Charging notification device

Abstract

This device provides an easy way to determine the charging status of an in-vehicle power supply unit without using the detection results of a power sensor. [Solution] The charging notification device 10 includes an acquisition unit 22 that acquires information regarding the operating time of a power generator mounted on the vehicle, a determination unit 24 that determines the charging state of an on-board power supply unit 36 ​​mounted on the vehicle based on information regarding the operating time of the vehicle during the previous trip, and a notification unit 28 that notifies the vehicle that charging of the on-board power supply unit 36 ​​is required according to the determined charging state of the on-board power supply unit 36.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging notification device that notifies a request for charging to an in-vehicle power supply unit.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that a center control device estimates the SOC of a vehicle battery using a map showing the correspondence between the voltage of the battery and the SOC (State Of Charge), and a map showing the correspondence between the charge and discharge current value, temperature, and terminal voltage of the battery for each degree of battery deterioration.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the center control device estimates the SOC of the battery using the detection result of a power supply sensor that detects the voltage of the battery, etc., it is not easy to estimate the SOC when there is no power supply sensor.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a device that can easily determine the charging state of an in-vehicle power supply unit without using the detection result of a power supply sensor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a charging notification device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the operating time of a power generator mounted on a vehicle; a determination unit that determines the charging state of an on-board power supply unit mounted on a vehicle based on information regarding the operating time of the vehicle during the previous trip; and a notification unit that notifies the vehicle of a request to charge the on-board power supply unit according to the determined charging state of the on-board power supply unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a device that can easily determine the charging state of an in-vehicle power supply unit without using the detection results of a power sensor. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the charging notification system. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart showing the charging notification process of the charging notification device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Figure 1 shows the functional configuration of the charging notification system 1. The charging notification system 1 comprises a charging notification device 10, a vehicle 12, and an external terminal 14. Even if the vehicle 12's onboard power supply unit 36 ​​does not have a power sensor, the charging notification system 1 estimates the charging status of the onboard power supply unit 36 ​​using trip data and, if it determines that charging is necessary, notifies the external terminal 14 of a charging request.

[0010] The charging notification device 10 is, for example, a server device that collects vehicle data such as trip data from multiple vehicles 12. The vehicles 12 do not have, for example, a power sensor that detects the charging status of the onboard power supply unit 36. The vehicles 12 may have an autonomous driving control function that enables them to drive autonomously.

[0011] The external terminal 14 is installed at the repair shop or vehicle dealership where the vehicle 12 is brought. The worker determines whether to charge the onboard power unit 36 ​​based on the notification from the charging notification device 10. The external terminal 14 may also send the vehicle ID of the vehicle 12 to the charging notification device 10 to confirm whether charging is possible. At the vehicle dealership, the worker can determine whether to charge a vehicle that does not have a power sensor without using inspection equipment.

[0012] Vehicle 12 is equipped with a control device 16, an on-board sensor 30, an IG switch 32, a power generator 34, and an on-board power supply unit 36. The on-board sensor 30 detects the operating status of the power generator 34, the on / off status of the ignition switch, etc., and sends the detection results to the control device 16. The sensor that detects the operating status of the power generator 34 allows the operating time of the power generator 34 to be recognized. The information indicating the on / off status of the ignition switch allows the operating time of the engine to be recognized. Since the power generator 34 is linked to the engine, the operating time of the power generator 34 is recognized by the operating time of the engine. In addition, the on-board sensor 30 detects the driving status of vehicle 12, and trip data is generated from these detection results.

[0013] The control device 16 includes an acquisition unit 40, a communication unit 42, and a charging control unit 44. The acquisition unit 40 acquires the detection results of the on-board sensor 30. The detection results of the on-board sensor 30 are stored in memory as trip data. The communication unit 42 transmits the trip data to the charging notification device 10 along with the vehicle ID. The communication unit 42 may transmit the detected driving data as needed, or according to a set transmission timing. The trip data includes information indicating the driving status of the vehicle 12 and information regarding the operating time of the power generator 34. The trip data is divided into periods from when the ignition switch is turned on until it is turned off, which is considered one trip.

[0014] The charging control unit 44 charges the on-board power supply unit 36 ​​when the ignition switch is turned on. The generator 34 can charge the on-board power supply unit 36 ​​when the engine is running.

[0015] The charging notification device 10 comprises a communication unit 20, an acquisition unit 22, a determination unit 24, a charging determination unit 26, and a notification unit 28. The communication unit 20 collects trip data from multiple vehicles 12. The acquisition unit 22 acquires information regarding the operating time of the power generator 34 included in the trip data of the vehicles 12. The information regarding the operating time of the power generator 34 may be the time when the power generator 34 was continuously on, or it may be the time when the engine was continuously on.

[0016] The determination unit 24 determines the charge state of the onboard power supply unit 36 ​​based on information regarding the operating time of the generator 34 during the vehicle 12's previous trip. The determination unit 24 determines the charge rate (hereinafter, the charge rate of the onboard power supply unit 36 ​​may be referred to as "SOC") as the charge state of the onboard power supply unit 36.

[0017] The determination unit 24 determines the State of Operation (SOC) of the onboard power supply unit 36 ​​when it receives trip data from the vehicle 12 or when a predetermined cycle is reached. Therefore, the determination unit 24 determines the SOC when a cycle is reached, even if it has not received trip data.

[0018] The determination unit 24 sets the SOC to a predetermined value if the operating time of the power generator 34 during the previous trip was longer than a predetermined time. If the operating time of the power generator 34 during the previous trip was longer than a predetermined time, the vehicle power supply unit 36 ​​may be sufficiently charged, so for example, the determination unit 24 sets the SOC to 75 percent. The previous trip refers to, for example, the trip before the ignition switch was turned on when the operator turns on the ignition switch. The previous trip only needs to be a trip that ended before the current time.

[0019] When the operation time of the power generation device 34 in the previous trip is not longer than a predetermined time, the determination unit 24 calculates the SOC according to the passage of time according to a preset decreasing rate. The count of the passage of time may be counted from after the end of the previous trip. When the determination unit 24 has not received the previous trip data, the determination unit 24 calculates the SOC according to the passage of time according to a preset decreasing rate.

[0020] The notification unit 28 notifies that charging to the in-vehicle power supply unit 36 is requested according to the determined charging state of the in-vehicle power supply unit 36. When the SOC of the in-vehicle power supply unit 36 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the notification unit 28 sends a notification of a charging request to the external terminal 14. Note that the notification unit 28 may send a notification of a charging request to the vehicle 12. Thereby, even if a power sensor is not provided in the in-vehicle power supply unit 36, it is possible to notify an operator whether charging is necessary.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the charging notification process of the charging notification device 10. The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is executed periodically. The determination unit 24 determines whether the start condition of the charging notification is satisfied, and when the start condition is satisfied, the charging notification process is started (S10). The start condition is satisfied by receiving trip data or reaching a predetermined period. The predetermined period is, for example, every 24 hours.

[0022] The determination unit 24 determines whether there is previous trip data (S12). When there is previous trip data (Y in S12), the determination unit 24 determines whether a power sensor is provided in the in-vehicle power supply unit 36 of the vehicle 12 (S14). If a power sensor is provided, the detection result of the power sensor is included in the trip data.

[0023] When a power sensor is provided (Y in S14), the determination unit 24 obtains the SOC from the detection result of the power sensor included in the trip data (S16). The charging determination unit 26 determines whether charging is necessary for the charging determination unit 26 based on the determined SOC, that is, whether the SOC is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value (S18).

[0024] If the SOC is below a predetermined threshold (Y in S18), the charging determination unit 26 determines that charging is necessary, and the notification unit 28 notifies the external terminal 14 of the charging request (S20). If the SOC is not below the predetermined threshold (Y in S18), the charging determination unit 26 determines that charging is not necessary, and this process ends. The notification unit 28 may also notify that charging is not necessary.

[0025] If there is no previous trip data (N in S12), the determination unit 24 calculates the State of Charge (SOC) according to the time elapsed, based on a preset rate of decrease (S28). Once the SOC is calculated, a decision is made as to whether charging is possible (S18).

[0026] If a power sensor is not provided (N in S14), it is determined whether the previous trip data includes a report of charging completion (S22). If there is a report of charging completion (Y in S22), the determination unit 24 determines the SOC to a predetermined value that is a sufficient charge level. The predetermined value is set to, for example, 70 percent to 80 percent. Once the SOC is determined, a judgment is made as to whether charging is possible (S18), and since the SOC is set to the predetermined value, it is determined that charging is not necessary (N in S18).

[0027] If no report of charging completion is received (N in S22), the determination unit 24 uses the previous trip data to determine whether the operating time of the power generator 34 is longer than a predetermined time (S26). If the operating time of the power generator 34 is longer than a predetermined time (Y in S26), there is a high probability that the onboard power supply unit 36 ​​is sufficiently charged, and the determination unit 24 determines the SOC to a predetermined value (S24).

[0028] If the operating time of the power generator 34 is not longer than a predetermined time (N in S26), the determination unit 24 calculates the state of charge (SOC) corresponding to the passage of time according to a preset rate of decrease (S28).

[0029] The present disclosure has been explained above based on the examples described. The present disclosure is not limited to the examples described above, and various modifications such as design changes can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0030] In this embodiment, the charging notification device 10 is shown as a server device, but the embodiment is not limited to this, and the charging notification device may be a control device 16. That is, the acquisition unit 22, the determination unit 24, the charging determination unit 26, and the notification unit 28 are provided in the control device 16 of the vehicle 12. The notification unit 28 may display the notification on the display of the vehicle 12. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Charging notification system, 10 Charging notification device, 12 Vehicle, 14 External terminal, 16 Control device, 20 Communication unit, 22 Acquisition unit, 24 Decision unit, 26 Charging determination unit, 28 Notification unit, 34 Power generation device, 36 On-board power supply unit.

Claims

[Claim 1] An acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the operating time of the power generation device installed in the vehicle, A determination unit that determines the charging state of the on-board power supply unit mounted on the vehicle based on information regarding the operating time during the previous trip by the vehicle, A charging notification device comprising: a notification unit that notifies a request to charge the vehicle power supply unit according to the determined charging status of the vehicle power supply unit.

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