Server, power supply system, and power price setting method

Abstract

A server (1) capable of communicating with a plurality of power supply devices (2) capable of supplying power to a vehicle (3) and a plurality of vehicles is provided with: a predetermined power calculation unit (134) that calculates a predetermined power supply amount for each power supply device on the basis of a power supply reservation for each power supply device from each vehicle; a price setting unit (135) that sets, on the basis of the predetermined amount of power supplied by each power supply device, the power price of the power supplied by the power supply device; and a price notification unit 131 that notifies the vehicle of the set power price.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server, a power supply system, and a power price setting method. Background Art

[0002] A scheme has been proposed to charge users who charge electric vehicles (including BEV, PHEV, HEV, etc.) using charging equipment a charging fee that is discounted according to the usage of the charging equipment (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-27634). Summary of the invention

[0003] In Patent Document 1, the travel range and period for which discounts are available are pre-set, and when the vehicle uses a charging facility within the set travel range and within the set period, the charging fee is discounted. However, in Patent Document 1, there is a case where the electricity price may not necessarily be set to a price that reflects actual electricity demand.

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to enable setting of electric power prices to prices reflecting actual electric power demand.

[0005] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0006] (1) A server capable of communicating with a plurality of power supply devices capable of supplying electric power to vehicles and a plurality of vehicles, comprising: a scheduled power calculation unit that calculates a value of a power supply parameter that varies in association with a scheduled power supply amount of each power supply device, based on a power supply reservation for each power supply device from each vehicle; a price setting unit that sets the price of power supplied by each power supply device based on the value of the power supply parameter of each power supply device; and A price notification unit notifies the vehicle of the set power price. (2) The server according to (1) above, wherein: The power supply reservation includes information related to the scheduled time for power supply. The price setting unit sets the price of electric power supplied by each power supply device for each time period. (3) The server according to (1) or (2) above, wherein: The price setting unit sets the power price based on the power supply capability of the power supply device in addition to the planned power supply amount. (4) The server according to (1) or (2) above, wherein: Regarding the power supply device, a plurality of power supply devices are connected to one power supply source, The price setting unit sets the power price to be the same for a plurality of power supply devices connected to the one power supply source. (5) The server according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein: The price notification unit transmits the power price to the vehicle upon receiving an inquiry about the power price from the vehicle. (6) The server according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein: The price notification unit notifies the vehicle of the current electricity price at predetermined time intervals. (7) The server according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein: The price notification unit notifies the vehicle of the current power price when a change in the set power price in at least some of the power supply devices exceeds a predetermined value. (8) The server according to (7) above, wherein: The price notification unit does not notify the vehicle of the current power price while a change in the set power price in at least some of the power supply devices is less than the predetermined value. (9) The server according to any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein: The power supply parameter that changes in association with the planned power supply amount is the number of power supply reservations of each power supply device. (10) A server according to any one of (1) to (9) above, wherein: The power supply parameter that changes in association with the planned power supply amount is a planned power supply amount calculated based on the number of power supply reservations of each power supply device and the required power supply amount of each power supply reservation. (11) The server according to any one of (1) to (10) above, wherein: The price setting unit sets the power price so that the larger the planned power supply amount indicated by the power supply parameter of each power supply device is, the higher the power price of the power supply device becomes. (12) A server according to any one of (1) to (11) above, wherein: The system further includes a cancellation fee notification unit that notifies the vehicle of a fee associated with the cancellation when a cancellation request for the power supply reservation is received from the vehicle after the power supply reservation is received from the vehicle. (13) A power supply system comprising the server described in any one of (1) to (12) above and a vehicle capable of communicating with the server, wherein: The vehicle has: a route search unit that searches for a driving route to a destination; an electric power price acquisition unit that acquires the electric power price of the power supply device in the travel route searched by the route search unit based on the electric power price transmitted from the server; and A presenting unit presents information related to a price of electric power of the power supply device in the searched travel route to a user of the vehicle. (14) The power supply system according to (13) above, wherein: The device further comprises a reservation transmitting unit that transmits a power supply reservation for the power supply device to which the power supply has been agreed to, to the server, when information on the power price of the power supply device is presented to the user of the vehicle and the user agrees to power supply by the power supply device. (15) The power supply system according to (13) or (14), wherein: The device further comprises: a cancellation sending unit that sends a cancellation request for the power supply reservation of the power supply device no longer included in the travel route to the server when the user changes the travel route and the power supply device for which the power supply reservation has been sent is no longer included in the changed travel route. (16) A method for setting a power price, the method being performed in a server connected to a plurality of power supply devices capable of supplying power to vehicles and a plurality of vehicles, comprising: calculating a value of a power supply parameter that varies in association with a scheduled power supply amount of each power supply device, based on a power supply reservation from each vehicle to each power supply device; According to the value of the power supply parameter of each power supply device, setting the power price of the power supply provided by the power supply device; and The set power price is notified to the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 It is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the contactless power supply system according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 This is a diagram schematically showing the hardware configuration of the server. Figure 3 The diagram schematically shows the configuration of a ground power supply device and a vehicle in a contactless power supply system. Figure 4 This is a simplified diagram of the controller of the ground power supply device and the equipment connected to the controller. Figure 5 This is a simplified diagram of the vehicle's ECU and the devices connected to the ECU. Figure 6 It is a functional block diagram of a server's processor. Figure 7 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle's processor. Figure 8 It is an operation sequence diagram showing the operation flow of the server, the ground power supply device, and the vehicle. Fig. 9 The operation flow of the server, the ground power supply device, and the vehicle when the driving route is changed is shown. Figure 8 Same action sequence diagram. Fig.10 This is a flowchart showing the flow of a setting process for setting the power price in a specific time period. Fig.11 This is a diagram showing the operation flow of the server, ground power supply device, and vehicle. Figure 8 Same action sequence diagram. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same components.

[0009] First embodiment <Overall structure of the contactless power supply system> Figure 1 1 is a diagram briefly showing the structure of the contactless power supply system 100 involved in the first embodiment. The contactless power supply system 100 has a server 1, a plurality of ground power supply devices 2, and a plurality of vehicles 3, and performs contactless power transmission based on magnetic field resonance coupling (magnetic resonance) from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicles 3. In particular, in the present embodiment, in the contactless power supply system 100, contactless power transmission is performed from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicles 3 while the vehicles 3 are traveling. Therefore, the ground power supply device 2 transmits power to the vehicles 3 in a contactless manner while the vehicles 3 are traveling, and the vehicles 3 receive power from the ground power supply device 2 in a contactless manner while the vehicles 3 are traveling. The ground power supply device 2 has a power transmission device 4 configured to transmit power to the vehicles 3 in a contactless manner, and the vehicles 3 have a power receiving device 5 configured to receive power from the power transmission device 4 in a contactless manner (refer to Figure 3 ).like Figure 1 As shown, the ground power supply devices 2 are arranged along the travel direction of the vehicle 3, and the power transmission device 4 of each ground power supply device 2 is buried in the road (underground) where the vehicle 3 travels, for example, buried in the center of the lane where the vehicle 3 travels.

[0010] In addition, the term "driving" indicates a state where the vehicle 3 is on the road for driving. Therefore, the term "driving" includes not only a state where the vehicle 3 is traveling at any speed greater than 0, but also a state where the vehicle 3 is stopped on the road, for example, waiting for a traffic light. In addition, the contactless power supply system 100 may be configured to perform contactless power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 when the vehicle 3 is parked in a parking space, etc.

[0011] <Server Configuration> Reference Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 , the configuration of the server 1 is described. The server 1 is configured to communicate with the ground side communication device 22 ( Figure 4 ) and the vehicle-side communication device 61 ( Figure 5 ) communication. Specifically, the server 1 is connected to a plurality of wireless base stations 16 via a communication network 15 constituted by optical communication lines and the like. The vehicle-side communication device 61 and the ground-side communication device 22 communicate with the wireless base station 16 using wide-area wireless communication. Therefore, the vehicle-side communication device 61 of the vehicle 3 and the ground-side communication device 22 of the ground power supply device 2 communicate with the server 1 using wide-area wireless communication. As wide-area wireless communication, various wireless communications with long communication distances can be used, for example, communications that comply with any communication standard such as 3GPP (registered trademark) and 4G, LTE, 5G, WiMAX established by IEEE. In addition, the ground-side communication device 22 can also be connected to the communication network 15 in a wired manner. Therefore, the ground-side communication device 22 can also be connected to the server 1 in a wired manner instead of a wireless manner.

[0012] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram briefly showing the hardware configuration of the server 1. Figure 2 As shown, the server 1 includes an external communication module 11, a storage device 12, and a processor 13. In addition, the server 1 may include an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display.

[0013] The external communication module 11 communicates with devices (such as the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3) other than the server 1. The external communication module 11 has an interface circuit for connecting the server 1 to the communication network 15. The external communication module 11 is configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of vehicles 3 and the ground power supply device 2 via the communication network 15 and the wireless base station 16, respectively.

[0014] The storage device 12 has a volatile semiconductor memory (such as RAM), a non-volatile semiconductor memory (such as ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD) or an optical storage medium. The storage device 12 stores computer programs for executing various processes by the processor 13, and various data used when executing various processes by the processor 13. In addition, in the present embodiment, the storage device 12 stores map information. In addition to information related to the road, the map information also includes information such as the installation location information and power supply capacity information of the ground power supply device 2. In addition, in the present embodiment, the storage device 12 also stores the electricity price of the ground power supply device 2.

[0015] The processor 13 has one or more CPUs and their peripheral circuits. The processor 13 may also have a GPU, or an arithmetic circuit such as a logical operation unit or a numerical operation unit. The processor 13 performs various arithmetic operations according to a computer program stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1. The specific arithmetic operations performed by the processor 13 will be described later.

[0016] <Configuration of ground power supply equipment> Next, refer to Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 , the structure of the ground power supply device 2 is explained. Figure 3 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 in the contactless power supply system 100 . Figure 4 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the controller 24 of the ground power supply device 2 and devices connected to the controller 24. Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As shown, the ground power supply device 2 is connected to a power supply (power supply source) 21, and is provided with a ground-side communication device 22, a ground-side sensor 23, and a controller 24 in addition to the power transmission device 4. The power supply 21, the ground-side communication device 22, and the controller 24 may be buried in the road, or may be arranged in a place other than the road (including on the ground).

[0017] The power supply 21 supplies power to the power transmission device 4. The power supply 21 is, for example, a commercial AC power supply that supplies single-phase AC power. In addition, the power supply 21 may also be another AC power supply that supplies three-phase AC power, or a DC power supply such as a fuel cell. In this embodiment, a plurality of ground power supply devices 2 are connected to one power supply 21.

[0018] The power transmission device 4 transmits the electric power supplied from the power supply 21 to the vehicle 3. The power transmission device 4 includes a power transmission side rectifier circuit 41, a converter circuit 42, and a power transmission side resonant circuit 43. In the power transmission device 4, the AC power supplied from the power supply 21 is rectified in the power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 and converted into a DC current, and the DC current is converted into a high-frequency AC power in the converter circuit 42, and the high-frequency AC power is supplied to the power transmission side resonant circuit 43. In addition, when the power supply 21 is a DC power supply, the power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 may be omitted.

[0019] The transmission side resonance circuit 43 has a resonator composed of a transmission side coil 44 and a transmission side capacitor 45. Various parameters of the transmission side coil 44 and the transmission side capacitor 45 (the outer diameter and inner diameter of the transmission side coil 44, the number of turns of the transmission side coil 44, the electrostatic capacitance of the transmission side capacitor 45, etc.) are set so that the resonance frequency of the transmission side resonance circuit 43 becomes a predetermined setting value. The predetermined setting value is, for example, 10kHz to 100GHz, preferably 85kHz set according to the SAE TIR J2954 standard as a frequency band for contactless power transmission. When the high-frequency alternating current supplied from the converter circuit 42 is applied to the transmission side resonance circuit 43, the transmission side resonance circuit 43 generates an alternating magnetic field for power transmission.

[0020] The ground-side communication device 22 communicates with the wireless base station 16 via wide-area wireless communication, and further communicates with the server 1 via the communication network 15. Alternatively, the ground-side communication device 22 is connected to the communication network 15 in a wired manner, thereby communicating with the server 1. In addition, the ground-side communication device 22 also communicates with the vehicle-side communication device 61 of the vehicle 3 via narrow-area wireless communication. Narrow-area wireless communication is a communication with a shorter communication distance than wide-area wireless communication, specifically, for example, a communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters. As narrow-area wireless communication, various short-range wireless communications with short communication distances can be used, for example, using communications that comply with any communication standards established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark)). In addition, as a technology for performing narrow-area wireless communication, for example, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication, dedicated short-range communication technology) and the like are used. In addition, the ground-side communication device 22 is connected to the controller 24 via a signal line.

[0021] The ground-side sensor 23 detects the state of the ground power supply device 2. In the present embodiment, the ground-side sensor 23 includes, for example, a current sensor for detecting the current flowing in various devices of the power transmission device 4, and a voltage sensor for detecting the voltage applied to various devices of the power transmission device 4. The output of the ground-side sensor 23 is input to the controller 24.

[0022] The controller 24 is, for example, a general-purpose computer, and performs various controls on the ground power supply device 2. For example, the controller 24 is electrically connected to the converter circuit 42 of the power transmission device 4, and controls the converter circuit 42 to control power transmission by the power transmission device 4. The controller 24 also controls the ground-side communication device 22.

[0023] The controller 24 includes a communication interface 25, a memory 26, and a processor 27. The communication interface 25, the memory 26, and the processor 27 are connected to each other via a signal line.

[0024] The communication interface 25 has an interface circuit for connecting the controller 24 to various devices (eg, the ground-side communication device 22, the ground-side sensor 23, and the converter circuit 42) constituting the ground power supply device 2. The controller 24 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 25.

[0025] The memory 26 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory (such as RAM), a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (such as ROM), etc. The memory 26 stores computer programs for executing various processes in the processor 27, various data used when the various processes are executed by the processor 27, etc. In particular, as such data, the memory 26 stores reservation information including identification information of the vehicle 3 scheduled to be powered by the ground power supply device 2 having the memory 26.

[0026] The processor 27 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 27 may also have arithmetic circuits such as a logic operation unit or a numerical operation unit. The processor 27 performs various processes according to the computer program stored in the memory 26. The specific arithmetic processing performed by the processor 27 will be described later.

[0027] <Vehicle Configuration> Next, refer to Figure 3 as well as Figure 5 , the structure of vehicle 3 is explained. Figure 5 FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the ECU 35 of the vehicle 3 and devices connected to the ECU 35. Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle 3 has a motor 31, a battery 32, and a power control unit (PCU) 33 in addition to the power receiving device 5. Figure 5 As shown, the vehicle 3 further includes a vehicle-side communication device 61, a GNSS receiver 62, a storage device 63, a plurality of vehicle-side sensors 64, a human-machine interface (HMI) 65, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 35. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 3 is an electric vehicle (BEV) in which the vehicle 3 is driven by a motor 31. However, the vehicle 3 may be a hybrid vehicle (HEV, PHEV) in which the vehicle 3 is driven by an internal combustion engine in addition to the motor 31.

[0028] The motor 31 is, for example, an AC synchronous motor and functions as an electric motor. The motor 31 is driven using the electric power stored in the battery 32 as a power source. The output of the motor 31 is transmitted to the wheels 30 .

[0029] The battery 32 is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, etc. The battery 32 stores the power required for the vehicle 3 to travel (such as the driving power of the motor 31). When the power received by the power receiving device 5 from the power transmission device 4 is supplied, the battery 32 is charged. In addition, the battery 32 can also be charged by an external power source other than the ground power supply device 2 via a charging port provided in the vehicle 3.

[0030] The PCU 33 is electrically connected to the battery 32 and the motor 31. The PCU 33 includes an inverter, a boost converter, and a DC / DC converter. The inverter converts the direct current supplied from the battery 32 into alternating current, and supplies the alternating current to the motor 31. The boost converter increases the voltage of the battery 32 as needed when supplying the power stored in the battery 32 to the motor 31. The DC / DC converter decreases the voltage of the battery 32 when supplying the power stored in the battery 32 to electronic devices such as headlights.

[0031] The power receiving device 5 receives power from the power transmitting device 4 and supplies the received power to the battery 32. Figure 3 As shown, the power receiving device 5 includes a power receiving side resonance circuit 51 , a power receiving side rectification circuit 54 , and a charging circuit 55 .

[0032] The receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is arranged at the bottom of the vehicle 3 so as to reduce the distance from the road surface. The receiving-side resonant circuit 51 has a resonator composed of a receiving-side coil 52 and a receiving-side capacitor 53. Various parameters of the receiving-side coil 52 and the receiving-side capacitor 53 (the outer diameter and inner diameter of the receiving-side coil 52, the number of turns of the receiving-side coil 52, the electrostatic capacity of the receiving-side capacitor 53, etc.) are set so that the resonant frequency of the receiving-side resonant circuit 51 is substantially consistent with the resonant frequency of the transmitting-side resonant circuit 43.

[0033] like Figure 3As shown, when the power receiving-side resonance circuit 51 and the power transmitting-side resonance circuit 43 face each other, when the power transmitting-side resonance circuit 43 generates an alternating magnetic field, the vibration of the alternating magnetic field is transmitted to the power receiving-side resonance circuit 51 which resonates at the same resonance frequency as the power transmitting-side resonance circuit 43. As a result, an induced current flows in the power receiving-side resonance circuit 51 by electromagnetic induction, and an induced electromotive force is generated in the power receiving-side resonance circuit 51 by the induced current. That is, the power transmitting-side resonance circuit 43 transmits power to the power receiving-side resonance circuit 51, and the power receiving-side resonance circuit 51 receives power from the power transmitting-side resonance circuit 43.

[0034] The receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 is electrically connected to the receiving-side resonance circuit 51 and the charging circuit 55 . The receiving-side rectifier circuit 54 rectifies the AC power supplied from the receiving-side resonance circuit 51 , converts it into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the charging circuit 55 .

[0035] The charging circuit 55 is electrically connected to the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 and the battery 32. The charging circuit 55 converts the DC power supplied from the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 to the voltage level of the battery 32 and supplies it to the battery 32. When the power transmitted from the power transmission device 4 is supplied to the battery 32 via the power receiving device 5, the battery 32 is charged.

[0036] The vehicle-side communication device 61 communicates with the wireless base station 16 via wide-area wireless communication, and further communicates with the server 1 via the communication network 15. In addition, the vehicle-side communication device 61 communicates with the ground-side communication device 22 of the ground power supply device 2 via narrow-area wireless communication. The vehicle-side communication device 61 is connected to the ECU 35 via the in-vehicle network.

[0037] The GNSS receiver 62 detects the own position of the vehicle 3 (for example, the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 3) based on the positioning information obtained from a plurality of (for example, more than three) positioning satellites. The output of the GNSS receiver 62, that is, the own position of the vehicle 3 detected by the GNSS receiver 62, is transmitted to the ECU 35 via the in-vehicle network. As the GNSS receiver 62, for example, a GPS receiver is used.

[0038] The storage device 63 stores data. The storage device 63 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or an optical storage medium. In the present embodiment, the storage device 63 stores map information. In addition to information related to the road, the map information also includes information such as the installation position information of the transmission side coil 44 of the ground power supply device 2 and its identification information. The ECU 35 obtains the map information from the storage device 63.

[0039] The vehicle-side sensor 64 detects the state of the vehicle 3 and the state around the vehicle 3. In the present embodiment, as a sensor for detecting the state of the vehicle 3, the vehicle-side sensor 64 includes, for example, a current sensor for detecting the current flowing in various devices of the power receiving device 5. Furthermore, in the case where the vehicle 3 is an autonomous driving vehicle, as a sensor for detecting the state around the vehicle 3, the vehicle-side sensor 64 includes a camera for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle 3, and a distance measuring sensor (LiDAR, millimeter wave radar, etc.) for detecting the distance to objects around the vehicle 3. The output of the vehicle-side sensor 64 is input to the ECU 35 via the in-vehicle network.

[0040] The HMI 65 notifies the user of the vehicle 3 of the notification information obtained from the ECU 35 via the in-vehicle network. Therefore, the HMI 65 functions as a notification device for notifying the user of information. Specifically, the HMI 65 has a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and a speaker. In addition, the HMI 65 receives input from the occupant and sends the received input to the ECU 35 via the in-vehicle network. Therefore, the HMI 65 functions as an input device for receiving input from the user. Specifically, the HMI 65 has a touch panel, a switch, a button, and a remote controller. The HMI 65 is provided, for example, on the dashboard.

[0041] The ECU 35 performs various controls on the vehicle 3. For example, the ECU 35 is electrically connected to the charging circuit 55 of the power receiving device 5, and controls the charging circuit 55 to control the charging of the battery 32 using the power transmitted from the power transmission device 4. In addition, the ECU 35 is electrically connected to the PCU 33, and controls the PCU 33 to control the transfer of power between the battery 32 and the motor 31. The ECU 35 also controls devices connected via the in-vehicle network, such as the vehicle-side communication device 61, the storage device 63, and the HMI 65.

[0042] The ECU 35 is connected to the PCU 33, the charging circuit 55, the vehicle-side communication device 61, the GNSS receiver 62, the storage device 63, the vehicle-side sensor 64, and the HMI 65 via an in-vehicle network conforming to a standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network). The ECU 35 has a communication interface 36, a memory 73, and a processor 38. The communication interface 36, the memory 73, and the processor 38 are connected to each other via a signal line.

[0043] The communication interface 36 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 35 to the in-vehicle network. The ECU 35 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 36 .

[0044] The memory 73 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory (eg, RAM) and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (eg, ROM), and stores computer programs for executing various processes in the processor 38 and various data used when the processor 38 executes various processes.

[0045] The processor 38 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 38 may also have arithmetic circuits such as a logic operation unit or a numerical operation unit. The processor 38 performs various processes according to the computer program stored in the memory 73. The specific arithmetic processing performed by the processor 38 will be described later.

[0046] <Power supply process> Next, refer to Figure 6 to Figure 8 , the operation flow of the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 when power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 will be described.

[0047] In this embodiment, the driving route to the destination is retrieved in the vehicle 3, and the power price (in this embodiment, the price per unit of power) of each ground power supply device 2 in the retrieved driving route is queried from the vehicle 3 to the server 1. When there is an inquiry about the power price, the server 1 sends the power price of the ground power supply device 2 as the target to the vehicle 3. When the power price is received, the vehicle 3 prompts the user with the driving route and information related to the power price of the ground power supply device 2 in each driving route.

[0048] As a result of such prompting, when the user agrees to the power supply of the ground power supply device 2, the vehicle 3 sends the power supply reservation of the ground power supply device 2 to the server 1. When the server 1 receives the power supply reservation, it sends the reservation information to the target ground power supply device 2. In this state, when the vehicle 3 travels on the target ground power supply device 2, power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 during this period.

[0049] Figure 6 1 is a functional block diagram of the processor 13 of the server 1. Figure 6As shown, the processor 13 of the server 1 has: a price notification unit 131, which notifies the vehicle 3 of the set electricity price; a power supply fee notification unit 132, which notifies the vehicle 3 of the power supply fee when power is supplied to the vehicle 3; and a cancellation fee notification unit 133, which notifies the vehicle 3 of the fee associated with the cancellation when the cancellation of the power supply reservation is received from the vehicle 3 after receiving the power supply reservation from the vehicle 3. The above-mentioned parts of the processor 13 of the server 1 are, for example, functional modules implemented by a computer program running on the processor 13. Alternatively, the above-mentioned parts of the processor 13 of the server 1 may also be dedicated operation circuits provided in the processor 13. In addition, the details of the above-mentioned parts will be described later.

[0050] Figure 7 3 is a functional block diagram of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3. Figure 7 As shown, the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 has: a route retrieval unit 381, which retrieves the driving route of the vehicle 3 to the destination; an electricity price acquisition unit 382, ​​which acquires the electricity price of the ground power supply device 2 in the driving route retrieved by the route retrieval unit 381 based on the electricity price sent from the server 1; and a prompt unit 383, which prompts the user of the vehicle 3 of the electricity price of the ground power supply device 2 in the retrieved driving route.

[0051] The processor 38 of the vehicle 3 also has: a reservation sending unit 384, which, when the user is prompted with the electricity price of the ground power supply device 2 and the user agrees to the power supply of the ground power supply device 2, sends a power supply reservation for the ground power supply device 2 that has been agreed to be powered to the server 1; and a cancellation sending unit 385, which, when the user changes the driving route and the ground power supply device 2 for which the power supply reservation has been sent is no longer included in the changed driving route, sends a cancellation request for the power supply reservation for the ground power supply device 2 that is no longer included in the driving route to the server 1.

[0052] Next, refer to Figure 8 , the operation flow of the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 when power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 will be described in detail. Figure 8 It is an operation sequence diagram showing the operation flow of the server 1 , the ground power supply device 2 , and the vehicle 3 .

[0053] like Figure 8As shown, when a destination is input by a user via the HMI 65, the route retrieval unit 381 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 retrieves the driving route of the vehicle 3 to the destination (step S11). The route retrieval unit 381 retrieves the driving route of the vehicle 3 from the own position of the vehicle 3 to the destination based on the own position of the vehicle 3 detected by the GNSS receiver 62 and the destination input by the user via the HMI 65. The route retrieval unit 381 retrieves the driving route in the same manner as a known navigation device, for example. In the present embodiment, the driving route retrieved by the route retrieval unit 381 includes, in addition to the driving path of the vehicle 3, the scheduled time for the vehicle 3 to pass through various places. In addition, the route retrieval unit 381 can also retrieve multiple driving routes from the own position of the vehicle 3 to the destination. The driving routes retrieved by the route retrieval unit 381 are stored in the memory 37.

[0054] Next, the power price acquisition unit 382 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 determines the ground power supply device 2 (especially, the position of the transmission side coil 44) located in the driving route retrieved by the route search unit 381 (step S12). As described above, the map information stored in the storage device 63 includes the installation location information and identification information of each ground power supply device 2. Therefore, the power price acquisition unit 382 determines the identification information of the ground power supply device 2 located in the driving route based on the map information stored in the storage device 63 and the driving route retrieved by the route search unit 381. The power price acquisition unit 382 can also determine the scheduled time for the vehicle 3 to arrive at each determined ground power supply device 2. The scheduled time for arriving at each ground power supply device 2 is determined based on the driving route including the scheduled time passing through each place and the installation position of each ground power supply device 2. In addition, the determination of the ground power supply device 2 located in the driving route can also be performed in the processor 13 of the server 1. In this case, the information of the retrieved driving route is sent from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2.

[0055] When the ground power supply device 2 located in the driving route is determined, the power price acquisition unit 382 sends a signal including an inquiry about the power price of the determined ground power supply device 2 to the server 1 (step S13). The inquiry signal includes identification information of the ground power supply device 2 that is the object of the power price inquiry. In addition, in this embodiment, the inquiry signal may also include the scheduled time of passing through each ground power supply device 2.

[0056] When the server 1 receives the inquiry signal of the power price, the price notification unit 131 of the server 1 sends a signal including the power price of the ground power supply device 2 that is the object of the inquiry to the vehicle 3 (step S14). In the present embodiment, as described later, the power price of each ground power supply device 2 is set in a manner that changes in accordance with the power demand of the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, the price notification unit 131 sends a signal including the power price of each ground power supply device 2 at the current moment to the vehicle 3. In addition, in the present embodiment, the power price of each ground power supply device 2 is set in a manner that changes for each time period (for example, every 30 minutes or every 1 hour, etc.) in which power is scheduled to be supplied. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the price notification unit 131 sends a signal including the power price of the ground power supply device 2 that is the object of the inquiry, including the time period in which the vehicle is scheduled to pass, to the vehicle 3. In short, in the present embodiment, when the price notification unit 131 receives the inquiry of the power price from the vehicle 3, it sends information including the power price to the vehicle 3. In particular, the power prices of each ground power supply device 2 in each time period are stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1 , and the price notification unit 131 refers to the power prices stored in the storage device 12 .

[0057] When the vehicle 3 receives a signal including the power price, that is, when the power price acquisition unit 382 acquires the power prices of each ground power supply device 2 located in the driving route according to the signal including the power price sent from the server 1, the prompting unit 383 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 prompts the user of the vehicle 3 of the driving route retrieved by the route retrieval unit 381 and the power prices of the ground power supply devices 2 in the driving route (step S15). In the present embodiment, the prompting unit 383 prompts the power prices of each ground power supply device 2 in the driving route. Therefore, in the case where there are multiple ground power supply devices 2 in the driving route, the prompting unit 383 prompts the power prices of each of the multiple ground power supply devices 2. Specifically, the prompting unit 383 sends a display signal to the HMI 65 so that the driving route and the power prices of each ground power supply device 2 are displayed on the display of the HMI 65.

[0058] In addition, the prompting unit 383 may also prompt the total electricity cost when passing through the driving route based on the electricity price of each ground power supply device 2 and the expected power supply amount (e.g., a fixed value) of each ground power supply device 2. Therefore, the prompting unit 383 can be said to prompt the user of the vehicle 3 with information related to the electricity price of the ground power supply device 2 in the driving route.

[0059] When the user is prompted with information related to the electricity price of each ground power supply device 2 by the prompting unit 383 and the user agrees to the power supply of each ground power supply device 2, the reservation sending unit 384 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 sends a signal including the power supply reservation for the ground power supply device 2 to which the power supply is agreed to be supplied to the server 1 (step S16). The user's consent to the power supply of each ground power supply device 2 is performed through the HMI 65. For example, the user consents to the power supply by pressing an consent button displayed next to the power price of each ground power supply device 2 displayed on the display. In addition, the power supply reservation sent from the reservation sending unit 384 includes the identification information of the ground power supply device 2 to which the power supply is agreed, the power price of each ground power supply device 2 to which the power supply is agreed, and the identification information of the vehicle 3 having the reservation sending unit 384. In addition, in the present embodiment, the power supply reservation includes information such as the time (specific time or time period) when the vehicle 3 is scheduled to supply power from each ground power supply device 2. In addition, the power supply reservation may also include the required power supply amount for each ground power supply device 2. The required power supply amount is set, for example, according to the power receiving capability of the power receiving device 5 , and the higher the power receiving capability, the larger the required power supply amount is set.

[0060] When the server 1 receives a signal including a power supply reservation, the processor 13 of the server 1 sends the reservation information to the ground power supply device 2 corresponding to the identification information included in the power supply reservation (step S17). The reservation information includes the identification information of the vehicle 3 for which the power supply reservation has been made, and the time at which the vehicle 3 is scheduled to be powered by the ground power supply device 2. The processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 stores the identification information of the vehicle 3 and the scheduled power supply time included in the received reservation information in the memory 26. In addition, as long as there is no information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the ground power supply device 2 that is the object of the power supply reservation and that power cannot be supplied from the ground power supply device 2, the processor 13 of the server 1 sends a notification of permission for power supply to the vehicle 3 (step S18).

[0061] When the vehicle 3 that has received the notification of permission to supply power is traveling near the ground power supply device 2 as the target, the identification information of the vehicle 3 is sent to the ground power supply device 2 (step S20). The transmission of the identification information from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2 is performed by narrow-area wireless communication. Therefore, in the ground power supply device 2, the identification information of the vehicle 3 is received by using narrow-area wireless communication, thereby recognizing that the vehicle 3 is approaching the ground power supply device 2. In addition, when the processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 receives the identification information of the vehicle 3, it compares the received identification information with the identification information included in the reservation information stored in the memory 26. And, when the result of the comparison is that the received identification information is consistent with any one of the identification information included in the reservation information stored in the memory 26, the processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 supplies power to the power transmission device 4 so that power can be supplied to the vehicle 3 when the vehicle 3 passes over the ground power supply device 2.

[0062] After that, when the vehicle 3 passes over the ground power supply device 2 while power is being supplied to the power transmission device 4 (step S21), contactless power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 (step S22). During the power supply, the current and voltage flowing in the power transmission device 4 are detected by the ground-side sensor 23 of the ground power supply device 2. In addition, during the power supply, the current and voltage flowing in the power receiving device 5 are also detected by the vehicle-side sensor 64 of the vehicle 3.

[0063] When the contactless power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is completed, the processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 calculates the amount of power transmitted during the power supply based on the current and voltage detected by the ground-side sensor 23 during the power supply. In addition, the processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 sends information related to power transmission including the calculated amount of power transmitted to the server 1 (step S23). In addition, when the contactless power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is completed, the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 calculates the amount of power received during the power supply based on the current and voltage detected by the vehicle-side sensor 64 during the power supply. In addition, the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 sends information related to power reception including the calculated amount of power received to the server 1 (step S24).

[0064] After that, the power supply fee notification unit 132 of the processor 13 of the server 1 calculates the power supply fee based on the information related to power transmission received from the ground power supply device 2, the information related to power reception received from the vehicle 3, and the power price of the ground power supply device 2 sent in step S14. Then, the power supply fee notification unit 132 sends a signal including the calculated power supply fee to the vehicle 3 (step S25).

[0065] Next, refer to Fig. 9 , the operation flow of the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 when the driving route is changed is described. Fig. 9 The diagram shows the operation flow of the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 when the driving route is changed. Figure 8 Same action sequence diagram. Fig. 9 The example shown shows a case where a driving route has already been set, but the driving route is set again because the user changes the destination, etc. Fig. 9 In the example shown, the already set travel route includes the first ground power supply device 2a but does not include the second ground power supply device 2b, while the re-set travel route does not include the first ground power supply device 2a but includes the second ground power supply device 2b.

[0066] according to Fig. 9 It can be seen that when resetting the driving route, the server 1, the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 are basically the same as the first setting. Figure 8 The same operation is performed for the case of the driving route shown. Fig. 9 Steps S31 to S38 and S40 to S45 are basically the same as Figure 8 Steps S11 to S18 and S19 to S24 are the same, so their description is omitted.

[0067] like Fig. 9 As shown, in the case of resetting the driving route, the driving route is also retrieved (step S31), and the retrieved driving route and the power price of the ground power supply device 2 in the driving route are prompted to the user of the vehicle 3 (step S35). And, when the user agrees to the power supply, the reservation sending unit 384 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 sends a signal containing the power supply reservation to the server 1 (step S36). In addition, the cancellation sending unit 385 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 also sends a signal containing a cancellation request for the power supply reservation to the server 1 with respect to the first ground power supply device 2a, which has been sent a power supply reservation in the past but no longer needs the power supply reservation due to the resetting of the driving route (step S36). That is, when the user changes the driving route and the ground power supply device 2 that has sent the signal containing the power supply reservation is no longer included in the changed driving route, the cancellation sending unit 385 sends a signal containing a cancellation request for the power supply reservation of the ground power supply device 2 that is no longer included in the changed driving route to the server 1.

[0068] When the server 1 receives a signal including a power supply reservation and a signal including a request to cancel the power supply reservation, the processor 13 of the server 1 sends the reservation information to the first ground power supply device 2a corresponding to the identification information included in the power supply reservation (step S37). In addition, the processor 13 of the server 1 also sends a cancellation message indicating that the power supply reservation has been canceled to the second ground power supply device 2b to which the reservation information has been sent in the past and to which the corresponding identification information is not included in the current power supply reservation (step S39). The cancellation information includes the identification information of the vehicle 3 that has made the power supply reservation, and the time when the vehicle 3 is scheduled to be powered by the ground power supply device 2. When the processor 27 of the second ground power supply device 2b receives the cancellation information, it deletes the identification information of the vehicle 3 included in the cancellation information from the memory 26.

[0069] In addition, after power supply, when receiving information related to power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 and receiving information related to power reception from the vehicle 3, the power supply fee notification unit 132 of the server 1 sends information including the power supply fee to the vehicle 3 (step S46). In addition, when the cancellation fee notification unit 133 of the server 1 temporarily receives a signal including a power supply reservation from the vehicle 3, but then receives a signal including a cancellation request for the power supply reservation, it calculates the cancellation fee associated with the cancellation of the power supply reservation. Then, the cancellation fee notification unit 133 of the server 1 sends information including the calculated cancellation fee to the vehicle 3 (step S46). That is, when the cancellation fee notification unit 133 receives a cancellation request for the power supply reservation from the vehicle 3 after receiving the power supply reservation from the vehicle 3, it notifies the vehicle 3 of the fee associated with the cancellation of the power supply reservation.

[0070] In addition, the fee associated with the cancellation of the power supply reservation is set to, for example, a preset fixed amount. Alternatively, the fee associated with the cancellation of the power supply reservation may also vary in accordance with the remaining time of the scheduled power supply time period. Specifically, the fee associated with the cancellation of the power supply reservation may also be set, for example, to 10% of the average power supply amount during one power supply when the remaining time of the scheduled power supply time period is within 1 hour, 20% of the average power supply amount when the remaining time of the scheduled power supply time period is within 30 minutes, and 30% of the average power supply amount when the remaining time of the scheduled power supply time period is within 10 minutes.

[0071] According to this embodiment, when the ground power supply device 2 supplies power to the vehicle 3, the power prices of the ground power supply devices 2 are notified to the users of the vehicles 3 in advance, and power is supplied only when the users agree. Therefore, the users of the vehicles 3 can only have power supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicles 3 when they can determine that the power price is appropriate.

[0072] In addition, in the present embodiment, if the power supply reservation is temporarily made and then canceled, information including the cancellation fee is sent to the vehicle 3, and the user needs to pay the cancellation fee. Thus, a power supply reservation with a certain degree of certainty is obtained. In addition, in the present embodiment, if the power supply reservation is temporarily made and then canceled, the user of the vehicle 3 who canceled the power supply reservation is charged the cancellation fee. However, in such a case, the cancellation fee may not be charged to the user.

[0073] <Electricity Price Setting> Next, refer to Fig.10 , the method of setting the power supply price of each ground power supply device 2 is explained.

[0074] In the present embodiment, when setting the power price of each ground power supply device 2, the server 1 calculates the value of the scheduled power supply amount of each ground power supply device 2 based on the power supply reservation made from each vehicle 3 to each ground power supply device 2. Then, the server 1 sets the power price based on the ground power supply device 2 based on the calculated scheduled power supply amount of each ground power supply device 2. The set power price of each ground power supply device 2 is stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1, and the server 1 sends the stored price information to the vehicle 3 based on the inquiry from each vehicle 3. The power supply price of each ground power supply device 2 is set according to the power supply reservation of the ground power supply device 2.

[0075] like Figure 7 As shown, the processor 13 of the server 1, in addition to the above-mentioned price notification unit 131, power supply fee notification unit 132 and cancellation fee notification unit 133, also has: a scheduled power calculation unit 134, which calculates the scheduled power supply amount of each ground power supply device 2 based on the power supply reservation for each ground power supply device 2 from each vehicle 3; and a price setting unit 135, which sets the power price of the power supply performed by the ground power supply device 2 based on the scheduled power supply amount of each ground power supply device 2.

[0076] Fig.10 This is a flowchart showing the flow of a setting process for setting the power price in a specific time period. Fig.10 The setting process shown is performed in the processor 13 of the server 1. Fig.10 The setting process shown is executed for each time period of each ground power supply device 2 and is started before an arbitrary time (for example, one day before) of the target time period.

[0077] In the setting process, first, the price setting unit 135 sets the electricity price of the target time period as the reference price (step S51). The reference price is a preset fixed price set when there is basically no power supply reservation from the vehicle 3 in the target time period. Therefore, the reference price is basically the lowest electricity price in the target time period.

[0078] Thereafter, the scheduled power calculation unit 134 determines whether a new power supply reservation has been received from any vehicle 3 for the target time period (step S52). Figure 8 According to the operation shown in step S16, the power supply reservation from any vehicle 3 is transmitted from the reservation transmission unit 384 of the vehicle 3. In addition, the reserved power calculation unit 234 determines whether a new cancellation request for the received power supply reservation has been received from any vehicle 3 for the target time period (step S53). Fig. 9 In the operation shown in step S36 , a request to cancel the power supply reservation from an arbitrary vehicle 3 is transmitted from the cancellation transmission unit 385 of the vehicle 3 .

[0079] In the case where it is determined in step S52 that a new power supply reservation has been received or in step S53 that a new cancellation request has been received, the reserved power calculation unit 234 calculates the scheduled power supply amount from the target ground power supply device 2 for the target time period (step S54). In the present embodiment, the scheduled power supply amount is calculated by adding the required power supply amount from each vehicle 3 included in all power supply reservations for the target time period. That is, in the present embodiment, the scheduled power supply amount is calculated based on the number of power supply reservations for the target time period of the target ground power supply device 2 and the required power supply amount in each power supply reservation. Therefore, in the case where it is determined in step S52 that a new power supply reservation has been received, the new scheduled power supply amount is calculated by adding the required power supply amount included in the new power supply reservation to the scheduled power supply amount so far. On the other hand, in the case where it is determined in step S53 that a new cancellation request has been received, the new scheduled power supply amount is calculated by subtracting the required power supply amount included in the power supply reservation corresponding to the new cancellation request from the scheduled power supply amount so far.

[0080] When the scheduled supply power amount of the target ground power supply device 2 is calculated in step S54, the price setting unit 135 sets the power price based on the ground power supply device 2 again according to the calculated scheduled supply power amount (step S56). In particular, the price setting unit 135 sets the power price for the target time period according to the scheduled supply power amount of the target ground power supply device 2 in the target time period. Therefore, the price setting unit 135 sets the power price of the power supplied by each ground power supply device 2 for each time period. Specifically, the price setting unit 135 sets the power price in each time period and each ground power supply device 2 in such a manner that the more the scheduled supply power amount of each time period and each ground power supply device 2, the higher the power price of the time period and the ground power supply device 2.

[0081] In addition, the price setting unit 135 may also set the price of electricity according to the power supply capacity of each ground power supply device 2. For example, when the amount of electricity that can be supplied per unit time by the ground power supply device 2 is large (i.e., when the power supply capacity is high), the price setting unit 135 sets the price of electricity relative to the scheduled power supply amount to be low. On the other hand, when the amount of electricity that can be supplied per unit time by the ground power supply device 2 is small (i.e., when the power supply capacity is low), the price setting unit 135 sets the price of electricity relative to the scheduled power supply amount to be high. Thus, the situation where a large number of power supply reservations are made for ground power supply devices 2 with low power supply capacity is suppressed.

[0082] The power price calculated by the price setting unit 135 is stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1 for each ground power supply device 2 and each time period. Therefore, the power price stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1 changes according to the power demand. Figure 8 As described above, in step S14 , the power price stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1 is transmitted to the vehicle 3 in response to an inquiry from the vehicle 3 .

[0083] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S52 that no new power supply reservation has been received and in step S53 that no new cancellation request has been received, the scheduled supply power is not calculated and the power price is not set again, but the price set in the past is maintained.

[0084] When the power price is reset, the processor 13 of the server 1 determines whether the current time has reached the target time period (step S56). If it is determined in step S56 that the current time has not reached the target time period, steps S52 to S55 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S56 that the current time has reached the target time period, the setting process ends.

[0085] <Effects and Modifications> In the present embodiment, the price of the amount of electricity supplied by each ground power supply device 2 is set according to the status of the power supply reservation of each ground power supply device 2. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the power price can be set to a price reflecting the actual power demand.

[0086] In addition, in the present embodiment, the power price of each ground power supply device is set for each time period. When the power demand changes according to the time period, according to the present embodiment, the power price reflecting the power demand that changes according to the time period can be set. In addition, in the present embodiment, the power price of the ground power supply device 2 is set for each time period, but the power price can also be set regardless of the time period according to the number of future power supply reservations.

[0087] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the scheduled power supply amount is calculated based on the number of power supply reservations for each ground power supply device and the required power supply amount for each power supply reservation, and the power price is set based on the scheduled power supply amount. However, the scheduled power supply power can also be calculated by other methods, such as based on the number of power supply reservations and the average power supply power in one power supply of each ground power supply device 2. In addition, if the value of the power supply parameter changes in association with the scheduled power supply amount of each ground power supply device, the power price can also be set based on the value of the parameter different from the scheduled power supply power. For example, the power price can also be set based on the number of power supply reservations for the target time period of the target ground power supply device 2 (that is, the number of vehicles 3 scheduled to pass through the target ground power supply device 2 in the target time period).

[0088] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the electricity price is set for each ground power supply device 2. In particular, in the above-mentioned embodiment, since a plurality of transmission-side resonant circuits 43 (i.e., transmission-side coils 44) are provided in one ground power supply device 2, the same electricity price is set for all the transmission-side coils 44 provided in one ground power supply device 2. However, the same electricity price may be set for a plurality of ground power supply devices 2. In particular, since a plurality of ground power supply devices 2 are connected to one power supply 21, the electricity price may be set in such a manner that the same electricity price is provided for a plurality of ground power supply devices 2 connected to one power supply 21. Thus, the electricity price can be set in accordance with the power demand for the power supply 21. Alternatively, a different electricity price may be set for each transmission-side coil 44 provided in one ground power supply device 2. Thus, the electricity price can be set in accordance with the detailed power demand of each transmission-side coil 44.

[0089] Second embodiment Next, refer to Fig.11The configuration and operation of the contactless power supply system 100 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the contactless power supply system 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the following mainly describes the parts that are different from the contactless power supply system 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0090] In the first embodiment, upon receiving an inquiry about the power price from the vehicle 3, the price notification unit 131 of the server 1 transmits information including the power price of the vehicle 3 to the vehicle 3. However, in the present embodiment, the price notification unit 131 transmits the current power price to a plurality of vehicles 3 at a predetermined arbitrary fixed time interval.

[0091] Fig.11 The operation flow of the server 1, the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 is shown. Figure 8 Same action sequence diagram. Fig.11 Steps S65 to S74 and Figure 8 S16 to S25 are the same, so the description is omitted.

[0092] like Fig.11 As shown, the price notification unit 131 of the server 1 sends the current electricity price to the vehicle 3 at regular intervals (step S61). In particular, in the present embodiment, the price notification unit 131 sends the current electricity price stored in the storage device 12 to all vehicles 3 that can communicate with the server 1 at regular intervals. The vehicle 3 that receives the electricity price stores the received electricity price in the storage device 63 or the memory 37 of the vehicle 3.

[0093] Then, as the user inputs a destination via the HMI 65, the route search unit 381 and Figure 8 The driving route of the vehicle 3 to the destination is retrieved in the same manner as step S11 of the vehicle 3 (step S62). When the driving route is retrieved by the route retrieval unit 381, the power price acquisition unit 382 determines the ground power supply device 2 located in the driving route retrieved by the route retrieval unit 381, and obtains the power price of the determined ground power supply device 2 from the storage device 63 or the memory 37 of the vehicle 3 (especially, the power price in the time period when the vehicle 3 arrives at the ground power supply device 2) (step S63). Then, the prompting unit 383 of the vehicle 3 prompts the driving route retrieved by the route retrieval unit 381 and the power price of the ground power supply device 2 in the driving route (step S64).

[0094] According to the present embodiment, since there is no inquiry of the power price to the server 1 , the processing load on the server 1 can be reduced.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the price notification unit 131 sends the current power price to the vehicle 3 at regular intervals. However, in at least a part of the ground power supply device 2, the current power price may be sent to the vehicle 3 by the vehicle 3. Fig.10 When the change of the power price set by the setting process shown reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, the price notification unit 131 sends the changed current power price to the vehicle 3. During the period when the change of the power price is less than the predetermined value, the power price is not sent to the vehicle 3. In this way, the frequency of sending the power price of the server 1 can be reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the server 1.

[0096] As mentioned above, although the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A server capable of communicating with a plurality of power supply devices capable of supplying power to vehicles and a plurality of vehicles, comprising: a scheduled power calculation unit that calculates a value of a power supply parameter that varies in association with a scheduled power supply amount of each power supply device, based on a power supply reservation for each power supply device from each vehicle; a price setting unit that sets the price of power supplied by each power supply device based on the value of the power supply parameter of each power supply device; as well as A price notification unit notifies the vehicle of the set power price.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein: The power supply reservation includes information related to the scheduled time for power supply. The price setting unit sets the price of electric power supplied by each power supply device for each time period.

3. The server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The price setting unit sets the power price based on the power supply capability of the power supply device in addition to the planned power supply amount.

4. The server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Regarding the power supply device, a plurality of power supply devices are connected to one power supply source, The price setting unit sets the power price to be the same for a plurality of power supply devices connected to the one power supply source.

5. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The price notification unit transmits the power price to the vehicle upon receiving an inquiry about the power price from the vehicle.

6. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The price notification unit notifies the vehicle of the current electricity price at predetermined time intervals.

7. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The price notification unit notifies the vehicle of the current power price when a change in the set power price in at least some of the power supply devices exceeds a predetermined value.

8. The server according to claim 7, wherein: The price notification unit does not notify the vehicle of the current power price while a change in the set power price in at least some of the power supply devices is less than the predetermined value.

9. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The power supply parameter that changes in association with the planned power supply amount is the number of power supply reservations of each power supply device.

10. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The power supply parameter that changes in association with the planned power supply amount is a planned power supply amount calculated based on the number of power supply reservations of each power supply device and the required power supply amount of each power supply reservation.

11. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The price setting unit sets the power price so that the larger the planned power supply amount indicated by the power supply parameter of each power supply device is, the higher the power price of the power supply device becomes.

12. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The system further includes a cancellation fee notification unit that notifies the vehicle of a fee associated with the cancellation when a cancellation request for the power supply reservation is received from the vehicle after the power supply reservation is received from the vehicle.

13. A power supply system comprising the server according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and a vehicle capable of communicating with the server, wherein: The vehicle has: a route search unit that searches for a driving route to a destination; an electricity price acquisition unit that acquires, based on the electricity price transmitted from the server, an electricity price of the power supply device in the travel route retrieved by the route retrieval unit; as well as A presenting unit presents information related to a price of electric power of the power supply device in the searched travel route to a user of the vehicle.

14. The power supply system according to claim 13, wherein: The device further comprises a reservation transmitting unit that transmits a power supply reservation for the power supply device to which the user of the vehicle has agreed to power supply to the server when the user of the vehicle is presented with information on the power price of the power supply device and the user agrees to power supply by the power supply device.

15. The power supply system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The device further comprises: a cancellation sending unit that sends a cancellation request for the power supply reservation of the power supply device no longer included in the travel route to the server when the user changes the travel route and the power supply device for which the power supply reservation has been sent is no longer included in the changed travel route.

16. A method for setting a power price, the method being performed in a server connected to a plurality of power supply devices capable of supplying power to vehicles and a plurality of vehicles, comprising: calculating a value of a power supply parameter that varies in association with a scheduled power supply amount of each power supply device, based on a power supply reservation from each vehicle to each power supply device; According to the value of the power supply parameter of each power supply device, setting the power price of the power supply provided by the power supply device; as well as The set power price is notified to the vehicle.

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