Charging system and charging method

Abstract

To provide a charging system and a charging method capable of presenting a charging pattern taking into account the degree of deterioration of a secondary battery when it is necessary to charge the secondary battery faster than usual.SOLUTION: A charging system includes a control unit 11. When it is predicted to perform charging of a secondary battery at a charging spot, the control unit 11 predicts a first charging time, which is the time required to charge the secondary battery at a first charging speed, and a second charging time, which is required when the secondary battery is charged at a second charging speed faster than the first charging speed. The control unit 11 presents at least one charging pattern that minimizes deterioration of the secondary battery to a minimum, among a plurality of charging patterns each corresponding to a plurality of charging times set between the first charging time and the second charging time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging system and a charging method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for controlling charging by optimizing the charging speed and charging amount so that a necessary and sufficient amount of power is stored by the required departure time when charging the battery of an electric vehicle used for a trip. In this technology, the charging speed is determined based on the degree of battery deterioration. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-090360 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when away from home, such as when on a trip, there is a strong desire to charge the secondary battery, which is the battery to be charged, faster than usual, for example by quickly charging it. However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, although charging control is performed to optimize the charging taking into account the deterioration of the secondary battery, this control is performed only before departure, so it is not possible to optimize the charging control when away from home. Moreover, this problem is not limited to when away from home, but can occur in any situation where there is a desire to charge faster than usual.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-described actual situation, and provides a charging system and a charging method that can present a charging pattern that takes into account the degree of deterioration of a secondary battery in situations where there is a desire to charge the secondary battery faster than usual. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The charging system of the present disclosure is equipped with a control unit that, when charging of a secondary battery at a charging spot is predicted, predicts a first charging time, which is the time required to charge the secondary battery at a first charging rate, and a second charging time, which is the time required to charge the secondary battery at a second charging rate faster than the first charging rate, and presents at least one charging pattern that minimizes deterioration of the secondary battery, out of a plurality of charging patterns corresponding to a plurality of charging times set between the first charging time and the second charging time.

[0007] In the charging method disclosed herein, when a computer predicts that charging of a secondary battery will be performed at a charging spot, the computer predicts a first charging time, which is the time required to charge the secondary battery at a first charging rate, and a second charging time, which is the time required to charge the secondary battery at a second charging rate that is faster than the first charging rate, and presents at least one charging pattern that minimizes deterioration of the secondary battery among a plurality of charging patterns corresponding to a plurality of charging times set between the first charging time and the second charging time. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a charging system and a charging method that can present a charging pattern that takes into account the degree of deterioration of a secondary battery in situations where there is a desire to charge the secondary battery faster than usual. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a charging system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1. FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining an example of a charging pattern presentation process in the charging system of FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing an example of correlation information used in the charging system of FIG. 1; [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a presentation image presented by the charging system of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5]FIG. 11 is a flow chart for explaining an example of a charging pattern presentation process in the charging system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a flow diagram for explaining an example of a charging pattern calculation process in the charging pattern presentation process of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) First, an example of a charging system according to the first embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as the present system) will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the present system.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the system 1 can include a charged device 10 equipped with a secondary battery 12 and one or more charging spots 20. Hereinafter, the secondary battery 12 is referred to as a battery 12. The secondary battery 12 is mounted in the charged device 10 so as to be detachable by a user, or is mounted so as not to be detachable by a user. The charged device 10 is described below on the assumption that it is an electric vehicle, but may be various devices such as an electric motorcycle, an electrically assisted bicycle, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a portable PC (Personal Computer). The charging spot 20 is installed in, for example, a public facility or a commercial facility, and is a device capable of charging the battery 12 of the charged device 10. Of course, the charging system according to the present embodiment can also be configured only with the charged device 10 that can be charged at the charging spot 20.

[0013] The charged device 10 may include, for example, a control unit 11 for controlling the entire device, a connection unit 13 for connecting the battery 12 and the charging spot 20, a display unit 14 configured with a display device or the like, an input unit 15 configured with a touch sensor, hardware keys, or the like, and a storage unit 16. The charged device 10 includes a load that operates by receiving power from the battery 12.

[0014] The control unit 11 can be realized by a computer including, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a working memory, and a non-volatile storage device. A control program executed by the processor is stored in this storage device, and the processor reads the control program into the working memory and executes it, thereby enabling the control unit 11 to perform the functions described below. The storage device can also be the storage unit 16. Of course, the control unit 11 may be configured as a dedicated control circuit.

[0015] The charging spot 20 may include a control unit 21 that controls the entire charging spot 20, a connection unit 22, and a power source 23 that supplies power to the connection unit 22. The connection unit 22 is an interface that electrically connects to the battery 12 via the connection unit 13, and enables charging of the battery 12 by connecting between the connection unit 13 and the connection unit 22 via a wired cable. Of course, instead of using a wired cable, the connection unit 13 and the connection unit 22 may be configured to perform wireless power supply by an electromagnetic induction method, a magnetic field resonance method, an electric field coupling method, a microwave method, a laser method, or the like.

[0016] The function of the control unit 11 will be described. When charging of the battery 12 at the charging spot 20 is predicted, the control unit 11 executes the following prediction process and presentation process. The prediction process is a process for predicting a first charging time, which is the time required to charge the battery 12 at a first charging rate, and a second charging time, which is the time required to charge the battery 12 at a second charging rate that is faster than the first charging rate. The first charging time and the second charging time can be defined as the time required to complete charging in normal charging and quick charging, for example, a maximum charging time, a minimum charging time, etc., but are not limited to this.

[0017] The presentation process is a process of presenting at least a charging pattern that minimizes deterioration of the battery 12, among a plurality of charging patterns corresponding to a plurality of charging times set between the first charging time and the second charging time. The above-mentioned plurality of charging patterns may be a plurality of charging patterns in which charging is completed within the above-mentioned plurality of set charging times, but may also include a charging pattern that allows charging up to a charging capacity that can be used for a predetermined time or a predetermined distance, excluding the condition that charging is completed, and in that case, the charging capacity after charging may also be presented.

[0018] The presentation can be performed by at least one of the display unit 14 and an audio output unit (not shown). Each of the plurality of charging patterns may be a pattern in which the charging time is charged at a certain constant charging speed, or a pattern in which the charging speed is changed for each period into which the charging time is further divided, such as a period at a certain charging speed followed by a period at another charging speed.

[0019] By the above presentation, the above charging pattern can be proposed to the user of the charged device 10. The user of the charged device 10 inputs an operation indicating whether or not to accept the proposal from the input unit 15, and when the operation to accept the proposal is performed, charging is performed according to the charging pattern.

[0020] According to this embodiment, in a situation where there is a desire to charge the battery faster than usual, a charging pattern that takes into account the degree of battery deterioration can be presented.

[0021] Next, a processing example of the present system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a flow diagram for explaining an example of a charging pattern presentation process in the present charging system 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of correlation information used in the present system 1. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a presentation image presented by the present system 1.

[0022] First, the control unit 11 confirms that the battery 12 is connected to the charging spot 20 by performing a connection determination based on the connection state at the connection unit 13, etc. (step S1). Next, the control unit 11 identifies the charging spot 20 (step S2).

[0023] An example of the process of step S2 will be given. The charged device 10 may include a location information acquisition unit (not shown) that acquires location information indicating the location of the battery 12 or the location of the charging spot 20. The location information acquisition unit can acquire location information indicating the location of the battery 12 by acquiring location information indicating the location of the charged device 10 by, for example, a global navigation satellite system. Alternatively, the location information acquisition unit may acquire location information of the charging spot 20 from the connection unit 13 when the connection unit 13 is connected to the charging spot 20. Alternatively, the location information acquisition unit may acquire location information indicating the location of the charged device 10 by, for example, a global navigation satellite system, and access an information providing server or map data stored in the storage unit 16 via a communication unit (not shown). The map data may be data used in a navigation system. By such access, the location information acquisition unit may search for the charging spot 20 present at that location and acquire location information indicating the location of the charging spot 20. Then, when the battery 12 is electrically connected to the charging spot 20, the control unit 11 identifies the charging spot 20 based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit.

[0024] Hereinafter, the control unit 11 predicts that charging will be performed at the charging spot 20 identified as described above, and executes the prediction process and the presentation process. The prediction process and the presentation process do not have to be executed specifically for the identified charging spot 20, but may be executed for charging at the identified charging spot 20 as described here. This enables prediction and presentation that are specific to the identified charging spot 20. In fact, since it is expected that the charging performance of each charging spot 20 is originally different or that it differs due to deterioration over time or maintenance status, it can be said that such prediction and presentation are beneficial.

[0025] Next, the control unit 11 acquires the SOC (State Of Charge) and temperature from, for example, the control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the battery 12 (step S3). The acquired SOC is an index representing the current charging rate or charging state, and is a value indicating the current charging capacity. The acquired temperature may be the environmental temperature around the battery 12, or may be the temperature of the battery 12. For example, since there is a correlation between capacity and voltage, the battery capacity (SOC) can be estimated from the voltage measurement results, but the method for estimating the battery capacity is not limited to this.

[0026] Next, the control unit 11 estimates the maximum charging time P when charging is performed at that charging spot 20 (step S4). For example, if charging has been performed at that charging spot 20 in the past, the control unit 11 estimates the maximum charging time P by referring to the charging time, or by performing an analysis using big data on that charging spot 20 or its attributes. The attributes may refer to, for example, the type of facility installed, such as a highway or a shopping mall, the type of charging spot 20, etc.

[0027] Furthermore, the control unit 11 estimates the minimum charging time Q when charging is performed at the charging spot 20 (step S5). The control unit 11 acquires the minimum charging time Q, which is determined from, for example, the SOC and temperature of the battery 12, as an estimated value from the system of the charged device 10, in this example, from the vehicle system. The estimation process example in step S4 can also be applied as an alternative process or additional process in step S5, and the estimation process example in step S5 can also be applied as an alternative process or additional process in step S4. The order of steps S4 and S5 does not matter.

[0028] The control unit 11 selects multiple charging times X such that P>X>Q (step S6). The control unit 11 may select multiple charging times X by equally dividing the period between Q and P into a predetermined number of parts or by dividing it at a predetermined interval. For example, when P=60 (min) and Q=30 (min), the control unit 11 may select X=40, 50 (min). When dividing at a predetermined interval, at least one of the first and last parts may be longer or shorter than the above-mentioned predetermined interval.

[0029] In this example, P is the maximum charging time and Q is the minimum charging time, so P>Q. However, if this definition is not adopted, P as the first charging time may be equal to or less than Q as the second charging time depending on the estimation method. In that case, multiple charging times X may be selected as charging times such that Q>X>P, or X may not be selected at all and processing may be performed only for P and Q thereafter.

[0030] Next, the control unit 11 acquires correlation information 17 indicating the correlation between the charging rate and the deterioration rate at each temperature and each SOC in the battery 12 from the storage unit 16 (step S7). The storage unit 16 storing the correlation information 17 may be a storage unit included in the vehicle system. The correlation information 17 may include, for each charging rate, a correlation map 30 indicating the correlation between the deterioration rate at each temperature and each SOC for a certain charging rate, as shown in FIG. 3, for example. The correlation map 30 in FIG. 3 indicates a correlation map of the deterioration rate for a charging rate corresponding to charging at a current of 100A, and indicates that, for example, when the SOC is 50% and the temperature is 20°C at a charging rate of 100A, the deterioration rate is 2.0. In the correlation map 30, an example is given in which the deterioration rate is indicated by a value in which the larger the numerical value, the greater the degree of deterioration.

[0031] In this way, the control unit 11 can refer to the correlation information between the charging rate and the deterioration rate at the current temperature of the battery 12 and the current charge capacity of the battery 12, which is stored for each of a plurality of charging rates set between the first charging rate and the second charging rate. Then, the control unit 11 may determine the charging pattern to be presented based on the correlation map 30, as described later.

[0032] Following step S7, the control unit 11 calculates a charging pattern that minimizes deterioration among the charging times P, Q, and X (step S8). In this example, the multiple charging patterns are a charging pattern corresponding to the maximum charging time P and the minimum charging time Q, and one or more charging patterns corresponding to one or more charging times X. However, the charging pattern corresponding to the maximum charging time P and the minimum charging time Q may be excluded because it is an extreme pattern. For example, the control unit 11 first calculates a combination pattern of charging speeds that minimizes deterioration speed from the correlation information 17 for each of the charging times P, Q, and X. The pattern that minimizes deterioration for a certain charging time can be calculated as a combination that minimizes the sum of the numerical values ​​indicated by the correlation information 17, for example, 100A from the start of charging to 1 minute, 100A from 1 minute to 2 minutes, and 80A from 2 minutes to 3 minutes. Then, the control unit 11 may determine the charging pattern in which deterioration is minimal among the patterns in which deterioration is minimal corresponding to each of the charging times P, Q, and X as the charging pattern of the calculation result.

[0033] The control unit 11 presents the charging pattern calculated to minimize deterioration to the user (step S9), and ends the process. When presenting the charging pattern, it is preferable to include information indicating the charging time and the deterioration amount. After that, charging can be performed according to the charging pattern accepted by the user.

[0034] In step S8, the control unit 11 may present, among the above-mentioned multiple charging patterns, a charging pattern in which the degree of deterioration of the battery 12 is equal to or less than a predetermined degree. At this time, for each of the corresponding charging patterns, information including the degree of deterioration of the battery and the charging time is presented. For example, the control unit 11 may display a presentation image 40 shown in FIG. 4 on the display unit 14. The presentation image 40 includes at least a recommended pattern 41 with the smallest degree of deterioration among the charging times that satisfy the condition of being equal to or less than a predetermined degree. Furthermore, the presentation image 40 may include a balanced pattern 42 that is determined to be the best balanced based on a predetermined condition among the charging times that satisfy the condition of being equal to or less than a predetermined degree, and a fastest pattern 43 with the largest degree of deterioration. Here, each of the patterns 41 to 43 is displayed including an index indicating the degree of deterioration and information indicating the charging time. For example, the index can be a sum of the numerical values ​​indicated by the correlation information 17 described above. In this example, the recommended pattern 41 is a charging pattern corresponding to the maximum charging time P. By adopting such a presentation method, the user can select and perform charging from among charging patterns in which the degree of deterioration is equal to or lower than a predetermined degree.

[0035] Furthermore, the charging patterns can be presented in an order recommended in consideration of the degree of deterioration, that is, in ascending order of the degree of deterioration, as exemplified by presentation image 40. For example, when the degree of deterioration is defined as levels 1 to 5 in ascending order of deterioration, the charging patterns can be presented as follows. That is, control unit 11 can present the charging patterns in the order of recommendation, such as a first charging pattern with a charging time of 30 minutes at level 1, which is the least deteriorated, a second charging pattern with a charging time of 20 minutes at level 2, which is the next least deteriorated, a third charging pattern with a charging time of 5 minutes at level 5, which is the most deteriorated, and so on.

[0036] The present embodiment has been described above. In the present system 1, in a situation where there is a desire to charge the battery 12 faster than usual, such as when going out, a charging pattern that takes into account the degree of deterioration of the battery 12 can be presented to the user. That is, in the present system 1, a charging pattern that has little effect on the battery 12 can be selected from a plurality of charging patterns including rapid charging and presented to the user, and, for example, a proposal to optimize rapid charging while going out can be made to the user. For example, the time required for rapid charging during a trip varies greatly depending on the attributes of the charging location. More specifically, a user can tolerate a longer charging time at a shopping mall than at a service area on a highway. In the present system 1, as in this example, a rapid charging pattern that takes into account deterioration and is adapted to the situation in which the user of the charged device 10 is placed can be presented. Therefore, in the present system 1, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the charging time is uniquely determined and unnecessary rapid charging causes deterioration of the battery.

[0037] In the above description, it is assumed that there is one charging pattern that minimizes deterioration, and that the one charging pattern corresponds to one of the multiple charging times set for the first charging time and the second charging time. However, the control unit 11 may calculate a charging pattern that minimizes deterioration for each charging time, and present the charging pattern that minimizes deterioration for each charging time.

[0038] (Embodiment 2) The second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a flow diagram for explaining an example of a charging pattern presentation process in a charging system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 6 is a flow diagram for explaining an example of a charging pattern calculation process in the charging pattern presentation process of Fig. 5. The charging system according to the second embodiment is different in control content from the present system 1 of Fig. 1, but will be described with reference to Fig. 1 for convenience. The various examples explained in the first embodiment can also be applied to the second embodiment.

[0039] In this embodiment, the charged device 10 includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the battery 12 as described above. Then, the control unit 11 searches for candidates for charging spots 20 that can be reached with the current charging capacity of the battery 12 and that can charge the battery 12 based on the location information. The search may be performed by referring to the map data described above. In addition, in the search, for example, information such as the congestion status of each charging spot 20 may also be acquired, and charging spots 20 whose congestion status is below a predetermined level may be the search result. Furthermore, the control unit 11 performs prediction of the first charging time and the second charging time for each candidate, and presents a charging pattern that is at least the minimum.

[0040] An example of such a charging pattern presentation process will be described. First, the control unit 11 acquires the position and SOC of the battery 12 (step S11). Candidates for reachable charging spots 20 where charging is possible are searched for (step S12). Next, the control unit 11 designates one undesignated candidate to be processed based on the search result (step S13), and executes a charging pattern calculation process for the designated candidate (step S14). In step S14, the control unit 11 predicts the SOC and temperature when the candidate is reached (step S21), and executes the same processes as steps S4 to S8 in FIG. 2 for the candidate (steps S22 to S26).

[0041] After the process of step S14, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the processing of all candidates has been completed (step S15), and if NO, returns to step S13. If YES in step S15, the control unit 11 presents the charging pattern calculated for each candidate to the user (step S16), and judges whether or not a candidate has been selected from the input unit 15 (step S17). If NO in step S17, the control unit 11 ends the process. If YES in step S17, the control unit 11 uses a navigation system or the like to guide the user to the selected candidate charging spot 20, and charges according to the calculated charging pattern when connected to the charging spot 20 (step S18), and ends the process.

[0042] By the control unit 11 performing such control, the present system 1 can present candidates for charging spots 20 in advance, for example, before arriving at the charging spot 20, while taking into consideration the degree of deterioration of each candidate.

[0043] Furthermore, in this example, the control unit 11 predicts the charging capacity at the time of arriving at each candidate and starting charging, for example, according to the distance, the congestion level, etc., in order to take into consideration that the current charging capacity is reduced by a different amount depending on the candidate due to power consumption during movement. Then, the control unit 11 can perform the prediction process and the presentation process based on the charging capacity.

[0044] Also in this example, the prediction process and the presentation process may be executed so as to obtain the same result regardless of the charging performance of the charging spot 20, but may be executed for charging at each candidate charging spot 20. This allows prediction and presentation specialized for each candidate, taking into account the charging performance of each candidate.

[0045] Moreover, the above-mentioned program includes a set of instructions (or software code) for making the computer perform one or more functions described in the embodiment when the program is read into the computer. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, the computer-readable medium or the tangible storage medium includes random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, the transitory computer-readable medium or the communication medium includes electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagating signals.

[0046] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, a learning model obtained by machine learning can be used to determine the charging pattern to be presented in the prediction process or the presentation process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Charging system, 10 Charged device, 11, 21 Control unit, 12 Secondary battery (battery), 13, 22 Connection unit, 14 Display unit, 15 Input unit, 16 Memory unit, 17 Correlation information, 20 Charging spot, 23 Power source

Claims

1. When it is predicted that charging of the secondary battery will be performed at the charging spot, predicting a first charging time, which is a time required to charge the secondary battery at a first charging rate, and a second charging time, which is a time required to charge the secondary battery at a second charging rate that is faster than the first charging rate; a control unit that presents at least one charging pattern that minimizes deterioration of the secondary battery among a plurality of charging patterns corresponding to a plurality of charging times set between the first charging time and the second charging time. Equipped with a charging system.

2. the control unit presents information including a degree of deterioration of the secondary battery and a charging time for a charging pattern in which a degree of deterioration of the secondary battery is equal to or lower than a predetermined degree among the plurality of charging patterns. The charging system of claim 1 .

3. a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of the secondary battery or the charging spot, the control unit, when the secondary battery is electrically connected to the charging spot, identifies the charging spot based on the position information, predicts that charging will be performed at the identified charging spot, predicts the first charging time and the second charging time, and presents a charging pattern in which at least the first charging time and the second charging time are minimized.

3. The charging system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of the secondary battery, the control unit searches for candidates for charging spots that can be reached with a current charging capacity of the secondary battery and that can charge the secondary battery based on the position information, and predicts the first charging time and the second charging time for each of the candidates to present a charging pattern that at least minimizes the first charging time and the second charging time.

3. The charging system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The computer When it is predicted that charging of the secondary battery will be performed at the charging spot, predicting a first charging time, which is a time required to charge the secondary battery at a first charging rate, and a second charging time, which is a time required to charge the secondary battery at a second charging rate that is faster than the first charging rate; presenting at least one charging pattern that minimizes deterioration of the secondary battery among a plurality of charging patterns corresponding to a plurality of charging times set between the first charging time and the second charging time; Charging method.

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