Vehicle maintenance-related device and vehicle maintenance-related method

Abstract

To improve the convenience of a user of an electric vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle maintenance-related device includes: a vehicle communication unit 201 that acquires diagnosis-related information that is information related to diagnosis of an electric vehicle, from the electric vehicle during a period in which the electric vehicle charges a battery thereof from a charging station 2; a maintenance-related processing unit 205 that performs a maintenance-related process that is related to maintenance of the electric vehicle, by using the diagnosis-related information acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201. It is, therefore, possible to acquire the diagnosis-related information that is related to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle, from the electric vehicle during a waiting time for charging the battery of the electric vehicle from the charging station 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle maintenance-related device and a vehicle maintenance-related method. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an electric vehicle that charges an on-board battery with power supplied from a power source external to the vehicle. Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vehicle that charges an on-board power storage device with power supplied from a charging station via a charging cable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-198156 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When an electric vehicle is charged at a charging station, there is a waiting time for charging. To improve convenience for users of electric vehicles, there is a demand to make effective use of this waiting time.

[0005] One object of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle maintenance-related device and a vehicle maintenance-related method that further improve convenience for users of electric vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object is achieved by the combination of features recited in the independent claims, and the subclaims define further advantageous embodiments of the disclosure. The reference numerals in parentheses in the claims correspond to specific means described in the following embodiments as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle maintenance-related device of the present disclosure includes a diagnosis-related information acquisition unit (201, 201b, 31) that acquires diagnosis-related information, which is information related to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle, from the electric vehicle (1) while the electric vehicle (1) is charging its own battery (11) from an external charger (2, 2a, 2b), and a maintenance-related processing unit (205, 33) that performs maintenance-related processing related to the maintenance of the electric vehicle using the diagnosis-related information acquired by the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle maintenance-related method of the present disclosure includes a diagnosis-related information acquisition step executed by at least one processor, which acquires diagnosis-related information, which is information related to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle, from the electric vehicle (1) during a period when the electric vehicle (1) is charging its own battery (11) from an external charger (2, 2a, 2b), and a maintenance-related processing step which performs maintenance-related processing related to the maintenance of the electric vehicle using the diagnosis-related information acquired in the diagnosis-related information acquisition step.

[0009] According to these features, it is possible to acquire diagnostic information related to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle while the battery of the electric vehicle is being charged from an external charger. This diagnostic information can then be used to perform maintenance-related processing related to maintenance of the electric vehicle. This makes it possible to more effectively utilize the waiting time for charging the battery of the electric vehicle. As a result, convenience for users of electric vehicles is further improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 5. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle-side unit 10. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a charging stand 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of charging-related processes in the vehicle system 5. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 5a. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a charging stand 2a. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a server 3a. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of charging-related processes in the vehicle system 5a. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 5b. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle-side unit 10b. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a charging stand 2b. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A number of embodiments for the purpose of disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, parts having the same functions as parts shown in the drawings used in the previous explanations in the number of embodiments will be given the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted. For parts given the same reference numerals, the explanations in other embodiments may be referred to.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) <General Configuration of Vehicle System 5> This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. A vehicle system 5 shown in Fig. 1 includes an electric vehicle 1, a charging station 2, and a server 3. Examples of the electric vehicle 1 include an EV (Electric Vehicle) and a PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle). The electric vehicle 1 may also be a range extender vehicle that drives a motor using power generated by an engine. The electric vehicle 1 includes a vehicle-side unit 10. The vehicle-side unit 10 will be described later.

[0013] The charging stand 2 is used to charge the battery 11 of the electric vehicle 1, which will be described later. The charging stand 2 corresponds to an external charger for the electric vehicle 1. The electric vehicle 1 and the charging stand 2 are connected by a cable Ca during charging. A power supply plug is provided at one end of the cable Ca. The other end of the cable Ca is, for example, permanently connected to the charging stand 2. The power supply plug of the cable Ca is detachably connected to an inlet 12, which will be described later, of the vehicle-side unit 10. Connecting the power supply plug of the cable Ca to the inlet 12 enables power to be supplied from the charging stand 2 to the battery 11 of the electric vehicle 1. The cable Ca includes a power line for power supply. Power is supplied from the charging stand 2 to the battery 11 of the electric vehicle 1 via this power line. The cable Ca also includes a signal line for communication. Communication between the charging stand 2 and the vehicle-side unit 10 is performed via this communication line. The charging stand 2 can adopt a rapid charging method as its charging method. In this embodiment, the CHAdeMO (registered trademark) standard is used as the rapid charging method.

[0014] The server 3 communicates with the charging stand 2 via a network. The server 3 pre-stores identification information for identifying authorized users. The server 3 performs authentication to allow charging. The server 3 performs authentication by comparing the authorized user's identification information with the identification information transmitted from the charging stand 2.

[0015] <General Configuration of Vehicle-Side Unit 10> Next, a schematic configuration of the vehicle-side unit 10 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle-side unit 10 includes a battery 11, an inlet unit 12, an on-board sensor 13, a control ECU 14, and a charging ECU 15. The control ECU 14 and the charging ECU 15 are connected to, for example, an in-vehicle LAN (see the LAN in Fig. 2).

[0016] The battery 11 is a battery for driving the electric vehicle 1 and supplies power to the motor that is the driving force source. This battery 11 corresponds to an on-board battery. For example, the battery 11 includes a plurality of battery cells electrically connected in series. For example, secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries can be used as the battery cells.

[0017] The inlet 12 is connected to the aforementioned power plug. Connecting the power plug to the inlet 12 enables the battery 11 to be charged from the charging stand 2. The inlet 12 has a detection sensor that detects connection with the power plug and a locking mechanism that prevents unintentional removal of the power plug. The inlet 12 is attached to the body of the electric vehicle 1. The inlet 12 has multiple terminals. Some of the multiple terminals are connected to the power lines of the cable Ca. Other terminals are connected to the signal lines of the cable Ca. For example, when the detection sensor detects connection between the power plug and the inlet 12, a connection signal is output to the signal line. The connection signal is a signal that indicates that the power plug and the inlet 12 are connected.

[0018] The on-board sensors 13 are a group of sensors mounted on the electric vehicle 1 to detect various information used for vehicle control. Information detected by the on-board sensors 13 (hereinafter, "sensing information") is output to the in-vehicle LAN via the control system ECU 14. Note that the sensing information detected by the on-board sensors 13 may be output to the in-vehicle LAN without passing through the control system ECU 14.

[0019] The control system ECU 14 is a group of electronic control devices that control the devices of the electric vehicle 1. The control system ECU 14 is mainly composed of a microcomputer equipped with a processor, memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these. The control system ECU 14 executes control programs stored in the memory to perform control processing. Examples of the control system ECU 14 include electronic control devices related to driving control. Examples of the control system ECU 14 include electronic control devices related to vehicle body control.

[0020] The control system ECU 14 executes control processing based on sensing information detected by the on-board sensors 13. The control system ECU 14 has a self-diagnosis function. The control system ECU 14 uses the self-diagnosis function to determine whether or not an abnormality exists in the equipment controlled by the control system ECU 14 based on the sensing information detected by the on-board sensors 13. If the control system ECU 14 determines that an abnormality exists, it stores an error code and sensing information corresponding to the abnormality in a non-volatile memory. The error code can also be referred to as a diagnostic code. The diagnostic code is a DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code). The error code can also be referred to as a fault diagnosis code.

[0021] The control system ECU 14 also executes control processing in test mode. Test mode is a mode in which the electric vehicle 1 is operated according to a predetermined procedure to check the operating status of each part of the electric vehicle 1. In test mode, the control system ECU 14 executes control processing in accordance with commands transmitted from the outside. Then, the control system ECU 14 outputs sensing information detected by the on-board sensors 13 through this control processing to, for example, an in-vehicle LAN. This function can be called an active test function. Furthermore, this sensing information corresponds to data on the operating status of each part of the electric vehicle 1 checked in test mode of the electric vehicle 1 (hereinafter, test result data). In test mode, each part of the electric vehicle 1 is actually operated, making it possible to check for any abnormalities in the equipment in real time.

[0022] The charging ECU 15 is an electronic control device that manages charging of the battery 11. The charging ECU 15 is mainly composed of a microcomputer equipped with a processor, memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these. The charging ECU 15 monitors the charging state of the battery 11 and controls operations related to charging. The charging ECU 15 includes a communication unit 151 as a functional block that communicates with the charging stand 2 via the signal line of the cable Ca.

[0023] The charging ECU 15 monitors the SOC (state of charge) of the battery 11 and determines the remaining charge amount. When the charging ECU 15 detects that the inlet 12 is connected to the power plug, the charging ECU 15 electrically connects the power plug to the battery 11 to start charging the battery 11. When starting charging of the battery 11, the communication unit 151 transmits identification information of the electric vehicle 1 and a power supply request signal to the charging stand 2. The identification information is information that identifies each individual electric vehicle 1. The charging ECU 15 controls a locking mechanism of the inlet 12 to lock the connection between the power plug and the inlet 12. The charging ECU 15 adjusts the charge amount based on the remaining charge amount of the battery 11. The charging ECU 15 determines whether the battery 11 is fully charged based on the monitored SOC. If it is determined that the battery 11 is fully charged, the communication unit 151 transmits a power supply stop signal to the charging stand 2. When the communication unit 151 receives a request from the charging stand 2, the charging ECU 15 performs processing according to the request.

[0024] <Outline of charging station 2> Next, a schematic configuration of the charging stand 2 will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the charging stand 2 includes a control device 20 and a power supply unit 21. The power supply unit 21 supplies power from a power supply source to the electric vehicle 1 via the power line of the cable Ca under the control of the control device 20. The power supply unit 21 may be a relay or the like that turns on and off the supply of current under the control of the control device 20.

[0025] The control device 20 is mainly composed of a microcomputer equipped with a processor, memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these. The control device 20 executes various processes by executing control programs stored in the memory. The memory referred to here is a non-transitory tangible storage medium that non-temporarily stores computer-readable programs and data. The non-transitory tangible storage medium is realized by a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 20 includes functional blocks of a vehicle communication unit 201, a charging permission unit 202, a server communication unit 203, a charging control unit 204, and a maintenance-related processing unit 205. This control device 20 corresponds to a vehicle maintenance-related device. Execution of the processing of each functional block of the control device 20 by a computer corresponds to execution of a vehicle maintenance-related method. Some or all of the functions executed by the control device 20 may be configured as hardware using one or more ICs or the like. Some or all of the functional blocks included in the control device 20 may be realized by a combination of software executed by a processor and hardware components.

[0027] When the inlet 12 and the power plug are connected, the vehicle communication unit 201 communicates with the communication unit 151 via the signal line of the cable Ca. When identification information and a power supply request signal are transmitted from the communication unit 151, the vehicle communication unit 201 acquires the identification information and the power supply request signal. When a power supply stop signal is transmitted from the communication unit 151, the vehicle communication unit 201 acquires the power supply stop signal.

[0028] The charging permission unit 202 permits charging. The charging permission unit 202 sends the identification information acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201 to the server 3. The identification information acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201 is transmitted to the server 3 from the server communication unit 203. The server communication unit 103 communicates with the server 3 via a network. The server 3 establishes authentication when a match is established between the legitimate identification information and the identification information acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201. The charging permission unit 202 may permit charging when authentication is established by the server 3. When authentication is not established by the server 3, the charging permission unit 202 does not permit charging.

[0029] When the vehicle communication unit 201 acquires a power supply request signal and charging is permitted by the charging permission unit 202, the charging control unit 204 starts power supply to the electric vehicle 1. On the other hand, when the vehicle communication unit 201 acquires a power supply stop signal, the charging control unit 204 stops power supply to the electric vehicle 1. The charging control unit 204 starts and stops power supply by controlling the power supply unit 21. The period from when power supply to the electric vehicle 1 starts to when power supply is stopped is called the charging period.

[0030] During the charging period, the vehicle communication unit 201 acquires information relating to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle 1 (hereinafter, referred to as diagnosis-related information) from the electric vehicle 1. The vehicle communication unit 201 acquires the diagnosis-related information from the communication unit 151 via the signal line of the cable Ca. This vehicle communication unit 201 corresponds to a diagnosis-related information acquisition unit. Furthermore, the processing in this vehicle communication unit 201 corresponds to a diagnosis-related information acquisition step. The vehicle communication unit 201 may transmit a request for the diagnosis-related information to the communication unit 151, thereby causing the communication unit 151 to transmit the diagnosis-related information. The vehicle communication unit 201 may request the diagnosis-related information when the start of power supply from the charging stand 2 to the electric vehicle 1 is used as a trigger.

[0031] It is preferable that the vehicle communication unit 201 acquires an error code of the electric vehicle 1 as the diagnosis-related information. This makes it possible to perform an inspection using the error code during charging. When the communication unit 151 receives a request for an error code from the vehicle communication unit 201, it may read and collect the error code stored in the control system ECU 14. Then, the communication unit 151 may transmit the collected error code to the vehicle communication unit 201.

[0032] The vehicle communication unit 201 may acquire, as the diagnosis-related information, test result data obtained in a test mode in the electric vehicle 1. The test mode may be executed by transmitting a command from the vehicle communication unit 201 to the communication unit 151 instructing the execution of the test mode. When the communication unit 151 receives a command instructing the execution of the test mode from the vehicle communication unit 201, it may send this command to the control system ECU 14. As a result, the control system ECU 14 executes control processing in accordance with this command, and test result data is output to the in-vehicle LAN. The communication unit 151 may collect this test result data and transmit it to the vehicle communication unit 201.

[0033] The maintenance-related processing unit 205 performs maintenance-related processing related to maintenance of the electric vehicle 1 using the diagnosis-related information acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201. This maintenance-related processing unit 205 corresponds to a maintenance-related processing unit. Furthermore, the processing by this maintenance-related processing unit 205 corresponds to a maintenance-related processing step. It is preferable that the maintenance-related processing unit 205 performs maintenance-related processing during a charging period. This makes it possible to also perform maintenance-related processing during a charging period. As a result, the convenience of the user of the electric vehicle 1 is further improved.

[0034] The maintenance-related processing unit 205 can use the error code acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201 to inspect the electric vehicle 1 as maintenance-related processing. This makes it possible to complete inspection of the electric vehicle 1 based on error codes acquired in the past while waiting for charging. As a result, convenience for the user of the electric vehicle 1 is further improved. An example of an inspection using the error code is an inspection of the electric vehicle 1 for faulty parts.

[0035] The maintenance-related processing unit 205 may use the test result data acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201 to inspect the electric vehicle 1 as a maintenance-related process. This makes it possible to complete inspection of the electric vehicle 1 based on the occurrence of abnormalities in the electric vehicle 1 in real time while waiting for charging. As a result, convenience for the user of the electric vehicle 1 is further improved. An example of an inspection using the test result data is an inspection of faulty parts of the electric vehicle 1.

[0036] <Charging-related processing in vehicle system 5> Next, an example of the flow of processing related to charging in the vehicle system 5 (hereinafter referred to as charging-related processing) will be described using the sequence diagram of Fig. 4. In the example of Fig. 4, a case where authentication of the electric vehicle 1 is successful will be described as an example. In the example of Fig. 4, a case where an error code of the electric vehicle 1 is acquired as diagnosis-related information will be described as an example.

[0037] First, at t1, the power plug of the charging stand 2 and the inlet 12 of the electric vehicle 1 are connected. At t2, the communication unit 151 of the electric vehicle 1 transmits identification information and a power supply request signal to the charging stand 2. The vehicle communication unit 201 of the charging stand 2 receives and acquires this identification information and power supply request signal. At t3, the server communication unit 203 of the charging stand 2 transmits the identification information acquired at t2 to the server 3. The server 3 receives this identification information.

[0038] At t4, the server 3 compares the identification information received at t3 with the legitimate identification information and performs authentication. The following explanation will be given taking the case where authentication is successful as an example. At t5, the server 3 responds to the charging stand 2 that authentication has been successful. At t6, the charging control unit 204 of the charging stand 2 starts power supply to the electric vehicle 1.

[0039] At t7, the vehicle communication unit 201 of the charging stand 2 transmits a request for an error code to the electric vehicle 1. The request for the error code is received by the communication unit 151 of the electric vehicle 1. At t8, the communication unit 151 reads and collects the error code stored in the control system ECU 14. At t9, the communication unit 151 transmits the collected error code to the charging stand 2. The vehicle communication unit 201 of the charging stand 2 receives and acquires this error code. At t10, the maintenance-related processing unit 205 of the charging stand 2 inspects the electric vehicle 1 using the error code acquired at t9.

[0040] At t11, the communication unit 151 of the electric vehicle 1 transmits a power feeding stop signal to the charging stand 2. This power feeding stop signal is received and acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201 of the charging stand 2. At t12, the charging control unit 204 of the charging stand 2 stops feeding power to the electric vehicle 1. At t13, the connection between the power feeding plug of the charging stand 2 and the inlet unit 12 of the electric vehicle 1 is released.

[0041] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, the configuration in which the maintenance-related processing is performed at the charging stand 2 is described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the configuration of the following second embodiment may also be used. An example of the configuration of the second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0042] <General Configuration of Vehicle System 5a> The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. A vehicle system 5a shown in Fig. 5 includes an electric vehicle 1, a charging stand 2a, and a server 3a. The vehicle system 5a of the second embodiment includes the charging stand 2a instead of the charging stand 2. The vehicle system 5a of the second embodiment includes the server 3a instead of the server 3. Except for these points, the vehicle system 5a of the second embodiment is similar to the vehicle system 5 of the first embodiment.

[0043] <Outline of charging station 2a> Next, the schematic configuration of the charging stand 2a will be described. As shown in Fig. 6, the charging stand 2a includes a control device 20a and a power supply unit 21. As shown in Fig. 6, the control device 20a includes, as functional blocks, a vehicle communication unit 201, a charging permission unit 202, a server communication unit 203a, and a charging control unit 204. The charging stand 2 does not include a maintenance-related processing unit 205. The charging stand 2 includes a server communication unit 203a instead of the server communication unit 203. Except for these points, the charging stand 2a is similar to the charging stand 2 of embodiment 1.

[0044] The server communication unit 203a transmits to the server 3a the diagnosis-related information acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201. Except for this point, the server communication unit 203a is similar to the server communication unit 203 of the first embodiment.

[0045] <Schematic configuration of server 3a> Next, the schematic configuration of the server 3a will be explained. The server 3a is mainly composed of a microcomputer equipped with a processor, memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these. The server 3a executes various processes by executing control programs stored in the memory. The memory referred to here is a non-transitory tangible storage medium that non-temporarily stores computer-readable programs and data. The non-transitory tangible storage medium is realized by a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 7, the server 3a includes a communication unit 31, an authentication unit 32, and a maintenance-related processing unit 33 as functional blocks. This server 3a also corresponds to a vehicle maintenance-related device. Execution of the processing of each functional block of the server 3a by a computer corresponds to execution of a vehicle maintenance-related method. Some or all of the functions executed by the server 3a may be configured as hardware using one or more ICs, etc. Some or all of the functional blocks included in the server 3a may be realized by a combination of software executed by a processor and hardware components.

[0047] The communication unit 31 receives and acquires the identification information transmitted from the server communication unit 203a of the charging stand 2a. The communication unit 31 indirectly receives and acquires the identification information acquired by the charging stand 2a from the electric vehicle 1. The authentication unit 32 compares the identification information acquired by the communication unit 31 with legitimate identification information and performs authentication. The communication unit 31 transmits the authentication result of the authentication unit 32 to the server communication unit 203a.

[0048] The communication unit 31 receives and acquires the diagnosis-related information transmitted from the server communication unit 203a of the charging stand 2a. The communication unit 31 indirectly receives and acquires the diagnosis-related information acquired by the charging stand 2a from the electric vehicle 1. This communication unit 31 also corresponds to the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit. Furthermore, the processing in this communication unit 31 also corresponds to the diagnosis-related information acquisition step.

[0049] The communication unit 31 preferably acquires an error code of the electric vehicle 1 as the diagnosis-related information. This makes it possible to perform an inspection using the error code during charging. The communication unit 31 may also acquire test result data obtained in a test mode of the electric vehicle 1 as the diagnosis-related information.

[0050] The maintenance-related processing unit 33 performs maintenance-related processing related to maintenance of the electric vehicle 1 using the diagnosis-related information acquired by the communication unit 31. This maintenance-related processing unit 33 also corresponds to a maintenance-related processing unit. Furthermore, the processing by this maintenance-related processing unit 33 also corresponds to a maintenance-related processing step. It is preferable that the maintenance-related processing unit 33 performs maintenance-related processing during a charging period. This makes it possible to also perform maintenance-related processing during a charging period. As a result, the convenience of the user of the electric vehicle 1 is further improved.

[0051] The maintenance-related processing unit 33 can use the error code acquired by the communication unit 31 to inspect the electric vehicle 1 as a maintenance-related process. This makes it possible to complete inspection of the electric vehicle 1 based on error codes acquired in the past while waiting for charging. As a result, convenience for the user of the electric vehicle 1 is further improved. An example of an inspection using the error code is an inspection of the electric vehicle 1 for faulty parts.

[0052] The maintenance-related processing unit 33 may use the test result data acquired by the communication unit 31 to inspect the electric vehicle 1 as a maintenance-related process. This makes it possible to complete inspection of the electric vehicle 1 based on any abnormalities that occur in the electric vehicle 1 in real time while waiting for charging. As a result, convenience for the user of the electric vehicle 1 is further improved. An example of an inspection using the test result data is an inspection of faulty parts of the electric vehicle 1.

[0053] <Charging-related processing in the vehicle system 5a> Next, an example of the flow of charging-related processing in the vehicle system 5a will be described using the sequence diagram of Fig. 8. In the example of Fig. 8, a case where authentication of the electric vehicle 1 is successful will be described as an example. In the example of Fig. 8, a case where an error code of the electric vehicle 1 is acquired as diagnosis-related information will be described as an example.

[0054] First, the processing from t21 to t29 is the same as the processing from t1 to t9. At t30, the server communication unit 203a transmits the error code acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201 to the server 3a. The communication unit 31 of the server 3a receives and acquires this error code. At t31, the maintenance-related processing unit 33 of the server 3a inspects the electric vehicle 1 using the error code acquired at t30. The processing from t32 to t34 is the same as the processing from t11 to t13.

[0055] Here, the vehicle communication unit 201 of the charging stand 2a has been configured to transmit a request for an error code to the electric vehicle 1, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the communication unit 31 of the server 3a may be configured to transmit a request for an error code to the electric vehicle 1 via the charging stand 2a. In this case, the communication unit 31 may be configured to transmit a request for an error code when it receives information from the charging stand 2a that power supply to the electric vehicle 1 has started. The same may be true for issuing an instruction to execute the test mode.

[0056] (Embodiment 3) In the above-described embodiment, the charging station 2, 2a acquires diagnostic information from the electric vehicle 1 through communication via the signal line of the cable Ca, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the configuration of the following embodiment 3 may also be used. An example of the configuration of embodiment 3 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0057] <Schematic configuration of vehicle system 5b> This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. A vehicle system 5b shown in Fig. 9 includes an electric vehicle 1, a charging stand 2b, and a server 3. The vehicle system 5b of embodiment 3 includes a charging stand 2b instead of the charging stand 2. The electric vehicle 1 of embodiment 3 includes a vehicle-side unit 10b instead of the vehicle-side unit 10. Except for these points, the vehicle system 5b of embodiment 3 is similar to the vehicle system 5 of embodiment 1.

[0058] <General Configuration of Vehicle-Side Unit 10b> Next, a schematic configuration of the vehicle-side unit 10b will be described. As shown in Fig. 10, the vehicle-side unit 10b includes a battery 11, an inlet 12, an on-board sensor 13, a control ECU 14, a charging ECU 15, and a wireless communication device 16. The control ECU 14, the charging ECU 15, and the wireless communication device 16 are connected to, for example, an in-vehicle LAN (see the LAN in Fig. 10). The vehicle-side unit 10b is similar to the vehicle-side unit 10 of the first embodiment except for including the wireless communication device 16.

[0059] The wireless communication device 16 is a communication module for communicating via wireless communication. The wireless communication device 16 performs short-range wireless communication according to a short-range wireless communication standard, for example. The wireless communication device 16 may be configured to perform short-range wireless communication according to a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). When the wireless communication device 16 receives a request for diagnosis-related information from the charging stand 2b, it collects the diagnosis-related information. Then, it transmits the collected diagnosis-related information to the charging stand 2b via wireless communication.

[0060] When the wireless communication device 16 receives a request for an error code from the vehicle communication unit 201b, it reads and collects the error code stored in the control system ECU 14. Then, the wireless communication device 16 transmits the collected error code to the vehicle communication unit 201b by wireless communication. When the wireless communication device 16 receives a command instructing execution of a test mode from the vehicle communication unit 201b, it transmits the command to the control system ECU 14. As a result, the control system ECU 14 executes a control process in accordance with the command, and test result data is output to the in-vehicle LAN. The wireless communication device 16 collects the test result data and transmits it to the vehicle communication unit 201b.

[0061] <Outline of charging station 2b> Next, a schematic configuration of the charging stand 2b will be described. As shown in Fig. 11, the charging stand 2b includes a control device 20b and a power supply unit 21. As shown in Fig. 11, the control device 20b includes, as functional blocks, a vehicle communication unit 201b, a charging permission unit 202, a server communication unit 203, a charging control unit 204, and a maintenance-related processing unit 205. The charging stand 2b is similar to the charging stand 2 of the first embodiment, except that the charging stand 2b includes the vehicle communication unit 201b instead of the vehicle communication unit 201. The charging stand 2b also corresponds to a charger external to the electric vehicle 1.

[0062] The vehicle communication unit 201b is similar to the vehicle communication unit 201 of the first embodiment, except that it can also transmit and receive information to and from the wireless communication device 16 via wireless communication. The vehicle communication unit 201b receives diagnosis-related information transmitted from the wireless communication device 16. The vehicle communication unit 201b transmits a request for diagnosis-related information to the wireless communication device 16 via wireless communication. That is, in the third embodiment, communication related to authentication is performed via the signal line of the cable Ca. On the other hand, communication related to diagnosis-related information is performed wirelessly. The vehicle communication unit 201b may be configured to include a component that communicates via the signal line of the cable Ca and a component that communicates wirelessly. This vehicle communication unit 201b also corresponds to a diagnosis-related information acquisition unit. The processing in this vehicle communication unit 201b also corresponds to a diagnosis-related information acquisition process.

[0063] In the third embodiment, the communication related to authentication is performed via the signal line of the cable Ca, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the communication related to authentication may also be performed wirelessly. Furthermore, the configuration of the third embodiment may be combined with the configuration of the second embodiment.

[0064] (Embodiment 4) In the above-described embodiment, the server 3, 3a performs authentication for permitting charging, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, instead of the server 3, 3a performing authentication, the charging stand 2, 2a, 2b may perform authentication. In this case, the charging stand 2, 2a, 2b may compare the identification information acquired by the vehicle communication unit 201, 201b with the authentic identification information registered in advance.

[0065] (Embodiment 5) The diagnosis-related information and maintenance-related processing are not limited to the examples described in the above-described embodiment. For example, the maintenance-related processing may be processing for outputting error codes and test result data. The error codes and test result data may be output to a dealer's PC via a network, for example. Alternatively, the diagnosis-related processing may be version information of the control program of the electronic control device of the electric vehicle 1. An example of the electronic control device is the control system ECU 14. In this case, the maintenance-related processing may be reprogramming of the control program. If the version information of the control program is not the latest, the maintenance-related processing unit 205 may reprogram the control program.

[0066] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the control unit and method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a special-purpose computer comprising a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the apparatus and method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a special-purpose hardware logic circuit. Alternatively, the apparatus and method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by combining a processor executing a computer program with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium.

[0067] (Disclosed technical idea) This specification discloses multiple technical ideas described in the following multiple clauses. Some clauses may be written in a multiple dependent form, with subsequent clauses alternatively referencing preceding clauses. Furthermore, some clauses may be written in a multiple dependent form, with subsequent clauses alternatively referencing preceding clauses. These multiple dependent clauses define multiple technical ideas.

[0068] Technical thought 1 a diagnosis-related information acquisition unit (201, 201b, 31) that acquires, from an electric vehicle (1), diagnosis-related information that is information related to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle (1) while the electric vehicle (1) is charging its own battery (11) from an external charger (2, 2a, 2b); a maintenance-related processing unit (205, 33) that performs maintenance-related processing related to maintenance of the electric vehicle using the diagnosis-related information acquired by the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit.

[0069] Technical thought 2 A vehicle maintenance-related device according to Technical Idea 1, The maintenance-related processing unit is a vehicle maintenance-related device that performs the maintenance-related processing while the electric vehicle is being charged.

[0070] Technical thought 3 The vehicle maintenance-related device according to Technical Idea 1 or 2, Vehicle maintenance-related devices included in the chargers (2, 2b).

[0071] Technical thought 4 The vehicle maintenance-related device according to Technical Idea 1 or 2, The server (3a) is connected to the charger (2a) so as to be able to communicate with the charger (2a), The diagnosis-related information acquisition unit (31) is a vehicle maintenance-related device that acquires the diagnosis-related information from the electric vehicle via the charger.

[0072] Technical thought 5 A vehicle maintenance-related device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 4, the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit acquires an error code of the electric vehicle as the diagnosis-related information; The maintenance-related processing unit is a vehicle maintenance-related device that inspects the electric vehicle as the maintenance-related processing, using the error code acquired by the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit.

[0073] technical thought 6 A vehicle maintenance-related device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 5, the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit acquires, as the diagnosis-related information, data on the operating status confirmed in a test mode in which the electric vehicle is operated in a predetermined procedure to confirm the operating status of each part of the electric vehicle; The maintenance-related processing unit is a vehicle maintenance-related device that inspects the electric vehicle as the maintenance-related processing, using the data on the operating status acquired by the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit.

[0074] Technical thought 7 Executed by at least one processor, a diagnosis-related information acquisition step of acquiring, from the electric vehicle (1), diagnosis-related information relating to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle (1) while the electric vehicle (1) is charging its own battery (11) from an external charger (2, 2a, 2b); a maintenance-related processing step of performing maintenance-related processing relating to maintenance of the electric vehicle using the diagnosis-related information acquired in the diagnosis-related information acquisition step. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 Electric vehicle, 2, 2a, 2b Charging stand (external charger), 3a Server (vehicle maintenance-related device), 5, 5a, 5b Vehicle system, 11 Battery, 20, 20b Control device (vehicle maintenance-related device), 20a Control device, 31 Communication unit (diagnosis-related information acquisition unit), 33 Maintenance-related processing unit (maintenance-related processing unit), 201, 201b Vehicle communication unit (diagnosis-related information acquisition unit), 205 Maintenance-related processing unit (maintenance-related processing unit)

Claims

1. a diagnosis-related information acquisition unit (201, 201b, 31) that acquires, from an electric vehicle (1), diagnosis-related information that is information related to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle while the electric vehicle (1) is charging its own battery (11) from an external charger (2, 2a, 2b); a maintenance-related processing unit (205, 33) that performs maintenance-related processing related to maintenance of the electric vehicle using the diagnosis-related information acquired by the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit.

2. 2. The vehicle maintenance-related device according to claim 1, The maintenance-related processing unit is a vehicle maintenance-related device that performs the maintenance-related processing while the electric vehicle is being charged.

3. 2. The vehicle maintenance-related device according to claim 1, A vehicle maintenance-related device included in the charger (2, 2b).

4. 2. The vehicle maintenance-related device according to claim 1, The charger (2a) is included in a server (3a) communicably connected to the server (3a), The diagnosis-related information acquisition unit (31) is a vehicle maintenance-related device that acquires the diagnosis-related information from the electric vehicle via the charger.

5. 5. The vehicle maintenance-related device according to claim 3 or 4, the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit acquires an error code of the electric vehicle as the diagnosis-related information; The maintenance-related processing unit is a vehicle maintenance-related device that inspects the electric vehicle as the maintenance-related processing, using the error code acquired by the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit.

6. 5. The vehicle maintenance-related device according to claim 3 or 4, the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit acquires, as the diagnosis-related information, data on the operating status confirmed in a test mode in which the electric vehicle is operated in a predetermined procedure to confirm the operating status of each part of the electric vehicle; The maintenance-related processing unit is a vehicle maintenance-related device that inspects the electric vehicle as the maintenance-related processing, using the data on the operating status acquired by the diagnosis-related information acquisition unit.

7. Executed by at least one processor, a diagnostic-related information acquisition step of acquiring, from the electric vehicle (1), diagnostic-related information relating to the diagnosis of the electric vehicle (1) while the electric vehicle (1) is charging its own battery (11) from an external charger (2, 2a, 2b); a maintenance-related processing step of performing maintenance-related processing relating to maintenance of the electric vehicle using the diagnosis-related information acquired in the diagnosis-related information acquisition step.

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