Charging control system and vehicle

Abstract

This system provides a charging control system that can prevent unintended charges from occurring when charging vehicles that can be scheduled for charging using PnC-compatible charging stations. [Solution] The charging control system 100 includes an ECU 10 that can switch between having a scheduled charging setting that performs charging at a predetermined time and a control device 40 that selects the billing method for charging. The control device 40 selects PnC billing when the scheduled charging setting in the ECU 10 is disabled, and selects EIM billing when the scheduled charging setting in the ECU 10 is enabled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging control system and a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-048246 (Patent Document 1) discloses charging a vehicle according to a charging schedule from the time when it is connected to charging equipment.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Although not specified in the above Patent Document 1, PnC (Plug and Charge) charging (time charging according to the plug-in time) is known as a charging billing method. When PnC charging is performed during charging according to a charging schedule (scheduled charging), there is a risk that charging will be automatically billed even during the time when charging is not being performed (the time when the plug is inserted before and after the charging schedule). In PnC, since the user assumes that the charging sequence is automatically started immediately after plugging in, it is difficult for the user to notice that only billing occurs without charging starting until the charging start time of the charging schedule. Also, since the charging sequence (billing) is automatically continued after the charging end time of the charging schedule, it is difficult for the user in PnC to notice that only billing occurs after charging is completed. Therefore, in PnC, there may be cases where billing (unintentional billing by the user) occurs during periods when charging is not being performed.

[0005] This disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a charging control system and a vehicle that can suppress the occurrence of unintended charges by the vehicle user when charging a vehicle that can be scheduled for charging using a PnC-compatible charging station. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The charging control system relating to the first aspect of this disclosure is a charging control system that controls charging of a vehicle's energy storage device from a charging station, and comprises a charging setting device that can switch whether or not a scheduled charging setting is set to be performed at a predetermined time, and a charging selection device that selects a charging method for charging. The charging selection device selects PnC charging when the setting in the charging setting device is invalid, and selects external authentication charging when the setting in the charging setting device is valid.

[0007] The vehicle relating to the second aspect of this disclosure is equipped with the charging control system relating to the first aspect described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, when charging a vehicle that can be scheduled for charging using a PnC-compatible charging station, it is possible to prevent unintended charges from occurring by the vehicle user. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a charging control system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram showing the control of a charging control system according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows a screen requesting the selection of an EIM billing method according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a sequence diagram showing the control of the charging control system after selecting a billing method according to one embodiment. [Figure 5]This is a sequence diagram showing the control of the charging control system after selecting a charging method, according to a modified embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows the configuration of a charging control system according to a modified example of one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to below, the same or equivalent components are given the same number.

[0011] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the charging control system 100 according to this embodiment. The charging control system 100 controls the charging of the battery pack 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 from the EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) 3. The EVSE 3 is a time-based charging station. The battery pack 2 and EVSE 3 are examples of the "charging station" and "charging station" as disclosed herein, respectively.

[0012] The charging control system 100 consists of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10 mounted on the vehicle 1 and a control device 40 mounted on the EVSE 3. The ECU 10 and the control device 40 are examples of the "charging setting device" and "charging selection device" described herein, respectively.

[0013] Vehicle 1 is equipped with an ECU 10 and a battery pack 2, as well as a charger 20 and a car navigation system 30. The battery pack 2 is the battery for driving vehicle 1. Vehicle 1 may be a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), or an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), etc.

[0014] Vehicle 1 can transfer electric power to and from EVSE 3 by being electrically connected to EVSE 3 through charging cable 4. The electric power (charging power) from EVSE 3 is supplied to the power storage cells (not shown) of battery pack 2 through charger 20. Thereby, the power storage cells are charged. The power storage cells are secondary batteries, typically lithium-ion secondary batteries. A lithium-ion secondary battery is a battery that uses lithium as a charge carrier, and may include all-solid-state batteries using a solid electrolyte in addition to lithium-ion secondary batteries with a liquid electrolyte. Note that the power storage cells are not limited to lithium-ion secondary batteries, and may be composed of nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries or other secondary batteries.

[0015] EVSE 3 is installed, for example, in public facilities (such as shopping malls and theme parks). Note that the installation location of EVSE 3 is not limited to the above examples.

[0016] ECU 10 includes processor 11, memory 12, and communication unit 13. Memory 12 stores, in addition to the programs executed by processor 11, information used in the programs (such as maps, mathematical formulas, and various parameters). Communication unit 13 includes various communication I / Fs. Communication unit 13 communicates with each device (such as car navigation device 30) in vehicle 1 by CAN (Controller Area Network) communication.

[0017] Processor 11 transmits a control signal for controlling charger 20 to charger 20 through communication unit 13. Charger 20 charges battery pack 2 according to the control signal from processor 11.

[0018] Control device 40 includes processor 41, memory 42, and communication unit 43. Memory 42 stores, in addition to the programs executed by processor 41, information used in the programs (such as maps, mathematical formulas, and various parameters). Communication unit 43 includes various communication I / Fs.

[0019] Each of the processors 11 and 41 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The processors 11 and 41 respectively realize various processes by reading out system programs and control programs, expanding them in the memories 12 and 42, and executing them. In this specification, the "processor" is not limited to a narrow sense processor that executes processing in a stored program manner, and may include hard-wired circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Therefore, the term "processor" can also be read as a processing circuitry in which processing is defined in advance by computer-readable code and / or hard-wired circuits.

[0020] The processor 11 of the ECU 10 can switch the presence or absence of setting of scheduled charging for executing charging at a preset time. Further, the processor 11 can change the setting of scheduled charging. Note that scheduled charging is an example of "reserved charging" in the present disclosure.

[0021] Specifically, the car navigation device 30 receives a setting operation of scheduled charging by the user. Information on the start time and end time of scheduled charging set (designated) by the user (hereinafter referred to as information on scheduled charging) is transmitted to the communication unit 13 by CAN communication. The processor 11 performs setting of scheduled charging and change of the setting of scheduled charging according to the information on scheduled charging acquired by the communication unit 13. The information on scheduled charging set by the processor 11 is stored in the memory 12. The processor 11 controls the charger 20 based on the set information on scheduled charging. Thereby, charging is performed in a time zone based on the information on scheduled charging. Note that it is also possible to set only one of the above start time and end time.

[0022] Furthermore, if no scheduled charging information is set, EVSE3 and vehicle 1 will connect and charging will begin immediately (hereinafter referred to as "immediate charging"). Immediate charging may be, for example, charging that begins immediately (for example, within 5 minutes) after the billing authentication between vehicle 1 and EVSE3 is completed.

[0023] The ECU 10 (communication unit 13) acquires various information from the EVSE 3 (communication unit 43). For example, the ECU 10 acquires information from the EVSE 3 such as the power supply available from the EVSE 3 and authentication information for the EVSE 3. Note that an ECU (communication unit) that receives the above information may be provided separately from the ECU 10.

[0024] The authentication information of EVSE3 includes, for example, information indicating that EVSE3 is equipment compatible with a PnC (Plug and Charge) system. Specifically, ECU10 (communication unit 13) sends an AuthorizationReq (hereinafter referred to as a request signal) to EVSE3 to inquire whether or not it is equipment compatible with a PnC system. In response to the request signal, EVSE3 sends an AuthorizationRes (hereinafter referred to as a response signal) to ECU10 indicating whether or not it is compatible with a PnC system. In other words, the response signal corresponds to the authentication information described above.

[0025] The PnC system refers to a system in which processes such as billing authentication and charging are automatically executed simply by connecting the EVSE3's charging cable 4 to the vehicle 1. An ECU separate from the ECU 10 may be provided to determine whether the EVSE3 is compatible with the PnC system.

[0026] On the other hand, the EVSE3 is compatible with the EIM (External Identification Means) system. The EIM system refers to a system that requires user interaction to perform processes such as billing authentication and charging.

[0027] The control device 40 of the EVSE3 selects the billing method to be used during charging. Specifically, the control device 40 determines the billing method to be either billing by a PnC system (hereinafter referred to as PnC billing) or billing by an EIM system (hereinafter referred to as EIM billing). Note that EIM billing is an example of "external authentication billing" in this disclosure.

[0028] In this case, if PnC billing occurs when scheduled charging takes place, there is a risk that users will be automatically charged even during times when charging is not taking place (time when the device is plugged in before and after the charging schedule). With PnC, users assume that the charging sequence starts automatically immediately after plugging in, so they are unlikely to notice that they are being charged without charging actually starting until the scheduled charging start time. Also, because the charging sequence (billing) automatically continues after the scheduled charging end time, users with PnC are unlikely to notice that they are being charged after charging is complete. Therefore, with PnC, charges may occur during periods when charging is not taking place (unintended charges by the user).

[0029] Therefore, in this embodiment, the control device 40 selects PnC billing when the scheduled charging setting in the ECU 10 is disabled, and selects EIM billing when the scheduled charging setting in the ECU 10 is enabled.

[0030] With EIM, billing begins after the user authenticates, making it easier for users to notice that scheduled charging is set (i.e., there is a certain amount of time until the charging start time) at the time of authentication. Furthermore, with EIM, at the end of the charging schedule, users are asked to either continue the charging sequence or re-authenticate, making it easier for users to notice that the charging sequence (billing) is likely to continue after charging is complete. Therefore, EIM can prevent billing during periods when charging is not occurring (unintended billing). For details, please refer to the flowchart below.

[0031] <Charging Sequence> Figure 2 shows an example of a charging sequence between vehicle 1 and EVSE 3. The processing of vehicle 1 shown in Figure 2 is performed by ECU 10 (processor 11). The processing of EVSE 3 shown in Figure 2 is performed by control device 40 (processor 41).

[0032] In step S1, the charging cable 4 of the EVSE3 is connected to vehicle 1. This makes vehicle 1 ready for charging.

[0033] In step S2, the ECU 10 sends a request signal to the EVSE 3 (communication unit 43) via the communication unit 13 to inquire whether the EVSE 3 is equipment compatible with the PnC system.

[0034] In step S3, the EVSE3 transmits a response signal to the vehicle 1 (communication unit 13) via the communication unit 43 indicating whether or not it is compatible with the PnC system.

[0035] In step S4, the ECU 10 determines whether EVSE3 supports PnC billing based on the response signal sent from EVSE3 in S3. If EVSE3 supports PnC billing (Yes in S4), the process proceeds to step S5. If EVSE3 does not support PnC billing (No in S4), the process transitions to the normal EIM billing sequence, and the sequence shown in Figure 2 ends.

[0036] In step S5, the ECU 10 determines whether the scheduled charging setting is enabled or disabled based on the information stored in memory 12. If the scheduled charging setting is enabled (Yes in S5), the process proceeds to step S6. If the scheduled charging setting is disabled (No in S5), the process proceeds to step S7.

[0037] In step S6, the ECU 10 (processor 11) sends a request signal (ServiceDiscoveryReq) to the EVSE 3 (communication unit 43) via the communication unit 13, requesting the execution of EIM billing. The process then proceeds to step S15.

[0038] In step S7, the ECU 10 (processor 11) sends a request signal (ServiceDiscoveryReq) to the EVSE 3 (communication unit 43) via the communication unit 13, requesting the execution of PnC billing. The process then proceeds to step S15.

[0039] In step S8, EVSE3 determines whether it has received a request signal from vehicle 1 for PnC billing (the request signal in S7). If it has received a request signal for PnC billing (Yes in S8), the process proceeds to step S9. If it has not received a request signal for PnC billing (i.e., it has received a request signal for EIM billing) (Yes in S8), the process proceeds to step S11.

[0040] In step S9, EVSE3 chooses (decides) to perform PnC billing. Next, in step S10, EVSE3 sends a response signal (ServiceDiscoveryRes) acknowledging PnC billing to vehicle 1 (communication unit 13) via communication unit 43. The process then proceeds to step S16.

[0041] In step S11, EVSE3 chooses (decides) to perform EIM billing. Next, in step S12, EVSE3 sends a response signal (ServiceDiscoveryRes) acknowledging the EIM billing to vehicle 1 (communication unit 13) via communication unit 43. The process then proceeds to step S13.

[0042] In step S13, EVSE3 performs a process to notify the user of vehicle 1 that EIM billing has been selected. Specifically, EVSE3 (processor 41) transmits a signal to vehicle 1 (communication unit 13) via the communication unit 43 indicating that EIM billing has been selected. Vehicle 1 (communication unit 13) transmits the above signal to the car navigation device 30 or a user terminal (not shown) held by the user (for example, a display terminal such as a smartphone or tablet). The car navigation device 30 or user terminal that receives the above signal may display a message indicating that EIM billing has been selected. Note that the above signal may also be transmitted directly from EVSE3 to the car navigation device 30 or user terminal. Furthermore, the process in step S13 is not required. Next, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0043] By notifying the user that EIM billing has been selected, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to perform the billing authentication operation. As a result, it is possible to prevent the charging of vehicle 1 from not starting due to the failure to perform EIM billing authentication.

[0044] Furthermore, the signal in step S13 may include information about scheduled charging. Therefore, the car navigation device 30 or user terminal that receives the signal may display the start time and end time of scheduled charging. This allows the user to cancel charging in EVSE3 based on the displayed start and end times, for example, if it is likely that charges will be incurred during a period when charging is not performed.

[0045] In step S14, EVSE3 determines whether or not the user has completed EIM authentication. If EIM authentication is complete (Yes in S14), the process proceeds to step S16. If EIM authentication is not complete (No in S14), the process in step S14 is repeated.

[0046] In step S15, the ECU 10 determines whether it has received an acknowledgment response (a response signal in S10 or S12) from the EVSE 3 regarding the billing method. If an acknowledgment response has been received (Yes in S15), the process proceeds to step S16. If an acknowledgment response has not been received (Yes in S15), the process in step S15 is repeated.

[0047] In step S16, billing begins between vehicle 1 and EVSE3 based on the method selected in S9 or S11.

[0048] In step S17, charging between vehicle 1 and EVSE3 begins. If scheduled charging is enabled, charging starts at the start time corresponding to the schedule information. If scheduled charging is disabled, immediate charging begins.

[0049] In this embodiment, charging between vehicle 1 and EVSE3 (scheduled charging and immediate charging) is performed by AC charging.

[0050] In step S18, charging between vehicle 1 and EVSE3 is terminated. If scheduled charging is enabled, charging is terminated at the termination time corresponding to the schedule information. If scheduled charging is disabled, charging may be terminated when the State of Charge (SOC) of battery pack 2 reaches a predetermined value (for example, 100%).

[0051] In step S19, the connection between the EVSE3 charging cable 4 and the vehicle 1 is released. The sequence shown in Figure 2 then ends.

[0052] Figure 3 shows the car navigation device 30 (or display screen 31) that received the notification in step S13 of Figure 2. The display screen 31 shows a message 32 indicating that EIM billing has been selected. Note that the screen shown in Figure 3 may also be displayed on the user terminal mentioned above.

[0053] Display screen 31 shows selection buttons 33 to 35 for selecting a specific method of EIM billing. Display screen 31 also shows a message 36 requesting the user to select one of the EIM billing methods corresponding to each of the selection buttons 33 to 35.

[0054] If selection button 33 is selected, the EIM billing method is set to "Direct Payment". "Direct Payment" is a method of paying for charging directly in EVSE3. When selection button 33 is selected, EVSE3 will start charging and may issue a receipt showing the cost of charging or display a screen showing the cost after charging is complete. After charging is complete, EVSE3 may change to a state where it can accept payment operations from the user.

[0055] If selection button 34 is selected, the EIM billing method is set to RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). RFID is a method in which the charging session is authenticated simply by the user holding an RFID card over the EVSE3's card reader. Charging starts when authentication is successful. The card reader may change to a state where it can read RFID cards in response to the selection button 34 being selected.

[0056] If selection button 35 is selected, the EIM billing method is set to the App method. The App method is a method in which the charging session starts when the user logs in to a dedicated app. If selection button 35 is selected, EVSE3 may change to a state where it waits for the user to log in to the app.

[0057] As described above, when EIM billing is selected, the user is required to choose one of several EIM billing methods, allowing the user to pay using any of the available EIM billing methods. This allows the user to change their payment method as needed, unlike when only one EIM billing method is available.

[0058] Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing performed by the ECU 10 and the control device 40 after the billing method has been selected. Note that "after the billing method has been selected" may also refer to after the authentication of the billing method has been completed.

[0059] In step S31, the ECU 10 determines whether the user has changed the scheduled charging setting (enable / disabled). For example, the ECU 10 determines that the enabled / disabled status of scheduled charging has been changed if the scheduled charging setting change operation is performed on the car navigation device 30 (or user terminal). If the enabled / disabled status of scheduled charging has been changed (Yes in S31), the process proceeds to step S32. If the enabled / disabled status of scheduled charging has not been changed (No in S31), the process ends.

[0060] In step S32, the ECU 10 determines whether the scheduled charging setting has been changed from enabled to disabled. If it has been changed from enabled to disabled (Yes in S32), the process proceeds to step S33. If it has been changed from disabled to enabled (No in S32), the process proceeds to step S34.

[0061] In step S33, the ECU 10 (processor 11) sends a signal to the EVSE 3 (communication unit 43) via the communication unit 13 indicating that the scheduled charging setting has been changed from enabled to disabled. Next, the vehicle 1 proceeds to step S38.

[0062] In step S34, the ECU 10 cancels the change from disabled to enabled for scheduled charging. The process then terminates. Note that in vehicle 1, changing the scheduled charging setting from disabled to enabled may be prohibited.

[0063] By canceling the change from disabled to enabled for scheduled charging, it is possible to prevent scheduled charging from being set while PnC billing is continuing.

[0064] In step S35, EVSE3 determines whether the communication unit 43 has received the signal transmitted from vehicle 1 in step S33. If the signal in S33 has been received (Yes in S35), the process proceeds to step S36. If the signal in S33 has not been received (No in S35), the process ends.

[0065] In step S36, the EVSE3 (processor 41) sends a signal to the ECU10 (communication unit 13) via the communication unit 43 indicating that EIM billing should be maintained. The process then proceeds to step S37.

[0066] In step S37, EVSE3 maintains EIM billing. For example, EVSE3 re-selects the currently selected EIM billing. Note that in step S37, EVSE3 does not need to perform any processing related to the selection (change) of billing methods. After that, EVSE3's processing ends.

[0067] As described above, if the scheduled charging setting is changed from enabled to disabled after EIM billing has been selected, maintaining the EIM billing selection helps to prevent the charging sequence from becoming complicated due to a change in the billing method midway through the charging sequence.

[0068] In step S38, the ECU 10 (processor 11) sends a signal to the car navigation device 30 (or user terminal) via the communication unit 13 to display a message indicating that EIM billing will be maintained. The car navigation device 30 (or user terminal) displays the message upon receiving the signal. After that, processing of vehicle 1 is completed.

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment, EVSE3 selects PnC billing when the scheduled charging setting in ECU10 is disabled, and selects EIM billing when the scheduled charging setting in ECU10 is enabled. As a result, PnC billing is not performed when scheduled charging is executed, thus preventing automatic billing by PnC during non-charging times (times when the vehicle is plugged in before and after the charging schedule). Consequently, it is possible to prevent unintended charges from occurring by the vehicle user.

[0070] Furthermore, if scheduled charging is disabled, PnC billing is selected, allowing billing to be performed without requiring any user action, thus improving user convenience.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, AC charging is performed between vehicle 1 and EVSE3. AC charging is often used when charging at home using charging equipment at night. Therefore, nighttime hours are often set as the time for scheduled charging. In this case, if scheduled charging is applied at a public facility, there is a high possibility that no charging will be performed at all. Therefore, selecting EIM billing instead of PnC billing when the scheduled charging setting is enabled as described above can prevent the accumulation of charges that the user did not intend, even though no charging has taken place.

[0072] <Variation> In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the change in the scheduled charging setting is canceled when the scheduled charging setting is changed from disabled to enabled after the billing method has been selected, but this disclosure is not limited to this. In this case, the ECU 10 may perform processing to stop charging (charging sequence). Stopping charging (charging sequence) means stopping the communication state between the vehicle 1 and the EVSE 3.

[0073] For example, in the example shown in Figure 5, the process in step S41 is executed instead of step S34 in Figure 4. In step S41, the ECU 10 sends a charge stop command to the EVSE3. The process then proceeds to step S43.

[0074] In step S42, EVSE3 determines whether or not it has received the charging stop command in step S41. If it has received the charging stop command (Yes in S42), the process proceeds to step S43. If it has not received the charging stop command (No in S42), the process proceeds to step S35.

[0075] In step S43, the charging (charging sequence) between vehicle 1 and EVSE3 is terminated. This disconnects the communication between vehicle 1 and EVSE3. Next, vehicle 1 proceeds to step S44. EVSE3's processing ends in step S43.

[0076] As described above, stopping the charging (charging sequence) allows the charging sequence to be stopped if PnC billing continues even though scheduled charging has not started (or has finished). As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent unintended charges from occurring.

[0077] In step S44, the ECU 10 performs processing to notify the user that charging (charging sequence) has finished. For example, the ECU 10 (processor 11) sends a signal to the car navigation device 30 (or user terminal) via the communication unit 13 to display a message indicating that charging (charging sequence) has finished. The above message may also include a message prompting the user to restart the charging sequence (communication) with the EVSE 3.

[0078] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a signal indicating that scheduled charging has been switched between enabled and disabled is transmitted from vehicle 1 to EVSE3 when the charging method is selected and then switched between enabled and disabled. However, this disclosure is not limited to this example. After the charging method is selected, the setting change for scheduled charging may be disabled in vehicle 1. For example, after the charging method is selected, only the change from disabled to enabled for scheduled charging may be disabled.

[0079] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which no information is transmitted from vehicle 1 to EVSE3 when the scheduled charging setting is changed from disabled to enabled after the charging method has been selected, but the disclosure is not limited to this. In this case, a signal indicating that the scheduled charging setting has been changed from disabled to enabled may be transmitted from vehicle 1 to EVSE3. Then, the process proceeds again to the determination in step S5, and the execution of EIM charging may be requested by the ECU 10.

[0080] The above embodiment shows an example where the current billing method is maintained even if the scheduled charging settings are changed after the billing method has been selected, but the disclosure is not limited to this. If the scheduled charging settings are changed after the billing method has been selected, the billing method may be changed to one that corresponds to the changed scheduled charging settings. For example, the billing method may be changed (to PnC billing) only if the scheduled charging settings are changed from enabled to disabled after EIM billing has been selected. Also, if only the start time is changed while the schedule setting is enabled, it is desirable to continue with EIM billing.

[0081] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the control device 40 of EVSE3 performs the process of selecting the billing method, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, an external server different from the vehicle 1 and EVSE3 may perform the above selection process.

[0082] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a single ECU 10 is provided in the vehicle 1, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Multiple ECUs having different functions may be provided in the vehicle 1.

[0083] In the above embodiment, an example was shown where charging between the vehicle 1 and the EVSE 3 is AC charging, but this disclosure is not limited to this. Charging between the vehicle 1 and the EVSE 3 may also be DC charging.

[0084] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a signal (the signal in S33) is transmitted from vehicle 1 to EVSE3 when the scheduled charging setting is changed from enabled to disabled after the charging method has been selected, but the disclosure is not limited to this. The signal in S33 does not have to be transmitted from vehicle 1 to EVSE3.

[0085] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the control device 40 of EVSE3 selects the billing method, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. The ECU of vehicle 1 may also select the billing method.

[0086] In the modified example shown in Figure 6, the vehicle 101 is equipped with an ECU 10 and an ECU 50. The ECU 10 and ECU 50 constitute a charging control system 200. The ECU 50 has the same functions as the EVSE 3 in the above embodiment. Specifically, the ECU 50 can perform the processes of steps S8 to S14 shown in Figure 2 and the processes of steps S35 to S37 shown in Figure 4. The ECU 50 may also transmit a signal to the EVSE 103 indicating the selected charging method. Upon receiving the above signal from the ECU 50, the EVSE 103 may start charging with the vehicle 101 and charging selected by the ECU 50. Note that the ECU 50 and EVSE 103 are examples of the "charging selection device" and "charging station" of this disclosure, respectively.

[0087] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the claims rather than the description of the embodiments above, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1,101 vehicles, 2 battery packs (energy storage devices), 3,103 EVSEs (charging stations), 10 ECUs (charging setting devices), 40 control devices (charging selection devices), 50 ECUs (charging selection devices), 100,200 charging control systems.

Claims

1. A charging control system that controls the charging of a vehicle's energy storage device from a charging station, A charging setting device that can switch between having a scheduled charging setting enabled or disabled, which enables the setting to be disabled for scheduled charging that performs the aforementioned charging at a pre-set time, The system includes a billing selection device for selecting a billing method for the aforementioned charging, The aforementioned billing selection device is If the setting in the charging setting device is invalid, select PnC billing, A charging control system that selects external authentication billing when the setting in the charging setting device is valid.

2. The charging control system according to claim 1, wherein the charging selection device maintains the selection of the external authentication charging when the setting is changed from enabled to disabled after the external authentication charging has been selected.

3. The charging control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the charging setting device cancels the change in the setting when the setting is changed from disabled to enabled after the PnC charging is selected by the charging selection device.

4. The charging control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the charging setting device performs a process to stop charging when the setting is changed from disabled to enabled after the charging selection device has selected the PnC charging.

5. The charging control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the charging is AC charging.

6. The charging control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the charging selection device performs a process to notify the user of the vehicle that the external authentication charging has been selected when the external authentication charging is selected.

7. The aforementioned external authentication billing includes multiple billing methods that differ from each other, The charging control system according to claim 6, wherein the charging selection device performs a process to request the vehicle user to select one of the plurality of charging methods when the external authentication charging is selected.

8. A vehicle comprising the charging control system described in claim 1.

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