Charging system

Abstract

The objective is to provide a charging system that reduces the electricity costs borne by the managers of charging stations. [Solution] The charging system is a charging system that controls a plurality of charging stations installed at a business premises, and includes: acquisition means for acquiring peak hours when electricity costs borne by the managers of the plurality of charging stations are high; first instruction means for instructing a first charging station among the plurality of charging stations connected to a first electric vehicle parked in the first parking lot of the business premises to supply first power to the business premises based on the discharge of the first electric vehicle during the peak hours; and second instruction means for instructing a second charging station other than the first charging station among the plurality of charging stations connected to a second electric vehicle parked in the second parking lot of the business premises to charge the second electric vehicle based on the second power of the business premises outside of the peak hours.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging system.

Background Art

[0002] At parking lots of business premises such as factories and offices, charging from a charging stand to an electric vehicle may be performed. The electric vehicles parked in the parking lot include vehicles owned by employees working at the business premise and used for daily commuting, i.e., commuting vehicles. In addition, the electric vehicles parked in the parking lot also include company-owned vehicles owned by the business operator, such as business vehicles, which is the operating entity of the business premise.

[0003] Charging systems for managing charging from a charging stand to an electric vehicle are known. Also known is a charging system that controls so that even if charging is started simultaneously for all company-owned vehicles, the amount of grid power used at the business premise does not exceed the contract power (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, even if the use amount of grid power at the business premise is controlled so as not to exceed the contract power, the contract power itself does not decrease, so the electricity cost borne by the administrator of the charging stand including the business operator is not necessarily reduced.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a charging system that reduces the electricity cost borne by the administrator of the charging stand.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The charging system according to the present invention is a charging system for controlling a plurality of charging stations installed at a business premises, comprising: acquisition means for acquiring peak hours during which electricity costs borne by the manager of the plurality of charging stations are high; first instruction means for instructing a first charging station among the plurality of charging stations connected to a first electric vehicle parked in the first parking lot of the business premises to supply first power to the business premises based on the discharge of the first electric vehicle during the peak hours; and second instruction means for instructing a second charging station other than the first charging station among the plurality of charging stations connected to a second electric vehicle parked in the second parking lot of the business premises to charge the second electric vehicle based on the second power of the business premises outside of the peak hours. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the electricity costs incurred by the manager of a charging station can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is an example of a charge / discharge control system. [Figure 2] (a) is an example of a block diagram for an electric vehicle. (b) is an example of a block diagram for a charging management server. (c) is an example of a block diagram for an attendance management server. [Figure 3] (a) is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the charge management server. (b) is a diagram illustrating an example of peak time. (c) is a diagram illustrating an example of a charge / discharge plan. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the charge / discharge control system ST is a computer system including a group of management servers SVs. The group of management servers SVs is installed in a data center DC that provides cloud services. The group of management servers SVs includes at least a charge management server 10 and an attendance management server 20. The charge management server 10 is an example of a charging system. The charging system may also include at least one of the attendance management server 20, charging stations 31, 32, 33, and electric vehicles 51, 52, 53.

[0012] The charging management server 10 controls the power supply to multiple charging stations 31, 32, and 33 installed at the business premises 30, thereby reducing the electricity costs borne by the managers of the charging stations 31, 32, and 33. The managers of the charging stations 31, 32, and 33 may be the business operator that operates business premises 30, or they may be business operators other than the business operator that operates business premises 30.

[0013] Electric vehicle 51 parked in the first parking lot of the business premises 30 is connected to charging station 31 via a charging cable. Charging station 31 is an example of the first charging station. Electric vehicle 51 is an example of the first electric vehicle. Electric vehicle 52 parked in the second parking lot of the business premises 30 is connected to charging station 32 via a charging cable. Charging station 32 is an example of the second charging station. Electric vehicle 52 is an example of the second electric vehicle. Electric vehicle 53 parked in the third parking lot of the business premises 30 is connected to charging station 33 via a charging cable. Charging station 33 may be either the first or second charging station. Also, electric vehicle 53 may be either the first or second electric vehicle. Charging stations 31, 32, and 33 can rapidly charge electric vehicles 51, 52, and 53, respectively.

[0014] The electric vehicle 51 is an electric vehicle that does not have an engine but is equipped with a battery and can be driven by a motor using the electricity stored in the battery. For example, electric vehicle 53 includes plug-in EVs (Electric Vehicles). The electric vehicle 51 may also be a hybrid vehicle that is equipped with an engine in addition to the motor. The electric vehicle 51 may also be a fuel cell vehicle that is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell in addition to the battery.

[0015] The electric vehicle 51 is a vehicle owned by an employee working at the business establishment 30, and may be a private car used for daily commuting, or it may be a company car owned by the manager as described above, such as a company car. Since the electric vehicles 53 and 52 are basically the same as the electric vehicle 51, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0016] The charging management server 10 and the attendance management server 20 are connected to each other by a communication network NW1, such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The charging management server 10 is also connected to communication network NW2, and the attendance management server 20 is connected to communication network NW3. Communication networks NW2 and NW3 could be, for example, the Internet.

[0017] Charging stations 31, 32, and 33 are connected to the communication network NW2. Additionally, a terminal device 41 installed in the first business division (e.g., the General Affairs Department) of the business office 30 is connected to the communication network NW2. The terminal device 41 is operated by an employee P1 belonging to the first business division. The terminal device 41 holds and manages Time of Use (TOU) information 41a. The TOU information 41a includes TOU conditions representing electricity cost contract plans, such as time-of-use power contract plans and seasonal power contract plans, and target contract power. Time periods with high and low electricity costs are identified by the TOU information 41a.

[0018] The communication network NW3 is connected to a terminal device 42 installed in the second business department (such as the sales department) of the office 30. The terminal device 42 is operated by an employee P2 belonging to the second business department. Further, the communication network NW3 is connected to a terminal device 43 installed in the third business department (such as the personnel department) of the office 30. The terminal device 43 is operated by an employee P3 belonging to the third business department. Furthermore, the communication network NW3 is connected to a terminal device 44 installed in the fourth business department (such as the development department) of the office 30. The terminal device 44 is operated by an employee P4 belonging to the fourth business department. Note that the terminal devices 41, 42, 43, and 44 may be stationary terminals such as a PC (Personal Computer), or may be portable terminals such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal.

[0019] The attendance management server 20 manages the attendance information of the employees P1, P2, P3, and P4. Although details will be described later, the attendance information includes the employee IDs of the employees P1, P2, P3, and P4, the scheduled arrival time and scheduled departure time of the employees P1, P2, P3, and P4 at the office 30, and the like. The charging management server 10 can acquire the TOU information 41a from the terminal device 41, and can also acquire the attendance information from the attendance management server 20.

[0020] When the charging management server 10 acquires the TOU information 41a and the attendance information, during the peak time when the electricity cost borne by the above-mentioned administrator soars, for example, it instructs the charging stand 31 to supply the power based on the discharge of the electric vehicle 51 to the office 30. More specifically, the charging management server 10 instructs the charging stand 31 to supply the power based on the discharge of the electric vehicle 51 to the equipment load such as the production equipment installed in the office 30. The power based on the discharge of the electric vehicle 51 is an example of the first power.

[0021] In addition, outside of the peak time, the charging management server 10 instructs the charging stand 32 to charge the electric vehicle 52 based on the power of the office 30. The power of the office 30 is an example of the second power. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the burden of the electricity cost on the administrator who manages the charging stands 31, 32, and 33 as the operating entity of the office 30.

[0022] Referring to Fig. 2(a), the details of the electric vehicle 51 will be described. Since the electric vehicles 52 and 53 are basically the same as the electric vehicle 51, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0023] The electric vehicle 51 includes a charging ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 55. The charging ECU 55 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an input / output I / F (interface), and further includes a NVM (Non Volatile Memory) 55A. The NVM 55A stores the charging information of the electric vehicle 51.

[0024] The charging information includes a vehicle ID (Identifier) that uniquely identifies the electric vehicle 51 and the current SOC (State Of Charge) of the electric vehicle 51. For the vehicle ID, a vehicle number such as a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is used. When the electric vehicle 51 is connected to the charging stand 31, the charging stand 31 can acquire the charging information from the charging ECU 55.

[0025] In addition, the electric vehicle 51 includes a battery 56, a PCU (Power Control Unit) 57, and an MG (Motor Generator) 58. The battery 56 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. The battery 56 stores the power supplied from the charging stand 31 based on the charging control of the charging ECU 55. The battery 56 supplies power to the MG 58 through the PCU 57 when the electric vehicle 51 is running.

[0026] The PCU 57 is a drive unit that drives the MG 58 and includes power conversion devices such as a converter and inverter. The PCU 57 converts the DC power supplied from the battery 56 into AC power to drive the MG 58. The MG 58 is driven by the PCU 57 and generates rotational driving force, which is transmitted to the drive wheels 59R and 59L of the electric vehicle 51 via a power transmission gear 59 (not shown). As a result, the electric vehicle 51 moves.

[0027] The battery 56 can discharge power based on the discharge control of the charging ECU 55. For example, when the charging management server 10 instructs the charging station 31 to supply power to the business premises 30 based on the discharge of the electric vehicle 51, the power stored in the battery 56 is supplied to the business premises 30 via the charging station 31.

[0028] More specifically, the charging ECU 55 receives instructions from the charging management server 10 via the charging station 31, and the power stored in the battery 56 is supplied to the equipment load of the business premises 30 via the charging station 31. In this way, a portion of the power used by the business premises 30 for its equipment load can be covered by the power stored in the battery 56 of the electric vehicle 51.

[0029] Refer to Figure 2(b) for a detailed explanation of the charging management server 10. Note that the hardware configuration of the charging management server 10 is basically the same as that of the charging ECU 55, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. Therefore, the CPU of the charging management server 10 stores programs stored in ROM or NVM in RAM. The CPU executes the stored programs to realize various functions described later, and also performs a series of processes described later. The programs should conform to the flowchart described later. The attendance management server 20, described later, is similar to the charging management server 10.

[0030] The charge management server 10 includes an information acquisition unit 11, a discharge instruction unit 12, a charge instruction unit 13, and an information communication unit 14. The information acquisition unit 11 is an example of an acquisition means. The discharge instruction unit 12 is an example of a first instruction means. The charge instruction unit 13 is an example of a second instruction means.

[0031] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires the peak times when electricity costs borne by the administrators of the charging stations 31, 32, and 33 are high. More specifically, the information acquisition unit 11 accesses the TOU information 41a managed by the terminal device 41 via the information communication unit 14 and determines whether or not there are peak times when electricity costs borne by the administrator are high. If there are such peak times, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires information about the peak times from the TOU information 41a.

[0032] During the peak hours described above, the discharge instruction unit 12, via the information and communication unit 14, instructs the charging station 31 connected to the electric vehicle 51 parked in the first parking lot of the business premises 30 to supply power to the business premises 30 based on the discharge of the electric vehicle 51. The discharge instruction unit 12 may also, during the peak hours described above, instruct the charging station 33 connected to the electric vehicle 53 parked in the third parking lot of the business premises 30 to supply power to the business premises 30 based on the discharge of the electric vehicle 53, via the information and communication unit 14.

[0033] Furthermore, outside of the aforementioned peak hours, the charging instruction unit 13, via the information and communication unit 14, instructs the charging station 32 connected to the electric vehicle 52 parked in the second parking lot of the business premises 30 to charge the electric vehicle 52 using the power of the business premises 30. The charging instruction unit 13 may also, outside of the aforementioned peak hours, instruct the charging station 33 connected to the electric vehicle 53 parked in the third parking lot of the business premises 30, via the information and communication unit 14, to charge the electric vehicle 53 using the power of the business premises 30.

[0034] The information acquisition unit 11 performs various processes in addition to acquiring peak time information, and the details of these processes will be described later. The discharge instruction unit 12 and the charge instruction unit 13 also perform various processes in addition to instructing charging and discharging, and the details of these processes will be described later.

[0035] Refer to Figure 2(c) for a detailed explanation of the attendance management server 20. The attendance management server 20 includes an attendance management unit 21, an attendance database (DB) 22, and an information and communication unit 23.

[0036] The attendance management unit 21 manages the attendance information of employees P1, P2, P3, and P4 using the attendance database 22. The attendance database 22 stores the attendance information. The attendance information includes an employee ID that uniquely identifies employees P2, P4, etc., and the vehicle IDs of the electric vehicle 51 used by employee P2 and the electric vehicle 52 used by employee P4. In this embodiment, employee ID "P#2" is assigned to employee P2, and employee ID "P#4" is assigned to employee P4.

[0037] Furthermore, attendance information includes the scheduled departure times of employees P2, P4, etc., and whether or not discharge is permitted or denied for the electric vehicle 51 used by employee P2 and the electric vehicle 52 used by employee P4. The attendance management unit 21 obtains the discharge permission / denial input to terminal devices 42, 44, etc., based on the operations of employees P2, P4, etc., via the information and communication unit 23, and registers the obtained discharge permission / denial in the attendance information. The attendance management unit 21 may, for example, grant a monetary reward to employee P2 who is permitted to discharge, according to the amount of discharge.

[0038] In addition, although not shown in the diagram, attendance information may include the scheduled arrival times of employees P2, P4, etc. Attendance information may also include the one-way or round-trip travel distance between the business premises 30 and the homes of employees P2, P4, etc. That is, attendance information may include the travel distance required only for returning home, or it may include the travel distance required from returning home on the day to arriving at work the next day. This makes it possible to calculate the amount of charge required for commuting to and from work.

[0039] The operation of the charging management server 10 will be explained with reference to Figures 3(a) to (c).

[0040] First, as shown in Figure 3(a), the information acquisition unit 11 determines whether or not there is a peak time (step S1). As shown in Figure 3(b), the TOU information 41a includes multiple time periods, such as peak hours when electricity prices are high, and off-peak hours and nighttime hours that exclude peak hours. Off-peak hours and nighttime hours are times when electricity prices are lower than peak hours. Therefore, the information acquisition unit 11 accesses the TOU information 41a and determines whether or not there is a peak time in the TOU information 41a.

[0041] If there is no peak time (Step S1: NO), the information acquisition unit 11 terminates processing. However, if there is no peak time, before the information acquisition unit 11 terminates processing, the charging instruction unit 13 may execute control to prioritize charging for employees whose scheduled departure time is earlier, so that the power consumption of the business establishment 30 does not exceed the contracted power.

[0042] On the other hand, if there is a peak time (Step S1: YES), the information acquisition unit 11 acquires the peak time (Step S2). Once the peak time is acquired, the information acquisition unit 11 predicts the total electricity demand (Step S3). More specifically, the information acquisition unit 11 predicts the future total electricity demand used by the business establishment 30 based on the business establishment 30's past electricity usage. For example, as shown in Figures 3(b) and (c), the information acquisition unit 11 predicts a convex total electricity demand with the peak time as the upper limit.

[0043] After forecasting the total electricity demand, the information acquisition unit 11 then calculates the peak-hour demand (step S4). More specifically, the information acquisition unit 11 calculates the peak-hour demand, which represents the amount of electricity used by the business establishment 30 during peak hours, based on the acquired peak hours and total electricity demand. For example, as shown in Figure 3(b), the information acquisition unit 11 calculates a portion of the total electricity demand corresponding to the peak hours as the peak-hour demand.

[0044] When the information acquisition unit 11 calculates the peak hour demand, the discharge instruction unit 12 generates a discharge plan (step S5). More specifically, the discharge instruction unit 12 calculates the number of vehicles to be discharged per unit time based on the peak hour demand. Once the number of vehicles is calculated, the discharge instruction unit 12 acquires charging information from each of the electric vehicles 51, 52, and 53, and acquires attendance information from the attendance management server 20.

[0045] When the discharge instruction unit 12 acquires charging information and attendance information, it selects one of the electric vehicles 51, 52, or 53 whose current SOC is higher than the first threshold SOC (e.g., 80%) based on the charging information. For example, the discharge instruction unit 12 selects electric vehicle 51. Also, when the discharge instruction unit 12 acquires charging information and attendance information, it selects one of the employees P1, P2, P3, or P4 whose scheduled departure time is later than the first threshold time (e.g., 8 PM) based on the attendance information. For example, the discharge instruction unit 12 selects employee P2.

[0046] Once the discharge instruction unit 12 has completed these selections, it checks whether discharge is permitted for any of the electric vehicles 51, 52, or 53 used by any of the selected employees P1, P2, P3, or P4, based on the attendance information's discharge eligibility. If discharge is permitted, the discharge instruction unit 12 identifies the vehicle to be discharged. In this embodiment, the discharge instruction unit 12 identifies electric vehicle 51 as the vehicle to be discharged and generates a discharge plan including the vehicle to be discharged, as shown in Figure 3(c).

[0047] Thus, the electric vehicle 51 of employee P2, whose scheduled departure time is late, has a high SOC (State of Charge) with a large amount of stored energy, and since discharge is permitted at the employee P2's own discretion, it is assumed that even if the electric vehicle 51 discharges during peak hours, it is unlikely that employee P2 will have difficulty returning home. Since employee P2 contributes to reducing the electricity consumption of the business establishment 30, they may be given a monetary reward by the manager, who is the operating body of the business establishment 30. Furthermore, if discharge is permitted, an employee with an early scheduled departure time may be selected regardless of whether their SOC is high or low. Also, if discharge is permitted, an electric vehicle with a low SOC may be selected regardless of whether their scheduled departure time is early or late.

[0048] When a discharge plan is generated, the charging instruction unit 13 generates a first charging plan (step S6). More specifically, the charging instruction unit 13 generates a first charging plan relating to the charging plan before the peak time. The charging instruction unit 13 generates the first charging plan based on the charging information and attendance information acquired by the discharge instruction unit 12. For example, based on the charging information, the charging instruction unit 13 checks the current SOC of the electric vehicles 51, 52, and 53 and selects one of the electric vehicles 51, 52, or 53 whose current SOC is lower than a second threshold SOC (e.g., 40%).

[0049] When the charging instruction unit 13 selects one of the electric vehicles 51, 52, or 53, it selects one of the employees P1, P2, P3, or P4 whose scheduled departure time is earlier than the second threshold time (e.g., 6pm) based on attendance information. After completing these selections, the charging instruction unit 13 identifies one of the electric vehicles 51, 52, or 53 used by one of the selected employees P1, P2, P3, or P4 as the vehicle to be charged.

[0050] In this way, the charging instruction unit 13 generates a first charging plan that prioritizes charging electric vehicles of employees with early departure times over electric vehicles of employees with later departure times or electric vehicles with high SOCs, if the electric vehicle of the employee with an early departure time has a low SOC. As a result, the electric vehicles of employees with early departure times are fully charged before they leave work, allowing them to go home promptly.

[0051] Once the first charging plan is generated, the charging instruction unit 13 generates a second charging plan (step S7). More specifically, the charging instruction unit 13 generates a second charging plan relating to the charging schedule after the peak time. The charging instruction unit 13 generates a second charging plan that prioritizes charging electric vehicles that were excluded from the first charging plan due to a late scheduled departure time, among the electric vehicles identified as vehicles to be discharged, over other electric vehicles. As a result, electric vehicles identified as vehicles to be discharged are fully charged by the time the employees leave work, allowing employees to go home promptly.

[0052] Once the second charging plan is generated, the charging instruction unit 13 instructs charging and discharging (step S8) and terminates the process. More specifically, as shown in Figure 3(c), the charging instruction unit 13 instructs charging and discharging of power based on the charging and discharging plan, which includes the discharge plan, the first charging plan, and the second charging plan. This instructs, for example, the charging station 31 to supply power to the business premises 30 based on the discharge of the electric vehicle 51. It also instructs the charging station 32 to charge the electric vehicle 52.

[0053] As a result, as shown in Figure 3(c), the total electricity consumption of the business premises, which is the sum of the amount of electricity used for charging and discharging and the electricity consumption of the business premises 30, is reduced during peak hours when electricity costs are high. Electricity use is suppressed during peak hours when electricity costs are high, and instead, charging is performed during off-peak hours when electricity costs are low. In this way, the charging management server 10 according to this embodiment can reduce the electricity costs borne by the administrators of the charging stations 31, 32, and 33.

[0054] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention as described in the claims. For example, when generating the discharge plan described above, the discharge instruction unit 12 may generate a discharge plan that is below the target contract power included in the TOU information 41a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10. Charging Management Server 11 Information acquisition department 12 Discharge instruction section 13 Charging indicator 20. Attendance Management Server 30 offices 31, 32, 33 Charging stand 41a TOU information 51, 52, 53 Electric vehicles

Claims

[Claim 1] A charging system that controls multiple charging stations installed at a business premises, A means for obtaining information on the peak hours during which electricity costs are high, which are borne by the managers of the aforementioned multiple charging stations, During the aforementioned peak hours, a first instruction means instructs the first charging station among the plurality of charging stations connected to the first electric vehicle parked in the first parking lot of the business establishment to supply first power to the business establishment based on the discharge of the first electric vehicle, Outside of the aforementioned peak hours, a second instruction means instructs a second charging station, other than the first charging station, among the plurality of charging stations connected to the second electric vehicle parked in the second parking lot of the business premises, to charge the second electric vehicle based on the second power supply of the business premises. A charging system having

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