Charging monitoring device, charging monitoring method, and charging monitoring system

Abstract

To smoothly perform sequential charging to a plurality of vehicles by properly notifying information to a person waiting for completion of charging of a vehicle around the vehicle being charged.SOLUTION: A charging monitoring device includes: a monitoring section that monitors the state of a charging operation to a secondary battery provided in a vehicle from a power supply device outside the vehicle; an identification section that detects and identifies a person around the vehicle; and a transmission control section that controls an operation of an external display device which is a display device provided in the vehicle and is arranged at a position visible from the outside of the vehicle. The transmission control section displays a notification screen directed to a person around the vehicle on the external display device when the existence of the person different from a current user to be the current user of the vehicle around the vehicle is detected when the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is continued.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charge monitoring device, a charge monitoring method, and a charge monitoring system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development has been conducted into charging mobility vehicles equipped with secondary batteries that contribute to energy efficiency, in order to ensure that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and advanced energy.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a charging monitoring and notification system that monitors the charging operation of an electric vehicle in a charging system and, when an interruption of the charging operation is detected, sends a notification message to relevant parties in accordance with a series of notification instructions. The notification instructions may include criteria for determining whether the interruption of the charging operation is authorized and, depending on the determination result, for not requesting transmission of a notification message. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-21914 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in technology related to charging and supplying power to mobility vehicles equipped with secondary batteries, it is a challenge to smoothly and sequentially charge multiple vehicles from a power supply device. For example, while a power supply device is charging one vehicle, a third party who intends to charge another vehicle may be waiting for the first vehicle to be fully charged. Furthermore, since charging a vehicle takes a considerable amount of time, the user of the first vehicle may leave the first vehicle to do some shopping or take a nap in the vehicle while waiting for the charging to be completed. In such a case, if the charging of the first vehicle is completed before the user returns to the first vehicle, or if the user is unaware that the charging is completed, the third party who intends to charge the other vehicle may waste time with the power supply device not operating.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the present application aims to smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially from a power supply device by appropriately notifying people around a vehicle that is currently being charged, who are waiting for the charging of the vehicle to be completed, of information such as the charging status of the vehicle, thereby contributing to energy efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a charging monitoring device that includes a monitoring unit that monitors the status of a charging operation from a power supply device external to the vehicle to a secondary battery provided in the vehicle, an identification unit that detects and identifies people in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a transmission control unit that controls the operation of an external display device that is provided on the vehicle and positioned so as to be visible from outside the vehicle, wherein when the transmission control unit detects that a person other than the current user of the vehicle is present in the vicinity of the vehicle while the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is ongoing, the transmission control unit displays a notification screen on the external display device that is intended for people in the vicinity of the vehicle. According to another aspect of the present invention, the transmission control unit displays the notification screen on the external display device when a person other than the current user remains in the vicinity of the vehicle for a predetermined period of time or longer. According to another aspect of the present invention, the notification screen includes information related to a charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery. According to another aspect of the present invention, the transmission control unit acquires input from an external input device provided in the vehicle that can be operated by a person outside the vehicle, and when the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is in a predetermined state, the transmission control unit displays a message on the external display device asking whether or not to notify the occupants of the vehicle, and when a notification request that requests notification to the occupants of the vehicle is input by the external input device, the transmission control unit sends an input notification that the notification request has been input to a predetermined user terminal device that is currently accessible to the user. According to another aspect of the present invention, when the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is not in the predetermined state, the transmission control unit displays on the external display device an estimated time until the charging operation will reach the predetermined state or the current remaining charge of the vehicle. According to another aspect of the present invention, when the notification request is input by the external input device and an occupant is detected inside the vehicle, the transmission control unit notifies the occupant that there is someone waiting around the vehicle using an output device provided inside the vehicle. According to another aspect of the present invention, the identification unit identifies a person inside the vehicle, and when the notification request is input by the external input device and the current user of the vehicle is detected inside the vehicle, the transmission control unit notifies the current user by an output device provided inside the vehicle that there is a person waiting around the vehicle. According to another aspect of the present invention, when the notification request is input by the external input device and the current user is not detected inside the vehicle, the transmission control unit sends a notification to a predetermined user terminal device that the current user can access that there is someone waiting around the vehicle. According to another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle is equipped with an exterior microphone that captures the voices of people outside the vehicle and an exterior speaker that outputs voices toward the outside of the vehicle, and when the notification request is input by the external input device and the current user is not detected inside the vehicle, the transmission control unit establishes communication with a predetermined user terminal device owned by the current user to make a call using the exterior microphone and the exterior speaker. According to another aspect of the present invention, the transmission control unit acquires the current user's estimated arrival time at the vehicle charging location inputted into the user terminal device by the current user, and displays the acquired estimated arrival time on the external display device. According to another aspect of the present invention, the user terminal device is a portable terminal carried by the current user, and the transmission control unit calculates an estimated arrival time for the current user to arrive at the vehicle based on location information of the current user's current location transmitted by the user terminal device and the current location of the vehicle, and displays the calculated estimated arrival time on the external display device. According to another aspect of the present invention, the specified state is a state in which the secondary battery is charged until the remaining charge of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined target value and the charging operation is terminated, and / or a state in which the charging operation of the secondary battery is interrupted before the remaining charge of the secondary battery reaches the target value. Another aspect of the present invention is a charging monitoring system comprising any of the above-mentioned charging monitoring devices and an autonomous driving device mounted on the vehicle that causes the vehicle to drive autonomously to a destination, wherein the transmission control unit of the charging monitoring device communicates with a predetermined user terminal device that is currently accessible to the user, and when the transmission control unit receives a notification of permission for autonomous driving from the user terminal device, the autonomous driving device causes the vehicle to drive autonomously to a predetermined destination and parks the vehicle at the destination. Yet another aspect of the present invention is a charging monitoring method executed by a computer of a charging monitoring device that monitors a charging operation from a power supply device external to a vehicle to a secondary battery provided in the vehicle, the charging monitoring method having a monitoring step that monitors the status of the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery, an identification step that detects and identifies people in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a transmission step that controls the operation of an external display device that is provided on the vehicle and arranged in a position that is visible from outside the vehicle, wherein in the transmission step, when a person other than the current user of the vehicle is detected to be present in the vicinity of the vehicle while the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is ongoing, the charging monitoring method displays a notification screen intended for people in the vicinity of the vehicle on the external display device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, information such as the charging status can be appropriately notified to people around a vehicle that is being charged and waiting for the charging of the vehicle to be completed, thereby enabling smooth sequential charging of multiple vehicles from a power supply device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which a vehicle equipped with a charge monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the charging opening of the vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the charging monitoring device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an example of a notification screen displayed on the exterior touch panel, which includes a message asking whether or not a notification should be sent to the vehicle occupants. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the operation of the charge monitoring device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. Embodiment] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which a vehicle 3 equipped with a charging monitoring device 1 and a charging monitoring system 2 including the charging monitoring device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used. The vehicle 3 is, for example, an electric vehicle, and is equipped with a secondary battery 5 that supplies power for driving the vehicle. The secondary battery 5 of the vehicle 3 is charged by a power supply device PS external to the vehicle 3. The power supply device PS may be any power supply device installed at any charging site that can charge the vehicle. In the following description, "charging the vehicle 3" refers to charging the secondary battery 5 of the vehicle 3.

[0011] In this embodiment, the charging monitoring device 1 is provided in the vehicle 3, but may be configured as an external device provided outside the vehicle 3. For example, the charging monitoring device 1 may be realized as a server device S communicably connected to the vehicle 3 via a communication network NW such as the Internet.

[0012] The vehicle 3 has a charging opening 6 on the exterior of the vehicle body, and is charged from the power supply device PS by connecting a power supply cable CA of the power supply device PS to a charging connector 7 (FIG. 2) provided inside the charging opening 6. In accordance with conventional technology, the charging opening 6 has a charging lid (cover) (not shown), and is closed when not receiving charge from the power supply device SP.

[0013] While the power supply device PS is charging the secondary battery 5, the user U of the vehicle 3 may take a nap inside the vehicle 3, or may leave the vehicle 3 to go shopping or the like, taking the FOB key 20, which is the vehicle key for the vehicle 3, and the mobile terminal 21 with them. The mobile terminal 21 may be equipped with a touch panel 22 according to conventional technology. Here, the user U corresponds to the current user in the present disclosure who is the current user of the vehicle 3. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 21 corresponds to the predetermined user terminal device accessible by the current user in the present disclosure.

[0014] In the scene shown in FIG. 1, outside the vehicle 3, another person P who intends to charge another vehicle V from the power feeding device PS is waiting for the charging of the vehicle 3 to be completed.

[0015] 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the charging opening 6 of the vehicle 3. In addition to a charging connector 7, an exterior touch panel 8, an exterior microphone 9, and an exterior speaker 10 are arranged inside the charging opening 6. Here, the exterior touch panel 8 corresponds to the external display device arranged in a position visible from outside the vehicle 3 and the external input device operable by a person outside the vehicle 3 in the present disclosure. The exterior microphone 9 picks up the voice of a person outside the vehicle 3. The exterior speaker 10 outputs the voice to the outside of the vehicle 3.

[0016] 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the charging monitoring device 1 together with other devices provided in the vehicle 3. The vehicle 3 is equipped with an autonomous driving device 11 that causes the vehicle 3 to drive autonomously by issuing instructions to a drive motor 30 that drives the vehicle 3 and a steering device 31 that controls the traveling direction of the vehicle 3. The charging monitoring device 1, together with the autonomous driving device 11, constitutes a charging monitoring system 2. When the charging monitoring device 1 receives a notification that autonomous driving is permitted, the autonomous driving device 11 causes the vehicle 3 to drive autonomously to a predetermined destination. When the vehicle 3 reaches the destination, the autonomous driving device 11 parks the vehicle 3 at the destination.

[0017] The vehicle 3 includes a charging circuit 32 that controls the power supply from the charging connector 7 to the secondary battery 5, and a charging control device 33 that controls the charging circuit 32. The charging circuit 32 starts and ends the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 in accordance with instructions from the charging control device 33. While the secondary battery 5 is being charged, the charging circuit 32 measures the terminal voltage, terminal current, and inter-terminal impedance of the secondary battery 5 at predetermined time intervals and transmits the results to the charging control device 33.

[0018] The charge control device 33 acquires information on the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 at predetermined time intervals from a remaining charge sensor 34 that detects the remaining charge (SOC, State Of Charge) of the secondary battery 5. The charge control device 33 transmits the acquired information on the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 to the charge monitoring device 1 at predetermined time intervals.

[0019] When power is input via the charging connector 7 and the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 is less than a predetermined value, the charging control device 33 instructs the charging circuit 32 to start charging the secondary battery 5. When the charging control device 33 starts charging the secondary battery 5, it transmits a charging start notification to the charging monitoring device 1.

[0020] Furthermore, after starting the charging operation of the secondary battery 5, the charge control device 33 calculates, at predetermined time intervals, an estimated completion time, which is an estimated time until the remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 reaches a target value and the charging operation is completed, according to conventional technology, based on the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 obtained from the remaining charge sensor 34 and information such as the terminal voltage, terminal current, and inter-terminal impedance of the secondary battery 5 received from the charging circuit 32. The charge control device 33 transmits the calculated estimated completion time to the charge monitoring device 1 at predetermined time intervals. In this embodiment, the target value may be determined, for example, by a transmission control unit 55 of the charge monitoring device 1, which will be described later, and transmitted to the charge control device 33.

[0021] Furthermore, when the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 acquired from the remaining charge sensor 34 exceeds the target value, the charge control device 33 instructs the charging circuit 32 to terminate the charging operation of the secondary battery 5. When the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 is terminated, the charge control device 33 transmits a charge completion notification to the charge monitoring device 1.

[0022] The vehicle 3 also includes a human detection sensor 35, an interior display device 36, an interior speaker 37, and a communication device 38. The human detection sensor 35 detects people around the vehicle 3 and people inside the vehicle 3, and identifies the location of the detected people. The human detection sensor 35 may be, for example, one or more radars, sonars, pyroelectric sensors, or cameras provided outside and / or inside the vehicle 3.

[0023] The interior display device 36 may be a touch panel or the like provided in a position that is easily visible to passengers inside the vehicle 3, for example, near the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction. The interior speaker 37 may be a single speaker provided in a position that is easily heard by passengers inside the vehicle 3, or a plurality of speakers distributed throughout the vehicle 3. Here, the interior display device 36 and the interior speaker 37 correspond to output devices provided inside the vehicle 3 in the present disclosure.

[0024] The communication device 38 includes a transceiver for communicating with devices external to the vehicle 3, such as the mobile terminal 21 and the server device S. The communication device 38 also includes a short-range transceiver for short-range communication to communicate with a vehicle key of the vehicle 3 held by the user U. The vehicle key of the vehicle 3 is, for example, an electronic key such as an FOB key or a mobile phone that stores a key code. Hereinafter, the vehicle key of the vehicle 3 with which the communication device 38 communicates is also referred to as the electronic key of the vehicle 3.

[0025] The short-range transceiver included in the communication device 38 attempts to communicate with the electronic key of the vehicle 3 using multiple antennas (not shown) distributed throughout the vehicle 3, searching for electronic keys in the vicinity of the vehicle 3. For example, the communication device 38 transmits a response request to the electronic key using each of the distributed antennas according to conventional technology, and receives a response from the electronic key. The communication device 38 then identifies the location of the electronic key that transmitted the response based on the received radio wave strength of the response at each antenna and the location of each antenna on the vehicle 3.

[0026] The vehicle 3 also includes a navigation device 39. The navigation device 39 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 40. The navigation device 39 identifies the current location of the vehicle 3 using the GNSS receiver 40 according to conventional technology, and provides, for example, guidance on a route to a destination input by the user U and outputs route information. The navigation device 39 can also calculate an estimated time required to walk from the current location of the user U specified by the charging monitoring device 1 to the current location of the vehicle 3, and transmit this to the charging monitoring device 1.

[0027] In the above, the autonomous driving device 11 and the charging control device 33 may each be an electronic control unit (ECU) including a processor and a memory.

[0028] The charging monitoring device 1 includes a processor 50 and a memory 51. The memory 51 is configured by, for example, a volatile and / or non-volatile semiconductor memory and / or a hard disk device.

[0029] The processor 50 is, for example, a computer equipped with a CPU, etc. The processor 50 may have a configuration including a ROM in which a program is written, a RAM for temporarily storing data, etc. The processor 50 includes a monitoring unit 53, an identification unit 54, and a transmission control unit 55 as functional elements or functional units.

[0030] These functional elements of the processor 50 are realized, for example, by the processor 50, which is a computer, executing a program 52 stored in a memory 51. The program 52 can be stored in any computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, all or part of the functional elements of the processor 50 can be configured by hardware including one or more electronic circuit components.

[0031] The monitoring unit 53 monitors the status of the charging operation from the power supply device PS to the secondary battery 5. Specifically, the monitoring unit 53 communicates with the charge control device 33 to acquire information about the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 and monitors the status of the charging operation. For example, the monitoring unit 53 recognizes whether the secondary battery 5 is being charged by receiving a charging start notification and a charging end notification from the charge control device 33. The monitoring unit 53 also acquires the remaining charge and estimated completion time of the secondary battery 5 from the charge control device 33 at predetermined time intervals, and monitors the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 and the estimated completion time of the charging operation while charging.

[0032] The identification unit 54 detects and identifies people around the vehicle 3 and people inside the vehicle 3. Specifically, the identification unit 54 receives sensor information from the human detection sensor 35, detects people around the vehicle 3 and people inside the vehicle 3, and locates the positions of the detected people. Furthermore, when the identification unit 54 detects a person around the vehicle 3 and / or inside the vehicle 3 based on the sensor information from the human detection sensor 35, it searches for the electronic key for the vehicle 3 using the communication device 38 and locates the position of the electronic key present around the vehicle 3.

[0033] When the position of the person detected by the person detection sensor 35 matches the position of the electronic key identified by the communication device 38, the identification unit 54 identifies the detected person as user U. Here, if there are multiple people who possess electronic keys for the vehicle 3, each person who possesses an electronic key may be detected as user U (i.e., current user).

[0034] As a result, the identification unit 54 detects a person in the vicinity of the vehicle 3 and identifies whether the detected person is the user U. Similarly, the identification unit 54 detects a person inside the vehicle 3 and identifies whether the detected person is the user U.

[0035] The transmission control unit 55 controls the display operation of the exterior touch panel 8 as a display device, and also acquires input via the exterior touch panel 8 as an input device. As described above, the exterior touch panel 8 corresponds to the external display device arranged in a position visible from outside the vehicle 3 and the external input device that can be operated by a person outside the vehicle 3 in the present disclosure.

[0036] In this embodiment, particularly, when the identification unit 54 detects that a person other than the user U is present in the vicinity of the vehicle 3 while the charging operation from the power supply device PS to the secondary battery 5 is ongoing, the transmission control unit 55 displays a notification screen for the people in the vicinity of the vehicle 3 on the exterior touch panel 8. The notification screen may display a message urging the person to continue waiting, such as "This will take a while" or "Please wait." Here, the monitoring unit 53 described above can recognize that the charging operation from the power supply device PS to the secondary battery 5 is continuing.

[0037] 1 , when a person P waiting to charge another vehicle V approaches the vicinity of the vehicle 3, the identification unit 54 detects that a person other than the user U is present in the vicinity of the vehicle 3. When the monitoring unit 53 recognizes that the secondary battery 5 is being charged, and the identification unit 54 detects that a person P other than the user U is present in the vicinity of the vehicle 3, the transmission control unit 55 displays a notification screen on the exterior touch panel 8 for the person P present in the vicinity of the vehicle 3.

[0038] As a result, the person P can see the message displayed on the exterior touch panel 8 disposed inside the charging opening 6 of the vehicle 3 and know that the vehicle 3 is still being charged, and can recognize that there is no need to waste time waiting for the charging of the vehicle 3 to be completed. Therefore, the person P does not have to wait without knowing whether the vehicle 3 is being charged or not, and therefore he or she will not stop waiting and wastefully move the other vehicle V to another charging site. As a result, it becomes possible to smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially at the power supply device PS.

[0039] The transmission control unit 55 may be configured to display the above-mentioned notification screen on the exterior touch panel 8 when a person other than the user U remains in the vicinity of the vehicle 3 for a predetermined period of time or longer, based on the results of person detection and identification by the identification unit 54. This allows a notification screen to be displayed on the exterior touch panel 8 only when a person who is likely to be waiting for the charging operation of the vehicle 3 to be completed is detected in the vicinity of the vehicle 3, so that unnecessary notification screens are not displayed on the exterior touch panel 8, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption on the exterior touch panel 8.

[0040] The transmission control unit 55 may include information about the charging operation from the power supply device PS to the secondary battery 5 in the notification screen displayed on the exterior touch panel 8. For example, as an example of information related to the charging operation, the notification screen may include a message such as "Charging not completed" or "Charging in progress." This allows information about the charging operation of vehicle 3 to be provided to people nearby vehicle 3 who are waiting for charging of vehicle 3 to be completed, further reducing the number of cases where people give up waiting. This makes it possible to more smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially in the power supply device.

[0041] Here, when the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 starts, the transmission control unit 55 can set a target value for the remaining charge in the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 and transmit the target value to the charge control device 33. The target value can be a predetermined value. Alternatively, the target value can be the remaining charge required to travel to the destination currently set in the navigation device 39. The transmission control unit 55 can acquire the distance of the route to the currently set destination from the navigation device 39, and calculate the remaining charge required to travel to the destination according to conventional technology based on the acquired distance and a predetermined electricity consumption (amount of electricity consumed per unit distance).

[0042] Furthermore, when a notification screen is displayed on the exterior touch panel 8, if the charging operation from the power supply device PS to the secondary battery 5 is in a predetermined state, the transmission control unit 55 may display a message on the exterior touch panel 8 asking whether or not to notify the occupants of the vehicle 3. When a notification request, which is a request to notify the occupants of the vehicle 3, is input via the exterior touch panel 8, the transmission control unit 55 may transmit an input notification to the mobile terminal 21 of the user U that the notification request has been input.

[0043] The predetermined state may be a state in which the secondary battery 5 is charged until its remaining charge reaches a predetermined target value and the charging operation is completed. Alternatively, the predetermined state may be a state in which the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 is interrupted before its remaining charge reaches the target value. Such an interruption of the charging operation may be caused by an operational problem in the power supply device PS. Alternatively, the predetermined state may be a state in which the secondary battery 5 is charged to a value obtained by multiplying the target value of the remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 by a predetermined ratio (e.g., 80%). The predetermined state may be defined in advance.

[0044] As a result, a person waiting for the charging to finish around the vehicle 3 being charged can proactively request notification to the user U when the charging operation of the vehicle 3 is completed, when the charging operation is about to be completed, or when the charging operation is interrupted. This can prevent the person waiting for the charging to finish from waiting unnecessarily long for the completion of the charging because the user U of the vehicle 3 is unaware of a predetermined state such as the completion of the charging operation. As a result, it becomes possible to more smoothly perform sequential charging of multiple vehicles in the power supply device PS.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows an example of a notification screen displayed on the exterior touch panel 8, which includes a message asking whether or not to notify the occupants of the vehicle 3. In the illustrated example, a state in which the secondary battery 5 has been charged up to a target remaining charge value is defined as the predetermined state. The exterior touch panel 8 disposed in the charging opening 6 displays a message indicating the predetermined state, "Charging is complete," and a question message asking, "Do you want to notify the occupants?" Also displayed below these messages are notification necessity buttons 80, which include an affirmative button 80a displaying "Yes" and a negative button 80b displaying "No."

[0046] The message indicating the above-mentioned predetermined state is not limited to "charging is complete," but may be messages such as "charging has been interrupted" or "charging will soon be complete" depending on the content of the defined predetermined state.

[0047] When a person in the vicinity of the vehicle 3 (for example, person P in the scene shown in Figure 1) touches the affirmative button 80a, the transmission control unit 55 acquires this touch operation as a notification request and sends an input notification to the mobile terminal 21 of the user U. Furthermore, when a person in the vicinity of the vehicle 3 touches the No button 80b, the transmission control unit 55 acquires this touch operation as an input, and, for example, erases the question message, the Yes button 80a, and the No button 80b displayed on the exterior touch panel 8. In this case, the transmission control unit 55 may display the question message, the Yes button 80a, and the No button 80b again after a predetermined time has elapsed since the erasure.

[0048] When the charging operation from the power supply device PS to the secondary battery 5 is not in the predetermined state, the transmission control unit 55 may display on the exterior touch panel 8 an estimated time until the charging operation reaches the predetermined state or the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5. For example, when the predetermined state is a state in which the secondary battery 5 is charged to a target remaining charge, the transmission control unit 55 may display on the exterior touch panel 8 an estimated time until the charging operation is completed. Such a display may be, for example, a message such as "Charging is not complete. The occupants will be notified in 15 minutes." Here, the "15 minutes" may be the estimated time until the charging operation is completed, calculated by the charging control device 33. Furthermore, the "occupants will be notified in 15 minutes" may mean that a notification screen including a message asking whether or not to notify the occupants of the vehicle 3, as shown in FIG. 4, may be displayed with "15 minutes remaining."

[0049] This allows people around vehicle 3 waiting for charging of vehicle 3 to be completed to know the estimated time until a predetermined state, such as charging completion, is reached and the current remaining charge of vehicle 3, and therefore allows them to roughly recognize the length of the remaining waiting time. As a result, the number of cases in which people waiting give up waiting can be further reduced, and sequential charging of multiple vehicles at the power supply device PS can be performed more smoothly.

[0050] Furthermore, when the notification request is input via the exterior touch panel 8 (for example, when the affirmative button 80a shown in FIG. 4 is touched), and the identification unit 54 detects an occupant inside the vehicle 3, the transmission control unit 55 may notify the occupant that there is someone waiting around the vehicle 3 via the interior display device 36 and / or the interior speaker 37, which are output devices provided inside the vehicle 3. For example, the transmission control unit 55 may display a message such as "There is someone outside the vehicle waiting for charging to be completed" on the interior display device 36 and / or output a voice message from the interior speaker 37.

[0051] This allows passengers inside the vehicle 3 being charged to know that there are people around the vehicle 3 waiting for charging to be completed, and allows them to take prompt action to move the vehicle 3, such as contacting the user U of the vehicle 3 or moving the vehicle 3. This makes it possible to more smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially in the power supply device PS.

[0052] Furthermore, when the notification request is input via the exterior touch panel 8 and the identification unit 54 detects the user U inside the vehicle 3, the transmission control unit 55 may notify the user U via the interior display device 36 and / or the interior speaker 37 that there is someone waiting around the vehicle 3. This notification may be, for example, a display and / or audio output of a message such as "There is someone outside the vehicle waiting for charging to be completed" from the interior display device 36 and / or the interior speaker 37, as described above.

[0053] This allows a user U inside the vehicle 3 being charged to know that there are people around the vehicle 3 waiting for charging to be completed, and to quickly move the vehicle 3, making it possible to charge multiple vehicles sequentially at the power supply device PS even more smoothly.

[0054] Furthermore, when the notification request is input via the exterior touch panel 8 and the identification unit 54 does not detect the user U inside the vehicle 3, the transmission control unit 55 may send a notification to the mobile terminal 21 of the user U that there is someone waiting around the vehicle 3. The notification may be sent to the mobile terminal 21 as a push notification, for example. The mobile terminal 21 receives the notification according to conventional technology and displays the received notification on the touch panel 22 provided on the mobile terminal 21.

[0055] As a result, even if the user U of the vehicle 3 currently being charged is away from the vehicle 3, a person nearby waiting for charging to be completed can proactively notify the user U of the vehicle 3 of the occurrence of a predetermined state regarding the charging operation when they become aware of a predetermined state, such as the completion of charging of the vehicle 3. Therefore, even if the user U of the vehicle 3 currently being charged is away from the vehicle 3, the person nearby waiting for charging to be completed can avoid a situation in which the user of the vehicle 3 is unaware of the predetermined state and ends up waiting unnecessarily long for the completion of charging. As a result, even if the user U of the vehicle 3 currently being charged is away from the vehicle 3, it is possible to smoothly perform sequential charging of multiple vehicles in the power supply device.

[0056] Furthermore, when the notification request is input via the exterior touch panel 8 and the user U is not detected inside the vehicle 3 by the identification unit 54, the transmission control unit 55 may establish communication with the mobile terminal 21 of the user U to make a call using the exterior microphone 9 and the exterior speaker 10. The communication may be, for example, telephone communication with the mobile terminal 21 via a public line.

[0057] As a result, even if the user U of the vehicle 3 currently being charged is away from the vehicle 3, a person waiting around the vehicle 3 for charging to be completed can talk to the user U and find out the movements of the user U. As a result, even if the user U of the vehicle currently being charged is away from the vehicle 3, the person waiting for charging to be completed can appropriately decide whether to continue waiting based on the status of the user U of the vehicle obtained through the conversation, for example.

[0058] The transmission control unit 55 may also acquire the estimated time of arrival of the user U at the current charging location of the vehicle 3 (i.e., the current location of the vehicle 3) that the user U has input into the mobile terminal 21, and display the acquired estimated time of arrival on the exterior touch panel 8. For example, the transmission control unit 55 may display a message indicating the estimated time of arrival, such as "The occupant is scheduled to arrive in 10 minutes," on the exterior touch panel 8. The transmission control unit 55 may display the message indicating the estimated time of arrival on the exterior touch panel 8 together with the message indicating the predetermined state described above.

[0059] This allows people waiting around the vehicle 3 for charging to complete to more appropriately decide whether or not to continue waiting, based on the estimated arrival time, even if the user U of the vehicle 3 is away from the vehicle 3 that is being charged.

[0060] For example, in response to the notification that there is a person waiting around the vehicle 3, which is sent to the mobile terminal 21 by the transmission control unit 55 and is displayed on the touch panel 22 of the mobile terminal 21, the user U can input the estimated arrival time into the mobile terminal 21. The mobile terminal 21 can, for example, acquire the input of the estimated arrival time as a function of a predetermined application program and transmit the input estimated arrival time to the charging monitoring device 1 of the vehicle 3. For example, when the mobile terminal 21 receives the input notification as a push notification, the mobile terminal 21 can display a message on the touch panel 22 prompting the user U to start the application program, thereby causing the user U to start the application program.

[0061] The transmission control unit 55 may also calculate an estimated arrival time for the user U to arrive at the vehicle 3 based on the location information of the user U's current location sent by the mobile terminal 21 carried by the user U and the current location of the vehicle 3 obtained from the navigation device 39, and display the calculated estimated arrival time on the exterior touch panel 8.

[0062] As a result, even if the user U of the vehicle 3 that is being charged is away from the vehicle 3 and the estimated time of arrival at the vehicle cannot be obtained from the user U, the estimated time of arrival can be calculated from the relative positions of the user U and the vehicle 3 and presented to people around the vehicle 3, so that people waiting around the vehicle 3 for charging to be completed can appropriately decide whether or not to continue waiting based on the estimated time of arrival.

[0063] For example, the transmission control unit 55 transmits a request to transmit the current location to the mobile terminal 21 that is executing the application. In response to the transmission request, the mobile terminal 21 may transmit the current location acquired from a GPS receiver (not shown) included in the mobile terminal 21 to the charging monitoring device 1 as a function of the application.

[0064] Furthermore, when the transmission control unit 55 receives a notification of permission for autonomous driving from the mobile terminal 21 of the user U, it transmits the received permission notification to the autonomous driving device 11. For example, the user U may input an instruction to transmit a notification of permission for autonomous driving to the mobile terminal 21 that is running the above application. According to conventional technology, the mobile terminal 21 may transmit the notification of permission for autonomous driving to the charging monitoring device 1 in accordance with the input transmission instruction as a function of the above application.

[0065] When the transmission control unit 55 receives the autonomous driving permission notification and the monitoring unit 53 confirms that the power supply cable CA has been removed from the charging connector 7, the autonomous driving device 11 can drive the vehicle 3 autonomously to a predetermined destination and park the vehicle 3 at the destination. A plurality of destinations can be set in advance as the predetermined destination. The autonomous driving device 11 can drive the vehicle 3 autonomously to a destination that is within a range that can be reached based on the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5, and park the vehicle 3 at the destination. The transmission control unit 55 can obtain the current remaining charge of the secondary battery 5 from the monitoring unit 53 and transmit it to the autonomous driving device 11 together with the permission notification.

[0066] This allows the vehicle 3 to be moved even if the user U of the vehicle 3 being charged is far away from the vehicle 3 and cannot return to the vehicle 3 immediately, making it possible to smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially at the power supply device PS.

[0067] Next, the procedure of the operation of the charging monitoring device 1 will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the procedure of the charging start method executed by the processor 50, which is the computer of the charging monitoring device 1. The processing shown in Fig. 5 starts when the startup of the charging monitoring device 1 is completed in a state in which the power of each device shown in Fig. 2 is turned on.

[0068] When the process starts, first, the monitoring unit 53 of the charge monitoring device 1 starts monitoring the charging operation of the secondary battery 5, and the identification unit 54 starts detecting and identifying people around and inside the vehicle 3 (S100). Next, the monitoring unit 53 determines whether charging of the secondary battery 5 has started (S102). If charging of the secondary battery 5 has not started (S102, NO), the monitoring unit 53 returns to step S102 and repeats the process, waiting for charging of the secondary battery 5 to start.

[0069] When charging of the secondary battery 5 is started (S102, YES), the identification unit 54 determines whether or not a person other than the user U has been detected around the vehicle 3 (S104). When a person other than the user U has not been detected around the vehicle 3 (S104, NO), the identification unit 54 returns to step S104 and repeats the process, waiting for a person other than the user U to be detected around the vehicle 3. At that time, if the screen display of the exterior touch panel 8 is being performed, the transmission control unit 55 erases the display and ends the screen display.

[0070] On the other hand, when a person other than the user U is detected around the vehicle 3 (S104, YES), the transmission control unit 55 determines whether the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 is in the above-mentioned predetermined state based on information from the monitoring unit 53 (S106). Then, when the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 is not in the predetermined state (S106, NO), a notification screen indicating the current charging state is displayed on the exterior touch panel 8 (S110), and then the process returns to step S104 and repeats. As described above, this notification screen may include a message to people around the vehicle 3 urging them to continue waiting, a message notifying them of information related to the charging operation, and / or a message indicating the estimated time until the charging operation reaches the predetermined state or the remaining charge of the secondary battery 5.

[0071] On the other hand, when the charging operation of the secondary battery 5 is in a predetermined state (S106, NO), the transmission control unit 55 displays a notification screen including a notification necessity button 80 on the exterior touch panel 8 (S108). The notification screen including the notification necessity button 80 may be, for example, a screen as shown in FIG.

[0072] Next, the transmission control unit 55 determines whether or not a notification request has been made via the exterior touch panel 8 (S112). As described above, a notification request can be input by a person in the vicinity of the vehicle 3 touching the affirmative button 80a of the notification necessity button 80 displayed on the exterior touch panel 8.

[0073] If there is no notification request (S112, NO), the transmission control unit 55 returns the process to step S104. On the other hand, if there is a notification request (S112, YES), the transmission control unit 55 determines whether the identification unit 54 has detected an occupant in the interior of the vehicle 3 (S114). If the identification unit 54 has detected an occupant in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 3 (S114, YES), the transmission control unit 55 notifies the occupant in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 3 by the interior display device 36 and / or the interior speaker 37 that there is a person waiting around the vehicle 3 (S116).

[0074] The transmission control unit 55 also determines whether the identification unit 54 has detected the user U inside the vehicle 3 (S118). When the identification unit 54 has not detected the user U inside the vehicle 3 (NO in S118), the transmission control unit 55 transmits an input notification to the mobile terminal 21 of the user U, indicating that a notification request has been input from a person around the vehicle 3 (S120). In response to this, the user U can transmit a notification of permission for autonomous driving or an estimated time of arrival at the vehicle 3 to the charging monitoring device 1 using the mobile terminal 21. When executing step S120, the transmission control unit 55 may further establish telephone communication with the mobile terminal 21 so that a person around the vehicle 3 can talk to the user U through the exterior microphone 9 and the exterior speaker 10.

[0075] Next, the transmission control unit 55 determines whether or not a notification of permission for autonomous driving has been received from the mobile terminal 21 of the user U (S122). Then, when a notification of permission for autonomous driving has been received from the mobile terminal 21 of the user U (S122, YES), the transmission control unit 55 transmits the received permission notification to the autonomous driving device (S124) and ends this process. Upon receiving the permission notification, the autonomous driving device 11 autonomously drives the vehicle 3 to a predetermined destination and parks the vehicle 3 at the destination.

[0076] On the other hand, if a notification of permission for autonomous driving is not received from user U's mobile terminal 21 in step S122 (S122, NO), the estimated time of arrival at user U's vehicle 3 received from user U's mobile terminal 21, or the estimated time of arrival calculated by the transmission control unit 55 from the location information of the mobile terminal 21 and the location information of vehicle 3, is displayed on the exterior touch panel 8 (S126).

[0077] Next, the transmission control unit 55 determines whether the vehicle 3 has started to move (S128). The transmission control unit 55 can determine that the vehicle 3 has started to move when the vehicle speed detected by a speed sensor (not shown) provided in the vehicle 3 exceeds a predetermined value.

[0078] If the vehicle 3 does not start moving (S128, NO), the transmission control unit 55 returns to step S128 and repeats the process, waiting for the vehicle 3 to start moving.

[0079] On the other hand, when the vehicle 3 starts traveling (S128, YES), the transmission control unit 55 ends this process. After this process ends, the processor 50 of the charging monitoring device 1 starts this process anew and repeats the above process until the power of the charging monitoring device 1 is turned off.

[0080] On the other hand, in step S118, if the identification unit 54 detects the presence of the user U inside the vehicle 3 (S118, YES), the transmission control unit 55 proceeds to step S128.

[0081] 5, steps S100, S102, and S106 correspond to the monitoring step in the present disclosure, steps S100, S104, S114, and S118 correspond to the identifying step in the present disclosure, and steps S108, S110, and S126 correspond to the transmitting step in the present disclosure.

[0082] 2. Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the charging monitoring device 1 is provided in the vehicle 3, but as described above, it may be configured as an external device provided outside the vehicle 3. For example, the charging monitoring device 1 may be realized as a server device S connected to the vehicle 3 so as to be able to communicate with it via a communication network NW.

[0083] In the above-described embodiment, the identification unit 54 detects the presence of the user U based on the position of the electronic key of the vehicle 3 and the position of the person detected by the human detection sensor 35. However, the presence of the user U may also be detected by recognizing a facial image of the person. For example, the human detection sensor 35 may include a camera that captures images of the periphery of the vehicle 3 and a camera that captures images of the interior of the vehicle 3, and the identification unit 54 may detect the presence of the user U by comparing the facial images of the person acquired from these cameras with facial images of the user U stored in advance in the memory 51.

[0084] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the exterior touch panel 8 is arranged at the charging opening 6, but it may be arranged at any position that is visible from outside the vehicle 3 and can be operated by a person outside the vehicle 3.

[0085] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the external display device and the external input device in the present disclosure are realized by the exterior touch panel 8, but they may also be realized as separate display devices and input devices.

[0086] The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0087] 3. Configurations supported by the above embodiments The above-described embodiment supports the following configurations.

[0088] (Configuration 1) A charging monitoring device comprising: a monitoring unit that monitors the status of a charging operation from a power supply device external to the vehicle to a secondary battery provided in the vehicle; an identification unit that detects and identifies people in the vicinity of the vehicle; and a transmission control unit that controls the operation of an external display device that is provided on the vehicle and is positioned so as to be visible from outside the vehicle, wherein when the transmission control unit detects that a person other than the current user of the vehicle is present in the vicinity of the vehicle while the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is ongoing, the transmission control unit displays a notification screen on the external display device intended for people in the vicinity of the vehicle. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 1, for example, a person near a vehicle waiting for the completion of charging of the first vehicle in order to charge another vehicle can obtain information about the charging status of the first vehicle from a notification screen displayed on an external display device of the first vehicle. This prevents the person from giving up waiting for the first vehicle to charge and wasting time by moving the other vehicle to another charging site. As a result, it becomes possible to smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially in the power supply device.

[0089] (Configuration 2) The charging monitoring device described in Configuration 1, wherein the transmission control unit displays the notification screen on the external display device when a person other than the current user remains in the vicinity of the vehicle for a predetermined period of time or longer. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 2, when a person who is likely to be waiting for the completion of the charging operation of the vehicle is detected in the vicinity of the vehicle, a notification screen is displayed on the external display device, thereby preventing unnecessary notification screens from being displayed on the external display device and reducing unnecessary power consumption of the external display device.

[0090] (Configuration 3) The charging monitoring device according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the notification screen includes information relating to a charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 3, it is possible to provide information about the charging operation of a vehicle to people nearby the vehicle who are waiting for the charging of the vehicle to be completed, thereby reducing the number of cases where the people waiting give up waiting. Therefore, it becomes possible to charge multiple vehicles sequentially in the power supply device more smoothly.

[0091] (Configuration 4) The charging monitoring device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the transmission control unit acquires an input from an external input device provided in the vehicle and operable by a person outside the vehicle, and when the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is in a predetermined state, the transmission control unit displays a message on the external display device asking whether or not to notify an occupant of the vehicle, and when a notification request that requests notification to an occupant of the vehicle is input by the external input device, the transmission control unit transmits an input notification that the notification request has been input to a predetermined user terminal device that is currently accessible by the user. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 4, when a person nearby a vehicle waiting for charging of the vehicle to be completed notices a predetermined state, such as completion of charging of the vehicle, the person can proactively notify the user of the vehicle of the occurrence of the predetermined state. This prevents the person waiting for charging to be completed from needlessly waiting for the completion of charging because the user of the vehicle is unaware of the predetermined state. As a result, the charging monitoring device of configuration 4 enables the power supply device to charge multiple vehicles sequentially more smoothly.

[0092] (Configuration 5) The charging monitoring device according to Configuration 4, wherein when the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is not in the predetermined state, the transmission control unit displays on the external display device an estimated time until the charging operation reaches the predetermined state or a current remaining charge of the vehicle. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 5, people around a vehicle waiting for charging of the vehicle to be completed can know the estimated time until a predetermined state, such as charging completion, is reached, and the current remaining charge of the vehicle, and can therefore recognize the approximate length of the remaining waiting time. As a result, the charging monitoring device of configuration 5 further reduces the number of cases where people waiting give up waiting, and makes it possible to more smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially in the power supply device.

[0093] (Configuration 6) The charging monitoring device described in Configuration 4 or 5, wherein when the notification request is input by the external input device and an occupant is detected inside the vehicle, the transmission control unit notifies the occupant that there is a person waiting around the vehicle by an output device provided inside the vehicle. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 6, passengers in the vehicle that is being charged can know that there are people around the vehicle waiting for charging to be completed, and can take prompt action to move the vehicle, such as contacting the user of the vehicle or moving the vehicle. Therefore, the charging monitoring device of configuration 6 makes it possible to more smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially in the power supply device.

[0094] (Configuration 7) A charging monitoring device as described in Configuration 4 or 5, wherein the identification unit identifies a person inside the vehicle, and when the notification request is input by the external input device and the transmission control unit detects the current user of the vehicle inside the vehicle, the transmission control unit notifies the current user that there is a person waiting around the vehicle by an output device provided inside the vehicle. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 7, a user of a vehicle who is inside the vehicle that is being charged can be aware of the presence of people around the vehicle waiting for charging to be completed and can quickly move the vehicle, making it possible to charge multiple vehicles sequentially in the power supply device more smoothly.

[0095] (Configuration 8) The charging monitoring device described in Configuration 7, wherein when the notification request is input by the external input device and the current user is not detected inside the vehicle, the transmission control unit sends a notification to a predetermined user terminal device that the current user can access that there is someone waiting around the vehicle. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 8, even if the user of a vehicle being charged is away from the vehicle, a person waiting around the vehicle for charging to be completed can proactively notify the user of the vehicle of the occurrence of a predetermined state regarding the charging operation when they become aware of a predetermined state, such as the completion of charging of the vehicle. Therefore, even if the user of the vehicle being charged is away from the vehicle, the person waiting for charging to be completed can avoid a situation in which the user of the vehicle is unaware of the predetermined state and ends up waiting unnecessarily long for the completion of charging. As a result, according to the charging monitoring device of configuration 8, even if the user of the vehicle being charged is away from the vehicle, it is possible to smoothly perform sequential charging of multiple vehicles in a power supply device.

[0096] (Configuration 9) The vehicle is equipped with an exterior microphone that captures the voices of people outside the vehicle and an exterior speaker that outputs voices to the outside of the vehicle, and when the notification request is input by the external input device and the current user is not detected inside the vehicle, the transmission control unit establishes communication with a predetermined user terminal device owned by the current user to make a call using the exterior microphone and the exterior speaker, a charging monitoring device as described in configuration 7 or 8. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 9, even if the user of the vehicle being charged has left the vehicle, a person waiting around the vehicle for charging to be completed can talk to the user and learn about the user's movements. As a result, even if the user of the vehicle being charged has left the vehicle, the person waiting for charging to be completed can appropriately determine whether to continue waiting based on the status of the user of the vehicle obtained through the conversation, for example.

[0097] (Configuration 10) The charging monitoring device described in Configuration 8 or 9, wherein the transmission control unit acquires the estimated arrival time of the current user at the charging location of the vehicle, which the current user inputs into the user terminal device, and displays the acquired estimated arrival time on the external display device. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 10, even if the user of the vehicle being charged is away from the vehicle, people waiting around the vehicle for charging to be completed can more appropriately decide whether to continue waiting based on the above-mentioned estimated arrival time.

[0098] (Configuration 11) A charging monitoring device described in any of configurations 8 to 9, wherein the user terminal device is a portable terminal carried by the current user, and the transmission control unit calculates an estimated arrival time for the current user to arrive at the vehicle based on location information of the current user's current location transmitted by the user terminal device and the current location of the vehicle, and displays the calculated estimated arrival time on the external display device. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 11, even if the user of a vehicle that is being charged is away from the vehicle and the estimated time of arrival at the vehicle cannot be obtained from the user, the estimated time of arrival can be calculated from the relative positions of the user and the vehicle and presented to people around the vehicle, so that people around the vehicle waiting for charging to be completed can appropriately decide whether to continue waiting based on the estimated time of arrival.

[0099] (Configuration 12) A charging monitoring device according to any one of configurations 4 to 11, wherein the predetermined state is a state in which the secondary battery is charged until the remaining charge of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined target value and the charging operation is terminated, and / or a state in which the charging operation of the secondary battery is interrupted before the remaining charge of the secondary battery reaches the target value. According to the charging monitoring device of configuration 12, a person waiting around a vehicle that is being charged for charging to finish can be notified when the charging operation of the vehicle is completed or interrupted, and can therefore appropriately decide whether to continue waiting.

[0100] (Configuration 13) A charging monitoring system comprising a charging monitoring device described in any one of configurations 1 to 12, and an autonomous driving device mounted on the vehicle that causes the vehicle to drive autonomously to a destination, wherein the transmission control unit of the charging monitoring device communicates with a predetermined user terminal device that is currently accessible to the user, and when the transmission control unit receives a notification of permission for autonomous driving from the user terminal device, the autonomous driving device causes the vehicle to drive autonomously to a predetermined destination and parks the vehicle at the destination. According to the charging monitoring system of configuration 13, even if the user of a vehicle being charged is far away from the vehicle and cannot immediately return to the vehicle, the vehicle can be moved, making it possible to smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially in the power supply device.

[0101] (Configuration 14) A charging monitoring method executed by a computer of a charging monitoring device that monitors the charging operation of a secondary battery provided in a vehicle from a power supply device external to the vehicle, the charging monitoring method comprising: a monitoring step of monitoring the status of the charging operation of the secondary battery from the power supply device; an identification step of detecting and identifying people in the vicinity of the vehicle; and a transmission step of controlling the operation of an external display device that is provided in the vehicle and is positioned so as to be visible from outside the vehicle, wherein in the transmission step, when it is detected that a person other than the current user of the vehicle is present in the vicinity of the vehicle while the charging operation of the secondary battery from the power supply device is ongoing, a notification screen intended for people in the vicinity of the vehicle is displayed on the external display device. According to the charging monitoring method of configuration 14, for example, a person near a vehicle waiting for the completion of charging of the first vehicle in order to charge another vehicle can obtain information about the charging status of the first vehicle from a notification screen displayed on an external display device of the first vehicle. This prevents the person from giving up waiting for the first vehicle to charge and wasting time by moving the other vehicle to another charging site. As a result, it becomes possible to smoothly charge multiple vehicles sequentially in a power supply device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1...charging monitoring device, 2...charging monitoring system, 3...vehicle, 5...secondary battery, 6...charging opening, 7...charging connector, 8...exterior touch panel, 9...exterior microphone, 10...exterior speaker, 20...FOB key, 21...mobile terminal, 22...touch panel, 30...drive motor, 31...steering device, 32...charging circuit, 33...charging control device, 34...remaining battery sensor, 35...human detection sensor, 36...interior display device, 37...interior speaker, 38...communication device, 39...navigation device, 40...GNSS receiver, 50...processor, 51...memory, 52...program, 53...monitoring unit, 54...identification unit, 55...transmission control unit, 80...notification required / not required button, 80a...yes button, 80b...negative button, NW...communication network, P...person, PS...power supply device, CA...charging cable, S...server device, U...user, V...other vehicle.

Claims

1. a monitoring unit that monitors a state of a charging operation from a power supply device external to the vehicle to a secondary battery provided in the vehicle; an identification unit that detects and identifies people in the vicinity of the vehicle; a transmission control unit that controls the operation of an external display device that is a display device provided in the vehicle and is arranged at a position visible from outside the vehicle; Equipped with The transmission control unit is When a person other than the current user of the vehicle is detected to be present in the vicinity of the vehicle while a charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is ongoing, a notification screen directed to the person in the vicinity of the vehicle is displayed on the external display device. Charging monitoring device.

2. the transmission control unit displays the notification screen on the external display device when a person different from the current user stays in the vicinity of the vehicle for a predetermined time or more. The charging monitor according to claim 1 .

3. the notification screen includes information about a charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery. The charging monitor according to claim 1 .

4. the transmission control unit acquires an input from an external input device that is provided in the vehicle and can be operated by a person outside the vehicle; When the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is in a predetermined state, the transmission control unit: a message asking whether or not a notification is required to be sent to an occupant of the vehicle is displayed on the external display device; when a notification request that requests a notification to an occupant of the vehicle is input by the external input device, an input notification indicating that the notification request has been input is sent to a predetermined user terminal device that is currently accessible by the user; The charging monitor according to claim 1 .

5. When the charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is not in the predetermined state, the transmission control unit displays, on the external display device, an estimated time until the charging operation will reach the predetermined state or a current remaining charge amount of the vehicle. The charging monitor according to claim 4.

6. When the notification request is input by the external input device and an occupant is detected in the interior of the vehicle, the transmission control unit notifies the occupant by an output device provided in the interior of the vehicle that there is a person waiting around the vehicle. The charging monitor according to claim 4.

7. The identification unit identifies a person inside the vehicle, When the notification request is input by the external input device and the current user of the vehicle is detected in the interior of the vehicle, the transmission control unit notifies the current user by an output device provided in the interior of the vehicle that there is a person waiting around the vehicle. The charging monitor according to claim 4.

8. When the notification request is input by the external input device and the current user is not detected in the vehicle, the transmission control unit transmits a notification that there is a person waiting around the vehicle to a predetermined user terminal device accessible by the current user. The charging monitor according to claim 7.

9. The vehicle includes an exterior microphone that captures voices of people outside the vehicle and an exterior speaker that outputs voices to the outside of the vehicle, When the notification request is input by the external input device and the current user is not detected in the vehicle, the transmission control unit establishes communication with a predetermined user terminal device owned by the current user for making a call using the exterior microphone and the exterior speaker. The charging monitor according to claim 7.

10. the transmission control unit acquires an estimated arrival time of the current user at the charging location of the vehicle, which is input by the current user to the user terminal device, and displays the acquired estimated arrival time on the external display device. The charging monitor according to claim 8.

11. The user terminal device is a mobile terminal currently owned by the user, the transmission control unit calculates an estimated arrival time for the current user to arrive at the vehicle based on location information of the current user's current location transmitted by the user terminal device and the current location of the vehicle, and displays the calculated estimated arrival time on the external display device. The charging monitor according to claim 8.

12. the predetermined state is a state in which the secondary battery is charged until the remaining charge of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined target value and the charging operation is terminated, and / or a state in which the charging operation of the secondary battery is interrupted before the remaining charge of the secondary battery reaches the target value. The charging monitor according to claim 4.

13. A charging monitor device according to any one of claims 1 to 12; an autonomous driving device mounted on the vehicle that causes the vehicle to travel to a destination by autonomous driving; Equipped with The transmission control unit of the charging monitoring device communicating with a predetermined user terminal device accessible to the current user; The autonomous driving device When the transmission control unit receives a notification of permission for autonomous driving from the user terminal device, the transmission control unit causes the vehicle to travel by autonomous driving to a predetermined destination and parks the vehicle at the destination. Charging monitoring system.

14. A charge monitoring method executed by a computer of a charge monitoring device that monitors a charging operation from a power supply device external to a vehicle to a secondary battery provided in the vehicle, the method comprising: a monitoring step of monitoring a state of a charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery; an identification step of detecting and identifying a person in the vicinity of the vehicle; a transmitting step of controlling the operation of an external display device that is provided in the vehicle and is arranged at a position visible from outside the vehicle; and In the transmitting step, When a person other than the current user of the vehicle is detected to be present in the vicinity of the vehicle while a charging operation from the power supply device to the secondary battery is ongoing, a notification screen directed to the person in the vicinity of the vehicle is displayed on the external display device. Charging monitoring method.

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