Power supply system, control device, and power supply system control method

Abstract

To effectively utilize a power supply facility without impairing user friendliness of a hybrid vehicle in the power supply facility capable of external power supply.SOLUTION: A power supply system 10 comprises: a vehicle 100 mounted with a battery 150 which can be charged with external electric power; a power supply device 200 which supplies electric power to the vehicle; and a control device (220 and 300) to control power supply from the power supply device to the vehicle. The vehicle has an engine 120 and a motor 130 which generates travel power with the electric power received from the battery. When the vehicle makes a request for the power supply from the power supply device, the control device: (a) acquires a residual fuel amount for the engine from the vehicle; (b) outputs an instruction to urge the vehicle to shorten charging time when the residual fuel amount is larger than a reference value; and (c) sets at least either a unit rate of the electric power or a unit rate of the fuel of the charging power smaller when receiving an acceptance response to the instruction from the vehicle than when not receiving the acceptance response.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power supply system, a control device, and a control method for a power supply system, and more particularly, to a technique for effectively utilizing a power supply facility for charging a battery mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, vehicles that can be externally charged by using external power to charge a battery mounted on the vehicle, such as electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), are becoming more common. Accordingly, power supply facilities (power supply stations) for charging electric vehicles on the go are becoming more common.

[0003] In a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor, even if the charge level of the battery becomes low, the engine can be driven to run or generate electricity. In contrast, an electric vehicle does not have an engine, so if external charging is not possible and the power that can be output from the battery runs out, the vehicle will not be able to run. In other words, external charging is more important for an electric vehicle than for a hybrid vehicle.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-064342 (Patent Document 1) discloses a configuration in which the charging power in a power supply facility is set higher for hybrid vehicles with a large amount of remaining fuel than for electric vehicles. In the configuration of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-064342 (Patent Document 1), since the charging fee is relatively high for hybrid vehicles with a large amount of remaining fuel, an incentive is given to users of the hybrid vehicles to stop charging at the power supply facility and run using fuel. This alleviates congestion at the power supply facility and allows electric vehicles to be given priority for external charging, thereby making effective use of the power supply facility. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-064342 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] On the other hand, in the charging system disclosed in JP 2018-064342 A (Patent Document 1), in the case of a hybrid vehicle, it may not be possible to charge the battery at the power supply equipment, or a high charging fee may have to be paid, which may reduce convenience for the user.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and its purpose is to make effective use of power supply equipment capable of external power supply without compromising the convenience of hybrid vehicle users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A power supply system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a vehicle equipped with a battery that can be charged using external power, a power supply device that supplies power to the vehicle, and a control device for controlling power supply from the power supply device to the vehicle. The vehicle includes an engine and a motor that receives power supplied from the battery and generates driving force for traveling. When the vehicle requests power supply from the power supply device, the control device (i) acquires a remaining fuel amount for the engine from the vehicle, (ii) outputs an instruction to the vehicle to prompt the vehicle to shorten the charging time if the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, and (iii) sets at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel for charging power lower when a response accepting the instruction is received from the vehicle compared to when the instruction is not accepted.

[0009] According to the power supply system of the present disclosure, when a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor requests external power supply and the remaining fuel level is greater than a reference value, an instruction is output to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to shorten the charging time. If the vehicle user accepts the instruction, the following electric vehicle will have more opportunities to charge, and the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel for the hybrid vehicle will be discounted. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively used without compromising the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user.

[0010] In one embodiment, the instructions include information suggesting a lower charge than the required charge for the battery.

[0011] With this configuration, it is possible to suggest to the user to reduce the amount of charging, and to encourage the user to shorten the charging time.

[0012] In one embodiment, the instructions include information suggesting a charging time that is less than the required charging time of the battery.

[0013] With this configuration, it is possible to encourage the user to shorten the charging time.

[0014] A power supply system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes a vehicle equipped with a battery that can be charged using external power, a power supply facility including a power supply device that supplies power to the vehicle, and a control device for controlling power supply to the vehicle in the power supply facility. The power supply device includes an AC power supply device and a DC power supply device. The vehicle includes an engine and a motor that receives power supplied from the battery and generates driving force for traveling. The vehicle is configured to be capable of both AC charging using AC power from the AC power supply device and DC quick charging using DC power from the DC power supply device. When the vehicle requests power supply from the DC power supply device, the control device (i) acquires a remaining fuel amount for the engine from the vehicle, (ii) outputs an instruction to the vehicle to prompt power supply from the AC power supply device if the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, and (iii) sets at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel of charging power lower when a response that accepts the instruction is received from the vehicle compared to when the instruction is not accepted.

[0015] According to the power supply system of the present disclosure, when a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor requests external power supply using the DC power supply device from a power supply device having an AC power supply device and a DC power supply device, if the remaining fuel level is greater than a reference value, an instruction is output to the vehicle to prompt the vehicle to supply power using the AC power supply device. If the instruction is accepted by the user of the vehicle, the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel is discounted. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively used without impairing the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user.

[0016] In one embodiment, the power supply system further includes a camera for detecting a state of the power supply device. When it is determined from an image of the camera that the power supply device is congested, the control device outputs the instruction.

[0017] With this configuration, only when the camera image shows that the power supply facility is congested, the system instructs the user to reduce the charging amount or change the charging method. Therefore, when priority is not required for electric vehicles, charging is performed as requested by the hybrid vehicle user. This allows the power supply facility to be used effectively without compromising the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user.

[0018] A power supply system according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includes a vehicle equipped with a battery that can be charged using external power, a power supply facility including a power supply device that supplies power to the vehicle, a camera for detecting a state of the power supply device, and a control device for controlling power supply from the power supply device to the vehicle. The vehicle includes an engine, a motor that receives power supplied from the battery to generate driving force for traveling, and a communication device that wirelessly communicates with the power supply device. When power supply from the power supply device is reserved by the vehicle and the power supply device is determined to be congested from the image of the camera, the control device (i) acquires a remaining fuel amount for the engine from the vehicle, (ii) outputs an instruction to the vehicle to prompt the vehicle to move to another power supply facility if the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, and (iii) sets at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel for charging power lower when a response that accepts the instruction is received from the vehicle compared to when the instruction is not accepted.

[0019] According to the power supply system of the present disclosure, when a reservation for external power supply is made from a hybrid vehicle and the power supply facility is congested, if the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, an instruction is output to the vehicle to urge it to move to another power supply facility. If the instruction is accepted by the user of the vehicle, the electricity unit price and / or the fuel unit price are discounted. Since the instruction to move to another power supply facility is issued when a charging reservation is made, unnecessary movement to the power supply facility can be prevented. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively used without impairing the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user.

[0020] In one embodiment, the control device is located within the power supply device. With this configuration, the processing can be executed in the power supply device.

[0021] In one embodiment, the control device is a server capable of communicating with the power source device. With this configuration, the processing can be executed centrally by a remotely located server.

[0022] A control device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a control device for controlling a power supply system that charges a battery mounted on a vehicle having an engine using electric power from a power supply device. The control device includes a processor and a memory that stores a program executed by the processor. When the vehicle requests power supply from the power supply device, the processor (i) acquires a remaining amount of fuel for the engine from the vehicle, (ii) outputs an instruction to the vehicle to prompt the vehicle to shorten the charging time if the remaining amount of fuel is greater than a reference value, and (iii) sets at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel of the charging power lower when a response accepting the instruction is received from the vehicle compared to when the instruction is not accepted.

[0023] According to the control device of the present disclosure, when a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor requests external power feeding, if the remaining fuel level is greater than a reference value, an instruction is output to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to shorten the charging time. If the instruction is accepted by the user of the vehicle, the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel is discounted. Therefore, the power feeding facility can be effectively used without compromising the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user.

[0024] A method according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a power supply system that charges a battery mounted on a vehicle having an engine using electric power from a power supply device. The method includes the steps of: (i) determining whether or not power supply from the power supply device is requested from the vehicle, (ii) acquiring a remaining amount of fuel for the engine from the vehicle, (iii) outputting an instruction to the vehicle to prompt the vehicle to shorten a charging time when power supply from the power supply device is requested and the remaining amount of fuel is greater than a reference value, and (iv) setting at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel of charging power lower when a response accepting the instruction is received from the vehicle compared to when the instruction is not accepted.

[0025] According to the control method of the power supply system of the present disclosure, when a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor requests external power supply and the remaining fuel level is greater than a reference value, an instruction is output to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to shorten the charging time. If the instruction is accepted by the user of the vehicle, the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel is discounted. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively used without compromising the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user. Effect of the Invention

[0026] According to the power supply system of the present disclosure, when a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor requests external power supply and the remaining fuel level is greater than a reference value, an instruction is output to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to shorten the charging time. If the instruction is accepted by the user of the vehicle, the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel is discounted. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively used without impairing the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a power supply system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining details of the vehicle and the power supply facility in FIG. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart for explaining a control executed in the power supply system of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle and a power supply facility in a power supply system according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart for explaining a control executed in the power supply system of FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart for explaining control executed in a power supply system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0029] [Embodiment 1] (System Overview) Fig. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a power supply system 10 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 1, the power supply system 10 includes a vehicle 100, a power supply device 200 arranged in a power supply facility 50, and a server 300. Note that, although only one power supply device 200 is shown in Fig. 1, the power supply facility 50 may include two or more power supply devices 200.

[0030] Vehicle 100 includes engine 120, motor 130, and battery 150. Vehicle 100 is a so-called hybrid vehicle that can run using driving force generated by engine 120 and / or motor 130. Motor 130 is driven by electric power from battery 150. Battery 150 can be charged by electric power supplied from power supply device 200 provided outside vehicle 100 via power supply cable 205. In other words, vehicle 100 is a plug-in type hybrid vehicle.

[0031] Power supply device 200 converts AC power received from a system power supply into AC power or DC power of a voltage suitable for vehicle 100 and supplies the converted power to vehicle 100. Power supply device 200 can communicate with vehicle 100 in a wired manner by connecting connector 206 provided at an end of power supply cable 205 to an inlet of vehicle 100. In addition, power supply device 200 may be configured to communicate with vehicle 100 wirelessly.

[0032] The power supply device 200 and the server 300 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network 400 such as the Internet. The communication between the server 300 and the communication network 400 may be wired or wireless.

[0033] The server 300 includes a processor 310, a memory 320, and a communication device 330. The processor 310, the memory 320, and the communication device 330 are connected to one another by a common bus 340, and are configured to be able to send and receive information among them.

[0034] The processor 310 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and is configured to execute a predetermined arithmetic processing described in a program. The memory 320 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores the program executed by the processor 310. The RAM temporarily stores data generated by the execution of the program in the processor 310 and data input via the communication device 330. The RAM also functions as a temporary data memory used as a working area.

[0035] The communication device 330 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the power supply device 200 via the communication network 400. As described above, communication between the server 300 and the communication network 400 is performed by wire or wirelessly.

[0036] (Vehicle and power supply device configuration) Next, detailed configurations of the vehicle 100 and the power supply device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. First, the configuration of the vehicle 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. In addition to the engine 120, the motor 130, and the battery 150, the vehicle 100 further includes an ECU (Electronic Control unit) 110 which is a control device, a PCU (Power Control Unit) 140 which is a drive device, a charger 160, an inlet 170, a communication device 180, and a navigation device (Navi) 190.

[0037] A connector 206 of a power supply cable 205 provided in the power supply device 200 is connected to the inlet 170. The power supply cable 205 includes a power line for transmitting power and a control line for transmitting a control signal. The power supplied from the power supply device 200 via the power supply cable 205 is transmitted to the charger 160. In addition, the control signal supplied from the power supply device 200 is transmitted to the ECU 110.

[0038] Charger 160 includes, for example, an AC / DC converter or a rectifier. Charger 160 is controlled by ECU 110, and converts AC power transmitted from power supply device 200 via power supply cable 205 and inlet 170 into DC power suitable for charging battery 150, to charge battery 150. Battery 150 is a battery pack including a plurality of cells, and each cell included in battery 150 is a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. Battery 150 can also be charged by power generated by a regenerative operation such as when motor 130 decelerates, and by power generated by motor 130 by driving engine 120.

[0039] The PCU 160 includes, for example, a DC / DC converter and an inverter. The PCU 160 converts DC power from the battery 150 into AC power to drive the motor 130. The vehicle 100 runs on the driving force generated by the motor 130 and / or the driving force generated by the engine 120.

[0040] The communication device 180 is a communication interface for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals to and from the outside. The communication device 180 can communicate with an external device via the communication network 400. The communication device 180 is also configured to be able to communicate with the communication device 230 of the power supply device 200.

[0041] The navigation device 190 includes a touch panel (not shown) and presents and guides the user to a destination specified by the user. The navigation device 190 transmits destination information input by the user to an external server via the communication device 180, receives candidate information of driving routes to the destination searched for by the external server, and displays the candidate information on the touch panel. When the user selects a desired driving route from the displayed candidates, the navigation device 190 guides the user based on the selected driving route.

[0042] ECU 110 includes a CPU and a memory, neither of which are shown, and performs overall control of each device included in vehicle 100. When driving, ECU 110 controls engine 120 and PCU 140 based on the operation of the accelerator, steering wheel, brake, and the like by the user to drive vehicle 100.

[0043] Furthermore, when charging the battery 150, when the connector 206 of the power supply cable 205 is connected, the ECU 110 transmits vehicle information to the power supply device 200. Then, when power is supplied from the power supply device 200, the ECU 110 controls the charger 160 to charge the battery 150.

[0044] Next, a configuration of the power supply device 200 will be described. The power supply device 200 includes a charging device 210, a control device 220, and a communication device 230. When the power supply facility 50 includes a plurality of power supply devices, the control device 220 and the communication device 230 may be provided as a common device for the plurality of power supply devices.

[0045] The charging device 210 is connected to an AC power source 260 arranged outside the power supply device 200. In accordance with a command from the control device 220, the charging device 210 converts the AC power received from the AC power source 260 into AC power of a predetermined frequency, and supplies the converted AC power to the vehicle 100 via the power supply cable 205.

[0046] The control device 220 includes a CPU and a memory, neither of which are shown, and performs overall control of other devices in the power supply device 200. Specifically, the control device 220 controls the charging device 210 based on information from the vehicle 100 received via the power supply cable 205 or the communication device 230, and adjusts the power supplied to the vehicle 100.

[0047] In addition, the control device 220 receives video from a camera 250 arranged in the power supply facility 50, and determines the congestion state of the power supply facility 50 based on the video information.

[0048] The communication device 230 is a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with the vehicle 100 and the communication network 400. The control device 220 receives charging reservation information from the vehicle 100 and transmits congestion information of the power supply facility 50 via the communication device 230.

[0049] Note that vehicles to which power can be supplied from power supply device 200 are not limited to hybrid vehicles having engines as described above, and power can also be supplied to electric vehicles that run on the driving force of only a motor.

[0050] (Explanation of congestion relief control) In general, the time required to supply power to a battery is longer than the time required to refuel a fuel such as gasoline. In other words, the time required to occupy a power supply device to charge the battery is relatively long. Therefore, as hybrid cars, electric cars, and other electric vehicles become more popular and the number of vehicles to be powered increases, the possibility of congestion at power supply facilities increases.

[0051] In a hybrid vehicle that also uses an engine, even if the power stored in the battery runs out, if there is remaining fuel, it is possible to continue traveling using the driving force of the engine and / or the power generated by driving the engine. On the other hand, in the case of an electric vehicle that runs using only the power of the battery, it will not be able to run if the power in the battery runs out. In other words, a decrease in charging power in an electric vehicle can be a more serious problem than a decrease in charging power in a hybrid vehicle.

[0052] Therefore, from the viewpoint of preventing electric vehicles from running out of power, it is preferable to prioritize charging of electric vehicles over hybrid vehicles, especially in situations where power supply facilities are congested. On the other hand, if charging of hybrid vehicles is always prioritized over charging of electric vehicles, it may not be possible to charge at the desired time or it may not be possible to charge even when the remaining fuel level is low and charging is highly necessary, which may reduce convenience.

[0053] Therefore, in the power supply system of the first embodiment, when the power supply facility is congested and a hybrid vehicle with a relatively large amount of remaining fuel requests power supply, the system performs "congestion alleviation control" to increase the utilization rate of the power supply device and make it easier to charge the electric vehicle by making a proposal to the user of the hybrid vehicle to shorten the power supply time. Also, in the congestion alleviation control of the first embodiment, the hybrid vehicle that complies with the request to shorten the power supply time is given a discount on the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel for charging power as compensation for cooperation in alleviating congestion.

[0054] With this configuration, hybrid vehicles can be charged with the same priority as electric vehicles when the need for charging is high, and when the need for charging is relatively low, the benefits of reduced unit prices of electricity and / or fuel can be obtained. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively utilized without compromising the convenience of hybrid vehicle users.

[0055] 3 is a flowchart for explaining congestion relief control executed in the power supply system 10 according to the embodiment 1. In the following description, a case where congestion relief control is executed in the vehicle 100 and the power supply device 200 will be described. However, a part or all of the control of the power supply device 200 may be executed by the server 300.

[0056] 3 is called from a main routine and executed when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the ECU 110 of the vehicle 100 and the control device 220 of the power supply device 200. Each step in the flowchart is realized by software processing in the ECU 110 and the control device 220, but some or all of the steps may be realized by hardware such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) included in the ECU 110 and the control device 220.

[0057] 3, first, the control in vehicle 100 will be described. When connector 206 of power supply cable 205 is connected to inlet 170 of vehicle 100 in step (hereinafter, step is abbreviated as S) 100, ECU 110 of vehicle 100 transmits vehicle information including a vehicle ID, a charging allowable power, a remaining fuel amount, and an SOC to power supply device 200 in S110.

[0058] Thereafter, in S120, ECU 110 determines whether or not a proposal to shorten the charging time has been made by power supply device 200. If a proposal to shorten the charging time has not been made by power supply device 200 (NO in S120), the process proceeds to S140, and ECU 110 executes a charging operation of battery 150 using the electric power supplied from power supply device 200.

[0059] On the other hand, if power supply device 200 proposes to shorten the charging time (YES in S120), the process proceeds to S130, and ECU 110 transmits a response to power supply device 200 as to whether or not to accept the proposal, according to a user's operation. As described below, if the proposal to shorten the charging time is accepted, discount information (e.g., a coupon or points) indicating a discount on the charging unit price (or a discount on the fuel unit price) is transmitted from power supply device 200. By using the discount information, the user of vehicle 100 can charge the vehicle this time or the next time onwards, or refuel the vehicle next time onwards, at a unit price lower than usual.

[0060] Next, the control in power feeding device 200 will be described. When control device 220 of power feeding device 200 receives vehicle information from vehicle 100 via power feeding cable 205, it determines in S200 whether vehicle 100 to be charged is a hybrid vehicle or not. If vehicle 100 to be charged is an electric vehicle and not a hybrid vehicle (NO in S200), the subsequent processes of S210 to S270 are skipped, and control device 220 starts power feeding in response to a request from vehicle 100 in S280.

[0061] If the vehicle 100 to be charged is a hybrid vehicle (YES in S200), the process proceeds to S210, where the control device 220 calculates the congestion degree of the power supply facility 50 and the power supply device 200 based on the image from the camera 250, and determines whether the congestion degree is greater than a predetermined value. The congestion degree is determined, for example, based on the number of vehicles waiting for power supply that are included in the image from the camera 250. Alternatively, in the case of a power supply facility that allows reservations for power supply, the congestion degree may be determined based on the current number of reservations.

[0062] If the congestion level is low (NO in S210), priority charging of electric vehicles is not necessary, and so processing proceeds to S280, where the control device 220 starts supplying power to the vehicle 100. If the congestion level is high (YES in S210), processing proceeds to S220, where the control device 220 calculates a predicted time until charging is completed based on the SOC and allowable charging power of the vehicle 100. Then, in S230, the control device 220 determines whether the predicted charging time calculated in S220 is greater than a threshold value Ta. The threshold value Ta is, for example, 10 minutes.

[0063] When the predicted charging time is equal to or less than the threshold value Ta (NO in S230), the power supply process is completed in a relatively short time, and the process proceeds to S280, where the control device 220 starts power supply in response to a request from the vehicle 100. On the other hand, when the predicted charging time is greater than the threshold value Ta (YES in S230), the waiting time of the waiting vehicle becomes long, and therefore the control device 220 determines in S240 whether or not the remaining fuel amount of the vehicle 100 included in the vehicle information is greater than the reference value α. In other words, the control device 220 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 can travel a distance to another nearby power supply facility using the driving force from the engine 120 or the power generated by the engine 120, even if the charge amount in the battery 150 is depleted. The reference value α is, for example, 10 liters.

[0064] When the remaining fuel amount is equal to or less than the reference value α (NO in S240), the travel distance by running using the engine 120 is not sufficient and the battery 150 needs to be charged. Therefore, the control device 220 advances the process to S280 and starts the power supply in response to the request from the vehicle 100. On the other hand, when the remaining fuel amount is greater than the reference value α (YES in S240), a certain degree of travel distance can be ensured by running using the driving force of the engine 120 or the power generated by the engine 120. Therefore, the control device 220 outputs an instruction to the vehicle 100 to prompt the vehicle 100 to shorten the charging time in S250. The instruction to shorten the charging time may be an instruction to propose a charging time shorter than the required charging time of the battery 150, or an instruction to propose a charging amount smaller than the required charging amount of the battery 150. The control device 220 outputs, together with the instruction to prompt the vehicle 100 to shorten the charging time, information regarding a discount on the charging unit price in the case where the instruction is accepted.

[0065] When the control device 220 receives a response to the proposal to shorten the charging time from the vehicle 100, the control device 220 determines in S260 whether or not the user of the vehicle 100 has accepted the proposal to shorten the charging time. If the charging time shortening has not been accepted (NO in S260), the user of the vehicle 100 desires power supply from the power supply device 200, and the control device 220 advances the process to S280 and starts power supply in accordance with the request from the vehicle 100. On the other hand, if the charging time shortening has been accepted (YES in S260), the control device 220 discounts (reduces) the charging unit price as compensation for the response to the request to shorten the charging time in S270 and starts power supply (S280). Although not shown in FIG. 3, if charging from the power supply device 200 is stopped in response to the proposal to shorten the charging time, S280 is skipped.

[0066] The charge unit price may be reduced by reducing the unit price of electricity for the power supply to be executed from now on, or by reducing the unit price of electricity for the next and subsequent power supplies.Furthermore, instead of or in addition to the unit price of electricity, the unit price of fuel at the time of refueling may be reduced.

[0067] As described above, when a hybrid vehicle with a large amount of remaining fuel requests power supply when the power supply facility is congested, the rotation efficiency of the power supply facility can be improved and power supply to electric vehicles can be prioritized by issuing an instruction to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to shorten the charging time. In addition, an incentive for shortening the charging time can be given to hybrid vehicles by reducing the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel for the hybrid vehicles that have shortened the charging time. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively used without compromising the convenience of the hybrid vehicle users.

[0068] [Embodiment 2] Known external charging modes include "AC charging" which uses AC power from a power supply device, and "DC charging" which uses DC power from a power supply device. In addition, there are also known power supply devices that can perform "DC quick charging" in DC charging, which supplies a larger amount of power from the power supply device than AC charging to charge the battery in a shorter time.

[0069] In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which, in a power supply facility including an AC power supply device capable of the above-mentioned AC charging and a DC power supply device capable of DC quick charging, an electric vehicle is allowed to use the DC power supply device preferentially, thereby making effective use of the power supply facility.

[0070] Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle 100A and a power supplying facility 50A in a power supplying system 10A according to embodiment 2. In Fig. 4, the description of the parts that overlap with those in power supplying system 10 of embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 2 will not be repeated.

[0071] 4, vehicle 100A is provided with charger 160A instead of charger 160 in vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 2, and further includes inlet 170AC for AC charging and inlet 170DC for DC quick charging instead of inlet 170. Power supply equipment 50A includes power supply device 200A, and in power supply device 200A, charging device 210 in power supply device 200 of FIG. 2 is replaced with DC charging device 210A. That is, power supply device 200 of FIG. 2 is an AC power supply device, and power supply device 200A of FIG. 4 is a DC power supply device. Although not shown in FIG. 4, power supply equipment 50A also includes power supply device 200, which is an AC power supply device, in addition to power supply device 200A, which is a DC power supply device.

[0072] DC charging device 210A in power supply device 200A includes an AC / DC converter or a rectifier, converts AC power from an externally arranged AC power source 260 into DC power, and supplies the DC power to vehicle 100A via power supply cable 205. The power that can be output from power supply device 200A is greater than the power that can be output from power supply device 200. Therefore, when charging the same amount of power, DC quick charging using power supply device 200A can complete charging in a shorter time than AC charging using power supply device 200.

[0073] In vehicle 100A, when AC charging is performed, connector 206 of power supply cable 205 is connected to inlet 170AC. When DC quick charging is performed, connector 206 is connected to inlet 170DC. Note that a configuration may be adopted in which a terminal for transmitting AC power and a terminal for transmitting DC power are arranged on a common connector. In that case, the inlet on the vehicle side is also configured as a common inlet. The AC power received at inlet 170AC and the DC power received at inlet 170DC are transmitted to charger 160A.

[0074] The charger 160A includes an AC / DC converter or a rectifier. When the charger 160A charges the battery 150 using AC power from the inlet 170AC, the charger 160A converts the AC power into DC power using the AC / DC converter or rectifier and charges the battery 150. On the other hand, when the charger 160A uses DC power from the inlet 170DC, the charger 160A directly charges the battery 150 using the received DC power. Note that the charger 160A may include a DC / DC converter, but in order to reduce loss due to power conversion, it is preferable to use the DC power from the inlet 170DC as is.

[0075] As described in the first embodiment, from the viewpoint of preventing electric vehicles from running out of power, it is preferable to prioritize charging of electric vehicles over hybrid vehicles. Therefore, in the case of a power supply facility provided with a power supply device capable of DC rapid charging, it is preferable to apply DC rapid charging to electric vehicles rather than hybrid vehicles. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when a hybrid vehicle capable of AC charging and DC rapid charging requests DC rapid charging during congestion of the power supply facility, control is executed to make a proposal to the hybrid vehicle to switch to AC charging by the AC power supply device. Then, when the user of the hybrid vehicle agrees to move to the AC power supply device, a discount is given to the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel as compensation. This allows electric vehicles to preferentially use DC rapid charging, and prevents a decrease in convenience for users of hybrid vehicles, thereby enabling effective use of the power supply facility as a whole.

[0076] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining congestion relief control executed in the power supply system 10A of the second embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart executed in the ECU 110 of the vehicle 100A and the control device 220 of the power supply device 200A. Note that, as in the first embodiment, a part or all of the control of the power supply device 200A may be executed by the server 300. In the control of the vehicle 100A, steps S135 and S136 are added to the flowchart of FIG. 3. In addition, in the control of the power supply device 200A, steps S250 and S260 of the flowchart of FIG. 3 are replaced with steps S250A and S260A. In FIG. 5, the description of the steps overlapping with FIG. 3 will not be repeated.

[0077] First, the control of power supply device 200A will be described with reference to Fig. 5. When the congestion level is high, the predicted charging time is greater than threshold value Ta, and the remaining fuel amount is greater than reference value α, if vehicle 100A requests DC quick charging from the DC power supply device (YES in S240), the process proceeds to S250A, and control device 220 outputs to vehicle 100A an instruction to switch to an AC power supply device and prompts vehicle 100A to charge with AC. At this time, control device 220 also outputs to vehicle 100A information regarding a discount on the charging unit price in the case where vehicle 100A accepts the instruction and switches to the AC power supply device.

[0078] When the control device 220 receives a response from the vehicle 100A to the proposal to move to the AC power supply device, the control device 220 determines in S260A whether the user of the vehicle 100 has accepted the proposal to move to the AC power supply device. If the movement to the AC power supply device has not been accepted (NO in S260A), the user of the vehicle 100A desires DC rapid power supply, and the control device 220 advances the process to S280 and starts DC rapid power supply in accordance with the request from the vehicle 100A. On the other hand, if the movement to the AC power supply device has been accepted (YES in S260A), the control device 220 provides the vehicle 100A with discount information available for the next and subsequent charging as compensation for the response to the request to move to the AC power supply device in S270.

[0079] 5, if the user of vehicle 100A accepts the request from control device 220, the user moves from power supply device 200A to power supply device 200, which is an AC power supply device, and performs AC charging. At this time, the unit price of electricity is reduced by using the discount information.

[0080] Next, the control in vehicle 100A will be described. When connector 206 of power supply cable 205 provided in power supply device 200A, which is a DC power supply device, is connected to inlet 170DC and vehicle information is transmitted to power supply device 200A via power supply cable 205, in S120A, ECU 110 determines whether or not a command to prompt movement to an AC power supply device has been proposed from power supply device 200A. If there has been no suggestion from power supply device 200A to move to an AC power supply device (NO in S120A), the process proceeds to S140, and ECU 110 executes DC rapid power reception of battery 150 using the power supplied from power supply device 200A.

[0081] On the other hand, if there is a proposal to move from power supply device 200A to an AC power supply device (YES in S120A), the process proceeds to S130, where ECU 110 transmits a response to power supply device 200A as to whether or not to accept the proposal, in accordance with a user's operation. Then, in S135, ECU 110 determines whether or not the proposal to move to the AC power supply device is accepted in the response to power supply device 200A.

[0082] If the transfer to the AC power supply device is not permitted (NO in S135), the user desires charging at power supply device 200A, and the process proceeds to S140, where ECU 110 executes DC quick charging of battery 150 using the power supplied from power supply device 200A. On the other hand, if the transfer to the AC power supply device is permitted (YES in S135), ECU 110 receives discount information from power supply device 200A in S136. Thereafter, the user of vehicle 100A moves to power supply device 200, which is an AC power supply device in power supply equipment 50A, or to another power supply equipment to perform charging. At this time, charging is performed at a reduced charging unit price by utilizing the discount information received from power supply device 200A. Note that, similarly to the first embodiment, the fuel unit price at the time of refueling may be reduced instead of or in addition to the power unit price.

[0083] As described above, when a hybrid vehicle with a large amount of remaining fuel requests DC rapid charging when the power supply facility is congested, the vehicle is notified of an instruction to encourage the vehicle to move to an AC power supply device, so that DC rapid charging by the electric vehicle can be performed preferentially. In addition, for hybrid vehicles that agree to move to an AC power supply device, an incentive for moving to an AC power supply device can be given by reducing the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively used without compromising the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user.

[0084] [Embodiment 3] In the power supply system of the first and second embodiments, a configuration has been described in which, when the connector of the power supply cable provided in the power supply device is connected to the inlet of the vehicle, a reduction in the charging time or a move to an AC power supply device is proposed.

[0085] In the third embodiment, a system in which the use of a power supply facility can be reserved from a mobile terminal or the like via wireless communication or a communication network is described, in which, depending on the congestion status of the power supply facility, a hybrid vehicle is encouraged to charge at another power supply facility, thereby enabling the power supply facility to be used preferentially for power supply to electric vehicles.

[0086] The power supply system of the third embodiment basically has the same configuration as the power supply system 10 of Fig. 2 described in the first embodiment. The power supply device may be an AC power supply device such as the power supply device 200 of the first embodiment, or a DC power supply device such as the power supply device 200A of the second embodiment.

[0087] The power supply system of the third embodiment is configured to enable a reservation for power supply to be made to the power supply device 200 before the vehicle 100 arrives at the power supply facility, by communication with the communication device 180 mounted on the vehicle 100, or communication with a mobile terminal, a personal computer, or the like via the communication network 400. In such a power supply system capable of reservation for power supply, if a power supply reservation request is received from a hybrid vehicle when the power supply facility is congested, or if the power supply facility becomes congested after the power supply reservation is received and an electric vehicle is included among the waiting vehicles, it is preferable to prioritize charging of the electric vehicle as described above.

[0088] Therefore, in the power supply system of the third embodiment, in the above-mentioned situation, a proposal is made to the user of the hybrid vehicle to move to another nearby power supply facility that is less congested, making it easier to charge the electric vehicle at that power supply facility. In return, the hybrid vehicle that complies with the request to move to the other power supply facility is given a discount on the unit price of the electricity and / or the unit price of the fuel for the charging power. This makes it possible to effectively utilize the power supply facility without compromising the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user.

[0089] Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining control executed in a power supply system according to the third embodiment. Fig. 6 shows a flowchart executed in the ECU 110 of the vehicle 100 and the control device 220 of the power supply device 200. Note that, like the first and second embodiments, a part or all of the control of the power supply device 200 may be executed by the server 300.

[0090] 6, control in power supply device 200 will be described first. When control device 220 of power supply device 200 receives vehicle information from vehicle 100 via power supply cable 205, it determines in S400 whether vehicle 100 to be charged is a hybrid vehicle or not. If vehicle 100 to be charged is an electric vehicle and not a hybrid vehicle (NO in S400), the subsequent processes in S410 to S450 are skipped, and control device 220 accepts a reservation from vehicle 100 and ends the process.

[0091] If the vehicle 100 to be charged is a hybrid vehicle (YES in S400), the process proceeds to S410, where the control device 220 calculates the congestion degree of the power supply facility 50 and the power supply device 200 based on the image from the camera 250, and determines whether the congestion degree is greater than a predetermined value. The congestion degree is determined based on, for example, the number of vehicles waiting for power supply included in the image from the camera 250 and the current number of reserved vehicles.

[0092] If the congestion level is low (NO in S410), priority charging of electric vehicles is not necessary, so the control device 220 accepts a reservation from the vehicle 100 and ends the process. If the congestion level is high (YES in S410), the process proceeds to S420, where the control device 220 determines whether the remaining fuel level of the vehicle 100 included in the vehicle information is greater than the reference value α.

[0093] If the remaining fuel amount is equal to or less than the reference value α (NO in S420), a sufficient distance cannot be ensured by running using the engine 120 and charging of the battery 150 is necessary, so the control device 220 accepts the reservation from the vehicle 100 and ends the process. On the other hand, if the remaining fuel amount is greater than the reference value α (YES in S420), a certain degree of distance can be ensured by running using the driving force of the engine 120 or the power generated by the engine 120, so the control device 220 outputs an instruction to the vehicle 100 to encourage the vehicle 100 to move to another nearby power supply facility in S430. The control device 220 outputs to the vehicle 100, together with the instruction to encourage the vehicle 100 to move to another power supply facility, information regarding discounts on the charging unit price and the congestion status of other nearby power supply facilities.

[0094] When the control device 220 receives a response from the vehicle 100 to the proposal to move to another power supply facility, the control device 220 determines in S440 whether the user of the vehicle 100 has accepted the proposal to move to another power supply facility. If the movement to another power supply facility has not been accepted (NO in S440), the user of the vehicle 100 desires power supply from the power supply device 200, and the control device 220 accepts the reservation from the vehicle 100 and ends the process. On the other hand, if the movement to another power supply facility has been accepted (YES in S440), the control device 220 provides the vehicle 100 with discount information available for the next and subsequent charging as compensation for the response to the request to move to another power supply facility in S450. Note that, as in the first embodiment, the fuel unit price at the time of refueling may be reduced instead of or in addition to the electricity unit price.

[0095] Next, a description will be given of control in vehicle 100. When a reservation for power supply in power supply device 200 is made by an operation of the user of vehicle 100, ECU 110 of vehicle 100 transmits reservation information to power supply device 200 by wireless communication via communication device 180 in S300. The reservation information includes information such as a vehicle ID, a power supply start time, SOC, remaining fuel amount, and allowable charging power.

[0096] Next, in S310, ECU 110 determines whether or not power supply device 200 has made a proposal to encourage the user to move to another power supply facility. If power supply device 200 has not made a proposal to encourage the user to move to another power supply facility (NO in S310), ECU 110 skips the subsequent processes and ends the process. In this case, the reservation in power supply device 200 is maintained, so that the user can go to the power supply facility at the reserved time to supply power from power supply device 200.

[0097] On the other hand, if there is a proposal from power supply device 200 to move to another power supply facility (YES in S310), the process proceeds to S320, where ECU 110 transmits a response to power supply device 200 as to whether or not to accept the proposal, in accordance with a user's operation. Then, in S330, ECU 110 determines whether or not the proposal to move to another power supply facility is accepted in the response to power supply device 200.

[0098] If the transfer to another power supply facility is not permitted (NO at S330), the user desires charging at power supply device 200, and ECU 110 skips the subsequent processes and ends the process. In this case, the reservation at power supply device 200 is maintained, so that power supply device 200 can supply power by going to the power supply facility at the reserved time.

[0099] On the other hand, if the movement to another power supply facility is accepted (YES in S330), ECU 110 receives discount information from power supply device 200 in S340. In this case, the reservation in power supply device 200 is canceled, and the user of vehicle 100 moves to another power supply facility to perform charging. At this time, by utilizing the discount information received from power supply device 200, charging is performed at a reduced charging price.

[0100] Note that the flowchart in FIG. 6 describes the control that is executed at the timing when a reservation is made from vehicle 100. However, if congestion occurs in the power supply facility between the time when a reservation is accepted from vehicle 100 and the reserved charging start time, and an electric vehicle is included in the waiting vehicles, control device 220 may request the user of vehicle 100 to move to another power supply facility even after the reservation is accepted.

[0101] Also, instead of or in addition to a proposal to move to another power supply facility, a request to shorten the charging time may be made as in embodiment 1. Alternatively, if the reservation information for the vehicle 100 requests DC quick charging using a DC power supply device, a request to change to AC charging may be made as in embodiment 2.

[0102] As described above, when a hybrid vehicle with a large amount of remaining fuel reserves a power supply device, if the power supply device is expected to be congested at the reserved charging start time, a command to encourage the vehicle to move to another power supply device can be notified to the vehicle, thereby allowing power to be supplied to the electric vehicle with priority. In addition, an incentive to move to another power supply device can be given to a hybrid vehicle that agrees to move to another power supply device by reducing the unit price of electricity and / or the unit price of fuel. Therefore, the power supply facility can be effectively used without impairing the convenience of the hybrid vehicle user.

[0103] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 10,10A power supply system, 50,50A power supply equipment, 100,100A vehicle, 110 ECU, 120 engine, 130 motor, 140 PCU, 150 battery, 160,160A charger, 170,170AC,170DC inlet, 180,230,330 communication device, 190 navigation device, 200,200A power supply device, 205 power supply cable, 206 connector, 210 charging device, 210A DC charging device, 220 control device, 250 camera, 260 AC power supply, 300 server, 310 processor, 320 memory, 340 bus, 400 communication network.

Claims

1. A vehicle equipped with a battery that can be charged using external power; A power supply device that supplies power to the vehicle; A camera for detecting a state of the power supply device; a control device for controlling power supply from the power supply device to the vehicle, The vehicle is The engine, a motor that receives electric power from the battery and generates a driving force for traveling; When the vehicle requests power supply from the power supply device and it is determined from the image of the camera that the power supply device is congested, the control device: obtaining a fuel level for the engine from the vehicle; When the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, a suggestion is output to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to shorten a charging time; When a response accepting the proposal is received from the vehicle, at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel of the charging power is set lower than when the proposal is not accepted.

2. The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the proposal includes information proposing a charging amount that is less than a required charging amount of the battery.

3. The power supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the suggestion includes information proposing a charging time that is shorter than a required charging time of the battery.

4. A vehicle equipped with a battery that can be charged using external power; A power supply facility including a power supply device that supplies power to the vehicle; A camera for detecting a state of the power supply device; a control device for controlling power supply to the vehicle in the power supply facility, The power supply includes an AC power supply and a DC power supply; The vehicle is The engine, a motor that receives electric power from the battery and generates a driving force for traveling; The vehicle is capable of both AC charging using AC power from the AC power supply device and DC quick charging using DC power from the DC power supply device, When the vehicle requests power supply from the DC power supply device and it is determined from the image of the camera that the power supply device is congested, the control device: obtaining a fuel level for the engine from the vehicle; When the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, a suggestion is output to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to supply power via the AC power supply device; When a response accepting the proposal is received from the vehicle, at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel of the charging power is set lower than when the proposal is not accepted.

5. A vehicle equipped with a battery that can be charged using external power; A power supply facility including a power supply device that supplies power to the vehicle; A camera for detecting a state of the power supply device; a control device for controlling power supply from the power supply device to the vehicle, The vehicle is The engine, a motor that receives electric power from the battery and generates a driving force for traveling; a communication device that wirelessly communicates with the power supply device, When the vehicle reserves power supply from the power supply device and the control device determines that the power supply device is congested based on the image of the camera, obtaining a fuel level for the engine from the vehicle; If the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, a suggestion is output to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to move to another power supply facility; When a response accepting the proposal is received from the vehicle, at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel of the charging power is set lower than when the proposal is not accepted.

6. The power supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control device is disposed within the power supply device.

7. The power supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control device is a server capable of communicating with the power supply device.

8. A control device for controlling a power supply system that charges a battery mounted on a vehicle having an engine using electric power from a power supply device, the power supply system includes a camera for detecting a state of the power supply device; The control device includes: A processor; a memory that stores a program to be executed by the processor; When the vehicle requests power supply from the power supply device and it is determined from the image of the camera that the power supply device is congested, the processor: obtaining a fuel level for the engine from the vehicle; When the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, a suggestion is output to the vehicle to encourage the vehicle to shorten a charging time; When a response accepting the proposal is received from the vehicle, the control device sets at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel of the charging power to a lower value than when the proposal is not accepted.

9. A method for controlling a power supply system that charges a battery mounted on a vehicle having an engine using electric power from a power supply device, comprising: the power supply system includes a camera for detecting a state of the power supply device; The method comprises: determining whether or not power supply by the power supply device is requested from the vehicle; obtaining a fuel level for the engine from the vehicle; outputting a proposal to the vehicle to shorten a charging time when power supply from the power supply device is requested, the remaining fuel amount is greater than a reference value, and it is determined from the image of the camera that the power supply device is congested; and when a response accepting the proposal is received from the vehicle, setting at least one of the unit price of electricity and the unit price of fuel of the charging power lower than when the proposal is not accepted.

Images