.g., a walkway) adjacent to a parking space. However, the number of installed charging stands 1 is not particularly limited. The number of installed charging stands 1 can also be only one.

[0029] The charging system 10 is configured to enable each charging stand 1 to be raised and lowered between a "housed state" housed in the ground and an "exposed state" exposed to the ground (movable up and down). In Figure 1 , the charging stand 1 exposed to the ground is indicated by a solid line, and the charging stand 1 housed in the ground is indicated by a dashed line.

[0030] Figure 2 An example configuration of the charging stand 1 and the vehicle 9 is shown, which is housed in the ground. Figure 3 An example configuration of the charging stand 1 and the vehicle 9 is shown, which is exposed to the ground. As Figure 2 The housed state shown is a state in which the charging stand 1 is lowered until the upper end of the charging stand 1 is located at approximately the same height as the ground. As Figure 3 The exposed state shown is a state in which the charging stand 1 is raised until the upper end of the charging stand 1 is located at a predetermined height above the ground.

[0031] The charging stand 1 has, for example, a cylindrical housing. The charging stand 1 is installed at the bottom of a recess formed in the ground. The recess is formed so as to leave a predetermined gap from the outer peripheral surface of the housing of the charging stand 1. The depth of the recess is approximately equal to the vertical length of the charging stand 1 in the housed state.

[0032] The charging stand 1 is configured to be capable of plug-in charging of the vehicle 9. The charging stand 1 is configured to communicate with a mobile terminal (for example, a smartphone) 2 of a user. The charging stand 1 is controlled in accordance with an operation performed by the user on the mobile terminal 2. The charging stand 1 can be configured to communicate with the vehicle 9. In this case, the charging stand 1 is controlled in accordance with an operation performed on an operation panel or the like (not shown) of the vehicle 9. The charging stand 1 is provided with a movable portion 11, a lifting unit 12, a light emitter 13, a speaker 14, and a controller 15.

[0033] The movable portion 11 is configured to be capable of being raised and lowered by the lifting unit 12. Although the direction in which the movable portion 11 is raised and lowered is the vertical direction in this example, the direction can be inclined at a predetermined angle from the vertical direction. The movable portion 11 includes a charging connector 111 and a charging cable 112. The charging connector 111 and the charging cable 112 are capable of being housed in a housing space provided at the upper portion of the movable portion 11.

[0034] The charging connector 111 is connected to an inlet 91 (described later herein) of the vehicle 9. The charging connector 111 is electrically connected to one end of the charging cable 112. A power source 3 is electrically connected to the other end of the charging cable 112. The power source 3 is, for example, an AC power source such as a commercial power source. A power converter (not shown) can be provided between the charging cable 112 and the power source 3. The charging connector 111 can be detached from the housing space by the user to extend the charging cable 112 to the inlet 91. The charging connector 111 corresponds to a "power transmitter" according to the present disclosure.

[0035] The lifting unit 12 is fixed to the bottom of a recess formed in the floor. The lifting unit 12 raises and lowers the movable portion 11 between the exposed state and the housed state. As the lifting unit 12, any of various mechanisms can be adopted. Specifically, the lifting unit 12 can have a rack-and-pinion mechanism, a mechanism using a hydraulic cylinder, or a mechanism having magnetism. The rack-and-pinion mechanism raises and lowers the movable portion 11 by rotating a pinion gear engaged with a rack fixed to the movable portion 11 with an electric actuator. The mechanism using a hydraulic cylinder fixes a rod connected to a piston to the movable portion 11, and increases / decreases the pressure of oil supplied to a cylinder, thereby raising / lowering the movable portion 11. The magnetic mechanism generates a magnetic repulsive force between the movable portion 11 and the lifting unit 12, thereby raising and lowering the movable portion 11.

[0036] In addition, the lifting unit 12 preferably has a mechanism (such as a stopper) that restricts the movement of the movable portion 11 to prevent excessive raising / lowering movement thereof. Thus, the lifting unit 12 is configured to prevent the movable portion 11 from being lowered beyond a position corresponding to the housed state, and is configured to prevent the movable portion 11 from being raised beyond a position corresponding to the exposed state. The lifting unit 12 corresponds to the "lifting device" according to the present disclosure.

[0037] As described above, the charging stand 1 is installed on a walkway. The movable portion 11 is housed underground when not in use, and thus it is difficult for pedestrians to notice the presence of the movable portion 11. Thus, the raising / lowering of the movable portion 11 can obstruct the passage of pedestrians. In view of this, according to Embodiment 1, the light emitter 13 and / or the speaker 14 are used to notify surrounding pedestrians of the raising / lowering of the movable portion 11 when the movable portion 11 is raised / lowered.

[0038] The light emitter 13 emits light when the movable portion 11 is raised / lowered in compliance with a control command from the controller 15. As the light emitter 13, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a fluorescent lamp, or an organic EL (OEL: Organic Electro-Luminescence) can be adopted.

[0039] The speaker 14 outputs sound when the movable portion 11 is raised / lowered in compliance with a control command from the controller 15.

[0040] The controller 15 includes a processor 151 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 152 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a communication module 153 capable of wired and / or wireless communication with external devices of the charging stand 1. In the present embodiment, the communication module 153 is configured to exchange various types of information with the communication module (not shown) of another / other charging stand(s) 1. In this way, a plurality of charging stands 1 can operate in cooperation with each other. The communication module 153 can be configured to communicate with a management server (not shown) capable of controlling a plurality of charging stands 1 as a whole.

[0041] The controller 15 controls the constituent devices (the lifting unit 12, the light emitter 13, and the speaker 14) of the charging stand 1 on the basis of information stored in the memory 152, information received via the communication module 153, and / or information acquired from sensors (not shown). The controller 15 performs "lifting control" for lifting the movable portion 11 and "lowering control" for lowering the movable portion 11. For example, the lifting control is performed when the user operates the mobile terminal 2 to operate an UP button (not shown). The lowering control is performed when the user operates the mobile terminal 2 to operate a DOWN button (not shown). The controller 15 corresponds to a "control device" according to the present disclosure.

[0042] In this example, the vehicle 9 is an electric vehicle. The vehicle 9 can be at least a vehicle capable of plug-in charging, and can be, for example, a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The vehicle 9 includes an inlet 91, a charger 92, a battery 93, an inverter 94, and a motor generator 95.

[0043] The inlet 91 is placed inside a cover (not shown) such as a cover provided outside the vehicle 9. The inlet 91 is configured to allow the charging connector 111 of the charging stand 1 to be inserted into the inlet 91. When the charging connector 111 is inserted into the inlet 91, the inlet 91 and the charging connector 111 are electrically connected to each other. Thereby, electric power can be transmitted from the charging stand 1 to the vehicle 9.

[0044] When AC electric power is supplied from the inlet 91, the charger 92 converts the AC electric power into DC electric power and supplies the DC electric power to the battery 93. The battery 93 is a secondary battery such as a nickel-hydrogen battery or a lithium-ion battery.

[0045] The inverter 94 converts the DC power stored in the battery 93 into AC power, and supplies the AC power to the motor generator 95. In addition, the inverter 94 converts the AC power (regenerative power) from the motor generator 95 into DC power, and charges the battery 93 with the DC power. The motor generator 95 exerts a rotational force to the drive wheels upon receiving the power supplied from the inverter 94, thereby causing the vehicle 9 to travel.

[0046] <PROCESS FLOW>

[0047] Figure 4 This flowchart shows an example process of the lift / lower control of the charging stand 1 according to Embodiment 1. For example, this flowchart is called from a main program (not shown) and executed at predetermined intervals. While each step is implemented by software processing by the controller 15, each step can also be implemented by hardware (circuitry) placed in the controller 15. Each step can also be implemented by the aforementioned management server (not shown) instead of the controller 15. Hereinafter, the steps are simply referred to as S.

[0048] In this example, it is assumed that the user controls the mobile terminal 2 to preselect the charging stand 1 to be operated. In S101, the controller 15 determines whether the movable portion 11 of the selected charging stand 1 is in the stowed state or the exposed state.

[0049] When the movable portion 11 is in the stowed state (the stowed state in S101), the controller 15 determines whether the user has operated the UP button (not shown) of the mobile terminal 2 (S102). The controller 15 waits until the UP button is operated (NO in S102). When the UP button is operated (YES in S102), the controller 15 controls at least one of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 to notify the surrounding pedestrians of the fact that the movable portion 11 is to be lifted (S103). Then, the controller 15 performs the lift control of the movable portion (S104). Until the lift control of the movable portion 11 is completed (NO in S105), the controller 15 continues to cause at least one of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 to make the notification. When the lift control of the movable portion 11 is completed (YES in S105), the controller 15 ends the notification by at least one of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 (S106).

[0050] When the movable portion 11 is in the exposed state (the exposed state in S101), the controller 15 determines whether the user has operated the DOWN button (not shown) of the mobile terminal 2 (S107). The controller 15 waits until the DOWN button is operated (NO in S107). When the DOWN button is operated (YES in S107), the controller 15 controls at least one of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 to notify the surrounding pedestrians of the fact that the movable portion 11 is to be lowered (S108). Then, the controller 15 performs the lowering control of the movable portion 11 (S109). Until the lowering control of the movable portion 11 is completed (NO in S110), the controller 15 continues to cause at least one of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 to emit the notification. When the lowering control of the movable portion 11 is completed (YES in S110), the controller 15 ends the notification by at least one of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 (S111).

[0051] As seen from the above, according to Embodiment 1, the light emitter 13 is caused to emit light and / or the speaker 14 is caused to output sound to notify the surrounding pedestrians of the raising of the movable portion 11 before and during the raising of the movable portion 11. The surrounding pedestrians thus recognize that the movable portion 11 is to be raised or is being raised. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of obstructing the passage of the pedestrians due to the raising / lowering of the movable portion 11.

[0052] In association with the present embodiment, the feature of providing both the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 in the charging stand 1 is described above by way of example. Alternatively, however, only one of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 can be provided in the charging stand 1. Furthermore, the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 can give the notification only for one of the raising and the lowering of the movable portion 11.

[0053] [Modified Example of Embodiment 1]

[0054] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example process relating to the condition setting of the raising / lowering control of the charging stand 1 according to the modified example of Embodiment 1. In S201, the controller 15 determines whether the current time is nighttime. When the current time is nighttime (YES in S201), the controller 15 sets the light emission amount of the light emitter 13 to an amount smaller than the normal amount (S202), and sets the sound volume of the speaker 14 to a volume smaller than the normal volume (S203). When the current time is not nighttime (NO in S201, i.e., for example, daytime), the controller 15 sets the light emission amount of the light emitter 13 to the normal amount (S204), and sets the sound volume of the speaker 14 to the normal volume (S205).

[0055] Thus, this modification example takes into account the time of day to reduce the light emission amount of the light emitter 13 and the sound volume of the speaker 14 during nighttime. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the annoyance to nearby residents (and surrounding pedestrians) due to the rising / lowering of the movable portion 11.

[0056] [Embodiment 2]

[0057] In association with the following Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 3, the execution of the rising / lowering control of a plurality of charging stands 1 in the same time period is described. The control details for each charging stand 1 are similar to those shown in the flowchart of Figure 4 the flowchart of

[0058] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example process relating to the condition setting of the rising / lowering control of the charging stand 1 according to Embodiment 2. In S301, the controller 15 of a certain charging stand communicates with another / other charging stand(s) to determine whether two or more charging stands have been selected, that is, to determine whether any charging stand other than the certain charging stand has been selected.

[0059] When two or more charging stands have been selected (Yes in S301), the controller 15 communicates with the other charging stand(s) to specify the control conditions of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14. Specifically, the controller 15 specifies the control conditions so that the light emitter 13 emits light and the speaker 14 outputs sound in any one of the plurality of selected charging stands, and the light emitter 13 emits light but the speaker 14 does not output sound in the remaining charging stands among the plurality of selected charging stands.

[0060] There is no particular limitation on the manner of selecting the charging stand in which both the light emission from the light emitter 13 and the sound output from the speaker 14 are executed. For example, in the charging stand selected earliest, the light emitter 13 can emit light and the speaker 14 can also output sound. In the charging stand that starts to be raised / lowered earliest, the light emitter 13 can emit light and the speaker 14 can also output sound. Alternatively, for example, a priority can be assigned in advance to the respective charging stands based on the location where each charging stand is placed.

[0061] When two or more charging stands have not been selected (No in S301), that is, only one charging stand has been selected, the controller 15 follows the usual procedure to cause the light emitter 13 of the charging stand to emit light and the speaker 14 thereof to output sound (S303).

[0062] It would be possible to simply cause the respective speakers 14 of all the selected charging stands to output sound. However, in this case, the output sound can cause annoyance to nearby residents and surrounding pedestrians. According to Embodiment 2, the number of speakers that output sound is limited, and therefore, the aforementioned annoyance can be reduced.

[0063] In association with this example, in the present embodiment, only one charging stand in which both the light emission from the light emitter 13 and the sound output from the speaker 14 are performed is described above. However, the number of charging stands in which both the light emission and the sound output are performed can be two or more, as long as the number is not the number of all of the selected plurality of charging stands. In other words, it is possible to make a part of the at least selected plurality of charging stands emit light and output sound.

[0064] [Embodiment 3]

[0065] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example process relating to condition setting of the rise / lower control of the charging stand 1 according to Embodiment 3. In S401, the controller 15 of a certain charging stand communicates with another / other charging stand(s) to determine whether two or more charging stands have been selected.

[0066] When two or more charging stands have been selected (Yes in S401), the controller 15 communicates with the other charging stand(s) to specify the control conditions of the light emitter 13 and the speaker 14 so that the light emitter 13 emits light and the speaker 14 outputs sound in all of the charging stands. Further, the controller 15 specifies the control conditions of the speaker 14 so that the respective sounds output from the speakers 14 of all of the charging stands are synchronized with each other (S402).

[0067] When only one charging stand has been selected (No in S401), the controller 15 follows the usual procedure to cause the light emitter 13 of the charging stand to emit light and the speaker 14 to output sound (S403).

[0068] According to Embodiment 3, the respective sounds output from the plurality of speakers 14 are synchronized with each other, and thus, as with Embodiment 2, it is possible to reduce the annoyance that can be caused by the sound.

[0069] It is also possible to combine Embodiment 2, Embodiment 3, and the modification example of Embodiment 1. Specifically, in each of Embodiment 2, Embodiment 3, it is also possible to reduce the light emission amount of the light emitter 13 and the sound volume of the speaker 14 during the nighttime with respect to the daytime.

[0070] While the present disclosure has been described and shown in detail by way of illustration and examples, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited thereto, but is amenable to any changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A charging system for a vehicle, the charging system comprising a plurality of charging stations, each of the plurality of charging stations comprising: a movable portion including a power transmitter that transmits electric power to the vehicle; a lifting device that raises and lowers the movable portion between an exposed state in which the movable portion is exposed to the ground and a housed state in which the movable portion is housed under the ground; a notification device including a light emitter that emits light during a period from when the movable portion is to be raised until control of raising of the movable portion is completed and a sound emitter that outputs sound during a period from when the movable portion is to be lowered until control of lowering of the movable portion is completed, the notification device notifying a surrounding of at least one of raising and lowering of the movable portion; and a control device that controls the lifting device and the notification device and communicates with other charging stations to cause the plurality of charging stations to operate in cooperation with each other; wherein priorities of light emission and sound output are assigned in advance to the plurality of charging stations based on positions of the charging stations, when the movable portion of each of two or more charging stations among the plurality of charging stations is raised and lowered, the control device causes a sound emitter included in a part of the charging stations among the two or more charging stations to output sound based on the priorities, and causes a light emitter included in a remaining at least one charging station among the two or more charging stations to emit light without a sound emitter outputting sound; and the control device reduces an amount of light emission of the light emitter during a predetermined period of time at night relative to an amount of light emission of the light emitter during a period of time other than the predetermined period of time at night, and reduces a sound volume of the sound emitter during the predetermined period of time at night relative to a sound volume of the sound emitter during the period of time other than the predetermined period of time at night.

2. The charging system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification device of each of the plurality of charging stations includes the sound emitter, and when the movable portion of each of two or more charging stations among the plurality of charging stations is raised and lowered, the control device causes respective sounds output from the sound emitters of the two or more charging stations to be synchronized with each other.

3. A method of controlling a charging system for a vehicle according to claim 1, the method comprising: raising and lowering a movable portion between a state in which the movable portion is exposed to the ground and a state in which the movable portion is housed under the ground, the movable portion including a power transmitter that transmits electric power to the vehicle; and notifying a surrounding of at least one of raising and lowering of the movable portion by light or sound.

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