Charge control device, vehicle-mounted device, charge control method, and charge control program

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of allowing a user to properly determine whether to charge by calculating information about the charge capacity and display the same.SOLUTION: The charge control unit includes a controller that controls charging equipment for charging the battery mounted on a vehicle. The controller acquires time to charge and acquires information about the battery from the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the vehicle, and based on the time to charge, information about the battery, and the charging capacity of the charging equipment, calculates information about a charge capacity at the time to the charge and controls a display unit to display the information about the charge capacity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charge control device, an in-vehicle device, a charge control method, and a charge control program. [Background technology]

[0002] There are various specifications for charging facilities for electric vehicles, and when charging the large-capacity batteries of recent electric vehicles with older charging facilities with low power supply capacity, it takes a long time to complete charging. If a single charge is limited to a certain time (e.g., 30 minutes), depending on the specifications of the charging facility, it is not always possible to obtain the amount of charge that the user expects.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses predicting the cost performance of charging based on the predicted charging energy amount and usage time, as well as information related to the billing system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-074673 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, when an electric vehicle is traveling and a user visits a charging facility for the first time and charges for only 30 minutes, even if the cost-performance of charging is shown as in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to know whether the charging state will be as expected by the user after charging, and there is a problem that it is difficult to determine whether to charge at that charging facility or to look for another charging facility.

[0006] The technology of the present disclosure aims to provide a technology that allows a user to more appropriately determine whether or not to charge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the charging control device of the present disclosure includes: A controller is provided for controlling a charging facility that charges a battery mounted on a vehicle, The controller: Get the time to charge, acquiring information about the battery from an in-vehicle device mounted in the vehicle; Calculating information regarding an amount of charge that can be performed during the charging time based on the time for performing the charging, information regarding the battery, and a charging capacity of the charging facility; The information regarding the charged amount is displayed on a display device. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the technology disclosed herein, a technology can be provided that allows a user to appropriately determine whether or not to charge by calculating and displaying information related to the amount of charge that can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a charge control system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the controller. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of a charge control method executed by the controller. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a graph showing the charge amount versus the charge time. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example (part 1) of an inquiry screen including charging information, reason information, and inquiry information. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example (part 2) of an inquiry screen including charging information, reason information, and inquiry information. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a connection configuration between a charger and a vehicle in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a sequence of a charge control method executed by the controller and the in-vehicle device in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a sequence of processes executed by the in-vehicle device and the controller during charging in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] First Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a charging control system 100 according to this embodiment. The charging control system 100 includes a charging facility 10 and an on-board device 30 mounted on a vehicle 20. The vehicle 20 is typically an electric vehicle (EV), but the type of the vehicle is not limited as long as the vehicle 20 includes a storage battery 21 capable of charging electric power for running. For example, the vehicle 1 may be a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV) or a plug-in fuel cell vehicle (PFCV), etc.

[0012] In the charge control system 100 according to the present embodiment, the amount of electric power that can be charged in one charge is displayed before charging, thereby enabling the user to more appropriately determine whether or not to actually charge.

[0013] <Charging equipment> The charging equipment 10 charges the vehicle 20 in accordance with a predetermined charging standard such as CHAdeMO or GB / T27930. The charging equipment 10 includes a charger 11, a charging cable 12 extending from the charger 11, a controller 13 built into the charger 11, and a power source 14. The charger 11 includes the controller 13 and controls the supply of power from the power source 14 to the vehicle 20 to charge the storage battery 21 on the vehicle side. The charger 11 is one form of a charging control device in this embodiment. The charging cable 12 has a base end connected to the charger 11 and a charging plug 121 on the other end (tip). The charging plug 121 is inserted into an inlet on the vehicle 20 side, whereby the charging equipment 10 and the vehicle 20 are connected via the charging cable 12. The charging cable 12 includes a power line for supplying power to the vehicle 20 and a communication line for communication between the vehicle 20 and the charging equipment 10.

[0014] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the controller 13. The controller 13 is a computer having a control unit 132, a memory (storage device) 133, an input / output IF (interface) 134, and a communication IF 135, which are connected to each other by a connection bus 131. The control unit 132 processes input information and outputs the processing result, thereby controlling the entire device. The control unit 132 is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-processing unit). The control unit 132 is not limited to a single processor, and may have a multiprocessor configuration. Also, the control unit 132 may have a multicore configuration having multiple cores in a single chip connected by a single socket.

[0015] The memory 133 may be a main storage device or an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device is, for example, a working area for the control unit 132 and a storage area for temporarily storing information to be processed by the control unit 132. , and is used as a buffer area for communication data. In other words, the main storage device is a storage medium for the control unit 132 to cache programs and data and to use as a working area. The main storage device includes, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device is a storage medium for storing programs executed by the control unit 132, data used in information processing, and operation setting information. The auxiliary storage device includes, for example, a hard-disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), a flash memory, a USB memory, and a memory The auxiliary storage device may include a card, etc. The auxiliary storage device may store setting information of the charging facility 10 (controller 13), registration information of users who use the charging facility 10, and the like.

[0016] The input / output IF 134 is an interface that inputs and outputs data between the controller 13 and peripheral devices connected thereto. The input / output IF 134 inputs and outputs data between devices such as a disk drive that reads data from a storage medium such as a CD or DVD, an operation unit, a display device, a microphone, an image capture device, and a sensor. The operation unit is an input unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that inputs information to the controller 13 by an operator's operation. The display device is an output unit that displays and outputs information such as charging information and inquiry information to the user, which will be described later. The touch panel is arranged so as to overlap with the display area of ​​the display device, and detects touch operations on icons and the like displayed on the display device and inputs the detected information to the controller 13.

[0017] The communication IF 135 is an interface (communication module) that communicates with other devices via a communication line (network), and is also referred to as a CCU (Communication Control Unit). The communication IF 135 of this embodiment has a wired IF 51 that performs wired communication, and a wireless IF 52 that performs wireless communication. The wired IF 51 communicates with other devices via, for example, a CAN. The wireless IF 52 communicates with other devices via, for example, a WLAN. The wireless IF 52 of this embodiment employs a communication line defined by IEEE 802.11, but is not limited thereto. However, it may be possible to use a communication line such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0018] In the controller 13, the control unit 132 executes an application program (charging control program) to realize the functions described below. That is, the control unit 132 realizes the required functions by software. However, some or all of the functions may be realized by a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a flash memory (Flash), etc. The control unit 132 may be realized by hardware such as a dedicated large scale integration (LSI) such as a field programmable gate array (PGA), a logic circuit, or other digital circuit. At least a part of the hardware may include an analog circuit. The control unit 132 may be configured such that one processor functions as multiple processing units, or may be configured to include multiple processors that function as one processing unit.

[0019] The controller 13 manages charging information such as generating, transmitting, and receiving charging information related to charging. For example, the controller 13 acquires the time for charging (hereinafter also referred to as charging time). When one charging is set to be within a predetermined time, the controller 13 acquires the value of this predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes) from the memory 133. The controller 13 may also acquire the charging time input by the user via the input / output IF 134.

[0020] The controller 13 communicates with an in-vehicle device 30 mounted on the vehicle via the communication IF 135, and acquires information about the battery (hereinafter also referred to as battery information) from the in-vehicle device 30. Here, the battery information may be, for example, a nominal voltage, a capacity (maximum capacity, rated capacity), a State Of Charge (SOC), a State Of Health (SOH), a depth of discharge, an internal resistance, a battery temperature, a discharge cut-off voltage, and the like.

[0021] The controller 13 uses a temperature sensor to obtain temperature information indicating at least one of the temperature of the charging facility and the air temperature around the charging facility. When the air temperature around the charger 11 is high, the temperature of the charger 11 and the battery may become too high during charging, which may result in reducing the power consumed during charging. Therefore, the controller 13 obtains the temperature information before calculating the charging information.

[0022] Based on the charging time, battery information, temperature information, and charging capacity of the charging equipment 10, the controller 13 calculates information on the amount of charge that can be charged when the battery of the vehicle is charged for the charging time (hereinafter also referred to as charging information). The charging capacity of the charging equipment 10 is information indicating, for example, the voltage (maximum voltage) that can be supplied during charging, the current (maximum current) that can be supplied during charging, the number of simultaneous charges, etc. Note that the voltage and current that can be supplied by the charging equipment 10 may be set in multiple values ​​according to the specifications of the vehicle-side battery. In addition to the amount of charge, the charging information may include, for example, the amount of power supplied when charging is performed during the charging time, the state of charge (SOC) reached when charging is performed during the charging time, information indicating the reason why the amount of charge was calculated, the current value when charging, the voltage value when charging, and price information (daytime fee, nighttime fee, parking fee, etc.).

[0023] The controller 13 displays the calculated charging information on the display device, thereby presenting the charging information to the user and prompting the user to select whether or not to actually perform charging.

[0024] <Vehicle> The vehicle 20 includes a storage battery 21, an inlet unit 22, and an in-vehicle device 30. The inlet unit 22 is configured so that a charging plug 121 at the end of a charging cable can be inserted therein by mechanical connection such as fitting. When a user (such as a passenger of the vehicle 20 or a worker at the charging equipment 10) inserts the charging plug 121 into the inlet unit 22, the vehicle 20 and the charging equipment 10 are connected via the charging cable 12. This ensures an electrical connection for power transmission between the vehicle 20 and the charging equipment 10, and enables various signals (such as charging information) to be transmitted and received between them. The in-vehicle device 30 may be a device having the functions of an audio system or a navigation system.

[0025] <In-vehicle equipment> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle device 30. The in-vehicle device 30 is a computer having a control unit 332, a memory 333, an input / output IF (interface) 334, and a communication IF 335, which are mutually connected by a connection bus 331. The control unit 332 processes input information and outputs the processing result, thereby controlling the entire device. The connection bus 331, the control unit 332, the memory 333, the input / output IF 334, and the communication IF 335 of the in-vehicle device 30 have the same configuration as the connection bus 131, the control unit 132, the memory 133, the input / output IF 134, and the communication IF 135 of the charging facility 10, so the same description will be omitted. The in-vehicle device 30 communicates with the controller 13 of the charging facility 10 via the input / output IF 134, and transmits battery information and the like to the controller 13. The in-vehicle device 30 may also obtain charging information from the controller 13 and display it on a display device on the vehicle side. The display device on the vehicle side may be a display device integrated with the in-vehicle device 30, a display device arranged in a meter panel, or a HUD (Head-Up Display).

[0026] <Charging control method> Next, a description will be given of a charging control method executed by the controller 13 of the charging facility 10. FIG.

[0027] When charging, the user inserts the charging plug 121 of the charging cable 12 into the inlet 22 of the vehicle 20 to connect the vehicle 20 to the charging facility 10. This connects the CAN on the vehicle side to the CAN on the charging facility side via the communication line included in the charging cable 12, and the vehicle 20 and CAN communication is now possible with the charging equipment 10. Then, when the charging equipment 10 and the in-vehicle device 30 detect this connection or when the user performs a start operation on the charging equipment 10 or the in-vehicle device 30, the charging equipment 10 and the in-vehicle device 30 start the sequence of FIG.

[0028] In step S10, the controller 13 of the charging equipment 10 reads out and acquires the charging time (first charging time) from the memory 133.

[0029] In step S20, the controller 13 acquires battery information from the in-vehicle device 30 through CAN communication. Here, the battery information is, for example, the battery capacity, the current SOC, the maximum current during charging, the maximum voltage during charging, the battery temperature, the battery type, etc. Note that the charger (charging control device) 11 may store in the memory 133 a database in which information such as the capacity, the maximum current during charging, and the maximum voltage during charging is registered for each type of battery, and acquire battery information such as the capacity, maximum voltage, and maximum current corresponding to the type of battery acquired from the in-vehicle device 30 from the database.

[0030] In step S30, the controller 13 obtains a graph of the charge amount versus charging time from the memory 133 as shown in FIG. 5, and displays it on the display device. The charger 11 may store in the memory 133 a database in which a general graph of the charge amount versus charging time is registered for each battery capacity, and the controller 13 may obtain a graph corresponding to the capacity obtained in step S20 from the database and display it on the display device. The charger 11 may store in the memory 133 a database in which a graph of the charge amount versus charging time is registered for each battery type, and the controller 13 may obtain a graph corresponding to the battery type obtained in step S20 from the database and display it on the display device. Furthermore, the controller 13 may obtain a graph of the charge amount versus charging time from the in-vehicle device 30. In the graph 60 in FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates time and the vertical axis indicates SOC, and the change in SOC over the course of charging is indicated by a solid line 61. The value on the vertical axis is not limited to SOC, and may simply be the charge amount [kwh] to be charged. Also, the graph is not limited to a line graph as long as it allows the charge amount relative to the charge time to be grasped, and may be another type of graph such as a bar graph. The controller 13 may display a message 62, together with the graph 60, prompting the user to input the charge time, such as "Please input the time to charge."

[0031] By displaying the graph 60 on the display device of the charger 11, the user can understand how much charge will be obtained when charging is performed for how long. For example, when the SOC is low, the charge amount increases with time and charging is efficient, but when the SOC is high (e.g., 80% or more), the charge amount increases with time and charging is not efficient. For this reason, the user understands the charge amount relative to the charging time from the graph 60 and inputs the desired charging time. In step S40, the controller 13 accepts the input of the charging time (second charging time) by the user. For example, when the user touches the position PX on the solid line 61 on the graph 60 on the display device where charging is to be ended, the value TX on the time axis corresponding to this position PX is input to the controller 13 as the second charging time. The user may also input the second charging time using the keypad 63. Note that the input of the second charging time in step S40 can be a value within the first charging time acquired in step S10. For example, if the charging time acquired in step S10 is 30 minutes, the controller 13 accepts a value within 30 minutes. The controller 13 may display the graph 60 of FIG. 5 so that this input range can be seen. For example, in the graph 60, the position T2 on the time axis corresponding to the current SOC is set as the start position, and the end position T3 after the first charging time from this position is set as the end position, and the range between these positions is displayed as the inputtable range. For example, a message 64 indicating the input range may be displayed, such as "Please input within this range." The controller 13 may also highlight the inputtable range of the graph 60 by increasing the brightness or displaying it in a specified color compared to the rest of the range. Furthermore, the controller 13 may display the inputtable range of the graph 60 by displaying it in a specified color or by displaying it in a specified color. Alternatively, the non-available range may be grayed out and the inputtable range may be displayed in normal color.

[0032] In step S50, the controller 13 uses a temperature sensor to obtain temperature information indicating the air temperature around the charging equipment 10. The temperature information is not limited to the ambient air temperature, and may be the temperature of the charging equipment 10, for example, the temperature of devices constituting the charging equipment 10, such as the charger 11, a transformer, a power source, etc. The temperature information may also include the temperature of a battery mounted on the vehicle 20.

[0033] In step S60, the controller 13 obtains information (charging information) on the charge amount that can be charged in the second charging time based on the charging time, the battery information, the temperature information, and the charging capacity of the charging equipment 10. If the second charging time is not input in step S40, the controller 13 obtains information on the charge amount that can be charged in the first charging time. For example, the controller 13 selects the power to be supplied based on the specifications of the vehicle-side battery indicated by the battery information from the power that can be supplied by the charging equipment 10, calculates the charge amount that can be charged when the selected power is supplied for the second charging time, and obtains the SOC after charging the calculated charge amount as the charging information based on the current SOC. At this time, if the temperature information is higher than a predetermined value, the power (output voltage / output current) selected according to the temperature information is suppressed to a low value. Note that the relationship between the value indicated by the temperature information and the power to be selected may be obtained in advance by experiments or the like and stored in the memory 133. In this case, in step S60, the controller 13 obtains the upper limit value of the power corresponding to the temperature information from the memory 133 and uses it to calculate the charge amount.

[0034] In step S70, the controller 13 obtains information (hereinafter also referred to as reason information) indicating the reason why the charge amount obtained in step S60 has become the value, according to the value of the charge amount obtained in step S60. The reason information is information indicating the reason when the charge amount obtained in step S60 is lower than the charge amount (theoretical value) that should be charged when charging is performed for the second charging time with maximum power (output voltage / output current), for example, when the supply power is limited due to high temperature, when the SOH of the battery is low, and when charging cannot be performed sufficiently. The charger 11 may store in the memory 133 a database in which conditions for low charge amount, such as when the temperature is high, when the SOH of the battery is low, and when the number of simultaneous charging is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, are associated with the reason information for each case, and obtain from the memory 133 the reason information associated with the conditions satisfied by the obtained charging time, battery information, temperature information, and information such as the charging capacity of the charging equipment 10, etc. (hereinafter also referred to as obtained information). In addition, if the value of the charge amount calculated in step S60 is close to the theoretical value, if the obtained information does not fall under any restrictive conditions, or if the SOC is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 80%), the process of calculating the reason information in step S70 may be omitted.

[0035] In step S80, the controller 13 displays on the display device inquiry information inquiring of the user whether or not to charge, in addition to the charging information obtained in step S60 and the reason information obtained in step S70. That is, the controller 13 displays a predicted state after charging using the charging information and the reason information, and prompts the user to select whether or not to charge. FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing display examples of an inquiry screen including the charging information, the reason information, and the inquiry information. In the example of FIGS. 6 and 7, the charging time 70, the output voltage 71, the output current 72, the predicted charging amount 73, the SOC 74, the reason information 75, the inquiry information 76, the button (icon) 77 for charging, the button (icon) 78 for not charging, and the usage fee 79 are displayed on the display device. The charging time 70 is, for example, the second charging time accepted in step S40. Note that the charging time 70 to be displayed is not limited to only the second charging time, and the second charging time may be displayed together with the first charging time, such as "second charging time / first charging time". 6 shows a case where the first charging time is 30 minutes and the second charging time is 20 minutes. The output voltage 71 is, for example, the value of the voltage that is actually output when charging (actual output voltage value). Note that the displayed output voltage 71 is not limited to only the actual output voltage value, and the maximum output voltage value may be displayed together with the actual output voltage value, such as "actual output voltage value / maximum output voltage value." In FIG. 7, the actual output voltage value is 250V and the maximum output voltage value 7 shows a case where the output voltage is 500V. The output current 72 is a value of a current that is actually output when, for example, charging is performed (actual output current value). The output current 72 displayed is not limited to only the actual output current value, and the maximum output current value may be displayed together with the actual output current value, such as "actual output current value / maximum output current value". FIG. 7 shows a case where the actual output current value is 50A and the maximum output current value is 125A. This allows the user to understand to what extent the output voltage value and output current value during charging are limited, compared to the maximum output voltage value and maximum output current value when not limited. The user judges whether or not to charge by looking at the displayed information, and selects the YES button 77 if charging is to be performed, and selects the NO button 78 if charging is not to be performed. The controller 13 may display the inquiry screen not only on the display device of the charger 11, but also on the display device of the vehicle by transmitting it to the in-vehicle device 30. In this case, the user may select whether or not to charge to the in-vehicle device 30, and the result of this selection may be transmitted from the in-vehicle device 30 to the controller 13 of the charger 11. This allows a user in the vehicle 20 to select charging. The display device on the vehicle side that displays the inquiry screen may be a display device integrated with the in-vehicle device 30, a display device arranged in a meter panel, or a HUD (Head-Up Display).

[0036] In step S90, the controller 13 determines whether or not charging has been selected, and if the determination is negative, the process in Fig. 4 ends, and if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S100. In step S100, the controller 13 starts charging.

[0037] For example, as shown in Fig. 6, if there are no restrictions on charging and a high SOC can be obtained after charging, the user can decide to charge now (select the YES button 77). Also, as shown in Fig. 7, if the output voltage and output current are suppressed due to high temperature and the SOC after charging is low, the user can decide not to charge now (select the NO button 78) and to wait until the temperature drops or to find charging equipment that is less affected by temperature.

[0038] <Effects of the embodiment> In the charging control system 100 of this embodiment, before starting charging, the charging control device calculates information on the amount of charge that can be charged in one charging time based on the charging time, information on the battery, and the charging capacity of the charging equipment, and displays the information on the display device. In this way, the charging control device of this embodiment presents information that serves as a basis for deciding whether or not to charge to the user before starting charging, allowing the user to appropriately decide whether or not to charge.

[0039] In this embodiment, the information on the charge amount includes the amount of power to be supplied when charging is performed within the charging time and the charge state to be reached. As a result, the charge control device of this embodiment presents the amount of power to be supplied and the charge state to be reached to the user before starting charging, as information for determining whether or not to charge, so that the user can appropriately determine whether or not to charge.

[0040] In this embodiment, the information about the battery includes the maximum capacity of the battery and the current state of charge (SOC). This allows the charge control device of this embodiment to display the SOC after charging, and to provide the user with easy-to-understand information for deciding whether or not to charge.

[0041] In this embodiment, the charging capacity of the charging facility includes information on the output voltage and the output current. As a result, the charging control device of this embodiment can calculate the amount of charge that can be charged based on the output voltage and the output current used for charging, and present the amount of charge to the user as a basis for decision.

[0042] In this embodiment, the controller 13 acquires temperature information indicating at least one of the temperature of the charging facility and the air temperature around the charging facility, and determines the charging time and the battery-related The charge control device calculates information on the amount of charge that can be charged within the time period for charging based on temperature information in addition to the information on the charging capacity of the charging equipment. As a result, even when the temperature of the charging equipment or the ambient air temperature is high and the power supply is limited, the charge control device of this embodiment can accurately calculate the amount of charge that can be charged and present this as information for deciding whether or not to charge.

[0043] In this embodiment, the controller 13 causes the display device to display inquiry information inquiring of the user as to whether or not to charge, together with information on the charge amount that can be charged within the charging time. In this way, the charge control device of this embodiment can make it possible to select whether or not to charge, depending on the charge amount that can be charged.

[0044] In this embodiment, the controller 13 causes the display device to display information on the charge amount as well as information on the reason why the charge amount has reached that value according to the value of the charge amount. In this way, when charging is restricted due to the temperature or the state of the battery, the charge control device of this embodiment displays the reason, allowing the user to determine whether or not to charge based on the reason.

[0045] In this embodiment, the controller 13 causes the display device to display the usage fee for the charging facility, including the cost of charging. In this way, the charging control device of this embodiment presents the usage fee together with the amount of charge that can be charged to the user, allowing the user to determine whether or not to charge based on the cost performance.

[0046] In this embodiment, the controller 13 displays a graph of the charge amount versus the charge time on the display device, and obtains the time selected by the user on the graph as the charge time. In this way, the charge control device of this embodiment presents the relationship between the charge time and the charge amount to the user in a graph, allowing the user to appropriately determine how long to charge.

[0047] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment described above, after the user connects the charging cable 12 of the charger 11 to the vehicle 20, the controller 13 communicates with the in-vehicle device 30 via the charging cable 12, but in this embodiment, the controller 13 communicates with the in-vehicle device 30 via a wireless communication line. Since other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same elements are given the same reference numerals and will not be described again. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a connection configuration between the charger 11 and the vehicle 20 in the second embodiment, and Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a sequence of a charging control method executed by the controller 13 and the in-vehicle device 30 in the second embodiment.

[0048] In the charging control system 100A of this embodiment, the charger 11 and the in-vehicle device 30 communicate with each other via a wireless communication line 81 such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) or Bluetooth. Therefore, when the vehicle 20 arrives at the charging facility 10 and enters the communication range of the wireless communication line 81, communication can be performed before connecting the charging cable 12. In other words, the process in FIG. 9 can be started without the user getting off the vehicle.

[0049] In step S10, the controller 13 of the charging equipment 10 reads out and acquires the charging time (first charging time) from the memory 133.

[0050] In step S20A, the controller 13 requests battery information from the in-vehicle device 30 via the wireless IF 52. In step S25, the in-vehicle device 30 acquires battery information such as the current SOC and battery temperature and transmits it to the controller. In this way, the controller 13 acquires the battery information.

[0051] In step S30A, the controller 13 memorizes a graph of the charge amount versus the charge time. The information is acquired from the remote control 133 and transmitted to the in-vehicle device 30.

[0052] In step S35, the control unit 332 of the in-vehicle device 30 causes the display device to display the graph of the charge amount received as shown in FIG. 5. The user understands the charge amount versus the charge time from the displayed graph 60, and inputs the desired charge time. In step S37, the in-vehicle device 30 transmits the charge time (second charge time) input by the user to the charger 11.

[0053] In step S40A, the controller 13 acquires the charging time (second charging time) from the in-vehicle device 30.

[0054] The processes of steps S50 to S70 are similar to those of Fig. 4. In step S80A, the controller 13 transmits to the in-vehicle device 30 inquiry information inquiring of the user as to whether or not to perform charging, in addition to the charging information obtained in step S60 and the reason information obtained in step S70.

[0055] In step S85, the in-vehicle device 30 displays the information (inquiry screen) received from the charger 11 on a display device on the vehicle side as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. The display device on the vehicle side that displays the inquiry screen may be a display device integrated with the in-vehicle device 30, a display device arranged in a meter panel, or a HUD (Head-Up Display).

[0056] In step S87, the in-vehicle device 30 transmits to the charger 11 the result of the user's selection as to whether or not to perform charging.

[0057] In step S90A, the controller 13 determines whether or not charging has been selected, and if the determination is negative, the process of FIG. 9 is terminated, whereas if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S100A.

[0058] A user who selects to charge the vehicle gets off the vehicle 20 and connects the charging cable 12. The controller 13 detects that the charging cable 12 is connected and starts charging in step S100A. Note that communication between the charger 11 and the in-vehicle device 30 is not limited to a short-range wireless communication line, and the charger 11 in a remote location and the in-vehicle device 30 may communicate with each other using a mobile phone line or the like.

[0059] As described above, the controller 13 of this embodiment obtains battery information from the in-vehicle device through wireless communication. The controller 13 of this embodiment also transmits information related to the charge amount to the in-vehicle device 30 through wireless communication, and causes the information to be displayed on the display device on the vehicle side connected to the in-vehicle device 30. As a result, the charger (charging control device) 11 of this embodiment communicates with the in-vehicle device 30 through a wireless communication line before connecting the charging cable 12, and causes the display device on the vehicle side to display information related to the charge amount that can be charged in one charging. This allows the user to appropriately determine whether or not to charge while remaining in the vehicle 20.

[0060] <Third embodiment> In the first embodiment described above, the controller 13 of the charging facility 10 executes the charging control method, such as obtaining charging information, but in this embodiment, the control unit 332 of the in-vehicle device 30 executes the charging control method. Since other configurations are the same as those in the second embodiment, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described again. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a sequence of processes executed by the in-vehicle device 30 and the controller 13 during charging in this embodiment.

[0061] In this embodiment, the charger 11 and the in-vehicle device 30 transmit and receive information via a wireless communication line. Therefore, communication between the charger 11 and the in-vehicle device 30 can be performed without being connected by the charging cable 12. In addition, the in-vehicle device 30 is not limited to a configuration in which it directly communicates with the charger 11, and may be configured to acquire information about charging facilities from a server that aggregates information about charging facilities in various locations and execute the charging processing method.

[0062] In step S110, the control unit 332 of the in-vehicle device 30 requests the charger 11 for the charging time (first charging time) via the wireless IF 52. In step S115, the controller 13 of the charger 11 transmits the first charging time to the in-vehicle device 30. As a result, the in-vehicle device 30 acquires the first charging time.

[0063] In step S120, the control unit 332 acquires battery information. The control unit 332 may acquire the battery information directly via the input / output IF 334, or may acquire the battery information from a CCU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls charging and discharging of the battery.

[0064] In step S130, the control unit 332 requests the charger 11 to provide a graph of the charge amount versus charging time. At that time, the control unit 332 also transmits the battery information acquired in step S120 to the charger 11. In step S135, the charger 11 transmits a graph of the charge amount versus charging time according to the battery information to the in-vehicle device 30. The in-vehicle device 30 receives this graph and displays it on the vehicle-side display device as shown in FIG.

[0065] By displaying the graph 60 on the display device, the user can know how much charge will be achieved depending on how long charging is performed. Therefore, the user can know the charge amount versus the charging time from the graph 60 and input the desired charging time.

[0066] In step S140, the control unit 332 accepts an input of a charging time (second charging time) by the user. For example, when the user touches a position PX on the solid line 61 where charging is to end in the graph 60 on the display device, a value TX on the time axis corresponding to this position PX is input to the control unit 332 as the second charging time.

[0067] In step S150, the control unit 332 acquires temperature information indicating the air temperature around the charging equipment 10 from the charger 11. Note that the temperature information is not limited to the ambient air temperature, and may be the temperature of the charging equipment 10, for example, the temperature of devices constituting the charging equipment 10, such as the charger 11, a transformer, and a power source.

[0068] In step S155, the control unit 332 requests information indicating the charging capacity of the charging equipment 10 (charging capacity information) from the charger 11. In step S157, the charger 11 transmits the charging capacity information to the in-vehicle device 30.

[0069] In step S160, the control unit 332 obtains information (charging information) regarding the amount of charge that can be charged in the second charging time, based on the charging information, charging time, battery information, and temperature information obtained from the charger 11. If the second charging time is not input in step S140, the control unit 332 obtains information regarding the amount of charge that can be charged in the first charging time.

[0070] In step S170, the control unit 332 obtains reason information indicating the reason for the value of the charge amount obtained in step S160, depending on the value of the charge amount obtained in step S160. The in-vehicle device 30 may store in the memory 333 a database in which conditions for low charge amount, such as when the temperature is high, when the SOH of the battery is low, or when the number of simultaneous charges is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, are associated with reason information for each case, and obtain from the memory 333 the reason information associated with the conditions satisfied by the obtained information (obtained information) such as the charging time, battery information, temperature information, and charging capacity of the charging equipment 10, etc.

[0071] In step S180, the control unit 332 displays, on the display device, inquiry information inquiring of the user as to whether or not to charge, in addition to the charging information obtained in step S160 and the reason information obtained in step S170, as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. The user looks at the displayed information and determines whether or not to charge, and selects the YES button 77 if charging will be performed, or the NO button 78 if charging will not be performed.

[0072] In step S190, the control unit 332 transmits the user's selection result, i.e., whether or not charging is to be performed, to the charger 11. The controller 13, which has received the selection result indicating that charging is to be performed, prepares for charging (step S200). For example, the controller 13 may register a plan to charge during the second charging time in the schedule and perform control so as not to accept other plans during this time. If the vehicle 20 is located away from the charging equipment 10, the controller 13 may obtain the arrival time from the in-vehicle device 30 and register a plan to charge during the second charging time from the arrival time. If the controller 13 receives a selection result indicating that charging is not to be performed, the controller 13 ends the process without executing the processes from step S200 onwards.

[0073] A user who selects to charge the vehicle gets out of the vehicle 20 and connects the charging cable 12. In step S210, the controller 13 determines whether the charging cable 12 is connected, and if it determines that the charging cable 12 is connected (S210, YES), the process proceeds to step S220 and charging is started.

[0074] In the charging control system 100 of this embodiment, before starting charging, the in-vehicle device 30 calculates information on the amount of charge that can be charged in one charging time based on the charging time, information on the battery, and the charging capacity of the charging facility, and displays the information on the display device. In this way, the in-vehicle device 30 of this embodiment presents the user with information that is used to determine whether or not to charge before starting charging, allowing the user to appropriately determine whether or not to charge.

[0075] <Additional Note> The technology of the present disclosure may have the following configuration. [Appendix 1] A charging control device including a controller that controls a charging facility that charges a battery mounted on a vehicle, The controller: Get the time to charge, acquiring information about the battery from an in-vehicle device mounted in the vehicle; Calculating information regarding an amount of charge that can be performed during the charging time based on the time for performing the charging, information regarding the battery, and a charging capacity of the charging facility; Displaying information about the charged amount on a display device. Charging control device.

[0076] [Appendix 2] 2. The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the charge amount includes an amount of power supplied when charging is performed for the charging time and a charge state to be reached. It is information.

[0077] [Appendix 3] 3. The charging control device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the battery includes a maximum capacity and a current charging state of the battery.

[0078] [Appendix 4] 4. The charging control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charging capacity of the charging facility includes information on an output voltage and an output current.

[0079] [Appendix 5] The controller: acquiring temperature information indicating at least one of a temperature of the charging facility and an air temperature around the charging facility; Calculating information regarding a charge amount that can be charged during the charging time based on the time for charging, information regarding the battery, the charging capacity of the charging facility, and the temperature information. 5. A charging control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

[0080] [Appendix 6] The charge control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, wherein the controller displays, on a display device, inquiry information inquiring of a user as to whether or not to charge, together with information on an amount of charge that can be charged within the time period for charging.

[0081] [Appendix 7] 7. The charge control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the controller causes a display device to display, together with information about the charge amount, information indicating a reason why the charge amount has reached that value in accordance with the value of the charge amount.

[0082] [Appendix 8] 8. The charging control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the controller causes a display device to display a usage fee for the charging facility including a cost for the charging.

[0083] [Appendix 9] The charging control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 8, wherein the controller transmits information regarding the charging amount to the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle via wireless communication and displays the information on a display device connected to the in-vehicle device.

[0084] [Appendix 10] 10. The charging control device according to claim 9, wherein the controller acquires information regarding the battery of the vehicle from the in-vehicle device via the wireless communication.

[0085] [Appendix 11] 11. The charge control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the controller displays a graph of a charge amount versus a charge time on a display device, and obtains a time selected by a user on the graph as a time to perform the charging.

[0086] <Other> The technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiment and the appended configurations can be combined as much as possible.

[0087] <Computer-readable recording medium> A program for causing a computer or other machine or device (hereinafter, referred to as a computer, etc.) to realize any of the above functions can be recorded on a recording medium readable by the computer, etc. Then, the computer, etc. can provide the function by reading and executing the program from the recording medium.

[0088] Here, a computer-readable recording medium refers to a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs through electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read by a computer. Examples of such recording media that can be removed from a computer include flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-R / Ws, DVDs, Blu-ray disks, DATs, 8mm tapes, and memory cards such as flash memory. Examples of recording media that are fixed to a computer include hard disks and ROMs (read-only memories). Furthermore, SSDs (Solid State Drives) are also recording media that can be removed from a computer, and can be read by a computer. The present invention can also be used as a recording medium fixed to a computer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1: Vehicle 10:Charging equipment 11:Charger 12: Charging cable 13: Controller 14: Power supply 20: Vehicle 21: Battery 22: Inlet section 30: In-vehicle device 60: Graph 61: Solid line 62: Message 63: Keypad 64: Message 71: Output voltage 72: Output current 73: Charge amount 75:Reason information 76: Inquiry information 81: Wireless communication line 100,100A:Charging control system 121: Charging plug 131: Connection bus 132: Control unit 133: Memory 134: Input / Output IF 135: Communication IF 331: Connection bus 332: Control unit 333: Memory 334: Input / Output IF 335: Communication IF

Claims

1. A charging control device including a controller that controls a charging facility that charges a battery mounted on a vehicle, The controller: Get the time to charge, acquiring information about the battery from an in-vehicle device mounted in the vehicle; Calculating information regarding an amount of charge that can be performed during the charging time based on the time for performing the charging, information regarding the battery, and a charging capacity of the charging facility; Displaying information about the charged amount on a display device. Charging control device.

2. The charge control device according to claim 1 , wherein the information about the charge amount includes an amount of power supplied when charging is performed for the charging time and a charge state to be reached. It is information.

3. The charge control device according to claim 1 , wherein the information about the battery includes a maximum capacity and a current charging state of the battery.

4. The charging control device according to claim 1 , wherein the charging capacity of the charging facility includes information on an output voltage and an output current.

5. The controller: acquiring temperature information indicating at least one of a temperature of the charging facility and an air temperature around the charging facility; Calculating information regarding a charge amount that can be charged during the charging time based on the time for charging, information regarding the battery, the charging capacity of the charging facility, and the temperature information. The charge control device according to claim 1 .

6. The charge control device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller causes a display device to display, together with information on the amount of charge that can be achieved within the time period for charging, inquiry information that inquires of a user as to whether or not to charge.

7. The charge control device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller causes a display device to display, together with the information on the charge amount, information indicating a reason why the charge amount has become the value in accordance with the value of the charge amount.

8. The charging control device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller causes a display device to display a usage fee for the charging facility including a cost for the charging.

9. The charging control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the controller transmits information regarding the charging amount to the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle via wireless communication and displays the information on a display device connected to the in-vehicle device.

10. The charging control device according to claim 9 , wherein the controller acquires information about the battery of the vehicle from the in-vehicle device through the wireless communication.

11. The charging control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the controller displays a graph of a charging amount versus charging time on a display device, and obtains a time selected by a user on the graph as a time to perform the charging.

12. An in-vehicle device that communicates with a charging facility that charges a battery mounted on a vehicle, Get the time to charge, obtaining information about the battery; Calculating information regarding an amount of charge that can be performed during the charging time based on the time for performing the charging, information regarding the battery, and a charging capacity of the charging facility; outputting information regarding the charge amount; In-vehicle device.

13. A charging control device for charging equipment that charges batteries mounted on vehicles. The controller Get the time to charge, acquiring information about the battery from an in-vehicle device mounted in the vehicle; Calculating information regarding an amount of charge that can be performed during the charging time based on the time for performing the charging, information regarding the battery, and a charging capacity of the charging facility; outputting information regarding the charge amount; Charging control method.

14. A charging control device for charging equipment that charges batteries mounted on vehicles. In the controller, Obtaining a time to charge; acquiring information about the battery from an in-vehicle device mounted in the vehicle; calculating information regarding an amount of charge that can be performed during the charging time based on the charging time, information regarding the battery, and a charging capacity of the charging facility; outputting information regarding the charge amount; A charging control program for executing the above.

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