Non-contact power supply system, server, and non-contact power supply method

Abstract

To make it possible to appropriately perform non-contact power supply to mobile bodies that have a high need for power supply while appropriately maintaining a balance between power demand and supply.SOLUTION: A non-contact power supply system 100 includes a mobile body 3, a ground power supply device 2 configured to be able to perform non-contact power supply to the mobile body 3, and a server 1 configured to be able to communicate with each of the mobile body 3 and the ground power supply device 2. The server 1 sets a system usage price of the non-contact power supply system 100 based on power demand, and, when it is confirmed that the mobile body 3 intends to use the non-contact power supply system at the system usage price, transmits necessary information for non-contact power supply to the mobile body 3 whose use intention is confirmed and the ground power supply device 2 so that non-contact power supply can be performed to the mobile body 3 whose use intention is confirmed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a contactless power supply system, a server, and a contactless power supply method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless power supply system that transmits power wirelessly from a ground power supply device installed on the ground to a traveling vehicle using transmission methods such as magnetic field coupling (electromagnetic induction), electric field coupling, magnetic field resonant coupling (magnetic resonance), and electric field resonant coupling (electric field resonance). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-157686 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to stably supply electricity to the market, it is necessary to appropriately maintain the balance between supply and demand of electricity. When the supply of electricity is insufficient relative to the demand for electricity or when a shortage is expected, if electricity is supplied by wireless power supply to all vehicles that wish to use wireless power supply, it may become difficult to appropriately maintain the balance between supply and demand. Therefore, in such a case, it is necessary to be able to appropriately supply wireless power to mobile bodies that have a high need for power supply.

[0005] The present invention has been made with attention to such problems, and aims to enable appropriate contactless power supply to mobile bodies in high need of power supply while maintaining an appropriate balance between power supply and demand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a contactless power supply system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a mobile body, a ground power supply device configured to be able to supply power to the mobile body in a contactless manner, and a server configured to be able to communicate with each of the mobile body and the ground power supply device. The server is configured to set a system usage price of the contactless power supply system based on power demand, and when an intention of the mobile body to use the contactless power supply system at the system usage price is confirmed, to transmit information required for contactless power supply to the mobile body and the ground power supply device whose intention to use has been confirmed, so that contactless power can be supplied to the mobile body whose intention to use has been confirmed.

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, a server includes a processor and a communication unit that communicates with each of a mobile body and a ground power supply device configured to be able to supply power to the mobile body in a wireless manner. The processor is configured to set a system usage price of a contactless power supply system that supplies power to the mobile body in a wireless manner based on a power demand, and when an intention of the mobile body to use the contactless power supply system at the system usage price is confirmed, to transmit information required for contactless power supply to the mobile body and the ground power supply device whose intention to use has been confirmed, so that contactless power can be supplied to the mobile body whose intention to use has been confirmed.

[0008] In addition, a non-contact power supply method according to one aspect of the present invention is a non-contact power supply method for a non-contact power supply system including a mobile body, a ground power supply device configured to be able to perform contactless power supply to the mobile body, and a server configured to be able to communicate with each of the mobile body and the ground power supply device, the method including setting a system usage price of the non-contact power supply system based on electricity demand, confirming the intention of the mobile body to use the non-contact power supply system at the system usage price, and, when the intention of use is confirmed, transmitting information necessary for contactless power supply to the mobile body and the ground power supply device whose intention of use has been confirmed so that contactless power can be supplied to the mobile body whose intention of use has been confirmed. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to these aspects of the present invention, it is possible to supply power by wireless power supply to a mobile object that has confirmed its intention to use the system at a system usage price determined based on the power demand. As the system usage price increases, it is expected that mobile objects that have a low need for power supply will not wish to implement wireless power supply. Therefore, by setting an appropriate system usage price according to the power demand, it is possible to appropriately implement wireless power supply to mobile objects that have a high need for power supply while appropriately maintaining the power supply and demand balance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a contactless power supply system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a ground power feeding device and a vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the power transmission controller and devices connected to the power transmission controller. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the vehicle controller and devices connected to the vehicle controller. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating a method of supplying power by contactless power feeding according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating a method of supplying power by contactless power feeding according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a ground power supply device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, like elements are designated by like reference numerals.

[0012] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a contactless power supply system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The contactless power supply system 100 includes a server 1, a ground power supply device 2, and a vehicle 3, which is an example of a moving body, and is configured to be able to perform contactless power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to a traveling or parked vehicle 3 that has obtained permission to use the system, by magnetic field resonant coupling (magnetic field resonance). Note that FIG. 1 shows an example of an installation example of the ground power supply devices 2, in which the ground power supply devices 2 are continuously set at predetermined intervals along a road. In the following description, the road on which the ground power supply devices 2 are installed will be referred to as an "electrified road" as necessary.

[0014] In this specification, the term "driving" refers to a state in which the vehicle 3 is positioned on a road for driving. Therefore, the term "driving" includes not only a state in which the vehicle 3 is actually driving at any speed greater than zero, but also a state in which the vehicle 3 is stopped on the road, for example, while waiting for a traffic light.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the server 1 includes a server communication unit 11, a server storage unit 12, and a server processing unit 13.

[0016] The server communication unit 11 has a communication interface circuit for connecting the server 1 to the network 6, and is configured to be able to communicate with each of the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 via the network 6.

[0017] The server storage unit 12 has a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing by the server processing unit 13.

[0018] The server processing unit 13 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The server processing unit 13 executes various computer programs stored in the server storage unit 12 and centrally controls the overall operation of the server 1, and is, for example, a processor.

[0019] Next, configurations of the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configurations of the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 according to the present embodiment.

[0020] 2, the ground power supply device 2 includes a ground-side communication device 71, a power transmitting device 4, a power source 21, and a power transmission controller 22. The ground-side communication device 71, the power source 21, and the power transmission controller 22 may be embedded in the road, or may be located at a location other than the road (including on the ground).

[0021] The ground communication device 71 is configured to be able to communicate with the server 1 and the vehicle 3.

[0022] In this embodiment, the ground communication device 71 is configured to be able to connect to the network 6 via the wireless base station by accessing a wireless base station connected to the network 6 via a gateway or the like. This allows wide-area wireless communication between the ground communication device 71 and the server 1, and for example, various information required for contactless power supply to the vehicle 3 is exchanged. The wide-area wireless communication is a communication with a longer communication distance than the narrow-area wireless communication described later, and specifically, for example, a communication with a communication distance of 10 meters to 10 kilometers. As the wide-area wireless communication, various wireless communication with a long communication distance can be used, and for example, communication conforming to any communication standard such as 4G, LTE, 5G, WiMAX, etc. established by 3GPP and IEEE is used.

[0023] In this embodiment, the ground communication device 71 is configured to be able to directly perform short-range wireless communication with the vehicle communication device 72 mounted on the vehicle 3 by using a predetermined wireless communication line. The short-range wireless communication is communication with a shorter communication distance than the wide-area wireless communication, specifically, for example, communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters. As the short-range wireless communication, various short-distance wireless communication with a short communication distance can be used, for example, communication conforming to any communication standard (for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark)) established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. is used. In addition, as a technology for performing the short-range wireless communication, for example, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), DSRC (dedicated Short Range Communication), etc. are used.

[0024] The power source 21 supplies power to the power transmission device 4. The power source 21 is, for example, a commercial AC power source that supplies single-phase AC power. Note that the power source 21 may be another AC power source that supplies three-phase AC power, or may be a DC power source such as a fuel cell.

[0025] The power transmission device 4 transmits the power supplied from the power source 21 to the vehicle 3. The power transmission device 4 has a power transmission side rectifier circuit 41, an inverter 42, and a power transmission side resonant circuit 43. In the power transmission device 4, the AC power supplied from the power source 21 is rectified in the power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 and converted into a DC current, and the DC current is converted into AC power in the inverter 42. The AC power is supplied to the power transmission side resonant circuit 43.

[0026] The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 is electrically connected to the power source 21 and the inverter 42. The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 rectifies AC power supplied from the power source 21 and converts it into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the inverter 42. The power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 is, for example, an AC / DC converter.

[0027] The inverter 42 is electrically connected to the power transmitting side rectifier circuit 41 and the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43. The inverter 42 converts the DC power supplied from the power transmitting side rectifier circuit 41 into AC power (high frequency power) having a higher frequency than the AC power of the power source 21, and supplies the high frequency power to the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43.

[0028] The power transmission side resonant circuit 43 has a resonator composed of a coil 44 and a capacitor 45. Various parameters of the coil 44 and the capacitor 45 (such as the outer diameter and inner diameter of the coil 44, the number of turns of the coil 44, and the capacitance of the capacitor 45) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the power transmission side resonant circuit 43 becomes a predetermined set value. The predetermined set value is, for example, 10 [kHz] to 100 [GHz], and is preferably 85 [kHz], which is determined by the SAE TIR J2954 standard as a frequency band for contactless power transmission.

[0029] The power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 is disposed in the center of a lane on which the vehicle 3 passes so that the center of the coil 44 is located in the center of the lane. When high frequency power supplied from the inverter 42 is applied to the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 generates an AC magnetic field for power transmission. Note that when the power source 21 is a DC power source, the power transmitting side rectifier circuit 41 may be omitted.

[0030] The power transmission controller 22 performs various controls of the ground power supply device 2. For example, the power transmission controller 22 is electrically connected to an inverter 42 of the power transmission device 4, and controls the inverter 42 to control power transmission by the power transmission device 4. The power transmission controller 22 also communicates with the server 1 and the vehicle 3 via a ground-side communication device 71. Note that the power transmission controller 22 can directly communicate with the vehicle 3 via the ground-side communication device 71, or can indirectly communicate with the vehicle 3 via the server 1 from the ground-side communication device 71.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the power transmission controller 22 and devices connected to the power transmission controller 22. As shown in FIG.

[0032] The power transmission controller 22 includes a communication interface 221, a storage unit 222, and a power transmission processing unit 223. The communication interface 221, the storage unit 222, and the power transmission processing unit 223 are connected to each other via signal lines.

[0033] The communication interface 221 has an interface circuit for connecting the power transmission controller 22 to various devices (e.g., the inverter 42, the ground communication device 71, and a ground sensor 23 described later) constituting the ground power supply device 2. The power transmission controller 22 communicates with the various devices constituting the ground power supply device 2 via the communication interface 221.

[0034] The storage unit 222 has a storage medium such as an HDD, an SSD, an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing in the power transmission processing unit 223.

[0035] The power transmission processing unit 223 has one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The power transmission processing unit 223 executes various computer programs stored in the storage unit 222 and centrally controls the overall operation of the ground power supply device 2, and is, for example, a processor.

[0036] The ground side sensor 23 is connected to the power transmission controller 22. The ground side sensor 23 includes, for example, a power transmission device current sensor that detects a current flowing in various devices of the power transmission device 4 (particularly, the power transmission side resonant circuit 43, the inverter 42, and the power transmission side rectifier circuit 41), a power transmission device voltage sensor that detects a voltage applied to various devices of the power transmission device 4, a power transmission device temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the various devices of the power transmission device 4, a foreign object sensor that detects a foreign object on the road in which the power transmission device 4 is embedded, and a biological body sensor that detects a biological body on the road in which the power transmission device 4 is embedded. An output of the ground side sensor 23 is input to the power transmission controller 22.

[0037] 2, the vehicle 3 has a vehicle-side communication device 72, a power receiving device 5, a motor 31, a battery 32, a power control unit (PCU) 33, and a vehicle controller 34. The vehicle 3 according to this embodiment is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) powered only by the battery 32, but may be a so-called hybrid electric vehicle (HEV, or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)) equipped with a power source such as an internal combustion engine in addition to the battery 32, and is not particularly limited in type.

[0038] The vehicle-side communication device 72 is configured to be able to communicate with the server 1 and the ground power supply device 2. In this embodiment, the vehicle-side communication device 72 is configured to be able to connect to the network 6 via the wireless base station by accessing a wireless base station connected to the network 6 via a gateway or the like. This allows wide-area wireless communication to be performed between the vehicle-side communication device 72 and the server 1.

[0039] Furthermore, the vehicle-side communication device 72 is configured to be able to directly perform short-range wireless communication with the ground-side communication device 71 of each ground power supply device 2 by using a predetermined wireless communication line.

[0040] The motor 31 is, for example, an AC synchronous motor, and functions as an electric motor and a generator. When functioning as an electric motor, the motor 31 is driven by electricity stored in a battery 32 as a power source. The output of the motor 31 is transmitted to the wheels 30 via a reduction gear and an axle. On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 decelerates, the motor 31 is driven by the rotation of the wheels 30, and functions as a generator to generate regenerative power.

[0041] The battery 32 is a rechargeable secondary battery, and is, for example, a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, or the like. The battery 32 stores the electric power required for the vehicle 3 to travel (for example, the driving power of the motor 31). When the electric power received by the power receiving device 5 is supplied to the battery 32, the battery 32 is charged. When the regenerative electric power generated by the motor 31 is supplied to the battery 32, the battery 32 is charged. When the battery 32 is charged, the charging rate (SOC: State Of Charge) of the battery 32 is restored. The battery 32 may also be chargeable by an external power source other than the ground power supply device 2 via a charging port provided in the vehicle 3.

[0042] The PCU 33 is electrically connected to the battery 32 and the motor 31. The PCU 33 has an inverter, a boost converter, and a DC / DC converter. The inverter converts DC power supplied from the battery 32 into AC power and supplies the AC power to the motor 31. Meanwhile, the inverter converts AC power (regenerative power) generated by the motor 31 into DC power and supplies the DC power to the battery 32. The boost converter boosts the voltage of the battery 32 as necessary when the power stored in the battery 32 is supplied to the motor 31. The DC / DC converter lowers the voltage of the battery 32 when the power stored in the battery 32 is supplied to electronic devices such as headlights.

[0043] The power receiving device 5 supplies the power received from the power transmitting device 4 to the battery 32. The power receiving device 5 includes a power receiving side resonant circuit 51, a power receiving side rectifier circuit 54, and a charging circuit 55.

[0044] The power receiving side resonant circuit 51 is disposed at the bottom of the vehicle 3 so as to reduce the distance from the road surface. The power receiving side resonant circuit 51 has a configuration similar to that of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, and has a resonator including a coil 52 and a capacitor 53. Various parameters of the coil 52 and the capacitor 53 (such as the outer diameter and inner diameter of the coil 52, the number of turns of the coil 52, and the capacitance of the capacitor 53) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 matches the resonant frequency of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43. Note that if the deviation between the resonant frequency of the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and the resonant frequency of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 is small, for example, if the resonant frequency of the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 is within a range of ±20% of the resonant frequency of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, the resonant frequency of the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 does not necessarily need to match the resonant frequency of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43.

[0045] When the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 faces the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 and an AC magnetic field is generated by the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, the vibration of the AC magnetic field is transmitted to the power receiving side resonant circuit 51, which resonates at the same resonant frequency as the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43. As a result, an induced current flows in the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 due to electromagnetic induction, and an induced electromotive force is generated in the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 due to the induced current. In other words, the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 transmits power to the power receiving side resonant circuit 51, and the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 receives power from the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43.

[0046] The power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 is electrically connected to the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and the charging circuit 55. The power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 rectifies the AC power supplied from the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and converts it into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the charging circuit 55. The power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 is, for example, an AC / DC converter.

[0047] The charging circuit 55 is electrically connected to the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 and the battery 32. In particular, the charging circuit 55 is connected to the battery 32 via a relay 38. The charging circuit 55 converts the DC power supplied from the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 to a voltage level of the battery 32 and supplies the converted power to the battery 32. When the power transmitted from the power transmitting device 4 is supplied to the battery 32 by the power receiving device 5, the battery 32 is charged. The charging circuit 55 is, for example, a DC / DC converter.

[0048] The vehicle controller 34 performs various controls of the vehicle 3. For example, the vehicle controller 34 is electrically connected to a charging circuit 55 of the power receiving device 5, and controls the charging circuit 55 to control charging of the battery 32 with power transmitted from the power transmitting device 4. The vehicle controller 34 is also electrically connected to the PCU 33, and controls the PCU 33 to control the exchange of power between the battery 32 and the motor 31. Furthermore, the vehicle controller 34 controls the vehicle-side communication device 72.

[0049] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle controller 34 and devices connected to the vehicle controller 34. As shown in FIG.

[0050] The vehicle controller 34 includes a communication interface 341, a storage unit 342, and a vehicle processing unit 343. The communication interface 341, the storage unit 342, and the vehicle processing unit 343 are connected to each other via signal lines.

[0051] The communication interface 341 has an interface circuit for connecting the vehicle controller 34 to an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as CAN. The vehicle controller 34 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 341.

[0052] The storage unit 342 has a storage medium such as an HDD, SSD, optical recording medium, or semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing in the vehicle processing unit 343.

[0053] The vehicle processing unit 343 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The vehicle processing unit 343 executes various computer programs stored in the storage unit 342 and centrally controls the overall operation of the vehicle 3, and is, for example, a processor.

[0054] The vehicle 3 further includes a GNSS receiver 35, a storage device 36, a plurality of vehicle-side sensors 37, a relay 38, and an HMI device 39. The GNSS receiver 35, the storage device 36, the vehicle-side sensors 37, the relay 38, and the HMI device 39 are electrically connected to the vehicle controller 34 via an in-vehicle network.

[0055] The GNSS receiver 35 detects the current position (e.g., the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 3) of the vehicle 3 based on positioning information obtained from a plurality of (e.g., three or more) positioning satellites. The output of the GNSS receiver 35, i.e., the current position of the vehicle 3 detected by the GNSS receiver 35, is transmitted to the vehicle controller 34.

[0056] The storage device 36 stores data. The storage device 36 includes, for example, an HDD, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or an optical recording medium. In this embodiment, the storage device 36 stores map information. The map information includes information about the installation position of the ground power supply device 2, in addition to information about roads. The vehicle controller 34 acquires the map information from the storage device 36. Note that the storage device 36 does not necessarily need to include the map information. In this case, the vehicle controller 34 may acquire the map information from outside the vehicle 3 (for example, the server 1) via the vehicle-side communication device 72.

[0057] The vehicle-side sensor 37 detects the state of the vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the vehicle-side sensor 37 includes, as sensors for detecting the state of the vehicle 3, a speed sensor for detecting the speed of the vehicle 3, a battery temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the battery 32, a power receiving device temperature sensor for detecting the temperatures of various devices of the power receiving device 5 (particularly, the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54), a battery current sensor for detecting the charging current value and the discharging current value of the battery 32, a power receiving device current sensor for detecting the current flowing through the various devices of the power receiving device 5, and a power receiving device voltage sensor for detecting the voltage applied to the various devices of the power receiving device 5. The output of the vehicle-side sensor 37 is input to the vehicle controller 34.

[0058] The relay 38 is disposed between the battery 32 and the power receiving device 5, and connects / disconnects the battery 32 and the power receiving device 5. When the relay 38 is connected, the power received by the power receiving device 5 is supplied to the battery 32. However, when the relay 38 is disconnected, no current flows from the power receiving device 5 to the battery 32, and therefore the power receiving device 5 is substantially unable to receive power.

[0059] The HMI device 39 is an interface for exchanging information with a vehicle occupant. The HMI device 39 according to this embodiment includes a display and a speaker for providing various information to the vehicle occupant, and a touch panel (or operation buttons) for the vehicle occupant to input information. The HMI device 39 transmits input information input by the vehicle occupant via an in-vehicle network to various devices (e.g., the vehicle controller 34) that require the input information, and also provides the information received via the in-vehicle network to the vehicle occupant by displaying it on a display, for example.

[0060] Incidentally, in order to stably supply electricity to the market, it is necessary to appropriately maintain the balance between supply and demand of electricity. When the supply of electricity is insufficient relative to the demand for electricity, or when a shortage is expected, if electricity is supplied by wireless power feeding to all vehicles 3 that desire wireless power feeding, it may become difficult to appropriately maintain the balance between supply and demand. Therefore, in such a case, it is required to appropriately perform wireless power feeding to vehicles 3 that are highly in need of power feeding.

[0061] Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to appropriately maintain the balance between power supply and demand and to appropriately provide contactless power supply to vehicles 3 that have a high need for power supply, a usage price for the contactless power supply system 100 (hereinafter referred to as the "system usage price") is determined based on the power demand, and contactless power supply can be provided to vehicles 3 for which the intention to use the system at the system usage price has been confirmed.

[0062] FIG. 5 is an operation sequence diagram illustrating a method of supplying power by contactless power feeding according to this embodiment.

[0063] In step S1, the vehicle controller 34 determines whether or not the vehicle 3 (host vehicle) on which the vehicle controller 34 is mounted has requested contactless power feeding. If the host vehicle 3 has requested contactless power feeding, the vehicle controller 34 proceeds to processing in step S2. On the other hand, if the host vehicle 3 has not requested contactless power feeding, the vehicle controller 34 ends the current processing. In this embodiment, the vehicle occupant can manually switch between the presence and absence of a request for contactless power feeding via the HMI device 39, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the presence and absence of a request for contactless power feeding may be automatically switched depending on the charging rate of the battery 32, for example.

[0064] In step S2, the vehicle controller 34 establishes a communication connection with the server 1 by, for example, performing a three-way handshake, and then transmits a usage request signal for the contactless power supply system 100 to the server 1. This usage request signal includes, for example, various information (such as authentication information) required to use the contactless power supply system 100.

[0065] In step S3, the server 1 confirms, based on authentication information, etc., whether the vehicle 3 with which a communication connection was established in step S2 (connection established vehicle) has the authority to use the contactless power supply system 100, and for which such confirmation has been obtained, transmits to the vehicle 3 the current system usage price determined based on the electricity demand and an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted system usage ticket described below.

[0066] In this embodiment, the server 1 determines the power demand based on the number of vehicles 3 with which a communication connection is established, i.e., the number of vehicles 3 requesting contactless power supply, and sets a higher system usage price as the power demand increases. Naturally, the power demand is determined to be greater as the number of vehicles 3 requesting contactless power supply increases. Regarding the power demand, power demand other than contactless power supply, such as power demand for heating and cooling a house, may be taken into consideration, and the size of the power demand may be determined by taking into consideration factors other than the number of vehicles 3 requesting contactless power supply, such as outside air temperature. In this embodiment, the system usage price is set to the price per 1 kWh of power consumption (yen / kWh), but is not limited to this.

[0067] In step S4, the vehicle controller 34 presents the received current system usage price to the vehicle occupant via the HMI device 39, and checks whether or not the vehicle occupant intends to use the contactless power transfer system 100 at the presented system usage price (intends to receive contactless power). If the vehicle occupant responds that they intend to use the contactless power transfer system 100 at the presented system usage price, the vehicle controller 34 proceeds to processing in step S5. On the other hand, if the vehicle occupant responds that they do not intend to use the contactless power transfer system 100 at the presented system usage price, or if no response is received even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the system usage price was presented, the vehicle controller 34 ends this processing.

[0068] In step S5, the vehicle controller 34 determines whether or not the vehicle has passed a checkpoint that is set at a point before the electrified road section. If the vehicle has passed the checkpoint, the vehicle controller 34 proceeds to processing in step S6. On the other hand, if the vehicle has not passed the checkpoint, the vehicle controller 34 determines again after a predetermined time has elapsed whether or not the vehicle has passed the checkpoint.

[0069] For example, if a gate is installed at a checkpoint, the vehicle controller 34 can determine whether or not the checkpoint has been passed by receiving a signal generated from the gate. At that time, the vehicle controller 34 can receive information about the checkpoint, including the position information of the checkpoint, from the gate. Also, for example, if the information about the checkpoint is included in the map information in the storage device 36 or if the information about the checkpoint can be received from the server 1, it can also determine whether or not the checkpoint has been passed based on the position information of the vehicle 3 and the position information of the checkpoint. In this way, the method of determining whether or not the checkpoint has been passed is not particularly limited.

[0070] In this embodiment, in step S5, it is determined whether or not the checkpoint has been passed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be determined, for example, whether or not the checkpoint has been approached.

[0071] For example, if a device that transmits a signal to vehicles 3 located within a certain range based on the checkpoint is provided at the checkpoint, the vehicle controller 34 can determine whether or not the checkpoint is approached by receiving a signal generated from the device, or, without being limited to this, can also determine based on the position information of the vehicle 3 and the position information of the checkpoint. For example, if a road section in a predetermined range where waiting at a traffic light occurs is an electrified road section so that wireless power can be supplied to vehicles waiting at the traffic light, the certain range based on the checkpoint can be a part of the road section before entering the electrified road section.

[0072] In step S6, the vehicle controller 34 transmits to the server 1 a request for issuing a system usage ticket, which is a virtual ticket for using the contactless power supply system 100, together with the identification information of the vehicle itself and information regarding the checkpoint that has been passed.

[0073] In step S7, when the server 1 receives the request to issue a system use ticket, it determines that the identified vehicle 3 that made the issuance request has an intention to use the contactless power supply system 100 at the system use price, identifies the vehicle 3 that made the issuance request based on the identification information, and issues a first ticket, which is a system use ticket to be sent to the identified vehicle 3 that made the issuance request, and is a unique system use ticket prepared for each vehicle 3 that has the authority to use the contactless power supply system 100. The server 1 also issues a second ticket, which is a system use ticket corresponding to the first ticket, and is a system use ticket to be sent to the ground power supply device 2.

[0074] In this embodiment, the vehicle 3 that made the issuance request is determined to have an intention to use the system at the system usage price upon receiving a request to issue a system usage ticket, but this is not limited to the above.If the vehicle has an intention to use the system at the system usage price, it may send a notification to that effect to the server 1, and it may be determined that the vehicle has an intention to use the system upon receiving this notification.

[0075] In step S8, the server 1 transmits the encrypted first ticket to the vehicle 3 that has requested issuance of the system usage ticket, and transmits the second ticket to each ground power supply device 2 associated with the checkpoint. The ground power supply device 2 associated with the checkpoint refers to the ground power supply device 2 installed in the electrified road section on which the vehicle 3 that has passed the checkpoint will travel, and the server storage unit 12 of the server 1 according to this embodiment prestores for each checkpoint the ground power supply device 2 associated with that checkpoint.

[0076] In step S9, the vehicle controller 34 decrypts the received first ticket using the encryption key, and starts periodic and direct transmission of the decrypted first ticket to the ground power supply device 2 by short-range wireless communication via the vehicle-side communication device 72, and controls the power receiving device 5 so that the vehicle 3 can receive power when it travels over the ground power supply device 2 or when it is parked or stopped.

[0077] In step S10, when the ground power supply device 2 receives the first ticket with a communication strength (received signal strength) equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the ground power supply device 2 determines whether or not a second ticket corresponding to the received first ticket has already been received from the server 1, i.e., whether or not the ground power supply device 2 possesses a second ticket corresponding to the received first ticket. If the ground power supply device 2 possesses a second ticket corresponding to the first ticket, the ground power supply device 2 proceeds to processing in step S11. On the other hand, if the ground power supply device 2 does not possess a second ticket corresponding to the first ticket, the ground power supply device 2 proceeds to processing in step S12.

[0078] In step S11, the ground power supply device 2 determines that the vehicle 3 that is about to run or park on the device is a power transmission-permitted vehicle that has obtained permission to use the system, and controls the power transmission device 4 so that power can be transmitted to the vehicle 3 when the vehicle 3 runs or parks on the device.

[0079] In step S12, the ground power supply device 2 determines that the vehicle 3 that is about to run or park on its own device is a vehicle that is not permitted to transmit power and has not been granted permission to use the system, and controls the power transmission device 4 so as not to transmit power to the vehicle 3 even if the vehicle 3 runs or parks on its own device.

[0080] There are various possibilities for how long vehicle 3 will be permitted to use the system at the system usage price presented to it in step S3, in other words, when a new confirmation of intention to use the system will be made at the newly set system usage price based on electricity demand. For example, a simple example would be to newly confirm the intention to use the system when the elapsed time since system usage was permitted, the mileage, the amount of electricity supplied, etc. exceed a certain value.

[0081] Furthermore, in the case where the server side can confirm that vehicle 3 has passed through or approached a checkpoint, as in this embodiment, each time it is confirmed that vehicle 3 has passed through or approached a checkpoint, the server side can also indicate its intention to use the system from the next checkpoint by presenting the newly set system usage price to vehicle 3.

[0082] The contactless power supply system 100 according to the present embodiment described above includes a vehicle 3 (mobile body), a ground power supply device 2 configured to be able to supply power to the vehicle 3 contactlessly, and a server 1 configured to be able to communicate with each of the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2. The server 1 according to the present embodiment is further configured to set a system usage price of the contactless power supply system 100 based on power demand, and, when an intention of the vehicle 3 to use the contactless power supply system 100 at the system usage price is confirmed, to transmit information necessary for contactless power supply to the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2 whose intention to use has been confirmed, so that contactless power can be supplied to the vehicle 3 whose intention to use has been confirmed.

[0083] Specifically, the server 1 in this embodiment is configured to notify the vehicle 3 of the system usage price and receive a reply based on the notification from the vehicle 3, thereby confirming the vehicle 3's intention to use the contactless power supply system 100 at the system usage price, and the reply based on the notification is a request for issuance of a system usage ticket (virtual ticket) for using the contactless power supply system 100.

[0084] This allows power to be supplied via wireless power supply to vehicles 3 that have confirmed their intention to use the system at a system usage price determined based on their power demand. As the system usage price increases, it is expected that vehicles 3 with low need for power supply will no longer wish to use wireless power supply. Therefore, by setting an appropriate system usage price according to power demand, it is possible to appropriately provide wireless power supply to vehicles 3 with high need for power supply while appropriately maintaining the balance between power supply and demand.

[0085] In this embodiment, the vehicle 3 is configured to transmit a request for issuing a system use ticket to the server 1 when the vehicle 3 passes through a preset checkpoint, and the server 1 is further configured to transmit information required for contactless power supply to the vehicle 3 that has requested the issuance of the system use ticket and to the ground power supply device 2 associated with the checkpoint passed by the vehicle 3. More specifically, the server 1 is configured to transmit a first ticket as information required for contactless power supply to the vehicle 3 that has requested the issuance of the system use ticket, and to transmit a second ticket corresponding to the first ticket to the ground power supply device 2 associated with the checkpoint passed by the vehicle 3.

[0086] This makes it possible to transmit a second ticket corresponding to the first ticket to the ground power supply device 2 installed in the electrified road section along which the vehicle 3 that has passed the checkpoint will travel.

[0087] If the electrified road section through which the vehicle 3 that has transmitted the issuance request for the system use ticket will pass is unknown, it is necessary to predict the electrified road section through which the vehicle 3 may run in the future based on, for example, the position information of the vehicle 3, and to transmit the second ticket to the ground power supply devices 2 set in all the predicted electrified road sections. Therefore, the second ticket must be transmitted to all ground power supply devices 2 installed in a wide range of areas, which may cause an excessive communication load. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, the second ticket needs to be transmitted only to the ground power supply devices 2 installed in the electrified road section through which the vehicle 3 that has passed the checkpoint will run, so that the communication load can be prevented from becoming excessive.

[0088] In addition, the server 1 according to this embodiment is configured to newly confirm the intention to use the contactless power supply system 100 at the system usage price newly set based on the electricity demand when it is confirmed that the vehicle 3 has passed through or approached a checkpoint.

[0089] That is, according to this embodiment, every time it is confirmed that the vehicle 3 has passed through or approached a checkpoint, the intention to use the system from the next checkpoint can be confirmed by presenting the newly set system usage price to the vehicle 3. Therefore, the intention to use the system at the newly set system usage price according to the electricity demand can be confirmed periodically at a timing (convenient timing) that is easy for the system user to understand.

[0090] In addition, the server 1 according to this embodiment is configured to set the system usage price higher as the demand for electricity increases, thereby enabling the balance between supply and demand of electricity to be appropriately maintained, and is configured to set the power demand higher as the number of vehicles 3 requiring contactless power supply increases, enabling the system usage price to be set at an appropriate price according to the demand for contactless power supply.

[0091] From another perspective, this embodiment can also be regarded as a contactless power supply method for a contactless power supply system executed by a server 1 capable of communicating with each of a vehicle 3 (mobile body) and a ground power supply device 2 that performs contactless power supply to the vehicle 3, in which a system usage price of the contactless power supply system 100 is set based on power demand, and the vehicle 3's intention to use the contactless power supply system 100 at the system usage price is confirmed, and when the intention to use is confirmed, information necessary for contactless power supply is transmitted to the vehicle 3 and the ground power supply device 2 whose intention to use has been confirmed so that contactless power can be supplied to the vehicle 3 whose intention to use has been confirmed.

[0092] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the method of confirming the intention to use the contactless power supply system 100 at the system usage price. The following mainly describes the difference.

[0093] Fig. 6 is an operation sequence diagram for explaining a method for supplying power by contactless power feeding according to this embodiment. In Fig. 6, the contents of the processes in steps S1, S2, and S5 to S12 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so that the description thereof will be omitted here.

[0094] In step S21, the vehicle controller 34 establishes a communication connection with the server 1 by, for example, performing a three-way handshake.

[0095] In step S22, the vehicle controller 34 requests the vehicle occupant to set an upper limit of the usage charge for the wireless power transfer system 100 (hereinafter referred to as the "system usage upper limit") via the HMI device 39, and transmits a usage request signal including the set system usage upper limit to the server 1. The system usage upper limit is the upper limit of the system usage price when the vehicle occupant requests power supply via wireless power transfer.

[0096] In step S23, when the server 1 confirms that the vehicle 3 that sent the usage request signal has the authority to use the contactless power supply system 100, it compares the current system usage price with the system usage upper limit, and sends a system usage availability notification to the vehicle 3 that sent the usage request signal to inform the vehicle 3 of whether or not the system can be used within the system usage upper limit.

[0097] Specifically, if the current system usage price is equal to or less than the system usage upper limit, the server 1 sends a system usage availability notification to the effect that system usage is possible within the system usage upper limit. When sending the notification that system usage is possible within the system usage upper limit, the server 1 transmits at least an encryption key for decrypting the system usage ticket to the vehicle 3 that originated the system usage upper limit together with the system usage availability notification. In this embodiment, when sending the notification that system usage is possible within the system usage upper limit, the server 1 transmits the current system usage price and an encryption key to the vehicle 3 that originated the system usage upper limit together with the system usage availability notification.

[0098] On the other hand, if the current system usage price is higher than the system usage upper limit, the server 1 sends a system usage notification to the effect that system usage is not possible within the system usage upper limit. When sending a notification that system usage is not possible within the system usage upper limit, the server 1 does not send an encryption key. When sending a notification that system usage is not possible within the system usage upper limit, the server 1 may send only that notification, or may send the system usage price together with that notification.

[0099] In step S24, if the vehicle controller 34 receives a system usage notification indicating that the system can be used within the system usage upper limit, the vehicle controller 34 notifies the vehicle occupant of that fact via the HMI device 39 and proceeds to processing in step S5. On the other hand, if the vehicle controller 34 receives a system usage notification indicating that the system cannot be used within the system usage upper limit, the vehicle controller 34 notifies the vehicle occupant of that fact via the HMI device 39 and ends processing.

[0100] The server 1 according to the present embodiment described above is configured to confirm the intention of the vehicle 3 to use the contactless power supply system 100 at the system usage price, based on the system usage price and the system usage upper limit amount received from the vehicle 3. Specifically, the server 1 is configured to determine that the vehicle 3 intends to use the contactless power supply system at the system usage price, when the system usage price is equal to or less than the system usage upper limit amount.

[0101] As a result, as long as the system usage price determined based on the power demand is equal to or less than the system usage upper limit, power supply by wireless power supply can be continued even if the system usage price fluctuates. Therefore, in addition to obtaining the same effects as the first embodiment, the convenience of using the system can be improved.

[0102] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-mentioned embodiments merely show some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0103] For example, in each of the above embodiments, if the vehicle 3 is an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance, permission to use the system may be given without confirming the intention to use the system, so that contactless power supply can always be provided to the emergency vehicle.

[0104] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, for example, the ground power supply device 2 may include a plurality of power transmission devices 4 controlled by one power transmission controller 22, as shown in FIG.

[0105] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, if the number of system users does not decrease even if the system usage price is increased in accordance with the electricity demand, and there is a risk of the electricity supply being insufficient to meet the electricity demand, some method may be used to select vehicles 3 that have been confirmed as intending to use the system and to which permission to use the system will be given.

[0106] One of the methods is, for example, a method of determining a priority according to the urgency of system use and giving permission to use the system to vehicles 3 with a high priority. The urgency of using the system may be determined, for example, as the battery charge rate of the vehicle 3 is lower, or may be determined based on the type of vehicle (private vehicle, official vehicle, commercial vehicle, etc.), or may be determined from the future planned driving route of the vehicle 3. When determining based on the future planned driving route of the vehicle 3, it can be determined that the urgency is higher for vehicles that will soon run out of opportunities to perform wireless power supply, such as vehicles that will have to leave electrified roads and drive on normal roads. Another method is, for example, a method of randomly selecting vehicles to be given permission to use the system from among the vehicles 3 whose intention to use the system has been confirmed.

[0107] In each of the above embodiments, when determining the power demand, if the vehicle 3 for which the intention to use the contactless power supply system 100 has been confirmed no longer receives power for some reason, such as the battery charging rate exceeding a predetermined charging rate, it may be determined that the actual power demand has decreased. Then, the system usage fee may be reduced by reflecting the result of this determination.

[0108] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the system usage price set based on the power demand is presented to the vehicle 3 that has transmitted the usage request signal from the beginning, and the vehicle 3 is confirmed as to whether or not it wishes to use the system.

[0109] However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a system usage price that is higher than usual (initial setup price) may first be presented to a vehicle 3 that has transmitted a usage request signal to confirm willingness to use the system, and then, if the vehicle 3 declines to use the system at the initial setup price, if there are few other vehicles 3 that wish to use the system at the initial setup price and the actual power demand is low, a system usage price lower than the initial setup price may be presented to the vehicle 3 again to reconfirm willingness to use the system. In this way, the system usage price may be lowered from the initial setup price that has been set in advance according to the power demand.

[0110] This allows wireless power supply to be implemented for vehicles 3 that are expected to have a high urgency for wireless power supply and wish to use the system at a higher initial setup price, while, if there is a surplus in the power supply, the surplus can be used for wireless power supply without being left unused. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1 Server 2 Ground power supply equipment 3. Vehicles (moving objects) 100 Non-contact power supply system

Claims

1. A moving body, A ground power supply device configured to be able to supply power to the moving object in a non-contact manner; A server configured to be able to communicate with each of the moving object and the ground power supply device; A wireless power supply system comprising: The server, Set the system usage price of the wireless power supply system based on the electricity demand, When the intention of the moving object to use the wireless power supply system at the system use price is confirmed, information necessary for wireless power supply is transmitted to the moving object and the ground power supply device, the intention of use of which is confirmed, so that wireless power supply can be performed to the moving object, the intention of use of which is confirmed; First, confirm your intention to use the wireless power transfer system at the preset initial system usage price, When the intention to use the wireless power supply system at the initial system usage price cannot be confirmed, if the system usage price set based on the power demand is lower than the initial system usage price, the intention to use the wireless power supply system at the system usage price is confirmed. Contactless power supply system.

2. The server, notifying the mobile body of the system usage price and receiving a reply based on the notification from the mobile body, thereby confirming the mobile body's intention to use the wireless power supply system at the system usage price; The contactless power supply system according to claim 1 .

3. The reply was, A request for issuing a virtual ticket to use the wireless power supply system. The contactless power supply system according to claim 2 .

4. The moving body is When a preset checkpoint is passed or when the device approaches the checkpoint, a request for issuing the ticket is transmitted to the server; The server, transmitting the information necessary for wireless power supply to the moving object that has requested issuance of the ticket and to the ground power supply device associated with the checkpoint through which the moving object has passed or approached; The contactless power supply system according to claim 3 .

5. The server, transmitting a first ticket to the moving object that has requested issuance of the ticket as the information necessary for contactless power supply, and transmitting a second ticket corresponding to the first ticket to the ground power supply device associated with the checkpoint through which the moving object has passed. The contactless power supply system according to claim 4 .

6. The server, When it is confirmed that the mobile object has passed through or approached the checkpoint, the mobile object confirms the intention to use the wireless power supply system at the newly set system usage price based on the power demand. The contactless power supply system according to claim 4 or 5.

7. The server, confirming, based on the system usage price and the system usage upper limit amount received from the mobile body, whether the mobile body intends to use the wireless power supply system at the system usage price; The contactless power supply system according to claim 1 .

8. The server, If the system usage price is equal to or less than the system usage upper limit price, it is determined that the mobile object has an intention to use the wireless power supply system at the system usage price. The contactless power supply system according to claim 7.

9. The server, The greater the power demand, the higher the system usage price. The contactless power supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The server, The power demand is increased as the number of the moving objects requesting wireless power supply increases. The contactless power supply system according to claim 9 .

11. A processing section; A communication unit that communicates with each of a moving object and a ground power supply device that is configured to be able to perform contactless power supply to the moving object; A server comprising: The processing unit includes: setting a system usage price of a wireless power supply system that supplies wireless power to the mobile object based on the power demand; When the intention of the moving object to use the wireless power supply system at the system use price is confirmed, information necessary for wireless power supply is transmitted to the moving object and the ground power supply device, the intention of use of which is confirmed, so that wireless power supply can be performed to the moving object, the intention of use of which is confirmed; First, confirm your intention to use the wireless power transfer system at the preset initial system usage price, When the intention to use the wireless power supply system at the initial system usage price cannot be confirmed, if the system usage price set based on the power demand is lower than the initial system usage price, the intention to use the wireless power supply system at the system usage price is confirmed. server.

12. A wireless power supply method for a wireless power supply system, which is executed by a server capable of communicating with each of a moving body and a ground power supply device that performs wireless power supply to the moving body, comprising: Set the system usage price of the wireless power supply system based on the electricity demand, confirming the mobile object's intention to use the wireless power supply system at the system usage price; When the intention to use is confirmed, information necessary for wireless power supply is transmitted to the moving body for which the intention to use has been confirmed and the ground power supply device so that wireless power supply can be performed to the moving body for which the intention to use has been confirmed; First, confirm your intention to use the wireless power transfer system at the preset initial system usage price, When the intention to use the wireless power supply system at the initial system usage price cannot be confirmed, if the system usage price set based on the power demand is lower than the initial system usage price, the intention to use the wireless power supply system at the system usage price is confirmed. Non-contact power supply method.

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