vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle capable of participating in demand response (DR) for adjusting the balance between power supply and demand in a power grid. The vehicle includes a mobile engine (MG), an inlet, a battery, and an electric control unit (ECU). The ECU executes SOC reduction control, which controls the MG so that, when the vehicle participates in demand response (DR) at the end of a trip to a location equipped with an electric power system, the end-of-trip SOC (SOC) representing the battery's SOC at the end of the trip becomes lower than the end-of-trip SOC when the vehicle does not participate in demand response (DR) at the end of the trip.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle including an electric storage device. Background Art

[0002] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-150717 (JP 2020-150717 A) discloses an electric vehicle that can be connected to a power grid. The electric vehicle includes a secondary battery, a vehicle electronic control unit (ECU), and an SOC adjustment device for adjusting the state of charge (SOC) of the secondary battery. The vehicle ECU controls the driving state of the electric vehicle. When the predicted power supply is greater than the predicted power demand in the power grid, the SOC adjustment device outputs an operation instruction to the vehicle ECU so that the SOC decreases. When the predicted power demand is greater than the predicted power supply, the SOC adjustment device outputs an operation instruction to the vehicle ECU so that the SOC increases. The electric vehicle is configured to be able to discharge electricity from a storage device to the power grid, and to be able to charge the storage device with electricity from the power grid. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a virtual power plant (VPP), demand response (DR) is considered to adjust the balance between power supply and demand. DR is a mechanism for making a request to a power resource of a demander to change (eg, reduce) power demand.

[0004] When a vehicle including an electrical storage device is used as an electric power resource in DR, it is conceivable that, out of discharging electric power from the vehicle's electrical storage device to the grid and charging the electrical storage device with electric power from the grid, only charging is possible (for example, a case where the vehicle can only charge the electrical storage device with electric power from the grid). JP 2020-150717 A does not consider a technology that allows the vehicle to contribute to adjusting the balance between electric power supply and demand even in this case.

[0005] The present disclosure is made to solve the problems described above, and an object of the present disclosure is to contribute to regulating the balance of power supply and demand in the power grid when, among discharging power from a power storage device to the power grid and charging the power storage device with power from the power grid, only charging is possible for a vehicle including a power storage device.

[0006] The vehicle according to the present disclosure is a vehicle capable of participating in DR (Deceleration and Reduction of Electricity) for adjusting the balance of power supply and demand in a power grid. The vehicle includes an electric load, a power receiving device, a power storage device, and a control device. The power receiving device is configured to receive power from the power grid via a power facility installed outside the vehicle. The power storage device stores the power received by the power receiving device. The control device controls the charging of the electric load and the power storage device. The control device is configured to perform external charging of the power storage device using the power receiving device. DR includes a descending DR (Deceleration and Reduction of Electricity) function that requests the vehicle to reduce the amount of charge of the power storage device during external charging when the vehicle participates in DR. The control device performs SOC reduction control, which controls the electric load so that when the vehicle participates in descending DR at the end of a journey of the vehicle equipped with the power facility, the end-of-travel SOC becomes lower than the end-of-travel SOC when the vehicle does not participate in descending DR at the end of the journey, the end-of-travel SOC being the SOC of the power storage device at the end of the journey.

[0007] When only charging is possible between discharging power from the power storage device to the grid and charging the power storage device with power from the grid, and when power demand exceeds the power supply from the grid, the vehicle must participate in a reduced DR (Descending DR) to contribute to regulating the balance between power supply and demand. With the configuration described above, when the vehicle participates in a reduced DR, the uncharged capacity of the power storage device at the destination can be increased compared to when the vehicle does not participate in a reduced DR. Consequently, the permissible reduction in the originally planned charge amount (the amount of power that can be canceled) during the period when the vehicle participates in a reduced DR can be increased. As a result, a greater contribution can be made to regulating the balance between power supply and demand.

[0008] When the vehicle does not participate in the descent DR at the end of travel during the first period, the charge amount in external charging during the first period may be a first charge amount. When the vehicle participates in the descent DR at the end of travel during the first period, the charge amount in external charging during the first period may be a second charge amount that is smaller than the first charge amount. The control device may perform external charging such that, during a second period from the end time of the first period to the scheduled departure time of the vehicle, the power storage device is charged with a differential power amount corresponding to the difference between the first charge amount and the second charge amount.

[0009] With the configuration as described above, during the second period, the power storage device is charged with a differential amount of power corresponding to the amount of power not supplied to the power storage device during the first period. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation where the power storage device is not fully charged at the scheduled departure time of the vehicle.

[0010] The DR may include a rising DR requesting the vehicle to increase the amount of charge in external charging. The SOC reduction control may include control of the electric load so that when the vehicle participates in the rising DR at the end of travel, the end-of-travel SOC becomes lower than the end-of-travel SOC when the vehicle does not participate in the rising DR at the end of travel.

[0011] With the configuration described above, when the vehicle is participating in ascending DR, the uncharged capacity of the power storage device at the end of travel can be increased compared to when the vehicle is not participating in ascending DR. Therefore, the amount of power that can be additionally supplied to the power storage device during the period when the vehicle is participating in ascending DR can be increased.

[0012] The electric load may include a rotating electric machine that generates driving force for traveling the vehicle by consuming electric power stored in the power storage device. The SOC reduction control may include controlling the rotating electric machine so that, when the vehicle participates in DR at the end of travel, an upper limit of an output generated by the rotating electric machine during travel of the vehicle becomes higher than an upper limit when the vehicle does not participate in DR at the end of travel.

[0013] With the configuration described above, the power consumption of the rotating electric machine during vehicle travel can be increased. Therefore, when the user prefers high-power vehicle travel, the SOC of the power storage device can be more easily reduced while satisfying the user's desire.

[0014] The control device may control the electric load during travel of the vehicle so that the SOC of the power storage device does not become less than a required SOC. The required SOC may be the SOC of the power storage device required for the vehicle to travel to the vehicle's destination as a travel end point.

[0015] With the configuration performed as described above, it is possible to avoid a situation where the SOC decreases to such an extent that the vehicle cannot reach the destination.

[0016] The control device may be configured to predict multiple candidates for the destination. The required SOC may be determined based on a first required SOC and a second required SOC. The first required SOC may be the SOC of the power storage device required for a first candidate among the multiple candidates for the destination to be traveled by the vehicle. The second required SOC may be the SOC of the power storage device required for a second candidate among the multiple candidates for the destination to be traveled by the vehicle, the second candidate being farther from the vehicle than the first candidate.

[0017] With the configuration made as described above, both the first required SOC and the second required SOC are reflected in the determination of the required SOC. Therefore, when the vehicle travels to the second candidate, a situation in which the SOC of the power storage device is excessively reduced can be avoided.

[0018] The electric load may include an auxiliary machine operated by consuming electric power stored in the electric storage device. The SOC reduction control may include controlling the auxiliary machine so that when the vehicle participates in DR at the end of travel, the power consumption of the auxiliary machine is increased compared to when the vehicle does not participate in DR at the end of travel.

[0019] With the configuration constructed as described above, the power consumption of the auxiliary machine can be increased. Therefore, when the user fully enjoys the functions of the auxiliary machine, the SOC of the power storage device can be more easily reduced.

[0020] The electric load may include an auxiliary machine operated by consuming the electric power stored in the power storage device. The SOC reduction control may include controlling the auxiliary machine so that the auxiliary machine starts operating before the scheduled travel start time of the vehicle when the vehicle participates in DR at the travel end point.

[0021] With the configuration made as described above, the SOC of the power storage device can be lowered more easily while the user immediately enjoys the functions of the auxiliary machine when the user rides the vehicle.

[0022] The electrical load may include a generator configured to perform regenerative power generation associated with vehicle braking. Regenerative power, which is the power generated by the regenerative power generation, may be supplied from the generator to the power storage device. SOC reduction control may include controlling the generator so that when the vehicle participates in a reduced DR at the end of travel, the regenerative power generated during vehicle travel is reduced compared to when the vehicle does not participate in a reduced DR at the end of travel.

[0023] With the configuration as described above, a situation in which the SOC increases unnecessarily due to regenerative power generation is avoided. As a result, the SOC can be reduced more easily.

[0024] The control device may start the SOC reduction control when a previous time comes, the previous time being a time of a threshold period before a planned travel end time which is a time when the vehicle is planned to reach the travel end point.

[0025] With the configuration made as described above, the SOC reduction control is not executed before the previous time comes. Therefore, a situation in which the SOC of the power storage device is unnecessarily reduced can be avoided.

[0026] When the distance from the vehicle to the travel end point decreases to a threshold distance, the control device may start SOC reduction control.

[0027] With the configuration made as described above, the SOC reduction control is not executed until the distance from the vehicle to the travel end point decreases to the threshold distance. Therefore, a situation in which the SOC of the power storage device is unnecessarily reduced can be avoided.

[0028] When the power facility is capable of performing only the charging process among the discharging process and the charging process, the control device can perform SOC reduction control, wherein the discharging process causes the power stored in the storage device to be discharged into the power grid via the power facility, and the charging process causes the control device to perform external charging by using the power from the power grid.

[0029] With the configuration described above, when the electric power facility is not configured to enable discharge processing among the charging and discharging processing, the travel end SOC becomes low. As a result, when the user can cope with this situation, it is possible to contribute to the adjustment of the power supply and demand balance.

[0030] The vehicle may include a V1G vehicle configured to perform only external charging among external discharging and external charging, the external discharging discharging the electric power stored in the electric storage device into the grid via the electric power facility.

[0031] With the configuration performed as described above, it is possible to contribute to the adjustment of the balance between supply and demand of electric power while simplifying the configuration and control of the vehicle.

[0032] According to the present disclosure, when only charging is possible for a vehicle including a power storage device, between discharging power from the power storage device to the grid and charging the power storage device with power from the grid, the vehicle can contribute to adjusting the power supply and demand balance in the grid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like symbols represent like elements, and in which:

[0034] Figure 1 shows a schematic configuration of a power management system according to an embodiment;

[0035] Figure 2 An example of a configuration of a vehicle is schematically shown;

[0036] Figure 3 The vehicle is shown electrically connected to the power utility;

[0037] Figure 4 An example of data stored in a storage device of a server is shown;

[0038] Figure 5 is a graph for describing changes over time in the SOC of a battery used for traveling of a V1G vehicle when the vehicle participates in DR at a travel end point;

[0039] Figure 6 is a diagram for describing changes in battery SOC over time when the vehicle participates in a DR reduction at a travel end point in this embodiment;

[0040] Figure 7 This is a graph used to describe how the "torque requirement value-vehicle speed characteristics" change depending on whether the vehicle participates in lowering DR;

[0041] Figure 8 is a graph used to describe the change in battery SOC over time when the vehicle participates in DR at the end of the trip;

[0042] Figure 9 shows the relationship between the distance from the vehicle's current location to the destination and the required SOC;

[0043] Figure 10 A diagram for describing the relationship between the upper limit of regenerative power and the excess power amount, and between the upper limit of power consumption of an electric load and the excess power amount;

[0044] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the ECU according to the first embodiment;

[0045] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing another example of the process executed by the ECU according to the first embodiment;

[0046] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the ECU according to Modification 1 of the first embodiment;

[0047] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the ECU according to Modification 2 of the first embodiment; and

[0048] Figure 15 is a diagram for describing how to determine the required SOC when the number of candidates for the destination is two. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar parts are represented by the same symbols, and their description will not be repeated.

[0050] First embodiment

[0051] Figure 1 1 shows a schematic configuration of a power management system according to a first embodiment. Figure 1 The power management system 10 includes a power grid PG, a power resource 500 , a server 600 , and a server 700 .

[0052] Grid PG is built using transmission and distribution equipment. Grid PG is maintained and managed by the power company, which is the operator of the grid PG.

[0053] The power resource 500 includes a plurality of vehicles 100, each equipped with a battery 105. Each vehicle 100 is configured to be electrically connected to the power grid PG and is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) serving as a distributed power source. The power resource 500 may also include another power storage system other than the vehicles 100, such as a home energy management system (HEMS).

[0054] Each vehicle 100 is configured to be externally charged, in which the battery 105 is charged using electricity supplied from an electric power facility installed outside the vehicle. When each vehicle 100 performs external charging, the electric load on the power grid PG increases because electricity is supplied from the power grid PG to each vehicle 100. As described above, each vehicle 100 can participate in DR by performing external charging.

[0055] For example, while vehicle 100 is engaged in DR, external charging can be performed in response to "Up DR," which requests that vehicle 100 increase the amount of external charging. In this case, the power demand on power grid PG may increase the amount of additional power. Up DR is performed when the power supply on power grid PG exceeds the power demand.

[0056] On the other hand, when the vehicle 100 is engaged in DR, the charge amount can be reduced in response to "DR Down," which requests the vehicle 100 to reduce (or conserve) the charge amount during external charging. In this case, the power demand on the power grid PG is reduced (or canceled) due to the reduction in the charge amount. DR Down is executed when the power demand on the power grid PG is greater than the power supply.

[0057] The server 600 is a computer belonging to an aggregator, and is configured to manage the power resource 500. The aggregator is an electric power company operator that acquires electric power for the power grid PG by using the power resource 500.

[0058] Server 600 includes a processing device 605, a communication device 630, and a storage device 620. Processing device 605 includes a processor and a memory. Communication device 630 includes various communication interfaces. Storage device 620 stores, for example, programs to be executed by processing device 605 and various information to be used by processing device 605.

[0059] The server 600 is configured to predict the power supply and demand balance in the power grid PG for each time period (time period of the day) and to issue a DR request to the vehicle 100 based on the predicted result. Specifically, the server 600 is configured to send a down DR signal S1 or an up DR signal S2 to the vehicle 100. The down DR signal S1 and the up DR signal S2 are signals requesting down DR and up DR from the vehicle 100, respectively. Each of the down DR signal S1 and the up DR signal S2 includes information indicating the time period for performing DR (DR period) and the amount of power transmitted between the vehicle 100 and the power grid PG during the time period (transmitted power amount). The signal may also include information about the power facility used by the vehicle 100 for DR (hereinafter, also referred to as "facilities for DR participation") (for example, the ID of the facility and location information about the facility).

[0060] The server 600 is configured to receive an approval signal S11 or an approval signal S21 from the vehicle 100. The approval signal S11 and the approval signal S21 are transmitted from each vehicle 100 to the server 600 in response to the down DR signal S1 and the up DR signal S2, respectively. The approval signal S11 and the approval signal S21 indicate that the user of the vehicle 100 approves the vehicle 100 to participate in the down DR and up DR, respectively.

[0061] When the server 600 receives the approval signal S11 or the approval signal S21, an agreement is established between the user of the vehicle 100 and the aggregator. The agreement includes information indicating the DR period (the start time and end time of the DR period), the DR category (whether the DR is a descending DR or a rising DR), the amount of power transmitted during the DR period (for example, the amount of charging), and the remuneration (reward) to be paid by the aggregator to the user. The agreement information indicating the content of the agreement is included in the approval signal S11 or the approval signal S21, and is also stored in the storage device of the vehicle 100. The agreement information may also include information indicating the facilities for DR participation, and information indicating whether the agreement is a V1G agreement. The "V1G protocol" is a protocol that allows a vehicle to participate in DR by receiving power only from the power grid PG without supplying power stored in the vehicle's battery (discharging) to the power grid PG.

[0062] When vehicle 100 participates in down DR or up DR, the user can obtain rewards from the aggregator based on the amount of electricity that can be canceled from the charging amount originally planned during the DR period, or the amount of electricity that can be consumed in excess of the charging amount originally planned (negative watt transaction or positive watt transaction), respectively.

[0063] Server 700 is a computer belonging to a power company and is configured to be communicable with server 600. Server 700 outputs a request to server 600, for example, so that the amount of power used to adjust the power supply and demand balance in power grid PG is acquired to power grid PG.

[0064] Figure 2 An example of the configuration of a vehicle 100 is schematically shown. In addition to a battery 105, the vehicle 100 includes an inlet 110, a power conversion device 120, a power control unit (PCU) 133, and a motor generator (MG) 135. The vehicle 100 also includes an auxiliary device 140, a storage device 176, a positioning device 178, a communication device 180, and a human-machine interface (HMI) device 182. The vehicle 100 also includes a start switch 184, an accelerator 185, an accelerator position sensor 187, and an ECU 150.

[0065] Battery 105 is a power storage device that stores electricity for driving and is a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. Battery 105 is configured to store electricity received by inlet 110. The SOC of battery 105 corresponds to the amount of electricity stored in battery 105. Battery 105 can be replaced by another power storage device such as an electric double-layer capacitor.

[0066] The inlet 110 is a power receiving device configured to receive power from the power grid PG via the power facility 310 installed outside the vehicle 100. The inlet 110 may be replaced by a power receiving device conforming to a contactless charging scheme.

[0067] The power conversion device 120 is provided between the battery 105 and the inlet 110. The power conversion device 120 converts the power received by the inlet 110 and supplies the converted power to the battery 105. Thus, external charging by the vehicle 100 is performed. The power conversion device 120 is a unidirectional power conversion device that is not configured to be able to convert the power stored in the battery 105 and output the power to the inlet 110. Therefore, among charging the battery 105 with power from the power grid PG (external charging) and discharging the power from the battery 105 into the power grid PG via the power facility 310 (external discharge), the vehicle 100 is a vehicle that can only be externally charged. Such a vehicle is also referred to as a V1G vehicle. On the other hand, a vehicle that can perform both external charging and external discharging is also referred to as a V2G vehicle.

[0068] PCU 133 is a drive device for driving MG 135 (described later). PCU 133 includes an inverter. PCU 133 converts the DC power output from battery 105 into AC power and drives MG 135 using the converted AC power. PCU 133 is also configured to convert the AC power generated by motor generator MG 135 when vehicle 100 is braked into DC power.

[0069] MG 135 is an electric load installed in vehicle 100 and is, for example, a three-phase AC synchronous motor with permanent magnets embedded in the rotor. MG 135 is configured to generate a driving force (torque) for the travel of vehicle 100 by consuming the electricity stored in battery 105. The driving force generated by MG 135 is transmitted to the drive wheels of vehicle 100. As a result, vehicle 100 travels. The greater the driving force for the travel of vehicle 100, or the higher the travel speed (vehicle speed) of vehicle 100, the more electricity MG 135 consumes. MG 135 can also be used as a generator, which generates electricity (regeneration) by using the rotational force of the drive wheels when vehicle 100 is braked. Regenerative power, which is the electricity generated by regeneration, is supplied (charged) to battery 105 via PCU 133.

[0070] Auxiliary equipment 140 includes a battery heater 142 and an air conditioner 144. Battery heater 142 is provided near battery 105 and is configured to heat battery 105. Air conditioner 144 is configured to adjust the temperature within the cabin of vehicle 100 and includes both heating and cooling functions. Each of battery heater 142 and air conditioner 144 is an electrical load installed in vehicle 100 and is an auxiliary equipment that operates by consuming the electricity stored in battery 105.

[0071] The storage device 176 stores programs and data used by the ECU 150 (described later) (e.g., the electric range of the vehicle 100 and whether the vehicle 100 is a V1G vehicle or a V2G vehicle), as well as information input to the HMI device 182 (described later). The storage device 176 may also include a road information database and a history of user behavior of the vehicle 100 (e.g., a history of changes in the location of the vehicle 100 over time).

[0072] The positioning device 178 detects information indicating the current position of the vehicle 100 (eg, longitude and latitude of the current position) by using a global positioning system (GPS). A history of the information detected by the positioning device 178 may be stored in the storage device 176.

[0073] The communication device 180 is configured to communicate with a server 600 ( Figure 1 For example, the communication device 180 is configured to receive the down DR signal S1 or the up DR signal S2 from the server 600 and send the approval signal S11 or the approval signal S21 to the server 600.

[0074] HMI device 182 is, for example, a touch screen. HMI device 182 receives user operations and displays various information to the user. For example, HMI device 182 receives user operations for setting the destination of vehicle 100, the external charging schedule, and the planned departure time of vehicle 100 (described later).

[0075] The user presses the start switch 184. When the start switch 184 is pressed, the running system (power supply system) of the vehicle 100 is started, and the vehicle 100 is in a state ready to run.

[0076] The accelerator 185 is provided on the driver's side. The accelerator position sensor 187 detects the amount of operation of the accelerator 185 performed by the user (accelerator operation amount), and outputs the detected value of the accelerator operation amount to the ECU 150.

[0077] The ECU 150 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory (neither of which is shown). The memory includes a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0078] The ECU 150 controls each device of the vehicle 100, such as the power conversion device 120, the PCU 133, the MG 135, the auxiliary device 140, the HMI device 182, and the communication device 180. For example, the ECU 150 is configured to control charging of the battery 105. The ECU 150 is configured to enable external charging, in which the battery 105 is charged using power received by the inlet 110.

[0079] When the communication device 180 receives the down DR signal S1 or the up DR signal S2, the ECU 150 inquires the user whether the vehicle 100 participates in the DR corresponding to the signal by using the HMI device 182. When a user operation instructing the vehicle 100 to participate in the down DR or up DR is input into the HMI device 182, the ECU 150 transmits an approval signal S11 or an approval signal S21 to the server 600 via the communication device 180.

[0080] ECU 150 calculates a required torque value for vehicle 100 based on the detection value (accelerator operation amount) from accelerator position sensor 187. ECU 150 calculates the required torque value based on, for example, a map indicating the relationship between the accelerator operation amount and the required torque value, and the detection value from accelerator position sensor 187. This map is stored in storage device 176. When the required torque value is less than a threshold torque while vehicle 100 is traveling, ECU 150 controls PCU 133 so that a torque corresponding to the required torque value is output via MG 135. When the required torque value exceeds the threshold torque while vehicle 100 is traveling, ECU 150 controls PCU 133 so that MG 135 outputs the threshold torque.

[0081] When the destination of the vehicle 100 is set, the ECU 150 is configured to calculate a planned travel end time, which is the time when the vehicle 100 plans to arrive at the travel end point as the destination. The ECU 150 determines the travel route from the current position of the vehicle 100 to the destination of the vehicle 100 based on the road information database stored in the storage device 176, the current position, and the destination, and calculates the planned travel end time based on the determination result.

[0082] Figure 3 The vehicle 100 is shown to be electrically connected to the electric utility 310. Figure 3 , each electric power facility 310 includes a communication device 312 , an electric power conversion device 315 and a control device 316 .

[0083] Communication device 312 is configured to communicate with server 600. Power conversion device 315 is configured to convert power supplied from power grid PG and supply the converted power to vehicle 100 via cable 320 and connector 325 of cable 320. Power conversion device 315 is not configured to convert power supplied to power facility 310 from a power source (e.g., a vehicle) connected to power facility 310 and supply the converted power to power grid PG. Since power conversion device 315 is a unidirectional power conversion device as described above, similar to power conversion device 120 of vehicle 100, power facility 310 is dedicated to external charging in both external charging and external discharging.

[0084] When the connector 325 is connected to the inlet 110, the control device 316 can execute a charging process in which a request to start external charging is output to the vehicle 100, thereby causing the ECU 150 to execute external charging using power from the power grid PG. On the other hand, the control device 316 is not configured to execute a discharging process in which the power stored in the battery 105 is discharged into the power grid PG via the power facility 310.

[0085] Figure 4 6 shows an example of data stored in the storage device 620 of the server 600. Figure 4 , the storage device 620 stores a resource management information table (list mode) 625 and a power facility information table 626 .

[0086] The resource management information table 625 indicates various information on the power resource for each resource ID. "Resource ID" is identification information assigned to each power resource.

[0087] "Class" indicates the class of the electric power resource. In this example, the electric power resources with IDs R1 to R4 are vehicles. The electric power resource with ID R5 is a HEMS.

[0088] "Type" indicates whether the vehicle is a V2G vehicle or a V1G vehicle when the power resource is classified as a vehicle under the category. In this example, similar to vehicle 100, vehicles with IDs R1 to R3 are V1G vehicles. Vehicle with ID R4 is a V2G vehicle.

[0089] "Protocol Information" indicates how each power resource participates in DR according to the protocol for each time period. Each time period is a period during which the power resource can participate in DR. The length of each time period is, for example, but not limited to, 30 minutes. In this example, vehicle ID R1 performs external charging using power facility EE1 during time period PT1, charging the vehicle's battery with power amount A1 from power grid PG. Vehicle ID R4 performs battery discharge control using power facility EE4 during time period PT2, discharging power amount A4 from the vehicle's battery to power grid PG.

[0090] When the vehicle with ID R1 participates in up DR or down DR (specifically, when approval signal S21 or approval signal S11 is received from the vehicle), the server 600 rewrites the resource management information table 625 in a manner that increases or decreases the charging amount (e.g., A1) for the vehicle during the DR period.

[0091] The electric power facility information table 626 indicates various information on the electric power facility for each facility ID. "Facility ID" is identification information assigned to each electric power facility.

[0092] "Category" indicates the type of power facility. In this example, similar to power facility 310, power facilities with IDs EE1 to EE3 are used only for external charging, both for external charging and external discharging. Power facilities with IDs EE4 and EE5 are used for both external charging and external discharging. "Location" indicates the location of the power facility (e.g., latitude and longitude).

[0093] Figure 5 This graph depicts the temporal changes in the SOC of the battery used for driving a V1G vehicle when the vehicle is engaged in DR at a travel destination. The travel destination is, for example, a parking space at the vehicle user's home. In the first embodiment, power utility 310 is installed at the travel destination. This example shows a comparative example in which the control of ECU 150, described later, is not executed.

[0094] Reference Figure 5 , line 800 shows an example of changes in the battery SOC when the V1G vehicle in the comparative example performs external charging after completing traveling (case A).

[0095] In the example, the external charging schedule is arranged so that during the P2 period, the power amount corresponding to ΔX1 (first charge amount) is supplied (charged) from the grid PG to the vehicle's battery. In case A in the comparative example, the vehicle does not participate in DR (including rising DR and falling DR).

[0096] During the period P0 before time t0, the vehicle is traveling, and the SOC decreases as the vehicle travels. When the vehicle stops traveling at time t0, the user connects the connector 325 ( Figure 3 ) is connected to the entrance of the vehicle. In the comparative example, the travel end SOC which is the SOC at the travel end point is X0.

[0097] At time t1, the vehicle begins external charging (period P2). When the SOC reaches RV1 at time t2, external charging is complete. Consequently, the battery is charged with an amount of power corresponding to ΔX1. For example, when a destination is set after the vehicle begins traveling, RV1 is a reference value determined as the minimum SOC required for the vehicle to reach the destination. ECU 150 determines RV1 based on the vehicle's electric range and the distance from the vehicle's current location to the destination.

[0098] After the SOC remains at RV1 for a period of time (e.g., periods P8 and P9), the vehicle starts traveling at time t10. Time t10 is the scheduled departure time of the vehicle. After that, the SOC decreases as the vehicle travels.

[0099] Line 810 shows an example of battery SOC changes when the V1G vehicle participates in the descent DR at the end of the travel (case B1).

[0100] In the example, it is assumed that the vehicle has received the down DR signal S1 before time t1 and has sent the approval signal S11 to the server 600. It is assumed that the down DR signal S1 requests the vehicle to reduce (save) the amount of power charged to the battery by external charging during period P2 by an amount corresponding to ΔX1.

[0101] During period P2, the vehicle's external charging capacity is reduced by an amount corresponding to ΔX1 compared to Case A. In this example, since external charging is canceled, the charge capacity is zero, and the SOC remains unchanged. In other words, although the vehicle's battery was originally scheduled to be charged with an amount corresponding to ΔX1 during period P2, the battery is not charged at all. Consequently, a situation in which an amount of power corresponding to ΔX1 is supplied from power grid PG to the vehicle is avoided. In other words, the electrical load on power grid PG is reduced by an amount corresponding to ΔX1.

[0102] Thereafter, until time t9 comes (in this example, during period P3), external charging of the vehicle is performed in such a manner that the battery is charged with an amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX1. As a result, the SOC increases to RV1.

[0103] Line 815 indicates another example of a change in the battery SOC when the V1G vehicle participates in a descent DR at the end of travel (case B2).

[0104] Line 815 differs from line 810 in that the charge amount during period P2 is reduced by an amount of power corresponding to ΔX2, which is less than ΔX1. In this example, during period P2, the SOC increases from ΔX0 by ΔX3 (to RV2). Thereafter, before time t9 (or time t10) (in this example, during period P3), external charging is performed, charging the battery with an amount of power corresponding to ΔX2. Consequently, the SOC increases to RV1. When ΔX2 (0 < ΔX2 ≤ ΔX1) equals ΔX1, or in other words, when ΔX3 is zero (when RV2 equals X0), line 815 coincides with line 810.

[0105] Line 820 shows an example of a change in the battery SOC when the V1G vehicle participates in an ascending DR at the end of the travel (Case C).

[0106] In the example, it is assumed that the vehicle has received the rising DR signal S2 before time t1 and has sent the approval signal S21 to the server 600. Assume that the rising DR signal S2 requests the vehicle to increase the amount of power charged to the battery by external charging during the period P2 by an amount corresponding to ΔX4 compared to case A.

[0107] Therefore, during the period P2, the battery is charged with an amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX5 (=ΔX1 + ΔX4). As a result, the SOC increases to RV3. RV3 is, for example, the SOC when the battery is fully charged.

[0108] As described above, the V1G vehicle is configured to decrease (case B1 , B2 ) or increase (case C) the charge amount during the DR period when the V1G vehicle participates in the descending DR or ascending DR, respectively.

[0109] When a V1G vehicle is engaged in a descending or ascending DR at the end of a trip, it is preferable that the uncharged capacity of the battery at the end of the trip be increased to the extent possible. The uncharged capacity of the battery corresponds to the amount of electric power that can be charged to the battery. This amount of electric power corresponds to ΔX1 (cases B1 and B2) or ΔX5 (case C).

[0110] For example, when a vehicle participates in a DR reduction, a larger ΔX1 can lead to a larger ΔX2 (case B2). Consequently, the negative wattage can be increased, increasing the permissible reduction in the initially planned charge amount (the amount of power that can be canceled, corresponding to ΔX2) from the power supply from the power grid PG to the vehicle's battery. As a result, the vehicle user can receive a larger reward from the aggregator as compensation for reducing DR.

[0111] When a vehicle participates in increasing DR, increasing ΔX5 can increase ΔX4. Consequently, positive wattage can be increased because battery 105 can be supplied with more power than originally planned from the vehicle to power grid PG. As a result, the vehicle user can receive more rewards from the aggregator as a reward for increasing DR.

[0112] When a V1G vehicle is used as a power source, only external charging is possible among external discharging and external charging. When only external charging is possible as described above, it is important that the vehicle contributes to regulating the power supply and demand balance in the power grid PG.

[0113] The ECU 150 of each vehicle 100 according to this embodiment includes a configuration for contributing to adjusting the balance between power supply and demand in this situation. Specifically, the ECU 150 controls the electrical loads so that when the vehicle 100 participates in a reduction in the load (DR) at the end of a trip of the vehicle 100 equipped with the power system 310, the end-of-trip SOC, which is the SOC of the battery 105 at the end of the trip, becomes lower than the end-of-trip SOC when the vehicle 100 does not participate in the reduction in the load (DR) at the end of the trip. The electrical loads include, for example, the MG 135 or auxiliary equipment such as the battery heater 142 or the air conditioner 144. Hereinafter, this control of the electrical loads by the ECU 150 is also referred to as "SOC reduction control."

[0114] When only external charging is possible, and when power demand exceeds the power supply in the power grid PG, the vehicle 100 must participate in the Downward Discharge (DR) to contribute to the balance between power supply and demand. With the configuration described above, when the vehicle participates in the Downward Discharge (DR), the uncharged capacity of the battery 105 at the end of travel can be increased compared to when the vehicle does not participate in the Downward Discharge (DR). Therefore, the permissible reduction in the amount of charge initially planned during the period in which the vehicle participates in the Downward Discharge (DR) (the amount of power that can be canceled) can be increased. The SOC reduction control performed by the ECU 150 is described in detail below.

[0115] Figure 6 DR is a diagram for describing changes in the SOC of the battery 105 over time when the vehicle 100 participates in the descent DR at the travel end point in the present embodiment.

[0116] Reference Figure 6 Line 802 shows an example of the change in the battery SOC when the vehicle 100 plans to perform external charging after completing driving (Case A). Line 802 indicates the schedule of the initially arranged external charging before the vehicle 100 receives the descending DR signal S1.

[0117] Lines 812 and 817 show examples of the change in the battery SOC when the vehicle 100 participates in descending DR at the end of driving (Case B1 and B2).

[0118] Lines 802, 812, and 817 are different from lines 800, 810, and 815 in the comparative example ( Figure 5 ) in that the end-of-driving SOC is X1 (<X0). Times t20 to t30 and periods P20 to P30 are the same as times t0 to t10 and periods P0 to P10 in the comparative example, respectively.

[0119] When the vehicle 100 is driving (e.g., during period P20), the ECU 150 performs SOC reduction control. In the example, the ECU 150 controls the MG 135 such that the upper limit of the output generated by the MG 135 when the vehicle 100 is driving becomes higher than the upper limit in the case where the vehicle 100 does not participate in DR at the end of driving ( Figure 5 Case A in). The output generated by the MG 135 is the torque output by the MG 135 or the vehicle speed when the vehicle 100 is driven at that torque.

[0120] Figure 7 is a graph for describing the change in the "required torque - vehicle speed characteristic" according to whether the vehicle 100 participates in descending DR. Hereinafter, the required torque - vehicle speed characteristic is also referred to as the T-V characteristic.

[0121] Referring to Figure 7 , the T-V characteristic 405 represents the T-V characteristic when the vehicle 100 does not participate in descending DR. The region (shaded region) 407 of the T-V characteristic 405 is the region where the vehicle speed V is less than the threshold speed THV0 (threshold speed THV) and the required torque value T is less than the threshold torque THT0 (threshold torque THT).

[0122] When the coordinates of the point P determined by the combination of the vehicle speed V and the required torque value T are within the region 407, the ECU 150 controls the MG 135 such that the vehicle 100 drives at the required torque value T and at the vehicle speed V. When the required torque value T exceeds the threshold torque THT, the vehicle 100 is not driven at the required torque value T but at the threshold torque THT.

[0123] The T-V characteristic 410 is the T-V characteristic when the vehicle 100 participates in the descending DR. In this case, the ECU 150 sets the threshold torque THT and the threshold speed THV higher (THT = THT1 > THT0, THV = THV1 > THV0) than when the vehicle 100 does not participate in the descending DR (T-V characteristic 405). For example, when the approval signal S11 is sent to the server 600 via the communication device 180, the ECU 150 performs the process for this setting.

[0124] Therefore, the vehicle 100 can travel at a high torque equal to or greater than the threshold torque T0, or at a high speed equal to or greater than the threshold vehicle speed THV0. As a result, the power consumption of the MG 135 can increase. Therefore, it is possible to more easily reduce the SOC of the battery 105 before the vehicle 100 reaches the end of travel. At the same time, when the user likes the vehicle 100 to travel with high horsepower, the user's preference is satisfied.

[0125] Return reference Figure 6 , at time t20, the end-of-travel SOC of the vehicle 100 is X1 (<X0). X1 is, for example, a value set by the user using the HMI device 182, or a default value.

[0126] In case A, a schedule for external charging is arranged in advance so that the vehicle 100 performs external charging during the period P22 (the first period). In cases B1 and B2, it is assumed that the vehicle 100 participates in the descending DR during the period P22.

[0127] In case B1, the vehicle 100 cancels the originally planned external charging (case A) during the period P22. In other words, in the example, the charging amount of the battery 105 during the external charging during the period P22 is zero (line 812).

[0128] In case B2, the charging amount is not zero (line 817). Specifically, during the period P22, the SOC increases by ΔX13 (increases to RV2A). When RV2A is equal to X1, ΔX13 is zero, ΔX12 coincides with ΔX11, and case B2 corresponds to case B1.

[0129] As described above, when the charging amount is reduced to less than the originally planned charging amount (cases B1 and B2), the situation of supplying the electric power corresponding to ΔX11 or ΔX12 from the power grid PG to the vehicle is avoided. Therefore, a reduction in the electric load corresponding to this electric power appears in the power grid PG.

[0130] In this embodiment, compared with the comparative example ( Figure 5)Compared with [comparison example], the allowable reduction amount (the amount of electric power that can be canceled) of the initially planned charging amount during the DR period (period P22) is the amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX11 (case B1) or ΔX12 (case B2). Such an amount of electric power is greater than the amount of electric power (ΔX1, ΔX2) in the comparison example by the amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX10 or ΔX12A, respectively. In other words, the negative wattage amount can increase.

[0131] During the period from time t23, which is the end time of period P23, to time t30, the ECU 150 performs external charging such that the battery 105 is charged with the amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX11 (case B1) or ΔX12 (case B2). Such an amount of electric power corresponds to the amount of electric power that was initially planned to be supplied to the battery 105 but was not supplied to the battery 105 during period P22. Such an amount of electric power is the difference between the amount of electric power that the battery 105 was initially planned to be charged during period P22 (the amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX11 in case A) and the amount of electric power supplied to the battery 105 when the vehicle 100 participates in the descending DR during period P22 (the second charging amount). In case B1, the second charging amount is zero, and in case B2, the second charging amount is the amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX13. In case B1, the difference amount of electric power is ΔX11, and in case B2, the difference amount of electric power is ΔX12.

[0132] When performing such external charging, during the period from time t23 to time t30 (the second period), the battery 105 is charged with the difference amount of electric power (supplemented by the difference amount of electric power). As a result, it is possible to avoid the situation where the battery 105 is not fully charged at time t30 when the vehicle 100 is planned to start driving.

[0133] As described above, in the present embodiment, since the ECU 150 performs the SOC reduction control, the end-of-trip SOC is lower than that in the comparison example ( Figure 5 ) (X1 < X0). As a result, the amount of electric power (corresponding to ΔX11) that can be supplied to the battery 105 during periods P21 to P30 can be made greater than the amount of electric power (corresponding to ΔX1) that can be supplied to the battery 105 in the comparison example.

[0134] When the vehicle 100 participates in the ascending DR, the ECU 150 can perform the SOC reduction control. Specifically, the SOC reduction control can be the control of an electric load such as the MG 135, which is performed such that when the vehicle 100 participates in the ascending DR at the end of driving, the end-of-trip SOC becomes lower than the end-of-trip SOC when the vehicle 100 does not participate in the ascending DR at the end of driving.

[0135] Therefore, when the vehicle 100 participates in the ascending DR, the uncharged capacity of the battery 105 at the end of travel can be increased to be greater than the uncharged capacity when the vehicle 100 does not participate in the ascending DR. Therefore, the amount of electric power that can be additionally supplied to the battery 105 during the period when the vehicle 100 participates in the ascending DR can be increased. This will be described in more detail below.

[0136] Figure 8 is a graph for describing the change over time of the SOC of the battery 105 when the vehicle 100 participates in DR at the end of travel.

[0137] Referring to Figure 8 , line 825 shows an example change in the SOC when the vehicle 100 participates in the ascending DR at the end of travel. The difference between line 825 and line 820 in the comparative example ( Figure 5 ) is that the end-of-travel SOC is X1 (<X0). The times t20 to t30 and the periods P20 to P30 are similar to those shown in Figure 6 .

[0138] In the example, during the period P22, the battery 105 is charged with an amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX15 (=ΔX5 + ΔX14). As a result, the SOC increases to RV3.

[0139] As described above, the amount of charge during the period P22 (corresponding to ΔX15) is greater than the amount of charge in the comparative example (corresponding to ΔX5) by an amount of electric power corresponding to ΔX14. Therefore, compared with the comparative example, the electric power supplied from the power grid PG to the vehicle 100 can be increased. In other words, the positive wattage can be increased. As a result, the electric load in the power grid PG can be made greater than that in the comparative example.

[0140] The SOC reduction control can be an SOC reduction control performed as follows: controlling the auxiliary machine such that when the vehicle 100 participates in DR at the end of travel, the power consumption of the auxiliary machine increases to be more than when the vehicle 100 does not participate in DR at the end of travel. The DR can be either a descending DR or an ascending DR.

[0141] For example, when the ECU 150 performs the SOC reduction control by using the air conditioning device 144, the ECU 150 controls the air conditioning device 144 such that the temperature in the passenger compartment becomes higher or lower than the temperature in the vehicle set by user operation. For example, the ECU 150 can control the air conditioning device 144 such that the heating performance of the air conditioning device 144 becomes higher in winter, or the cooling performance of the air conditioning device 144 becomes higher in summer.

[0142] When the ECU 150 performs the SOC reduction control by using the battery heater 142 , the ECU 150 may control the battery heater 142 such that the amount of heat generated from the battery heater 142 increases.

[0143] When the auxiliary machine is controlled in this manner, it is possible to more easily reduce the SOC before the vehicle 100 reaches the end of travel while the user fully enjoys the functions of the auxiliary machine.

[0144] The SOC reduction control may be a control of the MG 135 that is executed so that when the vehicle 100 participates in the reduction of the DR at the end of the travel, the regenerative power is reduced to a level lower than the regenerative power when the vehicle 100 does not participate in the reduction of the DR at the end of the travel while the vehicle 100 is traveling. Specifically, when the vehicle 100 is braked, the ECU 150 may control the PCU 133 so that the regenerative power generated by the MG 135 is reduced.

[0145] Therefore, when the vehicle 100 is braked, the power supplied (charged) from the MG 135 to the battery 105 via the PCU 133 is reduced. As a result, the SOC is prevented from unnecessarily increasing due to regeneration. Therefore, the SOC can be more easily reduced before the vehicle 100 reaches the end of the journey.

[0146] While the vehicle 100 is traveling, the vehicle 100 preferably controls the electrical loads (e.g., the MG 135 or any of the auxiliary devices 140) so that the SOC of the battery 105 does not drop below the desired SOC. The desired SOC is the SOC required for the vehicle 100 to reach the destination, which is the end point of travel. This prevents a situation where the SOC drops so much that the vehicle 100 cannot reach the destination. The ECU 150 continuously calculates the desired SOC based on the distance from the vehicle 100's current location to the destination and the vehicle's electrical range.

[0147] Figure 9 The relationship between the distance D from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination and the desired SOC is shown. Line 905 indicates that the desired SOC decreases as the distance D from the current location of the vehicle 100 to the destination decreases (as the vehicle 100 approaches the destination).

[0148] Figure 10 This is a diagram for describing the relationship between the upper limit of regenerative power and the excess power amount, and the relationship between the upper limit of power consumption of an electric load and the excess power amount.

[0149] Reference Figure 10 , the extra power amount is the amount of power corresponding to a value obtained by subtracting the required SOC from the current SOC of the battery 105. The larger the extra power amount, the larger the amount of power that the MG 135 or the auxiliary machine 140 can additionally consume before the vehicle 100 reaches the destination.

[0150] Line 910 indicates the relationship between the upper limit ULRG of the regenerative electric power and the amount of extra electric power. When the vehicle 100 is braked, the ECU 150 controls the PCU 133 so that the value of the regenerative electric power does not exceed the upper limit ULRG.

[0151] ECU 150 sets upper limit ULRG so that it increases as the amount of excess power decreases. Therefore, when the amount of excess power is low, more regenerative power is allowed to charge battery 105. This makes it easier to prevent the current SOC from falling below the desired SOC. Conversely, when the amount of excess power is high, regenerative power is more likely to decrease. As a result, since the current SOC is less likely to increase, the end-of-travel SOC can be more easily lowered.

[0152] Line 915 indicates the relationship between the upper limit ULEE of the electric power consumption of the electric load (eg, MG 135 or any one of the auxiliary machines 140) and the excess electric power. ECU 150 controls the electric load so that the electric power consumption of the electric load does not exceed the upper limit ULEE.

[0153] ECU 150 sets the upper limit ULEE so that it decreases as the amount of excess power decreases. Therefore, when the amount of excess power is low, the power consumption of the electrical load decreases. As a result, it is difficult for the current SOC to drop below the required SOC. Conversely, when the amount of excess power is high, the power consumption of the electrical load tends to increase. As a result, since the current SOC is easily reduced, the end-of-travel SOC can be lowered more easily.

[0154] In the above description, the SOC reduction control is performed in each vehicle 100 configured to perform only external charging among external discharging and external charging. However, the SOC reduction control may be performed in a V2G vehicle capable of both external discharging and external charging.

[0155] For example, if a V2G vehicle has not reached an agreement with an aggregator for the V2G vehicle to participate in DR by performing external discharge, the vehicle's ECU may only perform external charging when participating in DR. In other words, the V2G vehicle can only receive power from the power grid (PG). In this case, the V2G vehicle's ECU can perform SOC reduction control.

[0156] In the above description, electric power facility 310 is dedicated to external charging. However, the electric power facility can be configured to convert power from power resources and supply the converted power to power grid PG. In other words, the power conversion equipment of the electric power facility can be bidirectional power conversion equipment. When vehicle 100, acting as a V1G, participates in DR using this electric power facility, ECU 150 can only perform external charging, out of external discharging and external charging. In this case, ECU 150 can perform SOC reduction control.

[0157] When a V2G vehicle participates in DR by using the electric power facility 310 dedicated to external charging, the ECU of the V2G vehicle can only perform external charging among external discharging and external charging. In this case, the ECU can perform SOC reduction control.

[0158] Figure 11 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing executed by the ECU 150 according to the first embodiment. The processing in the flowchart is executed when the vehicle 100 is engaged in the descent DR and when the start switch 184 ( Figure 2 ) starts. In the description of the flowchart, it is assumed that the destination of the vehicle 100 has been set. In the following, reference is made to Figure 6 .

[0159] Reference Figure 11 ECU 150 switches the process depending on whether the vehicle on which ECU 150 is installed is a V1G vehicle or a V2G vehicle (step S115). In this example, since ECU 150 is installed in vehicle 100, which is a V1G vehicle, ECU 150 advances the process to step S135. If ECU 150 is installed in a V2G vehicle, ECU 150 advances the process to step S120.

[0160] Next, the ECU 150 determines whether the electric power facility 310 (the facility for DR participation) for the vehicle 100 to participate in DR is dedicated to external charging based on the signal from the server 600 (step S120). The server 600 determines whether the electric power facility 310 (the facility for DR participation) for the vehicle 100 to participate in DR is dedicated to external charging based on the information on the facility for DR participation included in the approval signal S11 or the approval signal S21 and based on the electric power facility information table 626 ( Figure 4 ) determines whether the facility for DR participation is dedicated to external charging, and sends the determination result to the vehicle 100.

[0161] If the DR-participating facility is dedicated to external charging ("YES" in step S120), ECU 150 proceeds with the process to step S135. The process proceeds to step S135 when electric utility 310 is only capable of charging, as described above. If the DR-participating facility is not dedicated to external charging, that is, if the DR-participating facility is capable of both external charging and external discharging ("NO" in step S120), ECU 150 proceeds with the process to step S125.

[0162] Next, the ECU 150 determines whether the user of the vehicle on which the ECU 150 is installed has reached a V1G agreement with the aggregator as described above (step S125). The ECU 150 performs the determination process based on the agreement information stored in the storage device 176. When a V1G agreement has not been reached ("No" in step S125), the ECU 150 terminates the process. Figure 11 When the V1G agreement is reached (YES in step S125), the ECU 150 advances the process to step S135.

[0163] Next, after the start of the running of the vehicle 100, the ECU 150 executes the SOC reduction control (step S135). The ECU 150 executes the SOC reduction control to such an extent that the SOC does not become less than the required SOC.

[0164] Next, the ECU 150 determines whether the vehicle 100 has arrived at the destination as the end of travel (step S140). The ECU 150 performs a determination process based on the detection result of the positioning device 178. When the vehicle 100 has not arrived at the destination ("No" in step S140), the ECU 150 performs SOC reduction control until the vehicle 100 arrives at the destination. When the vehicle 100 arrives at the destination ("Yes" in step S140), the ECU 150 advances the process to step S145. The SOC at the destination (travel end SOC) is X1 ( <X0)。

[0165] Next, the connector 325 ( Figure 3 ), when the DR period (for example, period P22) comes, the ECU 150 causes the vehicle 100 to participate in the DR reduction during the DR period (step S145). When the charge amount of the battery 105 during this period is zero, this situation corresponds to Figure 6 When the charge is not zero, this situation corresponds to Figure 6 Case B2 in .

[0166] Next, the ECU 150 determines whether the SOC reaches RV2A (step S150). When the SOC does not reach RV2A ("No" in step S150), the ECU 150 keeps the vehicle 100 engaged in the descent DR by performing external charging until the SOC reaches RV2A. When RV2A is equal to X1 ( Figure 6 When the SOC reaches RV2 ("YES" in step S150), the ECU 150 advances the process to step S155.

[0167] Next, the ECU 150 determines whether the DR period has ended based on the protocol information stored in the storage device 176 (step S155). If the DR period has not ended ("No" in step S155), the ECU 150 performs a determination process until the DR period ends. If the DR period has ended ("Yes" in step S155), the ECU 150 proceeds to step S160.

[0168] Next, the ECU 150 performs external charging so that the battery 105 is charged with the differential amount of electric power at a time before the scheduled departure time of the vehicle 100 (eg, time t29 ) (step S160 ).

[0169] Next, ECU 150 determines whether the SOC has reached RV1 (step S165). If the SOC has not reached RV1 ("No" in step S165), ECU 150 continues external charging until the SOC reaches RV1. If the SOC has reached RV1 ("Yes" in step S165), ECU 150 ends external charging and proceeds to step S170.

[0170] Next, the ECU 150 determines whether the scheduled departure time of the vehicle 100 (e.g., time t30) has arrived (step S170). When the scheduled departure time has not arrived ("No" in step S170), the ECU 150 performs the determination process until the scheduled departure time arrives. When the scheduled departure time has arrived ("Yes" in step S170), the ECU 150 terminates the process. Figure 11 in the processing.

[0171] Figure 12 1 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing executed by the ECU 150 according to the first embodiment. The processing in the flowchart is executed when the vehicle 100 engages in the ascent DR and is started when the start switch 184 is pressed. In the description of the flowchart, it is assumed that the destination of the vehicle 100 has already been set.

[0172] The flowchart and Figure 11The flowchart in [reference] is different in that the processes corresponding to steps S160 and S165 are omitted. On the other hand, the processes in steps S215 to S255 and S270 are respectively similar to Figure 11 the processes in steps S115 to S155 and S170 in [reference].

[0173] In this embodiment, vehicle 100 as a V1G vehicle is mainly used for power resources. Therefore, although the configuration and control of the vehicle are more simplified than when a V2G vehicle is used for power resources, a contribution to the adjustment of the power supply-demand balance can be achieved.

[0174] Alternatively, when a V2G vehicle is used for power resources, the vehicle can appropriately participate in DR while handling a situation where only external charging is possible among external charging and external discharging. Specifically, even in such a case, SOC reduction control is performed in the V2G vehicle, and the end-of-trip SOC is reduced to X1 (<X0). As a result, the V2G vehicle can make a greater contribution to the adjustment of the power supply-demand balance than when SOC reduction control is not performed.

[0175] ECU 150 can perform SOC reduction control without obtaining information on the power supply-demand balance (e.g., from server 600). Therefore, vehicle 100 can be dedicated to DR while simplifying the processing of ECU 150.

[0176] Modification 1 of the first embodiment

[0177] Although in the first embodiment ECU 150 is configured to perform SOC reduction control while vehicle 100 is in motion, ECU 150 can perform SOC reduction control before vehicle 100 starts moving (when the vehicle is stopped).

[0178] Specifically, the SOC reduction control can be control of auxiliary machine 140, which is performed such that when vehicle 100 participates in DR at the end point (destination) of travel, the operation of auxiliary machine 140 starts before the planned start time of travel of vehicle 100. In this modification 1, the planned start time of travel is the time when vehicle 100 starts moving before time t20 in [reference], and is set, for example, by using HMI device 182. Hereinafter, the control performed by ECU 150 as described above is also referred to as pre-operation control. Figure 6 The pre-operation control in the case where air conditioning device 144 operates is also referred to as pre-air conditioning control. Pre-air conditioning control is control to operate air conditioning device 144 for a predetermined period (e.g., 10 minutes) before the planned start time of travel of vehicle 100 so as to adjust the temperature inside the cabin of vehicle 100 to an appropriate temperature at the planned start time of travel.

[0179] ​

[0180] The pre-operation control with the battery heater 142 in operation is also referred to as pre-battery heating control. The pre-battery heating control operates the battery heater 142 a predetermined period before the scheduled travel start time to adjust the temperature of the battery 105 to an appropriate temperature at the scheduled travel start time.

[0181] For example, whether to execute the preliminary operation control, the planned travel start time, the predetermined time period, the appropriate temperature, and the start time of the preliminary operation control are set (reserved) by the user using the HMI device 182 .

[0182] When the pre-operation control is executed, the power consumption of the auxiliary machine 140 can be made higher than when the pre-operation control is not executed. As a result, the SOC of the battery 105 can be reduced more easily while the user can immediately enjoy the functions of the auxiliary machine at the scheduled start time of the vehicle 100.

[0183] Figure 13 : is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the ECU 150 according to Modification 1. The processing in the flowchart is executed when the vehicle 100 participates in DR, and is started when the start time of the pre-operational control comes.

[0184] Reference Figure 13 , the ECU 150 performs pre-operation control of auxiliary machines such as the battery heater 142 or the air conditioner 144 (step S302 ).

[0185] Next, the ECU 150 determines whether the scheduled travel start time of the vehicle 100 has arrived (step S304). When the scheduled travel start time has not arrived ("No" in step S304), the ECU 150 continues the pre-operation control of the auxiliary machine until the time arrives. When the time has arrived ("Yes" in step S304), the ECU 150 terminates the pre-operation control. Figure 13 in the processing.

[0186] Modification 2 of the first embodiment

[0187] When a previous time comes that is a threshold period before the planned travel end time of the vehicle 100 , the ECU 150 may start the SOC reduction control while the vehicle 100 is traveling.

[0188] With this configuration, the SOC reduction control is not executed before the previous time arrives. As a result, a situation where the SOC of the battery 105 is unnecessarily reduced before the previous time arrives (for example, a situation where the SOC is reduced so much that the vehicle 100 becomes unable to travel) can be avoided.

[0189] The threshold period is, for example, a value set by the user using the HMI device 182 so that the previous time comes immediately before the planned travel end time, or stored in the storage device 176 as a default value (eg, 10 minutes).

[0190] The ECU 150 may start the SOC reduction control when the distance from the vehicle 100 to the destination decreases to a threshold distance (eg, a predetermined distance such as three kilometers) while the vehicle 100 is traveling.

[0191] With this configuration, the SOC reduction control is not executed until the distance from the vehicle 100 to the destination decreases to the threshold distance. Therefore, a situation in which the SOC of the battery 105 is unnecessarily reduced can be avoided.

[0192] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by ECU 150 according to this modification 2. The processing in the flowchart is executed when vehicle 100 engages in descent DR and is started when start switch 184 is pressed. In the description of the flowchart, it is assumed that the destination of vehicle 100 has already been set.

[0193] Reference Figure 14 , the flowchart is the same as Figure 11 The difference between the flowchart in FIG. 4 is that the processing in step S432 is added. The processing in steps S415 to S425 and S435 to S470 are similar to Figure 11 The processing in steps S115 to S125 and S135 to S170 in .

[0194] ECU 150 determines whether the previous time has arrived (step S432). ECU 150 performs a determination process based on the protocol information and information indicating the threshold period stored in storage device 176. If the previous time has not arrived ("No" in step S432), ECU 150 performs a determination process until the previous time arrives. If the previous time has arrived ("Yes" in step S432), ECU 150 advances the process to step S435 and starts SOC reduction control.

[0195] This flowchart shows an example in which the vehicle 100 participates in a decreasing DR. In contrast, when the vehicle 100 participates in an increasing DR, the ECU 150 may start the SOC reduction control in response to the arrival of the previous time.

[0196] Second embodiment

[0197] Although the destination of the vehicle 100 is set by the user in the first embodiment and its modifications 1, 2, the destination of the vehicle 100 may be predicted by the ECU 150 based on the history of the user's behavior.

[0198] Specifically, the ECU 150 is configured to predict a plurality of candidates for the destination based on the history of user behavior stored in the storage device 176. Hereinafter, the candidates for the destination are also referred to as "candidate destinations."

[0199] In the second embodiment, the ECU 150 determines the required SOC based on the SOC of the battery 105 required for the vehicle 100 to travel to each candidate destination. For convenience of the following description, a case where the number of candidate destinations is two is described.

[0200] Unless otherwise stated, the hardware configuration and the control process of each vehicle 100 according to the second embodiment are similar to those of each vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment, respectively.

[0201] Figure 15 is a diagram for describing how to determine the required SOC when the number of candidate destinations is two.

[0202] Reference Figure 15 , the vertical axis represents the SOC of battery 105, and the horizontal axis represents time. In this example, points 1 and 2 are candidate destinations. ECU 150 predicts that the probability that point 1 is the destination is probability PR1, and the probability that point 2 is the destination is probability PR2 (A + B = 100 [%]). While vehicle 100 is traveling, probabilities PR1 and PR2 may change over time. The distance from vehicle 100 to point 2 is longer than the distance from vehicle 100 to point 1. In other words, point 2 is farther from vehicle 100 than point 1.

[0203] Bar graphs 950A, 950B, and 950C represent the SOC at times ta, tb, and tc, respectively, and indicate that the SOC decreases as the vehicle 100 travels further. Lines 980 and 970 respectively indicate the change in the SOC required for the vehicle 100 to travel to points 1 and 2 over time. Line 985 indicates the required SOC of the battery 105 in the second embodiment.

[0204] For example, at each time ta, tb, and tc, the SOC of battery 105 is represented by x. The SOC required for vehicle 100 to travel to point 1 of the two candidate destinations (hereinafter also referred to as the first required SOC) is X1. When vehicle 100's destination is point 1, the excess power amount is the amount of power corresponding to Y1. In this case, ECU 150 can execute SOC reduction control so that the excess power amount is consumed by the electrical load before vehicle 100 reaches point 1.

[0205] The SOC required for vehicle 100 to travel to point 2 of the two candidate destinations (hereinafter also referred to as the second required SOC) is X2. When the destination of vehicle 100 is point 2, the excess power amount is the power amount corresponding to Y2. In this case, ECU 150 can execute SOC reduction control so that the excess power amount is consumed by the electrical load before vehicle 100 reaches point 2.

[0206] As described above, when both points 1 and 2 are candidate destinations, ECU 150 determines the desired SOC (line 985) based on the first desired SOC (line 980) and the second desired SOC (line 970). For example, while vehicle 100 is traveling, ECU 150 can calculate the sum of the value obtained by multiplying the first desired SOC by probability PR1 and the value obtained by multiplying the second desired SOC by probability PR2, and can determine this sum as the desired SOC. In this case, the desired SOC is within a range of values ​​greater than the first desired SOC and less than the second desired SOC. If the desired SOC is determined in this manner, both the first desired SOC and the second desired SOC are reflected in the determination of the desired SOC. As a result, when vehicle 100 travels to point 2, a situation in which the SOC of battery 105 is excessively reduced can be avoided.

[0207] The ECU 150 can determine the required SOC in such a manner that the required SOC becomes equal to the second required SOC. Therefore, a situation in which the SOC of the battery 105 decreases so much that the vehicle 100 becomes unable to reach the point 2 can be avoided.

[0208] The history of the user's behavior of the vehicle 100 may be sequentially transmitted to the server 600 via the communication device 180 of the vehicle 100 and stored in the storage device 620 of the server 600. When the ECU 150 predicts a plurality of candidate destinations, the ECU 150 may obtain the history of the user's behavior from the server 600 and may calculate the required SOC as described above based on the obtained results.

[0209] The ECU 150 can determine the planned trip end time based on the user's history of behavior. For example, the ECU 150 can determine the planned trip end time during a period of time during which the vehicle 100 completes travel more frequently than during other periods of the day (e.g., a period of time during which the user returns home more frequently). The ECU 150 can obtain information about traffic congestion along the route traveled by the vehicle 100 from an external server via the communication device 180 and determine the planned trip end time using the obtained information.

[0210] Other changes

[0211] The vehicle 100 may be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) further equipped with an internal combustion engine.

[0212] The DR period is not limited to period P22 ( Figure 6 ), and may be any period after time t20 and before time t30. Similarly, if the period is after the falling DR period and before time t30, the period for charging the battery 105 with the differential power amount is not limited to the period P23.

[0213] When the SOC becomes less than the required SOC while the SOC reduction control is being executed, the ECU 150 may temporarily suspend the SOC reduction control. Thereafter, for example, when the battery 105 is charged by regeneration and the SOC increases, the ECU 150 may resume the SOC reduction control.

[0214] The HMI device 182 may inquire of the user whether the user desires SOC reduction control. When a user operation indicating that the user desires SOC reduction control is performed using the HMI device 182, the ECU 150 executes the SOC reduction control as described above. The ECU 150 may be configured not to execute SOC reduction control when such a user operation is not performed. Therefore, when the vehicle 100 is not participating in DR at the destination of travel (for example, when the electric power facility 310 is not installed at that point), a reduction in SOC can be avoided.

[0215] The server 600 can remotely control external charging during the DR period. For example, with the connector 325 ( Figure 3 ), when the DR period for the vehicle 100 arrives, the server 600 may control the electric utility 310 in such a manner as to perform external charging. In this case, the server 600 controls the electric utility 310 according to the resource management information table 625 ( Figure 6 ) Arrange a schedule for external charging.

[0216] The disclosed embodiments should be interpreted in all aspects as illustrative rather than restrictive.The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description, and is intended to include the equivalent meaning of the claims and all modifications made within the scope.

Claims

1. A vehicle capable of participating in demand response (DR) for regulating the balance between electricity supply and demand in a power grid, the vehicle comprising: electrical load; a power receiving device configured to receive power from the grid via a power facility installed outside the vehicle; a power storage device that stores the power received by the power receiving device; and a control device that controls charging of the electric load and the electric storage device, wherein the control device is configured to perform external charging of charging the power storage device by using the power receiving device, The demand response includes a down demand response requesting the vehicle to reduce the amount of charge of the power storage device in the external charging when the vehicle participates in the demand response, and The control device performs SOC reduction control, which controls the electric load so that when the vehicle participates in the downward demand response at the driving end of the vehicle installed with the power facility, the driving end SOC becomes lower than the driving end SOC when the vehicle does not participate in the downward demand response at the driving end, and the driving end SOC is the SOC of the power storage device at the driving end.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein: When the vehicle does not participate in the downgrade demand response at the travel end point during a first period, a charge amount in the external charging during the first period is a first charge amount; and When the vehicle participates in the downgrade demand response at the travel end point during the first period, a charge amount in the external charging during the first period is a second charge amount that is smaller than the first charge amount, and The control device performs the external charging so that the power storage device is charged with a differential power amount corresponding to a difference between the first charge amount and the second charge amount during a second period from an end time of the first period to a planned departure time of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The demand response includes a rising demand response requesting the vehicle to increase the amount of charge in the external charging, and The SOC reduction control includes control of the electric load, which is performed so that when the vehicle participates in the rising demand response at the end of the travel, the end-of-travel SOC becomes lower than the end-of-travel SOC when the vehicle does not participate in the rising demand response at the end of the travel.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the electric load includes a rotating electric machine that generates a driving force for traveling of the vehicle by consuming the electric power stored in the electric storage device; and The SOC reduction control includes control of the rotating electric machine, which is performed so that when the vehicle participates in the demand response at the travel end point, the upper limit of the output generated by the rotating electric machine during the travel of the vehicle becomes higher than the upper limit when the vehicle does not participate in the demand response at the travel end point.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the control device controls the electric load during running of the vehicle so that the SOC of the power storage device does not become less than a required SOC; and The required SOC is the SOC of the power storage device required for the vehicle to travel to the destination of the vehicle which is the travel end point.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein: The control device is configured to predict a plurality of candidates for the destination; determining the desired SOC based on a first desired SOC and a second desired SOC; the first required SOC is an SOC of the power storage device required for the vehicle to travel to a first candidate among a plurality of candidates for the destination; and The second required SOC is an SOC of the power storage device required for a second candidate among a plurality of candidates for the vehicle to travel to the destination, the second candidate having a greater distance from the vehicle than the first candidate.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The electric load includes an auxiliary machine that operates by consuming the electric power stored in the electric storage device; and The SOC reduction control includes control of the auxiliary machine, the control of the auxiliary machine being performed such that when the vehicle participates in the demand response at the travel end point, power consumption of the auxiliary machine increases compared to when the vehicle does not participate in the demand response at the travel end point.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The electric load includes an auxiliary machine that operates by consuming the electric power stored in the electric storage device; and The SOC reduction control includes control of the auxiliary machine, the control of the auxiliary machine being performed so that the auxiliary machine starts operating before a planned travel start time of the vehicle when the vehicle participates in the demand response at the travel end point.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The electrical load includes a generator configured to perform regenerative power generation associated with braking of the vehicle; regenerative electric power as electric power generated by the regenerative power generation is supplied from the generator to the electric storage device; and The SOC reduction control includes control of the generator, which is performed so that when the vehicle participates in the down-demand response at the end of the travel, the regenerative power during the travel of the vehicle is reduced compared to when the vehicle does not participate in the down-demand response at the end of the travel.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control device starts the SOC reduction control at a previous time, which is a time of a threshold period before a planned travel end time, which is a time when the vehicle is planned to reach the travel end point.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control device starts the SOC reduction control when the distance from the vehicle to the travel end point decreases to a threshold distance.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control device performs the SOC reduction control when the power facility is capable of performing only the charging process among the discharging process and the charging process, wherein the discharging process causes the power stored in the power storage device to be discharged into the power grid via the power facility, and the charging process causes the control device to perform the external charging by using the power from the power grid.

13. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The vehicle includes a V1G vehicle configured to perform only external charging among external discharging and external charging that discharges the electric power stored in the power storage device into the grid via the electric power facility.

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