Vehicle charging facility

Abstract

To provide a highly practical charging facility for a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle charging facility including a charger (14) installed in a charging section (12) is configured to specify a proper position at which a charging vehicle (C) is to be positioned during charging, based on at least one of vehicle information that is information on the charging vehicle (C) to be charged and physical properties of a charging cable (16) of the charger, and to guide the charging vehicle (C) or relatively move (42,44) the charging vehicle (C) and the charger based on the proper position. Since the charging vehicle can be parked at an appropriate position with respect to the charger in the charging section, the connector 18 of the charging cable can be easily connected to the inlet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging facility for charging a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Charging the battery of a vehicle such as an electric vehicle is performed by parking the vehicle to be charged (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "vehicle to be charged") in a charging section and using a charger installed in that section. More specifically, charging is performed by connecting the connector at the end of a charging cable attached to the charger to a charging inlet (sometimes called a "charging port") provided on the vehicle to be charged. Since the placement of the inlet varies depending on the vehicle, for example, the technology described in the following document is designed to instruct which charging section and in which orientation the vehicle to be charged should be parked. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-257914 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above document, the charging zone and the orientation of the vehicle to be charged are specified, but due to various inlet locations and the condition of the charging cable, it is expected that even if the vehicle is parked according to these specifications, it will be difficult to connect the connector to the inlet. Specifically, depending on the location of the inlet, the charging cable may not reach the inlet, or if the charging cable is stiff, it may be difficult to handle the cable and connect the connector. In other words, there is still considerable room for improvement in vehicle charging equipment to improve its practicality. The present invention was made in consideration of such circumstances, and its objective is to provide a vehicle charging equipment that is highly practical. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle charging equipment of the present invention comprises: A vehicle charging facility having a charger installed in a charging section, The charger is configured to identify an appropriate position where the vehicle to be charged should be located during charging based on at least one of vehicle information, which is information about the vehicle to be charged, and the physical properties of the charging cable of the charger, and to guide the vehicle to be charged or move the vehicle to be charged and the charger relative to each other based on the appropriate position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the vehicle charging equipment of the present invention, the vehicle to be charged can be parked in an appropriate position relative to the charger within the charging section, making it easy to connect the connector of the charging cable to the inlet.

[0007] In the present invention, "vehicle information" refers to, for example, the dimensions of the vehicle to be charged, such as its length and width, and the position of the inlet on the vehicle to be charged. The position of the inlet includes not only the front, rear, left, and right positions of the vehicle, but also the position in the vertical direction. If the vehicle is equipped with multiple inlets of different types, the vehicle information may also include the position and type of each inlet. "Physical properties of the charging cable" include the length, diameter, and hardness (flexibility, ease of bending, ease of twisting), etc. For example, if the charger is designed for high-speed charging, the charging cable will be relatively thick and hard due to a built-in coolant tube or a thick coating. In particular, at low temperatures, the charging cable will become hard and extremely difficult to handle, requiring strict attention to the relative position between the vehicle to be charged and the charger.

[0008] The "appropriate position" does not refer to which charging section the vehicle should be parked in, but rather to the position within the charging section where the vehicle should be parked. The appropriate position is a concept that includes not only the front-rear and left-right positions of the vehicle, but also the orientation of the vehicle, i.e., whether the vehicle should be parked facing forward or backward in the charging section. The appropriate position also refers to the position relative to the charger, i.e., the relative position between the vehicle and the charger. Note that the identified appropriate position may be a position that includes a certain margin, i.e., an appropriate range.

[0009] The manner of "guiding" the charging vehicle includes various modes, such as informing the driver of the parking direction of the charging vehicle within the charging section, making the driver aware of the appropriate position by projecting the appropriate position within the charging section, making the driver aware of the direction and distance of movement when moving the charging vehicle to the appropriate position, and making the driver aware of the positional relationship between the charger and the charging vehicle when moving to the appropriate position. In other words, various means can be employed to appeal to the driver's senses, such as images and sounds. The "relative movement" between the charging vehicle and the charger includes, for example, moving the charging vehicle using a carrier or the like, or moving the charger itself relative to the charging vehicle located in its fixed position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle charging facility according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the appropriate position of a vehicle to be charged, a means for guiding the vehicle to the appropriate position, and the functions of a controller provided in the vehicle charging facility. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart of a vehicle charging position optimization program executed in the vehicle charging facility. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, as a mode for carrying out the present invention, a vehicle charging facility according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition to the following embodiment, the present invention can be carried out in various forms including the form described in the above section "Modes of the Invention" and various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Example]

[0012] [A] Configuration of vehicle charging equipment As shown in Fig. 1(a), the vehicle charging equipment (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "charging equipment") of the embodiment includes a charger 14 installed in a charging section (sometimes simply referred to as "section") 12 facing a vehicle passageway 10, more specifically, beside the section 12. The charger 14 is provided with a charging cable 16, and a connector 18 is attached to the tip of the charging cable 16 to be connected to an inlet (charging port) of a vehicle C to be charged (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "charging vehicle C" or simply "vehicle C").

[0013] A relatively large display 20, a display panel 22, and a speaker 24 are provided at the back of the compartment 12, and above the compartment 12 are multiple cameras 26 (only two are shown in the figure), and directly above is a projector 28.

[0014] The charger 14 has a built-in controller 30, which is mainly a computer, for controlling various aspects of the charging facility. The charger 14 is also provided with a temperature sensor 32 for detecting the temperature of the charging cable 16. The controller 30 is capable of communicating with a management center 34. The management center 34 has a database 36, which will be described later, and is configured to centrally manage multiple charging facilities.

[0015] [B] Proper positioning of charging vehicle The charging cable 16 of the charger 14 has a specific length, which limits the reach of the connector 18. In other words, the range in which the inlet of the vehicle C should be positioned during charging varies depending on the length of the charging cable 16.

[0016] Furthermore, charger 14 is capable of high-speed charging, and charging cable 16 has a built-in coolant tube for cooling and is also covered with a thick covering material such as rubber. Therefore, charging cable 16 is relatively thick and hard, and is relatively difficult to handle, that is, difficult to handle. In particular, when the temperature of charging cable 16 itself is low due to low ambient temperature, charging cable 16 becomes quite hard and difficult to handle.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 2, for a vehicle C with an inlet I (indicated by a star) located at the rear right side, the appropriate position of the vehicle C relative to the charger 14 (a concept that also includes the orientation of the vehicle) is as shown in FIG. 2(a). For example, as shown in FIG. 2(b), if the charger 14 and the inlet I are located too close to each other, the charging cable 16 cannot be properly handled, making it difficult to connect the connector 18 to the inlet I. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(c), for a vehicle C with an inlet I located at the front, if the vehicle is parked facing forward, the charging cable 16 will not reach the far end of the compartment 12. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2(d), if the vehicle is parked near the front of the charging compartment 12, the charging cable 16 will reach the far end, but the vehicle may extend into the vehicle passageway 10. Therefore, for a vehicle C with an inlet I located at the front, it is desirable to park the vehicle facing backward in the compartment 12 to charge. It goes without saying that it is desirable for a vehicle with inlet I on the right side to park facing forward in space 12, and for a vehicle with inlet I on the left side to park facing backward.

[0018] In summary, the appropriate position of vehicle C in section 12, in other words, the range of appropriate relative positions between vehicle C and charger 14, is determined by the type of vehicle C, i.e., the location of inlet I, and the length of charging cable 16. Note that this appropriate position range (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "appropriate position range") also differs depending on the height at which inlet I is located on the vehicle. As mentioned above, the appropriate position range for vehicle C is also determined by the hardness (a type of physical property) of charging cable 16, and moreover, as mentioned above, the hardness also changes depending on the temperature of charging cable 16, so the appropriate position range changes depending on the temperature of charging cable 16.

[0019] As will be explained later, in this charging equipment, the range of appropriate positions for the charging vehicle C relative to the charger 14 is determined based on information regarding the location of the inlet I (which is a type of vehicle information) and the temperature of the charging cable 16.

[0020] [C] Guidance means for charging vehicles In order to optimize the relative positions of the charger 14 and the vehicle C during charging, the charging facility is provided with a means for guiding the vehicle C to an appropriate position (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "guiding means").

[0021] The display panel 22 is as shown in Fig. 2(e), and has display areas set for "forward" and "backward" regarding the parking orientation, and "go," "stop," and "go back" regarding the vehicle's progress, and is designed to notify the driver of vehicle C by lighting up the corresponding area. Also, the speaker 24 issues voice instructions similar to those of the display panel 22, i.e., instructions regarding the parking orientation and progress (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "go / reverse / stop instructions").

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2( f), the display 20 displays an overhead image including the current vehicle C and a display showing the appropriate position as a guide (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the “appropriate position display PD”; this is the shaded area in the figure). The driver can position the charging vehicle C in the appropriate position according to this image. The appropriate position display PD also indicates the orientation of the vehicle C and the position of the inlet I. This overhead image is also transmitted to the vehicle C, and can be displayed on the display of the vehicle C's on-board car navigation system (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as “car navigation”). Furthermore, the projector 28 projects the appropriate position display PD at the actual position and in its actual size onto the road surface of the section 12. The appropriate position display PD may, for example, display only the optimal position, or may display a range with a certain margin around the optimal position.

[0023] [D] Relative movement means between the charging vehicle and the charger In this charging facility, instead of or in addition to the above-described guiding means, a means (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "relative movement means") for moving at least one of the vehicle C to be charged and the charger 14 to the appropriate relative position without the driver's operation may be provided. To provide a simple explanation, specifically, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a vehicle movement device 42 may be provided in which the driver places the vehicle C to be charged on a carrier 40 positioned at a predetermined position, and then drives the carrier 40 to move the vehicle to the appropriate relative position, or as shown in FIG. 1(c), a charger movement device 44 may be provided in which the driver moves the vehicle C to a predetermined position within the section 12, and then moves the charger 14 so that the vehicle C is positioned at the appropriate relative position. Incidentally, the carrier 40 may be something like a conveyor.

[0024] [E] Processing flow for relative position optimization and controller functional configuration The process for optimizing the relative position between the charging vehicle C and the charger 14 during charging described above (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "charging vehicle position optimization process") is performed by the controller 30 by executing a charging vehicle position optimization program whose flowchart is shown in Fig. 3. The process will be described below with reference to the flowchart.

[0025] Because vehicle C waits at stop line 50 on vehicle passage 10, the process according to the program is started when vehicle C waits. In this process, first, in step 1 (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "S1"; the same applies to the other steps), an image of waiting vehicle C is acquired, and in S2, the temperature sensor 32 detects the temperature of charging cable 16. Next, in S3, image information of charging vehicle C and the temperature of the charging cable are sent to management center 34.

[0026] Based on the image information and the charging cable temperature, the management center 34 confirms that the vehicle C to be charged is a vehicle for which charging has been reserved, and refers to the database 36 to transmit information about the arrangement of the inlet I of the vehicle C and the hardness of the charging cable 16 to the charger 14. The controller 30 receives this information in S4, and, based on this information and its own information about the length of the charging cable 16, etc., identifies the appropriate position (a concept that also includes the parking orientation) where the vehicle C should be located during charging in S5.

[0027] In S6, the controller 30 executes the above-mentioned guidance process, or the relative movement process if the above-mentioned relative movement means is provided, based on the determined appropriate position. The guidance process is executed according to a guidance process subroutine. In the process according to this subroutine, first, in S11, instructions regarding the parking orientation are issued via the display 20, the display panel 22, and the speaker 24. The instructions are also transmitted to the charging vehicle C and displayed on the car navigation system of the vehicle C. Next, in S12, the projector 28 projects the above-mentioned appropriate position display PD onto the road surface of the section 12.

[0028] In the next step S13, the position and movement of vehicle C are acquired, i.e., monitored, based on image information from camera 26. If it is determined in subsequent step S14 that vehicle C has begun entering section 12, then in step S15, the above-mentioned advance / reverse / stop instructions are given via display panel 22 and speaker 24, and the above-mentioned image including the current position of vehicle C and the appropriate position display PD is displayed on display 20 and the car navigation system. These instructions and image displays are repeated until it is determined in step S16 that the parking operation is complete. Completion of the parking operation is determined by, for example, the ignition switch of vehicle C being charged being turned off or the door of vehicle C being opened or closed.

[0029] If it is determined that the parking operation is complete, in S7 it is confirmed whether the vehicle C is in the appropriate position, more specifically, whether it is within the appropriate range. If the vehicle C is not in the appropriate position, in S8 a warning is issued via the indicator panel 22, speaker 24, and display 20. Although a detailed explanation will be omitted, when the vehicle is not in the appropriate position and parking operation is to be resumed, the guidance process is executed again by operating a switch provided on the charger 14.

[0030] The relative movement processing is executed according to a relative movement processing subroutine. In the processing according to this subroutine, first, in S21, an instruction regarding the parking orientation as described above is given, and in S22, a stationary instruction to position the vehicle C at a predetermined position is given via the indicator panel 22, the speaker 24, the display 20, and the car navigation system. If the relative movement means is the vehicle movement device 42, the predetermined position is on the carrier 40. Next, in S23, the movement of the vehicle C is monitored, and if it is determined in S24 that the vehicle C has been stationary, in S25, the vehicle is moved relatively to an appropriate position. More specifically, in the case of the vehicle movement device 42, the carrier 40 is operated to position the vehicle C at an appropriate position, and in the case of the charger movement device 44, the charger 14 is moved so that the vehicle C is in an appropriate position relative to the charger 14.

[0031] In view of the relative position optimization process described above, the controller 30 can be considered to have, as shown in FIG. 2(g), an appropriate vehicle position identification unit 60 that functions by executing S5 and identifies the appropriate position where the vehicle C should be located during charging based on vehicle information and the physical properties of the charging cable 16, and a guidance / relative movement execution unit 62 that functions by executing S6 and guides the vehicle C based on the appropriate position or moves the vehicle C and the charger 14 relative to each other.

[0032] [F] Variation This charging facility includes a projector 28, a display 20, a display panel 22, a speaker 24, and an image display function on a car navigation system as means for guiding the vehicle C. A charging facility according to the present invention does not need to include all of these features. In other words, it does not need to include one or more of these features. Furthermore, while this charging facility determines the appropriate charging position based on both vehicle information, such as the inlet position, and the physical properties of the charging cable 16, such as the hardness of the charging cable, it may also determine the appropriate position based on either one of these. This charging facility determines the appropriate position based on the inlet position and charging cable hardness identified by the management center 34, taking into consideration changes in the specifications of new vehicles and charging cables 16. However, the charger 14 itself may have a database, and the controller 30 itself may identify the inlet position and charging cable hardness. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 12: Charging section 14: Charger 16: Charging cable 20: Display 22: Display panel 24: Speaker 26: Camera 28: Projector 30: Controller 32: Temperature sensor C: Charging vehicle I: Inlet PD: Appropriate position display 60: Appropriate vehicle position identification unit 62: Guidance / relative movement execution unit

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle charging facility having a charger installed in a charging section, A vehicle charging facility configured to identify an appropriate position where a vehicle to be charged should be located during charging based on at least one of vehicle information, which is information about the vehicle to be charged, and the physical properties of the charging cable of the charger, and to guide the vehicle to be charged or move the vehicle to be charged and the charger relative to each other based on the appropriate position.

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