Operation plan creation device, charging plan creation device, charging system, operation plan creation method, and operation plan creation program

Abstract

To obtain an operational planning device that can suppress variations in the rate of deterioration of mobile bodies. [Solution] An operation plan creation device 30 for a charging system capable of charging multiple vehicles, each having a storage battery, comprises a route assignment unit 35 that uses the number of times the vehicles have been charged during a certain period prior to the planning period, which is the period for which the operation plan is to be created, to assign a route to each vehicle on which the vehicle will operate during the planning period, and creates an operation plan that reflects the results of the assignment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an operation plan creation device for creating a plurality of operation plans, a charging plan creation device, a charging system, an operation plan creation method, and an operation plan creation program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the popularity of electric vehicles has been increasing. In the future, it is expected that the full-scale electrification of commercial commercialcommercial vehicles such as buses and trucks will progress. Furthermore, it is expected that not only automobiles but also all moving objects such as trains, airplanes, and ships that have a storage battery and use electricity as energy will increase.

[0003] When a business-use moving object has a storage battery, the operator needs to determine a charging schedule in consideration of electricity charges and the like because the operator will charge the storage batteries of a large number of moving objects. Patent Document 1 discloses a charging system that uses the cost of charging equipment for charging a plurality of electric vehicles as an evaluation function and creates a charging plan so that the evaluation function becomes suitable.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In mobile vehicles equipped with batteries, the damage to the vehicle varies depending on how the batteries are used. For example, a higher number of charging cycles will result in greater damage to the vehicle. When operating multiple vehicles, such as in the operation of route buses, it is desirable to operate them in a way that distributes the damage to each vehicle as evenly as possible. However, the charging system described in Patent Document 1 determines the charging schedule based on a predetermined operating schedule for each bus, and therefore does not take into account how the batteries are used, which may lead to variations in the rate of deterioration of the buses.

[0006] This disclosure is made in view of the above, and aims to provide an operational planning device that can suppress variations in the rate of deterioration of a mobile body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the operation plan creation device according to this disclosure is an operation plan creation device that creates an operation plan for multiple mobile bodies, each having a storage battery, in a charging system capable of charging multiple mobile bodies, and comprises a route assignment unit that uses the number of times the mobile bodies have been charged during a certain period prior to the planning period, which is the period for which the operation plan is to be created, to assign a route to each mobile body on which the mobile body will operate during the planning period, and creates an operation plan that reflects the results of the assignment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, the effect is to suppress variations in the rate of deterioration of the mobile body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example configuration of the charging system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example configuration of the operation plan creation device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] A flowchart showing an example of the operation plan creation process in the operation plan creation device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] Figure showing an example of route information in Embodiment 1 [Figure 5] Figure showing an example of weight data in Embodiment 1 [Figure 6] Figure showing an example of vehicle information in Embodiment 1 [Figure 7] Figure showing an example of allocation of combinations to each vehicle in Embodiment 1 [Figure 8] Figure showing a configuration example of the EMS in Embodiment 1 [Figure 9] Figure showing an example of a charge / discharge plan created by the plan generation unit in Embodiment 1 [Figure 10] Figure showing an example of SOC (State Of Charge) data in Embodiment 1 [Figure 11] Flowchart showing an example of a charge / discharge plan creation procedure in the EMS of Embodiment 1 [Figure 12] Figure showing a configuration example of a computer system for realizing the EMS in Embodiment 1 [Figure 13] Figure showing a configuration example of the EMS according to Embodiment 2 [Figure 14] Schematic diagram showing an example of a neural network [Figure 15] Figure showing a configuration example of a charging system according to Embodiment 3 [Figure 16] Figure showing a configuration example of an operation plan generation device in Embodiment 3 [Figure 17] Figure showing an example of distribution information in Embodiment 3 [Figure 18] Figure showing a configuration example of an operation plan generation device according to Embodiment 4 [Figure 19] Figure showing an example of route change in Embodiment 4 [Figure 20] Figure showing a configuration example of an operation plan generation device according to Embodiment 5 [Figure 21] Figure showing an example of the ratio of power supply sources for each vehicle in Embodiment 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an operation plan creation device, a charging plan creation device, a charging system, an operation plan creation method, and an operation plan creation program according to an embodiment will be described in detail based on the drawings.

[0011] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a charging system according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the charging system 1 of the present embodiment is a system capable of charging vehicles 5-1 to 5-n, which are examples of a plurality of moving bodies each having a storage battery (a storage battery for a moving body). n is an integer of 2 or more. Hereinafter, when the vehicles 5-1 to 5-n are not individually distinguished, they are also referred to as vehicle 5. Hereinafter, an example in which the vehicle 5 is a bus will be described, but the vehicle 5 is not limited to a bus, and may be a truck or a commercial passenger car that generally travels on a prescribed route. Further, hereinafter, the vehicle 5 will be described as an example of a moving body that moves using electric energy, but the charging system 1 of the present embodiment is also applicable to charging other moving bodies such as trains, airplanes, and ships. Further, this moving body is not limited to one that moves only using electric energy, and may be one that moves using both electric energy and another energy source such as gasoline. A moving body that moves using electric energy generally has a storage battery for a moving body and moves using the power stored in the storage battery.

[0012] Vehicle 5 is equipped with a battery, which is a mobile battery, and runs using the electricity stored in the battery. The charging system 1 in this embodiment is installed in the parking lot of vehicle 5, the office of the business operator that manages vehicle 5, the vehicle 5's station, etc., and is a system that charges the battery of vehicle 5 managed by the business operator. Each vehicle 5 operates according to the operation plan, and when the day's operation is finished, it returns to the parking lot, office, station, etc. where the charging system 1 is installed and is charged in the charging system 1. As shown in Figure 1, the charging system 1 includes an energy management system (hereinafter abbreviated as EMS) 10, an operation plan creation device 30, a converter 41, chargers 42-1 to 42-n, connection units 45-1 to 45-n, a battery 20, a battery power conditioning system (hereinafter abbreviated as PCS) 43, and a solar power generation facility 21. Hereinafter, when not individually distinguished, chargers 42-1 to 42-n and connection units 45-1 to 45-n will also be referred to as charger 42 and connection unit 45, respectively. Furthermore, while a solar power generation facility 21 is given here as an example of a renewable energy power generation facility, the charging system 1 may also be equipped with a wind power generation facility in addition to the solar power generation facility 21, or it may be equipped with a wind power generation facility without the solar power generation facility 21.

[0013] The operation plan creation device 30 uses information such as the distance traveled on each route on which the vehicles 5 travel, the operating schedule for each route, and the number of times each vehicle 5 has been charged to create an operation plan that indicates which vehicle 5 should be assigned to which route. The operation plan creation device 30 also creates an operation plan that includes the operation plan, the distance traveled on each route, and the operating schedule for each route, and transmits it to the EMS 10. In order to suppress variations in the deterioration of the vehicles 5, it is desirable to suppress variations in the damage to the batteries of the vehicles 5. For example, the more times a vehicle has been charged, the greater the damage to its battery. Therefore, in this embodiment, by creating an operation plan using the number of times each vehicle 5 has been charged, variations in the rate of deterioration of the vehicles 5, which are an example of a mobile device, are suppressed. Details of the configuration and operation of the operation plan creation device 30 will be described later.

[0014] The charging system 1 is supplied with three-phase AC power from a power grid 2 managed by a power company via a transformer 3. The transformer 3 outputs the voltage of the three-phase AC power supplied from the power grid 2 to the charging system 1. The converter 41 converts the three-phase AC power supplied via the transformer 3 into DC power and supplies it to the DC bus 40. A DC load 44 is connected to the DC bus 40. In this embodiment, multiple chargers, namely chargers 42-1 to 42-n, and a battery storage system PCS 43, namely a control device, are connected to the DC bus 40. Each of the chargers 42-1 to 42-n in this embodiment can convert the DC power supplied from the DC bus 40 into DC power for charging the battery installed in the vehicle 5, and supply the converted DC power to the battery of the vehicle 5 via the corresponding connection units 45-1 to 45-n.

[0015] In this example, a DC load 44 is shown connected to the DC bus 40, but the DC load 44 does not necessarily have to be connected to the DC bus 40. The power system 2 managed by the power company will hereafter be simply referred to as the system. In Figure 1, the transformer 3 is also shown within the charging system 1, but the transformer 3 is not a component of the charging system 1, but rather is connected to or can be connected to the charging system 1.

[0016] Furthermore, while this description explains an example configuration in which a DC bus 40 is used in the charging system 1, this is merely one example, and the charging system 1 may also be configured without a converter 41, with AC power supplied to chargers 42-1 to 42-n. Additionally, the charging system 1 may not include a storage battery 20, a storage battery PCS 43, or a solar power generation system 21. The charging system 1 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 1; any configuration is acceptable as long as it includes multiple chargers 42 capable of charging a vehicle. For example, the charging system 1 may use a DC bus 40 and include a converter that converts three-phase AC power supplied via a transformer 3 into DC power to charge the vehicle 5.

[0017] Chargers 42-1 to 42-n are multiple chargers capable of charging vehicles 5-1 to 5-n, which are an example of multiple mobile units. Chargers 42-1 to 42-n are DC (Direct Current) / DC converters that convert DC power supplied from the DC bus 40 into DC power of a specified voltage value from the vehicle 5 via the corresponding connection units 45-1 to 45-n, and the converted DC power can be supplied to the vehicle's battery via the corresponding connection units 45-1 to 45-n. Note that chargers 42-1 to 42-n may charge the vehicle 5 without going through the connection units 45-1 to 45-n. As described above, the charging system 1 may be supplied with AC power to chargers 42-1 to 42-n without a converter 41, in which case chargers 42-1 to 42-n have the function of AC (Alternating Current) / DC converters, which convert three-phase AC power into DC power, and convert three-phase AC power into DC power of a specified voltage value from the vehicle 5. The voltage value specified by vehicle 5 is included in the information notified from vehicle 5 to chargers 42-1 to 42-n via connection units 45-1 to 45-n. Chargers 42-1 to 42-n can charge the battery of vehicle 5 by supplying the converted DC power to vehicle 5 via the corresponding connection units 45-1 to 45-n at the power value specified by EMS 10. In Figure 1, an example is shown in which vehicles 5-1 to 5-n are connected to chargers 42-1 to 42-n, respectively, but the number of vehicles 5 managed by the operator is generally greater than the number of chargers 42. There are no particular restrictions on the number of vehicles 5; it may be the same as or different from the number of chargers 42.

[0018] The connection units 45-1 to 45-n, also called charging stations, have connecting cables for connecting to the vehicle 5 when charging the vehicle 5. Note that the connection units 45-1 to 45-n may be built into their respective chargers 42-1 to 42-n. The connecting cables function as both power lines for transmitting power and communication lines for communication. The connection units 45-1 to 45-n can communicate with the vehicle 5 via the connecting cables. Through this communication, the connection units 45-1 to 45-n obtain information about the battery of the connected vehicle 5 from the vehicle 5. Information about the battery installed in the vehicle 5 includes on / off information for determining the start and end of charging, a voltage value specified when charging the battery, and remaining charge information indicating the remaining battery capacity, also known as the charge rate (SOC - State of Charge). The chargers 42-1 to 42-n obtain the above information from the vehicle 5 via their respective connection units 45-1 to 45-n. The information acquired by chargers 42-1 to 42-n from vehicle 5 may include the identification information of vehicle 5. Chargers 42-1 to 42-n transmit at least a portion of the information acquired from vehicle 5 to EMS 10 via connection units 45-1 to 45-n. The identification information of vehicle 5 is not limited to the example of acquisition from vehicle 5; EMS 10 may also obtain the identification information of vehicle 5 by reading the license plate of vehicle 5 from an image captured by a camera installed in the charging system 1. For example, chargers 42-1 to 42-n may notify EMS 10 of the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery acquired from vehicle 5.

[0019] The solar power generation equipment 21 can convert sunlight into electrical energy and output the electrical energy as DC power. The battery 20 can store the DC power output from the solar power generation equipment 21. The DC power output from the solar power generation equipment 21 may also be supplied directly to the DC bus 40 without going through the battery 20. The battery PCS 43 is a control device that performs charging and discharging of the battery 20. The battery PCS 43 performs charging and discharging of the battery 20 based on the charge and discharge commands received from the EMS 10. When the battery 20 is being discharged, the battery PCS 43 supplies the DC power output from the battery 20 to the DC bus 40. The battery PCS 43 also charges the battery 20 using the DC power supplied from the DC bus 40. In other words, the battery 20 stores electricity generated by the solar power generation equipment 21, or electricity supplied from the power grid 2 via the transformer 3 and converter 41, and can also supply the stored electricity to chargers 42-1 to 42-n by discharging it. Commercial vehicles 5 are mainly operated during the day and are often charged at night. If many vehicles 5 are charged simultaneously, the amount of electricity supplied from the power grid 2 to the charging system 1 becomes very large, which may exceed the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company. By storing electricity generated by the solar power generation equipment 21 in the battery 20 and using the electricity stored in the battery 20 during nighttime charging, the peak value of the electricity supplied from the power grid 2 to the charging system 1 can be suppressed. In addition, electricity costs can be reduced by charging the battery 20 during off-peak hours when electricity rates are low and discharging it during off-peak hours when electricity rates are high.

[0020] Here, we describe an example where all vehicles 5 are charged in one charging system 1 after the end of a day's operation, but the charging locations for the vehicles 5 may be spread across several locations. If the charging locations for the vehicles 5 are spread across multiple locations, a charging system 1 may be installed at each charging location, or one EMS 10 may manage multiple charging locations. In the latter case, multiple sets of chargers 42 and connection units 45 are provided at each charging location, and the EMS 10 creates a charging schedule for all chargers 42 and connection units 45 at all charging locations.

[0021] Next, an example of the configuration of the operation plan creation device 30 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the operation plan creation device 30 of this embodiment. The operation plan creation device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a combination generation unit 32, a charging cycle calculation unit 33, a weighting unit 34, a route allocation unit 35, and a storage unit 36.

[0022] The communication unit 31 communicates with other devices. For example, the communication unit 31 communicates with the EMS 10 and obtains the number of charges and the SOC at the time of return for each charge for each vehicle 5 from the EMS 10, and stores it in the storage unit 36 ​​as charging information. For example, the EMS 10 transmits the number of charges for each vehicle 5 for the day, and the SOC at the time of return and after charging for each charge for the day, as charging information. These number of charges and SOC at the time of return may be actual values ​​or predicted values, but it is desirable that they be the most recent values ​​for the period covered by the operation plan creation device 30. For example, if the operation plan creation device 30 creates an operation plan for the next day on a certain day, the charging information will store the number of charges for each vehicle 5 for the day and the SOC at the time of return for each charge as described above. However, it is not limited to this, and when creating an operation plan for the next day on a certain day, actual values ​​of the number of charges for the day before the day described above and the SOC at the time of return for each charge may be used. In this embodiment, the operation plan is created to ensure that the number of charges over a certain period, such as one week, is as even as possible, taking into account the number of charges before the assignment of the operation plan. If the calculation conditions for each vehicle 5 are met, the operation plan may be created by considering the actual values ​​up to the previous day, as described above. The communication unit 31 also transmits the operation plan, which will be described later, stored in the storage unit 36, to the EMS 10.

[0023] The combination generation unit 32 generates multiple combinations of flights operated by one of the multiple vehicles 5 during the planning period, which is the period for which the operation plan is to be created. Specifically, the combination generation unit 32 uses the route information stored in the storage unit 36 ​​to generate multiple combinations of routes on which one vehicle 5 will travel during the period for which the operation plan is to be created. The route information includes information indicating the total distance traveled on all routes on which the vehicle 5 should operate and the operating time for each route. The period for which the operation plan is to be created is, for example, the entire next day if the operation plan creation device 30 is creating the operation plan for the next day. The period for which the operation plan is to be created is not limited to these and can be set as appropriate by the administrator who manages the operation. The combination generation unit 32 generates combinations such that all flights included in the route information are included in one of the multiple combinations that have been generated. The combination generation unit 32 notifies the charging count calculation unit 33 of the generated combinations.

[0024] The charging count calculation unit 33 calculates the number of times the vehicle 5 is charged for each combination generated by the combination generation unit 32. As will be described later, each vehicle 5 returns from the final destination of the route to a business premises where the charging system 1 is installed, and is charged at the charging system 1. Depending on the route, charging may occur during the daytime. Conditions for charging during the daytime are predetermined, and the charging count calculation unit 33 calculates the number of times the vehicle is charged during the period for which the operation plan is created based on these conditions. For example, conditions for charging during the daytime are set for situations such as waiting for a certain period of time or longer at a business premises where the charging system 1 is installed, or when the vehicle is parked at the nearest stop to the business premises where the charging system 1 is installed during the daytime and has not been operated for a certain period of time or longer. The charging count calculation unit 33 notifies the weighting unit 34 of the combinations notified by the combination generation unit 32 and the number of times the vehicle is charged for each combination.

[0025] The weighting unit 34 calculates a weighting coefficient for each vehicle 5 according to the pre-charge and post-charge State of Charge (SOC) of the vehicle 5's battery, and uses the calculated weighting coefficient to weight the number of charges calculated by the charge count calculation unit 33. Specifically, the weighting unit 34 uses the information notified by the charge count calculation unit 33, along with the route information and weight data stored in the storage unit 36, to weight the number of charges notified by the charge count calculation unit 33. The vehicle 5's battery has a generally recommended SOC range, and using it outside this range has a greater impact on battery degradation compared to using it within this range. In this embodiment, this is taken into consideration, and each charge is weighted according to the SOC. The weight data is data indicating this weight. Details of the weight data and weighting will be described later. The weighting unit 34 notifies the route assignment unit 35 of the combinations notified by the charge count calculation unit 33 and the weighted number of charges for each combination.

[0026] The route allocation unit 35 uses the number of times each vehicle 5 has been charged within a certain period prior to the planned period to allocate routes to each vehicle 5 that will operate during the planned period, and uses the allocation results to create an operation plan. More specifically, the route allocation unit 35 allocates routes to each vehicle 5 by assigning combinations to the number of times each vehicle has been charged within a certain period and the number of times each vehicle has been charged calculated by the charging count calculation unit 33. More specifically, the route allocation unit 35 uses the information notified by the weighting unit 34 and the route information, charging information, and vehicle information stored in the storage unit 36 ​​to determine the combination of routes to assign to each vehicle 5, and stores the determined results as an operation plan in the storage unit 36. In other words, the route allocation unit 35 calculates a weighting coefficient for each vehicle 5 according to the state of charge (SOC) of the vehicle 5's battery before and after charging within a certain period, uses the calculated weighting coefficient to weight the number of charging cycles within the certain period, and assigns combinations to the vehicles 5 using the weighted number of charging cycles within the certain period and the weighted number of charging cycles by the weighting unit 34. The vehicle information includes information such as the cumulative value (weighted cumulative number of charging cycles) which is the weighted number of charging cycles for each vehicle 5, and the distance traveled. Details of the vehicle information will be described later. The route allocation unit 35 also creates an operation plan using the operation plan and route information, and stores the created operation plan in the storage unit 36.

[0027] The memory unit 36 ​​stores route information, vehicle information, weight data, operation plan, run plan, and charging information. Figure 2 shows the main data stored in the memory unit 36; other information, such as information temporarily generated during processing and other information used in processing, is also stored in the memory unit 36, but these are not shown in the illustration.

[0028] Next, the operation of the operation plan creation device 30 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation plan creation process in the operation plan creation device 30 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the operation plan creation device 30 first determines the route combination for each vehicle unit using route information (step S1). In detail, the combination generation unit 32 uses the route information stored in the storage unit 36 ​​to generate multiple combinations of routes on which one vehicle 5 will travel during the period for which the operation plan is to be created, so as not to be biased in the total distance traveled for each combination.

[0029] Figure 4 shows an example of route information in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the route information includes information indicating the starting stop, ending stop, distance traveled, and departure time for each route. The departure time is the departure time at the starting stop. The combination generation unit 32 refers to the route information stored in the storage unit 36 ​​and uses the starting stop, ending stop, distance traveled, and departure time for each route to generate combinations of routes on which one vehicle 5 will travel. For example, suppose route A is a route from starting stop X to ending stop Y, as shown in Figure 4, and route D (not shown) is the reverse route of route A, from starting stop Y to ending stop X. In this case, the combination generation unit 32 generates combinations of routes on which one vehicle 5 will travel, such as route A (departing at 6:30) - route D (departing at 7:20) - route C (departing at 8:05)... Furthermore, the combination generation unit 32 generates, for example, another combination such as Route A (departing at 6:50) - Route D (departing at 7:30) - Route A (departing at 8:20) - Route D (departing at 8:50)... The combination generation unit 32 generates multiple similar combinations. At this time, the combination generation unit 32 generates combinations such that all operating services are included in one of the multiple combinations generated. Note that this combination is just an example, and it is not guaranteed that a combination will be generated so that after traveling on a certain route, the service travels on the reverse route of that route. In addition, the combination generation unit 32 generates each combination so that the total value of the travel distance during the period for which the operation plan is to be created is less than or equal to a certain amount. The combination generation unit 32 notifies the charging count calculation unit 33 of the generated combinations.

[0030] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, after step S1, the operation plan creation device 30 determines the number of charging cycles for each combination (step S2). Specifically, the charging cycle calculation unit 33 calculates the number of charging cycles for each combination generated by the combination generation unit 32 according to predetermined conditions. The charging cycle calculation unit 33 notifies the weighting unit 34 of the combinations notified by the combination generation unit 32 and the number of charging cycles for each combination.

[0031] Next, the operation plan creation device 30 calculates the weighted number of charging cycles (step S3). Specifically, the weighting unit 34 reads the travel distance of the routes included in each combination notified by the charging cycle calculation unit 33 from the route information stored in the storage unit 36. Here, it is assumed that the battery capacity of each vehicle 5 is the same, and the weighting unit 34 sets the State of Charge (SOC) of the vehicle 5's battery at the time of return to a predetermined value, and for combinations with one charging cycle, it calculates the amount of charge (kWh) required to travel all the routes included in the combination using the travel distance. Then, it calculates the SOC after charging using the set SOC at the time of return and the amount of charge (kWh) required for travel. The predetermined value set as the SOC of the vehicle 5's battery at the time of return can be, for example, a value of about 20% to 30%, but is not limited to this. The weighting unit 34 uses the weight data stored in the storage unit 36 ​​to calculate a weight coefficient corresponding to the value of the SOC after charging.

[0032] Figure 5 shows an example of weight data in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the weight data is data in which the range of SOC values ​​and weight coefficients are associated. As mentioned above, the battery of the vehicle 5 has a generally recommended range of SOC for use, and if the SOC is used outside this range, the impact on battery degradation will be greater than if it is used within this range. Here, the recommended range of SOC is set to 20% to 80%, and the weight coefficient is set to 1 when the SOC is within this range, and the weight coefficient is set to increase as the SOC deviates from this range. In other words, the weight coefficient is determined according to the amount of deviation of the SOC from the defined range. In the example shown in Figure 5, the weight coefficient is 1.1 when the SOC is in the range of 80%-82% (80% or more and less than 82%), and the weight coefficient is 1.2 when the SOC is in the range of 82%-84% (82% or more and less than 84%). The weight coefficient is set so that when the SOC deviates from the range of 20% to 80%, the weight coefficient increases by 0.1 for every 2 points of the SOC value. Furthermore, the weighting coefficients only need to be set so that they increase as the SOC deviates from the recommended range, and the specific values ​​of the weighting coefficients are not limited to the example in Figure 5.

[0033] For combinations with one charging cycle, the weighting unit 34 calculates weight coefficients corresponding to the SOC values ​​immediately after charging and at the time of return using the weight data. If one of the weight coefficients is not 1, the weight coefficient that is not 1 and the calculated weight coefficient are used as the weighted number of charging cycles for that combination. If the weight coefficients corresponding to both the SOC immediately after charging and at the time of return are 1, the number of charging cycles is 1. Also, if the weight coefficients corresponding to both the SOC immediately after charging and at the time of return are not 1, the weighted number of charging cycles is calculated by adding the value obtained by subtracting 1 from the other weight coefficient to one of the weight coefficients. Furthermore, for combinations with two or more charging cycles, the weighting unit 34 similarly calculates the SOC after charging for each charging cycle using the total distance traveled on the entire route up to the time of charging, and calculates weight coefficients corresponding to the SOC values ​​after charging using the weight data. The weighting unit 34 then calculates the sum of the weight coefficients for each charging cycle, and uses this calculated sum as the weighted number of charging cycles. For example, for a combination of two charging cycles, if the weighting coefficient corresponding to the first charge is 1.1 and the weighting coefficient corresponding to the second charge is 1, then the sum of the weighting coefficients will be 2.1. The weighting unit 34 notifies the route allocation unit 35 of the combination notified by the charging cycle calculation unit 33 and the weighted charging cycle for each combination.

[0034] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, after step S3, the operation plan creation device 30 assigns a combination to each vehicle 5 (step S4). In detail, the route assignment unit 35 first updates a portion of the vehicle information stored in the storage unit 36 ​​using the charging information stored in the storage unit 36.

[0035] Figure 6 shows an example of vehicle information in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the vehicle information includes, for each vehicle 5, the cumulative number of charges, the weighted cumulative number of charges, the weighted number of charges within a certain period, the total distance traveled, and the distance traveled within a certain period. In this embodiment, an operation plan is created for each vehicle 5 so that the weighted number of charges and the distance traveled within a certain period are as equal as possible among the vehicles 5. The "certain period" in "weighted number of charges within a certain period" and "distance traveled within a certain period" is the period during which the weighted number of charges and the distance traveled are to be made as equal as possible among the vehicles 5. The route allocation unit 35 adds the number of charges included in the charging information to the cumulative number of charges stored in the vehicle information for each vehicle 5, and updates the cumulative number of charges stored in the vehicle information with the result of the addition. Furthermore, the route allocation unit 35 calculates a weight coefficient for each charge for each vehicle 5 using the SOC at the time of return included in the charging information and the weight data stored in the memory unit 36, calculates the total value of the weight coefficients for the number of charges, adds the calculated total value to the weighted cumulative number of charges stored in the vehicle information, and updates the weighted cumulative number of charges stored in the vehicle information with the result of the addition. The cumulative number of charges and the weighted cumulative number of charges are cumulative values ​​from when each vehicle 5 was first put into operation after its introduction. In addition, if the battery installed in vehicle 5 is replaced after the introduction of vehicle 5, the cumulative values ​​such as the cumulative number of charges are reset to 0.

[0036] Furthermore, the route allocation unit 35 updates the weighted number of charges within a certain period for each vehicle 5 using the sum of the weight coefficients for the number of charges as described above. For example, the route allocation unit 35 keeps the sum of the weight coefficients for a certain period in the past for each vehicle 5, and when it calculates a new sum of weight coefficients, it adds the calculated value to the "number of weighted charges within a certain period" stored in the vehicle information and subtracts the oldest sum of weight coefficients. For example, if the certain period is one week from five days ago to the next day, and charging information is transmitted daily, the route allocation unit 35 calculates a new sum of weight coefficients based on the charging information for the day, adds the new sum of weight coefficients to the "number of weighted charges within a certain period" stored in the vehicle information, and then subtracts the sum of weight coefficients from six days ago from the result of the addition. In this case, the cumulative number of charges, the weighted cumulative number of charges, and the weighted number of charges within a certain period of time are updated in the vehicle information before assigning a combination to vehicle 5, i.e., assigning a driving route. The total mileage and the mileage within a certain period of time are updated to reflect the result of assigning a driving route to vehicle 5. As a result, the values ​​of the total mileage and the mileage within a certain period of time updated in the previous processing will be used when assigning a driving route to vehicle 5. However, this is not limited to this case. If EMS10 manages the mileage and the charging information includes the mileage of vehicle 5 since EMS10 last transmitted the charging information, then, instead of updating them after assigning a driving route to vehicle 5, the total mileage and the mileage within a certain period of time may also be updated using the charging information before assigning a driving route to vehicle 5, similar to the cumulative number of charges.

[0037] The route assignment unit 35 uses the "weighted number of charges within a certain period" stored in the vehicle information and the weighted number of charges for each combination to assign combinations to each vehicle 5 in such a way that the variation in the weighted number of charges within a certain period is reduced.

[0038] Figure 7 shows an example of the assignment of combinations to each vehicle 5 in this embodiment. In Figure 7, to the left of the arrow, the identification information of each vehicle 5, the number of weighted charges within a certain period in the vehicle information, and the mileage within a certain period in the vehicle information are shown. Vehicle #1, vehicle #2, and vehicle #3 are the identification information of each vehicle 5, and each vehicle 5 is assigned identification information on a one-to-one basis, for example, vehicle 5-1 corresponds to vehicle #1, vehicle 5-2 corresponds to vehicle #2, and so on. In Figure 7, to the right of the arrow, the identification information of each combination, the total mileage of all routes included in the combination, the number of charges, and the number of weighted charges are shown. Combination #1, combination #2, and combination #3 are the identification information of the combination. Here, the combination generation unit 32 determines the combinations so that the total mileage of all routes included in the combination is as equal as possible, so the difference in the total mileage of all routes is small. Here, for the sake of simplicity, the number of vehicles 5 is assumed to be 3, but the actual number of vehicles 5 is not limited to this example.

[0039] In the example shown in Figure 7, combination #1 has 2 weighted charging cycles, combination #2 has 2.1 weighted charging cycles, and combination #3 has 1.2 weighted charging cycles. Also, vehicle #1 has 7.2 weighted charging cycles within a certain period, vehicle #2 has 8.0 weighted charging cycles within a certain period, and vehicle #3 has 2.2 weighted charging cycles within a certain period. In such a case, the route allocation unit 35 assigns combination #3, which has the fewest weighted charging cycles, to vehicle #2, which has the most weighted charging cycles within a certain period; vehicle #1, which has the next highest weighted charging cycles within a certain period, to combination #1, which has the next lowest weighted charging cycles; and vehicle #3, which has the fewest weighted charging cycles within a certain period, to combination #2, which has the most weighted charging cycles. In this way, the route allocation unit 35 assigns combinations to each vehicle 5 in order to suppress the variation in the number of weighted charging cycles among the vehicles 5 within a certain period. The specified period is the period from a certain point in the past to the end of the period for which the operational plan is to be created. For example, if the length of the specified period is one week, and the operational plan for the next day is created on a certain day, then the period is seven days, from five days before that day to the next day. The length of the specified period is not limited to one week.

[0040] When the route assignment unit 35 assigns a combination to the vehicle 5, it uses the assignment result to update the total mileage and the mileage within a certain period of time in the vehicle information stored in the memory unit 36.

[0041] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, after step S4, the operation plan creation device 30 determines whether the difference in mileage within a certain period is within a threshold (step S5). For example, the route allocation unit 35 reads the mileage for each vehicle 5 within a certain period from the vehicle information in the storage unit 36, calculates the maximum and minimum values ​​of the read mileage within a certain period, and determines whether the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​is within a threshold. As described above, each combination is determined so that the total mileage is as equal as possible, but they do not match perfectly, so there is a possibility that the mileage within a certain period will differ by more than the threshold. For this reason, the determination in step S5 is made, and if the difference is greater than or equal to the threshold, changes to the vehicle combinations are made.

[0042] If the difference in mileage within a certain period is within a threshold (Step S5 Yes), the operation plan creation device 30 determines the operation plan (Step S6) and terminates the process. Specifically, the route allocation unit 35 creates an operation plan that reflects the results of the combination allocation to the vehicles 5 and stores the operation plan in the storage unit 36. Thus, in this embodiment, the route allocation unit 35 allocates combinations to the vehicles 5 so that the difference in mileage within a certain period for each vehicle 5 is within a threshold. The operation plan is obtained by converting the results of the combination allocation to the vehicles 5 into the allocation results for each service on each route for each vehicle 5. The route allocation unit 35 also adds the mileage for each route stored in the route information to the operation plan and stores it in the storage unit 36 ​​as an operation plan. As described above, the operation plan is transmitted to the EMS 10 by the communication unit 31 and used to create a charging plan in the EMS 10.

[0043] If the difference in mileage within a certain period exceeds a threshold (step S5 No), the operation plan creation device 30 determines whether it is possible to change the assigned vehicle 5 (step S7). For example, the route assignment unit 35 determines that it is possible to change the assigned vehicle 5 if there are vehicles 5 that are close in order when sorted by the number of weighted charges within a certain period, and the difference in the number of weighted charges in the assigned combination is less than or equal to a certain value. Close in order means, for example, that the difference in order is less than or equal to a defined value.

[0044] If it is possible to change the assigned vehicle 5 (step S7 Yes), the operation plan creation device 30 changes the assigned vehicle 5 (step S8) and repeats the process from step S5 onwards. Specifically, in step S8, the route assignment unit 35 changes the assigned vehicle 5 by exchanging the assigned combinations of vehicles 5 that are close in order when sorted by the number of weighted charging cycles within a certain period, and where the difference in the number of weighted charging cycles in the assigned combinations is less than or equal to a certain value.

[0045] If the assigned vehicle 5 cannot be changed (step S7 No), the operation plan creation device 30 changes the combination (step S9) and repeats the process from step S2. In step S9, the same process as in step S1 is performed again, but multiple combinations are generated such that the generated combinations are different from the combinations generated in step S1.

[0046] If the process is repeated a certain number of times or more due to a determination of No in step S7, and the process does not terminate, the operation plan creation device 30 will reflect the assignment result selected from the vehicle 5 combinations assigned up to that point into the operation plan and terminate the process. The operation plan creation device 30 may, for example, keep the vehicle 5 combination assignment results that have been performed up to that point and select the one with the least variation in mileage, or it may select the last assignment result obtained; the selection method is arbitrary.

[0047] In the example described above, the combinations, i.e., the route combinations for the period covered by the operational plan, are generated each time a combination is assigned to vehicle 5. However, this is not limited to this; the combinations determined once may be used again, and the assignment of vehicle 5 may be determined each time. Alternatively, the combinations determined once may be used again, and they may be regenerated as needed, for example, every few months.

[0048] Furthermore, in the example described above, the operation plan creation device 30 received charging information from the EMS 10 and updated the vehicle information using the received charging information, but the operation plan creation device 30 may manage equivalent information. For example, the operation plan creation device 30 may update the cumulative number of charges, the weighted cumulative number of charges, and the weighted number of charges within a certain period using the allocation results, similar to the mileage described above, and use this as actual data when creating the next operation plan. In this case, the operation plan creation device 30 manages the SOC of each vehicle 5 upon its return to the depot in the same way as the EMS 10.

[0049] Furthermore, although the number of charging cycles was weighted in the example described above, the operation plan creation device 30 may create an operation plan using the number of charging cycles without weighting. In this case, the operation plan creation device 30 does not need to have a weighting unit 34, and the number of charging cycles calculated by the charging cycle calculation unit 33 is input to the route allocation unit 35, and the route allocation unit 35 allocates vehicles 5 to each combination so that the number of charging cycles over a certain period is equal. Also, if the difference in mileage between combinations is small, the operation plan may be created based on weighted charging cycles or the number of charging cycles without considering mileage. Note that even when creating an operation plan based on weighted charging cycles, the number of charging cycles is still considered, so creating an operation plan based on weighted charging cycles is just one example of creating an operation plan based on the number of charging cycles.

[0050] As described above, the operation plan creation device 30 of this embodiment creates an operation plan using the number of charging cycles, which helps to suppress variations in the rate of deterioration of the vehicle 5.

[0051] Next, the configuration and operation of the EMS10 in this embodiment will be described. The EMS10 is a charging plan creation device that creates a charging plan for a battery in a charging system 1 which is equipped with a plurality of chargers 42 capable of charging the battery of a vehicle 5, which is an example of a mobile body. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the EMS10 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the EMS10 comprises a communication unit 11, a SOC prediction unit 12, a plan creation unit 13, a command generation unit 14, and a storage unit 15.

[0052] The communication unit 11 communicates with the chargers 42-1 to 42-n, the battery PCS 43, and the operation plan creation device 30. The communication unit 11 also communicates with the information provision system 50 via a wide-area network such as the Internet. The information provision system 50 is a system that provides traffic information such as congestion information and accident information. The information provision system 50 may also be a system that provides weather information. Furthermore, there may be multiple information provision systems 50, including an information provision system 50 that provides congestion information, accident information, etc., and an information provision system 50 that provides weather information. The communication unit 11 receives external information from the information provision system 50, which is at least one of traffic information and weather information, and outputs the external information to the SOC prediction unit 12.

[0053] Furthermore, while Figure 1 above shows the vehicle 5 being charged by the charging system 1, in this embodiment, the communication unit 11 can communicate with the vehicle 5 while the vehicle 5 is in motion. In this embodiment, the vehicle 5 has a wireless communication function and transmits information indicating the state of charge (SOC) of the battery to the EMS 10 in real time or near real time while in operation, that is, while driving or stopped at a stop. While driving or stopped at a stop, for example, the vehicle 5 connects to a wide-area network such as the internet via a wireless communication network such as a mobile phone network, and the communication unit 11 communicates with the vehicle 5 via these networks. The communication unit 11 receives information from the vehicle 5 indicating the state of charge of the battery while the vehicle 5 is in operation. That is, the communication unit 11 stores the information indicating the SOC received from the vehicle 5 while driving or stopped at a stop as SOC measurement information in the storage unit 15.

[0054] Furthermore, the communication unit 11 receives the operation plan from the operation plan creation device 30 and stores the received operation plan in the storage unit 15. The communication unit 11 also receives charging information from the plan creation unit 13 and transmits the received charging information to the operation plan creation device 30.

[0055] The memory unit 15 stores SOC measurement information, operation plans, electricity charge data, SOC data, and charge / discharge plans. The SOC measurement information is information indicating the SOC obtained from the vehicle 5, as described above. The operation plan is created by the operation plan creation device 30, as described above, and for example, the route traveled, departure time, and arrival time are stored for each identification information indicating the vehicle 5. The distance traveled for each route is also stored in the operation plan. Note that the distance traveled for each route may be managed separately from the operation plan. In addition, after the final route, which is the last route of the day, each vehicle 5 returns from the destination of the final route to a business office where the charging system 1 is installed, and the operation plan also includes the return time, which is the time when the vehicle 5 arrives at the charging system 1. The electricity charge data is information indicating the electricity charge for each time period. The electricity charge data and operation plan may be received by the EMS 10 from another device via the communication unit 11, or they may be entered by the user. The SOC data is data used to create the charge / discharge plans for each vehicle 5, which will be described later, and stores the predicted or measured value of the SOC for each vehicle.

[0056] Figure 8 shows the main data stored in the memory unit 15. In addition to this, information temporarily generated during the processing process and other information used in the processing are also stored in the memory unit 15, but these are not shown in the illustration.

[0057] The SOC prediction unit 12, which is a prediction unit, predicts the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery of the vehicle 5 when it returns to the charging system 1 using SOC measurement information received by the communication unit 11. In detail, the SOC prediction unit 12 predicts the SOC of each vehicle 5 when it returns using the SOC measurement information and operation plan stored in the storage unit 15, and updates the SOC data in the storage unit 15 using the predicted result. For example, if the SOC prediction unit 12 obtains the SOC of a certain vehicle 5 at a certain time, it calculates the distance traveled by the vehicle 5 since that time using the operation plan, and predicts the SOC when it returns using the distance traveled and the SOC at a certain time. For example, the SOC prediction unit 12 calculates the amount of power used in the battery by multiplying the distance traveled by the amount of power consumed per unit distance, and predicts the SOC when it returns using the SOC at a certain time obtained from the vehicle 5 and the calculated amount of power used. The SOC prediction unit 12 may also predict the SOC using external information received from the communication unit 11. For example, the SOC prediction unit 12 corrects the SOC at the time of return if there are traffic jams, accidents, or severe weather conditions along the vehicle's route after the time stored in the memory unit 15. For example, a coefficient to be multiplied by the distance traveled is determined for each event such as traffic jams, accidents, or severe weather conditions. The SOC prediction unit 12 multiplies the distance traveled in the section corresponding to the event by the appropriate coefficient and uses the distance traveled after multiplying by the coefficient to predict the SOC at the time of return. In this way, by predicting the SOC at the time of return using the SOC of the vehicle's battery acquired in real time or near real time, the accuracy of the SOC prediction at the time of return can be improved, and the accuracy of the charge / discharge plan can be improved. Furthermore, by predicting the SOC at the time of return while considering events such as traffic jams, accidents, and severe weather conditions, the accuracy of the SOC prediction at the time of return can be further improved.

[0058] The planning unit 13 creates a charge / discharge plan for the vehicle 5 using the operation plan, SOC data, and electricity rate data stored in the storage unit 15, and stores the created charge / discharge plan in the storage unit 15. The charge / discharge plan includes a charging plan for the vehicle 5 and a charge / discharge plan for the battery 20.

[0059] The command generation unit 14 generates charge / discharge commands, which are commands for charging or discharging chargers 42-1 to 42-n and battery PCS 43, respectively, based on the charge / discharge plans stored in the memory unit 15, and transmits the generated charge / discharge commands to the corresponding chargers 42-1 to 42-n and battery PCS 43 via the communication unit 11. Alternatively, the planning unit 13 may generate a charge / discharge plan to adjust the amount of power generated by the solar power generation equipment 21, and the command generation unit 14 may instruct the solar power generation equipment 21 to adjust the amount of power generated according to the charge / discharge plan. The solar power generation equipment 21 adjusts the amount of power generated by selecting which solar panels to connect to the grid from among the solar panels within the solar power generation equipment 21.

[0060] Next, we will explain the operation of EMS10. EMS10 creates a 24-hour charge / discharge plan, for example, starting at 7 AM the following day, at a time such as 6 PM or 7 PM. However, as mentioned above, the period for which the charge / discharge plan is created is not limited to this, nor is the time at which the plan is created.

[0061] Figure 9 shows an example of a charge / discharge plan created by the planning unit 13 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the charge / discharge plan includes a charge plan that indicates which charger 42 to use and which vehicle 5 to charge and when. In the example shown in Figure 9, information indicating the charging power when charging vehicle 5 is also included. Vehicle #1 shown in Figure 9 indicates the identification information of vehicle 5-1. Similarly, vehicle #i (where i is a natural number) indicates the identification information of vehicle 5-i. Charger #1 indicates the identification information of charger 42-1. Similarly, charger #j (where j is a natural number from 1 to n) indicates the identification information of charger 42-j.

[0062] In the example shown in Figure 9, a charge-discharge plan is shown that includes a charge-discharge plan for the storage battery 20 and a predicted power generation amount for the solar power generation equipment 21. However, the plan creation unit 13 is not limited to this example; it only needs to create a plan that shows which charger 42 to use and which vehicle 5 to charge and when. In addition, the example shown in Figure 9 includes purchased power and electricity charges, but these are pieces of information used to create the charge-discharge plan and do not need to be included in the plan. Also, in Figure 9, the charge-discharge plan is created with one hour as one time slot, but the length of one time slot in the charge-discharge plan, i.e., the time increment, may be set to 30 minutes or other times, and the time increment is not limited to one hour. Furthermore, the charge-discharge plan is created in units of a certain period, such as the next day, and then updated to reflect the latest information. Note that the certain period used as the unit for creating the charge-discharge plan is not limited to one day.

[0063] If vehicle 5 is a route bus, it is used for operation during the day, so charging of vehicle 5 is mainly done at night. That is, each vehicle 5 is charged after it has finished its last run of the day and returned to the business premises where the charging system 1 is installed. For this reason, the planning unit 13 creates a charging plan for vehicle 5 based on the operation plan so that charging can be completed between the time vehicle 5 returns to the premises and when it is used for operation the next day. Furthermore, the planning unit 13 also creates a charge / discharge plan, as illustrated in Figure 9, to minimize the costs borne by the operator, for example, by not exceeding the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company. In order to create the charge / discharge plan, the planning unit 13 needs to determine the amount of charge required for each vehicle 5, but in order to calculate the required amount of charge, it is necessary to manage the State of Charge (SOC) of each vehicle 5. In this embodiment, the SOC of each vehicle 5 and the capacity of the battery installed in vehicle 5 are stored as SOC data in the storage unit 15. The SOC data is used to manage the SOC of each vehicle 5.

[0064] Figure 10 shows an example of SOC data in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, the SOC data includes, for example, the identification information of the vehicle 5, capacity, "SOC at the time of return on the current day," "SOC at the time of return on the following day," "usage amount for the following day," and "required charge amount for the following day." In the SOC data, "current day" refers to the day the vehicle 5 returned to the depot before the time when charging is planned. For example, if the plan is to be created for 24 hours from 7:00 the following day, charging will mainly take place at night on the following day, so "current day" in the SOC data refers to the day after the day the plan is created. If the period covered by the plan creation includes the day the plan is created, the day the plan is created may also be the "current day" in the SOC data. The plan creation unit 13 also stores the "SOC at the time of return on the following day," which was set in the charge / discharge plan creation process of the previous day, as the "SOC at the time of return on the current day" in the SOC data. At this time, the "SOC at the time of return on the current day" may be changed using the SOC acquired from the vehicle 5 when the vehicle 5 returns to the depot and is charged. In other words, the planning unit 13 may correct the "SOC at the time of return to the station on the current day" using the difference between the "SOC at the time of return to the station on the current day" used in the previous day's charge / discharge plan creation process and the SOC actually obtained from the vehicle 5. The "SOC at the time of return to the station on the next day" column is updated with the new "SOC at the time of return to the station on the next day" value when the charge / discharge plan is created. Note that the "SOC at the time of return to the station on the next day" does not have to be updated every day, and the same value may be used for a certain period of time. Also, as described above, when the predicted value of SOC is updated by the SOC prediction unit 12, the "SOC at the time of return to the station on the current day" in the SOC data is updated.

[0065] In the SOC data shown in Figure 10, the capacity represents the capacity of the battery of each vehicle 5, which may be pre-entered by the user, for example, or it may be a value that reflects the degradation from the capacity obtained from the vehicle 5, i.e., the rated value. The planning unit 13 calculates the power consumption for the next day, i.e., the usage for the next day, based on the operation plan and stores it in the SOC data. The planning unit 13 sets the SOC at the time of return the next day and stores this value in the SOC data. Then, the planning unit 13 calculates the remaining battery capacity for each vehicle 5 using the "SOC at the time of return on the current day" and the capacity in the SOC data. Furthermore, using the calculated remaining capacity, the planning unit 13 calculates the required charge amount for the next day so that the SOC when the remaining battery capacity of the vehicle 5 on the next day decreases by the predicted value of the power consumption for the next day becomes the set value of "SOC at the time of return the next day". For example, in the example shown in Figure 10, the condition that the SOC at the end of the next day's run must satisfy is set to be 30% or more and less than 90%. In the example shown in Figure 10, the "SOC at the time of returning to the station the next day" is set to 40%, taking into account errors, so that the SOC at the end of the next day's driving meets this condition. This value is then used to calculate the required charge for the next day. Note that the above example using "usage the next day" and "required charge for the next day" is just one example of how to calculate the required charge for each vehicle 5, and the method of calculating the required charge is not limited to this example.

[0066] The planning unit 13 calculates the required charge amount for each vehicle 5 in this manner, and then calculates the time required to charge each vehicle 5 by dividing the required charge amount by the charging power.

[0067] Next, an example of a method for creating a charge / discharge plan will be described. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for creating a charge / discharge plan in the EMS 10 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, the EMS 10 first determines the charging schedule using the operation plan (step S11). In detail, the planning unit 13 reads the operation plan from the storage unit 15 and uses the operation plan to determine the charging schedule for the period for which the plan is to be created. At this time, since it is necessary to plan so as not to exceed the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company, the planning unit 13 allocates the charger 42 and charging time to each vehicle 5 so that the charging time for each vehicle 5 is not concentrated in one time frame.

[0068] The charging schedule shows a provisional schedule for creating a charge / discharge plan, which includes the vehicles 5, the chargers 42 to be allocated to charge them, and the charging time. For example, the planning unit 13 uses the vehicle 5's return time for the day and the operation plan for the next day to allocate one slot, i.e., one hour, of charger 42 and charging time to all vehicles 5. At this time, the planning unit 13 allocates the charging time to each vehicle 5 so that it is charged between its return time and the time it will be ready for its first operation the next day. For example, suppose there are two chargers 42, and vehicle #5 is scheduled to return in the 8pm hour, vehicles #2 and #4 are scheduled to return in the 9pm hour, and vehicles #1, #3 and #6 are scheduled to return in the 10pm hour. In this case, the planning unit 13 allocates the charging time to vehicle #5 to charge for one hour from 9pm using one of the two chargers 42. Next, the planning unit 13 allocates one hour of charging time from 10 PM on each of the two chargers 42 to vehicles #2 and #4. Then, the planning unit 13 allocates one hour of charging time from 11 PM on each of the two chargers 42 to two of vehicles #1, #3, and #6. The remaining vehicle among #1, #3, and #6 is allocated charging time from midnight (midnight on the day after the day following the planning day). The charging schedule determined here will be changed according to the required amount of charge for each vehicle 5, as will be described later, so it can also be considered a provisional charging schedule when charging time is allocated equally. Note that the provisional charging schedule may be determined according to the daily mileage of vehicle 5, the capacity of vehicle 5's battery, etc., and the specific method of determining the charging schedule is not limited to the example described above.

[0069] After step S11, the EMS 10 calculates the amount of charge required for each vehicle 5 based on the SOC and the operation plan (step S12). Specifically, the planning unit 13 first determines the daily mileage for each vehicle 5 based on the operation plan, predicts the amount of stored energy lost due to travel, i.e., the amount of electricity used the next day, and updates the "Amount Used the Next Day" in the SOC data of the storage unit 15 using the predicted value and the SOC at the start of charging, i.e., the SOC at the time of return. Furthermore, if the vehicle 5 has returned and charging is being performed, the planning unit 13 updates the "SOC at the time of return on the current day" in the SOC data based on the SOC obtained from the vehicle 5, i.e., the measured value. If the vehicle 5 has not returned, the "SOC at the time of return on the current day" reflecting the prediction by the SOC prediction unit 12 is used. The planning unit 13 sets the value of "SOC at the time of return on the next day" in the SOC data stored in the storage unit 15. The planning unit 13 calculates the required charging amount for each vehicle 5 based on the "SOC at the time of return on the current day," the predicted usage for the next day, and the "SOC at the time of return on the next day" within the SOC data.

[0070] After step S12, the EMS 10 determines the charging power for each vehicle 5 (step S13). Specifically, for example, the planning unit 13 determines the charging power using the rated value for each vehicle 5 and the corresponding rated value of the charger 42. If there are multiple charging powers to choose from, the EMS 10 selects a charging power from among them. Any method can be used to select the charging power.

[0071] Next, the EMS 10 calculates the charging time for each vehicle (step S14). Specifically, the planning unit 13 calculates the charging time for the corresponding charger 42 for each vehicle 5 based on the charging schedule determined in step S11, the required charge amount calculated in step S12, and the charging power determined in step S13.

[0072] The planning unit 13 can provisionally determine the charging plan for each vehicle 5 in the charge / discharge plan shown in Figure 9 by using the start time of the time frame allocated as the charging schedule as the charging start time for each vehicle 5, and reflecting the charging time calculated in step S14 and the charging power determined in step S13.

[0073] Next, the EMS 10 calculates the cost (step S15). Specifically, the planning unit 13 calculates the cost required to purchase electricity from the power grid 2 in the charging system 1 based on the provisionally determined charging plan for each vehicle 5. First, the planning unit 13 predicts the amount of power generated by the solar power generation equipment 21. There are no particular restrictions on how the amount of power generated by the solar power generation equipment 21 is predicted; general methods such as using past performance values ​​and weather forecast values ​​can be used. Based on the predicted amount of power generated by the solar power generation equipment 21 for the following day, the planning unit 13 creates a charging plan for the storage battery 20 and predicts the remaining capacity of the storage battery 20 at the start of the night, when the vehicles 5 are mainly charged. Then, for each time period, the planning unit 13 calculates the cost for the planning period using the charging time for each vehicle calculated in step S14, the charging power determined in step S13, and the electricity rate data stored in the storage unit 15, and retains the calculated cost. The cost C is calculated, for example, by the following formula (1). Note that t is an integer representing a time frame, and Σ in equation (1) below represents the sum of the time frames in the planning period. For example, if one frame is 1 hour and the planning period is 24 hours, then Σ represents the sum of the 24 values ​​for each time frame. Also, E(t) is the unit price of electricity in time frame t, and P(t) is the amount of electricity purchased in time frame t. C = Σ(E(t) × P(t)) ... (1)

[0074] The electricity to be purchased P(t) is the sum of the charging power of the charger 42 in each time slot minus the power discharged from the battery 20. Furthermore, if the charging system 1 also includes a solar power generation facility 21 that does not use the battery 20, the electricity to be purchased P(t) is the sum of the charging power of the charger 42 in each time slot minus the power discharged from the battery 20, and then further minus the power output of the solar power generation facility 21 that does not use the battery 20. The planning unit 13 allocates the power discharged from the battery 20, for example, in order from the time slots with the highest electricity rates. If the charging system 1 does not have a battery 20, the electricity to be purchased P(t) is the sum of the charging power of the charger 42 in each time slot. Furthermore, if the charging system 1 does not have a battery 20 and is equipped with a solar power generation facility 21 that does not use the battery 20, the electricity P(t) to be purchased will be the sum of the charging power of the charger 42 in each time slot minus the power output from the solar power generation facility 21 that does not use the battery 20. Before calculating the cost in step S15, the planning unit 13 determines whether the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company is exceeded in each time slot, and if there is a time slot that exceeds the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company, the cost is not retained. Based on the charging schedule determined in step S11, a provisional charging schedule is determined using rated values ​​to ensure that the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company is not exceeded. However, if the charging time and charging power are calculated in detail as described above, the charging time may shift, potentially resulting in time slots that exceed the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company. For this reason, it is determined again here whether there is a time slot that exceeds the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company. Furthermore, if it is determined that there is a time slot that exceeds the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company, this may be reflected in the change to the charging schedule in step S18 described later. For example, if the charging time for a certain vehicle 5 is long within the time slot tentatively decided as the charging schedule, and one time slot is insufficient, then in the charging schedule in step S18 described later, two time slots will be allocated to that vehicle 5.

[0075] Next, the EMS 10 determines whether or not it is possible to change the charging schedule (step S16). As mentioned above, when creating a charge / discharge plan, it is necessary to satisfy the constraint that the plan must not exceed the contracted power or the upper limit requested by the power company, as well as the constraints set by the operation plan. Therefore, in step S16, in detail, the planning unit 13 determines that it is possible to change the charging schedule in step S16 if there are combinations of allocation of chargers 42 and charging time to each vehicle 5 that do not satisfy these constraints and for which the cost in step S15 has not been calculated.

[0076] If it is possible to change the charging schedule (step S16 Yes), the EMS 10 changes the charging schedule (step S18), and the process from step S13 is repeated. In step S18, in detail, the planning unit 13 selects one combination of charger 42 and charging time allocation to each vehicle 5 that satisfies the above constraints, from among the combinations for which the cost was not calculated in step S15, and changes the charging schedule according to the selected combination.

[0077] If the charging schedule cannot be changed (step S16 No), the EMS 10 determines a charge / discharge plan based on cost (step S17) and terminates the process. In step S17, specifically, the planning unit 13 determines a charge / discharge plan using the charging time and charging power for each vehicle 5 that have the minimum cost among the costs corresponding to each charging schedule held, and stores it in the storage unit 15. The command generation unit 14 generates a charge command or discharge command to the charger 42 and the battery PCS 43 based on the charge / discharge plan stored in the storage unit 15, and transmits the generated command via the communication unit 11. Here, an example has been described in which the EMS 10, which is a charging plan creation device, has the function of generating and transmitting commands, but the charging plan creation device only needs to create a charging plan for the vehicle 5 and does not need to have the function of generating and transmitting commands.

[0078] In the above example, we have shown a procedure for calculating the cost corresponding to each hypothetically determined charging schedule, but the charge / discharge plan may also be calculated as the solution to an optimization problem. In this case, the above equation (1) may be used as the objective function, and the above constraints may be used as constraints to determine the allocation of chargers 42 to each vehicle 5, as well as the charging start time and charging end time.

[0079] In the example above, the charge / discharge plan was determined to minimize cost, but this is not limited to this. For example, the charge / discharge plan may be created under the condition that the cost does not need to be minimized but should be below a certain value, or the charge / discharge plan may be created to optimize another indicator. Furthermore, if the charging system 1 is equipped with power generation equipment other than the solar power generation equipment 21, such as wind power generation equipment, the charging system 1 is equipped with a battery to store the power generated by the wind power generation equipment, and the EMS 10 can predict the power generated by the wind power generation equipment and create a charge / discharge plan for the battery in the same manner as in the example above.

[0080] Next, the hardware that implements the EMS10 and operation plan creation device 30 of this embodiment will be described. Specifically, the EMS10 is implemented by a computer system. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a computer system that implements the EMS10 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 12, this computer system comprises a control unit 101, an input unit 102, a storage unit 103, a display unit 104, a communication unit 105, and an output unit 106, which are connected via a system bus 107.

[0081] In Figure 12, the control unit 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 101 executes a program that describes the operations to be performed by the EMS 10 in this embodiment. The input unit 102 consists of, for example, a keyboard and mouse, and is used by the user of the computer system to input various information. The storage unit 103 includes various types of memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and storage devices such as a hard disk, and stores the program to be executed by the control unit 101, necessary data obtained during the processing, etc. The storage unit 103 is also used as a temporary storage area for the program. The display unit 104 consists of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays various screens to the user of the computer system. The communication unit 105 is a communication circuit that performs communication processing. The communication unit 105 may consist of multiple communication circuits corresponding to multiple communication methods. The output unit 106 is an output interface that outputs data to external devices such as a printer and an external storage device. Note that Figure 12 is just one example, and the configuration of the computer system is not limited to the example shown in Figure 12.

[0082] Here, an example of the operation of the computer system until the program of this embodiment becomes executable will be described. In a computer system with the above configuration, for example, the program is installed in the storage unit 103 from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM set in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown). Then, when the program is executed, the program read from the storage unit 103 is stored in the storage unit 103. In this state, the control unit 101 performs processing as the EMS10 of this embodiment according to the program stored in the storage unit 103.

[0083] In the above explanation, a program describing the processing in EMS10 is provided using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as the recording medium. However, the explanation is not limited to this, and depending on the configuration of the computer system, the capacity of the program to be provided, a program provided via a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 105 may also be used.

[0084] The SOC prediction unit 12, planning unit 13, and command generation unit 14 shown in Figure 8 are implemented by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 12. The storage unit 103 shown in Figure 12 is also used to implement the SOC prediction unit 12, planning unit 13, and command generation unit 14. The storage unit 15 shown in Figure 8 is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 12. The communication unit 11 shown in Figure 8 is implemented by the communication unit 105 shown in Figure 12. Note that the EMS 10 may be implemented by multiple computer systems.

[0085] The operation plan creation device 30 of this embodiment, like the EMS 10, is implemented by, for example, the computer system illustrated in Figure 12. The operation until the program describing the operation of the operation plan creation device 30 becomes executable, and the method of providing the program, are the same as those of the EMS 10.

[0086] The combination generation unit 32, charge count calculation unit 33, weighting unit 34, and route allocation unit 35 shown in Figure 2 are implemented by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 12. The storage unit 103 shown in Figure 12 is also used to implement the combination generation unit 32, charge count calculation unit 33, weighting unit 34, and route allocation unit 35. The storage unit 36 ​​shown in Figure 2 is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 12. The communication unit 31 shown in Figure 2 is implemented by the communication unit 105 shown in Figure 12. Note that the operation plan creation device 30 may be implemented by multiple computer systems.

[0087] Furthermore, the EMS 10 may be integrated with the operation plan creation device 30. In other words, the EMS 10 may also function as the operation plan creation device 30.

[0088] A program for realizing the operation plan creation device 30 causes a computer system to perform the following steps: assign a route to which each vehicle 5 will operate during the planning period, using the number of times the vehicle 5 has been charged during a certain period prior to the planning period, which is the period for which the operation plan is to be created; and create an operation plan using the results of the assignment.

[0089] As described above, in this embodiment, the operation plan creation device 30 creates an operation plan for the vehicle 5 using the number of charging cycles. Therefore, it is possible to suppress variations in the rate of deterioration of the vehicle 5, which is an example of a mobile body. Furthermore, by creating an operation plan using a weighted number of charging cycles that takes the SOC value into consideration, it is possible to create an operation plan that more appropriately corresponds to the rate of deterioration of the vehicle 5.

[0090] Furthermore, the EMS10, which creates a charging plan for the vehicle 5 using the operation plan created by the operation plan creation device 30 of this embodiment, acquires information indicating the SOC value from the vehicle 5 in real time or near real time, and uses the acquired information to predict the SOC at the time of return. This improves the accuracy of SOC prediction, and thus improves the accuracy of the charging plan. In addition, the EMS10 can further improve the accuracy of SOC prediction by predicting the SOC at the time of return using at least one of traffic information and weather information. In this embodiment, the process of acquiring SOC from the vehicle 5 in real time or near real time is combined with the process of using at least one of traffic information and weather information, but either one of these processes may be performed. In the example described above, an example was described in which the EMS10 uses an operation plan generated by the operation plan creation device 30, but the method of generating the operation plan is not limited to this, and the EMS10 may create a charge / discharge plan using an operation plan created by another method.

[0091] Embodiment 2. Figure 13 shows an example of the configuration of an EMS according to Embodiment 2. The charging system of this embodiment is the same as the charging system 1 of Embodiment 1, except that it includes an EMS10a instead of an EMS10. The differences from Embodiment 1 will be mainly described below.

[0092] In this embodiment, vehicle 5 is equipped with on-board sensors and transmits measurement data measured by these sensors to the EMS 10a as sensor information. Location information indicating the position of vehicle 5 is also added to the sensor information. Vehicle 5 acquires its location information, for example, through GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning. The on-board sensors include, for example, at least one of image sensors such as a camera for acquiring images, vibration sensors for detecting vibrations, and wind speed sensors. In this embodiment, the on-board sensors acquire information that affects the estimation of the vehicle's State of Charge (SOC), such as the wetness of the road, the degree of road unevenness, and wind speed. The EMS 10a then uses the data acquired by the on-board sensors to perform machine learning to estimate the amount of power used by the battery according to the driving state of each vehicle 5, thereby improving the accuracy of the SOC prediction at the time of return.

[0093] As shown in Figure 13, the EMS10a of this embodiment has a model generation unit 16 and a correction information calculation unit 17 added to the EMS10 of Embodiment 1, and instead of the SOC prediction unit 12 and storage unit 15, it is equipped with an SOC prediction unit 12a and a storage unit 15a. Except for these, the configuration of the EMS10a is the same as the EMS10 of Embodiment 1. Components that have the same functions as in Embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1, and redundant explanations are omitted. In this embodiment, the SOC at the time of returning is estimated using data acquired from the on-board sensor, so the SOC is not acquired from the vehicle 5 while it is in operation. However, if the SOC can be acquired from the vehicle 5 while it is in operation, the SOC at the time of returning may be estimated using the measurement information of the SOC of that vehicle 5, and if the SOC cannot be acquired from the vehicle 5 while it is in operation, the SOC at the time of returning may be estimated using the data from the on-board sensor.

[0094] The communication unit 11 of the EMS 10a stores sensor information received from the vehicle 5 in the storage unit 15a. The model generation unit 16 uses the sensor information stored in the storage unit 15a to generate a trained model for inferring a correction coefficient used to calculate the amount of power used by the vehicle 5 during operation based on the sensor information, i.e., measurement data, and stores the generated trained model in the storage unit 15a. The correction information calculation unit 17 estimates the correction coefficient using the sensor information acquired from the vehicle 5 and the trained model. In detail, the correction information calculation unit 17 inputs the sensor information corresponding to the vehicle 5 that is the target of SOC estimation into the trained model to estimate a correction coefficient according to the driving state, and notifies the SOC prediction unit 12a of the correction information including the estimated correction coefficient and the position information contained in the sensor information.

[0095] The SOC prediction unit 12a predicts the State of Charge (SOC) of the vehicle 5's battery when it returns to the charging system, using measurement data measured by on-board sensors mounted on the vehicle 5. More specifically, the SOC prediction unit 12a predicts the SOC of the vehicle 5's battery when it returns to the charging system using a correction coefficient. More specifically, for each vehicle 5, the SOC prediction unit 12a uses correction information notified by the correction information calculation unit 17 to calculate the length of the section corresponding to the correction coefficient for the journey to the location corresponding to the latest sensor information. Then, the SOC prediction unit 12a multiplies the distance traveled for each section by the corresponding correction coefficient and uses the distance traveled after multiplying by the correction coefficient to calculate the amount of power used (hereinafter also simply referred to as the amount of power used) stored in the vehicle 5's battery. Note that since the sensor information of the vehicle 5 itself, which is the subject of the SOC prediction at the time of return, does not provide information about the route the vehicle 5 will travel, the SOC can only be calculated using the correction information estimated using the sensor information up to the point when the latest sensor information is acquired. Therefore, the SOC prediction unit 12a calculates usage using the distance traveled without using a correction coefficient from this point onward, for example. Then, the SOC prediction unit 12a predicts the SOC at the time of return for the day using the usage for each section described above, the usage calculated using the distance traveled without using a correction coefficient, and the SOC data stored in the storage unit 15a, and updates the SOC at the time of return for the day in the SOC data using the predicted value.

[0096] Furthermore, after the latest sensor information is acquired, the usage may be estimated using correction information estimated from the most recent sensor information of the vehicle 5 traveling on the same route as the vehicle 5 being predicted for the SOC at the time of return on that day. Since the degree of road wetness and unevenness do not change much in the short term, the accuracy of the SOC estimation at the time of return on that day can be improved by using correction information estimated from the sensor information of other vehicles 5 that have traveled on the same route earlier.

[0097] Next, an example of machine learning in this embodiment will be described. The model generation unit 16 generates a trained model by supervised learning, for example. For example, the model generation unit 16 generates a trained model by supervised learning using a dataset containing sensor information, which is a feature quantity, and correction coefficients, which are the correct answer data corresponding to the sensor information, as training data. For example, if the sensor information is image information acquired by a camera, correction coefficients corresponding to the degree of wetness and unevenness of the road are determined as the correct answer data by, for example, simulation or actual measurement, and this image information and the correction coefficients, which are the correct answer data, are used as training data. Similarly, if the sensor information is vibration sensor data, the vibration sensor data for a certain period of time input as time series data and the correction coefficients calculated as the correct answer data by simulation or actual measurement are used as training data. Similarly, if the sensor information is wind speed information, the data acquired by the vehicle sensor and the correction coefficients calculated as the correct answer data by simulation or actual measurement are used as training data. Furthermore, if multiple on-board sensors are provided, for example, the EMS10a generates a trained model for each on-board sensor and multiplies the mileage by the correction coefficient inferred by each trained model during inference. While a trained model may be generated for each vehicle 5, if the sensors mounted on each vehicle 5 are of the same type and the battery characteristics of each vehicle 5 are similar, a single trained model for the sensor may be generated instead of generating a trained model for each vehicle 5.

[0098] Any supervised learning algorithm can be used, but for example, a neural network model can be used. A neural network consists of an input layer with multiple neurons, an intermediate layer (hidden layer) with multiple neurons, and an output layer with multiple neurons. The intermediate layer can be one or more layers.

[0099] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a neural network. For example, in a three-layer neural network like the one shown in Figure 14, when multiple inputs are input to the input layer (X1-X3), these values ​​are multiplied by weights W1 (w11-w16) and input to the hidden layer (Y1-Y2), and the result is further multiplied by weights W2 (w21-w26) and output from the output layer (Z1-Z3). This output result varies depending on the values ​​of weights W1 and W2.

[0100] In this embodiment, the relationship between the features and the ground truth data is learned by adjusting weights W1 and W2 so that the output from the output layer approaches the ground truth data when the features of the training data described above are input to the input layer. Note that the machine learning algorithm is not limited to a neural network.

[0101] The EMS10a in this embodiment, like the EMS10 in Embodiment 1, is implemented by a computer system. The computer system functions as the EMS10a when the program of this embodiment is executed. The model generation unit 16, correction information calculation unit 17, and SOC prediction unit 12a in this embodiment are implemented, for example, by the control unit 101 in Figure 12. The storage unit 15a in this embodiment is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 12.

[0102] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the EMS10a is equipped with a model generation unit 16, but another device may be equipped with a model generation unit 16, and this other device may generate a trained model, which may then be stored in the storage unit 15a of the EMS10a.

[0103] In addition, a sensor that detects the weight of the vehicle 5 may be used as the on-board sensor. In this case, the SOC prediction unit 12a predicts the SOC at the time of return using sensor information obtained from the sensor that detects the weight of the vehicle 5. For example, a correction coefficient according to the weight is predetermined in a table format, the amount of power used to charge the battery of the vehicle 5 is predicted using the correction coefficient, and the SOC at the time of return is predicted using the predicted amount of power used.

[0104] Other than what has been described above, the operation of this embodiment is the same as in Embodiment 1, and the operation plan creation device 30 creates an operation plan for the vehicle 5 using the number of charging cycles. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, it is possible to suppress variations in the rate of deterioration of the vehicle 5, which is an example of a mobile body. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the SOC at the time of return is estimated using sensor information acquired by on-board sensors mounted on the vehicle 5. As a result, the SOC at the time of return can be estimated, and the accuracy of the charging plan can be improved. In the example described above, an example was described in which the EMS 10a uses an operation plan generated by the operation plan creation device 30 of Embodiment 1, but the method of generating the operation plan is not limited to this, and the EMS 10a may create a charge / discharge plan using an operation plan created by another method.

[0105] Embodiment 3. Figure 15 shows an example of the configuration of a charging system according to Embodiment 3. The charging system 1a of this embodiment is the same as the charging system 1 of Embodiment 1, except that it is equipped with an operation plan creation device 30a instead of the operation plan creation device 30. Components having the same functions as those of Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1, and redundant descriptions are omitted. The differences from Embodiment 1 will be mainly described below.

[0106] The operation plan creation device 30a in this embodiment acquires railway delay information, which is train delay information, from a railway information distribution device 70 that distributes railway delay information via a wide-area network, modifies the operation plan of the vehicle 5 according to the railway delay information, and distributes the modified operation plan to the terminal device 60. The terminal device 60 is a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, etc., and is, for example, a device owned by a user of the vehicle 5.

[0107] Figure 16 shows an example of the configuration of the operation plan creation device 30a of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 16, the operation plan creation device 30a is the same as the operation plan creation device 30 of Embodiment 1, except that it adds a time change unit 37 and a distribution information generation unit 38, and replaces the storage unit 36 ​​with a storage unit 36a.

[0108] In this embodiment, the communication unit 31 receives railway delay information, including the delay time of trains, from the railway information distribution device 70 and stores it in the storage unit 36a. When the railway delay information is stored in the storage unit 36a, the time change unit 37 uses the railway delay information to update the operation plan stored in the storage unit 36a. That is, the time change unit 37 uses the train's railway delay information to change the departure time of vehicles whose departure times are determined according to the arrival time of the delayed train, according to the train's delay time. Specifically, it extracts information from the railway delay information regarding the train to which vehicle 5 is connected, and uses the extracted information to change the operation plan to delay the departure time of vehicle 5 to which the delayed train is connected.

[0109] The distribution information generation unit 38 generates distribution information notifying the change in the departure time of vehicle 5 based on the updated operation plan, and distributes the generated distribution information to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 31. In other words, the distribution information generation unit 38 distributes the operation plan of vehicle 5 with the changed departure time to the terminal device 60. The distribution information generation unit 38 has the function of a Web server and may distribute the distribution information via the communication unit 31 when a URL is specified from the terminal device 60, or it may send the distribution information via the communication unit 31 to a terminal device 60 that has been registered in advance. Here, an example is given in which a train delay is reflected in the departure time of vehicle 5, but it is not limited to this, and the operation plan creation device 30a may similarly change the departure time of vehicle 5 to reflect an aircraft delay and distribute information about the change for vehicle 5 departing from an airport. Similarly, the operation plan creation device 30a may change the departure time of vehicle 5 to reflect a delay of another mode of transport, such as a water bus or other ship, and distribute information about the change for vehicle 5 that is being transferred to.

[0110] Figure 17 shows an example of the distribution information of this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 17, a train scheduled to arrive at Station G at 10:00 is 15 minutes late. When the time change unit 37 extracts this 15-minute delay from the railway delay information, it changes the operation plan to delay the departure time of train 5, which is scheduled to depart Station G at 10:10, by 15 minutes. As a result, the departure times of other stops afterwards are also changed. The distribution information generation unit 38 generates the distribution information as illustrated in Figure 17 and transmits it to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 31. Note that the specific format of the distribution information is not limited to the example shown in Figure 17. The operation of this embodiment other than that described above is the same as in Embodiment 1. Note that in the charging system 1a of this embodiment, the EMS10a described in Embodiment 2 may be used instead of the EMS10 of Embodiment 1.

[0111] The operation plan creation device 30a of this embodiment, like the operation plan creation device 30 of Embodiment 1, is implemented by a computer system. The computer system functions as the operation plan creation device 30a when the program of this embodiment is executed. The time change unit 37 and the distribution information generation unit 38 of this embodiment are implemented, for example, by the control unit 101 in Figure 12. The storage unit 36a of this embodiment is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 12.

[0112] As described above, the operation plan creation device 30a of this embodiment changes the departure time of vehicle 5 in accordance with train delays and distributes the changed departure times for each stop to the terminal device 60. When a train is delayed, if the departure time of vehicle 5 is changed due to the train delay, users at the station can recognize this, but users located away from the station cannot know about the changes in departure times at each stop. In this embodiment, information indicating the changed departure time of vehicle 5 is distributed to the user's terminal device 60, so users who are far from the station can also be aware of the changes in the time of vehicle 5.

[0113] Embodiment 4. Figure 18 shows an example of the configuration of the operation plan creation device according to Embodiment 4. The charging system of this embodiment is the same as the charging system 1 of Embodiment 1, except that it is equipped with an operation plan creation device 30b instead of the operation plan creation device 30. Components having the same functions as those of Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1, and redundant descriptions are omitted. The differences from Embodiment 1 will be mainly described below.

[0114] The operation plan creation device 30b obtains user information from the user of vehicle 5, indicating the details of the reservation for riding vehicle 5. The user information includes information indicating the desired location where the user wishes to board vehicle 5 and information indicating the time the user wishes to board. The terminal device 60 can, for example, transmit information indicating the current location obtained by GPS positioning as the desired boarding location. The route on which vehicle 5 travels is predetermined, but if the location where the user wishes to board is far from the predetermined route, the operation plan creation device 30b changes the route of vehicle 5 to travel near the location where the user wishes to board. This allows the user to board vehicle 5 from their desired location.

[0115] As shown in Figure 18, the operation plan creation device 30b can communicate with the terminal device 60 via a wide-area network. The terminal device 60 is, for example, a device owned by a user of the vehicle 5, similar to the terminal device 60 in Embodiment 3. The operation plan creation device 30b is the same as the operation plan creation device 30 in Embodiment 1, except that it adds a route change unit 39 and a distribution information generation unit 38a, and replaces the storage unit 36 ​​with a storage unit 36b.

[0116] When the communication unit 31 receives user information from the terminal device 60, it stores it in the storage unit 36b. If the desired location included in the user information is not on a predetermined route, the route change unit 39 changes the route of the vehicle 5 so that it travels via the desired location. Specifically, the route change unit 39 uses the user information and the operation plan stored in the storage unit 36b to extract a vehicle 5 that is traveling near the desired location indicated by the user information and near the time of the desired boarding. The route change unit 39 changes the route of the extracted vehicle 5 and changes the departure times of each subsequent stop for the vehicle 5 in accordance with the route change. The route change unit 39 updates the operation plan stored in the storage unit 36b to reflect these changes.

[0117] Figure 19 shows an example of route modification in this embodiment. Route 201 shown in Figure 19 is the route of vehicle 5 corresponding to a predetermined route. When a user of terminal device 60 transmits user information indicating their desired boarding location to the operation plan creation device 30b using terminal device 60, vehicle 5 travels along the modified route shown in route 202. After traveling along route 202, vehicle 5 returns, for example, to the original route 201.

[0118] The distribution information generation unit 38a generates distribution information notifying of the change in the departure time of vehicle 5 based on the updated operation plan, and distributes the generated distribution information to the terminal device 60 that is the source of the user information via the communication unit 31. The distribution information generation unit 38a also distributes the changed operation plan to the terminal devices 60 of other users. Similar to the distribution information generation unit 38 in Embodiment 3, the distribution information generation unit 38a has the function of a Web server and may distribute distribution information via the communication unit 31 when a URL is specified from the terminal device 60, or it may send distribution information via the communication unit 31 to terminal devices 60 that have been registered in advance.

[0119] Furthermore, the operation plan creation device of Embodiment 2 or 3 may perform the operations of this embodiment in addition to the operations of this embodiment.

[0120] The operation plan creation device 30b of this embodiment, like the operation plan creation device 30 of Embodiment 1, is implemented by a computer system. The computer system functions as the operation plan creation device 30b when the program of this embodiment is executed. The route change unit 39 and the distribution information generation unit 38a of this embodiment are implemented, for example, by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 12. The storage unit 36b of this embodiment is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 12.

[0121] As described above, the operation plan creation device 30b of this embodiment receives user information indicating the desired location of the vehicle 5 user and changes the route based on the user information. This improves user convenience.

[0122] Embodiment 5. Figure 20 shows an example of the configuration of the operation plan creation device according to Embodiment 5. The charging system of this embodiment is the same as the charging system 1 of Embodiment 1, except that it is equipped with an operation plan creation device 30c instead of the operation plan creation device 30. Components having the same functions as those of Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1, and redundant descriptions are omitted. The differences from Embodiment 1 will be mainly described below.

[0123] The operation plan creation device 30c acquires the charge / discharge plan from the EMS 10 and uses the charge / discharge plan to generate charging performance information for each vehicle 5, showing the breakdown of power sources used to charge the vehicle 5, and transmits it to the terminal device 60. The operation plan creation device 30c may also distribute the charging performance information to a display device installed at a station (not shown), and the display device may display the charging performance information. This allows users to understand the environmental load of the vehicle 5 and improve the service provided to users.

[0124] As shown in Figure 20, the operation plan creation device 30c can communicate with the terminal device 60 via a wide-area network. The terminal device 60 is, for example, a device owned by a user of the vehicle 5, similar to the terminal device 60 in Embodiment 3. The operation plan creation device 30c is the same as the operation plan creation device 30 in Embodiment 1, except that it has an additional distribution information generation unit 38b and a storage unit 36c instead of a storage unit 36.

[0125] The communication unit 31 receives the charge / discharge plan created by the EMS 10 from the EMS 10 and stores the charge / discharge plan in the storage unit 36c. The distribution information generation unit 38b uses the charge / discharge plan to calculate, for each vehicle 5, the ratio of power from each power source of the entire charging system at the time the vehicle 5 was charged, and transmits the ratio of power sources for each vehicle to the terminal device 60 via the communication unit 31. The communication unit 31 may also transmit the ratio of power sources for each vehicle to a display device (not shown) installed at the bus stop.

[0126] As illustrated in Figure 9, the charge / discharge plan includes the power generated by solar power generation, purchased power, and discharged power from the storage battery 20 for each time period. Therefore, the ratio of power sources for each time period can be determined from these ratios. Accordingly, the distribution information generation unit 38b can determine the ratio of power sources for each vehicle 5 by determining the ratio of power sources for which the vehicle was charged. Furthermore, if the power ratio changes during the charging of a certain vehicle 5, the distribution information generation unit 38b can calculate the average of the ratios before and after the change as the ratio of power sources for vehicle 5.

[0127] Furthermore, since the discharge power of the battery 20 may be charged by solar power generation or by purchased electricity, the discharge power of the battery 20 is further distributed between solar power generation and purchased electricity based on the average ratio of the amount of electricity charged by solar power generation and the amount of electricity charged by purchased electricity in the charging performed on the day before the calculation date. As a result, the power used to charge the vehicle 5 can be expressed as the ratio of solar power generation to purchased electricity. If the charging system also includes wind power generation equipment, the ratio of wind power generation can also be added in the same way.

[0128] Furthermore, the distribution information generation unit 38b can generate information indicating the power source ratio of the purchased power using information provided by the power supplier, and include the generated information in the distribution information. For example, if the power supplier only provides the overall power source ratio, the distribution information generation unit 38b can include the value obtained by multiplying the purchased power by the power source ratio as the breakdown ratio in the distribution information. Also, if the power supplier provides the power source ratio for each time period, the distribution information generation unit 38b can include the value obtained by multiplying the power source ratio for the time period in which the vehicle 5 was charged by the purchased power as the breakdown ratio in the distribution information. In this way, the distribution information generation unit 38b distributes information indicating the ratio of each power source used to charge the battery of the vehicle 5 to the terminal device 60.

[0129] Furthermore, the distribution information generation unit 38b may calculate carbon dioxide emissions according to the ratio of power sources used to charge the vehicle 5, and include carbon dioxide emissions or the reduction rate of carbon dioxide compared to a gasoline vehicle in the distribution information.

[0130] The operation plan creation device 30c of this embodiment, like the operation plan creation device 30 of Embodiment 1, is implemented by a computer system. The computer system functions as the operation plan creation device 30c when the program of this embodiment is executed. The distribution information generation unit 38b of this embodiment is implemented, for example, by the control unit 101 shown in Figure 12. The storage unit 36c of this embodiment is part of the storage unit 103 shown in Figure 12.

[0131] Figure 21 shows an example of the ratio of power sources for each vehicle 5 in this embodiment. The terminal device 60 displays, for example, as shown in Figure 21, the ratio of power used to charge each vehicle 5, divided into PV (photovoltaic power), wind power (wind power), and mixed, as a percentage. Mixed power corresponds to purchased power. In the example shown in Figure 21, the breakdown of the mixed power is further shown as a reference ratio based on the power source ratio provided by the power supplier. Also, in Figure 21, information such as the route name and departure time is shown along with the ratio of power sources for each vehicle 5, for ease of understanding for users. By distributing this information for each vehicle 5, the operation plan creation device 30c can help users understand the ratio of power sources used to charge each vehicle 5, understand the ratio of renewable energy, and provide information that can serve as selection criteria for users who are highly concerned with environmental impact when choosing a vehicle 5 service. Furthermore, by increasing the proportion of renewable energy in the charging system and presenting the proportion of power supply sources, the operator of vehicle 5 can appeal to users about their efforts to reduce environmental impact.

[0132] Furthermore, the operation plan creation device of any of Embodiments 2 to 4 may also perform the operations of this embodiment.

[0133] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and it is possible to combine them with other known technologies, combine different embodiments, and omit or modify parts of the configuration without departing from the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1,1a Charging system, 2 Power system, 3 Transformer, 5,5-1~5-n Vehicle, 10,10a EMS, 11,31 Communication unit, 12,12a SOC prediction unit, 13 Planning unit, 14 Command generation unit, 15,15a,36,36a,36b,36c Memory unit, 16 Model generation unit, 17 Correction information calculation unit, 20 Storage battery, 21 Solar power generation equipment, 30,30a,30b,30c Operation plan creation device, 32 Combination generation unit, 33 Charging cycle calculation unit, 34 Weighting unit, 35 Route assignment unit, 37 Time change unit, 38,38a,38b Distribution information generation unit, 39 Route change unit, 40 DC bus, 41 Converter, 42,42-1~42-n Charger, 43 Storage battery PCS, 44 DC load, 45, 45-1~45-n connection unit, 50 information provision system, 60 terminal equipment, 70 railway information distribution equipment.

Claims

1. An operation plan creation device for creating an operation plan for a plurality of mobile bodies, each having a storage battery, in a charging system capable of charging the aforementioned mobile bodies, A route allocation unit assigns a route to each mobile unit to operate during the planned period, using the number of times the mobile unit is charged during a certain period prior to the planned period, which is the period for which the operation plan is created, and creates the operation plan that reflects the results of the allocation. An operational plan creation device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

2. A combination generation unit that generates multiple combinations of flights operated by one of the aforementioned multiple mobile bodies during the planned period. Equipped with, The aforementioned flight is identified by the aforementioned route and the operating time on that route. For each of the above combinations, a charging count calculation unit calculates the number of times the mobile body is charged in that combination, The operation plan creation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the route allocation unit allocates the route to the mobile body by assigning the combination to the mobile body using the number of charges within the specified period and the number of charges calculated by the number of charges calculation unit.

3. A weighting unit calculates a weighting coefficient for each mobile body according to the pre-charge and post-charge rates of the battery for each charge, and uses the calculated weighting coefficient to weight the number of charges calculated by the charge count calculation unit, The operation plan creation device according to claim 2, characterized in that the route allocation unit calculates a weighting coefficient for each mobile body according to the charge rate of the storage battery before and after charging within the specified period, weights the number of charging cycles within the specified period using the calculated weighting coefficient, and assigns the combination to the mobile body using the weighted number of charging cycles within the specified period and the weighted number of charging cycles by the weighting unit.

4. The operation plan creation device according to claim 3, characterized in that the weighting coefficient is determined according to the amount of deviation of the charge rate from a defined range.

5. The operation plan creation device according to any one of 2 to 4, characterized in that the route allocation unit assigns the combination to the mobile bodies such that the difference in travel distance for each mobile body within the specified period is within a threshold.

6. The aforementioned moving object is a vehicle. The aforementioned operation plan creation device is A time adjustment unit that uses train delay information to change the departure time of the vehicle, whose departure time is determined according to the arrival time of the delayed train, according to the delay time of the train, A distribution information generation unit that distributes the operating schedule of the aforementioned vehicle, whose departure time has been changed, to a terminal device, Equipped with, The operation plan creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the operation plan includes the operational plan and the vehicle operation schedule.

7. The aforementioned moving object is a vehicle. The aforementioned operation plan creation device is A communication unit that receives user information from a terminal device, including information indicating the desired location where the user wishes to board the vehicle, A route changing unit that changes the vehicle's route so that it travels via the desired location if the desired location included in the user information is not on the predetermined route of the aforementioned line, An operation plan creation device according to any one of 1 to 5, characterized by comprising:

8. A distribution information generation unit generates information for each mobile unit indicating the ratio of power sources used to charge the battery of the mobile unit, and distributes the generated information to a terminal device. An operation plan creation device according to any one of 1 to 5, characterized by comprising:

9. A charging system capable of charging multiple mobile bodies, each having a storage battery, wherein a charging plan creation device creates a charging plan for the mobile bodies using an operation plan created by an operation plan creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and the mileage traveled on each route on which the mobile bodies operate, A prediction unit that uses measurement data measured by an on-board sensor mounted on the vehicle, which is the mobile body, to predict the charge level of the vehicle's battery when it returns to the charging system, A planning unit that creates the charging plan using the charging rate predicted by the prediction unit, Equipped with, Provided outside the aforementioned moving body, The aforementioned in-vehicle sensor is an image sensor or a vibration sensor. moreover, A storage unit that stores a trained model for inferring a correction coefficient used to calculate the amount of electricity used by the vehicle's operation based on the measurement data, A correction information calculation unit that estimates the correction coefficient using the measurement data acquired from the vehicle and the trained model, Equipped with, The charging plan creation device is characterized in that the prediction unit predicts the charge level of the vehicle's battery when the vehicle returns to the charging system using the correction coefficient.

10. Model generation unit that generates the aforementioned trained model, The charging plan creation device according to claim 9, characterized by comprising the following:

11. A charging system capable of charging multiple mobile devices, each having its own battery, An operation plan creation device for creating an operation plan for the aforementioned mobile body, A charging plan creation device that creates a charging plan for the plurality of mobile units using the aforementioned operation plan and the mileage for each route on which the mobile units operate, Equipped with, The aforementioned operation plan creation device is A route allocation unit assigns a route to each mobile unit to operate during the planned period, using the number of times the mobile unit is charged during a certain period prior to the planned period, which is the period for which the operation plan is created, and creates the operation plan that reflects the results of the allocation. A charging system characterized by having the following features.

12. A method for creating an operation plan in an operation plan creation device for creating an operation plan for a mobile body, in a charging system equipped with multiple chargers capable of charging the battery of the mobile body, The steps include assigning a route to be operated by the mobile unit during the planned period, using the number of times the mobile unit has been charged during a certain period prior to the planned period, which is the period for which the operational plan is created; The steps include creating the aforementioned operational plan that reflects the allocation results, A method for creating an operational plan, characterized by including the following:

13. In a charging system equipped with multiple chargers capable of charging the battery of a mobile vehicle, a computer system that creates an operational plan for the mobile vehicle includes: The steps include assigning a route to be operated by the mobile unit during the planned period, using the number of times the mobile unit has been charged during a certain period prior to the planned period, which is the period for which the operational plan is created; The steps include creating the aforementioned operational plan that reflects the allocation results, An operational plan creation program characterized by causing the following to be executed.

Images