Power-feeding controller, and power-feeding system

Abstract

To appropriately control each of a plurality of running chargers provided on a road according to a traffic situation.SOLUTION: There is provided a power-feeding controller according to an embodiment, that is provided with a plurality of wirelessly chargeable running chargers with respect to an electric vehicle during traveling, for every running lane on a road having one lane or more, and that is set with a plurality of charge sections, in regard to a section in which the plurality of running chargers are provided on the road. The power-feeding controller for controlling the plurality of running chargers comprises: an acquisition unit for acquiring current traffic situation data as the current traffic situation data of a vehicle comprising the electric vehicle, for every running lane and every charge section thereof; and a control unit for controlling the running chargers for every running lane and every charge section thereof, based on past traffic situation data as past traffic situation data and the current traffic situation data of the vehicle comprising the electric vehicle for every running lane and every charge section thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a power supply control device and a power supply control system. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently in Japan, the national and government-led efforts to become carbon neutral have been accelerating in various fields. Carbon neutral efforts are also being implemented in the road sector. For example, the promotion of the spread of electric vehicles (EVs), the conversion of road lighting equipment to LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and the introduction of renewable energy power generation systems (mainly solar power generation systems) that utilize unused space in road spaces such as tunnels are being promoted.

[0003] As EVs become more popular, more and more power supply (charging) facilities are being installed in various locations. For example, there are EV charging stations that supply power to parked EVs via wired connection. However, there is a problem with EV charging stations, in that the charging time is longer than the charging time at a typical gasoline filling station.

[0004] As a countermeasure, in recent years, there has been research and development into in-motion chargers (in-motion power supply equipment) that can wirelessly charge EVs while they are in motion on expressways and other roads. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-150701 [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-82992 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2000-333305 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When introducing driving chargers, for example, multiple driving chargers are buried in each driving lane of a highway, and multiple charging sections are set up. Then, for example, the driving chargers are controlled to be switched on / off and the amount of power adjusted for each driving lane and each charging section.

[0007] In addition, the control content (on / off, power amount, etc.) that should be performed for each of the multiple traveling chargers varies depending on the traffic conditions (e.g., traffic volume [vehicles / hour], etc.). However, with conventional technology, it is not possible to appropriately control each of the multiple traveling chargers according to the traffic conditions.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an objective of providing a power supply control device and a power supply control system that are capable of appropriately controlling each of multiple traveling chargers in accordance with traffic conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In one embodiment, a power supply control device is provided in a road having one or more driving lanes, where a plurality of driving chargers capable of wirelessly charging electric vehicles while they are traveling are provided for each driving lane of the road, and a plurality of charging sections are set for sections of the road where the plurality of driving chargers are provided, and the power supply control device controls the plurality of driving chargers, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires current traffic condition data that is current traffic condition data for vehicles including electric vehicles for each driving lane and for each charging section, and a control unit that controls the driving charger for each driving lane and for each charging section based on past traffic condition data that is past traffic condition data for vehicles including electric vehicles for each driving lane and for each charging section, and the current traffic condition data. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a power supply control system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a charging section and driving lanes on a highway in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process performed when collecting information in the central monitoring system of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of controlling the traveling charger in the central monitoring system of the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram regarding an instruction to a vehicle to change the driving lane in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a power supply control device and a power supply control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, a highway will be described as an example of a road.

[0012] Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a power supply control system S according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a charging section and a driving lane on a highway according to an embodiment.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, a highway with three travel lanes 1 to 3 has multiple charging sections (sections A to C). In addition, a traveling charger (transmitting coil TC) that can wirelessly charge a traveling EV is provided for each travel lane and each charging section. An EV (an EV with a receiving coil for charging) can obtain power by electromagnetic induction by passing over the transmitting coil TC to which power is being supplied while traveling on such a road. Note that in the following, "EV" refers to an EV with a receiving coil for charging.

[0014] 1, the power supply control system S includes a central monitoring system 1 and three electrical rooms 2 (A, B, C). The central monitoring system 1 and the three electrical rooms 2 are communicatively connected via an information and communication network NW.

[0015] The electrical room 2 includes a detection device 21 , a receiver 22 , a transmitter 23 , a traveling charger 24 , a communication unit 25 , a measurement unit 26 , and a substation equipment 27 .

[0016] The detection device 21 is a means for detecting vehicles (EVs, gasoline vehicles, etc.) traveling on a road for each driving lane, and is, for example, a camera or a vehicle detector (traffic counter) installed on the side of the road.

[0017] The receiver 22 is a device having a function of receiving information such as SOC (State of Charge) data (remaining battery capacity) from the vehicle (EV).

[0018] The transmitter 23 is a device having a function of transmitting, to the vehicle (EV), instruction information for moving (changing) the driving lane.

[0019] The traveling charger 24 is a device capable of wirelessly charging an EV while it is traveling, and includes a transmitting coil TC (FIG. 2).

[0020] The communication unit 25 is a communication interface for communicating with an external device (the central monitoring system 1) and the like.

[0021] The measurement unit 26 performs various processes, such as counting the number of vehicles based on the data received from the detection device 21.

[0022] In addition, a PV (Photovoltaic) 31 and a commercial power source 32 are connected to the electrical room 2. The PV 31 is a facility that generates power by utilizing sunlight. In addition to the PV 31, other types of renewable energy power generation facilities, such as wind power generation facilities, may be connected to the electrical room 2.

[0023] The power receiving and transforming equipment 27 receives power from the PV 31 or the commercial power source 32, and controls the traveling charger 24 based on instructions from the central monitoring system 1. Specifically, the power receiving and transforming equipment 27 is connected to the traveling charger 24 by switches SW1 to SW3.

[0024] For example, in the case of electrical room A, when switch SW1 is closed, power is transmitted to the traveling charger 24 (transmitting coil TC) in traveling lane 1 of section A. When switch SW2 is closed, power is transmitted to the traveling charger 24 (transmitting coil TC) in traveling lane 2 of section A. When switch SW3 is closed, power is transmitted to the traveling charger 24 (transmitting coil TC) in traveling lane 3 of section A. The amount of power supplied to each traveling charger 24 can be individually adjusted by instructions from the central monitoring system 1.

[0025] The central monitoring system 1 is an example of a power supply control device that controls the traveling charger 24. The central monitoring system 1 is realized, for example, as a part of a traffic control device. A traffic control device is a device that recognizes traffic conditions, including the degree of congestion and traffic accidents on expressways, and takes measures such as traffic restrictions in response to the traffic condition information, and provides expressway users with information such as event information currently occurring and warnings.

[0026] The central monitoring system 1 is configured by, for example, a plurality of computer devices in a traffic control room. The central monitoring system 1 includes a storage unit 11, a calculation unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0027] The storage unit 11 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various information. The storage unit 11 stores, for example, past traffic condition data, past SOC data, and the like.

[0028] The past traffic condition data is past traffic condition data for vehicles including EVs for each driving lane and for each charging section, and is accumulated based on detection data by the detection device 21. The past traffic condition data is also categorized, for example, by day of the week, time period, weather, temperature, etc., and compiled into a database. Note that while the past traffic condition data does not provide an exact ratio of EVs among vehicles, it does provide an approximate statistical ratio, and therefore the statistical ratio can be used as necessary in the following processing.

[0029] The past SOC data is the past SOC data of the EV for each driving lane and each charging section, and is accumulated based on the data received by the receiver 22. In addition, the past SOC data is categorized by, for example, day of the week, time period, weather, temperature, etc., and organized into a database.

[0030] The calculation unit 12 (acquisition unit, control unit) includes, for example, a Micro Processing Unit (MPU), a Read Only Memory (ROM), and a Random Access Memory (RAM), and executes various types of calculation processing.

[0031] The MPU comprehensively controls the operation of the central monitoring system 1. The ROM is a storage medium for storing various programs and data. The RAM is a storage medium for temporarily storing various programs and rewriting various data.

[0032] The MPU executes programs stored in the ROM or the storage unit 11 using the RAM as a work area.

[0033] For example, the calculation unit 12 acquires from the electric room 2 current traffic condition data, which is current traffic condition data for vehicles including EVs, for each travel lane and for each charging section.

[0034] Furthermore, the calculation unit 12 controls the traveling charger 24 for each traveling lane and for each charging section based on the past traffic condition data and the current traffic condition data. For example, the calculation unit 12 controls the traveling charger 24 for each traveling lane and for each charging section based on a comparison result between the past traffic condition data and the current traffic condition data and the power usage (which may be calculated in advance) of the traveling charger 24 for each traveling lane and for each charging section predicted from the past traffic condition data.

[0035] As can be seen from the configuration of switches SW1 to SW3 in FIG. 1, the on / off switching and adjustment of the amount of power for the traveling charger 24 are performed in units of traveling lane / charging section (for example, "charging section A of traveling lane 1" or "charging section C of traveling lane 2").

[0036] For example, the traveling charger 24 in a travel lane / charging section where there are no vehicles is turned off. Also, the traveling charger 24 in a travel lane / charging section where there are few vehicles is turned on to reduce the amount of power. Also, the traveling charger 24 in a travel lane / charging section where there are many vehicles is turned on to increase the amount of power.

[0037] Furthermore, the calculation unit 12 acquires current SOC data, which is the current SOC data of the EV, for each travel lane and each charging section. In this case, the calculation unit 12 controls the traveling charger 24 for each travel lane and each charging section based on the past traffic condition data, the current traffic condition data, the past SOC data, and the current SOC data.

[0038] For example, the calculation unit 12 controls the driving charger 24 for each driving lane and for each charging section based on the results of a comparison between past traffic condition data and current traffic condition data, the results of a comparison between past SOC data and current SOC data, and the power usage (which may be calculated in advance) of the driving charger 24 for each driving lane and for each charging section predicted from the past traffic condition data and the past SOC data.

[0039] Furthermore, calculation unit 12 may further control traveling charger 24 for each traveling lane and each charging section based on a maximum power supply amount determined in advance for each traveling lane and each charging section. In this case, for example, when there is a traveling lane for which the required power supply amount exceeds the maximum power supply amount for each charging section, calculation unit 12 transmits an instruction to at least one of the EVs traveling in that traveling lane to move to another traveling lane.

[0040] The communication unit 13 is a communication interface for communicating with an external device (such as the electric room 2).

[0041] The central monitoring system 1 may also be equipped with an input device (keyboard, mouse, etc.) that accepts user operations, and a display device (a liquid crystal display (LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display device, etc.) that displays various information.

[0042] 3 is a flowchart showing the process of collecting information in the central monitoring system 1 of the embodiment. In step S11, the calculation unit 12 of the central monitoring system 1 receives traffic condition data from the electrical rooms 2 (A to C) and stores it in the storage unit 11 as past traffic condition data.

[0043] Next, in step S12, the calculation unit 12 receives the SOC data of the EV from the electric room 2 (A to C) and stores it in the storage unit 11 as past SOC data.

[0044] Next, in step S13, the calculation unit 12 calculates the power usage of the traveling charger 24 for each driving lane and each charging section, which is predicted from the past traffic condition data and the past SOC data, and stores the calculated power usage in the memory unit 11.

[0045] 4 is a flowchart showing the process of controlling the traveling charger in the central monitoring system 1 of the embodiment. In step S21, the calculation unit 12 of the central monitoring system 1 receives current traffic condition data from the electric room 2 (A to C).

[0046] Next, in step S22, the calculation unit 12 receives the current SOC data of the vehicle (EV) from the electric compartment 2 (A to C).

[0047] Next, in step S23, the calculation unit 12 controls the driving charger 24 for each driving lane and for each charging section based on the comparison result between the past traffic condition data and the current traffic condition data, the comparison result between the past SOC data and the current SOC data, and the power usage of the driving charger 24 for each driving lane and for each charging section predicted from the past traffic condition data and the past SOC data.

[0048] Next, in step S24, the calculation unit 12 determines whether or not it is necessary to instruct the vehicle (EV) to change the driving lane, that is, whether or not there is a driving lane / charging section in which the required power supply amount exceeds the maximum power supply amount, and if Yes, proceeds to step S25, and if No, returns to step S21.

[0049] In step S25, the calculation unit 12 transmits an instruction to at least one of the vehicles (EVs) traveling in the relevant travel lane / charging section to move to another travel lane (that is, to change lanes).

[0050] Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram regarding an instruction to a vehicle to change the driving lane in the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 5, it is assumed that the required amount of power supply exceeds the maximum amount of power supply due to the presence of three vehicles C4 to C6 (all EVs) in driving lane 1 of charging section C. In this case, an instruction to move to driving lane 2 is transmitted to vehicle C6. As a result, vehicle C6 moves to driving lane 2, and the required amount of power supply in driving lane 1 of charging section C is reduced, so that vehicles C4 to C6 can be charged efficiently.

[0051] In the above example, the EV to be instructed to change the driving lane is the last vehicle C6 among the vehicles C4 to C6, but is not limited to this. Alternatively, for example, when the SOCs of the vehicles C4 to C6 are 20%, 80%, and 50%, respectively, the vehicle C5 with the highest SOC may be the target. Since there are time periods when charging is not possible (or charging efficiency is reduced) when changing the driving lane, by instructing the vehicle with the highest SOC to change the driving lane, the charging efficiency for all of the multiple EVs can be improved.

[0052] In this way, according to the power supply control system S of this embodiment, by using at least past traffic condition data and current traffic condition data, each of the multiple traveling chargers can be appropriately controlled in accordance with the traffic conditions for each driving lane and each charging section.

[0053] In other words, it becomes possible to predict the amount of power required for each travel lane and each charging section, and stable power supply becomes possible even with the existing power receiving and transforming equipment 27.

[0054] In addition, when there is a driving lane or charging section where the required power supply exceeds the maximum power supply, at least one of the EVs in that driving lane or charging section is instructed to change lanes. This reduces the required power supply in that driving lane or charging section, allowing multiple EVs to be charged efficiently.

[0055] Furthermore, the programs executed in the central monitoring system 1 and the electrical room 2 of this embodiment can be provided by recording them in an installable or executable file format on a recording medium readable by a computer device, such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Recordable), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). The programs may also be provided or distributed via a network, such as the Internet.

[0056] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is merely an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiment can be implemented in various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The above embodiment is included in the scope and gist of the invention, and is included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

[0057] For example, the roads covered are not limited to expressways, and may be toll or free. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1... central monitoring system, 2... electrical room, 11... memory unit, 12... calculation unit, 13... communication unit, 21... detection device, 22... receiver, 23... transmitter, 24... traveling charger, 25... communication unit, 26... measurement unit, 27... power receiving and transforming equipment, 31... PV, 32... commercial power source, S... power supply control system

Claims

1. A power supply control device is provided in which a plurality of travel chargers capable of wirelessly charging electric vehicles traveling on a road having one or more travel lanes are provided for each of the travel lanes, a plurality of charging sections are set for sections on the road in which the plurality of travel chargers are provided, and the power supply control device controls the plurality of travel chargers, an acquisition unit that acquires current traffic condition data, which is current traffic condition data of vehicles including electric vehicles, for each of the driving lanes and each of the charging sections; a control unit that controls the traveling charger for each of the driving lanes and for each of the charging sections based on past traffic condition data, which is past traffic condition data for vehicles including electric vehicles for each of the driving lanes and for each of the charging sections, and the current traffic condition data; A power supply control device comprising:

2. The acquisition unit acquires current State of Charge (SOC) data, which is current SOC data of the electric vehicle, for each of the driving lanes and each of the charging sections; 2. The power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the traveling charger for each of the driving lanes and for each of the charging sections based on the past traffic condition data, the current traffic condition data, past SOC data that is past SOC data of the electric vehicle for each of the driving lanes and for each of the charging sections, and the current SOC data.

3. The power supply control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit further controls the traveling charger for each of the driving lanes and for each of the charging sections based on a maximum power supply amount that is predetermined for each of the driving lanes and for each of the charging sections.

4. When there are multiple driving lanes, 4. The power supply control device according to claim 3, wherein when there is a driving lane in which a required power supply amount exceeds the maximum power supply amount for each charging section, the control unit transmits an instruction to at least any of the electric vehicles traveling in the driving lane to move to another of the driving lanes.

5. a plurality of travel chargers provided for each travel lane of a road having one or more travel lanes and capable of wirelessly charging an electric vehicle while the electric vehicle is traveling; A power supply control system including: a power supply control device that controls a plurality of charging sections set for a section in which a plurality of the traveling chargers are provided on the road, the power supply control device comprising: The power supply control device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires current traffic condition data, which is current traffic condition data of vehicles including electric vehicles, for each of the driving lanes and each of the charging sections; a control unit that controls the traveling charger for each of the driving lanes and for each of the charging sections based on past traffic condition data, which is past traffic condition data for vehicles including electric vehicles for each of the driving lanes and for each of the charging sections, and the current traffic condition data; A power supply control system comprising:

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