Charging equipment proposal system

Abstract

We provide a charging equipment proposal system that can suggest appropriate charging equipment. [Solution] The charging equipment proposal system proposes charging equipment equipped with a charger for charging onboard batteries installed in electric construction machinery. The charging equipment proposal system calculates the cost of installing a first charging equipment without a battery, including the charger cost for the first charging equipment and the electricity contract cost and power wiring cost calculated based on the required power received by the first charging equipment. It also calculates the cost of installing a second charging equipment with a battery, including the charger cost for the second charging equipment and the electricity contract cost and power wiring cost calculated based on the required power received by the second charging equipment. The system then proposes the charging equipment with the lower cost between the first and second charging equipment to be installed at the electric construction machinery work site.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a proposed charging system for electric construction machinery. [Background technology]

[0002] To realize a decarbonized society, the electrification of construction machinery is accelerating. Electric construction machinery uses power from on-board batteries mounted on the vehicle to drive the vehicle and perform tasks such as excavation. The on-board batteries of electric construction machinery are charged by charging facilities installed at the work site. Therefore, when performing work with electric construction machinery at a work site, it is necessary to plan the work considering the charging time.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a train dispatch system that dispatches trains to electric construction machinery in accordance with the operation schedule of the electric construction machinery. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-156035 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] The invention described in Patent Document 1 assumes a system configuration that utilizes electric trains to charge electric construction machinery and realizes a train dispatch plan based on this, but does not consider whether the charging equipment is appropriate. For on-site charging equipment, there is a need for equipment that can properly charge the on-board batteries of electric construction machinery and that can keep costs associated with the installation of such equipment, such as electricity contract fees, low.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a charging equipment proposal system capable of proposing appropriate charging equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A charging equipment proposal system according to one aspect of the present invention proposes a charging equipment equipped with a charger for charging an on-board battery mounted on an electric construction machine. The charging equipment proposal system calculates the cost of installing a first charging equipment without a battery, including the charger cost for the first charging equipment and the power contract cost and power wiring cost calculated based on the required power received by the first charging equipment. It also calculates the cost of installing a second charging equipment that includes a battery and is capable of charging the on-board battery using the power of the attached battery, including the charger cost for the second charging equipment and the power contract cost and power wiring cost calculated based on the required power received by the second charging equipment. The system proposes the charging equipment with the lower cost between the first and second charging equipment to be installed at the work site of the electric construction machine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a charging equipment proposal system that can propose appropriate charging equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the proposed charging equipment system 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the proposed charging equipment device 100. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram detailing the functions of the cost calculation unit 101. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a data table of vehicle specifications included in the equipment information. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a data table of charger specifications included in the equipment information. [Figure 6A] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram showing a battery non-charging equipment 53 equipped with a standard charger 21. [Figure 6B] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram showing a battery non-charging facility 53 equipped with a rapid charger 22A. [Figure 6C]FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram showing a charging facility 54 with a storage battery and a rapid charger 22B. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the time changes in the SOC and output of the charger 20 with a storage battery, and the output and SOC of the vehicle (electric construction machine) 40. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow by the first configuration calculation unit 110 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a work schedule when the charging facility 53 without a storage battery is installed. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow by the second configuration calculation unit 111 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a work schedule when the charging facility 54 with a storage battery is installed. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a proposed screen displayed on the display screen of the display device 3b. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow executed by the second configuration calculation unit 111 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a work schedule calculated by the second configuration calculation unit 111 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example in which the required daily work amount Wrd changes according to the number of working days. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments of the present invention, those having the same function may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations may be omitted.

[0011] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the charging equipment proposal system 1. The charging equipment proposal system 1 is a system that determines which of the following is more appropriate: a first charging equipment without a battery, namely a battery-free charging equipment 53 (see Figures 6A and 6B), or a second charging equipment with a battery, namely a battery-charged charging equipment 54 (see Figure 6C), namely a battery-charged charging equipment. The system then proposes the charging equipment that is deemed appropriate. The charging equipment is installed at the work site where the electric construction machine is used to charge the on-board battery installed in the electric construction machine. In this embodiment, the electric construction machine (hereinafter also referred to as vehicle 40) is described as an electric hydraulic excavator (see Figures 6A to 6C). Furthermore, in the following description, the work performed by vehicle 40 will be limited to excavation work using the vehicle 40's work equipment, and work such as transporting soil by truck will be omitted.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the charging equipment proposal system 1 includes a charging equipment proposal device 100, which is a calculation device for calculating the cost of charging equipment; an input device 3a for inputting information to the charging equipment proposal device 100; an equipment information server 4 for storing equipment information; and a display device 3b for displaying the information proposed by the charging equipment proposal device 100. In this embodiment, an example is described in which the input device 3a and the display device 3b are configured by an information terminal 3 that has both functions. The information terminal 3 is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal. Note that the input device 3a and the display device 3b may be configured as different devices.

[0013] The charging equipment proposal device 100, the information terminal 3, and the equipment information server 4 are equipped with communication devices (not shown) and enable bidirectional communication via a wide-area network communication line NT. Alternatively, the charging equipment proposal device 100, the information terminal 3, and the equipment information server 4 may be configured to directly exchange information (data) via wired communication.

[0014] The input device 3a is operated by the administrator 2. The administrator 2 plans the work for each vehicle 40 at the work site and manages the work site. The administrator 2 uses the input device 3a to input work information and work site information into the charging equipment suggestion device 100. Based on the work information and work site information input by the input device 3a, and the equipment information acquired from the equipment information server 4, the charging equipment suggestion device 100 determines the appropriate charging equipment and outputs the information of the determined charging equipment as suggestion information to the display device 3b. The charging equipment suggestion device 100 also calculates a work schedule that incorporates charging of the vehicles 40 by the charging equipment and outputs it to the display device 3b along with the charging equipment suggestion information. The display device 3b displays an image on the display screen representing the acquired charging equipment suggestion information and work schedule.

[0015] The proposed charging equipment device 100 consists of a computer equipped with a processing unit 11, a storage device 12, an input / output interface 13, and other peripheral circuits. These hardware components work together to operate software and realize multiple functions. The proposed charging equipment device 100 may consist of one computer or multiple computers. The processing unit 11 consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. The storage device 12 includes non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, and hard disk drives, as well as volatile memory known as RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0016] The non-volatile memory constituting the storage device 12 stores a program capable of performing various calculations. In other words, the storage device 12 is a storage medium from which the program realizing the functions of this embodiment can be read. The volatile memory constituting the storage device 12 temporarily stores the calculation results from the processing unit 11 and signals input from the input / output interface 13. The processing unit 11 is a device that expands the program stored in the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory and performs calculations, and performs predetermined calculation processing on data taken in from the input / output interface 13 and the storage device 12 according to the program.

[0017] The input / output interface 13 converts the input signal into data that can be processed by the processing unit 11. The input / output interface 13 also generates an output signal corresponding to the calculation result in the processing unit 11 and outputs that signal.

[0018] The functions of the charging equipment suggestion device 100 will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the charging equipment suggestion device 100. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the detailed functions of the cost calculation unit 101. As shown in Figure 2, the charging equipment suggestion device 100 functions as a cost calculation unit 101, a charging equipment determination unit 102, and a total cost calculation unit 103. The cost calculation unit 101 calculates the first cost and the second cost based on the work information and work site information input from the input device 3a, and the equipment information provided from the equipment information server 4. As shown in Figure 3, the cost calculation unit 101 has a first configuration calculation unit 110, a second configuration calculation unit 111, a degradation estimation unit 112, a first cost calculation unit 113, and a second cost calculation unit 114.

[0019] The work information includes the required work amount Wr, the work start date Ds, the work end date De, and time zone information. Time zone information includes the workable time zone, which is the period of day during which work can be performed, and the charging time zone, which is the period from the work start time to the work end time during which the vehicle's battery can be charged. The required work amount Wr is the amount of work required to complete the work performed by vehicle 40 at the work site. The required work amount Wr is expressed, for example, by the volume of soil (amount of soil) carried out by vehicle 40. Required work amount Wr [m 3 This can be determined using a workload calculation application. Since the workload calculation application is a well-known tool (software) that calculates the required workload Wr based on the construction plan, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0020] The work start date Ds and work end date De are information about the planned start and end dates of the work (construction), for example, XXXX / △△ / ○○. The work-possible time period information includes information about the first work section from the start time to the interruption time, and information about the second work section from the resumption time to the end time. The work-possible time period information means, for example, that work (construction) is possible from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 17:30. The charging-possible time period information includes information about the rest section from the interruption time to the resumption time, and information about the post-work charging section from the end time to the end of post-work charging. The charging-possible time period information means, for example, that it is possible to charge the on-board battery without performing work (construction) from 12:00 to 13:00 and from 17:30 to 19:00.

[0021] The work site information includes information on the work area Sw, power contract, and owned power facilities. The work area Sw represents the size of the work site. The work area Sw is used to determine what size vehicles 40 can operate at the work site. The power contract information includes information on how much electricity can be used at the work site. The power contract information also includes information on the power contract cost C1 per 100 [kW]. Note that the power contract information may also include a data table linking contracted power and power contract cost. The power contract cost increases as the contracted power increases. The owned power facilities information includes information such as whether there is a 200V substation, and is used to determine whether there is equipment that can supply power to charging equipment. Note that the owned power facilities information also includes information on the power wiring cost C2 per 100 [kW]. Note that the owned power facilities information may also include a data table linking contracted power and power wiring cost. The power wiring cost increases as the contracted power increases. The electricity contract information and the information on owned power facilities include information that identifies the current contracted power. Contracted power is the maximum amount of electricity that can be used each month. For example, the current contracted power is 60 kW.

[0022] The equipment information includes vehicle specifications and charger specifications as shown in Figure 3. The vehicle specifications information includes information representing the specifications of several types of vehicles 40 that are currently available, i.e., information representing candidate specifications for several vehicles 40. The charger specifications information includes information representing the specifications of several types of chargers that are currently available, i.e., information representing candidate specifications for several chargers. It is assumed that the vehicles 40 used for work at the work site and the chargers installed at the work site will be leased from a leasing company.

[0023] Figure 4 shows a data table of vehicle specifications included in the equipment information. As shown in Figure 4, the vehicle specifications data table associates the vehicle size, unit work volume, energy consumption, battery capacity, and lease price for each vehicle available to the work site.

[0024] Vehicle size is information that represents the size of the vehicle body 40, and is classified by parameters such as vehicle weight and vehicle installation area. In this embodiment, vehicles with a vehicle weight of less than the first weight are classified as "small," vehicles with a vehicle weight of the first weight or more but less than the second weight are classified as "medium," and vehicles with a vehicle weight of the second weight or more are classified as "large."

[0025] Unit work volume [m 3 [kWh / h] represents the amount of work per unit time, expressed as the volume of soil that the vehicle 40 can excavate per unit time. [kW] represents the rate of electricity consumption per unit time [kWh / h]. [kWh] represents the battery capacity of the onboard battery installed in the vehicle 40. [kWh] represents the amount of discharged electricity from the start to the end of use, or in other words, the amount of electricity that can be recharged after discharge. [yen / month] represents the monthly fee paid to the leasing company for the vehicle 40.

[0026] In the example shown in Figure 4, large vehicle A has the largest body size, unit workload, and battery capacity. Therefore, large vehicle A has the highest energy consumption and lease price. On the other hand, small vehicle C has the smallest body size, unit workload, and battery capacity. Small vehicle C has the advantage of being highly maneuverable due to its small size. However, it has the disadvantage of a small unit workload and a high lease price per unit workload. Therefore, it is necessary to select the appropriate vehicle (type) based on factors such as the size of the work site.

[0027] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a data table of charger specifications included in the equipment information. Figures 6A to 6C are schematic diagrams showing charging equipment. Figure 6A shows a battery non-charging equipment 53 equipped with a standard charger 21, Figure 6B shows a battery non-charging equipment 53 equipped with a rapid charger 22A, and Figure 6C shows a battery charging equipment 54 equipped with a rapid charger 22B. Hereafter, as shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the charger in the battery non-charging equipment 53 is defined as the first charger 51, and as shown in Figure 6C, the charger in the battery charging equipment 54 is defined as the second charger 52. Since the rapid charger 22A and the rapid charger 22B have similar configurations, they will collectively be referred to as rapid charger 22 below.

[0028] As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the battery non-charging equipment 53 has a first charger 51 that charges the on-board battery using power received from the power grid 30 during the charging period, which is the time period from the start of work to the end of work each day during which the on-board battery can be charged. As shown in Figure 6C, the battery charging equipment 54 has a battery 23 that can be charged by power received from the power grid 30 until the charging period, and one or more second chargers 52 that charge the on-board battery using the power of the battery 23 during the charging period. In other words, the battery charging equipment 54 has a battery-attached charger 20 that has a battery 23 and one or more second chargers 52 connected to the battery 23.

[0029] As shown in Figure 5, the data table for charger specifications associates the charger's output (hereinafter also referred to as charging output) [kW], battery capacity [kWh], grid power [kW], and lease price [10,000 yen / month] with each charger available for use at the work site. The battery capacity [kWh] is the battery capacity of the battery 23 of the battery-equipped charger 20. The battery capacity of chargers without a battery 23 is 0 [kWh]. Grid power [kW] is the power required to be supplied from the power grid 30 to the charger, i.e., the power received by the charger. The lease price [10,000 yen / month] is the monthly fee paid to the charger leasing company.

[0030] As shown in Figures 5 and 6A to 6C, the rapid charger 22 has a higher charging output than the standard charger 21. Therefore, the rapid charger 22 makes it easier to secure the necessary charge for the next task by charging during rest periods between tasks. However, the rapid charger 22 requires more power from the power grid 30 than the standard charger 21. Also, the lease price of the rapid charger 22 is higher than that of the standard charger 21. On the other hand, the standard charger 21 has a lower charging output but a lower lease price. Therefore, the rapid charger 22 is suitable when there is a lot of work and frequent charging is necessary. On the other hand, the standard charger 21 is suitable when it is sufficient to charge only during off-peak hours, such as at night.

[0031] The advantages of the battery charger 20 will be explained with reference to Figures 6C and 7. As shown in Figure 6C, the battery charger 20 consists of a battery 23 and two rapid chargers 22B. The battery charger 20 draws a small power line 31 from the power grid 30 and continuously charges the attached battery 23. The battery charger 20 utilizes the continuously charged amount to charge the vehicle's onboard battery using the rapid chargers 22B.

[0032] Figure 7 shows the time variation of the State of Charge (SOC) and output of the battery charger 20, and the output and SOC of the vehicle (electric construction machine) 40. In Figure 7, the horizontal axis represents time. In Figure 7(a), the vertical axis represents the SOC of the battery 23 of the battery charger 20, and in Figure 7(b), the vertical axis represents the output of the battery 23. In Figure 7(c), the vertical axis represents the output of the vehicle 40, and in Figure 7(d), the vertical axis represents the SOC of the vehicle 40. In Figures 7(b) and 7(c), a negative value indicates discharge and a positive value indicates charging. It is assumed that the required number of vehicles 40 exist as a group and all operate on the same schedule. A group consisting of multiple vehicles 40 will hereafter be referred to as a vehicle group.

[0033] In the first work section 200, the group of vehicles are discharging power in order to perform work. As a result, the State of Charge (SOC) of the group of vehicles decreases over time. During this time, the battery 23 of the battery charger 20 is charged by grid power supplied from the power grid 30.

[0034] The next rapid charging section 201 corresponds to, for example, a lunch break, and in this section, the rapid charger 22B of the battery-attached charger 20 charges the vehicle group using the power of the battery 23. In rapid charging section 201, the battery 23 discharges and the vehicle group is charged. This ensures that the vehicle group has enough charge for the work in the next second work section 202. Rapid charging is required when it is necessary to secure the amount of charge needed for the next work in a short section between work. In rapid charging section 201, the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 23 decreases due to the rapid discharge of the battery 23.

[0035] The next second work section 202 is the same as the first work section 200 described above. The next rapid charging section 203 is the same as the rapid charging section 201 described above. In other words, in the second work section 202, the group of vehicles discharges and the storage battery 23 charges to secure the charge amount until the next timing. In the rapid charging section 203, the storage battery-attached charger 20 charges the group of vehicles. In the example shown in Figure 7, it is assumed that the work for the day is completed when the rapid charging section 203 ends.

[0036] Rapid charging in rapid charging sections 201 and 203 reduces the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 23 (it becomes lower than at the start of each section). In the illustrated example, the SOC of the battery 23 is at its lowest point when rapid charging section 203 ends. The next standby section 204 is the section until the start of work the next day, and in this section, the battery 23 of the battery-attached charger 20 is charged using grid power.

[0037] In this way, by charging the vehicle group using the battery-attached charger 20, it becomes unnecessary to request the power P2, which is normally required for rapid charging, from the power grid 30. The power requested from the power grid 30 can be a power P1, which is smaller than power P2. Therefore, the contracted power and power supply lines can be corresponding to power P1, resulting in lower costs. The battery-charging equipment 54 can be said to be a suitable system configuration for work sites where the contracted power is set relatively low.

[0038] <First component calculation section> Referring to Figure 8, an example of the processing flow by the first configuration calculation unit 110 will be explained. The processing shown in the flowchart of Figure 8 is initiated, for example, when a request for a charging equipment proposal is input from the information terminal 3 to the charging equipment proposal device 100 by the operation of the administrator 2. The first configuration calculation unit 110 acquires and stores work information and work site information from the information terminal 3. The charging equipment proposal device 100 also acquires and stores equipment information from the equipment information server 4. The first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the vehicle configuration (type and number) and the charger configuration (type and number) when a battery non-charging equipment 53 is installed at the work site.

[0039] As shown in Figure 8, in step S110, the first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the amount of work required per day (hereinafter also referred to as the amount of work required per day) Wrd by dividing the required amount of work Wr by the number of work days D required until the completion of the work. The first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the number of work days D by subtracting the number of holidays from the number of days from the work start date Ds to the work end date De. The number of holidays is calculated from calendar data that includes holidays. For example, if the required amount of work Wr is 6000 [m 3 Let's assume that the number of working days D, excluding holidays, from the start date Ds to the end date De is 100 days. In this case, the daily required work Wrd is 60 [m 3 [ / day]

[0040] In the next step S113, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines whether the working area Sw is equal to or greater than the first area Sa. If it is determined that the working area Sw is less than the first area Sa, the process proceeds to step S116. If it is determined that the working area Sw is equal to or greater than the first area Sa, the process proceeds to step S120.

[0041] In step S116, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines whether the working area Sw is greater than or equal to the second area Sb. If it is determined that the working area Sw is less than the second area Sb, the process proceeds to step S126; if it is determined that the working area Sw is greater than or equal to the second area Sb, the process proceeds to step S123.

[0042] In step S120, the first configuration calculation unit 110 selects a large vehicle A as the vehicle 40 to perform work at the work site. In step S123, the first configuration calculation unit 110 selects a medium-sized vehicle B as the vehicle 40 to perform work at the work site. In step S126, the first configuration calculation unit 110 selects a small vehicle C as the vehicle 40 to perform work at the work site.

[0043] The first area Sa and the second area Sb are thresholds used for selecting a vehicle (vehicle type) and are stored in the storage device 12. The first area Sa is larger than the second area Sb. In steps S113 to S126, a vehicle (vehicle type) suitable for the work site is selected based on the work area Sw. In other words, vehicles (vehicle types) with larger vehicle sizes are selected in order of the size of the work site. The vehicle type is stored in association with specifications such as unit work volume and power consumption (see Figure 4). In other words, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines the specifications of vehicle 40, including the unit work volume and power consumption, based on the work area Sw included in the work site information acquired from the input device 3a. When the vehicle selection process for vehicle 40 is completed in any of steps S120, S123, or S126, the process proceeds to step S130.

[0044] In step S130, the first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the number of vehicles 40 N to be used at the work site using the following formula (1). N = ROUNDUP(Wrd / (Wv × Tw)) …(1) Here, ROUNDUP is an operation for rounding up the decimal part. Wrd is the amount of work required per day calculated in step S110. Tw is the available working time [h], which is the time width of the available working time zone. The available working time Tw is the sum of the time from the start time of work to the interruption time of work and the time from the resumption time of work to the end time of work. Wv is the amount of work per unit time (hereinafter also referred to as the unit work amount) of the vehicle (vehicle type) selected in the vehicle selection process (steps S120, S123, S126). The unit work amount Wv is extracted according to the selected vehicle (vehicle type) by referring to the vehicle specification data table shown in FIG. 4.

[0045] For example, the case where the amount of work required per day Wrd is 60 [m 3 / day], and the total available working time Tw for one day is 7.5 hours will be described. When the large vehicle A is selected, since the unit work amount Wv is 2 [m 3 / h], the number N of vehicles 40 is 4. When the small vehicle C is selected, since the unit work amount Wv is 1 [m 3 / h], the number N of vehicles 40 is 8.

[0046] In the next step S133, the first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the required power amount Ev [kWh], which is the power amount required for one vehicle 40 to perform one-day work, according to the following formula (2). Ev = Ec × (Wvd / Wv) …(2) Here, Ec is the electricity cost. The electricity cost Ec is the power amount consumed per unit time (power consumption rate) by the work of the vehicle 40. The electricity cost Ec is extracted according to the selected vehicle (vehicle type) by referring to the vehicle specification data table shown in FIG. 4. Wvd is the work amount per day of one vehicle 40, which is calculated by the first configuration calculation unit 110. When the amount of work required per day Wrd is 60 [m 3 / day], the large vehicle A is selected, and the number N of vehicles 40 is 4, the work amount Wvd per day of one vehicle 40 is 15 [m 3 / day] (Wvd = Wrd / N).

[0047] In the next step S136, the first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the usable energy amount Eu, which is the amount of energy that one vehicle 40 can use in one day, using the following equations (3) and (4). The usable energy amount Eu when a normal charger 21 is installed is denoted as the first usable energy amount Eu1, and the usable energy amount Eu when a rapid charger 22 is installed is denoted as the second usable energy amount Eu2. Eu1 = Oc1 × Td + Cbc …(3) Eu² = Oc² × Td + Cbc …(4) Here, Oc1 is the charging output of the standard charger 21, and Oc2 is the charging output of the rapid charger 22. The charging outputs Oc1 and Oc2 are extracted from the charger specification data table shown in Figure 5. Td is the charging time, which is the time from the time work is interrupted to the time work is resumed. The charging time Td is the duration of the rest period (charging time period). Cbc is the battery capacity of the on-board battery (capacity when fully charged). The battery capacity (maximum capacity) Cbc is extracted according to the selected vehicle (model) by referring to the vehicle specification data table shown in Figure 4.

[0048] The product of the charging output Oc1 and the charging time Td corresponds to the increase in the capacity of the onboard battery due to charging with the normal charger 21 (first charger 51) during the charging time, i.e., the increase in the capacity of the onboard battery. Similarly, the product of the charging output Oc2 and the charging time Td corresponds to the increase in the capacity of the onboard battery due to charging with the rapid charger 22 (first charger 51) during the charging time, i.e., the increase in the capacity of the onboard battery.

[0049] In the next step S140, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines whether the first available energy amount Eu1 is equal to or greater than the required energy amount Ev. If it is determined that the first available energy amount Eu1 is less than the required energy amount Ev, the process proceeds to step S143. If it is determined that the first available energy amount Eu1 is equal to or greater than the required energy amount Ev, the process proceeds to step S146.

[0050] In step S143, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines whether the second usable energy amount Eu2 is equal to or greater than the required energy amount Ev. If it is determined that the second usable energy amount Eu2 is less than the required energy amount Ev, the process proceeds to step S152. If it is determined that the second usable energy amount Eu2 is equal to or greater than the required energy amount Ev, the process proceeds to step S149.

[0051] In step S146, the first configuration calculation unit 110 selects a standard charger 21 as a candidate for a charger to be installed at the work site. In step S149, the first configuration calculation unit 110 selects a rapid charger 22 as a candidate for a charger to be installed at the work site. In step S152, the first configuration calculation unit 110 increases the number of vehicles 40 N by 1 and returns to step S133. In step S133, the first configuration calculation unit 110 recalculates the daily workload Wvd and required power Ev for one vehicle 40 (Wvd = Wrd / N, Ev = Ec × (Wvd / Wv)). As the number of vehicles 40 N increases, the daily workload Wvd for one vehicle 40 decreases, so the amount of power required per day for one vehicle 40 (required power Ev) decreases.

[0052] In steps S130 to S152, the minimum number of vehicles 40 N required so that the vehicles 40 do not run out of charge during operation, and the type of charger are appropriately determined based on the daily required work amount Wrd, the available working time Tw, and the unit work amount Wv of the selected vehicles. If the selection process for the type of charger is completed in either step S146 or S149, the process proceeds to step S155.

[0053] For example, if the required daily workload Wrd is 60 [m 3 [ / day], and when working with 4 large vehicles A, the daily workload Wvd for one vehicle 40 is 15 [m 3 The unit work volume Wv of large vehicle A is 2[m 3The power consumption is [ / h]. Therefore, if the available working time Tw is 7.5 hours, large vehicle A will perform work for the entire available working time. Since the power consumption Ec of large vehicle A is 40 [kW], the required power consumption is 300 [kWh].

[0054] The charging output Oc1 of the standard charger 21 is 30 [kW], and the battery capacity Cbc of the large vehicle A is 200 [kWh]. Therefore, if the charging time Td is 1 hour, the first usable energy amount Eu1 is 230 [kWh] according to equation (3). The charging output Oc2 of the rapid charger 22 is 150 [kW], so the second usable energy amount Eu2 is 350 [kWh] according to equation (4). Therefore, the determination process in step S140 is negative, and the determination process in step S143 is executed. In the determination process in step S143, it is determined that the required energy amount can be covered by installing one rapid charger 22 per large vehicle, the determination process in step S143 is positive, and the rapid charger 22 is selected in step S149.

[0055] As described above, the storage device 12 of the charging equipment proposal device 100 according to this embodiment stores a plurality of candidate specifications for the first charger 51, including the output (charging output) and the power received (grid power) of the first charger 51 (see Figure 5). The first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the usable energy amounts Eu1 and Eu2 for each of the plurality of candidate specifications for the first charger 51 (S136). If either of the usable energy amounts Eu1 and Eu2 calculated for each of the plurality of candidate specifications for the first charger 51 is greater than or equal to the required energy amount Ev, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines the candidate specification for the first charger 51 where the usable energy amount Eu is greater than or equal to the required energy amount Ev, and the difference between the usable energy amount Eu and the required energy amount Ev is smallest, as the specification for the first charger 51 (S140~S149).

[0056] The first configuration calculation unit 110, if the usable energy amounts Eu1 and Eu2 calculated for each of the candidate specifications of the multiple first chargers 51 are both less than the required energy amount Ev, increases the number of vehicles 40 N and recalculates the required energy amount Ev (No. in S140, No. in S143, S152, S133). Based on the recalculated required energy amount Ev and the usable energy amounts Eu1 and Eu2, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines the specifications of the first charger 51 (S140 to S149).

[0057] In other words, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines the specifications of the first charger 51, including the power received by the first charger 51, so that the usable power amount Eu is equal to or greater than the required power amount Eu (S133~S152).

[0058] In step S155, the first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the grid power required to realize charging by each of the selected first chargers 51, i.e., the first required power received by the battery non-charging equipment 53, which is the first required power received power Pr1 [kW]. The first required power received power Pr1 is calculated by the following formula (5). Pr1 = Gc × Nc …(5) Here, Gc is the power received by the first charger 51, that is, the grid power supplied to the first charger 51. The power received Gc is the grid power Gc1 required for the normal charger 21 when the normal charger 21 is selected, and the grid power Gc2 required for the rapid charger 22 when the rapid charger 22 is selected. Nc is the number of first chargers 51. In this embodiment, the first configuration calculation unit 110 sets the number of first chargers 51 Nc to a value equal to the number of vehicles 40 N (Nc=N). Therefore, when the number of vehicles 40 N increases (step S152), the number of first chargers 51 Nc also increases accordingly.

[0059] For example, if the type of the first charger 51 is a rapid charger 22, the power received by the first charger 51 will be Gc = Gc2 = 150 [kW] (see Figure 5). If the number of first chargers 51 Nc is 4, the first required power received Pr1 will be 600 [kW]. In this way, the first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates the first required power received Pr1 based on the determined specifications of the first charger 51 and the number of first chargers 51 Nc (step S155).

[0060] In the next step S158, the first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates a work schedule based on the type and number N of the selected vehicles 40, the type and number Nc of the selected first chargers 51, and work information, and then completes the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 8.

[0061] Referring to Figure 9, an example of a work schedule for installing the battery non-charging equipment 53 will be explained. In Figure 9, the horizontal axis represents time. In Figure 9(a), the vertical axis represents the output of the vehicle 40, and in Figure 9(b), the vertical axis represents the State of Charge (SOC) of the vehicle's onboard battery. In Figure 9(a), a negative value indicates discharge and a positive value indicates charging.

[0062] As shown in Figure 9, a one-hour break (rest period) is set for lunchtime, from 12:00 to 13:00. This means that the work interruption time is set to 12:00, and the work resumption time is set to 13:00. Furthermore, the work start time is set to 9:00, and the work end time is set to 17:30. This time information is included in the work information.

[0063] The pre-operation waiting section 400 is, for example, the period from 0:00 to 9:00 when vehicle 40 is idle, and the State of Charge (SOC) of large vehicle A is maintained at 100%. Since the energy consumption Ec of large vehicle A is 40 [kW], in the first operation section 401 from 9:00 to 12:00, the SOC of large vehicle A decreases from 100% (battery capacity: 200 [kWh]) to 40% (battery capacity: 80 [kWh]).

[0064] During the rest period 402 from 12:00 to 13:00, the onboard batteries of the four large vehicles A are each charged by the rapid charger 22. The State of Charge (SOC) of the onboard batteries of the large vehicles A are rapidly charged to 100%, ensuring that the necessary charge is available in the next second work period 403 and preventing depletion of power. During the second work period 403 from 13:00 to 17:30, the SOC of the onboard batteries of the large vehicles A decreases from 100% (battery capacity: 200 [kWh]) to 10% (battery capacity: 20 [kWh]). During the post-work charging period 404 from 17:30, the onboard batteries of the large vehicles A are charged by the rapid charger 22. During the subsequent post-work waiting period 405, the SOC of the onboard batteries of the large vehicles A is maintained at 100%.

[0065] In this way, the first configuration calculation unit 110 determines the type and number Nc of the first charger 51, and the type and number N of the vehicles 40, as the system configuration of the battery non-charging equipment 53. After the system configuration of the battery non-charging equipment 53 is determined, the first configuration calculation unit 110 calculates an appropriate work schedule by allocating charging to predetermined sections (rest section 402 and post-work charging section 404).

[0066] <Second component calculation section> Referring to Figure 10, an example of the processing flow by the second configuration calculation unit 111 will be explained. The process shown in the flowchart of Figure 10 is started, for example, when a request for a charging equipment proposal is input from the information terminal 3 to the charging equipment proposal device 100 by the operation of the administrator 2. The second configuration calculation unit 111 acquires and stores work information and work site information from the information terminal 3. The second configuration calculation unit 111 also acquires and stores equipment information from the equipment information server 4. The second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the vehicle configuration (type and number) and charger configuration (type and number) when a battery charging equipment 54 is installed at the work site. The process shown in the flowchart of Figure 8 and the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 10 are executed in parallel. Note that the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 10 may be started after the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 8 is completed.

[0067] As shown in Figure 10, in step S100, the second configuration calculation unit 111 performs the same processing as the first configuration calculation unit 110 to determine the configuration of the vehicle 40 (steps S110 to S130 in Figure 8). In the next step S160, the second configuration calculation unit 111 sets the number of battery-attached chargers 20 to one and proceeds to step S163.

[0068] In step S163, the second configuration calculation unit 111 extracts the number of charging ports per battery-attached charger 20 (reference number of ports) from the charger specification data table (see Figure 5), and calculates the number of charging ports Np by multiplying the reference number of ports by the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb. The number of charging ports Np corresponds to the total number of charging ports of one or more battery-attached chargers 20 installed at the work site.

[0069] In step S163, the second configuration calculation unit 111 determines whether the number of charging ports Np is equal to or greater than the number of vehicles 40 N determined in step S100. If it is determined that the number of charging ports Np is less than the number of vehicles 40 N, the process proceeds to step S166. If it is determined that the number of charging ports Np is equal to or greater than the number of vehicles 40 N, the process proceeds to step S169.

[0070] In step S166, the second configuration calculation unit 111 increases the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb by one and returns to step S163. If the number of charging ports Np is less than the number of vehicles 40 N, the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb increases until the number of charging ports Np is equal to or greater than the number of vehicles 40 N. In the example shown in Figure 5, the standard number of ports is 2. Therefore, if the number of vehicles 40 N is 4, the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb will be 2.

[0071] In step S169, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the rechargeable energy amount Ega [kWh], which is the amount of energy that the battery charging equipment 54 can charge in one day (24 hours), using the following formula (6). The rechargeable energy amount Ega corresponds to the total amount of energy that can be charged by all the batteries 23 included in the battery charging equipment 54. In other words, the rechargeable energy amount Ega is the amount of energy that one or more batteries 23 of the battery charging equipment 54 can charge in one day (24 hours) with the power received from the power grid 30. Ega = Gcb × 24 [h] × Ncb …(6) Here, Gcb[kW] is the power received by the battery 23, i.e., the grid power supplied from the power grid 30 to the battery-attached charger 20, and is extracted from the charger specification data table shown in Figure 5. Ncb is the number of battery-attached chargers 20, i.e., the number of battery 23s.

[0072] In the next step S172, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the total required power amount Eva [kWh], which is the sum of the power amounts required by all vehicles 40, at the work site in one day, using the following formula (7). The total required power amount Eva is the amount of power required by one or more vehicles 40 in one day. Eva = Ev × N …(7) Here, Ev[kWh] is the amount of electricity required for one vehicle 40 per day, and is calculated using equation (2).

[0073] In the next step S175, the second configuration calculation unit 111 determines whether the rechargeable energy amount Ega is greater than or equal to the total required energy amount Eva. In other words, the second configuration calculation unit 111 determines whether the total required energy amount Eva can be covered by the upper limit of the amount of energy that can be charged in one day (rechargeable energy amount Ega). If it is determined that the rechargeable energy amount Ega is less than the total required energy amount Eva, the process proceeds to step S178. If it is determined that the rechargeable energy amount Ega is greater than or equal to the total required energy amount Eva, the process proceeds to step S180.

[0074] In step S178, the second configuration calculation unit 111 increases the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb by one and returns to step S169. If the rechargeable energy amount Ega is less than the total required energy amount Eva, the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb increases until the rechargeable energy amount Ega is equal to or greater than the total required energy amount Eva.

[0075] If the power received per battery-attached charger 20 (grid power) Gcb is 30 [kW], the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb is 2 [units], and the number of vehicles 40 N is 4 [units], then a positive determination is made in step S175 (Ega = 1440 [kWh], Eva = 1200 [kWh]). Therefore, the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb remains 2 [units], and the process proceeds to the next step S180.

[0076] In step S180, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the second required power received power Pr2 [kW], which is the grid power required to charge all the batteries 23, i.e., the required power received by the battery charging equipment 54, based on the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb. The second required power received power Pr2 is calculated by the following equation (8). Pr2 = Gcb × Ncb …(8) As described above, Gcb is the grid power required for the battery-attached charger 20, and Ncb is the number of battery-attached chargers 20.

[0077] For example, if the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb is 2, and the grid power required for the battery-attached chargers 20 Gcb = 30 [kW] (see Figure 5), then the second required power received Pr2 will be 60 [kW].

[0078] Thus, if the rechargeable energy amount Ega is greater than or equal to the total required energy amount Eva, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the second required power received Pr2 using the number of storage batteries 23 Ncb used in calculating the rechargeable energy amount Ega (Yes in S175, S180). On the other hand, if the rechargeable energy amount Ega is less than the total required energy amount Eva, the second configuration calculation unit 111 increases the rechargeable energy amount Ega by increasing the number of storage batteries 23 Ncb (No in S175, S178, S169). In other words, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the second required power received Pr2 so that the rechargeable energy amount Ega is greater than or equal to the total required energy amount Eva (S169~S180).

[0079] In step S181, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates a work schedule based on the type and number of selected vehicles 40, the number of battery-attached chargers 20, and work information. The second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates a work schedule such that the capacity of the battery 23 at the time charging of the vehicles 40 in the post-work charging section 404 is equal to or greater than a predetermined target value (e.g., 0 [kWh]), and is as close to the target value (e.g., 0 [kWh]) as possible.

[0080] Referring to Figure 11, an example of a work schedule for installing the battery charging equipment 54 will be explained. In Figure 11, the horizontal axis represents time (time). The vertical axis in Figure 11(a) represents the output of the vehicle 40, the vertical axis in Figure 11(b) represents the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 23 of the battery-attached charger 20, and the vertical axis in Figure 11(c) represents the power supplied from the power grid 30 to the battery 23 (grid power). The time change of the output of the vehicle 40 shown in Figure 11(a) is the same as in Figure 9(a).

[0081] As shown in Figure 11, the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 23 is 100% before the first work section 401, and the SOC of the battery 23 is maintained at 100% in section 500. In section 500, the battery 23 does not receive power from the power grid 30. Outside of section 500, the battery 23 is supplied with grid power. Since there are 2 battery chargers 20 (Ncb), the grid power is 60 kW. In the rest section 402 and the post-work charging section 404, the battery chargers 20 perform rapid charging of the vehicle 40, but since grid power is supplied in sections other than section 500, the SOC of the battery 23 never falls below 0%.

[0082] As shown in Figure 10, once the work schedule calculation process (step S181) is completed, the process proceeds to step S183. In step S183, the second configuration calculation unit 111 determines whether the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 23 is 0% or greater for all stages of the work schedule from the work start date Ds to the work end date De. This determination process corresponds to the process of determining whether the capacity of the battery 23 is 0 (zero) or greater for all stages of the work schedule. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the work schedule is the same for each work day. Therefore, if the SOC of the battery 23 is 0% or greater for the entire period from the work start time to the work end time, and the SOC of the battery 23 is 100% before the rest period 402, then it can be determined that the SOC of the battery 23 is 0% or greater for all stages. If the second configuration calculation unit 111 determines that the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 23 is 0% or greater throughout the entire process, it proceeds to step S189. On the other hand, if the second configuration calculation unit 111 determines that the SOC (calculated value) of the battery 23 may fall below 0% throughout the entire process, it proceeds to step S186.

[0083] In step S186, the second configuration calculation unit 111 increases the number of battery chargers 20 (i.e., the number of batteries 23) Ncb by one and returns the process to step S180. If it is predicted that the State of Charge (SOC) of the batteries 23 will fall below 0%, the number of battery chargers 20 Ncb will increase until a work schedule is calculated in which the SOC of the batteries 23 will be 0% or greater throughout the entire process. In this way, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the SOC of the batteries 23 from the balance equation of the output to the vehicle 40 and the power from the power system 30, and determines the number of battery chargers 20 Ncb so that the SOC does not fall to 0%. The total battery capacity of the battery chargers 20 corresponds to the value obtained by multiplying the battery capacity of one battery charger 20 by the number of battery chargers 20 Ncb. In other words, the more battery-attached chargers (Ncb) there are, the greater the total battery capacity.

[0084] In this way, the second configuration calculation unit 111 determines the total battery capacity of one or more storage batteries 23 that make up the storage battery charging equipment 54 so that the capacity of the storage batteries 23 is 0 or more in all processes of the work schedule (S181~S186).

[0085] In step S189, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the total daily discharge amount Ed [kWh] of the battery 23 based on the calculated work schedule. The total discharge amount Ed is calculated, for example, based on the time history data of the SOC of the battery 23 shown in Figure 11(b). Once the calculation of the total daily discharge amount Ed is completed, the process shown in the flowchart of Figure 10 is completed.

[0086] <Degradation estimation section> As shown in Figure 3, the degradation estimation unit 112 calculates the degradation state of the storage battery 23 based on the total discharge amount Ed calculated by the second configuration calculation unit 111. In this embodiment, the degradation estimation unit 112 calculates the capacity degradation rate (capacity maintenance rate) SOHQ as a predicted value of the degradation state of the storage battery 23 using the following formula (9). SOHQ (State Of Health Quantity) is the ratio of the battery capacity (charge / discharge capacity) on the work end date De to the battery capacity (charge / discharge capacity) on the work start date Ds. SOHQ = 100 - K1 × Cn …(9) Here, K1 is a constant determined by the specifications of the battery 23. Cn is the number of discharge cycles of the battery charger 20 throughout the entire process from the start date Ds to the end date De.

[0087] The number of discharges Cn is calculated using the following formula (10) based on the number of discharges Cnd per day and the number of working days D, and the total number of discharges Cn for the entire process is calculated using the following formula (11). Cn = Cnd × D …(10) Cnd = Ed / (Cb × Ncb) …(11) Here, Ed is the total daily discharge amount of the battery 23 calculated by the second configuration calculation unit 111. Cb is the battery capacity of the battery 23 of the battery charger 20, and Ncb is the number of battery chargers 20. In other words, the value obtained by multiplying the battery capacity Cb of the battery 23 by the number of battery chargers 20 Ncb (Cb × Ncb) is the total battery capacity of the battery charging equipment 54. The number of working days D is obtained by subtracting the number of holidays from the number of days from the start date Ds to the end date De of the work, as described above.

[0088] For example, if the total daily discharge amount Ed is 1050 [kWh], the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb is 2, and the battery capacity Cb of the battery 23 is 400 [kWh] (see Figure 5), then the number of discharge cycles Cnd per day is 1.3 [cycles]. If the number of working days D is 100 days, the total number of discharge cycles Cn over the entire process will be 130 [cycles]. If the constant K1 is 0.01, the change in capacity degradation rate (K1 × Cn) will be 1.3 [%], and the capacity degradation rate SOHQ will be 98.7 [%].

[0089] Referring to Figure 3, the calculation process for the first cost Co1, which is the cost when the battery non-charging equipment 53 is installed, by the first cost calculation unit 113, and the calculation process for the second cost Co2, which is the cost when the battery charging equipment 54 is installed, by the second cost calculation unit 114 will be explained.

[0090] <First Cost Calculation Unit> As shown in Figure 3, the first cost calculation unit 113 calculates the first cost Co1 based on the type and number of chargers Nc, and the first required power received Pr1. The first cost Co1 is the cost related to the installation of the battery non-charging equipment 53, and is calculated by the following formula (12). Co1=Fc(Pr1)+Cw(Pr1)+Cc(Nc)×Mw…(12) Here, Fc(Pr1) is the cost of renewing the power contract to change the current contracted power to the first required power received Pr1. In other words, the power contract renewal cost Fc(Pr1) is the difference between the current power contract cost and the power contract cost after renewal. To put it another way, the power contract renewal cost Fc(Pr1) constitutes a part of the power contract cost after renewal. Cw(Pr1) is the power wiring cost for the first required power received Pr1. The higher the first required power received Pr1, the thicker and more numerous the power wiring becomes. Therefore, the higher the first required power received Pr1, the higher the power wiring cost, which is the cost associated with installing the power wiring. The power contract renewal cost Fc(Pr1) is calculated using the power contract cost C1 included in the power contract information described above, or a data table that links contracted power and power contract cost. The power wiring cost Cw(Pr1) is calculated using the power wiring cost C2 included in the information on owned power facilities described above, or a data table that links contracted power and power wiring cost.

[0091] Cc(Nc) is the monthly lease price when Nc units of the first charger 51 are installed, and is calculated by multiplying the lease price shown in Figure 5 by the number of first chargers 51, Nc. Mw is the number of working months, and is calculated based on the work start date Ds and the work end date De. Note that the number of working months Mw may be simply calculated from the number of working days D. For example, if the number of working days D is 100 days, the first cost calculation unit 113 may calculate the number of working months Mw as 3.33 months, assuming that there are 30 days in a month. The charger cost (Cc(Nc) × Mw), which is the cost associated with the installation of the first charger 51, increases as the number of working days D increases. Also, the charger cost (Cc(Nc) × Mw) increases as the monthly lease price increases.

[0092] For example, if the first required power reception power Pr1 is 600 [kW] and the current contracted power is 60 [kW], an increase of 540 [kW] is required. If the power contract renewal fee is C1 [yen] per 100 [kW] and the power wiring fee is C2 [yen] per 100 [kW], then the power contract renewal fee Fc(Pr1) will be 5.4 × C1 [yen] and the power wiring fee Cw(Pr1) will be 5.4 × C2 [yen]. When installing four rapid chargers 22, the lease price of the first charger 51 from the start date Ds to the end date De is approximately 270,000 yen, calculated by multiplying the lease price of the four rapid chargers 22 Cc(Nc) = 80,000 yen by the number of months of work Mw = 3.33 [months]. Therefore, the first cost Co1 will be (5.4 × C1 + 5.4 × C2 + 270,000 yen).

[0093] In this way, the first cost calculation unit 113 calculates the electricity contract renewal fee Fc(Pr1) and the electricity wiring fee Cw(Pr1), which are the electricity contract costs associated with the installation of the battery non-charging equipment 53, based on the required power received by the battery non-charging equipment 53 (first required power received Pr1), and calculates the first cost Co1 which includes the electricity contract renewal fee Fc(Pr1), the electricity wiring fee Cw(Pr1), and the charger fee (Cc(Nc)×Mw).

[0094] <Second Cost Calculation Unit> As shown in Figure 3, the second cost calculation unit 114 calculates the second cost Co2 based on the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb, the second required power received Pr2, and the change in the capacity degradation rate SOHQ (K1 × Cn). The second cost Co2 is the cost related to the installation of the battery charging equipment 54 and is calculated by the following formula (13). Co2=Fc(Pr2)+Cw(Pr2)+Ccb(Ncb)×Mw+Ld…(13) Here, Fc(Pr2) is the cost of renewing the power contract to increase the current contracted power to the second required power Pr2. In other words, the power contract renewal cost Fc(Pr2) is the difference between the current power contract cost and the renewed power contract cost. To put it another way, the power contract renewal cost Fc(Pr2) constitutes a part of the renewed power contract cost. Cw(Pr2) is the power wiring cost for the second required power Pr2. The higher the second required power Pr2, the thicker and more numerous the power wiring becomes. Therefore, the higher the second required power Pr2, the higher the power wiring cost, which is the cost associated with installing the power wiring. The power contract renewal cost Fc(Pr2) is calculated using the power contract cost C1 included in the power contract information mentioned above, or a data table that links contracted power and power contract cost. The power wiring cost Cw(Pr2) is calculated using the power wiring cost C2 included in the information on owned power facilities mentioned above, or a data table that links contracted power and power wiring cost.

[0095] Ccb(Ncb) is the monthly lease price when Ncb [units] of battery-attached chargers 20 are installed, and is calculated by multiplying the lease price shown in Figure 5 by the number of battery-attached chargers 20, Ncb. Mw is the number of working months, as described above. The charger cost (Ccb(Ncb) × Mw), which is the cost associated with the installation of the battery-attached chargers 20 including the second charger 52, increases as the number of working days D increases. Also, the charger cost (Ccb(Ncb) × Mw) increases as the monthly lease price increases.

[0096] In this way, the second cost calculation unit 114 calculates the electricity contract renewal fee Fc(Pr2) and electricity wiring fee Cw(Pr2), which are the electricity contract costs associated with the installation of the battery charging equipment 54, based on the required power received by the battery charging equipment 54 (second required power received Pr2), and calculates the second cost Co2, which includes the electricity contract renewal fee Fc(Pr2), electricity wiring fee Cw(Pr2), and charger fee (Ccb(Ncb)×Mw).

[0097] Ld is the loss cost corresponding to the change in the capacity degradation rate SOHQ (K1 × Cn). For example, the loss cost Ld associated with the degradation of the battery 23 of the battery-attached charger 20 is a fixed cost paid in a lump sum to the leasing company after all work is completed. The payment method may be to add a monthly amount that takes into account the loss cost Ld to the monthly lease price. The second cost calculation unit 114 may calculate the loss cost Ld by multiplying the change in the capacity degradation rate SOHQ by a conversion factor, or it may calculate the loss cost Ld using a data table that links the change in the capacity degradation rate SOHQ with the loss cost. The charging equipment proposal device 100 obtains and stores the conversion factor or data table for the loss cost Ld along with the data table of charger specifications from the equipment information server 4. The conversion factor for the loss cost Ld corresponds to the loss cost incurred per 1%.

[0098] For example, if the second required power reception power Pr2 is 60[kW] and the current contracted power is 60[kW], there is no need to renew the power contract. Therefore, the power contract renewal fee Fc(Pr2) is 0[yen]. Similarly, since there is no need for additional work related to power wiring, the power wiring fee Cw(Pr2) is also 0[yen]. When installing two battery-attached chargers 20, the lease price of the chargers from the start date Ds to the end date De is approximately 670,000 yen, calculated by multiplying the lease price of the two battery-attached chargers 20 Ccb(Ncb) = 100,000[yen] × 2[units] = 200,000[yen] by the number of months of work Mw = 3.33[months]. The loss cost Ld is 100,000 yen per 1% of capacity degradation rate (SOHQ) (i.e., the conversion factor is 10), and when the change in capacity degradation rate SOHQ (K1 × Cn) is 1.3%, it becomes 130,000 yen. In other words, the second cost CO2 is approximately 800,000 yen.

[0099] In this way, the second cost calculation unit 114 takes into account the capacity degradation rate SOHQ, which is a predicted value of the degradation state of the storage battery 23, and calculates the second cost CO2 of the storage battery charging equipment 54.

[0100] <Charging equipment determination section> The charging equipment determination unit 102 shown in Figure 2 determines the charging equipment to propose based on the first cost Co1 calculated by the first cost calculation unit 113 and the second cost Co2 calculated by the second cost calculation unit 114. In other words, the charging equipment determination unit 102 decides whether to propose a charging equipment, specifically a battery non-charging equipment 53 or a battery charging equipment 54. If the first cost Co1 is lower than the second cost Co2, the charging equipment determination unit 102 decides to propose the battery non-charging equipment 53 and determines the type and number Nc of the first charger 51 calculated by the first configuration calculation unit 110 as the specifications of the proposed charging equipment. The charging equipment determination unit 102 also determines the first cost Co1 as the charging equipment cost.

[0101] The charging equipment determination unit 102 decides to propose a battery charging equipment 54 if the second cost Co2 is lower than the first cost Co1, and determines the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncb calculated by the second configuration calculation unit 111 as the specification of the proposed charging equipment. The charging equipment determination unit 102 also determines the second cost Co2 as the cost of the charging equipment.

[0102] Furthermore, if the first cost Co1 and the second cost Co2 are equal, either the battery non-charging facility 53 or the battery charging facility 54 may be selected as the proposed charging facility, or both may be selected as the proposed charging facility.

[0103] <Total Cost Calculation Unit> If the charging equipment determination unit 102 has decided on a proposal for a battery non-charging equipment 53, the total cost calculation unit 103 calculates the vehicle cost, which is the cost associated with the vehicle 40, based on the configuration of the vehicle 40 (type and number N of vehicle 40) calculated by the first configuration calculation unit 110. If the charging equipment determination unit 102 has decided on a proposal for a battery charging equipment 54, the total cost calculation unit 103 calculates the vehicle cost, based on the configuration of the vehicle 40 (type and number N of vehicle 40) calculated by the second configuration calculation unit 111. The total cost calculation unit 103 calculates the total cost by adding the vehicle cost to the charging equipment cost determined by the cost calculation unit 101.

[0104] <Displayed image> As shown in Figure 2, the charging equipment suggestion device 100 outputs suggestion information to the display device 3b, which is information for displaying the suggestion screen on the display device 3b. The suggestion information includes information about the charging equipment to be suggested, as well as information regarding the work schedule, total cost, types and number of vehicles 40, and types and number of chargers corresponding to that charging equipment. The charging equipment suggestion device 100 controls the display device 3b to display the suggestion screen on the display device 3b.

[0105] Figure 12 shows an example of a proposal screen displayed on the display screen of the display device 3b. As shown in the example in Figure 12, the proposal screen includes the type and number of vehicles N, the type and number of chargers, the specifications of the chargers (charging output), the required cost (total cost), the scheduled completion date of the work, the work schedule, and the required power supply. In addition, if the type of charger is a battery-attached charger 20, the proposal screen also includes the battery capacity of the battery 23 and the capacity degradation rate (SOHQ) of the battery 23.

[0106] In this manner, the charging equipment proposal device 100 uses the display device 3b to propose the charging equipment to be installed at the work site, whichever of the two battery non-charging equipment 53 and battery charging equipment 54 has the lower cost. Furthermore, the charging equipment proposal device 100 outputs to the display device 3b information on the proposed charging equipment, along with the cost associated with installing the charging equipment, the type and number of vehicles, the daily work schedule including the charging time period (rest period 402, post-work charging period 404), and the capacity degradation rate of the battery 23 (predicted value of the degradation state).

[0107] According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0108] (1) The charging equipment proposal system 1 proposes charging equipment (53, 54). As shown in Figures 6A to 6C, the charging equipment (53, 54) is installed at the work site where the vehicle (electric construction machine) 40 is performing work. The charging equipment (53, 54) is equipped with chargers (51, 52) for charging the on-board battery installed in the vehicle 40. As shown in Figure 3, the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the cost of installing battery-free charging equipment (first charging equipment) 53, which does not have a battery attached, including the charger cost (lease price) for the battery-free charging equipment 53, the power contract cost (power contract renewal cost) and power wiring cost calculated based on the required power received by the battery-free charging equipment 53. Furthermore, the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the cost of installing a battery charging equipment (second charging equipment) 54, which is equipped with a battery 23 and can charge the on-board battery using the power of the attached battery 23, including the charger cost (lease price) of the battery charging equipment 54, the power contract cost (power contract renewal cost) calculated based on the required power received by the battery charging equipment 54, and the power wiring cost. The charging equipment proposal system 1 proposes the charging equipment to be installed at the work site of the vehicle 40, whichever of the battery non-charging equipment 53 and the battery charging equipment 54 has the lower cost. As shown in Figures 2 and 12, the charging equipment proposal system 1 according to this embodiment proposes the charging equipment by displaying information about the charging equipment on the display screen of the display device 3b.

[0109] In this configuration, the differences in the required power of the charging equipment and the costs associated with the presence or absence of the storage battery 23 are taken into consideration, and a low-cost charging equipment with the necessary specifications to realize the work is proposed. Thus, according to this embodiment, a charging equipment proposal system 1 can be provided that can propose appropriate charging equipment for the work site. As a result, appropriate charging equipment can be installed at the work site.

[0110] (2) As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the battery non-charging equipment 53 has a first charger 51 (normal charger 21 or rapid charger 22A) that charges the on-board battery with power received from the power grid 30 (grid power) during the rest period (charging period) 402, which is the period from the start of work to the end of work each day during which the on-board battery can be charged. As shown in Figure 6C, the battery charging equipment 54 has a battery 23 that can be charged to a predetermined capacity (maximum capacity) by power received from the power grid 30 by the first charging period (rest period 402), and a second charger 52 (rapid charger 22B) that charges the on-board battery with the power of the battery 23 during the charging period (rest period 402, post-work charging period 404).

[0111] As shown in Figures 3, 8, and 10, the charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the required power received by the battery non-charging equipment 53 and the battery charging equipment 54, respectively, based on the required amount of work Wr, which is the amount of work required to complete the work by the vehicle 40; the number of working days D required to complete the work; the working time period (first work section 401 and second work section 403), which is the time period in a day during which work can be performed; and the unit amount of work Wv, which is the amount of work performed by the vehicle 40 per unit time; and the power consumption Ec, which is the amount of electricity consumed per unit time by the work performed by the vehicle 40.

[0112] In this configuration, the required power received by the battery non-charging equipment 53 and the battery charging equipment 54 is calculated, taking into account the charging of the on-board battery during the rest period 402. Therefore, it is possible to propose appropriate charging equipment in a work schedule where there is a period during which charging is possible between the start time and the end time of work.

[0113] (3) As shown in Figure 3, the charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates a predicted value for the degradation state of the battery 23 of the battery charging equipment 54. In this embodiment, the charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the capacity degradation rate SOHQ of the battery 23 as a predicted value for the degradation state of the battery 23 at the end of work day De. The charging equipment proposal device 100 further takes into account the capacity degradation rate SOHQ, which is a predicted value for the degradation state of the battery 23, and calculates the cost associated with the installation of the battery charging equipment 54 (second cost Co2).

[0114] In this configuration, when the battery-attached charger 20 is installed, it becomes possible to assess the economic feasibility by taking into account the costs associated with the degradation of the battery 23.

[0115] (4) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the daily required work amount Wrd, which is the amount of work required per day, based on the required work amount Wr and the number of working days D (S110 in Figure 8). The charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the number of vehicles 40 to be used at the work site N, based on the daily required work amount Wrd, the unit work amount Wv of the vehicle 40, and the available working time Tw, which is the time width of the available working time period (S130 in Figure 8). The charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the number of first chargers 51 of the battery non-charging equipment 53 N, based on the number of vehicles 40 N. In this embodiment, the charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the number of vehicles 40 N as the number of first chargers Nc (Nc=N). The charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the required power received by the battery non-charging equipment 53 (first required power received Pr1) based on the number Nc of the first chargers 51 and the power received by the first chargers 51 (grid power) (S155 in Figure 8).

[0116] In this configuration, the first required power received Pr1 is calculated based on the type and number Nc of the first charger 51 corresponding to the type and number N of vehicles 40. Therefore, the cost associated with the installation of the battery non-charging equipment 53 can be determined with greater accuracy.

[0117] (5) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 acquires information on the work area Sw of the work site (Figure 3). Based on the acquired information on the work area Sw of the work site, the charging equipment proposal device 100 determines the specifications of the vehicle 40, including the unit work amount Wv and the power consumption Ec of the vehicle 40 (S113 to S126 in Figure 8).

[0118] In this configuration, the appropriate specifications of the vehicle 40 (i.e., the type of vehicle 40) are determined according to the size of the work site. The specifications of the charging equipment are calculated based on the specifications of the vehicle 40. Therefore, the charging equipment suggestion device 100 can suggest appropriate charging equipment according to the size of the work site.

[0119] (6) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the required power amount Ev, which is the amount of power required for one vehicle 40 to work for one day, based on the power consumption Ec, the amount of work per day Wvd of one vehicle 40, and the unit amount of work Wv (S133 in Figure 8). The charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the usable power amount Eu, which is the amount of power that one vehicle 40 can use for one day, based on the capacity of the onboard battery increased by charging of the first charger 51 during the rest period (charging available time period) 402 and the battery capacity of the onboard battery (capacity when fully charged) (S136 in Figure 8). The charging equipment proposal device 100 determines the specifications of the first charger 51, including the power received by the first charger 51 of the battery non-charging equipment 53 (grid power), so that the usable power amount Eu is equal to or greater than the required power amount Ev (S133 to S152 in Figure 8).

[0120] This configuration allows for the appropriate determination of the specifications of the first charger 51 of the battery non-charging equipment 53. This makes it possible to determine the charger cost (lease price) of the first charger 51 with greater accuracy. As a result, the cost of the battery non-charging equipment 53 can be determined with greater accuracy.

[0121] (7) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 stores a plurality of candidate specifications for the first charger 51, including the output (charging output) and power received (grid power) of the first charger 51 of the battery non-charging equipment 53 (see Figure 5). The charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the usable energy amount Eu for each of the plurality of candidate specifications for the first charger 51 (S136 in Figure 8). If any of the usable energy amounts Eu calculated for each of the plurality of candidate specifications for the first charger 51 are greater than or equal to the required energy amount Ev, the charging equipment proposal device 100 determines the candidate specification for the first charger 51 to propose, which is the first charger 51 specification whose usable energy amount Eu is greater than or equal to the required energy amount Ev and whose difference between the usable energy amount Eu and the required energy amount Ev is the smallest (S140~S149 in Figure 8). The charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the required power received by the battery non-charging equipment 53 (first required power received Pr1) based on the determined specifications of the first charger 51 and the number of first chargers 51 Nc (S155 in Figure 8).

[0122] With this configuration, it is possible to select a first charger 51 with appropriate specifications from among several predetermined specifications of first chargers 51, such as off-the-shelf products, and then determine the cost associated with installing the battery non-charging equipment 53.

[0123] (8) If the charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the required power amount Ev again by increasing the number of vehicles 40 N if any of the usable power amount Eu calculated for each of the candidate specifications of the multiple first chargers 51 is less than the required power amount Ev (S152, S133 in Figure 8). Based on the recalculated required power amount Ev and the usable power amount Eu, the charging equipment proposal device 100 determines the specifications of the first charger 51 (S140~S149 in Figure 8).

[0124] In this configuration, the amount of work Wvd per day for one vehicle 40 can be reduced by increasing the number N of vehicles 40. As a result, the required power amount Ev, which is the amount of power required for one vehicle 40 to work for one day, is reduced, and the appropriate specifications for the first charger 51 can be determined according to the number N of updated vehicles 40.

[0125] (9) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the required power received by the non-charging battery equipment 53 (second required power received Pr2) so that the amount of chargeable energy Ega, which is the amount of energy that one or more batteries 23 of the battery charging equipment 54 can be charged in a day with power received from the power grid 30 (grid power), is equal to or greater than the total required energy Eva, which is the amount of energy that one or more vehicles 40 need in a day (S169~S180 in Figure 10).

[0126] With this configuration, the required power received by the battery charging equipment 54 can be appropriately determined, and therefore the cost of the battery charging equipment 54 can be calculated with greater accuracy.

[0127] (10) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the amount of rechargeable energy Ega based on the power received by the battery 23 of the battery-powered charging equipment 54 (grid power) and the number of battery 23s Ncb (S169 in Figure 10). The charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the total required energy Eva based on the amount of energy Ev required by one vehicle 40 per day and the number of vehicles 40 N (S172 in Figure 10). If the amount of rechargeable energy Ega is less than the total required energy Eva, the charging equipment proposal device 100 increases the amount of rechargeable energy Ega by increasing the number of battery 23s Ncb (S175, S178, S169 in Figure 10). If the rechargeable energy amount Ega is equal to or greater than the total required energy amount Eva, the charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the required power received by the battery charging equipment 54 (second required power received Pr2) using the number of batteries 23 Ncb used to calculate the rechargeable energy amount Ega (S175, S180 in Figure 10).

[0128] In this configuration, the amount of rechargeable energy Ega can be increased by increasing the number of batteries 23 Ncb without changing the specifications of the batteries 23. With this configuration, an appropriate configuration of the battery non-charging equipment 53 can be proposed by adjusting the number of readily available batteries 23 Ncb, such as off-the-shelf products.

[0129] (11) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates a work schedule that includes the time change in the capacity of the storage battery 23 (time change in SOC) (S181 in Figure 10). The charging equipment proposal device 100 determines the total battery capacity of the storage battery 23 that constitutes the battery charging equipment 54 so that the capacity of the storage battery 23 is 0 or more for all processes of the work schedule (i.e., the SOC of the storage battery 23 is 0 [%] or more).

[0130] In this configuration, the total battery capacity of the battery charging equipment 54 can be appropriately determined, and the cost associated with installing the battery charging equipment 54 can be calculated with greater accuracy.

[0131] (12) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 determines whether the capacity of the storage battery 23 is 0 or more at all stages of the work schedule (i.e., whether the SOC of the storage battery 23 is 0[%] or more) (S183 in Figure 10). If the charging equipment proposal device 100 determines that the capacity (calculated value) of the storage battery 23 may fall below 0 at all stages of the work schedule, it increases the number of storage batteries 23 Ncb that make up the storage battery charging equipment 54 to determine the total battery capacity of the storage battery 23 so that the capacity of the storage battery 23 is 0 or more at all stages of the work schedule.

[0132] In this configuration, the total battery capacity of the battery storage system 23 can be increased by increasing the number of battery storage systems 23 Ncb without changing the specifications of the battery storage systems 23. With this configuration, an appropriate configuration of the battery storage system 53 can be proposed by adjusting the number of readily available battery storage systems 23 Ncb, such as off-the-shelf products.

[0133] (13) As shown in Figures 2 and 12, the charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates a daily work schedule and outputs to the display device 3b information on the proposed charging equipment, the cost associated with the installation of the charging equipment, the type and number of vehicles 40, the daily work schedule including the charging time period (rest period 402, post-work charging period 404, etc.), and a predicted value of the degradation state of the storage battery.

[0134] With this configuration, administrator 2 can confirm that the proposed charging equipment takes into account the daily work schedule, including the time period during which charging is possible, and the predicted state of degradation of the battery 23.

[0135] <Second Embodiment> The charging equipment proposed system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3, 13, and 14. Note that the same reference numerals will be used for components identical or equivalent to those described in the first embodiment, and the differences will be primarily explained. The hardware configuration of the charging equipment proposed system 1 according to the second embodiment (see Figure 1) is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0136] The charging equipment proposal device 100 according to the first embodiment was configured to propose charging equipment based on the specifications of the battery-attached charger 20 stored in the storage device 12. In contrast, the charging equipment proposal device 100 according to the second embodiment determines the optimal specifications of the battery-attached charger 20 based on the work schedule including work sections and rest sections, and the vehicle configuration, and calculates the second cost CO2 based on the determined specifications of the battery-attached charger 20. The second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the optimal values ​​of the charging output of the battery-attached charger 20, the battery capacity of the battery 23, and the grid power (received power), which are the specifications of the battery-attached charger 20.

[0137] Referring to Figure 13, an example of the processing flow executed by the second configuration calculation unit 111 according to the second embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 13, the second configuration calculation unit 111, similar to the first embodiment, executes the processing for determining the configuration of the vehicle 40 (steps S110 to S130 in Figure 8) in step S100.

[0138] In the next step S233, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the charging output Oc of the battery charger 20 using the following formula (14). Oc = (Ev - Cbc) / Td …(14) Here, Ev[kWh] is the required power, which is the amount of power needed for one vehicle 40 to work for one day, and is calculated by equation (2). Td is the charging time, which is the duration of the rest period 702 (charging time zone) from the time work is interrupted to the time work is resumed, and is input from the information terminal 3 to the charging equipment suggestion device 100 along with the information on the working time zone. Cbc is the battery capacity of the on-board battery, which is extracted according to the selected vehicle 40 by referring to the vehicle specification data table shown in Figure 4.

[0139] Equation (14) is similar to equations (3) and (4), and by assuming that the available energy amount Eu is equal to the required energy amount Ev, the optimal charging output (maximum output) Oc can be obtained. For example, if the required energy amount Ev (available energy amount Eu) is 300 [kWh], the battery capacity Cbc of the onboard battery is 200 [kWh], and the rest time Td is 1 hour, then the optimal charging output Oc will be 100 [kW].

[0140] In the next step S236, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the total power received by one or more battery-attached chargers 20, i.e., the second required power received (grid power) Pr2, using the following formula (15). Pr2=Gcb×Ncb=(Ev×N) / 24 …(15) Here, Ev[kWh] is the required amount of energy, which is calculated by equation (2). N[units] is the number of vehicles 40. Equation (15) is similar to equations (6) and (7), and by assuming that the rechargeable energy amount Ega is equal to the total required energy amount Eva, the optimal second required power received (grid power) Pr2 can be obtained.

[0141] For example, if the required electricity amount Ev is 300 [kWh] and the number of vehicles N is 4 [units], the optimal value for the second required power received Pr2 is 50 [kWh].

[0142] Next, in steps S250 to S256, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the work schedule. Figure 14 shows an example of a work schedule calculated by the second configuration calculation unit 111. In step S250 of Figure 13, the second configuration calculation unit 111 allocates rapid charging to the rest period 702 (see Figure 14) from the work interruption time t2 to the work resumption time t3.

[0143] In the next step S253, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the State of Charge (SOC) of the on-board battery in the first work section 701 and the second work section 703 based on the output of the vehicle 40 in the first work section 701 from the start time t1 to the interruption time t2, and the output of the vehicle 40 in the second work section 703 from the restart time t3 to the end time t4. The second configuration calculation unit 111 determines the charging output of the battery charging equipment 54 in the waiting section (post-work waiting section 704 and pre-work waiting section 700) from the end time t4 to the start time t1 of the next day, so that the SOC of the on-board battery becomes 100%. The charging output in the waiting section is assumed to be constant. Since the waiting section is sufficiently long, the charging output in the waiting section is smaller than the charging output (maximum output) Oc calculated in step S233. In this embodiment, the charging output (maximum output) Oc is optimized, so as shown in Figure 14, the State of Charge (SOC) of the onboard battery is 0% at the end of the work time t4.

[0144] As shown in Figure 13, in the next step S256, the minimum battery capacity of the battery 23 is calculated, with the constraint that the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 23 does not fall outside the range of 0 to 100%. In the processing up to step S236, the second required power received Pr2 and the power requested by the vehicle 40 have been calculated. The power requested is the power that the vehicle 40 requests when charging, and corresponds to the sum of the charging output for each vehicle 40. Therefore, in the processing of step S256, it is possible to calculate the power balance of the battery 23. As a result, as shown in Figure 14(c), the battery capacity of the battery 23 will be such that the SOC of the battery 23 fluctuates from 100% to 0% in the resting section (rapid charging section) 702, that is, the section where the most power needs to be supplied from the battery 23.

[0145] In this way, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the minimum battery capacity of the battery 23 so that the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery 23 fluctuates within the range of 0% to 100% in the work schedule (i.e., so that the SOC does not deviate outside the above range) (S256).

[0146] As shown in Figure 13, in the next step S289, the second configuration calculation unit 111 calculates the total discharge amount Ed. The total discharge amount Ed corresponds to the sum of the discharge amounts from the battery 23 when charging the on-board battery in the power balance calculation of the battery 23.

[0147] In this embodiment, the charging output in the standby section (post-operation standby section 704 and pre-operation standby section 700) was 12.9 [kW / unit], the battery capacity Cb of the storage battery 23 was 350 [kWh], and the total discharge amount Ed was 375 [kWh].

[0148] The second cost calculation unit 114 calculates the second cost Co2 based on the calculation result of the second configuration calculation unit 111. The second cost calculation unit 114 calculates the second cost Co2 using the following equation (16). Co2=Fc(Pr2)+Cw(Pr2)+Cp×Nc×Mw+Csb(Cb)×Mw+Ld…(16) Here, Fc(Pr2) is the cost of renewing the power contract to change from the current contracted power to the second required power Pr2. Cw(Pr2) is the cost of power wiring for the second required power Pr2. Mw is the number of months of work. Ld is the loss cost corresponding to the change in the capacity degradation rate (K1 × Cn).

[0149] Csb(Cb) is the monthly lease price for the battery 23 with a battery capacity of Cb, and constitutes part of the charger cost. The lease price Csb(Cb) is determined according to the battery capacity Cb. In this embodiment, the charger specification information includes the lease price of the battery 23 per 100 [kWh]. Cp is the monthly lease price for the second charger 52, and constitutes part of the charger cost. Nc is the number of second chargers 52, and corresponds to the number of ports in the battery 23 that connect to the second charger 52. In this embodiment, the number of second chargers 52 Nc is equal to the number of vehicles 40 N.

[0150] In this embodiment, the second required power received Pr2 is 50 [kW], which is sufficient under the current contract, so the power contract renewal fee Fc(Pr2) and power wiring fee Cw(Pr2) are 0 [yen]. Also, if the charging port fee, i.e., the lease price of the second charger 52, is the same as that of the rapid charger 22 in the first embodiment, it will be approximately 270,000 yen for 4 units over 100 [days]. The lease price of the storage battery 23 according to the battery capacity Cb is approximately 230,000 yen over 100 days, and the loss cost due to degradation is 107,000 yen. Therefore, the second cost CO2 is 607,000 yen.

[0151] In this second embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, the output of the second charger 52 (charging output), the second required power received (grid power), the battery capacity of the storage battery 23, and the total discharge amount are all reduced, resulting in a cost advantage. By calculating the optimal specifications of the charging equipment under constraints such that the State of Charge (SOC) of the storage battery 23 does not deviate from a predetermined range in a work schedule that assigns work and charging, it is possible to propose an economically advantageous charging equipment, i.e., an optimal charging equipment.

[0152] The configuration and effects of the proposed charging equipment system 1 according to this second embodiment are summarized as follows.

[0153] (14) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the required power amount Ev, which is the amount of power required for one vehicle 40 to work for one day, based on the power consumption Ec, the amount of work Wvd per day for one vehicle 40, and the unit amount Wv. The charging equipment proposal device 100 calculates the required power received by the battery charging equipment 54 (second required power received Pr2) based on the required power amount Ev and the number of vehicles 40 N (S236 in Figure 13).

[0154] With this configuration, at the work site, the minimum power received (optimal grid power) required for the vehicle 40 to complete the work on the work completion day De can be determined, thus minimizing the power contract costs and power wiring costs when a battery charging facility 54 is installed.

[0155] (15) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the output (maximum output) Oc of the charger (second charger) of the battery charging equipment 54 based on the time width (charging time Td) of the charging time period (rest period 702), the required amount of energy Ev, and the battery capacity Cbc of the on-board battery (S233 in Figure 13).

[0156] With this configuration, the specifications (output) of the charger (second charger) of the battery charging equipment 54 can be optimized, thereby reducing the charger cost (lease price of the second charger 52).

[0157] (16) The charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 calculates the minimum battery capacity of the battery 23 so that the capacity of the battery 23 fluctuates within the range from the first capacity to the second capacity in the work schedule (in this embodiment, so that the SOC of the battery 23 fluctuates within the range from 0% to 100%) (S256 in Figure 13).

[0158] This configuration allows the battery capacity Cb of the storage battery 23 to be kept to a minimum, thereby further reducing the cost of the charger (the lease price of the storage battery 23).

[0159] <Third Embodiment> The charging equipment proposal system 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3, and 15. Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the daily required work amount Wrd changes according to the number of working days (work progress). The same reference symbols are used for configurations that are the same as or equivalent to those described in the first embodiment, and the differences will be mainly explained. The hardware configuration of the charging equipment proposal system 1 according to the third embodiment (see Figure 1) is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0160] In the first and second embodiments, various calculations were performed on the premise that the work content would not change during the 100 working days. In contrast, this third embodiment describes a method for calculating costs when the amount of work decreases as the construction progresses.

[0161] In this third embodiment, we describe the system changes when the daily required workload Wrd decreases during the work. Specifically, as shown in Figure 15, we will describe the case where, for example, the daily required workload Wrd decreases by half from the point of work change after 50 days have passed. For example, at the initial point the daily required workload Wrd is 60 [m 3 Because the required work volume per day was [ / day], the number of vehicles N was 4, whereas from the time of the work change the required work volume per day Wrd was halved to 30 [m 3 As a result, the number of vehicles N decreases from 40 to 2. While simply reducing the number of vehicles N is not a problem, installing electrical equipment requires construction work. Therefore, there will be an initial cost rather than a monthly fee.

[0162] Assuming the basic conditions are the same as in the first embodiment, and taking into account that the daily required work Wrd changes along the way, the first cost Co1 is calculated by the following equation (17). Co1=Fc(Pr1)+Cw(Pr1)+Cc(Ncf)×Mwf+Cc(Ncs)×Mws…(17) Here, Fc(Pr1) is the cost of renewing the power contract to change from the current contracted power to the first required power received Pr1. Cw(Pr1) is the cost of power wiring for the first required power received Pr1.

[0163] Cc(Ncf) is the monthly lease price when Ncf [units] of the first charger 51 are installed. The lease price Cc(Ncf) is calculated by multiplying the lease price shown in Figure 5 by the number of first chargers 51 Ncf before the change in work. Cc(Ncs) is the monthly lease price when Ncs [units] of the first charger 51 are installed. The lease price Cc(Ncs) is calculated by multiplying the lease price shown in Figure 5 by the number of first chargers 51 Ncs after the change in work. Mwf is the number of months of work from the start date Ds to the date of the change in work, and is calculated based on the start date Ds and the date of the change in work. Mws is the number of months of work from the date of the change in work to the end date De, and is calculated based on the date of the change in work and the end date De.

[0164] At the time of the change in work, the number of vehicles N decreases from 4 to 2, allowing two first chargers 51 to be returned. This reduces the first cost Co1. Furthermore, the power contract renewal fee Fc(Pr1) and power wiring fee Cw(Pr1) are determined by the initial required first power received Pr1, and are therefore not affected by changes in the daily required work amount Wrd.

[0165] Assuming the basic conditions are the same as in the first embodiment, and taking into account that the daily required work Wrd changed along the way, the second cost Co2 is calculated by the following equation (18). Co2=Fc(Pr2)+Cw(Pr2)+Ccbf(Ncbf)×Mwf+Ccbs(Ncbs)×Mws+Ld…(18) Here, Fc(Pr2) is the cost of renewing the power contract to change from the current contracted power to the second required power Pr2. Cw(Pr2) is the cost of power wiring for the second required power Pr2.

[0166] Ccbf(Ncbf) is the monthly lease price when Ncbf [units] of battery-attached chargers 20 are installed. The lease price Ccbf(Ncbf) is calculated by multiplying the lease price shown in Figure 5 by the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncbf before the change in work. Ccbs(Ncbs) is the monthly lease price when Ncbs [units] of battery-attached chargers 20 are installed. The lease price Ccbs(Ncbs) is calculated by multiplying the lease price shown in Figure 5 by the number of battery-attached chargers 20 Ncbf after the change in work. Mwf is the number of months of work from the start date Ds to the date of the change in work, and is calculated based on the start date Ds and the date of the change in work. Mws is the number of months of work from the date of the change in work to the end date De, and is calculated based on the date of the change in work and the end date De. Ld is the loss cost corresponding to the change in the capacity degradation rate SOHQ (K1 × Cn).

[0167] As the number of vehicles N decreases from 4 to 2 at the time of the work change, one battery charger 20 can be returned. Therefore, the second cost CO2 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the second required power received Pr2 is less than the current contracted power, the power contract renewal fee Fc(Pr2) and power wiring fee Cw(Pr2) are 0 yen.

[0168] The configuration and effects of the proposed charging equipment system 1 according to this third embodiment are summarized as follows.

[0169] (17) When the daily workload differs for each of the multiple processes, the charging equipment proposal device 100 of the charging equipment proposal system 1 determines the specifications of the battery non-charging equipment 53 (specifications and number of first chargers 51) and the specifications of the battery charging equipment 54 (specifications and number of battery ancillary chargers 20) for each process. The charging equipment proposal device 100 compares the cost associated with installing the battery non-charging equipment 53 in all processes (first cost Co1) based on the specifications of the battery non-charging equipment 53 and the cost associated with installing the battery non-charging equipment 53 in all processes (second cost Co2) based on the specifications of the battery charging equipment 54. The charging equipment proposal device 100 proposes the charging equipment to be installed at the work site whichever of the battery non-charging equipment 53 and the battery charging equipment 54 has the lower cost.

[0170] In this configuration, costs are calculated taking into account changes in workload. This allows us to determine whether the first cost Co1, which is likely to incur initial costs, or the second cost Co2, which is likely to continue to increase, is cheaper.

[0171] The following modifications are also within the scope of the present invention, and it is possible to combine the configurations shown in the modifications with the configurations described in the embodiments described above, or to combine the configurations described in the different embodiments described above, or to combine the configurations described in the following different modifications.

[0172] <Example 1> In the above embodiment, it is assumed that all vehicles (electric construction machinery) 40 perform work and charging according to the same schedule. In other words, it is assumed that the number of vehicles 40 is equal to the number of chargers. However, the number of chargers may be reduced by staggering the charging timing of each vehicle 40. In other words, the present invention is not limited to the case where the number of vehicles 40 and the number of chargers are equal.

[0173] <Modification 2> In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the first cost Co1 includes the electricity contract renewal fee Fc(Pr1) and the second cost Co2 includes the electricity contract renewal fee Fc(Pr2), but the present invention is not limited thereto. Instead of the electricity contract renewal fee, the electricity contract fee after renewal may be included in each cost, and the relationship between the magnitudes of the first cost Co1 and the second cost Co2 may be compared. The electricity contract fee before renewal (current electricity contract fee) is the same for the battery non-charging equipment 53 and the battery charging equipment 54, and therefore does not affect the result of the cost comparison.

[0174] <Variation 3> In the first embodiment, an example was described in which there is only one type of battery-attached charger 20, and in the second embodiment, an example was described in which the optimal values ​​of the charging output, battery capacity, and received power of the battery-attached charger 20 are calculated, but the present invention is not limited to these. In the first embodiment, one specification may be selected from among the candidate specifications of the battery-attached charger 20. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0175] 1...Charging equipment proposal system, 3...Information terminal, 3a...Input device, 3b...Display device, 4...Equipment information server, 11...Processing device, 12...Storage device, 13...Input / output interface, 20...Battery-attached charger, 21...Standard charger (first charger), 22A...Fast charger (first charger), 22B...Fast charger (second charger), 23...Battery, 30...Power system (grid power grid), 31...Power line, 40...Vehicle (electric construction machinery), 51...First charger, 52...Second charger, 53...Battery non-charging equipment (first charging equipment), 54...Battery charging equipment (second charging equipment), 100... Charging equipment proposal device (calculation unit), 101...Cost calculation unit, 102...Charging equipment determination unit, 103...Total cost calculation unit, 110...First configuration calculation unit, 111...Second configuration calculation unit, 112...Degradation estimation unit, 113...First cost calculation unit, 114...Second cost calculation unit, 400...Pre-work waiting section, 401...First work section, 402...Rest section (charging possible time period), 403...Second work section, 404...Post-work charging section, 405...Post-work waiting section, 500...Section, 700...Pre-work waiting section, 701...First work section, 702...Rest section (rapid charging section), 703...Second work section, 704 ...Post-operation waiting section, Cb...Battery capacity of the battery of the battery-attached charger, Cbc...Battery capacity of the on-board battery, Cc...Lease price (charger cost of the first charger), Ccb...Lease price (charger cost of the battery-attached charger (second charger and battery)), Ccbf...Lease price (charger cost for the first half of the battery-attached charger process), Ccbs...Lease price (charger cost for the second half of the battery-attached charger process), Csb(Cb)...Lease price (charger cost of the battery of the battery-attached charger process), Cn...Number of discharges (number of discharges in the entire section), Cnd...Number of discharges (number of discharges per day), Co1...First cost (Cost associated with the installation of the first charging equipment), CO2... Second cost (cost associated with the installation of the second charging equipment), Cp... Lease price (charger fee for the second charger of the battery-attached charger), Cw... Power wiring cost, D... Number of working days, De... End date of work, Ds... Start date of work, Ec... Energy consumption (amount of energy consumed per unit time), Ed... Total discharge amount, Ega... Rechargeable energy, Eu... Usable energy, Eu1... First usable energy, Eu2... Second usable energy, Ev... Required energy, Eva... Total required energy, Fc... Power contract renewal fee (power contract fee), Gc... Grid power (received power),Gc1...Grid power required for standard chargers (power received by the first charger), Gc2...Grid power required for fast chargers (power received by the first charger), Gcb...Grid power required for battery-attached chargers (power received by the battery), Ld...Loss cost, Mw...Number of working months, N...Number of vehicles (number of electric construction machines), Nc...Number of first chargers, Ncb...Number of battery-attached chargers (number of batteries), Ncf...Number of first chargers used in the first half of the process, Ncs...Number of first chargers used in the second half of the process, Np...Number of charging ports (number of second chargers connected to the battery), NT...Communication line, Oc...Charging output (charger output), Oc1...Charging output (standard charger output) Output), Oc2…Charging output (output of the rapid charger), Pr1…First required power (required power of the first charging equipment), Pr2…Second required power (required power of the second charging equipment), Sa…First area (threshold of the working area), Sb…Second area (threshold of the working area), SOHQ…Capacity degradation rate (capacity maintenance rate), Sw…Working area, t1…Work start time, t2…Work interruption time, t3…Work resume time, t4…Work end time, Td…Charging time, Tw…Working time, Wr…Required work amount (amount of work required to complete work with electric construction machinery), Wrd…Daily required work amount, Wv…Unit work amount, Wvd…Daily work amount for one electric construction machine,

Claims

1. In a charging equipment proposal system that proposes charging equipment equipped with a charger for charging onboard batteries installed in electric construction machinery, The cost of installing the first charging equipment, which does not include a battery, is calculated by including the charger cost for the first charging equipment, the electricity contract cost and power wiring cost calculated based on the required power received by the first charging equipment, The cost of installing a second charging facility, which includes a storage battery and is capable of charging the on-board storage battery using the power of the attached storage battery, is calculated including the charger cost for the second charging facility, and the power contract cost and power wiring cost calculated based on the required power received by the second charging facility. Of the first and second charging equipment, the one with the lower cost is proposed as the charging equipment to be installed at the work site of the electric construction machine. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

2. In the charging equipment proposed system according to claim 1, The first charging equipment has a first charger that charges the on-board battery using power received from the power grid during the charging period, which is the period from the start time to the end time of work each day during which the on-board battery can be charged. The second charging equipment comprises a storage battery that can be charged by power received from the power grid by the time the charging is possible, and a second charger that charges the on-board storage battery with the power of the storage battery during the time the charging is possible. Based on the required amount of work necessary to complete the work performed by the electric construction machine, the number of working days required to complete the work, the available working hours during which work can be performed each day, the unit amount of work performed per unit time by the electric construction machine, and the power consumption per unit time by the work performed by the electric construction machine, the required power received by the first charging equipment and the second charging equipment are calculated. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

3. In the charging equipment proposed system according to claim 2, The predicted value of the degradation state of the battery of the second charging equipment is calculated, The cost associated with installing the second charging equipment is calculated by further taking into account the predicted degradation state of the aforementioned battery. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

4. In the charging equipment proposed system according to claim 2, Based on the required amount of work and the number of working days, the daily required amount of work is calculated, Based on the daily required work volume, the unit work volume of the electric construction machine, and the time frame of the available work period, the number of electric construction machines to be used at the work site is calculated. Based on the number of electric construction machines, the number of the first chargers is calculated. Based on the number of the first chargers and the power received by the first chargers, the required power received by the first charging equipment is calculated. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

5. In the charging equipment proposed system according to claim 2, Obtain information on the work area of ​​the aforementioned work site, Based on the acquired information on the work area of ​​the work site, the specifications of the electric construction machine, including the unit work volume and the power consumption, are determined. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

6. In the charging equipment proposed system according to claim 2, Based on the aforementioned electricity consumption, the daily work volume of one of the electric construction machines, and the aforementioned unit work volume, the required amount of electricity, which is the amount of electricity required for one of the electric construction machines to perform work for one day, is calculated. Based on the increased capacity of the on-board battery due to charging by the first charger during the charging period, and the battery capacity of the on-board battery, the usable power amount, which is the amount of power that one electric construction machine can use in one day, is calculated. The specifications of the first charger, including the power received by the first charger, are determined so that the usable power amount is equal to or greater than the required power amount. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

7. In the charging equipment proposal system according to claim 6, Multiple candidate specifications for the first charger, including the output of the first charger and the power received, are stored. The usable power amount is calculated for each of the candidate specifications of the plurality of first chargers. If any of the usable power amounts calculated for each of the multiple candidate specifications of the first charger are greater than or equal to the required power amount, the candidate specification of the first charger in which the usable power amount is greater than or equal to the required power amount and the difference between the usable power amount and the required power amount is smallest is determined as the specification of the first charger. Based on the determined specifications of the first charger and the number of the first chargers, the required power received by the first charging equipment is calculated. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

8. In the charging equipment proposal system according to claim 7, If the usable power amount calculated for each of the candidate specifications of the plurality of first chargers is less than the required power amount, the number of electric construction machines is increased and the required power amount is recalculated. Based on the calculated required power and the available power, the specifications of the first charger are determined. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

9. In the charging equipment proposed system according to claim 2, The required power received by the second charging equipment is calculated such that the amount of charge that can be charged per day by one or more of the batteries of the second charging equipment using the power received from the power grid is equal to or greater than the total required power, which is the amount of power required per day by one or more of the electric construction machines. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

10. In the charging equipment proposal system according to claim 9, Based on the power received by the battery of the second charging equipment and the number of batteries, the amount of rechargeable power is calculated. The total required power is calculated based on the amount of power required per day for one of the aforementioned electric construction machines and the number of such electric construction machines. If the amount of rechargeable power is less than the total required power, the amount of rechargeable power is increased by increasing the number of batteries. If the amount of rechargeable power is equal to or greater than the total required power, the required power received by the second charging equipment is calculated using the number of batteries used in calculating the amount of rechargeable power. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

11. In the charging equipment proposal system according to claim 10, The total battery capacity of the storage battery constituting the second charging equipment is determined such that the capacity of the storage battery is 0 or more throughout all stages of the work schedule. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

12. In the charging equipment proposal system according to claim 10, Determine whether the capacity of the storage battery is 0 or greater at all stages of the work schedule. If it is determined that the capacity of the storage battery may fall below zero during all stages of the work schedule, the total battery capacity of the storage battery is determined by increasing the number of storage batteries constituting the second charging equipment so that the capacity of the storage battery is zero or greater during all stages of the work schedule. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

13. In the charging equipment proposal system described in claim 3, The system outputs to the display device information, along with the cost associated with installing the charging equipment, the type and number of electric construction machines, the daily work schedule including the charging time period, and a predicted value of the battery's degradation state. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

14. In the charging equipment proposed system according to claim 2, Based on the aforementioned electricity consumption, the daily work volume of one of the electric construction machines, and the aforementioned unit work volume, the required amount of electricity, which is the amount of electricity required for one of the electric construction machines to perform work for one day, is calculated. Based on the required amount of power and the number of electric construction machines, the required power received by the second charging facility is calculated. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

15. In the charging equipment proposal system according to claim 14, The output of the second charger is calculated based on the time interval of the charging period, the required amount of power, and the battery capacity of the on-board battery. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

16. In the charging equipment proposal system according to claim 15, In the work schedule, the minimum value of the battery capacity of the storage battery is calculated so that the capacity of the storage battery fluctuates within the range from a first capacity to a second capacity. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

17. In the charging equipment proposed system according to claim 2, If the daily workload differs for each of the multiple processes, the specifications of the first charging equipment and the second charging equipment shall be determined for each process. Based on the specifications of the first charging equipment, the cost associated with installing the first charging equipment throughout the entire process is compared with the cost associated with installing the second charging equipment throughout the entire process based on the specifications of the second charging equipment. The charging equipment with the lower cost between the first and second charging equipment is then proposed as the charging equipment to be installed at the work site. A charging equipment proposal system characterized by the following features.

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