Charging facilities for rental electric vehicle, charging method for rental electric vehicle, vehicle management device, and computer program

Abstract

To dispense with installation of a charger in a storage place.SOLUTION: A rental electric vehicle A to be charged is sent to a charging parking space 10 provided in a place different from a storage place 20 of the rental electric vehicle A, and the rental electric vehicle A parked in the charging parking space 10 is charged by using a relatively movable charger 110. Although it is not necessary to install a charger in the storage place 20, the rental electric vehicle A can be charged, and since the charger 110 is movable, charging can be efficiently executed with a smaller number of vehicles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging facility for electric vehicles for hire used in a business of renting electric vehicles as vehicles, particularly in a car sharing business, a charging method for electric vehicles for hire, a vehicle management device, and a computer program. [Background technology]

[0002] Car sharing systems, in which multiple users share multiple vehicles, are becoming increasingly popular. Users register as car sharing members and then go directly to a parking lot where a car for car sharing (shared car) is reserved to use it. Alternatively, they can use a reservation system in which they notify the time they plan to use the car in advance using a mobile device such as a smartphone or a personal computer.

[0003] In recent years, electric vehicles have become increasingly popular as shared cars. When an electric vehicle is rented as a shared car, its onboard battery must be charged to allow it to run for a predetermined period of time.

[0004] Patent documents 1 and 2 disclose a system that, when returning an electric vehicle that has been used as a shared car, if the remaining battery charge is below a predetermined level, connects the electric vehicle to a charger, and completes the return process once the connection status is confirmed.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses a technology that requires electric vehicles to be returned to a parking space where a charger is installed depending on the charging status of the electric vehicle, and then terminates car sharing use when it is determined that the charger is connected to the electric vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-155014 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-75352 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-77235 [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Research Report on Parking Lot Utilization Strategies for Car Sharing", 2. Current Status and Trends of Car Sharing, 2.1 Current Status of Car Sharing, (4) Legal System for Car Sharing (p7), February 2010, Tokyo Metropolitan Road Improvement and Maintenance Corporation, ALMEC Co., Ltd. URL: https: / / www.tmpc.or.jp / Portals / 0 / images / 03_business / business / index_01 / h21_2.pdf [Non-patent document 2] "Handling of applications under Article 80, Paragraph 2 of the Road Transport Act for environmentally friendly rental car-type car sharing services under the Structural Reform Special Zones Act" (April 28, 2004, National Road Transport Agency No. 18) URL: https: / / www.mlit.go.jp / kisha / kisha04 / 09 / 090428_.html DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Car sharing is considered a type of rental car business under the Road Transportation Act, but it is a membership-based service that is available to specific renters, and because the rental status of vehicles is accurately tracked through the use of IT and other technologies, unlike regular rental car businesses, the stations where shared cars are stored can be unmanned (see Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Because they are unmanned, when electric vehicles are used as shared cars, there is a possibility that checking the remaining battery charge or connecting to a charger may be insufficient when returning them, and countermeasures such as those in Patent Documents 1 to 3 have been proposed.

[0009] However, in all of the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, chargers are installed at car-sharing stations. Furthermore, implementing the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 requires a charger for each electric vehicle deployed as a shared car, as shown in FIG. 9. This results in significant costs for deploying and installing chargers. Furthermore, if, after multiple chargers have been installed, an event occurs, such as a low utilization rate for electric vehicles deployed as shared cars at a station, relocating the equipment to another station where a higher utilization rate is expected would require additional time and costs for relocation work. Eliminating the need for charger relocation work would broaden the options for stations deploying electric vehicles as shared cars, potentially increasing utilization rates.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide technology that enables efficient charging of rental electric vehicles used in rental services while eliminating the need to install chargers at storage locations, thereby eliminating the costs of installing and relocating chargers at storage locations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: A charging facility for rental electric vehicles for charging rental electric vehicles used in rental services, a charger provided in a charging parking space located in a location different from a storage location of the rental electric vehicle; a moving means for relatively moving the rental electric vehicle and the charger, which have been forwarded from the storage location and parked in the charging parking space, to a position where charging is possible; a charge control unit that controls the charger and the means of transportation; We provide charging equipment for rental electric vehicles.

[0012] The transportation means may be autonomous transportation means provided in the charger. The transportation means may be a charger transport means that is provided in the charging parking space and transports the charger. The transportation means may be a vehicle transport means that is provided in the charging parking space and transports the rental electric vehicle.

[0013] The charging control unit a vehicle management device that determines whether charging is necessary based on the remaining battery charge of the rental electric vehicle when the rental electric vehicle is returned to the storage location via a communication line; It is preferable that the charger and the means of transportation are controlled based on a charge execution instruction from the vehicle management device.

[0014] The charging control unit When there are multiple rental electric vehicles parked in the charging parking space, it is preferable that the charger and the means of transportation are controlled so that charging is performed on the rental electric vehicle whose order of execution has arrived, based on the charging execution order determined by the vehicle management device using the remaining battery power of each rental electric vehicle at the time of return.

[0015] In addition, in the present invention, A charging method for a rental electric vehicle for charging a rental electric vehicle provided for a rental service, comprising: The rental electric vehicle to be charged is forwarded from a storage location of the rental electric vehicle to a charging parking space located at a location different from the storage location, The rental electric vehicle to be charged is parked in the charging parking space and is charged by a charger that is provided so as to be relatively movable to a position where charging is possible and that is controlled by a charging control unit. To provide a method for charging electric vehicles for hire.

[0016] When a vehicle management device, which determines whether charging is necessary based on the remaining battery charge of the rental electric vehicle at the time of return to the storage location, sends an instruction to the charging control unit to perform charging, it is preferable that the charger be moved to the charging position by a transportation means and charging be performed.

[0017] When there are multiple rental electric vehicles that are transported and parked in the charging parking space, it is preferable to control the charger and the transportation means based on the charging execution order determined by the vehicle management device using the remaining battery power of each rental electric vehicle at the time of return, and charge the rental electric vehicle whose execution order has arrived.

[0018] In addition, in the present invention, A vehicle management device that manages rental electric vehicles provided for a rental service, a battery data receiving unit that receives a remaining battery charge when the on-board battery of the rental electric vehicle is returned; a charging necessity determination unit that determines whether charging is necessary based on the remaining battery charge when the in-vehicle battery is returned; a charging execution instruction unit that transmits an instruction to execute charging to a charging control unit that controls a charger that is provided in a charging parking space so as to be movable relatively to the rental electric vehicle, in order to charge the rental electric vehicle that is determined to require charging by the charging necessity determination unit and that is forwarded to a charging parking space that is provided in a location different from a storage location of the rental electric vehicle; A vehicle management device having the above configuration is provided.

[0019] It is preferable to provide a charging time calculation unit that calculates the charging time required to restore the battery to a predetermined remaining capacity using a calculation formula for determining the remaining battery capacity relative to the charging time according to the type of the on-board battery installed in the rental electric vehicle and the output capacity of the charger, and the remaining battery capacity at the time of returning the on-board battery.

[0020] an execution order determination unit that, when a plurality of rental electric vehicles are delivered to the charging parking space, determines an execution order of charging based on the charging time, and sends information about the determined execution order to the charging execution instruction unit; It is preferable that the charge execution instruction unit transmits an instruction to the charge control unit to execute charging in accordance with the execution order. It is preferable that the execution priority determination unit determines the execution priority in ascending order of charging time.

[0021] It is preferable to have a charging status transmission unit that transmits to the user terminal the start date and time when the rental electric vehicle will be available for provision, along with information on the recovered remaining battery capacity, taking into consideration the charging time of the rental electric vehicle, the waiting time until charging by the charger begins, and the time until the rental electric vehicle is dispatched to the storage location after charging is completed.

[0022] In addition, in the present invention, A computer program that causes a computer to function as a vehicle management device that manages rental electric vehicles provided for a rental service, receiving a remaining battery charge when the on-board battery of the rental electric vehicle is returned; a step of determining whether charging is necessary based on a remaining battery charge when the in-vehicle battery is returned; a step of transmitting a charge execution instruction to a charge control unit that controls a charger provided in a charging parking space so as to be movable relatively to the rental electric vehicle, in order to charge the rental electric vehicle that has been determined to be required for charging by the step of determining whether charging is required and that has been forwarded to the parking space for charging that is provided in a location different from a storage location of the rental electric vehicle; A computer program is provided that causes the computer to execute the above.

[0023] It is preferable that the computer program executes a procedure for calculating the charging time required to restore the battery to a predetermined remaining capacity using a formula for determining the remaining battery capacity relative to the charging time according to the type of the on-board battery installed in the rental electric vehicle and the output capacity of the charger, and the remaining battery capacity at the time of returning the on-board battery.

[0024] When there are multiple rental electric vehicles delivered to the charging parking space, it is preferable that the computer program executes a procedure for determining the order in which charging will be performed based on the charging time, and transmits information regarding the determined order of execution together with an instruction to perform charging to the charging control unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, rental electric vehicles to be charged are transported to a charging parking space provided at a location different from the storage location of rental electric vehicles provided for the rental service, and charging is performed using a charger that is movable relative to the rental electric vehicle parked in the charging parking space. Even though there is no need to install a charger at the storage location, rental electric vehicles can be charged, and because the charger is movable, charging can be performed efficiently with a smaller number of vehicles. This eliminates the costs of installing and relocating chargers at the storage location. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for charging a rental electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2(a) to 2(c) are diagrams showing examples of chargers used in the above embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(a) is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the vehicle management database, and FIG. 4(b) is a diagram for explaining the function of the charging time calculation unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing an image of a vehicle state database constructed in a vehicle management database, and FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing an image of a calculation formula database. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an example of a graph showing the relationship between the remaining battery capacity (charge amount) and the charging time. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method for determining the execution order when a plurality of rental electric vehicles requiring charging are parked in a charging parking space. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the user terminal transmitted by the charging status transmission unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the problem with the conventional technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] [Charging method] The present invention will be described in further detail below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a charging method using charging equipment 100 for rental electric vehicles according to this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the charging method for rental electric vehicles according to this embodiment involves transporting rental electric vehicle A from a rental storage location 20 to a charging parking space 10 located at a location different from the storage location 20 and equipped with charging equipment 100, and then charging the vehicle.

[0028] The rental electric vehicle A is provided for a rental service, and in this embodiment refers to a so-called shared car used for car sharing. The storage location 20 is a place called a "station" in the car sharing business, and is equipped with a vehicle space 21 where one or more rental electric vehicles A can be parked.

[0029] The charging parking space 10 is located in a different location from the storage location 20 and is a space that can accommodate a predetermined number of vehicles. In car sharing businesses, although unmanned operation of the station (storage location 20) is permitted, in reality, a management office where a manager is located is located within a predetermined distance from the station (storage location 20) to manage the shared cars. On the other hand, in rental car businesses, the distance between the base of vehicle use and the storage location is stipulated by government ordinance as 2 km (see Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Therefore, when a rental car company operates a car sharing business, if the storage location 20 for the shared cars also serves as the storage location for the rental cars, the management office, which is the base of use, is located within 2 km of the storage location 20. In either business, the management office is typically located relatively close to the storage location 20, so it is preferable that the charging parking space 10 be located within the premises of or near such a management office.

[0030] The charging parking space 10 may be adjacent to the storage location 20 as long as the two spaces do not overlap in plan view. Therefore, the rental electric vehicle A provided for the rental service is not limited to a shared car, but may also be a rental car. However, in the case of a rental car, the rental service is carried out in the presence of an administrator, so the remaining battery charge is checked at the time of rental, and it is considered normal to provide an electric vehicle with sufficient remaining battery charge. Therefore, the rental electric vehicle A that is the subject of this embodiment is more appropriately a shared car than a rental car.

[0031] It is preferable that the charging parking space 10 has an area large enough to accommodate not just one vehicle but multiple vehicles, in order to efficiently deliver the rental electric vehicle A to the storage location 20 and to efficiently charge the vehicle in the charging parking space 10.

[0032] [Charging equipment] The charging parking space 10 is provided with charging equipment 100. The charging equipment 100 includes a charger 110, a means of transportation 120, and a charging control unit 130. The charger 110 may be either a normal charger or a rapid charger, but a rapid charger with a short charging time is preferable. Furthermore, it is preferable to use a robot-type automatic charger that automatically connects and disconnects the connector 110a of the charger 110 to and from the charging port (not shown) of the rental electric vehicle A, and further communicates with the rental electric vehicle A to automatically open and close the cover of the charging port provided on the vehicle. Furthermore, the charger 110 can also be a non-contact type equipped with a power transmitting coil (not shown) so that it can be used with rental electric vehicles A equipped with a power receiving coil (not shown).

[0033] The transportation means 120 may be any means capable of moving the rental electric vehicle A parked in the charging parking space 10 and the charger 110 relative to one another. For example, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the transportation means 120 may be configured as an autonomous transportation means having a running unit 120a such as wheels or legs provided at the bottom of the charger 110. For example, the wheels constituting the running unit 120a of the autonomous transportation means may run along rails 120b laid in the charging parking space 10. Furthermore, the legs as the running unit 120a may move freely and move arbitrarily toward the rental electric vehicle A to be charged.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2(b), the moving means 120 can be configured as a charger transport means such as a conveyor 120c laid in the charging parking space 10. By operating the conveyor 120c, the charger 110 installed on the conveyor 120c can be moved to the position where the rental electric vehicle A to be charged is parked. In the case of a non-contact type charger 110, for example, a box-shaped case with casters (not shown) can be used as the moving means 120, and a power transmission coil can be mounted in the case, which can be moved below the power receiving coil of the parked rental electric vehicle A to perform charging.

[0035] Also, as shown in Figure 2(c), the charger 110 is fixedly installed at a predetermined position in the charging parking space 10, while a pallet 120d for placing the rental electric vehicle A is installed, and the pallet 120d can be made movable laterally like a puzzle-type mechanical parking lot, and the vehicle transport means for bringing the rental electric vehicle A close to the charger 110 can be used as the transportation means 120.

[0036] Furthermore, even if the charger 110 is fixedly installed at a predetermined position in the charging parking space 10, if the rental electric vehicle A has a function for parking by remote control or an automatic driving function, it can be quickly moved to a position where it can charge the charger 110. In this case, the driving function of the rental electric vehicle A itself serves as the function of the transportation means 120 of this embodiment.

[0037] The charging control unit 130 controls the charger 110 and the transportation means 120. For example, it outputs a signal to the drive control unit of the autonomous transportation means to identify the location where the rental electric vehicle A to be charged is parked, and controls the driving unit 120a to operate and move towards the parking location. If the transportation means 120 is a charger transport means such as a conveyor 120c, it transmits location information of the location where the rental electric vehicle A to be charged is parked, and moves the charger 110; if it is a vehicle transport means, it outputs a signal to move the pallet 120d on which the rental electric vehicle A to be charged is parked to a position where the charger 110 can be charged.

[0038] The charging control unit 130 preferably has a function to identify the parking position of the rental electric vehicle A in the charging parking space 10 by obtaining image information from a camera 10a (see FIG. 1) installed somewhere in the charging parking space 10, or by identifying the position of the parked pallet using a weight sensor or the like if the above-mentioned pallet is used as the vehicle transport means. This allows the relative distance and direction of movement between the charger 110 and the rental electric vehicle A to be charged to be identified, and once the rental electric vehicle A is parked in a predetermined position, the charger 110 can automatically move relative to the charger 110 at the required timing to perform charging.

[0039] When a rental electric vehicle A is forwarded and parked in the charging parking space 10, the charging control unit 130 can operate the charger 110 and the transportation means 120 to charge the vehicle as described above if the vehicle is determined to be eligible for charging. However, if the charging parking space 10 is located on the premises of a management office near the storage location 20, commercial vehicles that are not eligible for charging may be parked there. Meanwhile, car sharing businesses are implemented using a vehicle management device 300 that uses IT technology to manage various information, such as the rental status of rental electric vehicle A. Therefore, the charging control unit 130 preferably has a function to receive information from the vehicle management device 300 as to whether the vehicle is eligible for charging, and when the vehicle is parked in the charging parking space 10, it controls the charger 110 and the transportation means 120 to charge the vehicle. Whether or not the vehicle in question has been parked in the charging parking space 10 can be determined by determining the vehicle number transmitted from the vehicle management device 300 based on image information from the camera 10a, or by the manager using a terminal device or the like to transmit information regarding the vehicle in question and the parking space number, etc., to the charging control unit 130.

[0040] The charging control unit 130 also preferably has a function of receiving information regarding the order of charging execution from the vehicle management device 300, and controlling the charger 110 and the transportation means 120 based on that information. Specifically, when multiple rental electric vehicles A to be charged are parked in the charging parking space 10, the vehicle management device 300 determines the order of charging execution based on the remaining battery power of each rental electric vehicle A at the time of return. Upon receiving this information, the charging control unit 130 controls the transportation means 120 to move the rental electric vehicle A to be charged, whose order of execution has arrived, to a position where it can be charged, and has the charger 110 charge the vehicle.

[0041] [Charging equipment operation] According to this embodiment, when a rental electric vehicle A is returned to the storage location 20, if the remaining battery charge at the time of return of the rental electric vehicle A is below a predetermined level, the rental electric vehicle A is forwarded from the storage location 20 to the charging parking space 10. Preferably, as described above, the vehicle is forwarded when the vehicle management device 300 determines that charging is necessary. "When the remaining battery charge at the time of return is below a predetermined level" refers, for example, to when it is determined that the remaining battery charge is below a predetermined value such as 80% or 60%, or when it is determined that there is not enough battery charge left at the time of return based on the planned usage time and planned usage distance of the next reserved user.

[0042] The method of transportation is optional; for example, the manager of the management office located on the premises of the charging parking space 10 can go to the storage location 20 and transport the vehicle, or, since the distance between the charging parking space 10 and the storage location 20 is relatively short as described above and is a limited area suitable for autonomous driving, the vehicle can also be transported by autonomous driving (preferably autonomous driving level 4 or higher).

[0043] The rental electric vehicle A that needs charging and has been delivered to the charging parking space 10 is moved relative to the charger 110 under the control of the charging control unit 130 until the rental electric vehicle A to be charged and the charger 110 are positioned so that charging is possible, and charging is then carried out. At this time, if there are multiple rental electric vehicles A that need charging, the charging control unit 130 charges them sequentially according to information from the vehicle management device 300 regarding the charging execution order, as described above. The rental electric vehicle A that has completed charging is delivered to the storage location 20.

[0044] Note that, because the charger 110 can be brought relatively close to the rental electric vehicle A to be charged by the transportation means 120, the charging method of this embodiment can be realized by the charging facility 100 having only one charger 110. Therefore, unlike conventional technology in which charging is performed at a storage location 20, it is not necessary to install chargers in the number corresponding to the number of rental electric vehicles A deployed (see FIG. 9 ), and the installation costs of chargers 110 installed in the charging parking space 10 can be reduced compared to the conventional technology because fewer chargers are required. However, it is of course possible to install multiple chargers 110 depending on the number of vehicles that can be parked in the charging parking space 10 and the number of rental electric vehicles A in operation. Even in this case, only one charger 110 is required for multiple rental electric vehicles A, which is lower cost compared to conventional technology.

[0045] According to this embodiment, rental electric vehicles A that require charging are not parked at the storage site 20 except for the short time between when they are returned and when they are forwarded. In principle, rental electric vehicles A with a battery remaining charge above a predetermined level (e.g., 80% or more) are always parked there. This allows users to quickly use rental electric vehicles A with sufficient battery remaining charge. Furthermore, unlike Patent Documents 1 to 3, the user does not need to connect a charger when returning the vehicle, simplifying the return process. Not only does the storage site 20 eliminate the need to provide charging facilities in numbers corresponding to the number of rental electric vehicles A to be placed, as in the past, but it also eliminates the need for charging facilities altogether, eliminating the costs of installing charging facilities or the costs incurred when relocating them. Furthermore, the space constraints associated with installing charging facilities are eliminated, allowing for the expansion or addition of vehicle compartments, thereby enabling more effective use of the storage site 20.

[0046] [Vehicle management device] Next, an embodiment of a vehicle management device 300 suitable for implementing the charging method for rental electric vehicles according to the above embodiment will be described. The vehicle management device 300 is composed of a computer (the type of computer is not limited, and includes a personal computer, a microcomputer, a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone, and the like). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a computer program that executes procedures for causing the computer to function as a battery data receiving unit 310, a charging necessity determining unit 320, a charging time calculating unit 330, a charging execution instructing unit 340, an execution order determining unit 350, and a charging status transmitting unit 360 is stored in a storage unit (including storage media such as a hard disk built into the vehicle management device 300 composed of a computer, as well as various removable storage media and storage media of other computers connected via communication means).

[0047] The computer program can also be provided by being stored on a recording medium. The recording medium storing the computer program may be a non-transitory recording medium. Non-transitory recording media are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include flexible disks, hard disks, CD-ROMs, MOs (magneto-optical disks), DVD-ROMs, and memory cards. The computer program can also be transmitted to a computer via a communication line and installed.

[0048] The battery data receiving unit 310 receives the remaining battery charge of the on-board battery of the rental electric vehicle A at the time of return. The vehicle management device 300 is connected to a vehicle data communication unit 410 provided in the rental electric vehicle A via a communication line. The vehicle data communication unit 410 transmits and receives various data related to the rental electric vehicle A, such as the unlocked / locked status of the doors, location information of the rental electric vehicle A, and information related to the remaining battery charge of the on-board battery. The vehicle data communication unit 410 may be a unit that is also used as a car navigation system, or may be configured as a dedicated communication device separate from the car navigation system.

[0049] The charging necessity determination unit 320 determines whether charging is necessary based on whether the remaining battery charge of the on-board battery at the time of returning the rental electric vehicle A to the storage location 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The remaining battery charge value used as the basis for the necessity determination can be any value, for example, a predetermined percentage such as whether the remaining battery charge is 60% or greater, or it can be determined based on whether the remaining battery charge is sufficient for the planned driving distance of the next user. The determination result by the charging necessity determination unit 320, whether charging is necessary ("Yes" in S1 of FIG. 3) or not ("No" in S1 of FIG. 3), is sent to the vehicle data communication unit 410 and also to the administrator terminal 600, such as a smartphone of the administrator (including the vehicle delivery person, etc.). The rental electric vehicle A to be determined is then forwarded to the charging parking space 10. The forwarding method will be described later in the section "Operation of the Vehicle Management Device."

[0050] The charging time calculation unit 330 calculates an estimated time (charging time) until the remaining battery charge reaches a predetermined value after charging starts. The charging time calculation unit 330 calculates the charging time based on the remaining battery charge at the time of return received by the battery data receiving unit 310. A specific calculation method will be described later. In addition, by inputting the scheduled time to start charging from, for example, the administrator terminal 600, the unit also calculates the availability start date and time when the vehicle will become available to the user, taking into consideration the charging wait time from the current time until charging starts and the time from completion of charging until delivery to the storage location 20.

[0051] The charging execution instruction unit 340 transmits an instruction to the charging control unit 130 of the charging facility 100 to charge the rental electric vehicle A that has been forwarded from the storage location 20 and is parked in the charging parking space 10. In response to this, the charging control unit 130 controls the charger 110 and the transportation means 120 to charge the vehicle.

[0052] When multiple rental electric vehicles A are forwarded from the storage location 20 and parked in the charging parking space 10, the execution order determination unit 350 determines the execution order of charging by the charger 110. The execution order is determined based on information regarding the remaining battery charge at the time of return received by the battery data receiving unit 310. It is preferable that the execution order determination unit 350 determines the charging order in order of the shortest charging time of each rental electric vehicle A calculated by the charging time calculation unit 330.

[0053] The charging status transmission unit 360 transmits information such as the date and time when each rental electric vehicle A is made available to the user terminal 500, such as a smartphone. The charging status transmission unit 360 will be described in more detail below.

[0054] 4(a) and 5(a), the vehicle management database (vehicle management DB) 370 is provided with a vehicle status database (vehicle status DB) 370a that stores the vehicle status linked to basic information such as the model of each rental electric vehicle A under management. The vehicle status DB 370a stores the current remaining battery charge (current SOC (%)) received by the battery data receiving unit 310, the drivable distance calculated from the current remaining battery charge, the charging time calculated by the charging time calculation unit 330, the charging wait time, the provision start date and time, etc.

[0055] The vehicle management DB 370 further includes a calculation formula database (calculation formula DB) 370b, as shown in Figures 4(a) and 5(b). The calculation formula DB 370b is a storage unit that stores calculation formulas for determining charging time for each vehicle model (type of battery installed) and each type of output capacity of the charger 110. For example, "calculation formula A-1" is used for vehicle model AAA with a charger output capacity of 6 kW, and "calculation formula B-3" is used for vehicle model BBB with a charger output capacity of 50 kW.

[0056] [How to calculate charging time] Next, we will explain how the charging time is calculated by the charging time calculation unit 330. As shown in Fig. 4(b), the charging time calculation unit 330 accesses the vehicle state DB 370a and the calculation formula DB 370b, reads out the corresponding calculation formula from the type of on-board battery installed in the rental electric vehicle A and the output capacity of the charger 110, and uses this to calculate the estimated time until the battery reaches a predetermined remaining capacity as the charging time.

[0057] FIG. 6 is an example of a graph showing the relationship between charging time and remaining battery capacity (charge amount) (%) when charging an onboard battery of a certain vehicle model using a 50 kW quick charger as the charger 110. As shown in this graph, the remaining battery capacity increases almost linearly with time up to about 80%, but then the rate of increase in remaining battery capacity slows down. In other words, it takes a relatively short time to charge the battery to about 80%. Therefore, the charging time is calculated as the time until the battery reaches about 80%, which is the capacity range showing an almost linear change. This is rational, as it allows multiple rental electric vehicles A to be charged efficiently. However, if there is no need to rush to charge the rental electric vehicles A in the charging parking space 10, such as when the required number of rental electric vehicles A are available based on user reservation status, it is also possible to calculate the charging time as the time required to charge the battery to or near 100%.

[0058] When the charger 110 has an output capacity (charger capacity) of, for example, 15 kW, the charging time calculation unit 330 calculates the charging time as follows: As shown in FIG. 7, let's assume that rental electric vehicles A with license plate numbers 1234 (model AAA), 3456 (model BBB), and 1000 (model CCC) have been delivered to the charging parking space 10. The remaining battery capacity at the time of return is 50% for license plate number 1234 (model AAA), 40% for license plate number 3456 (model BBB), and 10% for license plate number 1000 (model CCC). This information is transmitted from the vehicle data communication unit 410 of each rental electric vehicle A to the vehicle management device 300, and as described above, the battery data receiving unit 310 receives the data and stores it in the vehicle status DB 370a (the column labeled "Current SOC (%)") as shown in FIG. 5(a).

[0059] For a charger capacity of 15 kW, as shown in Figure 5(b), the charging time is calculated using formula A-2 for vehicle model AAA, formula B-2 for vehicle model BBB, and formula C-2 for vehicle model CCC. As a result, as shown in Figure 5(a), the charging time to 80% for vehicle number 1234 (vehicle model AAA), which has 50% remaining battery power at the time of return, is calculated to be 20 minutes, the charging time to 80% for vehicle number 3456 (vehicle model BBB), which has 40% remaining battery power at the time of return, is 30 minutes, and the charging time to 80% for vehicle number 1000 (vehicle model CCC), which has 10% remaining battery power at the time of return, is calculated to be 60 minutes.

[0060] Once the charging times have been calculated in this way, the execution priority determination unit 350 determines the charging priority accordingly. If the rental electric vehicle A is to be restored to a predetermined remaining battery level and returned to the storage location 20 as quickly as possible, it is preferable to determine the charging priority in the order of shortest charging time. In this embodiment, the charging priority is determined in the order of number 1234 (model AAA), number 3456 (model BBB), and number 1000 (model CCC). Therefore, for these three rental electric vehicles A, the total time required to complete charging, which is the combined total of the waiting time before charging starts based on a predetermined time and the charging time after charging starts until the vehicle is 80% charged, is as follows: First, for number 1234 (model AAA), the waiting time before charging starts is set to, for example, 10 minutes, taking into account the time of the vehicle that was charging before. Since the charging time required to charge number 1234 (model AAA) to 80% is 20 minutes, the total time required to complete charging based on the above predetermined time is 30 minutes. The time until charging is complete for number 3456 (vehicle model BBB) based on the above specified time is 60 minutes, which is the 30 minutes it takes for charging to be completed for number 1234 (vehicle model AAA) and the 30 minutes it takes to charge to 80%. The time until charging is complete for number 1000 (vehicle type CCC) based on the above specified time is 120 minutes, which is the combined time of the 60 minutes it takes for charging to be completed for number 3456 (vehicle type BBB) and the 60 minutes it takes to charge to 80%. The time when charging is complete, the vehicle is placed in storage location 20, and available to the user is calculated by adding the charging wait time and charging time, as well as the time it takes to deliver the vehicle from charging parking space 10 to storage location 20. If the time it takes to dispatch the vehicle from charging parking space 10 to storage location 20 is uniformly set to 10 minutes and the current time is 12:20, the time when license plate number 1234 (model AAA) will be dispatched to storage location 20 and available to the user is 13:00, which is the 30-minute time until charging is complete plus 10 minutes of dispatch time. For license plate number 3456 (model BBB), the time until charging is complete is 60 minutes plus 10 minutes of dispatch time, which is 13:30. For license plate number 1000 (model CCC), the time until charging is complete is 120 minutes plus 10 minutes of dispatch time, which is 14:30.

[0061] Information regarding the execution order determined by the execution order determination unit 350 is sent to the charging execution instruction unit 340, and the charging execution instruction unit 340 transmits an instruction to perform charging according to the execution order to the charging control unit 130 of the charging equipment 100. In the above example, the information regarding the execution order is information that "Perform charging in the order of number 1234 (vehicle model AAA), number 3456 (vehicle model BBB), and number 1000 (vehicle model CCC)."

[0062] When the charging control unit 130 receives the information regarding the execution order, it controls the transportation means 120 in the order in which the order is reached to sequentially bring the charger 110 close to each rental electric vehicle A and perform charging.

[0063] The charging status transmission unit 360 transmits information regarding the start date and time of provision of each rental electric vehicle A determined by the execution priority determination unit 350 to the user terminal 500, such as a smartphone. As shown in FIG. 8 , the charging status transmission unit 360 transmits information regarding the start date and time of provision when the battery level is 80%, such as vehicle model AAA···[13:00], vehicle model BBB···[13:30], and vehicle model CCC···[14:30]. At this time, it is preferable to also transmit information regarding the start date and time of provision when the battery level is 60%, such as vehicle model AAA···[12:40], vehicle model BBB···[13:10], and vehicle model CCC···[14:10]. By referring to this information, the user can more appropriately determine when to use a specific vehicle model, taking into account the planned usage time, planned mileage, etc.

[0064] In the case where the basic operating procedure is to determine that charging is complete when the battery level reaches 80% as described above and to move the rental electric vehicle A to storage location 20, if the user wishes to use, for example, model AAA from 12:10 when the battery level is 60%, the user transmits request information from user terminal 500 to vehicle management device 300. Vehicle management device 300 transmits the information to charging control unit 130, and charging control unit 130 stops charging when the battery level of model AAA reaches 60% and moves the vehicle to storage location 20.

[0065] [Function of vehicle management device] In this embodiment, while a user is using a rental electric vehicle A as a shared car, various information about the rental electric vehicle A, such as its location information and the remaining battery charge of the on-board battery, is periodically transmitted to the vehicle management device 300 via the vehicle data communication unit 410. When the rental electric vehicle A returns to the storage location 20, the specified return procedure is performed, and the doors are locked, the user's use of the vehicle is completed. When this information is received by the battery data receiving unit 310 of the vehicle management device 300 via the vehicle data communication unit 410, the charging necessity determining unit 320 of the vehicle management device 300 references the remaining battery charge at the time of return and determines whether charging is necessary.

[0066] The determination result is sent to the vehicle data communication unit 410 as shown in Fig. 3, and also to an administrator terminal 600 such as a smartphone of the administrator (including the vehicle delivery person, etc.). If it is determined that charging is necessary ("Yes" in S1 of Fig. 3), the administrator goes to the storage location 20 to charge the rental electric vehicle A, and drives the rental electric vehicle A to the charging parking space 10.

[0067] Furthermore, if the rental electric vehicle A is equipped with an automatic driving function, the charging necessity determination unit 320 of the vehicle management device 300 or the administrator terminal 600 outputs a command to the rental electric vehicle A to activate the automatic driving function and move to the charging parking space 10. The rental electric vehicle A moves to the charging parking space 10 in accordance with the command. The charging parking space 10 is set relatively close to the storage location 20 as described above, for example, within 2 km, so it is easy to utilize the automatic driving function.

[0068] The forwarded rental electric vehicle A is parked in the charging parking space 10. Next, as shown in S2 of FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not there are multiple forwarded rental electric vehicles A. If there is one (No in S2), the charging time is calculated in the charging time calculation unit 330. As described above, the charging time is calculated by reading a calculation formula corresponding to the remaining battery charge and the vehicle model of the rental electric vehicle A (type of on-board battery) from the vehicle state DB 360a and calculation formula DB 360b.

[0069] The charging time may basically be until the battery level is restored to a predetermined level, for example, until it reaches 80%. However, if there is only one rental electric vehicle A that needs charging, there is ample time before the next user uses the vehicle, and there is no need to rush to place the vehicle in the storage location 20, it is also possible to charge the vehicle until the battery level reaches 100%, for example. In this way, in preparation for charging up to 100%, the calculation formula DB 360b may also store a corresponding calculation formula, and if there is only one rental electric vehicle A that needs charging, that calculation formula may be selected. Furthermore, if necessary, an instruction may be given from the administrator terminal 600 as to whether to charge up to 80% or 100%, and the calculation formula may be selected.

[0070] Next, the charging execution instruction unit 340 determines the parking position of the parked electric vehicle A for rental, and outputs an instruction to the transportation means 120 to move the charger 110 to a predetermined position where charging is possible. The charger 110 is driven by the transportation means 120 to move to a position where charging is possible for the electric vehicle A for rental, and performs charging.

[0071] The charging status transmission unit 360 transmits to the user terminal 500 information on the date and time when the rental electric vehicle A currently being charged will be offered.

[0072] After charging is complete, the rental electric vehicle A is returned to the storage location 20 at least by the time the next user is scheduled to use it. At this time, the vehicle can be driven by a manager (including a vehicle delivery person) or automatically, just like when it is sent to the charging parking space 10 described above.

[0073] When there are multiple rental electric vehicles A that have been transferred from the storage location 20 and need to be charged in the charging parking space 10 (if "Yes" is selected in S2 of Figure 3), the vehicle management device 300 calculates the charging time for each rental electric vehicle A in the charging time calculation unit 330, and determines the charging execution order in order of shortest charging time in the execution order determination unit 350.

[0074] Once the execution order has been determined, the charging execution instruction unit 340 transmits that information to the charging control unit 130, and as described above, charging is carried out on each rental electric vehicle A in sequence according to the execution order, and after charging is completed, the vehicles are moved in sequence to the storage location 20. During this time, the charging status transmission unit 360 transmits information such as the start date and time of provision of each rental electric vehicle A to the user terminal 500 (see FIG. 8). As a result, the user can use the rental electric vehicle A whose remaining battery power has been restored at the appropriate time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10 Charging parking spaces 20 Storage Station 21 Cabin 100 Charging facilities for rental electric vehicles 110 charger 120 Transportation 130 Charging control unit 300 Vehicle management device 310 Battery data receiver 320 Charging necessity determination unit 330 Charging time calculation section 340 Charging execution instruction unit 350 Execution order determination unit 360 Charging status transmitter 370 Vehicle Management Database 410 Vehicle Data Communication Unit 500 user terminals 600 Administrator terminal

Claims

1. A charging facility for rental electric vehicles for charging rental electric vehicles used in rental services, a charger provided in a charging parking space located in a location different from a storage location of the rental electric vehicle; a moving means for relatively moving the rental electric vehicle and the charger, which have been forwarded from the storage location and parked in the charging parking space, to a position where charging is possible; a charge control unit that controls the charger and the means of transportation; Charging facilities for rental electric vehicles.

2. The transportation means is an autonomous transportation means provided in the charger. Charging equipment for rental electric vehicles according to claim 1.

3. The transportation means is a charger transport means that is provided in the charging parking space and transports the charger. Charging equipment for rental electric vehicles according to claim 1.

4. The transportation means is a vehicle transport means that is provided in the charging parking space and transports the rental electric vehicle. Charging equipment for rental electric vehicles according to claim 1.

5. The charging control unit a vehicle management device that determines whether charging is necessary based on the remaining battery charge of the rental electric vehicle when the rental electric vehicle is returned to the storage location via a communication line; The vehicle control device controls the charger and the means of transportation based on a charge execution instruction from the vehicle control device. The charging facility for rental electric vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The charging control unit When a plurality of rental electric vehicles are parked in the charging parking space, the charger and the transportation means are controlled so that charging is performed on the rental electric vehicle whose order of execution has arrived, based on the charging execution order determined by the vehicle management device using the remaining battery power of each rental electric vehicle at the time of return.

6. A charging facility for rental electric vehicles according to claim 5.

7. A charging method for a rental electric vehicle for charging a rental electric vehicle provided for a rental service, comprising: The rental electric vehicle to be charged is forwarded from a storage location of the rental electric vehicle to a charging parking space located at a location different from the storage location, The rental electric vehicle to be charged is parked in the charging parking space and is charged by a charger that is provided so as to be relatively movable to a position where charging is possible and that is controlled by a charging control unit. How to charge a rental electric vehicle.

8. When a vehicle management device that determines whether charging is necessary based on the remaining battery charge of the rental electric vehicle at the time of returning the rental electric vehicle to the storage location transmits a charge execution instruction to the charge control unit, the charger is moved to the chargeable position by a moving means and charging is performed. The charging method for a rental electric vehicle according to claim 7.

9. When a plurality of rental electric vehicles are transported and parked in the charging parking space, the charger and the transportation means are controlled based on the charging execution order determined by the vehicle management device using the remaining battery power of each rental electric vehicle at the time of return, and charging is performed on the rental electric vehicle whose execution order has arrived. The method for charging a rental electric vehicle according to claim 8.

10. A vehicle management device that manages rental electric vehicles provided for a rental service, a battery data receiving unit that receives a remaining battery charge when the on-board battery of the rental electric vehicle is returned; a charging necessity determination unit that determines whether charging is necessary based on the remaining battery charge when the in-vehicle battery is returned; a charging execution instruction unit that transmits an instruction to execute charging to a charging control unit that controls a charger that is provided in a charging parking space so as to be movable relatively to the rental electric vehicle, in order to charge the rental electric vehicle that is determined to require charging by the charging necessity determination unit and that is forwarded to a charging parking space that is provided in a location different from a storage location of the rental electric vehicle; A vehicle management device having the above.

11. and a charging time calculation unit that calculates the charging time required to restore the battery to a predetermined remaining capacity by using a calculation formula for determining the remaining battery capacity for a charging time according to the type of the on-board battery installed in the rental electric vehicle and the output capacity of the charger, and the remaining battery capacity at the time of returning the on-board battery. The vehicle management device according to claim 10.

12. an execution order determination unit that, when a plurality of rental electric vehicles are delivered to the charging parking space, determines an execution order of charging based on the charging time, and sends information about the determined execution order to the charging execution instruction unit; The charging execution instruction unit transmits an instruction to the charging control unit to execute charging in accordance with the execution order. The vehicle management device according to claim 11.

13. The execution priority determination unit determines the execution priority in order of the shortest charging time. The vehicle management device according to claim 12.

14. and a charging status transmission unit that transmits to a user terminal, together with information on the recovered remaining battery capacity, the date and time at which the rental electric vehicle will be available for provision, taking into consideration the charging time of the rental electric vehicle, the waiting time until charging by the charger begins, and the time from completion of charging until the rental electric vehicle is dispatched to the storage location. The vehicle management device according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

15. A computer program that causes a computer to function as a vehicle management device that manages rental electric vehicles provided for a rental service, receiving a remaining battery charge when the on-board battery of the rental electric vehicle is returned; a step of determining whether charging is necessary based on a remaining battery charge when the in-vehicle battery is returned; a step of transmitting a charge execution instruction to a charge control unit that controls a charger provided in a charging parking space so as to be movable relatively to the rental electric vehicle, in order to charge the rental electric vehicle that has been determined to be required for charging by the step of determining whether charging is required and that has been forwarded to the parking space for charging that is provided in a location different from a storage location of the rental electric vehicle; A computer program that causes the computer to execute the above.

16. A procedure is executed to calculate the charging time required to restore the battery to a predetermined remaining capacity by using a calculation formula for determining the remaining battery capacity for a charging time according to the type of the on-board battery mounted on the rental electric vehicle and the output capacity of the charger, and the remaining battery capacity at the time of returning the on-board battery.

16. A computer program according to claim 15.

17. When there are a plurality of electric vehicles to be rented and delivered to the charging parking space, a procedure is executed to determine the order of charging based on the charging time, and information on the determined order of charging is transmitted to the charging control unit together with an instruction to execute the charging.

17. A computer program according to claim 16.

Images