Servers and Power Management Systems

Abstract

To provide a server and a power management system that contributes to adjustment of an electric power supply and demand balance while suppressing consumption on a switching device of a vehicle, when the vehicle is used as an electric power resource.SOLUTION: A server 30 manages a plurality of vehicles 50. Each of the plurality of vehicles 50 is equipped with a power storage device and is configured to be able to participate in a raising DR requesting an increase on a power load in a power system PG. Each of the plurality of vehicles includes a SMR and a power receipt device. Each of the plurality of vehicles is configured to be able to participate in the raising DR when the power receipt device receives power from the power system PG through a power installation 40. A processing device 33 of the server 30 is configured to select the participated vehicle participating in the raising DR among the plurality of vehicles 50 according to a priority set for each of the plurality of vehicles 50. The processing device 33 sets the priority of a vehicle 50A whose SMR is in a closed state among the plurality of vehicles 50 higher than the priority of a vehicle 50B whose SMR is in an opened state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server and a power management system. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2012-50222 (Patent Document 1) discloses a plurality of vehicles each equipped with a power storage device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-50222 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Demand response (DR) is being considered for adjusting the balance between power supply and demand in a power grid in a virtual power plant (VPP). One example of DR is up-regulation DR, which is a mechanism for requesting power resources to increase the power load in the power grid (in other words, increase the power demand).

[0005] A vehicle equipped with a power storage device may be used as a power resource. Such a vehicle may be equipped with a switching device that switches the electrical connection between the power storage device and the power grid. When the switching device is in a closed state, the vehicle can participate in the up-driving DR by receiving power from the power grid through the power receiving device. The more frequently such a switching device is switched, the more it wears out.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a server that contributes to adjusting the balance of power supply and demand while reducing wear on the vehicle's switching device when the vehicle is used as a power resource.

[0007] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a power management system that contributes to adjusting the balance between power supply and demand while reducing wear on a switching device of a vehicle when the vehicle is used as a power resource. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The server of the present disclosure is a server that manages a plurality of vehicles. Each of the plurality of vehicles is equipped with a power storage device and is configured to be able to participate in an upward DR that requests an increase in a power load in a power grid. Each of the plurality of vehicles includes a switching device and a power receiving device. The switching device is configured to be able to open and close, and switches an electrical connection between the power storage device and the power grid. The power receiving device is configured to receive power from the power grid through a power facility outside the vehicle when the switching device is in a closed state. Each of the plurality of vehicles is configured to be able to participate in the upward DR when the power receiving device receives power from the power grid through the power facility. The server includes a storage device and a processing device. The processing device executes a program stored in the storage device. The processing device is configured to select a participating vehicle that will participate in the upward DR from among the plurality of vehicles according to a priority set for each of the plurality of vehicles. The processing device sets a priority of a first vehicle, of which the switching device is in a closed state, higher than a priority of a second vehicle, of which the switching device is in an open state, among the plurality of vehicles.

[0009] During the period in which the upward DR is implemented, the power storage device of the participating vehicle is required to be electrically connected to the power grid. Therefore, the switching device of the participating vehicle is required to be controlled to a closed state. When the first vehicle participates in the upward DR, the switching device of the first vehicle is not required to be kept in a closed state and switched. Therefore, the switching device of the first vehicle is not worn out. On the other hand, when the second vehicle participates in the upward DR, the switching device of the second vehicle is required to be switched from an open state to a closed state. Therefore, the switching device of the second vehicle may be worn out. With the above configuration, the first vehicle is selected as a participating vehicle with priority over the second vehicle. Therefore, the first vehicle is more likely to participate in the upward DR than the second vehicle. As a result, the number of vehicles (first vehicles) whose switching devices are kept open and closed when participating in the upward DR increases, and the number of vehicles (second vehicles) whose switching devices are switched open and closed decreases. As a result, it is possible to contribute to the adjustment of the power supply and demand balance while suppressing wear on the switching devices of the vehicles.

[0010] The processing device may set a priority for each of the plurality of first vehicles according to a history of a duration that is a time that the switching device continues to be in a closed state.

[0011] The above-mentioned duration history reflects the frequency with which the open / closed state of the switching device switches. With the above-mentioned configuration, the duration history for each of the multiple first vehicles is reflected in the priority. As a result, the frequency with which the open / closed state of the switching device switches is reflected in the priority for each of the multiple first vehicles. As a result, it is possible to appropriately select participating vehicles from the viewpoint of reducing wear on the switching device.

[0012] Each of the multiple vehicles may be configured to be capable of performing external charging to charge a power storage device using power received by a power receiving device, and may be configured to be capable of participating in the up-driving DR by performing external charging. The duration history may include an index value indicating a frequency of external charging. The processing device may set a priority of a third vehicle having a high index value among the multiple first vehicles higher than a priority of a fourth vehicle having a low index value among the multiple first vehicles.

[0013] The switching device of the third vehicle having a high index value is controlled to the closed state more frequently than the switching device of the fourth vehicle having a low index value. Therefore, the switching device of the third vehicle is considered to be more likely to wear out because it is more likely to switch more frequently than the switching device of the fourth vehicle. With the above configuration, the third vehicle is selected as a participating vehicle with priority over the fourth vehicle. As a result, the third vehicle is more likely to participate in the up-DR by external charging than the fourth vehicle. During the period in which the third vehicle is participating in the up-DR, the switching device of the third vehicle is kept in the closed state. As a result, a situation in which the switching device of the third vehicle switches during this period is avoided. Therefore, it is possible to suppress wear of the switching device of the third vehicle, which is considered to be more likely to switch than the switching device of the fourth vehicle.

[0014] The processing device may be configured to select a excluded vehicle, which is a vehicle to be excluded from the participating vehicles, after selecting the participating vehicles from among the plurality of vehicles. The processing device may select a fourth vehicle as the excluded vehicle with priority over a third vehicle among the plurality of first vehicles.

[0015] The switching device of the third vehicle is considered to be more likely to wear out because it is more likely to switch more frequently than the switching device of the fourth vehicle. When the excluded vehicle is selected as described above, the fourth vehicle is preferentially excluded from the participating vehicles compared to the third vehicle, while the third vehicle is less likely to be excluded from the participating vehicles than the fourth vehicle. During the period in which the third vehicle is participating in the raising DR, the switching device of the third vehicle is kept in a closed state. As a result, the situation in which the switching device of the third vehicle switches during this period is avoided. Therefore, wear on the switching device of the third vehicle can be suppressed.

[0016] Each of the multiple vehicles may be configured to be capable of performing external charging to charge a power storage device using power received by a power receiving device, and may be configured to be capable of participating in the up-regulation DR by performing the external charging. The duration history may include a participation frequency index value indicating a frequency of participation in the up-regulation DR of each of the multiple vehicles. The processing device may set a priority of a fifth vehicle having a high participation frequency index value among the multiple first vehicles to be lower than the priority of a sixth vehicle having a low participation frequency index value among the multiple first vehicles.

[0017] When the priority of the fifth vehicle is set lower than the priority of the sixth vehicle, the fifth vehicle is less likely to be selected as a participating vehicle than the sixth vehicle. This makes the fifth vehicle less likely to participate in the up-DR than the sixth vehicle. When the fifth vehicle does not participate in the up-DR, unlike when the fifth vehicle participates in the up-DR, no current flows from the power system to the switching device through the power receiving device due to the fifth vehicle's participation in the up-DR. Therefore, when the priority is set as described above, it is possible to suppress further wear on the switching device of the fifth vehicle due to the fifth vehicle's frequent participation in the up-DR.

[0018] Each of the multiple vehicles may be configured to be capable of performing external charging to charge a power storage device using power received by a power receiving device, and may be configured to be capable of participating in the up-regulation DR by performing external charging. The processing device may be configured to set a priority of a seventh vehicle such that the seventh vehicle is excluded from candidates for participating vehicles when the seventh vehicle among the multiple vehicles satisfies a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition may include that the scheduled departure time of the seventh vehicle is within a period in which the up-regulation DR is implemented.

[0019] If the seventh vehicle is selected as a participating vehicle when the scheduled departure time is within the above period, the seventh vehicle may not be able to depart at the scheduled departure time because it is required to participate in the up-DR for the above period. By adopting the above configuration, the situation in which the seventh vehicle is selected as a participating vehicle can be avoided. As a result, the above-mentioned possibility can be eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress wear on the switching device and adjust the balance of power supply and demand without causing inconvenience to the user of the seventh vehicle.

[0020] The power management system of the present disclosure includes a plurality of vehicles and a server that manages the plurality of vehicles. Each of the plurality of vehicles is equipped with a power storage device and is configured to be able to participate in an upward DR that requests an increase in a power load in a power grid. Each of the plurality of vehicles includes a switching device and a power receiving device. The switching device is configured to be able to open and close, and switches an electrical connection between the power storage device and the power grid. The power receiving device is configured to receive power from the power grid through a power facility outside the vehicle when the switching device is in a closed state. Each of the plurality of vehicles is configured to be able to participate in the upward DR when the power receiving device receives power from the power grid through the power facility. The server includes a storage device and a processing device. The processing device executes a program stored in the storage device. The processing device is configured to select a participating vehicle that will participate in the upward DR from among the plurality of vehicles according to a priority set for each of the plurality of vehicles. The processing device sets a priority of a first vehicle, among the plurality of vehicles, whose switching device is in a closed state, higher than a priority of a second vehicle, among the plurality of vehicles, whose switching device is in an open state.

[0021] Each of the multiple vehicles may be a V1G vehicle configured to perform only external charging out of external discharging and external charging. External discharging is discharging power stored in a power storage device to a power grid through a power facility. External charging is charging the power storage device using power received by a power receiving device. Each of the multiple vehicles may be configured to participate in the up-down DR by performing external charging.

[0022] The above configuration makes it possible to simplify the configuration and control of the vehicle, while suppressing wear on the switching device and adjusting the balance between power supply and demand. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present disclosure, when a vehicle is used as an electric power resource, it is possible to contribute to adjusting the balance between electric power supply and demand while suppressing wear on the switching device of the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a power management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a communication system diagram of the power management system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a vehicle in detail. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram for explaining specific processing by a processing device of the server and an ECU of a vehicle. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of vehicle management data stored in a storage device of the server. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for setting a priority (step S115 in FIG. 6) in detail. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing detailed historical information for a recent period. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by a server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a process for setting a priority (step S215 in FIG. 9). [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining inconvenience caused to a user when the scheduled departure time of a vehicle falls within an upper DR implementation period. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of vehicle management data stored in the storage device. [Figure 13] 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the process for setting the priority (step S115 in FIG. 6) in detail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] 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.

[0026] [Embodiment 1] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a power management system according to a first embodiment. With reference to Fig. 1, the power management system 1 includes a server 10 of a power company E1, a server 20 of a higher-level aggregator E2, a server 30 of a lower-level aggregator E3, a plurality of power facilities 40, and a fleet of vehicles 5. Hereinafter, each business entity belonging to the higher-level aggregator E2 will also be referred to as a "parent AG (Aggregator)". Each business entity belonging to the lower-level aggregator E3 will also be referred to as a "child AG".

[0027] The electric power company E1 includes a server 10, a power plant 11, a power transmission and distribution facility 12, and a power system PG.

[0028] The server 10 is operated by the electric power company E1. The server 10 is configured to manage a plurality of parent AGs (e.g., parent AGs registered in the server 10) under the jurisdiction of the electric power company E1, using identification information (ID) assigned to each parent AG.

[0029] The power plant 11 includes a power generation device and supplies the power generated by the power generation device to the power transmission and distribution facility 12. The power generation method of the power plant 11 is arbitrary, and may be, for example, any of thermal power generation, hydroelectric power generation, wind power generation, nuclear power generation, and solar power generation.

[0030] The power transmission and distribution facility 12 includes a power transmission line, a substation, and a power distribution line. The power transmission and distribution facility 12 supplies the electric power supplied from the power plant 11 to the power grid PG.

[0031] The upper aggregator E2 operates servers 20 (e.g., servers 20A to 20C) provided for each parent AG. Hereinafter, when "server 20" is mentioned, it refers to each server of the upper aggregator E2 without distinction. Each server 20 is configured to manage multiple child AGs (e.g., child AGs registered in the server 20) under the jurisdiction of the parent AG using an ID assigned to each child AG. The parent AG of the upper aggregator E2 provides energy management services to the power company E1 by aggregating the amount of power controlled by the child AGs under the jurisdiction of the parent AG.

[0032] The lower aggregator E3 operates a server 30 (e.g., servers 30A to 30C) provided for each child AG. Hereinafter, when "server 30" is mentioned, it refers to each server of the lower aggregator E3 without distinction. The servers 30 are managed by a common server 20 (e.g., server 20B).

[0033] The server 30 is configured to manage a plurality of power resources (in this example, vehicles 50) under the jurisdiction of the child AG using an ID assigned to each power resource. The server 30 includes a communication device 31, a storage device 32, and a processing device 33.

[0034] The communication device 31 is configured to communicate with external devices (eg, the server 20 and the vehicle 50). The communication device 31 is configured to receive a request R1 from the server 20 of the parent AG.

[0035] The request R1 is a signal for requesting the server 30 of the child AG to increase the power consumption in the power system PG by aggregating power resources. The request R1 includes information IEC indicating a target power consumption that needs to be consumed in the power system PG while the up DR is implemented.

[0036] When the communication device 31 receives the request R1, the communication device 31 is configured to transmit an up-DR signal S1 to the vehicle 50 as a power resource. The up-DR signal S1 requests the vehicle 50 to increase the power load in the power system PG (to participate in the up-DR).

[0037] The storage device 32 includes memories such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The ROM stores programs executed by the processing device 33. The RAM functions as a working memory for processing by the processing device 33.

[0038] The processing device 33 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing device 33 executes programs stored in the storage device 32 to perform various processes.

[0039] The vehicle fleet 5 includes a plurality of vehicles 50. In this example, for simplicity of explanation, two vehicles 50 are shown, but the vehicle fleet 5 may further include other vehicles 50.

[0040] The vehicle 50 is electrically connected to a power facility 40 (described later) while parked. The vehicle 50 is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle) equipped with a power storage device and a charging relay. The user of the vehicle 50 has made a contract in advance with a child AG of the lower aggregator E3 so that the vehicle 50 can participate in the up-DR.

[0041] Hereinafter, a vehicle 50 whose charging relay is in a closed state is also referred to as a vehicle 50A. A vehicle 50 whose charging relay is in an open state is also referred to as a vehicle 50B. In this example, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, one vehicle 50A and one vehicle 50B are shown in the vehicle group 5. A plurality of vehicles 50A and a plurality of vehicles 50B may be included in the vehicle group 5.

[0042] Vehicle 50 is configured to be capable of performing external charging, which charges the power storage device using power supplied through power equipment 40 external to vehicle 50. When vehicle 50A performs external charging, the charging relay of vehicle 50A is kept in a closed state. When vehicle 50B performs external charging, the charging relay is switched from an open state to a closed state. The detailed configuration of vehicle 50 will be described in detail later.

[0043] Vehicle 50 is not configured to perform external discharging, which is discharging the power stored in the power storage device to the power grid PG through power equipment 40. In other words, vehicle 50 is a V1G vehicle that is configured to perform only external charging out of external charging and external discharging.

[0044] When the vehicle 50 performs external charging, power is supplied to the vehicle 50 from the power system PG through the power equipment 40. This increases the power load on the power system PG. In this manner, each vehicle 50 can participate in the upward DR by performing external charging. Hereinafter, among the multiple vehicles 50 in the vehicle group 5, the vehicles 50 that participate in the upward DR are also referred to as participating vehicles.

[0045] The power equipment 40 is connected to a power system PG. The power equipment 40 is configured to supply power from the power system PG to the vehicle 50. In this example, the power equipment 40 is a contact-type power equipment (power stand) that supplies power to the vehicle 50 through a charging cable and a connector thereof. The power equipment 40 may be a non-contact type power equipment that supplies power to the vehicle 50 in a non-contact manner.

[0046] 2 is a communication system diagram of the power management system 1. With reference to FIG. 2, the power management system 1 further includes a data center 70 and a mobile terminal 80.

[0047] The data center 70 is configured to communicate with the server 30, for example, via the Internet. The data center 70 is configured to manage information of a plurality of mobile terminals (e.g., smartphones) 80. The information of the mobile terminal 80 is registered in the data center 70, and includes information on the vehicle 50 of the user who owns the mobile terminal 80. This information includes, for example, the vehicle ID of the vehicle 50, and a driving schedule of the vehicle 50 including the scheduled departure time of the vehicle 50. The information registered in the data center 70 is transmitted to the server 30.

[0048] The server 10 of the power company E1 is configured to adjust the balance of power supply and demand using the upward DR. When the server 10 performs such an adjustment, it first transmits a signal to each server 20 to request the parent AG to participate in the upward DR. This signal includes the area that is the target of the upward DR and the period during which the upward DR is implemented (the upward DR period).

[0049] When the server 20 of the parent AG receives the above signal, it outputs a request R1 to the server 30 of the child AG.

[0050] When the server 30 of the child AG receives the request R1 from the server 20 of the parent AG, it allocates a DR amount to each vehicle 50 that can participate in DR among the vehicles 50 under the jurisdiction of the child AG. In this example, the DR amount is the amount of received power (or the amount of power consumed in the power system PG) requested by the vehicle 50. Then, the server 30 transmits an up-DR signal S1 for each vehicle 50. The up-DR signal S1 includes the ID of the vehicle 50 to which the signal is transmitted, the DR amount of the vehicle 50, and the up-DR period. The ID, DR amount, and up-DR period of the vehicle 50 may be stored in the storage device 32 of the server 30 as DR information.

[0051] When the vehicle 50 receives the up DR signal S1, it transmits vehicle information VI indicating the state of the vehicle 50 to the server 30. The exchange of information between the vehicle 50 and the server 30 will be described in detail later.

[0052] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing in detail an example of the configuration of vehicle 50. With reference to Fig. 3, vehicle 50 includes a power storage device 110, a power control unit (PCU) 54, a motor generator (MG) 51, and drive wheels 53. Vehicle 50 further includes a system main relay (SMR) 55, a charging relay 58, an inlet 59, and a human machine interface (HMI) device 60. Vehicle 50 further includes a start switch 65 and an electronic control unit (ECU) 200.

[0053] The power storage device 110 is configured to store electric power for traveling. The power storage device 110 is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery. The amount of stored power in the power storage device 110 is represented by, for example, a State of Charge (SOC).

[0054] The PCU 54 converts the electric power from the power storage device 110 and outputs the converted electric power to the MG 51.

[0055] The MG 51 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor generator. The MG 51 is driven by the PCU 54 to generate driving force for running the vehicle 50. This driving force is transmitted to the drive wheels 53 via a power transmission gear. This causes the vehicle 50 to run.

[0056] The SMR 55 is configured to be openable and closable. The SMR 55 is provided between the power storage device 110 and the PCU 54, and switches the electrical connection between the power storage device 110 and the PCU 54.

[0057] Charging relay 58 is configured to be openable and closable. Charging relay 58 is provided between power storage device 110 and inlet 59, and configured to switch the electrical connection between vehicle 50 (power storage device 110) and power system PG. Charging relay 58 corresponds to an example of a "switching device" in the present disclosure.

[0058] Inlet 59 is configured to receive power from power system PG through power equipment 40 when charging relay 58 is in a closed state. In this case, power storage device 110 and power system PG are electrically connected through inlet 59 and power equipment 40, and vehicle 50 can perform external charging. On the other hand, when charging relay 58 is in an open state, power storage device 110 and power system PG are electrically disconnected. In this case, external charging of vehicle 50 is not performed.

[0059] The HMI device 60 receives operations by the user of the vehicle 50 and displays various screens. The HMI device 60 is operated, for example, to set a scheduled departure time of the vehicle 50. The HMI device 60 may display a screen for inquiring of the user whether or not the vehicle 50 can actually participate in the up-DR during the up-DR period specified in the up-DR signal S1. When a user operation indicating whether or not the vehicle 50 can participate in the DR is performed in response to the inquiry, information indicating whether or not the vehicle 50 can participate is stored in the memory of the ECU 200 as participation availability information.

[0060] The start switch 65 is pressed by a user to switch between starting and stopping the running system (power supply system) of the vehicle 50.

[0061] The ECU 200 includes a communication device 240 and a control device 201. The communication device 240 is configured to communicate with devices outside the vehicle 50. For example, the communication device 240 receives an up DR signal S1 from the server 30 and transmits vehicle information VI to the server 30. The communication device 240 may be mounted on the vehicle 50 as a component separate from the ECU 200.

[0062] The control device 201 includes a processor such as a CPU and a memory (neither is shown). The control device 201 controls various devices of the vehicle 50, such as the PCU 54, the MG 51, the SMR 55, the charging relay 58, the HMI device 60, and the communication device 240.

[0063] The control device 201 is configured to control, for example, the open / closed states of the SMR 55 and the charging relay 58. The control device 201 is configured to calculate the SOC of the power storage device 110 according to the temperature, voltage, and current of the power storage device 110.

[0064] The control device 201 is configured to control external charging of the vehicle 50. For example, the control device 201 outputs a charging start request to the power equipment 40 in a state in which the inlet 59 is connected to the power equipment 40. Then, the control device 201 controls the charging relay 58 to a closed state. As a result, power is supplied from the power system PG through the power equipment 40 to the power storage device 110 of the vehicle 50, and external charging is performed. After the start of external charging, when the SOC of the power storage device 110 reaches a threshold value (for example, a fully charged SOC), the control device 201 outputs a charging stop request to the power equipment 40 and controls the charging relay 58 to an open state. As a result, external charging ends.

[0065] The vehicle 50 can participate in the upward DR by receiving power from the power grid PG through the inlet 59 (by performing external charging) when the charging relay 58 is in a closed state. On the other hand, the more frequently relays such as the charging relay 58 are switched, the more worn out they become. Therefore, when the vehicle 50 participates in the upward DR, the charging relay 58 is switched more frequently than when the vehicle 50 does not participate in the upward DR, and therefore the charging relay 58 is more likely to wear out.

[0066] The server 30 according to the first embodiment has a configuration for dealing with the above problem. Specifically, the processing device 33 of the server 30 is configured to select a participating vehicle to participate in the upward DR from among the multiple vehicles 50 in the vehicle group 5, according to a priority set for each vehicle 50. Then, the processing device 33 sets the priority of the vehicle 50A ( FIG. 1 ) whose charging relay 58 is in a closed state among the multiple vehicles 50 to be higher than the priority of the vehicle 50B whose charging relay 58 is in an open state among the multiple vehicles 50.

[0067] During the period in which the upward DR is implemented, the power storage device 110 of the participating vehicle needs to be electrically connected to the power system PG. Therefore, the charging relay 58 of the participating vehicle needs to be controlled to the closed state. When the vehicle 50A participates in the upward DR, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A needs to be kept in the closed state and does not need to be switched. Therefore, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A does not wear out. On the other hand, when the vehicle 50B participates in the upward DR, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50B needs to be switched from the open state to the closed state. Therefore, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50B may wear out.

[0068] When the priority of the vehicle 50A is set higher than the priority of the vehicle 50B as described above, the vehicle 50A is selected as a participating vehicle with priority over the vehicle 50B. Therefore, the vehicle 50A is more likely to participate in the upward DR than the vehicle 50B. As a result, among the multiple vehicles 50 in the vehicle group 5, the number of vehicles 50A whose charging relays 58 are kept open and closed when participating in the upward DR increases, and the number of vehicles 50B whose charging relays 58 are switched between open and closed states decreases. As a result, it is possible to contribute to adjusting the balance between power supply and demand in the power system PG while suppressing wear on the charging relays 58 of the vehicles 50.

[0069] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining specific processing by the processing device 33 of the server 30 and the ECU 200 of the vehicle 50. As shown in FIG.

[0070] 4, when the control device 201 of the ECU 200 receives an up DR signal S1 from the server 30 through the communication device 240, the control device 201 sequentially transmits vehicle information VI to the server 30. The vehicle information VI includes an ID of the vehicle 50, SOC information of the power storage device 110, and a driving schedule (including a scheduled departure time) of the vehicle 50. The vehicle information VI further includes the participation possibility information described above, and information indicating the open / closed states of the SMR 55 and the charging relay 58.

[0071] When the processing device 33 of the server 30 receives the vehicle information VI through the communication device 31, the processing device 33 stores information representing the open / closed states of the SMR 55 and the charging relay 58, which is included in the vehicle information VI of the vehicle 50 that can participate in the increased DR, as relay open / close information 36 in the storage device 32. The vehicles 50 that can participate in the increased DR are determined by the processing device 33 according to the participation possibility information included in the vehicle information VI.

[0072] The processing device 33 calculates the DR amount of the vehicle 50 according to the SOC information in the vehicle information VI of the vehicle 50 that can participate in the upward DR. The processing device 33 calculates the DR amount by, for example, calculating the difference between the current SOC and the fully charged SOC of the power storage device 110. The processing device 33 stores the calculation result of the DR amount in the storage device 32 as DR amount information 38.

[0073] The processing device 33 sets the priority of the vehicle 50 in accordance with the relay opening / closing information 36 , and stores the setting result in the storage device 32 as priority information 39 .

[0074] The storage device 32 stores the history of the open / closed states of the SMR 55 and the charging relay 58 (i.e., the history of the relay open / close information 36) as history information 37. The history information 37 may include information indicating the number of times the open / closed states of the SMR 55 and the charging relay 58 have been switched. The history information 37 will be described in detail later.

[0075] The relay opening / closing information 36, the DR amount information 38, and the priority information 39 will be described in detail below. 5 is a diagram showing an example of management data of the vehicle 50 stored in the storage device 32 of the server 30. With reference to FIG. 5, the management data 34 includes ID information 35, relay opening / closing information 36, DR amount information 38, and priority information 39.

[0076] The ID information 35 indicates a vehicle ID assigned to each of a plurality of vehicles 50 that can participate in a DR. The vehicle ID is information for identifying the vehicle 50. In this example, information on the vehicles 50 having IDs of 001 to 004 is shown as the management data 34, but information on other vehicles 50 may be included in the management data 34.

[0077] The relay open / close information 36 includes SMR information 362 and charging relay information 363. The SMR information 362 indicates the open / close state (on / off state) of the SMR 55 for each vehicle 50.

[0078] The charging relay information 363 indicates the open / closed state of the charging relay 58 for each vehicle 50. In this example, the charging relays 58 of the vehicles 50 having IDs 001 to 003 are in a closed state. Each of these vehicles 50 corresponds to vehicle 50A (FIG. 1). On the other hand, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50 having ID 004 is in a closed state. This vehicle 50 corresponds to vehicle 50B (FIG. 1). In the following explanation, for simplicity, it is assumed that the open / closed state of the SMR 55 and the open / closed state of the charging relay 58 are the same.

[0079] The DR amount information 38 indicates the DR amount allocated to each vehicle 50. In the following description, for simplicity, it is assumed that the DR amounts of each vehicle 50 are equal (in this example, a=b=c=d).

[0080] The priority information 39 indicates a priority p set for each vehicle 50. The priority p (e.g., pa, pb, pc) of a vehicle 50 whose charging relay 58 is in a closed state is set higher than the priority p (e.g., pd) of a vehicle 50 whose charging relay 58 is in an open state (pa, pb, pc>pd). The higher the priority p of a vehicle 50, the more likely the vehicle 50 is to be selected as a participating vehicle as described above. On the other hand, if the priority p is sufficiently low (e.g., 0), the vehicle 50 having that priority p is excluded from candidates for participating vehicles.

[0081] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by server 30 according to the first embodiment. This flowchart starts when server 30 receives request R1 (Fig. 1) from server 20 of the parent AG. In the following description, Fig. 5 will be referred to as appropriate.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 6, the server 30 (more specifically, the processing device 33) acquires the vehicle information VI from each of the plurality of vehicles 50 in the vehicle group 5 (step S110).

[0083] Next, the server 30 sets a priority p for each of the vehicles 50 in accordance with the vehicle information VI (step S115). This process will be described in detail later.

[0084] Next, the server 30 selects the vehicle 50 with the highest priority p from among the multiple vehicles 50 as a participating vehicle (step S120). In this example, the multiple vehicles 50 include vehicles 50 with IDs of 001 to 004 (FIG. 5). The priorities p, pa, pb, and pc, of the vehicles 50 with IDs of 001 to 003 are equal and have the highest priorities (pa=pb=pc>pd). Therefore, in this step, the server 30 selects three vehicles 50 with IDs of 001 to 003 as participating vehicles.

[0085] Next, the server 30 judges whether the target power consumption is achievable or not according to the above-mentioned information IEC included in the request R1 (step S125). Specifically, the server 30 judges whether the sum of the DR amounts of the vehicles 50 selected as participating vehicles achieves the above-mentioned target power consumption. The sum of the DR amounts achieves the target power consumption when the sum is equal to the consumption or the sum is within a threshold range from the consumption. The threshold range is appropriately determined in advance so that the power supply and demand balance is substantially maintained if the sum is within the threshold range.

[0086] If the target power consumption cannot be achieved (NO in step S125), the server 30 selects a vehicle 50 with the next highest priority p (i.e., the vehicle 50 with the highest priority p among the remaining vehicles 50) as a participating vehicle after the vehicle 50 already selected as a participating vehicle (step S127). After step S127, the process returns to step S125. On the other hand, if the target power consumption can be achieved (YES in step S125), the server 30 proceeds to step S130 with the process.

[0087] Next, the server 30 notifies the user of each vehicle 50 selected as a participating vehicle that the vehicle 50 of that user has been selected as a participating vehicle (step S130). The server 30 transmits a request, for example, to each vehicle 50 selected as a participating vehicle through the communication device 31. This request is a signal for requesting the vehicle 50 to cause the HMI device 60 to perform the above notification. After that, when the upward DR period arrives, each vehicle 50 participates in the upward DR by performing external charging.

[0088] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing in detail an example of the process for setting the priority p (step S115 in FIG. 6).

[0089] Referring to FIG. 7, the server 30 determines whether the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50 to be processed is in a closed state according to the relay open / close information 36 (FIG. 5) of that vehicle 50 in the management data 34 (step S1152). Here, the vehicle 50 to be processed is one vehicle 50 among the plurality of vehicles 50 in the vehicle group 5 that can participate in the upward DR during the upward DR period specified by the signal S1.

[0090] If the charging relay 58 is in a closed state (YES in step S1152), the server 30 sets the priority p of the vehicle 50 to be processed to p1 (step S1153). On the other hand, if the charging relay 58 is in an open state (NO in step S1152), the server 30 sets the priority p of the vehicle 50 to be processed to p2 (<p1) (step S1154).

[0091] Next, the server 30 determines whether or not there is still a vehicle 50 to be processed, that is, whether or not there is a vehicle 50 for which the processes of steps S1152 to S1154 have not yet been executed (step S1159). If there is still a vehicle 50 to be processed (YES in step S1159), the server 30 returns the process to step S1152. On the other hand, if there is not a vehicle 50 to be processed (NO in step S1159), the server 30 proceeds to the process of step S120 in FIG. 6.

[0092] In the first embodiment, a V1G vehicle is used as vehicle 50. Therefore, in the power management system 1, it is possible to simplify the configuration and control of vehicle 50, while suppressing wear on charging relay 58 and adjusting the balance between power supply and demand.

[0093] [Embodiment 2] The processing device 33 of the server 30 may set a priority p of each vehicle 50A according to the history of the closed state duration for each of the multiple vehicles 50A. The closed state duration is the time during which the charging relay 58 remains in the closed state.

[0094] The history of the duration of the closed state reflects the frequency with which the open / closed state of the charging relay 58 is switched. When the priority p is set as described above, the history of the duration of the closed state for each of the multiple vehicles 50A is reflected in the priority p. As a result, the frequency with which the open / closed state of the charging relay 58 is switched for each of the multiple vehicles 50A is reflected in the priority p. As a result, it is possible to appropriately select participating vehicles from the standpoint of suppressing wear on the charging relay 58.

[0095] The configuration of the power management system in the second embodiment is similar to the configuration of the power management system 1 in the first embodiment.

[0096] 8 is a diagram showing in detail the history information 37 for the most recent period. The most recent period is, for example, the period from the current time to a time a predetermined time ago (for example, 24 hours) ago. In this example, the history of the open / closed state of the charging relay 58 from the time the traveling system of the vehicle 50A was started to the time the traveling system was stopped during the most recent period is shown.

[0097] 8, history information 37 includes data 37A1 and 37A2. Data 37A1 and 37A2 indicate the history of the open / closed states of charging relays 58 of vehicles 50A1 and 50A2, respectively, during a recent period. Vehicles 50A1 and 50A2 are both one vehicle 50A among a plurality of vehicles 50A.

[0098] In this example, it is assumed that external charging of vehicles 50A1 and 50A2 is performed while charging relays 58 of vehicles 50A1 and 50A2 are in a closed state, respectively. On the other hand, external charging of vehicles 50A1 and 50A2 is not performed while charging relays 58 are in an open state.

[0099] Data 37A1 indicates that charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A1 was controlled to a closed state (on state) in period P11 (time t11 to time t12), period P12 (time t13 to time t14), period P13 (time t15 to time t16), and period P14 (time t17 to time t18). Data 37A1 indicates that charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A1 was controlled to an open state (off state) during a period different from these periods. Data 37A1 includes the number of times N1 (4 in this example) that external charging of vehicle 50A1 was performed during the most recent period.

[0100] Data 37A2 indicates that charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A2 was controlled to the closed state during period P21 (time t21 to time t22). Data 37A2 indicates that charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A2 was controlled to the open state during a period different from this period. Data 37A2 includes the number of times N2 (in this example, 1) that external charging of vehicle 50A2 was performed during the most recent period.

[0101] The numbers N1 and N2 (N1>N2) are both examples of the number N of times that external charging of the vehicle 50A was performed during the most recent period. The number N is used as an example of an index value indicating the frequency of external charging of the vehicle 50A.

[0102] Times L11-L14, L21 are the lengths of periods P11-P14, P21, respectively, and are the closed state durations during which the charging relay 58 continues to be in the closed state. The closed state durations of the vehicles 50A1, 50A2 are calculated by the processing device 33. These closed state durations are stored in the storage device 32 as part of the data 37A1, 37A2. It is also considered that the shorter the closed state duration and the greater the number of times the charging relay 58 is switched, the higher the frequency of external charging and the easier it is for the charging relay 58 to wear out. For this reason, a value indicating the degree of shortness of the closed state duration when external charging is performed (for example, the reciprocal of the average closed state duration when external charging is performed during the most recent period) may be used as the index value. In this way, the history information 37 includes a history of the closed state durations for each of the multiple vehicles 50A.

[0103] The processing device 33 sets the priority p of the vehicle 50A1 having the high index value among the multiple vehicles 50A higher than the priority p of the vehicle 50A2 having the low index value among the multiple vehicles 50A. In this example, the processing device 33 sets the priority p of the vehicle 50A1 having the number of times N greater than a threshold number of times THN (e.g., 2) higher than the priority p of the vehicle 50A2 having the number of times N less than the threshold number of times THN.

[0104] The charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 with a larger number of times N is controlled to the closed state more frequently than the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A2 with a smaller number of times N. Therefore, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 is considered to be more likely to wear out because it is more likely to switch than the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A2. When the priority p is set as described above, the vehicle 50A1 is selected as a participating vehicle with priority over the vehicle 50A2. As a result, the vehicle 50A1 is more likely to participate in the upward DR by external charging than the vehicle 50A2. During the period in which the vehicle 50A1 is participating in the upward DR, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 is kept in the closed state. As a result, a situation in which the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 is switched during this period is avoided. Therefore, it is possible to suppress wear of the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1, which is considered to be more likely to switch than the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A2.

[0105] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by server 30 according to embodiment 2. This flowchart starts when server 30 receives request R1 (Fig. 1) from server 20 of the parent AG.

[0106] 9, this flowchart differs from the flowchart of FIG 6 in that the process of step S212 is added. The processes of steps S210, and S220 to S230 are similar to the processes of steps S110, and S120 to S130 (FIG 6), respectively.

[0107] When the server 30 acquires the vehicle information VI (step S210), the server 30 reads the history information 37 (FIG. 8) (step S212).

[0108] Next, the server 30 sets a priority p of each vehicle 50 according to the vehicle information VI and the history information 37 (step S215).

[0109] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing in detail the process for setting the priority p (step S215 in FIG. 9).

[0110] Referring to FIG. 10, this flowchart is different from the flowchart of FIG. 7 in that the processes of steps S2155, S2156, S2157A, S2157B, and S2158 are added. The processes of steps S2152, S2154, and S2159 are the same as the processes of steps S1152, S1154, and S1159 (FIG. 7), respectively.

[0111] When the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50 to be processed is in the closed state (YES in step S2152), the vehicle 50 is the vehicle 50A. Then, the server 30 temporarily sets the priority p of the vehicle 50A to p1 (step S2153).

[0112] Next, the server 30 acquires the number of times N that external charging of the vehicle 50A has been executed during the most recent period from the history information 37 (FIG. 8) (step S2155).

[0113] Next, the server 30 determines whether the number of times N is greater than or equal to the threshold number of times THN (step S2156). When the number of times N is greater than or equal to the threshold number of times THN (YES in step S2156), the server 30 sets the correction amount of the priority p to the correction amount CA1 (step S2157A). On the other hand, when the number of times N is less than the threshold number of times THN (NO in step S2156), the server 30 sets the correction amount of the priority p to the correction amount CA2 (<CA1) (step S2157B).

[0114] Next, the server 30 sets the priority p by correcting the priority p according to the correction amount set in step S2157A or step S2157B (step S2158). Specifically, the server 30 sets the priority p by adding the correction amount CA1 or the correction amount CA2 to p1 (p = p1 + CA1 or p = p1 + CA2). For example, the priority p of the vehicle 50A1 (FIG. 8) is set to p1 + CA1 (>p2). On the other hand, the priority p of the vehicle 50A2 is set to p1 + CA2 (>p2). That is, the priority p of the vehicle 50A1 is set higher than the priority p of the vehicle 50A2.

[0115] The priority p thus set is used for selecting a participating vehicle (step S220 in FIG. 9). Therefore, for example, the vehicle 50A1 is more likely to be selected as a participating vehicle with higher priority than the vehicle 50A2.

[0116] [Modification 1 of the second embodiment] The target power consumption included in the information IEC (FIG. 1) that the server 30 receives from the server 20 of the parent AG may change (e.g., decrease) from the target power consumption that the server 30 initially received from the server 20. In this case, the server 30 may need to select (e.g., 30) vehicles 50 to be excluded from the participating vehicles after selecting (e.g., 100) participating vehicles from among the multiple vehicles 50.

[0117] Therefore, the server 30 (more specifically, the processing device 33) may be configured to select an excluded vehicle, which is a vehicle 50 to be excluded from the participating vehicles, after selecting a participating vehicle from among the multiple vehicles 50. In this case, the server 30 preferentially selects the vehicle 50A2 as the excluded vehicle over the vehicle 50A1 from among the multiple vehicles 50A1. The server 30 selects the excluded vehicle after transmitting the raising DR signal S1 to the vehicle 50 and before the start of the target raising DR period. The server 30 may notify the vehicle 50 selected as the excluded vehicle that the vehicle 50 has been selected as the excluded vehicle by, for example, transmitting an exclusion notification signal (not shown) to the vehicle 50.

[0118] As described above, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 is likely to be worn out because it is more likely to be switched more frequently than the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A2. When an excluded vehicle is selected as described above, the vehicle 50A2 is preferentially excluded from the participating vehicles, while the vehicle 50A1 is less likely to be excluded from the participating vehicles than the vehicle 50A2. During the period in which the vehicle 50A1 participates in the upper DR, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 is kept in a closed state. As a result, a situation in which the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 is switched during this period is avoided. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the wear of the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1, and also to suppress the wear of the charging relay 58 in the entire power management system 1.

[0119] In the above, vehicle 50A2 is preferentially removed from the participating vehicles over vehicle 50A1, but even if participation in the upward DR by vehicle 50A2 is canceled, charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A2 is unlikely to wear out because the switching frequency of charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A2 is low. Therefore, practical problems are unlikely to occur from the viewpoint of protecting charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A2.

[0120] [Modification 2 of the second embodiment] The history of the closed state duration indicated by the history information 37 may include a participation frequency index value indicating the participation frequency of each of the multiple vehicles 50 in the upward DR.

[0121] Referring again to FIG. 8, in this variant example 2, the above history also includes information indicating whether vehicle 50A1 participated in an upward DR in each of periods P11 to P14, and whether vehicle 50A2 participated in an upward DR in period P21.

[0122] The server 30 can use the above-mentioned DR information stored in the memory device 32 to determine whether the period during which the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A remained closed (e.g., the period P11 to P14) is a period during which the vehicle 50A participated in the upward DR.

[0123] For example, when the period (first period) during which the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A remained closed is equal to the DR period (second period) indicated by the DR information of the vehicle 50A, the server 30 determines that the vehicle 50A participated in the upward DR during the first period. On the other hand, when the first period is different from the second period, the server 30 determines that the vehicle 50A did not participate in the upward DR during the first period.

[0124] In this example, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that the vehicle 50A1 participated in the up-regulating DR in each of the periods P11 to P14, and the vehicle 50A2 participated in the up-regulating DR in the period P21. Therefore, the number of times that the vehicle 50A1 participated in the up-regulating DR during the most recent period is the number of times N1. This number of times N1 can be used as an example of a participation frequency index value of the vehicle 50A1. Similarly, the number of times that the vehicle 50A2 participated in the up-regulating DR during the most recent period is the number of times N2. This number of times N2 can be used as an example of a participation frequency index value of the vehicle 50A2. In this example, since the number of times N1 is greater than the number of times N2, the vehicle 50A1 participates in the up-regulating DR more frequently than the vehicle 50A2 during the most recent period.

[0125] In the second modification, the processor 33 sets the priority p of a vehicle 50A1 having a high participation frequency index value among the multiple vehicles 50A to be lower than the priority p of a vehicle 50A2 having a low participation frequency index value among the multiple vehicles 50A.

[0126] It is also considered that the vehicle 50A1 with a high participation frequency index value is more likely to participate in the upward DR than the vehicle 50A1 with a low participation frequency index value. Therefore, it is also considered that the current from the power system PG is more likely to flow to the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 than to the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A2 during the most recent period (for example, the period from time ts to tf1 in FIG. 8). As a result, it is also considered that the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 is more likely to wear (deteriorate) than the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A2. On the other hand, it is also considered that if the vehicle 50A1 does not participate in the upward DR during the above period, the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 is less likely to wear out than if the vehicle 50A1 participates in the upward DR during that period (data 37A1 in FIG. 8).

[0127] When the priority p of the vehicle 50A1 is set lower than the priority p of the vehicle 50A2, the vehicle 50A1 is less likely to be selected as a participating vehicle than the vehicle 50A2. As a result, the vehicle 50A1 is less likely to participate in the upward DR than the vehicle 50A2. When the vehicle 50A1 does not participate in the upward DR, unlike when the vehicle 50A1 participates in the upward DR, no current flows from the power system PG to the charging relay 58 through the inlet 59 due to the participation of the vehicle 50A1 in the upward DR. Therefore, when the priority p is set as described above, it is possible to suppress further wear of the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50A1 due to the vehicle 50A1 frequently participating in the upward DR.

[0128] In the second embodiment and its first modification, it is assumed that the charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A1 is more likely to be worn out because it is more likely to be switched more frequently than the charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A2 during a period other than the upward DR period. In contrast, the second modification is particularly effective when the switching frequency of the charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A1 is approximately the same as the switching frequency of the charging relay 58 of vehicle 50A2 during a period other than the upward DR period. For example, the second modification is particularly effective when the switching frequency of both charging relays 58 during this period is low and therefore neither charging relay 58 is likely to be worn out.

[0129] [Embodiment 3] When a vehicle among the multiple vehicles 50 satisfies a predetermined condition, the processing device 33 of the server 30 may set the priority p of the condition-satisfying vehicle (e.g., to 0) so that the vehicle 50 (also referred to as a "condition-satisfying vehicle") is excluded from candidates for participating vehicles. As described above, when the priority p is 0, the vehicle 50 having that priority p is excluded from candidates for participating vehicles.

[0130] In this example, the above-mentioned predetermined condition is that the scheduled departure time of the vehicle 50 is within a period during which the up-DR is implemented (also referred to as the "up-DR implementation period"). That is, the scheduled departure time of the condition-satisfying vehicle is within the up-DR implementation period.

[0131] The configuration of the power management system in the third embodiment is similar to the configuration of the power management system 1 in the first embodiment. The processing procedure of the server 30 in the third embodiment is basically similar to the processing procedure shown in FIG.

[0132] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining inconvenience caused to the user when the scheduled departure time of the vehicle 50 falls within the upward DR implementation period.

[0133] 11, time tn is the current time. The scheduled departure time tD is the scheduled departure time of the vehicle 50. The time tD1 is the scheduled departure time tD of the condition-satisfying vehicle. The up-DR implementation period DRPR is a period from a time tDRS after the time tn to a time tDRE.

[0134] If a condition-satisfied vehicle is selected as a participating vehicle at time tn, the condition-satisfied vehicle is required to participate in the DR for the up-DR implementation period DRPR. As a result, the condition-satisfied vehicle may not be able to depart at time tD1 because it is required to be connected to the power facility 40 during the up-DR implementation period DRPR.

[0135] Therefore, in this example, the processing device 33 selects the vehicle 50 whose scheduled departure time tD is a time (e.g., time tD2) later than the up-DR implementation period DRPR as a participating vehicle instead of the condition-satisfying vehicle. When this vehicle 50 is selected as a participating vehicle at time tn, it can depart at the scheduled departure time (time tD2) while participating in the up-DR during the up-DR implementation period DRPR.

[0136] As described above, when the priority p of the condition satisfying vehicle is set so that the condition satisfying vehicle is excluded from the candidate participating vehicles, the situation where the condition satisfying vehicle is selected as the participating vehicle is avoided. As a result, the possibility that the condition satisfying vehicle cannot depart at the time tD1 because it needs to participate in the up DR can be eliminated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress wear of the charging relays 58 of the multiple vehicles 50 and adjust the balance of power supply and demand without causing inconvenience to the user of the condition satisfying vehicle.

[0137] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the management data of the vehicle 50 stored in the storage device 32. Referring to Fig. 12, the management data 34 includes predetermined condition information 41 in addition to ID information 35, relay opening / closing information 36, DR amount information 38, and priority information 39.

[0138] The ID information 35, the relay opening / closing information 36, and the DR amount information 38 are the same as those described in FIG.

[0139] The predetermined condition information 41 indicates whether the vehicle 50 satisfies the predetermined condition. In this example, the predetermined condition is that the scheduled departure time tD is within the up-DR implementation period DRPR. The vehicles 50 having IDs 001, 002, and 004 do not satisfy the predetermined condition, while the vehicle 50 having ID 003 satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0140] The predetermined condition information 41 is related to the priority information 39. Specifically, the priority p of a vehicle 50 that satisfies the predetermined condition (in this example, the vehicle 50 having an ID of 003) is set to 0 so as to be excluded from candidates for participating vehicles. The priority p of other vehicles 50 is set in the same manner as in the first embodiment (FIG. 5). That is, in this example, pa, pb>pd>pc=0.

[0141] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing in detail another example of the process for setting the priority p (step S115 in FIG. 6).

[0142] 13, this flowchart differs from the flowchart of FIG 7 in that the processes of steps S1150 and S1151 are added. The processes of steps S1152, S1153, S1154, and S1159 are similar to the processes described in FIG 7.

[0143] The server 30 determines whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied for the target vehicle 50 according to the predetermined condition information 41 (FIG. 12) of the vehicle 50 in the management data 34 (step S1150). In this example, the predetermined condition is that the scheduled departure time tD of the vehicle 50 is within the up-DR implementation period DRPR (FIG. 11).

[0144] If the predetermined condition is not satisfied (NO in step S1150), the server 30 proceeds to step S1152. On the other hand, if the predetermined condition is satisfied (YES in step S1150), the server 30 sets the priority p of the vehicle 50 to be processed to 0 (step S1151). Then, the process proceeds to step S1159.

[0145] [Modification of the third embodiment] The predetermined condition may be that the number of times the charging relay 58 is switched is equal to or greater than a threshold number of times.

[0146] As described above, the history information 37 may include information indicating the number of times the open / closed state of the charging relay 58 has been switched. When the open / closed state of the charging relay 58 is switched from one of the open state and the closed state to the other, the number of times the charging relay 58 has been switched is increased by 1 in the history information 37. The processing device 33 determines the switching of the open / closed state of the charging relay 58 according to the relay open / close information 36 and executes this incrementing process.

[0147] The processor 33 obtains the number of times the charging relay 58 has been switched from the history information 37, and determines whether the number of times the charging relay 58 has been switched is equal to or greater than a threshold number of times.

[0148] Then, the processing device 33 sets the priority p of the vehicle 50 (which may be either vehicle 50A or 50B) that has a number of switches equal to or greater than the threshold number of switches (e.g., to 0) so that the vehicle 50 satisfies the conditions and is excluded from the candidates for participating vehicles. The processing device 33 may set the priority p of the vehicle 50 with a small number of switches higher than the priority p of the vehicle 50 with a large number of switches.

[0149] When the priority p is set as described above, the vehicle 50 whose switching count is equal to or greater than the threshold switching count is excluded from the candidates for the participating vehicles. Alternatively, the vehicle 50 whose switching count is small is more likely to be selected as the participating vehicle than the vehicle 50 whose switching count is large. This makes it possible to prevent the charging relay 58 of the vehicle 50 whose switching count is relatively large from being further worn out due to the participation of the vehicle 50 in the DR.

[0150] [Other variations] Vehicle 50 may be a V2G vehicle configured to be capable of performing external discharging in addition to external charging. In this case, vehicle 50 includes a power conversion device instead of or in addition to charging relay 58 (FIG. 3). ECU 200 may control the start and stop of external charging by switching on and off this power conversion device instead of or in addition to controlling the open / closed state of charging relay 58.

[0151] The power company E1 and the parent AG of the upper aggregator E2 may be the same business operator. In this case, the servers 10 and 20 are managed by the same business operator. Alternatively, the parent AG of the upper aggregator E2 and the child AG of the lower aggregator E3 may be the same business operator. In this case, the servers 20 and 30 are managed by the same business operator.

[0152] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 1 Power management system, 5 Vehicle fleet, 10, 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 30, 30A, 30C server, 32 Storage device, 33 Processing device, 34 Management data, 36 Relay opening / closing information, 37 History information, 39 Priority information, 40 Power equipment, 50, 50A, 50A1, 50A2, 50B, ID vehicle, 55 SMR, 58 Charging relay, 110 Energy storage device, PG Power system.

Claims

1. A server that manages a plurality of vehicles, each of which is equipped with a power storage device and configured to be able to participate in a demand response (DR) that requests an increase in a power load in a power grid, Each of the plurality of vehicles includes: A switching device that is configured to be openable and closable and switches an electrical connection between the power storage device and the power grid; a power receiving device configured to receive power from the power system through a power facility external to the vehicle when the switching device is in a closed state, The power receiving device is configured to be able to participate in the upward DR when receiving power from the power grid through the power facility, The server, A storage device; a processing device for executing a program stored in the storage device, The processing device includes: A participating vehicle that participates in the raising DR is selected from among the plurality of vehicles in accordance with a priority set for each of the plurality of vehicles, A server sets the priority of a first vehicle among the plurality of vehicles, the switching device of which is in the closed state, to be higher than the priority of a second vehicle among the plurality of vehicles, the switching device of which is in the open state.

2. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the processing device sets the priority according to a history of a duration that is a duration during which the closed state of the switching device continues for each of the plurality of first vehicles.

3. Each of the plurality of vehicles includes: The power receiving device is configured to be capable of performing external charging for charging the power storage device using electric power received by the power receiving device, The external charging is performed to participate in the raising DR, the history of the duration includes an index value indicating a frequency of the external charging, The server according to claim 2 , wherein the processing device sets the priority of a third vehicle having a higher index value among the plurality of first vehicles to be higher than the priority of a fourth vehicle having a lower index value among the plurality of first vehicles.

4. The processing device includes: After the participating vehicles are selected from the plurality of vehicles, an excluded vehicle that is a vehicle to be excluded from the participating vehicles can be selected, The server according to claim 3 , wherein the fourth vehicle is selected as the excluded vehicle with priority over the third vehicle among the plurality of first vehicles.

5. Each of the plurality of vehicles includes: The power receiving device is configured to be capable of performing external charging for charging the power storage device using electric power received by the power receiving device, The external charging is performed to participate in the raising DR, The duration history includes a participation frequency index value indicating a participation frequency of each of the plurality of vehicles in the up-DR, The server according to claim 2, wherein the processing device sets the priority of a fifth vehicle among the plurality of first vehicles, the fifth vehicle having a higher participation frequency index value, to be lower than the priority of a sixth vehicle among the plurality of first vehicles, the sixth vehicle having a lower participation frequency index value.

6. Each of the plurality of vehicles includes: The power receiving device is configured to be capable of performing external charging for charging the power storage device using electric power received by the power receiving device, The external charging is performed to participate in the raising DR, The processing device includes: When a seventh vehicle among the plurality of vehicles satisfies a predetermined condition, the priority of the seventh vehicle is set so that the seventh vehicle is excluded from the candidates for the participating vehicles; The server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined condition includes a condition that a scheduled departure time of the seventh vehicle is within a period during which the up-driving limit is implemented.

7. A plurality of vehicles each equipped with a power storage device and configured to be able to participate in an increase DR that requests an increase in power load in a power grid; A server that manages the plurality of vehicles, Each of the plurality of vehicles includes: A switching device that is configured to be openable and closable and switches an electrical connection between the power storage device and the power grid; a power receiving device configured to receive power from the power system through a power facility external to the vehicle when the switching device is in a closed state, The power receiving device is configured to be able to participate in the upward DR when receiving power from the power grid through the power facility, The server, A storage device; a processing device for executing a program stored in the storage device, The processing device includes: A participating vehicle that participates in the raising DR is selected from among the plurality of vehicles in accordance with a priority set for each of the plurality of vehicles, A power management system that sets the priority of a first vehicle among the plurality of vehicles whose switching device is in the closed state higher than the priority of a second vehicle among the plurality of vehicles whose switching device is in the open state.

8. Each of the plurality of vehicles includes: a V1G vehicle configured to perform only external charging of an external discharging operation in which power stored in the power storage device is discharged to the power grid through the power equipment and an external charging operation in which the power storage device is charged using power received by the power receiving device, The power management system according to claim 7 , configured to participate in the increased DR by performing the external charging.

Images