Vehicle battery charging planning system

Abstract

This system provides a vehicle battery charging planning system that reduces the processing load required to calculate charging plans and enables quick responses to demand response requests. [Solution] The determination server 11, which constitutes the vehicle battery charging plan system, determines whether each electric vehicle can respond to a demand response request from the power company based on vehicle information regarding the charging status of each electric vehicle's battery and user settings set by the user of each electric vehicle. The determination server 11 extracts a number of target vehicles to exclude electric vehicles that it has determined cannot respond to a demand response request and sends them to the charging plan calculation server 12, which constitutes the vehicle battery charging plan system. The charging plan calculation server 12 devises a charging plan for the extracted number of target vehicles and sends it to the charging command server 20.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a charging planning system for vehicle batteries.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a charging management device that can realize charging management for a plurality of electric vehicles (hereinafter referred to as EVs) under constraint conditions based on the power supply capacity. The charging management device calculates a charging schedule for a plurality of EVs while considering the constraint conditions and limits the number of EVs that can be charged simultaneously. Thus, the charging management device realizes charging of a plurality of EVs within the range of the constraint conditions.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above charging management device calculates a charging schedule that can meet the constraint conditions for all EVs with EV charging notifications from EV users. Therefore, the processing load of the charging management device is high, and the response to the constraint conditions is also prone to delay.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Hereinafter, the means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described. To address the above issues, a vehicle battery charging planning system determines whether each electric vehicle can respond to a demand response request from a power company, based on vehicle information regarding the charging status of each electric vehicle's battery and user settings set by the user of each electric vehicle. The vehicle battery charging planning system extracts multiple target vehicles, excluding those determined to be unable to respond to the demand response request. The vehicle battery charging planning system then develops a charging plan for the extracted multiple target vehicles. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The above vehicle battery charging planning system can develop charging plans specifically for electric vehicles that can respond to demand-response requests. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a charging system that includes a vehicle battery charging planning system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the determination server that constitutes the vehicle battery charging planning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the charging plan calculation server that constitutes the vehicle battery charging plan system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing the process flow for formulating a charging plan using the vehicle battery charging planning system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the process flow for extracting target vehicles by the determination server in the same embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following describes an embodiment of the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 with reference to Figures 1 to 5. <Outline of the charging system configuration> First, let's briefly describe the configuration of the charging system. As shown in Figure 1, the charging system comprises a charging planning system 10, a charging command server 20, a vehicle information database server 30, a user setting database server 40, user-side terminal devices 50-52, charging devices 60-62, and electric vehicles 90-92. These devices are configured to communicate with each other via a communication network 1.

[0009] Charging devices 60-62 are powered by the power company via the power network 2 and charge electric vehicles 90-92. Charging device 60 is installed at a charging station. Charging device 61 is installed at the user's home 70. Charging device 62 is installed at the business premises 80.

[0010] The user-side terminal devices 50-52 are connected to the electric vehicles 90-92 in a communicative manner. Figure 1 shows examples of the user-side terminal devices 50-52, including portable terminal devices 50 and 51, and terminal device 52, which is a personal computer. The user-side terminal devices 50-52 can set the target SOC, departure time, and DR participation intention for the corresponding electric vehicles 90-92. The DR participation intention is an expression of the user's willingness to accept charging control in response to a demand response request.

[0011] Electric vehicles 90-92 are equipped with a vehicle battery, a vehicle ECU, a communication device, and a GPS receiver. Electric vehicles 90-92 can be charged with power supplied from outside the vehicle, and can also output power from the vehicle battery to the outside of the vehicle. The GPS receiver allows the vehicle's location to be determined in real time. The vehicle ECU can manage vehicle information. Vehicle information includes plug connection information indicating whether the plug is connected to the charging device 60-62, the remaining SOC capacity indicating the current vehicle battery level, location information indicating the current vehicle position, charging status indicating the state of charging (start, stop, end, in progress, etc.), and communication abnormality status. The communication device can receive commands from the user and transmit vehicle information to an external source.

[0012] The vehicle information database server 30 stores vehicle information. The vehicle information database server 30 updates the stored information in accordance with updates to the vehicle information. The user setting database server 40 stores user setting data such as target SOC, departure time, and intention to participate in DR. The user setting database server 40 updates the stored setting data each time the user updates this setting data.

[0013] The charging planning system 10 is configured to include a determination server 11 and a charging plan calculation server 12. The determination server 11 extracts target vehicles from among a plurality of electric vehicles 90 to 92 to be included in the charging plan. The charging plan calculation server 12 formulates a charging plan for the extracted target vehicles. The charging command server 20 executes the charging plan by sending charge and discharge commands, such as start, pause, and end of charging and discharging, to the corresponding electric vehicles 90 to 92 according to the charging plan formulated by the charging planning system 10.

[0014] <Functional configuration of judgment server 11> Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing the functional configuration of the determination server 11. As shown in Figure 2, the determination server 11 comprises a processing circuit 13, a storage device 14, and a communication device 15. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU reading a program stored in ROM and executing the program using RAM as a working area. The communication device 15 is an interface for communicating with the outside via the communication network 1. The storage device 14 stores vehicle information and user setting data for multiple electric vehicles 90 to 92. The processing circuit 13 determines which of the multiple electric vehicles 90 to 92 are eligible to respond to demand response requests from the power company based on the vehicle information and user setting data stored in the storage device 14.

[0015] <Functional configuration of the charging plan calculation server 12> FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the functional configuration of the charging plan calculation server 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the charging plan calculation server 12 includes a processing circuit 16, a storage device 17, and a communication device 18. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU reading out a program stored in the ROM and executing the program using the RAM as a work area. The communication device 18 is an interface for communicating with the outside via the communication network 1. The processing circuit 16 formulates a charging plan for target vehicles that can respond to the demand response request from the power company. The storage device 17 stores the charging plan for the target vehicles.

[0016] <Operation of the Embodiment> Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described using FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the determination server 11 acquires vehicle information of a plurality of electric vehicles 90 to 92 from the vehicle information database server 30. Further, the determination server 11 acquires user setting data of a plurality of electric vehicles 90 to 92 from the user setting database server 40.

[0017] Next, the determination server 11 extracts target vehicles for the charging plan so as to exclude vehicles that cannot respond to the demand response request based on the vehicle information and user setting data for each of the electric vehicles 90 to 92. After that, when the determination server 11 receives a demand response request by the communication device 15, it transmits information about the target vehicles extracted as described above to the charging plan calculation server 12.

[0018] The charging plan calculation server 12 calculates a charging plan for the demand response request and the target vehicles extracted by the determination server 11, and transmits it to the charging command server 20. The charging command server 20 transmits a charge / discharge command to the target vehicles among the electric vehicles 90 to 92. The target vehicle that has received the charging command controls the charging device according to the charging command and executes the charging plan. For example, when the electric vehicle 90 is the target vehicle, the electric vehicle 90 controls the charging device 60 and executes the charging plan.

[0019] <Flow of the process of extracting target vehicles by the determination server 11> The process of extracting target vehicles by the determination server 11 will be described below while referring to FIG. 5. When the demand-response request is received, the determination server 11 starts a series of processes shown in FIG. 5. First, in step S100, it is determined whether each of a plurality of electric vehicles 90 to 92 satisfies condition 1. Condition 1 is a condition for determining whether each of the electric vehicles 90 to 92 can respond to the demand-response request based on the vehicle information and user setting data of each of the electric vehicles 90 to 92. If condition 1 holds, the determination server 11 determines that the electric vehicle cannot respond to the demand-response request.

[0020] The determination server 11 determines that condition 1 is satisfied if any one of the following four conditions holds. · The plug connection information is not connected.

[0021] · The location information is neither at home 70 nor at the workplace 80. · The DR participation intention cannot be confirmed. That is, if the plug connection information is not connected, the location information is neither at home 70 nor at the workplace 80, or the DR participation intention cannot be confirmed, the determination server 11 determines that it cannot respond to the demand-response request. As an example of a state where the DR participation intention cannot be confirmed, there may be a state where information about the DR participation intention is not obtained from the user setting database server 40. As another example of a state where the DR participation intention cannot be confirmed, there may also be a state where the user has no intention of responding to the demand-response request and the user has not shown the DR participation intention.

[0022] In step S100, if it is determined that condition 1 is met (step S100: YES), the process proceeds to step S110, where the electric vehicle determined to meet condition 1 is excluded from the vehicles subject to the charging plan. Next, the process proceeds to step S120, where the target vehicles are extracted by excluding the electric vehicle determined to meet condition 1, and the process ends.

[0023] On the other hand, if the determination server 11 determines in step S100 that the above condition 1 is not met (step S100: NO), it proceeds to step S200. In step S200, the determination server 11 determines whether condition 2 is met based on the electric vehicle's vehicle information and user setting data. Condition 2 is a condition for determining whether the vehicle is in a state where it cannot respond to a demand response request due to other reasons, such as not being excluded by condition 1, or not having any actual demand for charging or not having enough leeway to adjust charging.

[0024] The judgment server 11 determines that condition 2 is met if any one of the following three conditions is met. If condition 2 is met, the judgment server 11 determines that the vehicle is unable to respond to a demand response request.

[0025] • The remaining SOC capacity has already reached the target SOC. • It is in the charging state, in the middle of charging. • The time until departure is less than 6 hours.

[0026] In other words, the judgment server 11 determines that it cannot respond to a demand response request if any of the following conditions are met: the remaining SOC capacity has reached the target SOC, the device is in the middle of charging, or the time until departure is less than 6 hours.

[0027] If the determination server 11 determines in step S200 that the vehicle satisfies condition 2 (step S200: YES), it proceeds to step S210, where it excludes the vehicle from the target vehicles. Next, it proceeds to step S120, where it extracts the target vehicles and terminates the process.

[0028] If the judgment server 11 determines in step S200 that condition 2 is not met (step S200: NO), it proceeds to step S120, where it extracts the target vehicles and terminates the process. In this case, none of the vehicles are excluded and are extracted as target vehicles.

[0029] <Operation of this embodiment> The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 determines whether each electric vehicle 90-92 can respond to a demand response request from the power company, based on vehicle information regarding the charging status of the vehicle batteries of each electric vehicle 90-92 and user settings set by the users of each electric vehicle 90-92. The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 extracts multiple target vehicles to exclude electric vehicles that it has determined cannot respond to a demand response request. The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 then formulates a charging plan for the extracted multiple target vehicles.

[0030] Thus, the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 can formulate charging plans that are only applicable to electric vehicles capable of responding to demand-response requests. <Effects of this embodiment> (1) The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 calculates a charging plan for only the electric vehicles among the multiple electric vehicles 90-92 that can respond to demand response requests. Therefore, the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 can reduce the amount of data that needs to be processed and the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and received in order to formulate a charging plan.

[0031] In this way, the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 reduces the processing load required for calculating the charging plan and enables a quick response to demand response requests. (2) The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 includes a determination server 11 that determines whether each electric vehicle 90 to 92 can respond to a demand response request from a power company based on vehicle information and user settings, and extracts multiple target vehicles in order to exclude electric vehicles that are determined not to be able to respond to a demand response request, and a charging plan calculation server 12 that formulates a charging plan for the multiple target vehicles extracted by the determination server 11.

[0032] The charging plan calculation server 12 calculates a charging plan that applies only to electric vehicles that can respond to demand response requests, as extracted by the judgment server 11. Therefore, the amount of data that the charging plan calculation server 12 needs to process and the amount of data that needs to be sent and received can be reduced. As a result, the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 can reduce the processing load on the charging plan calculation server 12 for calculating the charging plan and improve responsiveness to demand response requests.

[0033] (3) The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 determines whether each electric vehicle 90-92 is connected to the plug of the corresponding charging device 60-62 as vehicle information, and determines that it cannot respond to demand response requests from the power company for electric vehicles that are not connected to the plug of the charging device 60-62.

[0034] The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 calculates a charging plan for only the electric vehicles connected to the plugs of the charging devices 60 to 62, out of a group of electric vehicles 90 to 92. Therefore, it can exclude electric vehicles that are not intended to be charged. As a result, the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 can exclude electric vehicles that are not actually intended to be charged from the charging plan, enabling the formulation of an efficient charging plan.

[0035] (4) The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 determines whether the location of electric vehicles 90-92 is home 70 or business 80 as vehicle information, and determines that it cannot respond to demand response requests from the power company for electric vehicles whose location is neither home 70 nor business 80.

[0036] The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 calculates a charging plan for only electric vehicles whose location is either home 70 or business 80 out of a group of electric vehicles. Therefore, the charging plan includes only electric vehicles that can actually be charged at home 70 or business 80, and vehicles with a low probability of being charged can be excluded from the charging plan. As a result, the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 can formulate a more accurate and efficient charging plan.

[0037] (5) The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 determines that it cannot respond to demand response requests from power companies for electric vehicles in which the user setting data does not indicate an intention to participate in demand response.

[0038] The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 excludes vehicles that do not agree to participate in demand response from the charging plan. Therefore, it is possible to formulate an efficient charging plan that includes only vehicles that can actually respond to demand response requests. As a result, the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 can realize charging operations that are in line with the user's intentions.

[0039] (6) The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 determines that it cannot respond to demand response requests from power companies for electric vehicles whose remaining SOC capacity has already reached the target SOC.

[0040] For electric vehicles whose remaining SOC capacity has already reached the target SOC, there is no need to create a new charging plan. The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 excludes electric vehicles whose remaining SOC capacity has already reached the target SOC from the vehicles targeted for charging planning. This further reduces the processing load required to calculate the charging plan.

[0041] (7) The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 determines that it is unable to respond to a demand response request from the power company for an electric vehicle that is in the process of being charged.

[0042] If charging is interrupted during the process, the vehicle battery may deteriorate more quickly. The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 excludes electric vehicles that are in the process of charging from the list of vehicles to be included in the charging plan. This prevents frequent starting and stopping of charging, thereby suppressing the deterioration of the vehicle battery and allowing the vehicle battery to be used for a longer period of time.

[0043] (8) The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 determines, based on user-configured data, that it cannot respond to demand response requests from the power company for electric vehicles with less than 6 hours remaining until departure time.

[0044] If the time until departure is less than 6 hours, it may be difficult to adjust the charging plan in response to a demand response request, and there is a risk that charging control in response to the demand response request may not be achieved. The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 described above excludes electric vehicles with less than 6 hours until departure from the vehicles targeted for charging planning. This makes it possible to target vehicles that have room to adjust the charging plan.

[0045] <Example of changes> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0046] In this embodiment, the vehicle battery charging planning system 10 includes a determination server 11 for extracting target vehicles and a charging plan calculation server 12 for formulating a charging plan for the target vehicles. The vehicle battery charging planning system 10 may also be configured as a single server by integrating the determination server 11 and the charging plan calculation server 12.

[0047] In this embodiment, conditions 1 and 2 are described separately, but conditions 1 and 2 may be swapped with each other as long as they do not contradict the technical requirements. For example, the condition that no intention to participate in DR has been expressed may be changed to condition 2, or the condition that the remaining SOC capacity has already reached the target SOC may be changed to condition 1.

[0048] In the embodiments, only examples are given for both Condition 1 and Condition 2, but they should be understood to include all situations in which a demand response request cannot be met. For example, these include situations where the communication status is abnormal, a charging plan has already been set for the vehicle being used by the user, or where the technical requirements for responding to the demand response request are not met. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1…Communication network 2…Power Network 10…Charging planning system 11… Judgment Server 12…Charging plan calculation server 13…Processing circuit 14...Storage device 15…Communication device 16…Processing circuit 17...Storage device 18…Communication device 20...Charging command server 30…Vehicle information database server 40...User configuration database server 50-52...User-side terminal device 60,61,62…charging device 70... Home 80...Business establishment 90, 91, 92… Electric vehicles

Claims

1. A vehicle battery charging planning system that plans charging schedules for multiple electric vehicles, Based on vehicle information regarding the charge status of the vehicle battery of each electric vehicle and user settings set by the user of each electric vehicle, it is determined whether each electric vehicle can respond to a demand response request from the power company. To extract multiple target vehicles in order to exclude the electric vehicle that is determined to be unable to respond to the aforementioned demand response request, To formulate a charging plan for the multiple target vehicles that have been extracted, and to execute A vehicle battery charging planning system.

2. A determination server that determines whether each electric vehicle can respond to the demand response request based on the vehicle information and the user settings, and extracts multiple target vehicles in such a way that it excludes electric vehicles that are determined not to be able to respond to the demand response request. The system includes a charging plan calculation server that formulates a charging plan for a plurality of target vehicles extracted by the determination server. A vehicle battery charging planning system according to claim 1.

3. The system determines whether each electric vehicle is connected to the charging device's plug as part of the vehicle information, and determines that electric vehicles not connected to the charging device's plug cannot respond to the demand response request. A vehicle battery charging planning system according to claim 1.

4. The system determines whether the location of the electric vehicle is a home or a business premises, and determines that the electric vehicle whose location is neither a home nor a business premises cannot respond to the demand response request. A vehicle battery charging planning system according to claim 1.

5. For electric vehicles in which the user has not indicated their intention to participate in demand response as described above, it is determined that they cannot respond to the demand response request. A vehicle battery charging planning system according to claim 1.

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