Charging management device for vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle charging management device which performs appropriate charging control when playing content in a charging process. A vehicle charging management device is provided with: one or more processors; and a storage medium storing a program executed by the one or more processors, the program containing one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to execute: a process of acquiring a charge remaining time up to a target capacity of a battery of the vehicle; a process of acquiring a playback remaining time in the vehicle until playback of the content ends; and a charging speed control process for performing control to reduce the charging speed of the battery when the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle charging management devices. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for providing services such as content to users based on, for example, charging status information of an electric vehicle during the waiting time of the electric vehicle being charged.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-46524 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] If the user returns to the vehicle before charging of the vehicle is completed, a waiting time for the user occurs until charging is completed. During such a waiting time, the content may be played using the power of the vehicle's battery. In this case, if the playback time of the content is longer than the time required until charging is completed, the battery charging capacity may be reduced when the playback of the content is completed due to the content being played after charging is completed. In addition, it is known that fast charging generally places a large load on the battery, which may cause battery deterioration.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to perform appropriate charging control taking into account a reduction in charging capacity and / or a load on a battery when content is played during charging.

[0009] Technical Solution

[0010] A vehicle charging management device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: one or more processors; and a storage medium storing a program executed by the one or more processors, the program including one or more instructions causing the one or more processors to execute: a process for obtaining a remaining charging time of a battery of a vehicle until a target capacity is reached; a process for obtaining a remaining playback time until playback of content ends in the vehicle; and a charging speed control process for reducing the charging speed of the battery when the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time.

[0011] Technical Effects

[0012] According to the present invention, when the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time, the battery charging speed is reduced to extend the remaining charging time. Thus, appropriate charging control can be performed even when playing content during charging. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a vehicle configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a processing example of the vehicle charging management device according to the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a processing example of the vehicle charging management device according to the embodiment.

[0016] Explanation of symbols

[0017] 1…Vehicle

[0018] 10…Vehicle charging management device

[0019] 11…Car battery DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] <Vehicle Configuration>

[0021] Figure 1 A vehicle 1 equipped with a vehicle charging management device 10 according to the present embodiment is shown. The vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

[0022] The vehicle 1 includes a vehicle charge management device 10 , an onboard battery 11 , a PCU (Power Control Unit) 12 , a motor 13 , an operation unit 14 , a display unit 15 , a sound output unit 16 , a connector unit 17 , and a communication unit 18 .

[0023] It should be noted that Figure 1 Only a part of the components of the vehicle 1 is shown, but the vehicle 1 obviously includes various components for traveling and driving.

[0024] The vehicle charging management device 10 is composed of one or more processors. Specifically, it is composed of one or more ECUs (Electronic Control Units) in the vehicle 1. The ECUs provided in the vehicle 1 may include: a driving control ECU, a charging control ECU for performing charging control of the vehicle battery 11, an engine control ECU, a display control ECU for performing display control of the display device (including instruments, etc.) provided in the vehicle 1, a driving assistance ECU, an automatic driving ECU, an air conditioning control ECU, and other ECUs. The vehicle charging management device 10 may be formed in any ECU in these vehicles, or in an ECU specifically used for the functions of this embodiment.

[0025] Furthermore, the vehicle charging management device 10 is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile memory, an input / output interface, etc. The CPU executes various processes according to the programs stored in the ROM and / or the non-volatile memory. The RAM appropriately stores data required for the CPU to execute various processes.

[0026] The vehicle-mounted battery 11 is a high-voltage battery used for running the vehicle 1. The vehicle-mounted battery 11 supplies power for driving wheels, power for operating an air conditioner of the vehicle 1, and power for operating other devices. Figure 1 The electric power supplied from the vehicle-mounted battery 11 for driving the wheels and the electric power supplied to the display unit 15 are shown, and the electric power supplied for the operation of other components is omitted from illustration.

[0027] The vehicle-mounted battery 11 is charged by the current supplied from the PCU 12 .

[0028] The vehicle-mounted battery 11 supplies a power supply voltage for driving the motor 13 to the PCU 12 .

[0029] The PCU 12 is configured to include an inverter, an AC / DC converter, and the like for driving the motor 13 .

[0030] The PCU 12 generates an AC current for driving the motor 13 based on the supplied power supply voltage and supplies the AC current to the motor 13. The PCU 12 controls the torque of the motor 13 by controlling the AC current. The PCU 12 may also have a function of optimizing the energy efficiency of utilizing the regenerative energy by having a regenerative braking function.

[0031] The motor 13 is configured as a motor generator having a power generation function, and drives the wheels based on the supplied alternating current.

[0032] The operation unit 14 includes, for example, various buttons, levers and other operation elements arranged in front of the driver's seat of the vehicle 1. The operation unit 14 may also include an MFD (Multi Function Display) having a touch panel function or a display unit of a navigation device.

[0033] The display unit 15 comprehensively displays, for example, the MFD provided in front of the driver and other display devices for providing information to the driver. The display unit 15 displays detection signals detected by various sensors provided in the vehicle 1. The display unit 15 appropriately displays various information such as the total driving distance of the vehicle, the outside temperature, and the instantaneous fuel consumption. In addition, the display unit 15 can display map information, extracted route information, and the like. In addition, the display unit 15 can display the contents described later.

[0034] The sound output unit 16 collectively represents various sound output devices such as speakers installed in the vehicle compartment. The sound output unit 16 can output sound corresponding to the content displayed on the display unit 15 .

[0035] The connector unit 17 has a structure that can be inserted with a charging plug provided by a charging device such as a charger. The connector unit 17 outputs the AC voltage supplied via the inserted charging plug to the PCU 12. The PCU 12 charges the vehicle battery 11 by supplying the vehicle battery 11 with a DC voltage converted by an AC / DC converter.

[0036] The communication unit 18 has a communication function with the outside of the vehicle, and performs communication via various transmission lines such as network communication such as the Internet, inter-vehicle communication, and / or road-to-vehicle communication.

[0037] <Processing Example>

[0038] The processing of the embodiment implemented in the above-mentioned vehicle charging management device 10 will be described. The processing of the embodiment assumes a situation where the vehicle 1 is being charged and content is played using the power of the vehicle battery 11, and implements appropriate charging control in such a situation.

[0039] The vehicle 1 is parked in a parking lot where a charger is installed, for example, and the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is charged with the connector 17 connected to the charging plug of the charger. Charging is completed by charging to a target capacity (eg, full charge capacity) desired by the user.

[0040] Here, there is a case where the user (passenger) of the vehicle 1 returns to the vehicle 1 before charging of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is completed.

[0041] In the process of the embodiment, when charging is not completed at the time when the user gets on the vehicle 1, the vehicle charging management device 10 causes the display unit 15 to play the content. The content is content that takes a predetermined time (playing time) to play, for example, video content. As described later, the vehicle charging management device 10 recommends playing content with a longer playing time than the remaining charging time in view of the remaining charging time required to charge to the target capacity.

[0042] In addition, the vehicle charging management device 10 manages the charging speed of the vehicle battery 11 in response to the playback of the execution content. As described later, when the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time of the content, the vehicle charging management device 10 performs control to reduce the charging speed so as to extend the remaining charging time in consideration of the remaining playback time.

[0043] At the stage where the playback of the content is finished, for example, it is assumed that charging to the target capacity is completed and the user drives the vehicle 1 out of the parking lot.

[0044] Figure 2 This is an example of a process executed by the vehicle charging management device 10 to play back content while the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is being charged.

[0045] In step S101, the vehicle charge management device 10 determines whether the user has boarded the vehicle 1. For example, the vehicle charge management device 10 makes a boarding determination based on the detection value of a sensor that detects the load applied to the seat of the vehicle 1 and / or the photographic data of a photographic device that photographs the interior of the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle charge management device 10 may determine that the user has boarded the vehicle in response to the power supply to the vehicle 1 being turned on by the user's operation. The boarding determination method is not limited to the above and can be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the vehicle 1.

[0046] If it is determined in step S101 that the user has not boarded the vehicle 1, the vehicle charging management device 10 ends. Figure 2 It should be noted that the vehicle charging management device 10 executes the process periodically, for example, at a predetermined time. Figure 2 The process continues until it is determined that the user is boarding the vehicle.

[0047] When it is determined in step S101 that the user has boarded the vehicle 1 , the vehicle charging management device 10 proceeds to step S102 .

[0048] In step S102, the vehicle charging management device 10 obtains the remaining charging time of the vehicle battery 11. The remaining charging time refers to the remaining time required to charge to the target capacity. The vehicle charging management device 10 calculates and obtains the remaining charging time based on information such as the current SOC (State of Charge) of the vehicle battery 11, the SOC of the target capacity, the current charging speed (charge amount per unit time), etc. It should be noted that the vehicle charging management device 10 can also obtain the calculated remaining charging time from external devices such as other ECUs or charger control devices of the vehicle 1 instead of calculating the remaining charging time itself.

[0049] In step S103, the vehicle charging management device 10 executes a content recommendation process. The content recommendation process is a process of recommending to the user a content having a remaining playback time longer than the remaining charging time.

[0050] Specifically, the vehicle charge management device 10 extracts content having a remaining playback time longer than the remaining charging time acquired in step S102 as content recommendation prompt processing, and controls the display unit 15 to perform a prompt for recommending playback of the extracted content.

[0051] The remaining playback time of the content refers to the remaining time required until the playback of the content ends. The remaining playback time can be the remaining time of the content being played, or the remaining time of the content being played from now on. The remaining playback time that becomes the condition for content extraction in step S103 when the content is not being played is the remaining time of the content being played from now on, such as the playback time of the entire content, or the remaining time until the playback of the content that was played halfway in the past ends. Thus, for example, content with a playback time longer than the remaining charging time and / or content that is halfway played and has a remaining time longer than the remaining charging time is extracted.

[0052] When extracting content, the vehicle charging management device 10 acquires the content from the external device through network communication, for example, via the communication unit 18. As a result, for example, video content provided by a subscription service signed by a user can be played in the vehicle 1. In addition, the vehicle charging management device 10 may acquire content from a content group pre-stored in a storage unit of the vehicle charging management device 10 and / or an ECU included in the vehicle 1.

[0053] The vehicle charge management device 10 recommends playing the extracted content by, for example, causing the display unit 15 to display a screen on which the user can select content to be played, and presents at least one extracted content in a selectable state on the screen.

[0054] In step S104 , the vehicle charging management device 10 receives a content selection operation performed by the user.

[0055] Here, the user can select content to be played from the content recommended by the vehicle charging management device 10 , and can also select other arbitrary content.

[0056] In step S105 , the vehicle charge management device 10 controls the playback of the content selected by the user's selection operation. For example, the vehicle charge management device 10 causes the display unit 15 to display the content and causes the audio output unit 16 to output the audio for the content accompanied by audio.

[0057] If the vehicle charging management device 10 performs control to play the content in S105, the process ends. Figure 2 The process of managing the charging speed of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is entered.

[0058] Figure 3 This is an example of a process executed by the vehicle charging management device 10 to manage the charging speed of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 according to the remaining playback time of the content.

[0059] In step S201 , the vehicle charging management device 10 determines whether the remaining charging time of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is shorter than the remaining playback time of the content being played.

[0060] At this time, the vehicle charging management device 10 newly obtains the remaining charging time of the vehicle battery 11 at the determination time point of step S201 and uses it for determination. The vehicle charging management device 10 may use the remaining charging time obtained in step S102 for determination instead of newly obtaining the remaining charging time, but since it sometimes takes time for the user to select the content, by using the remaining charging time newly obtained at the determination time point, more accurate control can be achieved.

[0061] In addition, at this time, the vehicle charging management device 10 obtains the remaining playback time of the content being played at the determination time point in step S201 for determination. The remaining playback time in step S201 in the state of playing content is the remaining time of the content being played, specifically, the remaining time required from the determination time point to the end of the playback of the content. For example, for content that has just started playing at the determination time point, the remaining playback time is roughly equal to the playback time of the entire content. For content that is halfway played at the determination time point, the remaining time required from the determination time point to the end of the playback of the content becomes the remaining playback time.

[0062] If it is determined in step S201 that the remaining charging time is not shorter than the remaining playback time, the vehicle charging management device 10 ends. Figure 3 processing.

[0063] When it is determined in step S201 that the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time (for example, when the remaining charging time is 5 minutes and the remaining playback time is 10 minutes), the vehicle charging management device 10 proceeds to step S202.

[0064] In step S202, the vehicle charging management device 10 calculates the difference (time) between the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time. For example, when the remaining charging time is 5 minutes and the remaining playback time is 10 minutes, "5 minutes" is calculated as the difference.

[0065] In step S203, the vehicle charging management device 10 performs a charging speed control process. The charging speed control process is a process of reducing the charging speed (charge amount per unit time) of the vehicle battery 11 in consideration of the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time. That is, it is a process of extending the remaining charging time.

[0066] Specifically, the vehicle charging management device 10 sends control information based on the difference between the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time calculated in step S202 to the charging control ECU, and performs control to reduce the charging speed of the vehicle battery 11. At this time, the vehicle charging management device 10, for example, instructs the charging control ECU to set a lower charging current for the vehicle battery 11. Thus, for example, when the remaining charging time is 5 minutes, the remaining playback time is 10 minutes, and the difference is 5 minutes, the charging speed of the vehicle battery 11 is reduced in such a way that the remaining charging time is extended by another 5 minutes. In this case, the remaining charging time becomes "10 minutes", which is roughly the same as the remaining playback time of the content being played.

[0067] It should be noted that, at this time, the vehicle charging management device 10 can send the difference between the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time as control information to the charging control ECU, or can send information calculated based on the difference as control information to the charging control ECU. For example, the vehicle charging management device 10 can set the charging speed corresponding to the difference between the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time, and send the set charging speed as control information to the charging control ECU.

[0068] The charging control ECU limits the charging current flowing to the vehicle-mounted battery 11 based on the control information received from the vehicle charging management device 10 , thereby reducing the charging speed.

[0069] For example, the charging control ECU reduces the charging speed so as to charge at the charging speed set by the vehicle charging management device 10. Alternatively, the charging control ECU sets the charging speed based on the difference received from the vehicle charging management device 10 and reduces the charging speed so as to charge at the set charging speed.

[0070] It should be noted that, when the vehicle charging management device 10 is configured to include a charging control ECU, it is obviously not necessary to send control information from the vehicle charging management device 10 to the charging control ECU. In this case, the vehicle charging management device 10 limits the charging current flowing to the vehicle battery 11 based on the control information to reduce the charging speed.

[0071] In step S204, the vehicle charge management device 10 monitors whether the content being played is interrupted or changed. In the next step S205, the vehicle charge management device 10 determines whether the content playback is finished.

[0072] The vehicle charging management device 10 repeats the processing of step S204 and step S205 until it is determined in step S205 that the playback of the content has ended.

[0073] When it is determined in step S204 that the content being played is interrupted or changed before the playback of the content ends, the vehicle charging management device 10 returns from step S204 to step S201 and repeats the processing after step S201.

[0074] Specifically, when it is determined in step S204 that the content is interrupted, the vehicle charging management device 10 executes the process of step S201 in response to the playback of the interrupted content being restarted. In step S201, the remaining playback time of the content at the time of content restart and the remaining charging time at the time of determination are obtained and processed.

[0075] If it is determined in step S204 that the content has been changed, the vehicle charging management device 10 executes the process of step S201 in response to the playback of the changed content. In step S201, the remaining playback time of the changed content and the remaining charging time at the determination time are acquired and processed.

[0076] If it is determined in step S205 that the playback of the content has ended, the vehicle charging management device 10 ends. Figure 3 processing.

[0077] The following effects can be obtained in the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0078] The vehicle charging management device 10 of the embodiment performs: a process of obtaining a remaining charging time of the battery (onboard battery 11) of the vehicle 1 until the target capacity; a process of obtaining a remaining playback time until the playback of the content ends in the vehicle 1; and a charging speed control process of reducing the charging speed of the battery (onboard battery 11) when the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time (see Figure 3 Steps S201 to S203).

[0079] Thus, when the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time, the charging speed of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 is reduced to extend the remaining charging time. Thus, even when the content is being played during charging, appropriate charging control can be performed.

[0080] Specifically, when the remaining playback time is longer than the remaining charging time, there is a risk that the charging capacity will be reduced at the end of the playback of the content because the content is still being played after charging is completed. On the other hand, in the embodiment, by extending the remaining charging time using the charging speed control process, the reduction in charging capacity at the end of the playback of the content can be reduced. Furthermore, by performing low-speed charging using the charging speed control process, the load on the vehicle battery 11 can be reduced, and the deterioration of the vehicle battery 11 can be suppressed.

[0081] In addition, it is conceivable that, for example, in a charging station or other charging equipment with a predetermined power supply capacity, when a vehicle requiring rapid charging is present in the vicinity, the amount of power supplied to the vehicle is reduced by reducing the charging speed of the vehicle. If the charging speed control process is performed under such a situation, power can be supplied preferentially to the vehicle requiring rapid charging. It should be noted that it is conceivable that the vehicle charging management device 10 communicates with the control device of other vehicles and / or charging equipment via the communication unit 18 to send and receive information required for such charging control.

[0082] In addition, in the embodiment, as the charging speed control processing, an example is given of setting the charging speed control corresponding to the difference between the charging remaining time and the playback remaining time when the charging remaining time is shorter than the playback remaining time (see Figure 3 Step S202 to step S203).

[0083] Thus, by setting the charging speed in a manner to eliminate the difference between the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time, the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time are roughly consistent. Thus, since the charging of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 and the end of the playback of the content are roughly completed at the same time, the reduction in the charging capacity when the playback of the content ends can be further reduced. Therefore, the user can manage the charging capacity of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 at the time of departure as desired.

[0084] In addition, in the embodiment, an example is given in which the vehicle charging management device 10 performs a recommendation prompt process of recommending the playback of a content having a playback remaining time longer than the charging remaining time (see Figure 2 Step S103).

[0085] Thus, it is recommended to play content having a remaining playing time longer than the remaining charging time. When the user plays the content, the Figure 3 The charging speed control process of step S203 is performed to reduce the charging speed of the vehicle-mounted battery 11. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of the vehicle-mounted battery 11.

[0086] It should be noted that, in the embodiment, the vehicle charging management device 10 is listed as follows: Figure 3 If it is determined in step S201 that the remaining charging time is not shorter than the remaining playing time (i.e., the remaining charging time is equal to the remaining playing time or the remaining charging time is longer than the remaining playing time), the process ends. Figure 3 An example of processing.

[0087] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S201 that the remaining charging time is not shorter than the remaining playback time, the vehicle charging management device 10 may replace the end Figure 3 Instead, a recommendation prompt process for recommending playback of content having a playback remaining time longer than the remaining charging time is performed (refer to Figure 2 Step S103).

[0088] Therefore, when the remaining charging time is equal to the remaining playback time or the remaining charging time is longer than the remaining playback time, it is recommended to play content with a remaining playback time longer than the remaining charging time. When the user plays this content, the charging speed control processing is performed to reduce the charging speed of the vehicle battery 11 and extend the remaining charging time.

[0089] When the remaining charging time is equal to or longer than the remaining playback time of the content selected by the user, it is not necessary to extend the remaining charging time from the user's perspective. However, from the perspective of preventing the degradation of the vehicle-mounted battery 11 and realizing fast charging of other vehicles in the aforementioned charging equipment, it may be considered that it is preferable to reduce the charging speed of the battery.

[0090] It should be noted that, although the example of setting the charging speed corresponding to the difference between the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time is cited in the embodiment, from the viewpoint of suppressing battery degradation, as long as the charging speed is reduced, the charging speed may not necessarily be set to make the remaining charging time roughly consistent with the remaining playback time. For example, the case of setting the charging speed in such a way that the remaining charging time is longer than the remaining playback time may also be considered.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging management device, characterized in that: have: one or more processors; and a storage medium storing a program executed by the one or more processors, The program includes one or more instructions. The instructions cause the one or more processors to execute: A process of obtaining a remaining time for charging a battery of a vehicle to a target capacity; A process of acquiring a remaining playback time until playback of the content ends in the vehicle; as well as A charging speed control process is performed to reduce the charging speed of the battery when the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time.

2. The vehicle charging management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The instructions cause the one or more processors to execute: when the remaining charging time is shorter than the remaining playback time, performing a control process of setting a charging speed corresponding to a difference between the remaining charging time and the remaining playback time as the charging speed control process.

3. The vehicle charging management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The instructions cause the one or more processors to perform a recommendation prompt process of recommending playing of content having a remaining playing time longer than the remaining charging time.

4. The vehicle charging management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The instructions cause the one or more processors to execute, when the charging remaining time is not shorter than the playback remaining time, a recommendation prompt process of recommending playback of content having a playback remaining time longer than the charging remaining time.

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