Mechanical parking facility

Abstract

To provide a mechanical parking facility which can reduce an installation space of a charge control board in a place where the charge control board is arranged.SOLUTION: A mechanical parking facility includes a plurality of pallets 5 which are moved between a plurality of storage parts 27 and a room 21, and a plurality of charge control boards. The pallets 5 include a plurality of charging pallets 5B for an electric automobile, the charge control boards control supply of power to the plurality of charging pallets 5B, and each of the charge control boards includes a plurality of charging circuits corresponding to the charging pallets. The plurality of charge control boards are dispersed in a plurality of places.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to a mechanical parking facility capable of charging electric vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, externally chargeable electric vehicles such as pure electric vehicles (EVs) with only an electric motor as the driving means and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) equipped with an electric motor and an engine have become popular. Along with the spread of such electric vehicles, mechanical parking facilities capable of charging electric vehicles have been proposed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an elevator-type mechanical parking facility capable of charging electric vehicles. In this mechanical parking facility, a plurality of storage sections are provided in two rows above the passenger compartment, and a hoistway through which a carrier moves up and down is formed between those rows of storage sections. By means of the carrier, a charging pallet for an electric vehicle and a standard pallet for a vehicle other than an electric vehicle are moved between the storage section and the passenger compartment.

[0004] Also, in the mechanical parking facility of Patent Document 1, a charging control panel for controlling the supply of power to the charging pallet is arranged in the passenger compartment.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] If the number of charging pallets is within a certain range, one charging control panel can handle it. However, if the number of charging pallets further increases, it is necessary to increase the number of charging control panels. In this case, in a configuration where the charging control panel is arranged in the boarding and alighting room as in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to secure an installation space for the charging control panel in the boarding and alighting room.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present application is to provide a mechanical parking facility capable of reducing the installation space for the charging control panel at the location where the charging control panel is arranged.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a mechanical parking facility including a plurality of pallets for electric vehicles, which are moved between a plurality of storage units and a boarding and alighting room, and a plurality of charging control panels for controlling the supply of power to the plurality of charging pallets, each charging control panel including a plurality of charging circuits corresponding to the charging pallets, and the plurality of charging control panels are distributed and arranged at a plurality of locations.

[0009] According to the above configuration, since a plurality of charging control panels are used for a plurality of charging pallets, the size of each charging control panel can be suppressed to a certain extent. In addition, since the charging control panels are distributed and arranged at a plurality of locations, the installation space for the charging control panel at each location can be reduced.

[0010] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the mechanical parking facility is an elevator type in which a carrier moves up and down in a hoistway, and the plurality of locations may be at least two of a boarding and alighting area including the boarding and alighting room and a plurality of storage areas arranged vertically together with the boarding and alighting area. In the elevator type, since the planar dimensions of the mechanical parking facility are limited, the fact that the installation space for the charging control panel in the boarding and alighting area or the storage area can be reduced is particularly useful for the elevator type.

[0011] As a third aspect, in the second aspect, the above-described mechanical parking equipment further includes a distribution board that supplies power to the plurality of charging control panels and is disposed in the vicinity of the boarding and alighting room or the boarding and alighting area, and the plurality of locations may be the plurality of storage areas. According to this configuration, since the charging control panels are disposed in storage areas other than the boarding and alighting area, a wider boarding and alighting room can be secured.

[0012] As a fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the above-described mechanical parking equipment further includes a steel frame structure including a plurality of beams that define the plurality of storage areas, and each of the plurality of charging control panels may be placed on a beam of the steel frame structure. According to this configuration, the space between the members of the steel frame structure can be used as an installation space for the charging control panels, and the charging control panels can be supported by the beams.

[0013] As a fifth aspect, in the third or fourth aspect, the plurality of charging control panels may be provided at positions facing the lifting path. When the charging control panel is provided beside the pallet, there is a risk that the door of the charging control panel hits the automobile being stored when the door of the charging control panel is opened during maintenance. Also, due to the presence of the incoming vehicle, the door of the charging control panel cannot be opened during maintenance, which may also hinder the maintenance work. On the other hand, if the charging control panel is provided at a position facing the lifting path, the door of the charging control panel can be freely opened during maintenance. Moreover, a transporter can be used for the maintenance of the charging control panel.

[0014] As a sixth aspect, in any of the first to fifth aspects, the above-described mechanical parking equipment further includes a main control device that outputs a charging command. The plurality of charging control panels are divided into a plurality of groups including only a parent charging control panel or a parent charging control panel and at least one child charging control panel. The parent charging control panel of each group includes a sub-control device that receives a charging command from the main control device, and the sub-control device may control the charging circuits of the charging control panels included in the corresponding group. When controlling the charging circuits of all the charging control panels with one control device, it is necessary to connect all the charging control panels to the control device with signal lines. On the other hand, with the above configuration, the number of signal lines connected to the main control device can be reduced, and if the parent charging control panel of each group is arranged near the main control device, the length of the signal lines can be shortened.

[0015] As a seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect, the main control device is connected by a signal line to the sub-control device of the parent charging control panel of the lowermost group located at the bottom among the plurality of groups, and the sub-control devices of the parent charging control panel of the lowermost group and the parent charging control panels of the remaining groups may be connected by signal lines. According to this configuration, the number of signal lines connected to the main control device can be reduced to one.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the present application, there is provided a mechanical parking equipment capable of reducing the installation space of the charging control panel at the location where the charging control panel is arranged.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a mechanical parking facility 1 according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the mechanical parking facility 1 is an elevator type in which a hoistway 40 is where a carrier (elevator) 4 moves up and down. However, the mechanical parking facility 1 is not limited to the elevator type and may be of another type such as a horizontal circulation type, a multi-level type, a vertical and horizontal movement puzzle type, etc.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the mechanical parking facility 1 includes a parking tower 2 composed of a steel frame structure 3 having a rectangular shape in plan view and an exterior material 30 covering the steel frame structure 3. Electric vehicles such as pure electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are stored in the parking tower 2. In this embodiment, vehicles other than electric vehicles are also stored in the parking tower 2.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, a portion at a predetermined height from the ground inside the parking tower 2 is an entrance / exit room 21 where people get on and off the vehicle. The parking tower 2 is provided with an entrance / exit opening 23 that communicates the entrance / exit room 21 with the outside, and an entrance / exit door 22 that opens and closes the entrance / exit opening 23. Also, an operation control panel 93 is provided on the side of the entrance / exit door 22.

[0021] In this embodiment, the mechanical parking facility 1 is a 90-degree swivel type in which the entrance / exit direction is different by 90 degrees from the longitudinal direction of the hoistway 40 in plan view. However, the mechanical parking facility 1 may be a 180-degree swivel type in which the longitudinal direction of the hoistway 40 in plan view and the entrance / exit direction are the same, but the direction of the vehicle is reversed when entering and exiting.

[0022] Inside the parking tower 2, a plurality of storage sections 27 for storing automobiles are provided. In the present embodiment, since the mechanical parking facility 1 is of the elevator type, the storage sections 27 are provided in two rows above the landing 21, and the hoistway 40 described above is formed between those rows of storage sections. By means of a carrier 4 that moves up and down in the hoistway 40, a plurality of pallets 5 are moved between the storage section 27 and the landing 21. Note that the carrier 4 moves up and down along four guide rails 47 arranged so as to sandwich both rows of storage sections.

[0023] In the present embodiment, the mechanical parking facility 1 is a ground type in which the storage sections 27 exist only above the landing 21, but the mechanical parking facility 1 may be an underground type in which the storage sections 27 are provided not only above but also below the landing 21.

[0024] The carrier 4 is provided with a pallet transfer mechanism 41 that discharges the pallet 5 from the carrier 4 onto the storage section 27 and draws the pallet 5 from the storage section 27 onto the carrier 4 (in FIG. 2, the drawing of the pallet transfer mechanism 41 is omitted). When the pallet 5 is discharged into the storage section 27 by the pallet transfer mechanism 41, the automobile placed on the pallet 5 is stored in the storage section 27.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, each storage section 27 includes a pair of shelf rails 28 that support both longitudinal ends of the pallet 5, and a plurality of rollers are provided on each shelf rail 28. On the other hand, the carrier 4 includes a pair of support rails 42 that support both longitudinal ends of the pallet 5, and a plurality of rollers are provided on each support rail 42. The discharge and drawing in of the pallet 5 by the above-described pallet transfer mechanism 41 are performed in a state where the carrier 4 has stopped at a position where the heights of the support rail 42 and the shelf rail 28 coincide. Note that when the pallet 5 is on the support rail 42, the pallet transfer mechanism 41 restricts the pallet 5 from moving in the width direction.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1, the carrier 4 is suspended by a wire rope 43, and this wire rope 43 is hung over a turning roller 44 and a drive machine 45 provided at the upper part of the parking tower 2. The drive machine 45 raises and lowers the carrier 4 via the wire rope 43. A counterweight 46 for reducing the driving force of the drive machine 45 is provided at one end of the wire rope 43.

[0027] A pit 25 is provided on the floor surface 24 of the boarding and alighting room 21. A turning device 26 for lifting the pallet 5 from the floor surface 24 or the carrier 4 and turning it by 90 degrees is provided in the pit 25.

[0028] In this embodiment, the pallet 5 includes a charging pallet 5B for electric vehicles and a standard pallet 5A for vehicles other than electric vehicles. However, all of the pallets 5 may be charging pallets 5B. Also, in this embodiment, the number of standard pallets 5A is 2 and the number of charging pallets 5B is 24, but the numbers of the standard pallet 5A and the charging pallet 5B can be changed as appropriate.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, among the storage parts 27, the storage part 27 located at the uppermost position of each storage part row is a standard storage part 27A for the standard pallet 5A, and the remaining storage parts 27 are charging storage parts 27B for the charging pallet 5B. However, the position of the standard storage part 27A can be changed as appropriate. As described above, the total number of pallets 5 is 26, so the number of storage parts 27 in each storage part row is 13.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, the above-described steel frame structure 3 includes four columns 31 located at the four corners, a plurality of beams 32 connecting the columns 31 to each other, and braces 33 forming a truss structure together with the columns 31 and the beams 32. Furthermore, the steel frame structure 3 includes intermediate columns 34 arranged between the beams 32.

[0031] The area from the ground to the bottommost beam 32 is the boarding and alighting area 2A that includes the boarding and alighting room 21, and the area between the beams 32 is the storage area 2B. That is, the boarding and alighting area 2A and the storage area 2B are arranged vertically side by side, and the beam 32 defines the storage area 2B. In this embodiment, the number of storage areas 2B is eight, but the number of storage areas 2B can be changed as appropriate.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the mechanical parking facility 1 includes a plurality of charging control panels 7 that control the supply of power to the charging pallet 5B. In this embodiment, the number of charging control panels 7 is six, but the number of charging control panels 7 can be changed as appropriate.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, each of the above-described charging storage units 27B is provided with a machine-side connection portion 61. The machine-side connection portion 61 constitutes a power supply joint 6 together with a pallet-side connection portion 62 described later. The machine-side connection portion 61 is connected to the corresponding charging control panel 7 by a power supply line 11.

[0034] On the other hand, the charging pallet 5B is provided with a pallet-side connection portion 62 that can be connected to the machine-side connection portion 61, and a charging controller 63 connected to the pallet-side connection portion 62. A charging cable 64 extends from the charging controller 63, and a charging connector 65 that can be connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle is provided at the tip of the charging cable 64.

[0035] When the charging pallet 5B is discharged to the charging storage unit 27B by the pallet transfer mechanism 41 provided on the transporter 4, the pallet-side connection portion 62 is connected to the machine-side connection portion 61, and charging from the charging control panel 7 to the electric vehicle via the power supply line 11 and the charging pallet 5B becomes possible.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the charging control panels 7 are distributed and arranged in a plurality of locations. In this embodiment, since the mechanical parking facility 1 is an elevator type, the plurality of locations are at least two areas of the boarding and alighting area 2A and the storage area 2B. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the charging control panels 7 are arranged one by one in six storage areas 2B other than the boarding and alighting area 2A.

[0037] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, all the charging control panels 7 are provided at positions facing the hoistway 40. On the other hand, the power supply lines 12 from the distribution board 8 to be described later are bundled and arranged vertically in the riser wiring space 10 on the side of the pallet 5, and are arranged horizontally from the riser wiring space 10 to the charging control panel 7 along the beam 32 for each charging control panel 7.

[0038] Also, as shown in FIG. 5, each charging control panel 7 is placed on the beam 32. Further, below each charging control panel 7, a deck 35 is provided to make the gap between the beam 32 on which the charging control panel 7 is placed and the transporter 4 300 mm or less. The deck 35 is made by sheet metal working and is attached to the beam 32 via brackets. This deck 35 prevents the operator from falling from the gap between the beam 32 and the transporter 4 during the maintenance of the charging control panel 7, and also prevents the fall of tools, parts, etc. to a certain extent.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 6, each charging control panel 7 includes a plurality of charging circuits 73 that are parallel to each other and correspond to the charging pallets 5B. That is, the above-described power supply line 11 is connected to each charging circuit 73. In FIG. 6, for the sake of simplifying the drawing, the drawing of some charging control panels 7 (one of the child charging control panels 72 of the lowermost group 7A to be described later) is omitted.

[0040] Each charging circuit 73 includes a leakage circuit breaker 74 and an electromagnetic contactor 75. In the present embodiment, one charging control panel 7 includes four charging circuits 73. For example, each charging control panel 7 corresponds to the four charging pallets 5B surrounded by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 4. However, the number of charging circuits 73 included in one charging control panel 7 may be two or three or five or more.

[0041] All charging control panels 7 are connected to the distribution board 8 by the power supply line 12. The distribution board 8 supplies power to all the charging control panels 7 and is arranged in the boarding and alighting chamber 21 as shown in FIG. 1. However, the distribution board 8 may be arranged outside the parking tower 2 and near the boarding and alighting chamber 21. The distribution board 8 includes a main circuit breaker 81 and a plurality of leakage circuit breakers 82 connected in parallel to the main circuit breaker 81. The number of leakage circuit breakers 82 is equal to the number of charging control panels 7.

[0042] In this embodiment, the charging control panels 7 are divided into three groups 7A to 7C. As shown in FIG. 4, the three groups 7A to 7C are the lowermost group 7A located at the bottom, the uppermost group 7C located at the top, and the middle group 7B located in the middle. However, the number of groups is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more.

[0043] In this embodiment, the lowermost group 7A includes the parent charging control panel 71 and two child charging control panels 72, the middle group 7B includes the parent charging control panel 71 and one child charging control panel 72, and the uppermost group 7C includes only the parent charging control panel 71. However, the number of child charging control panels 72 included in each group can be arbitrarily selected within a certain range (for example, within the range of 0 to 2).

[0044] Also, in the lowermost group 7A, the parent charging control panel 71 is located closest to the main control panel 9 described later. In other words, the parent charging control panel 71 is arranged in the lowermost storage area 2B among the three adjacent storage areas 2B so as to be located below the child charging control panel 72, and the child charging control panels 72 are respectively arranged in the remaining two storage areas 2B. In the middle group 7B, the parent charging control panel 71 and the child charging control panel 72 are respectively arranged in two adjacent storage areas 2B so that the parent charging control panel 71 is located near the main control panel 9. In other words, the parent charging control panel 71 is located below the child charging control panel 72.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, the main control panel 9 is disposed inside the boarding and alighting compartment 21. As shown in FIG. 6, the main control panel 9 includes a main control device 91, and the main control device 91 is connected to the operation control panel 93 described above by a signal line 15. Further, the main control panel 9 includes a hub 92 connected to the main control device 91.

[0046] For example, the main control device 91 and the sub-control device 76 described later are computers having a memory such as a ROM or a RAM, a storage such as an HDD or an SSD, and a CPU, and a program stored in the ROM or the storage is executed by the CPU.

[0047] The main control device 91 creates and outputs a charging command based on the charging information input via the operation control panel 93. The main control device 91 may be connected to a network such as mobile communication or short-range wireless communication, and acquire the charging information input from the user's mobile terminal via this network.

[0048] On the other hand, the parent charging control panels 71 of all groups 7A to 7C include a sub-control device 76 that receives a charging command from the main control device 91, and a hub 77 connected to the sub-control device 76. In the present embodiment, the hub 77 of the parent charging control panel 71 of the lowermost group 7A is connected to the hub 92 of the main control panel 9 by a signal line 13, and the hubs 77 of the parent charging control panels 71 of all groups 7A to 7C are connected to each other by a signal line 14. In other words, the main control device 91 is connected to the sub-control device 76 of the parent charging control panel 71 of the lowermost group 7A via the hubs 92 and 77 by a signal line 13, and the sub-control devices 76 of the parent charging control panels 71 of the lowermost group 7A and the remaining groups 7B and 7C are connected to each other via the hub 77 by a signal line 14. As for the connection method by the hub 92, the hub 92 and the sub-control device 76 of each parent charging control panel 71 may be directly connected to each other.

[0049] Each sub-control device 76 controls the charging circuit 73 of the charging control panel 7 included in the corresponding group based on the charging command from the main control device 91. More specifically, the sub-control device 76 of the parent charging control panel 71 of the lowermost group 7A controls the charging circuits 73 of the parent charging control panel 71 and the child charging control panel 72 of the lowermost group 7A. The sub-control device 76 of the parent charging control panel 71 of the middle group 7B controls the charging circuits 73 of the parent charging control panel 71 and the child charging control panel 72 of the middle group 7B. The sub-control device 76 of the parent charging control panel 71 of the uppermost group 7C controls the charging circuit 73 of the parent charging control panel 71 of the uppermost group 7C.

[0050] As described above, in the mechanical parking equipment 1 of the present embodiment, since a plurality (24 in this embodiment) of charging pallets 5B use a plurality (6 in this embodiment) of charging control panels 7, the size of each charging control panel 7 can be suppressed to a certain extent. Further, since the charging control panels 7 are distributed and arranged in a plurality of locations (only the storage area 2B in this embodiment), the installation space for the charging control panels 7 at each location can be reduced. In the elevator type, since the planar dimensions of the mechanical parking equipment 1 are limited, the fact that the installation space for the charging control panel 7 in the boarding and alighting area 2A or the storage area 2B can be reduced is particularly useful for the elevator type.

[0051] Also, in the present embodiment, since each charging control panel 7 is placed on the beam 32 of the steel frame structure 3, the space between the members of the steel frame structure 3 can be used as the installation space for the charging control panel 7, and the charging control panel 7 can be supported by the beam 32.

[0052] Incidentally, although all the charging circuits 73 of all the charging control panels 7 may be controlled by a single control device, in this case, it is necessary to connect all the charging control panels 7 to the control device with signal lines. On the other hand, if the charging control panels 7 are divided into a plurality of groups 7A to 7C as in the present embodiment, and only the parent charging control panels 71 of each group include the sub-control device 76, the number of signal lines connected to the main control device 91 can be reduced. Further, if the parent charging control panels 71 of each group are arranged near the main control device 91, the length of the signal lines can be shortened.

[0053] Furthermore, if the sub-control devices 76 of the parent charging control panels of all the groups 7A to 7C are connected to each other by the signal line 14 and the sub-control device 76 of the parent charging control panel 71 of the lowermost group 7A is connected to the main control device 91 by the signal line 13 as in the present embodiment, the number of signal lines connected to the main control device 91 can be reduced to one.

[0054] <Modification Example> The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0055] For example, two charging control panels 7 may be arranged in one storage area 2B. Further, the charging control panel 7 may be arranged not only in the storage area 2B but also in the boarding and alighting area 2A. When the charging control panel 7 is arranged in the boarding and alighting area 2A, the charging control panel 7 may be arranged inside the boarding and alighting room 21 or outside the parking tower 2. However, if the charging control panel 7 is arranged in the storage area 2B other than the boarding and alighting area 2A as in the above embodiment, a wider boarding and alighting room 21 can be secured.

[0056] Also, the charging control panel 7 does not necessarily have to be provided at a position facing the lifting path 40, and it may be provided beside the pallet 5. In this case, when the door of the charging control panel 7 is opened during maintenance, the door may hit the vehicle stored therein. Also, due to the presence of the incoming vehicle, the door of the charging control panel 7 cannot be opened during maintenance, which may also hinder the maintenance work. On the other hand, if the charging control panel 7 is provided at a position facing the lifting path 40 as in the above embodiment, the door of the charging control panel 7 can be freely opened during maintenance. Moreover, the carrier 4 can be used for the maintenance of the charging control panel 7.

Explanation of Signs

[0057] 1 Mechanical parking equipment 2A Boarding and alighting area 2B Storage area 21 Boarding and alighting room 3 Steel frame structure 32 Beam 4 Carrier 40 Lifting path 5 Pallet 5B Charging pallet 7 Charging control panel 71 Main charging control panel 72 Sub-charging control panel 73 Charging circuit 76 Sub-control device 8 Distribution board 91 Main control device

Claims

1. A plurality of pallets for an electric vehicle, including a plurality of charging pallets that are moved between a plurality of storage units and a boarding and alighting room, A plurality of charging control panels for controlling the supply of power to the plurality of charging pallets, each charging control panel including a plurality of charging circuits corresponding to the charging pallets, The plurality of charging control panels are distributed and arranged in a plurality of locations, a mechanical parking facility.

2. The mechanical parking facility is an elevator type in which a carrier moves up and down a hoistway, The plurality of locations are at least two of the boarding and alighting area including the boarding and alighting room and a plurality of storage areas arranged vertically with the boarding and alighting area, the mechanical parking facility according to claim 1.

3. Further comprising a distribution board for supplying power to the plurality of charging control panels, arranged near the boarding and alighting room or in the boarding and alighting area, The plurality of locations are the plurality of storage areas, the mechanical parking facility according to claim 2.

4. Further comprising a steel frame structure including a plurality of beams defining the plurality of storage areas, Each of the plurality of charging control panels is placed on a beam of the steel frame structure, the mechanical parking facility according to claim 3.

5. The plurality of charging control panels are provided at positions facing the hoistway, the mechanical parking facility according to claim 3 or 4.

6. Further comprising a main control device for outputting a charging command, The plurality of charging control panels are divided into a plurality of groups including only a parent charging control panel or a parent charging control panel and at least one child charging control panel, and the parent charging control panel of each group includes a sub-control device for receiving a charging command from the main control device, and the sub-control device controls the charging circuits of the charging control panels included in the corresponding group, the mechanical parking facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The main control device is connected by a signal line to a sub-control device of a parent charging control panel of the lowermost group that is located at the lowest position among the plurality of groups, and the sub-control devices of the parent charging control panels of the lowermost group and the remaining groups are connected to each other by a signal line. The mechanical parking facility according to claim 6.

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