Charge / discharge management device, charge / discharge system, program, vehicle manufacturing method and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technology for managing charge / discharge of a secondary battery, taking production management information on production of a vehicle into consideration in a manufacturing process of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A charge / discharge system according to an embodiment includes a charge / discharge management device including: an information acquisition unit that acquires production management information regarding at least one of a shipping deadline and the number of vehicles having a secondary battery produced per predetermined time; and a charge / discharge amount determination unit that determines an amount of charge / discharge of the vehicle per unit time, based on the production management information. The charge / discharge system further includes a charge / discharge device that executes a charging-rate adjustment process including at least one of a charging process of charging the secondary battery and a discharging process of discharging the secondary battery, according to the amount of charge / discharge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charge-discharge management device, a charge-discharge system, a program, a vehicle manufacturing method, and a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for managing the state of charge (SOC) of a secondary battery at an appropriate value in the manufacturing process of a vehicle using remote control for automatic driving. In Patent Document 1, a charge rate adjustment process including at least one of a discharge process for discharging the secondary battery and a charge process for charging the secondary battery is executed by remote control of the vehicle to bring the charge rate of the secondary battery closer to a target value.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] From the viewpoint of suppressing deterioration of the secondary battery, etc., it is preferable that the charge rate of the secondary battery is managed at an appropriate value in the vehicle manufacturing process. On the other hand, in vehicle manufacturing, the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time (production number) is determined. Since the tact time for manufacturing one vehicle includes the time required for charge-discharge processing of the secondary battery mounted on the vehicle, it is desired to manage charge-discharge in accordance with the tact time.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for managing charge-discharge of a secondary battery in consideration of information related to vehicle production in the vehicle manufacturing process.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A charging management device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an information acquisition unit that acquires production management information related to the production of a vehicle, including at least one of the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle having a secondary battery, and a charge-discharge amount determination unit that determines the charge-discharge amount per unit time of the secondary battery based on the production management information.

[0007] The charging management device further includes an allocation time determination unit that determines an allocation time allocated to the charge and discharge of the secondary battery using the production management information, and the charge-discharge amount determination unit can determine the charge-discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle according to the allocation time.

[0008] Also, the charge-discharge amount when the number of production units is the first number of units may be larger than the charge-discharge amount when the number of units is the second number of units, which is less than the first number of units.

[0009] Also, the charge-discharge amount when the shipping deadline is the first deadline may be larger than the charge-discharge amount when the deadline is the second deadline, which is farther than the first deadline.

[0010] A charge-discharge system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a charge-discharge management device including an information acquisition unit that acquires production management information related to at least one of the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle having a secondary battery, and a charge-discharge amount determination unit that determines the charge-discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle based on the production management information, and a charge-discharge device that executes a charge rate adjustment process including at least one of a charging process for charging the secondary battery and a discharging process for discharging the secondary battery according to the charge-discharge amount.

[0011] In the charge-discharge system, the charge-discharge management device further includes an allocation time determination unit that determines an allocation time allocated to the charge and discharge of the secondary battery using the production management information, and the charge-discharge amount determination unit can determine the charge-discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle according to the allocation time.

[0012] Further, the charge-discharge amount when the production quantity is the first quantity may be greater than the charge-discharge amount when the production quantity is the second quantity, which is less than the first quantity.

[0013] Further, the charge-discharge amount when the shipping deadline is the first deadline may be greater than the charge-discharge amount when the shipping deadline is the second deadline, which is farther than the first deadline.

[0014] The charge-discharge device may include at least one of a contact type charge-discharge device and a non-contact type charge-discharge device.

[0015] When the charge-discharge device includes a contact type charge-discharge device and a non-contact type charge-discharge device, the charge-discharge amount by the contact type charge-discharge device is equal in both the case where the production quantity is the first quantity and the case where the production quantity is the second quantity, which is less than the first quantity, and in the case of the first quantity, the charge-discharge amount by the non-contact type charge-discharge device may be greater than that in the case of the second quantity.

[0016] A program according to an aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring production management information related to at least one of the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle having a secondary battery, and a process of determining a charge-discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle based on the production management information.

[0017] A vehicle manufacturing method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a process in which a computer acquires production management information related to at least one of the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle having a secondary battery, and a process of determining a charge-discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle based on the production management information.

[0018] A vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a secondary battery, an information acquisition unit that acquires production management information related to at least one of the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of the vehicle, a charge / discharge amount determination unit that determines the charge / discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle based on the production management information, and an output unit that outputs the charge / discharge amount to a charge / discharge device that executes a charge rate adjustment process including at least one of a charge process of charging the secondary battery according to the charge / discharge amount and a discharge process of discharging the secondary battery.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] The present disclosure provides a technique for managing the charge and discharge of a secondary battery in consideration of information related to the production of a vehicle in the manufacturing process of the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Also, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are essential as means for solving the problems. For the sake of clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been appropriately omitted and simplified. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0022] Embodiment 1. With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the charge / discharge system 100 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the charge / discharge system 100 according to the embodiment. The charge / discharge system 100 is used in a factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 30. The charge / discharge system 100 is used, for example, when manufacturing a vehicle while moving the vehicle 30 by remote or automatic control.

[0023] <Vehicle 30> The vehicle 30 is, for example, a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a tank, a construction vehicle, etc. The vehicle 30 includes battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. Note that the present disclosure is also applicable to "moving bodies" other than vehicles. A "moving body" means an object that can move, for example, a vehicle or an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (so-called flying car). The vehicle may be a vehicle that travels on wheels or a vehicle that travels on an endless track. When the moving body is other than a vehicle, the expressions "vehicle" and "car" in the present disclosure can be appropriately replaced with "moving body", and the expression "travel" can be appropriately replaced with "move".

[0024] Vehicle 30 is configured to be capable of traveling by autonomous driving. "Autonomous driving" means driving without relying on the driving operations of passengers. The driving operation means an operation related to at least any one of "running", "turning", and "stopping" of vehicle 30. Autonomous driving is realized by automatic or manual remote control using a device provided outside vehicle 30, or by autonomous control of vehicle 30.

[0025] In addition, a passenger who does not perform a driving operation may board vehicle 30 that is traveling by autonomous driving. Passengers who do not perform a driving operation include, for example, a person simply sitting in the seat of vehicle 30, or a person performing work different from the driving operation, such as assembly, inspection, and operation of switches, while boarding vehicle 30. Note that driving by the driving operation of a passenger is sometimes called "driver-operated driving". The embodiment is also applicable to vehicle 30 that is traveling by driver-operated driving.

[0026] "Remote control" includes "full remote control" in which all the operations of vehicle 30 are completely determined from outside vehicle 30, and "partial remote control" in which a part of the operations of vehicle 30 is determined from outside vehicle 30. Also, "autonomous control" includes "full autonomous control" in which vehicle 30 autonomously controls its own operations without receiving any information from a device outside vehicle 30, and "partial autonomous control" in which vehicle 30 autonomously controls its own operations using the information received from a device outside vehicle 30.

[0027] Vehicle 30 includes a secondary battery 31, a communication unit 32, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 33, and a load device 34. The secondary battery 31 is a rechargeable driving battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery, for example. The secondary battery 31 can store the electric power used for the running of vehicle 30. The secondary battery 31 is charged via a power receiver (not shown) conforming to the connector standard corresponding to the charging connector 22 of the charging device 20 described later.

[0028] The charge-discharge system 100 manages the charge rate (State Of Charge, hereinafter referred to as SOC) of the secondary battery 31 mounted on the vehicle 30 so that it becomes an appropriate value. When power is supplied from the charging device 20 via the power receiver, the secondary battery 31 is charged and the SOC increases.

[0029] The communication unit 32 is a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle 30, such as a dongle. The communication unit 32 transmits information such as the SOC of the secondary battery 31 to the server 10. The communication unit 32 can communicate using, for example, CAN (Controller Area Network) communication used for controlling the vehicle 30. CAN communication is a communication standard that can transmit or receive in multiple directions. The communication unit 32 may further use diagnostic communication. Diagnostic communication is a communication standard in which requests and responses can be associated one-to-one and is used for diagnosing faults.

[0030] The ECU 33 is a vehicle control unit mounted on the vehicle 30 that executes various controls of the vehicle 30. The ECU 33 includes a processor and a memory (not shown). By the processor executing the vehicle control program stored in the memory, the ECU 33 realizes various functions including the function as a vehicle control unit. The ECU 33 functions as, for example, a driving control unit that executes driving control of the vehicle 30 and an accessory control unit that drives accessories.

[0031] "Driving control" is, for example, the adjustment of the acceleration, speed, and steering angle of the vehicle 30. The ECU 33 controls the actuator group mounted on the vehicle 30 according to the driving control signal for remotely controlling the vehicle 30 received from the server 10 via the communication unit 32. The actuator group includes an actuator of a driving device for accelerating the vehicle 30, an actuator of a steering device for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 30, and an actuator of a braking device for decelerating the vehicle 30. Also, in the charging process, the ECU 33 controls the charging of the secondary battery 31 by controlling the power receiver. In the discharging process, the ECU 33 controls the discharging of the secondary battery 31 by driving the load device 34.

[0032] The load device 34 is connected to the secondary battery 31. The load device 34 includes, for example, an auxiliary battery, auxiliary equipment, a motor, etc. not shown in the figure. The auxiliary battery is a battery with a lower voltage than the secondary battery 31, which is used to drive the auxiliary equipment. The auxiliary battery is charged by being supplied with power from the secondary battery 31.

[0033] The auxiliary equipment is electrically connected to the auxiliary battery and is driven using the power of the auxiliary battery. The auxiliary equipment is, for example, a car audio, an air conditioner, power windows, lights, door locks, wipers, brakes, a car navigation system, etc. Note that the auxiliary equipment may also be driven using the power of the secondary battery 31.

[0034] The motor is, for example, an AC synchronous motor and functions as an electric motor and a generator. When the motor functions as an electric motor, the motor is driven using the power stored in the secondary battery 31 as a power source. The output of the motor is transmitted to the wheels via a reduction gear and an axle. When the vehicle 30 decelerates, the motor functions as a generator that utilizes the rotation of the wheels and generates regenerative power. When the regenerative power generated by the motor is supplied to the secondary battery 31, the secondary battery 31 is charged and the SOC increases.

[0035] Note that the factory FC is not limited to the case where it is a single building or exists in a single site or address. Each process in the manufacturing process may exist across a plurality of buildings, a plurality of sites, a plurality of addresses, etc. "The vehicle 30 travels within the factory FC" includes the case where the vehicle 30 travels between processes existing in a plurality of locations. For example, it includes the case where the vehicle 30 travels on a public road existing between the factory FCs, not limited to a private road, in order to move between the factory FCs existing in a plurality of locations. Note that in the following description, the completed vehicle as a product and the vehicle as a semi-finished product or work-in-progress during manufacturing are collectively referred to as "the vehicle 30".

[0036] Generally, when charging the secondary battery 31 of the vehicle 30, the charging amount per unit time and the charging loss are proportional. That is, the larger the charging amount per unit time, the more extra power that does not contribute to the charging of the secondary battery 31 is required. Here, the "charging amount" refers to the power supplied from the charging device 20 to the secondary battery 31. Therefore, if there is a margin in the manufacturing time of the vehicle 30, it is desirable to charge the secondary battery 31 slowly with a relatively small charging amount. Also, regarding the case of discharging the secondary battery 31, from the viewpoint of preventing deterioration of the secondary battery 31 and achieving a longer service life, it is desirable to discharge it slowly. Here, the "discharge amount" refers to, for example, the power consumed from the secondary battery 31 due to the driving of the load device 34.

[0037] The charge-discharge system 100 manages the charge and discharge of the secondary battery in consideration of production management information related to the production of the vehicle 30, including the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time and the shipping deadline, etc., in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 30.

[0038] <Charge-discharge system 100> The charge-discharge system 100 includes a server 10 and a charging device 20. The charge-discharge system 100 may further include an external sensor 300 used for remote control of the vehicle 30 by the server 10. Here, as an example of the external sensor 300, a camera will be described. The external sensor 300 is arranged at a position where it can image the driving path in the factory FC and the driving vehicle 30. The remote control of the vehicle 30 will be described later.

[0039] <Charging device 20> The charging device 20 supplies power to the vehicle 30 from an external power source such as a utility power supply. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the charging device 20 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the charging device 20 is a contact-type charging device including a robot arm 21, a charging connector 22, a communication unit 23, and a control unit 24. The charging device 20 can supply power by connecting the charging connector 22 provided at the tip of the robot arm 21 to the charging port of the vehicle 30 stopped in the charge and discharge area, for example. Note that the charging from the charging device 20 to the vehicle 30 may be performed via a manual operation by an operator, such as manually connecting the charging connector 22 to the vehicle 30.

[0040] The communication unit 23 is a communication interface for performing wireless communication with external devices such as the vehicle 30 and the server 10. The control unit 24 controls the charging process to the vehicle 30 based on the charge and discharge instruction signal from the server 10. The "charging process" is a process of charging the secondary battery 31 of the vehicle 30 by supplying power from the charging device 20 to the secondary battery 31 and increasing the SOC of the secondary battery 31.

[0041] The "power supply from the charging device 20 to the secondary battery 31" includes a state in which the charging device 20 can automatically charge the vehicle 30 by controlling each part including the robot arm 21 of the charging device 20, and a state in which the vehicle 30 can be manually charged from the charging device 20 by an operator or the like. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the vehicle 30 is stopped in the charge and discharge area and the charging from the charging device 20 to the vehicle 30 is automatically performed without moving. Note that when a manual charging operation is performed by an operator, the charging device 20 may give a notification for prompting the operator for the manual charging operation.

[0042] The "discharge process" is a process for discharging the secondary battery 31 to reduce the SOC. Since the power consumption is large when accelerating the vehicle 30, it is preferable to adjust the acceleration of the vehicle 30. In addition, the discharge process may include power consumption due to driving of auxiliary machines such as an audio and an air conditioner. When the vehicle 30 is equipped with a clutch or the like and the connection between the motor and the drive wheels can be disconnected, the motor may be discharged by increasing the rotational speed of the motor with the connection between the motor and the drive wheels disconnected.

[0043] Further, when the vehicle 30 is equipped with a transmission, it may be discharged by increasing the power consumption by switching to a gear ratio that is inefficient with respect to the speed of the vehicle 30. Note that the discharge of the secondary battery 31 may be executed by a manual discharge operation in which the secondary battery 31 is discharged manually by an operator, such as an operation of a load device by the operator, instead of the above discharge process. When the manual discharge operation is performed, the charging device 20 may give a notification for prompting the operator to perform the manual discharge operation. Note that both the manual discharge operation and the manual charging operation may be performed, or only one of them may be performed.

[0044] The control unit 24 is configured by a computer including a processor (not shown) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (not shown) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). By the processor executing a program stored in the memory, some or all of the functions of the charging device 20 are realized. The CPU, the memory, and the communication unit 23 are connected to each other via an internal bus.

[0045] <Server 10> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the server 10 in FIG. 1. The server 10 includes a function of a charge and discharge management device that manages the charge and discharge of the secondary battery in consideration of production management information including the number of units produced per predetermined time, the shipping deadline, and the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 10 includes a processing unit 1, a storage unit 2, and a communication unit 3. The processing unit 1, the storage unit 2, and the communication unit 3 are interconnected via an internal bus or the like. The storage unit 2 may include a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk and a flash memory, and a memory such as a RAM, that is, a volatile storage device. The storage unit 2 stores a charge and discharge management program, charge and discharge information, and a remote control program. Note that the storage unit 2 may store data acquired from the vehicle 30, each process, and the like.

[0046] The charge and discharge management program is a computer program in which a process for managing the charge and discharge of the charging device 20 in the process of manufacturing the vehicle 30 is implemented. The charge and discharge information indicates the charge amount per unit time in the "charging process" or the discharge amount per unit time in the "discharging process". The storage unit 2 may include a table in which the number of vehicles 30 produced per predetermined time and the charge and discharge amount are stored in correspondence. That is, if the number of vehicles 30 produced per predetermined time is known, the charge and discharge amount in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 30 is determined.

[0047] The remote control program is a computer program in which a process for generating a travel control signal for remotely controlling the vehicle 30 is implemented. The communication unit 3 is a communication interface for communicating with the vehicle 30, the charging device 20, and the like via a network.

[0048] The processing unit 1 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a quantum processor (quantum computer control chip). The processing unit 1 causes the memory to read and execute the charge and discharge management program stored in the storage unit 2. Thereby, the processing unit 1 realizes the functions of an information acquisition unit 11, a charge and discharge amount determination unit 12, and a charge and discharge instruction signal creation unit 13. These functions are part of the functions as a charge and discharge management device.

[0049] Further, the processing unit 1 causes the memory to read and execute the remote control program stored in the storage unit 2. Thereby, the processing unit 1 realizes the functions of the vehicle position calculation unit 14 and the travel control signal generation unit 15. These functions are part of the functions as a remote control device for remotely controlling the vehicle. That is, in the first embodiment, the server 10 has the function as a charge and discharge management device and the function as a remote control device for remotely controlling the vehicle.

[0050] Note that the processing unit 1 may generate and output a control signal for controlling an actuator that operates various auxiliary machines provided in the vehicle 30, such as a wiper, a power window, and a lamp, in addition to the travel control signal. That is, the server 10 may operate such various auxiliary machines by remote control. Part or all of each configuration of the processing unit 1 may be realized by a general-purpose or dedicated circuit realized by, for example, a semiconductor device.

[0051] The vehicle position calculation unit 14 acquires a captured image from a camera as an external sensor 300 via the communication unit 3. The vehicle position calculation unit 14 analyzes the captured image at predetermined time intervals and calculates vehicle position information including the position and orientation of the vehicle 30.

[0052] The travel control signal generation unit 15 generates a travel control signal for remotely controlling the vehicle 30. The travel control signal is a control signal for causing the vehicle 30 to travel. In the present embodiment, the travel control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 30 as parameters. In other embodiments, the travel control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 30 as a parameter instead of or in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 30. The travel control signal generation unit 15 transmits the travel control signal to the vehicle 30 via the communication unit 3. When the vehicle 30 receives the travel control signal via the communication unit 32, driving control is realized by the ECU 33. The vehicle position calculation unit 14 can automatically drive the vehicle 30 along the reference path by sequentially adjusting the relative position of the vehicle 30 along the reference path.

[0053] In addition, the vehicle position calculation unit 14 can determine whether the vehicle 30 has stopped in the charge / discharge area by analyzing the captured image. For example, the vehicle position calculation unit 14 can recognize the charge / discharge area from the captured image and determine whether the vehicle 30 has stopped in the charge / discharge area based on the change in the position of the vehicle 30 included in consecutive image frames. Note that it is also possible to determine whether the vehicle 30 has stopped in the charge / discharge area based on a detection signal from a sensor that detects the entry of the vehicle 30 into the charge / discharge area, a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle 30, a wheel-side sensor, or the like. As described above, in the first embodiment, the charge / discharge process of the secondary battery 31 is performed by the charging device 20 while the vehicle 30 is stopped in the charge / discharge area.

[0054] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires information such as the current SOC of the secondary battery 31 mounted on the vehicle 30 from the vehicle 30 via the communication unit 3. The SOC can be calculated, for example, using the cell voltage, current, and temperature of the secondary battery 31 detected by a sensor (not shown) provided in the vehicle 30 and the standard values of the secondary battery 31. Instead of the output value of the secondary battery 31 or the like, the SOC may be estimated from the elapsed time since the SOC was last measured, the driving time or driving distance of the vehicle 30, or the like.

[0055] Note that the information acquisition unit 11 can acquire not only the current SOC but also the SOC target value to be charged from the vehicle 30. The SOC target value may be input to the server 10 via an input device (not shown). Alternatively, the SOC target value preset for each vehicle 30 may be stored in the storage unit 2. The SOC target value stored in the storage unit 2 is stored in association with vehicle identification information for identifying the vehicle.

[0056] The "vehicle identification information" means various types of information that can identify the SOC target value set for each vehicle 30. The vehicle identification information may include, for example, ID information given to each vehicle 30, and specification information of the vehicle 30 such as the vehicle type, color, and shape of the vehicle 30. Further, when the vehicle 30 can be identified from the "production management information" described later, the production management information may be used as the vehicle identification information.

[0057] When a plurality of vehicles 30 set with the same SOC target value for each other are manufactured in group units such as for each lot, a lot number or the like can also be used as vehicle identification information. The vehicle identification information may be time information such as the time when work in process at each process of the vehicle 30 and the time when the process is completed. Further, the vehicle identification information may be vehicle position information in the factory FC or the like.

[0058] The SOC target value is set according to, for example, the destination country, which is the destination of the manufactured vehicle 30. When shipping to the destination country, for example, when the shipping period is prolonged such as when sea freight is used, the SOC target value considering the influence on the life of the secondary battery 31 is set. The SOC target value is set, for example, within a numerical range of not less than a lower limit value and not more than an upper limit value. The lower limit value of the SOC target value can be set to the lower specification limit (LSL) in quality control or a value higher than that in order to suppress or prevent deterioration of the secondary battery 31 due to a decrease in SOC. The upper limit value of the SOC target value can be set to the upper specification limit (USL) in SOC quality control or a value lower than that in order to suppress or prevent deterioration of the secondary battery 31 due to overcharging.

[0059] If the current SOC is lower than the lower limit value, a charging process is executed so as to be not less than the lower limit value. If the current SOC is higher than the upper limit value, a discharging process is executed so as to be not more than the upper limit value. Note that only one of the lower limit value and the upper limit value may be used as the SOC target value. Further, the SOC target value is not limited to a numerical range and may be set using a specific numerical value. When the SOC target value is a specific numerical value, for example, when the current SOC is higher than the SOC target value or lower than the SOC target value, a charging process or a discharging process is executed so as to approach the SOC target value.

[0060] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires production management information related to the production of the vehicle, including at least one of the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time of the vehicle 30 and the shipping deadline. The "production management information" may include, for example, the start time and completion time of the process in each process, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 30 existing in each process, and the number of work in process.

[0061] The charge / discharge amount determination unit 12 can obtain the required charge / discharge value of the secondary battery 31 by using the acquired SOC and the SOC target value. Further, the charge / discharge amount determination unit 12 determines the charge / discharge amount per unit time of the secondary battery 31 based on the acquired production management information. That is, the charge / discharge amount determination unit 12 adjusts the charge / discharge conditions such as the charge / discharge amount and the charge time during charging so as to be suitable for the secondary battery 31.

[0062] For example, the information acquisition unit 11 can acquire production quantity information regarding the production quantity of the vehicle 30 per predetermined time as production management information. The charge / discharge amount determination unit 12 can determine the charge / discharge amount by referring to the charge / discharge information stored in the storage unit 2 using the production quantity information.

[0063] Note that the charge / discharge amount determination unit 12 may have a function of calculating the allocation time assigned to the charge / discharge of the secondary battery 31. The charge / discharge amount determination unit 12 may determine the charge / discharge amount per unit time to the secondary battery 31 according to the allocation time assigned to the charge / discharge process from the charging device 20 to the secondary battery 31. In this case, the storage unit 2 may include, for example, a table in which the allocation time assigned to the charge / discharge process of the vehicle 30 and the charge / discharge amount are stored in correspondence.

[0064] For example, when the production quantity per predetermined time is 1,000,000 units, if the time assigned to the charge / discharge process among the plurality of processes for manufacturing the vehicle 30 is 120 seconds, then when the production quantity is 2,000,000 units, the time assigned to the charge / discharge process is 60 seconds. Thus, the greater the production quantity per predetermined time, the shorter the allocation time of the charge / discharge process. Therefore, when the charge amount to be charged to each vehicle 30 is the same, the charge / discharge amount determination unit 12 can make the charge / discharge amount in the case of the first production quantity larger than the charge / discharge amount in the case of the second production quantity which is less than the first production quantity.

[0065] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a vehicle according to an embodiment. While referring to FIG. 4, a method for manufacturing a vehicle according to the embodiment will be described. The method for manufacturing a vehicle according to the embodiment includes charge and discharge processing of the secondary battery 31 using the charge and discharge system 100. After assembling the vehicle 30 at the factory FC, the vehicle 30 is remotely controlled according to a travel control signal, travels to the charge and discharge area, and stops. Then, first, the server 10 acquires production management information (S1).

[0066] Thereafter, the server 10 determines a charge and discharge amount based on the production management information (S2). Thereby, in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 30, it is possible to perform optimal charge and discharge with the charge and discharge amount determined in consideration of the production management information of the vehicle 30. Note that the information acquisition unit 11 may acquire time information (tact time information) required for manufacturing per vehicle as production management information. The charge and discharge amount determination unit 12 can also determine the charge amount to the vehicle 30 using the tact time information.

[0067] In addition, the charge and discharge system 100 may manage charge and discharge in consideration of delivery deadline information regarding the delivery deadline of the vehicle instead of or in addition to the above production quantity information. For example, the shorter the delivery deadline, the shorter the allotted time for charge and discharge processing. When the charge and discharge amount determination unit 12 compares the case where the delivery deadline is the first deadline with the case where the delivery deadline is the second deadline farther than the first deadline, the second deadline can take longer for charge and discharge processing than the first deadline. In this case, the charge and discharge amount determination unit 12 can make the charge and discharge amount when the delivery deadline is the first deadline larger than the charge and discharge amount in the case of the second deadline farther than the first deadline.

[0068] The charge and discharge instruction signal creation unit 13 creates a charge and discharge instruction signal based on the charge and discharge amount determined by the charge and discharge amount determination unit 12 and transmits it to the charging device 20. The charging device 20 can execute charge and discharge processing of the secondary battery 31 of the vehicle 30 with the charge and discharge amount corresponding to the charge and discharge instruction signal.

[0069] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, remote control of the vehicle 30 by the server 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the system 50 according to Embodiment 1. In the example shown in FIG. 5, "remote control" includes control to cause the vehicle 30 to travel along a reference path within the factory FC, and control to charge and discharge the secondary battery 31 of the vehicle 30 by the charging device 20 in the charge / discharge area.

[0070] It is assumed that the reference coordinate system of the factory FC is the global coordinate system GC. That is, any position within the factory FC is represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. The factory FC includes a pre-process area PL1 and a charge / discharge area PL2. The pre-process area PL1 and the charge / discharge area PL2 are connected by a road TR on which the vehicle 30 can travel. A plurality of external sensors 300 are installed along the road TR in the factory FC.

[0071] The external sensor 300 is a sensor located outside the vehicle 30. The external sensor 300 in Embodiment 1 is a sensor that captures the vehicle 30 from outside the vehicle 30. The external sensor 300 includes a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with other devices such as the server 10 by wired communication or wireless communication. The position of each external sensor 300 in the factory FC is adjusted in advance. Here, it is assumed that the vehicle 30 moves from the pre-process area PL1 to the charge / discharge area PL2 through the road TR by autonomous driving.

[0072] In the pre-process area PL1, for example, an assembly process of assembling parts to the vehicle body is executed. Note that in the pre-process area PL1, any manufacturing process may be used as long as the vehicle 30 after being processed in the pre-process can travel by remote control, not limited to the assembly process.

[0073] The vehicle 30 after being processed in the pre-process travels from the pre-process area PL1 to the charge / discharge area PL2 through the road TR. A charging device 20 is installed in the charge / discharge area PL2. In the charge / discharge area PL2, charging and discharging processes of the secondary battery 31 of the vehicle 30 by the charging device 20 are automatically executed.

[0074] The camera is an example of an external sensor 300 located outside the vehicle 30. The camera as the external sensor 300 captures an imaging image including the vehicle 30 and outputs the imaging image as a detection result. The camera, for example, acquires an image that looks down on the vehicle 30 on the road surface TR from above. The number of cameras is set to a number that can image the entire road surface TR in consideration of the viewing angle of the cameras and the like. Note that the camera is not limited to an image from above the vehicle 30, and may acquire images from the front, rear, side, etc. of the vehicle 30. Also, the cameras that acquire these images may be arbitrarily combined. With such a configuration, it is possible to execute the automatic driving of the vehicle 30 by remote control without using detectors mounted on the vehicle 30 such as cameras, millimeter wave radars, and LiDARs. Note that, for collision prevention during remote control and the like, the detectors mounted on the vehicle 30 may be used assistively.

[0075] A reference path RR along which the vehicle 30 should travel is preset on the road surface TR. The server 10 causes the ECU 33 to execute the driving control of the vehicle 30 while analyzing the images of the road surface TR and the vehicle 30 acquired by the camera at predetermined time intervals. By sequentially adjusting the relative position of the vehicle 30 with respect to the reference path RR by the server 10, the vehicle 30 can travel along the reference path RR. Note that, for remote control, an image of the entire vehicle 30 may be used, or an image of a part of the vehicle 30, such as an alignment mark provided on the vehicle 30, may be used.

[0076] The server 10 causes the vehicle 30 to travel to the charge / discharge area PL2 by remote control to make the vehicle 30 in a state where charging is possible. When the vehicle 30 reaches the charge / discharge area PL2, the charge / discharge process of the secondary battery 31 is performed. The server 10 acquires the current SOC of the secondary battery 31 of each vehicle 30 and the SOC target value. The server 10 can obtain the required charge / discharge value using the current SOC of the secondary battery 31 and the SOC target value.

[0077] In addition, the server 10 acquires production management information including the number of units produced per predetermined time. The server 10 can use the required charge / discharge value and the production management information to determine the amount of charge per unit time supplied from the charging device 20 to the secondary battery 31 and generate a charge / discharge instruction signal. The charge / discharge instruction signal is output to the charging device 20 via the communication unit 3. The charging device 20 executes a charging process on the vehicle 30 that stops in the charge / discharge area PL2 in response to the charge / discharge instruction signal.

[0078] Specifically, when the number of units produced per predetermined time is small, the amount of charge per unit time can be made smaller than when the number of units produced per predetermined time is large. That is, when the tact time is long, the amount of charge per unit time is made smaller compared to when the tact time is short. In this way, the longer the time allocated to the charge / discharge process, the slower the charging, and it becomes possible to reduce the charging loss. Also, when the time allocated to the charge / discharge process is short, the amount of charge per unit time can be increased and the charging time can be shortened to adapt to a short tact time.

[0079] Also, when the discharge process is executed, the vehicle 30 drives the load device 34 in response to the discharge instruction signal to consume the power of the secondary battery 31. Note that by turning on auxiliary devices such as an audio or an air conditioner during the running of the vehicle 30, the power of the secondary battery 31 may be consumed more than during normal running.

[0080] Figs. 6 and 7 are flowcharts for explaining the processing procedure of remote control of the vehicle 30 during the manufacturing process of the vehicle 30 according to Embodiment 1. In the processing procedure of Figs. 6 and 7, the processor of the server 10 realizes each function of the above-described processing unit 1 by executing a charge / discharge management program. Also, the ECU 33 of the vehicle 30 functions as a vehicle control unit by executing a vehicle control program. Fig. 6 shows the processing procedure of running control for running the vehicle 30 along a reference route in the factory FC.

[0081] In S10, the processor of the server 10 acquires vehicle position information of the vehicle 30 by using the detection result output from the external sensor 300. The vehicle position information is position information that serves as the basis for generating a driving control signal. In the present embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 30 in the global coordinate system GC of the factory FC. Specifically, in S10, the processor acquires the vehicle position information by using the captured image acquired from the camera which is the external sensor 300.

[0082] Specifically, in S10, the processor detects the outer shape of the vehicle 30 from the captured image, for example, calculates the coordinates of the measurement points of the vehicle 30 in the coordinate system of the captured image, that is, the local coordinate system, and converts the calculated coordinates into coordinates in the global coordinate system GC, thereby acquiring the position of the vehicle 30.

[0083] The outer shape of the vehicle 30 included in the captured image can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured image into a detection model DM that utilizes artificial intelligence. The detection model DM is prepared, for example, inside or outside the system 50 and is stored in advance in the storage unit 2 of the server 10. Examples of the detection model DM include a learned machine learning model that is learned to realize either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (hereinafter, CNN) learned by supervised learning using a learning dataset can be used. The learning dataset has, for example, a plurality of training images including the vehicle 30 and a label indicating whether each region in the training image is a region indicating the vehicle 30 or a region indicating other than the vehicle 30. During the learning of the CNN, it is preferable that the parameters of the CNN are updated so as to reduce the error between the output result by the detection model DM and the label by backpropagation (error backpropagation method). Further, the processor can acquire the orientation of the vehicle 30 by estimating, for example, based on the direction of the movement vector of the vehicle 30 calculated from the position change of the feature points of the vehicle 30 between the frames of the captured image by using the optical flow method.

[0084] In step S11, the processor of the server 10 determines the target position to which the vehicle 30 should next head. In this embodiment, the target position is represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. In the storage unit 2 of the server 10, a reference route RR, which is the route along which the vehicle 30 should travel, is stored in advance. The route is represented by nodes indicating the departure point, nodes indicating passing points, nodes indicating the destination, and links connecting each node. The processor determines the target position to which the vehicle 30 should next head using the vehicle position information and the reference route RR. The processor determines the target position on the reference route RR ahead of the current position of the vehicle 30.

[0085] In step S12, the processor of the server 10 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 30 toward the determined target position. The processor calculates the driving speed of the vehicle 30 from the change in the position of the vehicle 30 and compares the calculated driving speed with the target speed. Overall, when the driving speed is lower than the target speed, the processor determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 30 accelerates, and when the driving speed is higher than the target speed, the processor determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 30 decelerates. Further, when the vehicle 30 is located on the reference route RR, the processor determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 30 does not deviate from the reference route RR, and when the vehicle 30 is not located on the reference route RR, in other words, when the vehicle 30 has deviated from the reference route RR, the processor determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 30 returns to the reference route RR.

[0086] In step S13, the processor of the server 10 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 30. The processor repeats operations such as acquiring the position of the vehicle 30, determining the target position, generating the driving control signal, and transmitting the driving control signal at a predetermined cycle.

[0087] In step S14, the processor of vehicle 30 receives the driving control signal transmitted from server 10. In step S15, the processor of vehicle 30 controls the actuator group using the received driving control signal, thereby driving vehicle 30 at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the driving control signal. The processor of vehicle 30 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of the actuator group at a predetermined period. According to system 50 in the present embodiment, vehicle 30 can be driven by remote control, and vehicle 30 can be moved without using conveying equipment such as a crane or a conveyor. Even when charging device 20 is arranged at a position away from running path TR, the charging process of vehicle 30 can be simplified by automating the movement of vehicle 30 to charging device 20.

[0088] FIG. 7 shows the control procedure for charging and discharging secondary battery 31 of vehicle 30 by charging device 20 in the charge / discharge area. As shown in FIG. 7, first, it is determined whether vehicle 30 is in charge / discharge area PL2 (S20). If vehicle 30 is not in charge / discharge area PL2 (S20, NO), the charge / discharge process ends. If vehicle 30 is in charge / discharge area PL2 (S20, YES), server 10 acquires the current SOC, SOC target value, and production management information of vehicle 30 (S21). Server 10 can acquire the current SOC of secondary battery 31 mounted on vehicle 30 from vehicle 30. Note that server 10 may repeatedly acquire the current SOC at predetermined intervals, such as every few seconds, while vehicle 30 is running. The current SOC may be acquired only at a predetermined timing, such as at the time of delivery from the previous process. Also, server 10 can acquire vehicle identification information from vehicle 30, for example, and acquire the SOC target value corresponding to the vehicle identification information from storage unit 2.

[0089] Then, the server 10 creates a charge / discharge instruction signal and transmits it to the charging device 20 (S22). Specifically, the server 10 compares the acquired current SOC with the SOC target value to calculate the required charge / discharge value of the secondary battery 31. Then, the server 10 can determine the charge / discharge amount using the determined required charge / discharge value and the production management information, and create a driving control signal for the charging device 20. As described above, the larger the number of production units per predetermined time, the larger the charge / discharge amount per unit time can be. Also, the shorter the shipping deadline, the larger the charge / discharge amount per unit time can be. Note that the charge / discharge amount per unit time may be determined in consideration of both the number of production units per predetermined time and the shipping deadline.

[0090] The charge / discharge driving control signal indicates whether to execute a discharge process of discharging the secondary battery 31 by remote control of the vehicle 30 or a charging process of charging the secondary battery 31 by remote control of the charging device 20. When the current SOC is larger than the upper limit value of the SOC target value, the discharge process is executed (not shown in FIG. 7). In this case, for example, the vehicle 30 can drive the mounted load device 34 to consume the electric power stored in the secondary battery 31. For example, the vehicle 30 turns on the audio, air conditioner, etc. according to the charge / discharge instruction signal. Also, the server 10 may adjust the volume of the audio, the temperature of the air conditioner, etc. to adjust the power consumption.

[0091] When the current SOC is smaller than the lower limit value of the SOC target value, the charging process is executed. The charging device 20 receives the charge / discharge instruction signal from the server 10 (S23). Then, the charging device 20 executes the charging process based on the charge / discharge instruction signal (S24). Thereby, the longer the time allocated to the charge / discharge process, the slower the charging, and it becomes possible to reduce the charging loss. Also, when the time allocated to the charge / discharge process is short, the charge amount per unit time can be increased, and the charging time can be shortened to adapt to a short tact time.

[0092] Embodiment 2. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the system 50A according to Embodiment 2. The system 50A according to Embodiment 2 is different from Embodiment 1 in that a non-contact charging device 20A is provided on the track TR between the pre-process area PL1 and the charge / discharge area PL2. That is, the system 50A of Embodiment 2 includes both a contact charging device 20 and a non-contact charging device 20A. In addition, in Embodiment 2, since the configurations other than the charging device 20A are the same as those in Embodiment 1, the description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0093] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the charging device 20A is configured to transmit (supply) power to the vehicle 30 traveling or stopped on the track TR. Power is supplied to the charging device 20A from an external power source such as a utility power supply. The charging device 20A includes a plurality of power feeding coils 25 installed so as to line up along the track TR. The section where the plurality of power feeding coils 25 are installed on the track TR is specified as a power feeding section ZO1 as shown by hatching in FIG. 1. Note that the charging device 20A may be laid not only on a part of the track TR but also over the entire track TR.

[0094] The charging device 20A is configured to supply power non-contact from the power feeding coil 25 to a power receiving coil (not shown) provided in the vehicle 30, for example, using a magnetic field resonance method. The plurality of power feeding coils 25 are typically installed near the road surface of the track TR. However, the plurality of power feeding coils 25 may be installed along the track TR above or on the side of the track TR. In addition, the charging device 20A is not limited to the magnetic field resonance method, and various methods for transmitting power non-contact, such as the electromagnetic induction method, can be adopted.

[0095] The charging device 20A receives a charge / discharge instruction signal from the server 10. The charging device 20A controls the power supplied from the power supply coil 25 to the power receiving coil of the vehicle 30 based on the charge / discharge instruction signal. Note that the charging device 20A includes a processor and a storage device (not shown). A program for controlling the power supplied from the power supply coil 25 is stored in the storage device. The processor of the charging device 20A reads and executes the program to realize the process of controlling the power supplied from the power supply coil 25.

[0096] With reference to FIG. 8, the process of charging and discharging the secondary battery 31 of the vehicle 30 in Embodiment 2 will be described. When the vehicle 30 approaches within a predetermined distance of the charging device 20A, the server 10 acquires the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 30. As described above, the server 10 can acquire the corresponding SOC target value using the vehicle identification information. Further, the server 10 generates a charge / discharge instruction signal using the SOC target value, the current SOC of the secondary battery 31, and the production management information. The server 10 transmits the generated charge / discharge instruction signal to the charging device 20A and the charging device 20.

[0097] In Embodiment 2, the server 10 can determine the charging amount by the charging device 20 and the charging amount by the charging device 20A so that the secondary battery 31 reaches the required charging value. Therefore, as described above, the charge / discharge instruction signal indicates not only whether to execute the discharge process or the charging process, but also represents the charging amounts of the charging device 20 and the charging device 20A respectively. When the vehicle 30 travels on the road TR and enters the power supply section ZO1, the charging device 20A can execute the charging process for the secondary battery 31 according to the received charge / discharge instruction signal.

[0098] Normally, the contact-type charging device 20 can charge the secondary battery 31 more efficiently than the non-contact-type charging device 20A. For this reason, it is preferable that the charge / discharge amount by the contact-type charging device 20 is equal in both the case where the number of production units per predetermined time is the first number and the case where the number is the second number less than the first number, and the charge / discharge amount by the non-contact-type charging device 20A is larger in the case of the first number than in the case of the second number.

[0099] For example, the charging process by the contact charging device 20 is executed with the maximum supply power of the charging device 20 regardless of the number of production units per predetermined time, and the charging process by the non-contact charging device 20A can be executed such that the charge and discharge amount increases as the number of production units increases. That is, the charging process by inefficient non-contact power supply can be minimized as much as possible. Thereby, for example, when the required power supply value of the secondary battery 31 is high even when the number of production units per predetermined time is large, the possibility of reducing the power loss by the non-contact charging device 20A, which is generally less efficient than the contact charging device 20, can be increased.

[0100] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the charging device 20A is provided between the pre-process area PL1 and the charge and discharge area PL2. That is, the non-contact power supply by the charging device 20A is executed before the contact power supply by the charging device 20. However, the arrangement of the charging device 20A and the charging device 20 is not limited to this example. For example, the non-contact charging device 20A may be provided between the charge and discharge area PL2 and a subsequent post-process area (not shown). That is, the non-contact power supply by the charging device 20A may be executed after the contact power supply by the charging device 20.

[0101] According to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 30, the charge and discharge of the secondary battery can be managed in consideration of the information related to the production of the vehicle 30. Further, in the second embodiment, the charging process by the charging device 20A can be performed while the vehicle 30 is traveling in the power supply section ZO1. That is, the charging from the charging device 20A to the vehicle 30 can be automatically performed without the vehicle 30 moving to a different location from another driving lane TR. "During the travel of the vehicle 30" means a state in which the vehicle 30 is located on the driving lane TR for travel, and includes not only a state in which the vehicle 30 is traveling at an arbitrary speed greater than zero but also a state in which the vehicle 30 is stopped on the driving lane TR.

[0102] In this way, by performing a charging process on the vehicle 30 during travel from the pre-process area PL1 to the charge / discharge area PL2 by remote control using the charging device 20A, it becomes possible to shorten the time required for the charging process by the charging device 20, which is executed when the vehicle 30 is stopped in the charge / discharge area PL2. As a result, it becomes possible to efficiently execute the charging process of the secondary battery 31. Therefore, while suppressing or preventing a decrease in the production efficiency of the vehicle 30, the SOC of the secondary battery 31 can be adjusted to a predetermined value.

[0103] Note that the non-contact charging device 20A is not limited to being provided in part or in whole on the travel path TR, and may be installed at a position separate from the travel path TR. In this case, charging is automatically performed by moving the vehicle 30 to the position where the charging device 20A is provided by remote control. Further, the charging device 20A can also be provided in an area where other manufacturing processes are performed. That is, during other manufacturing processes, the charge / discharge process by the charging device 20A can also be performed.

[0104] Embodiment 3. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system 50B including the vehicle 30 according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the server 10 is not provided outside the vehicle 30, and the vehicle 30 itself has the function of the processing unit 1 of the server 10. In FIG. 9, the same functions as those of the server 10 in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle 30 can travel by autonomous control.

[0105] By executing the charge and discharge management program stored in the storage unit 2, the ECU 33 realizes the functions of the information acquisition unit 11, the charge and discharge amount determination unit 12, and the charge and discharge instruction signal generation unit 13 of the processing unit 1. Also, by executing the vehicle control program, the ECU 33 realizes the functions of the vehicle position calculation unit 14 and the travel control signal generation unit 15. Note that the ECU 33 further includes a vehicle control unit 16. The vehicle control unit 16 operates the actuator group of the vehicle 30 based on the travel control signal generated by the travel control signal generation unit 15, thereby causing the vehicle 30 to travel by autonomous control. In addition to the above-described programs, a detection model DM and a reference route RR are stored in advance in the storage unit 2.

[0106] The vehicle 30 can transmit the created charge and discharge instruction signal to, for example, the charging device 20 in FIG. 5, the charging device 20 in FIG. 8, or the charging device 20A. The charging device 20 that has received the charge and discharge instruction signal can perform a charging process with a charging amount determined based on the production management information when the vehicle 30 stops in the charge and discharge area PL2. Also, the charging device 20A can perform a charging process with a charging amount determined based on the production management information when the vehicle 30 is traveling or stopped in the power supply section ZO1.

[0107] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the running control of the vehicle 30 according to the third embodiment. In the processing procedure of FIG. 10, the ECU 33 of the vehicle 30 functions as a vehicle position calculation unit 14, a running control signal creation unit 15, and a vehicle control unit 16 by executing a running control program. In step S101, the ECU 33 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from a camera which is an external sensor 300. In step S102, the ECU 33 determines the target position to which the vehicle 30 should next head. In step S103, the ECU 33 generates a running control signal for causing the vehicle 30 to travel toward the determined target position. In step S104, the ECU 33 controls the actuator group 120 using the generated running control signal, thereby causing the vehicle 30 to travel according to the parameters represented in the running control signal. The ECU 33 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, the determination of the target position, the generation of the running control signal, and the control of the actuator at a predetermined cycle.

[0108] According to the third embodiment, even without remotely controlling the vehicle 30, the charging device 20, or the charging device 20A by the server 10, the vehicle 30 can be made to travel by the autonomous control of the vehicle 30, and the charging and discharging of the secondary battery 31 can be managed in consideration of the information related to the production of the vehicle 30.

[0109] Other embodiments. (XX1) In the first embodiment, a non-contact charging device 20A may be provided in the charging and discharging area PL2 instead of the contact charging device 20. The non-contact charging device 20A may perform a charging and discharging process based on a charging and discharging instruction signal on the vehicle 30 stopped in the charging and discharging area PL2. Further, in the second embodiment, no charging device 20 may be provided in the charging and discharging area PL2, and only the charging device 20A may be provided on the road TR. The charging and discharging system 100 may include at least one of the contact charging device 20 and the non-contact charging device 20A, or may include both.

[0110] (XX2)In the embodiment, an example in which the server 10 generates a charge / discharge control signal capable of executing both the discharge process and the charge process has been shown. In contrast, the server 10 may generate a signal capable of executing either the discharge process or the charge process.

[0111] (XX3)All or part of the functions of the above-described information acquisition unit 11, charge / discharge amount determination unit 12, charge / discharge instruction signal creation unit 13, vehicle position calculation unit 14, and travel control signal creation unit 15 may be provided in a device other than the server 10 and the vehicle 30.

[0112] (YY1)In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor 300 is a camera. In contrast, the external sensor 300 may not be a camera, and for example, it may be a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). In this case, the detection result output by the external sensor 300 may be three-dimensional point cloud data representing the vehicle 30. In this case, the server 10 and the vehicle 30 may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using the three-dimensional point cloud data as the detection result and reference point cloud data prepared in advance.

[0113] (YY2)In the first embodiment described above, the process from the acquisition of vehicle position information to the generation of a travel control signal is executed by the server 10. In contrast, at least part of the process from the acquisition of vehicle position information to the generation of a travel control signal may be executed by the vehicle 30. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be used.

[0114] (1) The server 10 may acquire vehicle position information, determine the target position to which the vehicle 30 should next head, and generate a route from the current position of the vehicle 30 represented by the acquired vehicle position information to the target position. The server 10 may generate a route to the target position between the current position and the destination, or may generate a route to the destination. The server 10 may transmit the generated route to the vehicle 30. The vehicle 30 may generate a travel control signal so that the vehicle 30 travels on the route received from the server 10, and control the actuator group using the generated travel control signal.

[0115] (2) The server 10 may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to the vehicle 30. The vehicle 30 may determine the target position to which the vehicle 30 should next head, generate a route from the current position of the vehicle 30 represented in the received vehicle position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 30 travels on the generated route, and control the actuator group using the generated driving control signal.

[0116] (3) In the forms (1) and (2) above, an internal sensor is mounted on the vehicle 30, and the detection result output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of route generation and driving control signal generation. The internal sensor is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 30. The internal sensor may include, for example, a sensor that detects the motion state of the vehicle 30, a sensor that detects the operating state of each part of the vehicle 30, and a sensor that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle 30.

[0117] Specifically, the internal sensor may include, for example, a camera, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensor, GPS sensor, acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, etc. For example, in the form (1) above, the server 10 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. In the form (1) above, the vehicle 30 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal. In the form (2) above, the vehicle 30 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. In the form (2) above, the vehicle 30 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0118] (YY3) In the above-described Embodiment 3, an internal sensor is mounted on the vehicle 30, and the detection result output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the driving control signal. For example, the vehicle 30 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. The vehicle 30 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0119] (YY4) In the above-described Embodiment 3, the vehicle 30 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result of the external sensor 300. On the other hand, an internal sensor is mounted on the vehicle 30, the vehicle 30 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result of the internal sensor, determines the target position to which the vehicle 30 should next head, generates a route from the current position of the vehicle 30 represented by the acquired vehicle position information to the target position, generates a driving control signal for traveling on the generated route, and controls the actuator group using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 30 can travel without using the detection result of the external sensor 300 at all. Note that the vehicle 30 may acquire the target arrival time and traffic jam information from outside the vehicle 30 and reflect the target arrival time and traffic jam information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal. Further, all the functional configurations of the system 50B may be provided in the vehicle 30. That is, the processing realized by the system 50B in the present disclosure may be realized by the vehicle 30 alone.

[0120] (YY5) In the above-described First Embodiment, the server 10 automatically generates the driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 30. On the other hand, the server 10 may generate the driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 30 according to the operation of an external operator located outside the vehicle 30. For example, an external operator operates a control device including a display for displaying a captured image output from the external sensor 300, a steering wheel for remotely operating the vehicle 30, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the server 10 by wire or wireless communication, and the server 10 may generate a driving control signal corresponding to the operation applied to the control device.

[0121] (YY6) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 30 may be configured to be movable by autonomous driving. For example, it may be in the form of a platform having the following-described configuration. Specifically, the vehicle 30 may be provided with at least a vehicle control device and an actuator group in order to exhibit the three functions of "running", "turning", and "stopping" by autonomous driving. When the vehicle 30 acquires information from the outside for autonomous driving, the vehicle 30 may further be provided with a communication device. That is, the vehicle 30 that can be moved by autonomous driving may not have at least some of the interior parts such as a driver's seat and a dashboard, and may not have at least some of the exterior parts such as a bumper and a fender, and may not have a body shell attached. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 30 before the vehicle 30 is shipped from the factory FC, or the vehicle 30 may be shipped from the factory FC without the remaining parts such as the body shell attached, and then the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 30. Each part may be attached from an arbitrary direction such as the upper side, lower side, front side, rear side, right side, or left side of the vehicle 30, and they may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. Note that the positioning of the platform form can also be performed in the same manner as the vehicle 30 in the first embodiment.

[0122] (YY7) The vehicle 30 may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. A module means a unit composed of a plurality of parts grouped according to the parts and functions of the vehicle 30. For example, the platform of the vehicle 30 may be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the platform, a central module that constitutes the central part of the platform, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the platform. Note that the number of modules constituting the platform is not limited to three, and may be two or less or four or more. In addition to, or instead of, the parts constituting the platform, parts constituting a portion of the vehicle 30 different from the platform may be modularized. Further, each type of module may include any exterior parts such as bumpers and grills, and any interior parts such as seats and consoles. Further, not limited to the vehicle 30, any type of moving body may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. Such modules may be manufactured, for example, by joining a plurality of parts by welding, fixtures, or the like, or by integrally molding at least a part of the parts constituting the module by casting as one part. The molding method of integrally molding one part, particularly a relatively large part, is also called gigacasting or megacasting. For example, the above-described front module, central module, and rear module may be manufactured using gigacasting.

[0123] (YY8) Using the running of the vehicle 30 by autonomous driving to transport the vehicle 30 is also called "self-propelled transport". Further, the configuration for realizing self-propelled transport is also called "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transport system". Further, the production method of producing the vehicle 30 using self-propelled transport is also called "self-propelled production". In self-propelled production, for example, in the factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 30, at least a part of the transport of the vehicle 30 is realized by self-propelled transport.

[0124] In each of the above embodiments, part or all of the functions and processes realized software may be realized hardware. Also, part or all of the functions and processes realized hardware may be realized software. As the hardware for realizing the various functions in each of the above embodiments, for example, various circuits such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits may be used.

[0125] Part or all of the processing in the above-described server 10 and ECU 33 can be realized as a computer program. Such a program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media and supplied to a computer. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM). Also, the program may be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. A transitory computer-readable media can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as electric wires and optical fibers, or a wireless communication path.

[0126] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0127] 100 Charge and Discharge System 1 Processing Unit 2 Storage Unit 3 Communication Unit 10 Server 11 Information Acquisition Unit 12 Charge and Discharge Amount Determination Unit 13 Charge and Discharge Indicator Signal Generation Unit 14 Vehicle Position Calculation Unit 15 Travel Control Signal Generation Unit 16 Vehicle Control Unit 20 Charging Device 20A Charging Device 21 Robot Arm 22 Charging Connector 23 Communication Unit 24 Control Unit 25 Power Feeding Coil 30 Vehicle 31 Secondary Battery 32 Communication Unit 33 ECU 34 Load Device 50 System 300 External Sensor FC Factory PL1 Pre-Process Area PL2 Charge and Discharge Area TR Track RR Reference Route ZO1 Power Feeding Section

Claims

1. An information acquisition unit that acquires production management information related to the production of a vehicle, including at least one of the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle having a secondary battery; A charge / discharge amount determination unit that determines the charge / discharge amount per unit time of the secondary battery based on the production management information; Comprising: A charge / discharge management device.

2. Further comprising an allocation time determination unit that determines an allocation time assigned to the charge / discharge of the secondary battery using the production management information, The charge / discharge amount determination unit determines the charge / discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle according to the allocation time, The charge / discharge management device according to claim 1.

3. The charge / discharge amount when the production quantity is the first quantity is larger than the charge / discharge amount when the production quantity is the second quantity, which is less than the first quantity, The charge / discharge management device according to claim 1.

4. The charge / discharge amount when the shipping deadline is the first deadline is larger than the charge / discharge amount when the shipping deadline is the second deadline, which is farther than the first deadline, The charge / discharge management device according to claim 1.

5. An information acquisition unit that acquires production management information related to at least one of the number of vehicles produced per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle having a secondary battery; A charge / discharge amount determination unit that determines the charge / discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle based on the production management information; A charge / discharge management device including: A charge / discharge device that executes a charge rate adjustment process including at least one of a charge process for charging the secondary battery and a discharge process for discharging the secondary battery according to the charge / discharge amount; Comprising: A charge / discharge system.

6. The charge / discharge management device, Further comprising an allocation time determination unit that determines an allocation time assigned to the charge / discharge of the secondary battery using the production management information, The charge / discharge amount determination unit determines the charge / discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle according to the allocation time, The charge / discharge system according to claim 5.

7. The charge / discharge amount when the production quantity is the first quantity is larger than the charge / discharge amount when the production quantity is the second quantity, which is less than the first quantity, The charge / discharge system according to claim 5.

8. The charge / discharge amount when the shipping deadline is the first deadline is larger than the charge / discharge amount when the shipping deadline is the second deadline, which is farther than the first deadline, The charge / discharge system according to claim 5.

9. The charge / discharge device includes at least one of a contact type charge / discharge device and a non-contact type charge / discharge device, The charge / discharge system according to claim 5.

10. The charging and discharging device includes a contact type charging and discharging device and a non-contact type charging and discharging device, In both the case where the production quantity is the first quantity and the case where the production quantity is a second quantity less than the first quantity, the charge and discharge amount by the contact type charging and discharging device is equal, and In the case of the first quantity, the charge and discharge amount by the non-contact type charging and discharging device is larger than that in the case of the second quantity. The charge and discharge system according to claim 5.

11. A process of acquiring production management information regarding at least one of the production quantity per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle having a secondary battery, A process of determining the charge and discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle based on the production management information, Causing a computer to execute, Program.

12. A computer, A process of acquiring production management information regarding at least one of the production quantity per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle having a secondary battery, A process of determining the charge and discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle based on the production management information, Executing, Vehicle manufacturing method.

13. A secondary battery, An information acquisition unit that acquires production management information regarding at least one of the production quantity per predetermined time and the shipping deadline of a vehicle, A charge and discharge amount determination unit that determines the charge and discharge amount per unit time to the vehicle based on the production management information, An output unit that outputs the charge and discharge amount to a charge and discharge device that executes a charge rate adjustment process including at least one of a charge process of charging the secondary battery according to the charge and discharge amount and a discharge process of discharging the secondary battery, Including, Vehicle.

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