Electricity cost calculation system, electricity cost calculation method, and electricity cost calculation program

Abstract

To accurately estimate the electricity cost of electric vehicles.SOLUTION: In an electricity cost calculation system 30, a charging electricity amount acquisition unit 312 acquires the charging electricity amount supplied to an electric vehicle from a vehicle charger, which is measured by the vehicle charger. A travel distance acquisition unit 313 acquires the travel distance of the electric vehicle. An electricity cost calculation unit 314 calculates the electricity cost of the electric vehicle based on the acquired charging electricity amount and the travel distance. A notification unit 316 notifies an information terminal device of a user of the electric vehicle of the calculated electricity cost of the electric vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electricity consumption calculation system, an electricity consumption calculation method, and an electricity consumption calculation program for calculating the electricity consumption of an electric vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, electric vehicles have become popular among ordinary households. The catalog electricity consumption figures published by automobile manufacturers generally do not take into account the power loss during charging, and there is often a discrepancy between the catalog electricity consumption figures and the actual driving electricity consumption figures.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an energy planning system that proposes the introduction of solar power generation equipment and storage battery equipment based on electricity consumption measurement data of residents. However, this system does not provide highly accurate estimates of the electricity costs of electric vehicles to users who have installed vehicle chargers at home. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-81143 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in light of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology for estimating the electricity consumption of an electric vehicle with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an electricity cost calculation system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a charging energy amount acquisition unit that acquires the amount of charging energy measured by the vehicle charger and supplied to the electric vehicle from the vehicle charger, a mileage acquisition unit that acquires the mileage of the electric vehicle, and an electricity cost calculation unit that calculates the electricity cost of the electric vehicle based on the acquired charging energy amount and mileage.

[0007] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the present disclosure into an apparatus, system, method, computer program, etc., are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to estimate the electricity consumption of an electric vehicle with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration related to an electricity cost calculation system linked to a vehicle charger according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a car navigation system according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an electricity cost calculation system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a portable information terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a data collection process sequence of the electricity cost calculation system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the sequence of an electricity cost estimation process performed by the electricity cost calculation system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an EV report screen displayed on a portable information terminal device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration related to an electricity cost calculation system linked to a vehicle charger according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the overall configuration related to an electricity cost calculation system 30 linked to a vehicle charger 10 according to an embodiment. The vehicle charger 10 is a home charging facility, and in this embodiment, a standard charger is assumed. A standard charger is a charger that charges an electric vehicle 20 using AC power over a relatively long period of time, and models with a rating of 6 kW (30 A / 200 V (single phase)) or 3 kW (16 A / 200 V (single phase)) are commonly used.

[0011] The vehicle charger 10 includes a relay RY1, a current measurement circuit 11, a voltage measurement circuit 12, a control unit 13, and communication units 14 and 15. The vehicle charger 10 is connected to a distribution board 3. A commercial power system 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as system 2) and a load 4 are connected to the distribution board 3. The load 4 is a general term for loads within the home.

[0012] The vehicle charger 10 and the electric vehicle 20 can be connected with an AC charging cable. A user can connect the vehicle charger 10 and the electric vehicle 20 by inserting the connector at the end of the AC charging cable into a standard AC charging port on the electric vehicle 20.

[0013] In the vehicle charger 10, a relay RY1 is installed on a power line branched from the distribution board 3. A semiconductor switch (e.g., IGBT, MOSFET) may be used instead of the relay RY1. A CT sensor 11a is installed on the power line downstream of the relay RY1 as viewed from the system 2.

[0014] The current measurement circuit 11 measures a voltage corresponding to the current flowing in the power line based on the secondary current generated by the CT sensor 11a, and outputs the voltage to the control unit 13. For example, the current measurement circuit 11 includes a shunt resistor connected to a coil wound around the magnetic core of the CT sensor 11a, and outputs the voltage across the shunt resistor to the control unit 13 as a voltage corresponding to the current flowing in the power line. Note that instead of the CT method, a Hall element method, a Rogowski coil method, or the like may also be used. Also, a shunt resistor may be directly connected to the power line instead of the CT sensor 11a.

[0015] The voltage measurement circuit 12 measures the voltage of the power line and outputs the measured voltage to the control unit 13. For example, the voltage measurement circuit 12 includes a voltage dividing resistor and an error amplifier, and reduces the voltage of the power line and outputs the reduced voltage to the control unit 13.

[0016] The control unit 13 includes at least one microcontroller and controls the entire vehicle charger 10. The control unit 13 multiplies the current flowing from the grid 2 toward the electric vehicle 20, measured by the current measurement circuit 11, by the voltage measured by the voltage measurement circuit 12, to calculate the charging power charged to the electric vehicle 20. The control unit 13 integrates the charging power calculated at each time to calculate the amount of charging power for a predetermined period (e.g., 30 minutes). The vehicle charger 10 may be a specified meter.

[0017] The electric vehicle 20 includes a storage battery 21, a DC / AC converter 22, a control unit 23, and a communication unit 24. The electric vehicle 20 is an EV that is not equipped with an internal combustion engine and is powered only by an electric motor. The electric vehicle 20 is equipped with a car navigation system 80. The car navigation system 80 may be a genuine product or an aftermarket product.

[0018] The storage battery 21 is a chargeable and dischargeable storage battery configured by connecting a plurality of cells in series or in series-parallel. The cells may be lithium-ion battery cells, nickel-metal hydride battery cells, etc. Although omitted in FIG. 1, the storage battery 21 is connected to a three-phase AC motor (not shown) via an inverter (not shown).

[0019] During power running, the inverter converts DC power supplied from the storage battery 21 into AC power and supplies it to the three-phase AC motor. The three-phase AC motor rotates according to the AC power supplied from the inverter. During regeneration, the three-phase AC motor converts rotational energy generated by deceleration into AC power and supplies it to the inverter. The inverter converts AC power supplied from the three-phase AC motor into DC power to charge the storage battery 21.

[0020] The DC side of DC / AC converter 22 is connected to storage battery 21, and the AC side is connected to a normal charging port into which an AC charging cable is inserted. DC / AC converter 22 converts AC power supplied from vehicle charger 10 into DC power and charges storage battery 21. DC / AC converter 22 also converts DC power supplied from storage battery 21 into AC power, which can be consumed by load 4 via the AC charging cable, vehicle charger 10, and distribution board 3.

[0021] The control unit 23 includes a BMU (Battery Management Unit) that manages the storage battery 21 and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that manages the vehicle. The control unit 23 acquires the voltage, current, and temperature from the storage battery 21 as monitoring data, and manages the storage battery 21 based on the acquired voltage, current, and temperature.

[0022] The control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 is equipped with a CPLT (Control Pilot Circuit) function and performs charging control after establishing a session with the control unit 13 of the electric vehicle 20. The communication unit 14 controls communication with the communication unit 24 of the electric vehicle 20 while the vehicle charger 10 and the electric vehicle 20 are connected via an AC charging cable. The communication unit 14 of the vehicle charger 10 and the communication unit 24 of the electric vehicle 20 may be connected by a communication line within the AC charging cable or by power line communication (PLC).

[0023] The control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 and the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 control charging in accordance with a charging sequence that complies with the charging connection standard, for example, specified in IEC 61851-1 Annex A. In this charging sequence, communication is performed in a format in which the control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 transmits request information and the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 returns response information.

[0024] After a session is established between the control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 and the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 through a predetermined setup procedure, the control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 transmits request information including the state of charge (SOC) of the storage battery 21, the charging method, the allowable charging current value, the amount of power, the voltage value, etc. The control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 replies with response information including the rated current value, the voltage value, the maximum amount of power that can be supplied, the time period during which power can be supplied, etc.

[0025] Based on the response information from the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10, the control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 determines the target voltage, target current, and charging schedule, and transmits a charging start request including a charging profile. Upon receiving the charging start request, the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 turns on the relay RY1. The control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 sets a current command value corresponding to the target current or a voltage command value corresponding to the target voltage in the DC / AC converter 22. During CC charging, the DC / AC converter 22 controls the duty ratio so that the charging current of the storage battery 21 maintains the current command value, and during CV charging, controls the duty ratio so that the charging voltage of the storage battery 21 maintains the voltage command value.

[0026] During charging, the control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 periodically requests the current charging status from the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10. In response to the request, the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 replies with the current charging status. When the capacity of the storage battery 21 reaches the target capacity, the control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 transmits a request to end charging. Upon receiving the request to end charging, the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 turns off the relay RY1.

[0027] The control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 is equipped with a protection function that turns off the relay RY1 to cut off the electrical circuit if it detects a leakage current between the vehicle charger 10 and the electric vehicle 20 based on the current measured by the current measurement circuit 11.

[0028] By connecting the vehicle charger 10 to the router device 6, the vehicle charger 10 can be connected to the network 5 via the router device 6. The network 5 is an external communication network such as the Internet, a dedicated line, or a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

[0029] The vehicle charger 10 and the router device 6 are connected via a LAN cable, and the communication unit 15 of the vehicle charger 10 executes communication processing in accordance with Ethernet (registered trademark). The vehicle charger 10 and the router device 6 may also be connected wirelessly (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), low-power wireless). If a communication device that can access a mobile communication network (4G / 5G) is used as the communication unit 15 of the vehicle charger 10, the vehicle charger 10 can be directly connected to the network 5.

[0030] The electricity cost calculation system 30 is a system that provides a service for estimating the electricity cost of the electric vehicle 20. In this embodiment, the electricity cost calculation system 30 is built on a cloud server installed in a data center managed by a cloud service provider. A business that provides a service for estimating the electricity cost of the electric vehicle 20 (referred to as an electricity cost estimation service business) uses the cloud server by entering into a contract with the cloud service provider. The electricity cost estimation service business may be the manufacturer or distributor of the vehicle charger 10, or may be a business independent of the manufacturer or distributor of the vehicle charger 10. The electricity cost calculation system 30 may be built on the electricity cost estimation service business's own server installed in its own facility or data center.

[0031] The mobile information terminal device 40 is held by the owner of the vehicle charger 10 (who is usually also the owner of the electric vehicle 20). The user can refer to the amount of charging power supplied from the vehicle charger 10 to the electric vehicle 20 from the mobile information terminal device 40. In this embodiment, the mobile information terminal device 40 is assumed to be a smartphone. Note that the mobile information terminal device 40 may be any terminal device that can connect to the network 5, and may be a tablet terminal device, a portable game console, a portable music player, or the like that is equipped with a communication device that can access Wi-Fi or a mobile communication network (4G / 5G).

[0032] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a car navigation system 80 according to an embodiment. The car navigation system 80 includes a processing unit 81, a storage unit 82, a communication unit 83, a display unit 84, an operation unit 85, a GPS sensor 86, and an inertial sensor 87. The communication unit 83 is equipped with a communication device for performing at least one of Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, Wi-Fi communication, and mobile communication (4G / 5G), and performs various types of wireless signal processing.

[0033] For example, if a communication device for Bluetooth (registered trademark) is installed, it can be wirelessly connected to the mobile information terminal device 40 via Bluetooth. In this case, even if the car navigation system 80 is not equipped with a communication device for Wi-Fi communication and mobile communication (4G / 5G), it can access the network 5 via the mobile information terminal device 40.

[0034] For example, if the communication unit 83 of the car navigation system 80 is equipped with a communication device for Wi-Fi communication, the electric vehicle 20 can be wirelessly connected to the router device 6 via Wi-Fi while parked at home. For example, if a communication device that can access a mobile communication network (4G / 5G) is installed, the car navigation system 80 can be directly connected to the network 5.

[0035] The display unit 84 includes a display such as an organic EL display, a liquid crystal display, or a mini LED display, and reproduces and displays image data input from the processing unit 81. The operation unit 85 accepts user operations via a touch panel or physical buttons, converts the physical stimulus into an electrical operation signal, and outputs it to the processing unit 81. The display unit 84 and the operation unit 85 may be configured as a touch panel display capable of accepting touch operations by the user.

[0036] The GPS sensor 86 is an example of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, and detects the current position information of the electric vehicle 20 using latitude, longitude, and altitude, and outputs the detected position information to the processing unit 81. Specifically, the GPS sensor 86 receives radio waves, including their respective transmission times, from a plurality of GPS satellites, and calculates the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the reception point based on the plurality of transmission times included in the plurality of received radio waves.

[0037] The inertial sensor 87 may be, for example, a triaxial gyro sensor and a triaxial acceleration sensor, which detect angular velocity and acceleration in the XYZ directions applied to the triaxial gyro sensor and the triaxial acceleration sensor and output them to the processing unit 81 .

[0038] The processing unit 81 includes a route guidance unit 811, a display control unit 812, and a mileage calculation unit 813. The functions of the processing unit 81 can be realized by a combination of hardware resources and software resources, or by hardware resources alone. As hardware resources, a CPU, ROM, RAM, GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), NPU (Neural network Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and other LSIs can be used. As software resources, programs such as firmware can be used.

[0039] The storage unit 82 includes a large-capacity nonvolatile recording medium, and map data is stored in the recording medium. Examples of nonvolatile recording media that can be used include a semiconductor memory card (e.g., an SD card), an optical disk (e.g., a DVD), a hard disk drive (HDD), and a solid state drive (SSD).

[0040] The route guidance unit 811 searches for at least one route from the departure point to the destination by referring to map data based on the departure point and destination input from the operation unit 85. The display control unit 812 displays the one or more routes that have been searched for on the display unit 84. The route guidance unit 811 sets the route selected by the user from the operation unit 85 as the navigation route.

[0041] The display control unit 812 causes the display unit 84 to display an arrow indicating the current position of the electric vehicle 20 superimposed on a map image of the area around the current position of the electric vehicle 20 acquired from the GPS sensor 86. The display control unit 812 causes the display unit 84 to display a guide for the direction of travel based on route guidance information according to the set navigation route and current position information of the electric vehicle 20.

[0042] The mileage calculation unit 813 calculates the mileage of the electric vehicle 20 by identifying the movement trajectory of the electric vehicle 20 based on the current position information of the electric vehicle 20 acquired from the GPS sensor 86 and the angular velocity information and acceleration information acquired from the inertial sensor 87. The mileage calculation unit 813 stores the mileage from when the electric vehicle 20 was powered on in a buffer memory. When the electric vehicle 20 was powered off, the mileage calculation unit 813 saves the mileage of the current trip together with date and time information in the storage unit 82, and updates the cumulative mileage in the storage unit 82 by adding the mileage of the current trip.

[0043] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electricity cost calculation system 30 according to an embodiment. The electricity cost calculation system 30 includes a processing unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication unit 33. The communication unit 33 is an external communication interface for connecting to a network 5 via a wired or wireless connection.

[0044] The processing unit 31 includes a user information acquisition unit 311, a charging energy amount acquisition unit 312, a mileage acquisition unit 313, an electricity cost calculation unit 314, a report creation unit 315, and a notification unit 316. The functions of the processing unit 31 can be realized by a combination of hardware resources and software resources, or by hardware resources alone. As hardware resources, a CPU, ROM, RAM, GPU, NPU, ASIC, FPGA, and other LSIs can be used. As software resources, programs such as an operating system and applications can be used.

[0045] The storage unit 32 includes a non-volatile recording medium such as an HDD, an SSD, etc., and stores various data. The storage unit 32 includes a user information storage unit 321, a charging energy storage unit 322, and a traveling distance storage unit 323.

[0046] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile information terminal device 40 according to an embodiment. The mobile information terminal device 40 includes a processing unit 41, a storage unit 42, a communication unit 43, a display unit 44, and an operation unit 45. The communication unit 43 is equipped with a wireless communication device for performing mobile communication (4G / 5G), Wi-Fi communication, and Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, and performs various types of wireless signal processing.

[0047] The display unit 44 includes a display such as an organic EL display, a liquid crystal display, or a mini LED display, and reproduces and displays image data input from the processing unit 41. The operation unit 45 accepts user operations via a touch panel or physical buttons, converts the physical stimulus into an electrical operation signal, and outputs it to the processing unit 41. The display unit 44 and the operation unit 45 may be configured as a touch panel display capable of accepting touch operations by the user.

[0048] The processing unit 41 includes an operation reception unit 411, a display control unit 412, and a cooperative processing unit 413. The functions of the processing unit 41 can be realized by a combination of hardware resources and software resources, or by hardware resources alone. As hardware resources, a CPU, ROM, RAM, GPU, NPU, ASIC, FPGA, and other LSIs can be used. As software resources, programs such as an operating system and applications can be used.

[0049] The storage unit 42 includes a large-capacity nonvolatile recording medium, such as a built-in NAND flash memory or an external semiconductor memory card (such as an SD card).

[0050] In this embodiment, it is assumed that a power management application program for the owner of the vehicle charger 10 is installed in the mobile information terminal device 40. The user of the mobile information terminal device 40 (mainly the owner of the vehicle charger 10) downloads and installs the power management application program from an app store into the mobile information terminal device 40. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the user uses the power cost estimation service for the electric vehicle 20 provided by the electricity cost calculation system 30 via the power management application program installed in the mobile information terminal device 40.

[0051] The user information acquisition unit 311 of the electricity cost calculation system 30 acquires user information input by a user to the mobile information terminal device 40 from the mobile information terminal device 40 via the network 5. The user information acquisition unit 311 stores the user information acquired from the mobile information terminal device 40 in the user information storage unit 321.

[0052] User information includes user ID, password, email address, address (prefecture), and number of people living together. User information may include information that can identify an individual, such as name, gender, age, and detailed address, or it may not include information that can identify an individual.

[0053] A user who owns a vehicle charger 10 can register the manufacturer and model name of the vehicle charger 10 that they own as user information. A user who owns an electric vehicle 20 can register the manufacturer and model name of the electric vehicle 20 that they own as user information. A user can register the name of the power company, the contract plan, and the contract capacity (amperes) as information related to the electricity rate plan that they currently have a contract with as user information.

[0054] The user information storage unit 321 stores the user information acquired from each portable information terminal device 40 via the network 5 for each user ID.

[0055] The charging energy amount acquisition unit 312 acquires the amount of charging energy measured by the vehicle charger 10 from the vehicle charger 10 via the network 5. The charging energy amount acquisition unit 312 stores the amount of charging energy acquired from the vehicle charger 10 in the charging energy amount holding unit 322. The charging energy amount acquisition unit 312 acquires the amount of charging energy periodically (for example, once a day) or when an event occurs (for example, when charging of the electric vehicle 20 is completed). The control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 has a buffer memory for temporarily holding the amount of charging energy for a certain period, and the charging energy amount acquisition unit 312 acquires the amount of charging energy for the certain period held in the buffer memory all at once.

[0056] The charging energy amount holding unit 322 accumulates the amount of charging energy acquired from each vehicle charger 10 via the network 5 for each vehicle charger 10 .

[0057] The mileage acquisition unit 313 acquires the mileage measured by the car navigation system 80 from the car navigation system 80 via the network 5. The mileage acquisition unit 313 stores the mileage acquired from the car navigation system 80 in the mileage storage unit 323. The mileage acquisition unit 313 acquires the mileage periodically (for example, once a day or once a month) or when an event occurs (for example, when the electric vehicle 20 returns to a parking space at home and the car navigation system 80 enters the radio wave range of the router device 6).

[0058] The mileage storage unit 323 accumulates the mileage of the electric vehicle 20 acquired from the car navigation system 80 via the network 5 for each electric vehicle 20 .

[0059] The electricity cost calculation unit 314 calculates the electricity cost of the electric vehicle 20 based on the amount of charging energy and the distance traveled, as shown in the following (Equation 1). Electricity cost (km / kWh) = Traveling distance (km) / Charging power amount (kWh) (Formula 1)

[0060] Specifically, the electricity cost calculation unit 314 reads the amount of charging energy for the target period (for example, one week, one month, or one year) from the charging energy amount storage unit 322. The electricity cost calculation unit 314 reads the mileage for the target period from the mileage storage unit 323. The electricity cost calculation unit 314 calculates the average electricity cost of the electric vehicle 20 for the target period based on the amount of charging energy for the target period and the mileage for the target period.

[0061] The report creation unit 315 periodically creates an EV report for the owner of the vehicle charger 10. The report creation unit 315 can, for example, perform a rate comparison simulation between the electric vehicle 20 and a gasoline vehicle. The report creation unit 315 multiplies the electricity cost (km / kWh) of the electric vehicle 20 calculated by the electricity cost calculation unit 314 by the nighttime electricity rate (yen / kWh) or the electricity rate (yen / kWh) for EV use of the electricity rate plan currently subscribed to by the user, to estimate the electricity cost required to drive a specified distance (km).

[0062] For example, the report creation unit 315 identifies the fuel efficiency (km / L) of a gasoline vehicle of the same grade as the target electric vehicle 20 based on a list of automobile fuel efficiency published by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The report creation unit 315 identifies the average unit price of regular gasoline (yen / L) in the area where the user lives. The report creation unit 315 multiplies the fuel efficiency (km / L) of the gasoline vehicle by the average unit price of regular gasoline (yen / L) to estimate the gasoline fee required to drive a specified distance (km). The report creation unit 315 calculates the estimated gasoline fee minus the electricity fee as the differential fee for the gasoline comparison.

[0063] The report creation unit 315 can calculate the estimated average electricity cost for the target period, the difference in price compared to gasoline, as well as the charging cost for the target period, the total charging time, the total charging amount, the environmental contribution, and the estimated driving distance. The environmental contribution is defined, for example, as the CO2 emission reduction rate of the electric vehicle 20 when the CO2 emissions of a gasoline vehicle are set at 100. The CO2 emissions of the electric vehicle 20 are calculated from the CO2 emission coefficient of the power plant that supplies the charging power. The CO2 emission coefficient of the power plant is determined by the power source configuration of the power plant. The higher the proportion of power source derived from renewable energy in the power plant's configuration, the smaller the CO2 emission coefficient. Note that if the electricity rate plan currently subscribed to by the user is a renewable energy plan, the CO2 emission coefficient will be 0 or close to 0, and the environmental contribution will be high.

[0064] The notification unit 316 notifies the mobile information terminal device 40 of the EV report created by the report creation unit 315, which includes the electricity consumption of the electric vehicle 20. The linkage processing unit 413 of the mobile information terminal device 40 acquires the EV report, which includes the electricity consumption of the electric vehicle 20, from the electricity consumption calculation system 30. The display control unit 412 causes the display unit 44 to display the acquired EV report.

[0065] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data collection process sequence of the electricity cost calculation system 30 according to the embodiment. The mileage acquisition unit 313 periodically inquires of the car navigation system 80 about the mileage (S10), either when an event occurs or when the car navigation system 80 transmits the mileage since the previous inquiry to the electricity cost calculation system 30 (S11). When the mileage acquisition unit 313 acquires the mileage from the car navigation system 80, it stores the acquired mileage in the mileage storage unit 323 (S12). The charging energy amount acquisition unit 312 periodically (for example, once a day) inquires of the vehicle charger 10 about whether the amount of charging energy has increased (S13). If the amount of charging energy has increased since the previous inquiry, the vehicle charger 10 transmits the increased amount of charging energy to the electricity cost calculation system 30 (S14). When the charging energy amount acquisition unit 312 acquires the amount of charging energy for this time from the vehicle charger 10, the charging energy amount acquisition unit 312 stores the acquired amount of charging energy in the charging energy amount holding unit 322 (S15).

[0066] 6 is a diagram illustrating the sequence of the electricity cost estimation process performed by the electricity cost calculation system 30 according to the embodiment. When it is time to create an EV report for the owner of the vehicle charger 10 (Y in S20), the electricity cost calculation unit 314 reads the amount of charging energy for the target period from the charging energy amount storage unit 322 (S21). The electricity cost calculation unit 314 reads the mileage for the target period from the mileage storage unit 323 (S22). The EV report may be created at predetermined regular intervals, or when a report creation request is received from the mobile information terminal device 40. The report creation request from the mobile information terminal device 40 includes the target period selected by the user.

[0067] The electricity cost calculation unit 314 calculates the average electricity cost of the electric vehicle 20 for the target period based on the amount of charging energy for the target period and the distance traveled during the target period (S23). The report creation unit 315 creates an EV report including the average electricity cost for the target period (S24), and the notification unit 316 notifies the mobile information terminal device 40 of the created EV report. The display control unit 412 of the mobile information terminal device 40 causes the display unit 44 to display the EV report obtained from the electricity cost calculation system 30 (S25).

[0068] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the EV report screen 44a displayed on the mobile information terminal device 40. The EV report screen 44a displays the charging cost, the difference in the gasoline comparison price, the total charging time, the total charging amount, the environmental contribution, the estimated mileage, and the estimated average electricity cost for the target period of May 2023. The EV report screen 44a may also display the electricity cost (yen) or the electricity usage (kWh) for each day of the target month as a bar graph. The user can select a different month, week, or month to display the charging cost, the difference in the gasoline comparison price, the total charging time, the total charging amount, the environmental contribution, the estimated mileage, and the estimated average electricity cost for a different target period.

[0069] FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating the overall configuration related to an electricity cost calculation system 30 linked to a vehicle charger 10 according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, a V2H (Vehicle to Home) converter capable of rapid charging with DC power is used as the vehicle charger 10. The vehicle charger 10 is connected to a distribution board 3 via a power conditioner system 7. The power conditioner system 7 is connected to a solar cell 8 and includes a DC / DC converter (not shown) that boosts the DC power generated by the solar cell 8, and an inverter (not shown). The vehicle charger 10 is connected to a DC bus between the DC / DC converter and the inverter.

[0070] The inverter is a bidirectional inverter connected between the DC bus and the distribution board 3, and can convert DC power input from the DC bus into AC power and output the converted AC power to the distribution board 3. The inverter can also convert AC power supplied from the system 2 via the distribution board 3 into DC power and output the converted DC power to the vehicle charger 10 via the DC bus.

[0071] In this embodiment, vehicle charger 10 includes a DC / DC converter 16. Vehicle charger 10 and electric vehicle 20 can be connected by a DC charging cable. A user can connect vehicle charger 10 and electric vehicle 20 by inserting the connector at the end of the DC charging cable into a DC quick charging port on electric vehicle 20.

[0072] The control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 implements a charge / discharge interface and sequence that comply with the V2H guidelines, and performs charging control after establishing a session with the control unit 13 of the electric vehicle 20. The communication unit 14 controls communication with the communication unit 24 of the electric vehicle 20 while the vehicle charger 10 and the electric vehicle 20 are connected via a DC charging cable. The communication unit 14 of the vehicle charger 10 and the communication unit 24 of the electric vehicle 20 may be connected via a communication line (e.g., CAN) within the DC charging cable, or may be connected via power line communication. When DC charging is performed, the storage battery 21 of the electric vehicle 20 is connected directly to a DC rapid charging port without going through the DC / AC converter 22 (see FIG. 1).

[0073] The control unit 23 of the electric vehicle 20 and the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 control charging in accordance with a charging sequence that complies with, for example, the V2H guidelines established by the CHAdeMO Association. The control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 sets a current command value corresponding to a target current or a voltage command value corresponding to a target voltage in the DC / DC converter 16. During CC charging, the DC / DC converter 16 controls the duty ratio so that the charging current of the storage battery 21 maintains the current command value, and during CV charging, it controls the duty ratio so that the charging voltage of the storage battery 21 maintains the voltage command value.

[0074] In this embodiment, current measurement circuit 11 measures the current flowing in the electrical path on the system 2 side of DC / DC converter 16, and voltage measurement circuit 12 measures the voltage of the electrical path on the system 2 side of DC / DC converter 16. Control unit 13 multiplies the current flowing from system 2 toward electric vehicle 20, measured by current measurement circuit 11, by the voltage measured by voltage measurement circuit 12, to calculate the charging power charged to electric vehicle 20. Other configurations and operations are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0075] In addition, the vehicle charger 10 may be equipped with an inverter (not shown) on the electrical path on the grid 2 side of the DC / DC converter 16. In this case, the vehicle charger 10 can be directly connected to the distribution board 3 without going through the power conditioner system 7. In this case, the current measurement circuit 11 measures the current flowing in the electrical path on the grid 2 side of the inverter, and the voltage measurement circuit 12 measures the voltage of the electrical path on the grid 2 side of the inverter. The control unit 13 multiplies the current flowing from the grid 2 toward the electric vehicle 20, measured by the current measurement circuit 11, by the voltage measured by the voltage measurement circuit 12, to calculate the charging power charged to the electric vehicle 20.

[0076] As described above, according to this embodiment, the electric vehicle 20's electricity consumption is estimated based on the amount of charging power measured by the vehicle charger 10, enabling highly accurate estimation of the electricity consumption. In the case of AC charging, the power consumption is measured on the side of the grid 2 from the DC / AC converter 22 of the electric vehicle 20, and in the case of DC charging, the power consumption is measured on the side of the grid 2 from the DC / DC converter 16 of the vehicle charger 10. Therefore, the electricity consumption can be calculated based on the amount of charging power, including the conversion loss of the DC / AC converter 22 or the DC / DC converter 16, the wiring loss in the electric circuit from the measurement point to the vehicle side, and the contact loss. This allows the electricity consumption to be defined based on the relationship between the electricity rate charged by the electric power company and the mileage, and allows the presentation of an electricity consumption that matches the user's actual experience, unlike the electricity consumption listed in the catalog. When a power converter with low conversion efficiency is used, a power loss of approximately 10% to 20% may occur, depending on environmental conditions such as temperature. In such cases, the discrepancy between the listed electricity consumption and the electricity consumption based on the charged electricity rate becomes significant.

[0077] The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments. The embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of the respective components and processing steps, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, an example is assumed in which the electricity cost estimation service for the electric vehicle 20 provided by the electricity cost calculation system 30 is used by executing an electricity management application program installed in the mobile information terminal device 40. In this regard, the electricity cost estimation service for the electric vehicle 20 may be implemented as a website. In this case, the website for the electricity rate plan comparison service is accessed using a browser installed in the mobile information terminal device 40.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the mobile information terminal device 40 is used as the information terminal device through which the user accesses the electricity cost calculation system 30. In this regard, a fixed information terminal device (for example, a PC) may also be used as the information terminal device through which the user accesses the electricity cost calculation system 30.

[0080] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the mileage of the electric vehicle 20 is obtained from the car navigation system 80 installed in the electric vehicle 20. In this regard, the mileage of the electric vehicle 20 may also be obtained from the mobile information terminal device 40 on which a car navigation application program is installed. While the user is driving the electric vehicle 20, the user causes the mobile information terminal device 40 to execute the car navigation application program. While executing the car navigation application program, the mobile information terminal device 40 identifies its own movement trajectory and regards the movement trajectory of the mobile information terminal device 40 as the movement trajectory of the electric vehicle 20. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the control unit 13 of the vehicle charger 10 obtains the mileage of the electric vehicle 20 from the ECU of the electric vehicle 20 via a charging cable, and transmits the mileage together with the amount of charging energy to the electricity cost calculation system 30.

[0081] The embodiment may be specified by the following items.

[0082] [Item 1] a charging energy amount acquisition unit (312) that acquires the amount of charging energy measured by the vehicle charger (10) and supplied to the electric vehicle (20) from the vehicle charger (10); a mileage acquisition unit (313) that acquires a mileage of the electric vehicle (20); an electricity consumption calculation unit (314) that calculates an electricity consumption of the electric vehicle (20) based on the acquired amount of charging energy and the travel distance; An electricity cost calculation system (30) comprising: This allows the electricity consumption of the electric vehicle (20) to be estimated with high accuracy. [Item 2] and a notification unit (316) that notifies an information terminal device (40) of a user of the electric vehicle (20) of the calculated electricity consumption of the electric vehicle (20). The electricity cost calculation system (30) according to item 1. This allows the electricity cost of the electric vehicle (20) to be displayed on the screen of the user's information terminal device (40). [Item 3] When the vehicle charger (10) is provided with a power converter (16), the measurement units (11, 12) in the vehicle charger (10) measure the power on the commercial power system (2) side of the power converter (16). The electricity cost calculation system (30) according to item 1. This makes it possible to calculate the electricity consumption taking into account the conversion loss in the power converter (16) of the vehicle charger (10). [Item 4] acquiring an amount of charging power supplied from the vehicle charger (10) to the electric vehicle (20), the amount being measured by the vehicle charger (10); acquiring a mileage of the electric vehicle (20); calculating an electricity consumption of the electric vehicle (20) based on the acquired amount of charging energy and the travel distance; A method for calculating electricity costs. This allows the electricity consumption of the electric vehicle (20) to be estimated with high accuracy. [Item 5] A process of acquiring the amount of charging power supplied from the vehicle charger (10) to the electric vehicle (20), the amount being measured by the vehicle charger (10); A process of acquiring a mileage of the electric vehicle (20); A process of calculating an electricity consumption of the electric vehicle (20) based on the acquired amount of charging energy and the travel distance; An electricity cost calculation program that runs on a computer. This allows the electricity consumption of the electric vehicle (20) to be estimated with high accuracy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 2. System, 3. Distribution board, 4. Load, 5. Network, 6. Router device, 7. Power conditioner system, 8. Solar cell, 10. Vehicle charger, RY1 relay, 11. Current measurement circuit, 11a. CT sensor, 12. Voltage measurement circuit, 13. Control unit, 14, 15. Communication unit, 16. DC / DC converter, 20. Electric vehicle, 21. Storage battery, 22. DC / AC converter, 23. Control unit, 24. Communication unit, 30. Electricity cost calculation system, 31. Processing unit, 311. User information acquisition unit, 312. Charging energy amount acquisition unit, 313. Travel distance acquisition unit, 314. Electricity cost calculation unit, 315. Report creation unit, 316. Notification unit, 32. Memory unit, 321. User information storage unit, 322. Charging energy amount storage unit, 323 Mileage storage unit, 33 communication unit, 40 mobile information terminal device, 41 processing unit, 411 operation reception unit, 412 display control unit, 413 collaboration processing unit, 42 memory unit, 43 communication unit, 44 display unit, 45 operation unit, 80 car navigation system, 81 processing unit, 811 route guidance unit, 812 display control unit, 813 mileage calculation unit, 82 memory unit, 83 communication unit, 84 display unit, 85 operation unit, 86 GPS sensor, 87 inertial sensor.

Claims

1. a charging energy amount acquisition unit that acquires the amount of charging energy measured by the vehicle charger and supplied to the electric vehicle from the vehicle charger; a mileage acquisition unit that acquires a mileage of the electric vehicle; an electricity consumption calculation unit that calculates an electricity consumption of the electric vehicle based on the acquired charging energy amount and mileage; An electricity cost calculation system equipped with:

2. a notification unit that notifies an information terminal device of a user of the electric vehicle of the calculated electricity consumption of the electric vehicle; The electricity cost calculation system according to claim 1 .

3. When the vehicle charger is provided with a power converter, a measurement unit in the vehicle charger measures the power on the commercial power system side of the power converter. The electricity cost calculation system according to claim 1 .

4. acquiring an amount of charging power supplied from the vehicle charger to the electric vehicle, the amount being measured by the vehicle charger; acquiring a mileage of the electric vehicle; calculating an electricity consumption of the electric vehicle based on the acquired amount of charging energy and mileage; A method for calculating electricity costs.

5. A process of acquiring the amount of charging power supplied from the vehicle charger to the electric vehicle, the amount being measured by the vehicle charger; A process of acquiring a mileage of the electric vehicle; A process of calculating an electricity cost of the electric vehicle based on the acquired charging energy amount and mileage; An electricity cost calculation program that runs on a computer.

Images