Server, power supply system and power price setting method

Abstract

To allow power prices to be set to prices that reflect actual power demand.SOLUTION: A server 1 communicable with a plurality of power supply devices 2 capable of supplying power to vehicles 3 and the plurality of vehicles, includes: a scheduled power calculation unit 134 that calculates an amount of power scheduled to be supplied at each power supply device based on power supply reservations from the respective vehicles to the respective power supply devices; a price setting unit 135 that sets a power price in the power supply by that power supply device based on the amount of power scheduled to be supplied at each power supply device; and a price notification unit 131 that notifies the vehicles of the set power price.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server, a power supply system, and a power pricing method. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been proposed to charge users who charge electric vehicles (including BEVs, PHEVs, HEVs, etc.) using charging facilities a discounted charging fee depending on the usage status of the charging facilities (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-27634 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the travel section and period subject to the discount are set in advance, and the charging fee is discounted when the vehicle uses the charging facility within the set period in the set travel section. However, in Patent Document 1, the electricity price may not necessarily be set to a price that reflects the actual electricity demand.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to enable setting of electricity prices that reflect actual electricity demand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0007] (1) A server capable of communicating with a plurality of power supply devices capable of supplying electric power to a vehicle, a scheduled power calculation unit that calculates a value of a power supply parameter that changes in relation to a scheduled amount of power to be supplied in each power supply device based on a power supply reservation from each vehicle to each power supply device; a price setting unit that sets an electricity price for power supply by each power supply device based on a value of a power supply parameter in the power supply device; a price notification unit that notifies a vehicle of the set electricity price. (2) the power supply reservation includes information regarding a time when power supply is scheduled to be performed; The server according to (1) above, wherein the price setting unit sets an electricity price for power supply by each power supply device for each time period. (3) The server according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the price setting unit sets the power price according to the power supply capacity of the power supply device in addition to the planned amount of power supply. (4) The power supply device is configured such that a plurality of power supply devices are connected to one power supply source, The server according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the price setting unit sets the power price so that the power prices for the multiple power supply devices connected to the one power supply source are the same. (5) The server according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the price notification unit transmits the electricity price to the vehicle when an inquiry about the electricity price is received from the vehicle. (6) The server according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the price notification unit notifies the vehicle of the current electricity price at predetermined time intervals. (7) The server according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the price notification unit notifies the vehicle of the current electricity price when the set electricity price in at least some of the power supply devices changes by a predetermined value or more. (8) The server according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the power supply parameter that changes in relation to the planned power supply amount is the number of power supply reservations in each power supply device. (9) The server according to any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein the power supply parameter that changes in relation to the planned power supply amount is a planned power supply amount calculated based on the number of power supply reservations in each power supply device and the requested power supply amount in each power supply reservation. (10) The server according to any one of (1) to (9) above, wherein the price setting unit sets the electricity price such that the electricity price of each power supply device increases as the planned amount of power supply represented by the power supply parameters of the power supply device increases. (11) The server according to any one of (1) to (10) above, further comprising a consumption notification unit that, when receiving a power supply reservation from a vehicle and then receiving a request to cancel the power supply reservation from the vehicle, notifies the vehicle of costs associated with the cancellation. (12) A power supply system including the server according to any one of (1) to (11) above and a vehicle capable of communicating with the server, The vehicle is A route search unit that searches for a driving route to a destination; an electricity price acquisition unit that acquires electricity prices at the electricity supply devices along the travel route searched for by the route search unit based on the electricity prices transmitted from the server; a presentation unit that presents information on electricity prices at the power supply devices along the searched travel route to a user of the vehicle. (13) The power supply system according to (12) above, further comprising a reservation sending unit that, when the information regarding the electricity price at the power supply device is presented to a user of the vehicle and the user approves power supply at the power supply device, sends to the server a power supply reservation for the power supply device for which power supply has been approved. (14) The power supply system according to (12) or (13) above, further comprising a cancellation transmission unit that, when the user changes a driving route and the power supply device to which a power supply reservation has already been sent is no longer included in the changed driving route, transmits to the server a request to cancel the power supply reservation for the power supply device that is no longer included in the driving route. (15) An electricity price setting method performed in a server connected to a plurality of power supply devices capable of supplying electricity to a vehicle and a plurality of vehicles, comprising: calculating a value of a power supply parameter that changes in relation to a planned amount of power supply in each power supply device based on a power supply reservation from each vehicle to each power supply device; setting an electricity price for power supply by each power supply device based on a value of the power supply parameter in the power supply device; and notifying a vehicle of the set electricity price. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it becomes possible to set electricity prices that reflect actual electricity demand. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a contactless power supply system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of the server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a ground power supply device and a vehicle in a wireless power supply system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a controller of a ground power supply device and devices connected to the controller. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle ECU and devices connected to the ECU. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the processor of the server. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle's processor. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an operation sequence diagram showing the flow of operations in the server, the ground power supply device, and the vehicle. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an operation sequence diagram similar to FIG. 8, showing the flow of operations in the server, the ground power supply device, and the vehicle when the travel route is changed. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a setting process for setting an electricity price for a specific time period. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is an operation sequence diagram similar to FIG. 8, showing the flow of operations in the server, the ground power supply device, and the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, like elements are designated by like reference numerals.

[0011] First embodiment <Overall configuration of the wireless power supply system> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a contactless power supply system 100 according to a first embodiment. The contactless power supply system 100 includes a server 1, a plurality of ground power supply devices 2, and a plurality of vehicles 3, and performs contactless power transmission from the ground power supply devices 2 to the vehicles 3 by magnetic field resonant coupling (magnetic field resonance). In particular, in the present embodiment, in the contactless power supply system 100, contactless power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicles 3 is performed when the vehicles 3 are traveling. Thus, the ground power supply device 2 transmits power to the vehicles 3 in a contactless manner when the vehicles 3 are traveling, and the vehicles 3 receive power from the ground power supply device 2 in a contactless manner when the vehicles 3 are traveling. The ground power supply device 2 includes a power transmission device 4 configured to transmit power to the vehicles 3 in a contactless manner, and the vehicles 3 include a power reception device 5 configured to receive power from the power transmission device 4 in a contactless manner (see FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 1, the ground power supply devices 2 are arranged side by side in the direction of travel of the vehicles 3, and the power transmission devices 4 of each ground power supply device 2 are embedded within (underground) the road on which the vehicles 3 are traveling, for example, in the center of the lane on which the vehicles 3 are traveling.

[0012] The term "running" refers to a state in which the vehicle 3 is located on a road in order to run. Therefore, the term "running" includes not only a state in which the vehicle 3 is actually running at any speed greater than zero, but also a state in which the vehicle 3 is stopped on the road, for example, while waiting for a traffic light. The wireless power supply system 100 may be configured to perform wireless power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 when the vehicle 3 is stopped, for example, in a parking space.

[0013] <Server configuration> The configuration of the server 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The server 1 is configured to be able to communicate with the ground-side communication device 22 (FIG. 4) of the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle-side communication device 61 (FIG. 5) of the vehicle 3. Specifically, the server 1 is connected to a plurality of wireless base stations 16 via a communication network 15 configured with optical communication lines or the like. The vehicle-side communication device 61 and the ground-side communication device 22 communicate with the wireless base station 16 using wide-area wireless communication. Therefore, the vehicle-side communication device 61 of the vehicle 3 and the ground-side communication device 22 of the ground power supply device 2 communicate with the server 1 using wide-area wireless communication. As the wide-area wireless communication, various wireless communication with long communication distances can be used, and for example, communication conforming to any communication standard such as 4G, LTE, 5G, and WiMAX established by 3GPP (registered trademark) and IEEE is used. The ground-side communication device 22 may be connected to the communication network 15 by wire. Therefore, the ground-side communication device 22 may be connected to the server 1 by wire instead of wirelessly.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic hardware configuration of the server 1. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the server 1 includes an external communication module 11, a storage device 12, and a processor 13. The server 1 may also include input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display.

[0015] The external communication module 11 communicates with devices (such as the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3) outside the server 1. The external communication module 11 includes an interface circuit for connecting the server 1 to a communication network 15. The external communication module 11 is configured to be able to communicate with each of the multiple vehicles 3 and the ground power supply devices 2 via the communication network 15 and a wireless base station 16.

[0016] The storage device 12 has a volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., RAM), a non-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or an optical recording medium. The storage device 12 stores computer programs for executing various processes by the processor 13, and various data used when the various processes are executed by the processor 13. In this embodiment, the storage device 12 also stores map information. The map information includes information on the installation position of the ground power supply device 2, power supply capacity information, and the like, in addition to information on roads. In addition, in this embodiment, the storage device 12 stores the power price of the ground power supply device 2.

[0017] The processor 13 has one or more CPUs and their peripheral circuits. The processor 13 may further have an arithmetic circuit such as a GPU, a logical operation unit, or a numerical operation unit. The processor 13 executes various arithmetic processes based on computer programs stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1. Specific arithmetic processes performed by the processor 13 will be described later.

[0018] <Configuration of Ground Power Supply Equipment> Next, the configuration of the ground power supply device 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a diagram that shows a schematic configuration of the ground power supply device 2 and the vehicle 3 in the contactless power supply system 100. Fig. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the controller 24 of the ground power supply device 2 and devices connected to the controller 24. As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the ground power supply device 2 is connected to a power source (power supply source) 21, and includes a ground-side communication device 22, a ground-side sensor 23, and a controller 24 in addition to a power transmission device 4. The power source 21, the ground-side communication device 22, and the controller 24 may be embedded in the road, or may be arranged in a location other than the road (including on the ground).

[0019] The power source 21 supplies power to the power transmission device 4. The power source 21 is, for example, a commercial AC power source that supplies single-phase AC power. The power source 21 may be another AC power source that supplies three-phase AC power, or may be a DC power source such as a fuel cell. In this embodiment, a plurality of ground power supply devices 2 are connected to one power source 21.

[0020] The power transmission device 4 transmits power supplied from the power source 21 to the vehicle 3. The power transmission device 4 has a power transmission side rectifier circuit 41, an inverter circuit 42, and a power transmission side resonant circuit 43. In the power transmission device 4, the AC power supplied from the power source 21 is rectified in the power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 and converted into a DC current, and the DC current is converted into high-frequency AC power in the inverter circuit 42, and the high-frequency AC power is supplied to the power transmission side resonant circuit 43. Note that when the power source 21 is a DC power source, the power transmission side rectifier circuit 41 may be omitted.

[0021] The power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 has a resonator composed of a power transmitting side coil 44 and a power transmitting side capacitor 45. Various parameters of the power transmitting side coil 44 and the power transmitting side capacitor 45 (such as the outer diameter and inner diameter of the power transmitting side coil 44, the number of turns of the power transmitting side coil 44, and the capacitance of the power transmitting side capacitor 45) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 becomes a predetermined set value. The predetermined set value is, for example, 10 kHz to 100 GHz, and is preferably 85 kHz, which is determined by the SAE TIR J2954 standard as a frequency band for contactless power transmission. When high-frequency AC power supplied from the inverter circuit 42 is applied to the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 generates an alternating magnetic field for transmitting power.

[0022] The ground communication device 22 communicates with the wireless base station 16 by wide-area wireless communication, and further communicates with the server 1 via the communication network 15. Alternatively, the ground communication device 22 is connected to the communication network 15 by wire and communicates with the server 1. In addition, the ground communication device 22 communicates with the vehicle communication device 61 of the vehicle 3 by narrow-area wireless communication. The narrow-area wireless communication is a communication with a shorter communication distance than the wide-area wireless communication, specifically, for example, a communication with a communication distance of less than 10 meters. As the narrow-area wireless communication, various short-distance wireless communication with a short communication distance can be used, and for example, communication conforming to any communication standard (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark)) established by IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc. is used. In addition, for example, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), DSRC (dedicated Short Range Communication), etc. are used as a technology for performing the narrow-area wireless communication. In addition, the ground communication device 22 is connected to the controller 24 via a signal line.

[0023] The ground sensor 23 detects the state of the ground power supply device 2. In this embodiment, the ground sensor 23 includes, for example, a current sensor that detects a current flowing through various devices of the power transmission device 4, and a voltage sensor that detects a voltage applied to the various devices of the power transmission device 4. An output of the ground sensor 23 is input to the controller 24.

[0024] The controller 24 is, for example, a general-purpose computer, and performs various controls of the ground power supply device 2. For example, the controller 24 is electrically connected to an inverter circuit 42 of the power transmission device 4, and controls the inverter circuit 42 to control power transmission by the power transmission device 4. Furthermore, the controller 24 controls the ground communication device 22.

[0025] The controller 24 includes a communication interface 25, a memory 26, and a processor 27. The communication interface 25, the memory 26, and the processor 27 are connected to each other via signal lines.

[0026] The communication interface 25 has an interface circuit for connecting the controller 24 to various devices (e.g., the ground communication device 22, the ground sensor 23, and the inverter circuit 42) constituting the ground power supply device 2. The controller 24 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 25.

[0027] The memory 26 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory (for example, RAM), a non-volatile semiconductor memory (for example, ROM), etc. The memory 26 stores computer programs for executing various processes in the processor 27, various data used when the various processes are executed by the processor 27, etc. In particular, the memory 26 stores, as such data, reservation information including identification information of the vehicle 3 to which power is scheduled to be supplied by the ground power supply device 2 having the memory 26.

[0028] The processor 27 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 27 may further have an arithmetic circuit such as a logical arithmetic unit or a numerical arithmetic unit. The processor 27 executes various processes based on computer programs stored in the memory 26. Specific arithmetic processes performed by the processor 27 will be described later.

[0029] <Vehicle configuration> Next, the configuration of the vehicle 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the ECU 35 of the vehicle 3 and devices connected to the ECU 35. As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 3 has a motor 31, a battery 32, and a power control unit (PCU) 33 in addition to the power receiving device 5. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle 3 further includes a vehicle-side communication device 61, a GNSS receiver 62, a storage device 63, a plurality of vehicle-side sensors 64, a human-machine interface (HMI) 65, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 35. In this embodiment, the vehicle 3 is an electric vehicle (BEV) in which the motor 31 drives the vehicle 3. However, the vehicle 3 may be a hybrid vehicle (HEV, PHEV) in which an internal combustion engine drives the vehicle 3 in addition to the motor 31.

[0030] The motor 31 is, for example, an AC synchronous motor, and functions as an electric motor. The motor 31 is driven by electric power stored in a battery 32 as a power source. The output of the motor 31 is transmitted to the wheels 30.

[0031] The battery 32 is a rechargeable secondary battery, and is, for example, a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, or the like. The battery 32 stores the power required for the vehicle 3 to travel (for example, the driving power of the motor 31). When the battery 32 is supplied with power received by the power receiving device 5 from the power transmitting device 4, the battery 32 is charged. Note that the battery 32 may also be chargeable by an external power source other than the ground power supply device 2 via a charging port provided in the vehicle 3.

[0032] The PCU 33 is electrically connected to the battery 32 and the motor 31. The PCU 33 has an inverter, a boost converter, and a DC / DC converter. The inverter converts DC power supplied from the battery 32 into AC power and supplies the AC power to the motor 31. The boost converter boosts the voltage of the battery 32 as necessary when the power stored in the battery 32 is supplied to the motor 31. The DC / DC converter reduces the voltage of the battery 32 when the power stored in the battery 32 is supplied to electronic devices such as headlights.

[0033] The power receiving device 5 receives power from the power transmitting device 4 and supplies the received power to the battery 32. The power receiving device 5 includes a power receiving side resonant circuit 51, a power receiving side rectifier circuit 54, and a charging circuit 55, as shown in FIG.

[0034] The power receiving side resonant circuit 51 is disposed at the bottom of the vehicle 3 so as to reduce the distance from the road surface. The power receiving side resonant circuit 51 has a resonator constituted by a power receiving side coil 52 and a power receiving side capacitor 53. Various parameters of the power receiving side coil 52 and the power receiving side capacitor 53 (outer diameter and inner diameter of the power receiving side coil 52, the number of turns of the power receiving side coil 52, the capacitance of the power receiving side capacitor 53, etc.) are determined so that the resonant frequency of the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 approximately matches the resonant frequency of the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43.

[0035] 3, when the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 faces the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 and an alternating magnetic field is generated by the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43, the vibration of the alternating magnetic field is transmitted to the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 which resonates at the same resonant frequency as the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43. As a result, an induced current flows in the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 due to electromagnetic induction, and an induced electromotive force is generated in the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 due to the induced current. That is, the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43 transmits power to the power receiving side resonant circuit 51, and the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 receives power from the power transmitting side resonant circuit 43.

[0036] The power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 is electrically connected to the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and the charging circuit 55. The power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 rectifies the AC power supplied from the power receiving side resonant circuit 51 and converts it into DC power, and supplies the DC power to the charging circuit 55.

[0037] The charging circuit 55 is electrically connected to the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 and the battery 32. The charging circuit 55 converts the DC power supplied from the power receiving side rectifier circuit 54 to a voltage level of the battery 32 and supplies the converted power to the battery 32. When the power transmitted from the power transmitting device 4 is supplied to the battery 32 by the power receiving device 5, the battery 32 is charged.

[0038] The vehicle-side communication device 61 communicates with the wireless base station 16 by wide-area wireless communication, and further communicates with the server 1 via the communication network 15. The vehicle-side communication device 61 also communicates with the ground-side communication device 22 of the ground power supply device 2 by short-range wireless communication. The vehicle-side communication device 61 is connected to the ECU 35 via an in-vehicle network.

[0039] The GNSS receiver 62 detects the vehicle's own position (e.g., the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 3) based on positioning information obtained from a plurality of (e.g., three or more) positioning satellites. The output of the GNSS receiver 62, i.e., the vehicle's own position detected by the GNSS receiver 62, is transmitted to the ECU 35 via an in-vehicle network. As the GNSS receiver 62, for example, a GPS receiver is used.

[0040] The storage device 63 stores data. The storage device 63 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or an optical recording medium. In this embodiment, the storage device 63 stores map information. The map information includes information on the installation position of the power transmission side coil 44 of the ground power supply device 2 and its identification information, in addition to information on roads. The ECU 35 acquires the map information from the storage device 63.

[0041] The vehicle-side sensor 64 detects the state of the vehicle 3 and the state around the vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the vehicle-side sensor 64 includes, as a sensor for detecting the state of the vehicle 3, for example, a current sensor for detecting current flowing through various devices of the power receiving device 5. Furthermore, when the vehicle 3 is an autonomous driving vehicle, the vehicle-side sensor 64 includes, as a sensor for detecting the state around the vehicle 3, a camera for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle 3 and a distance measuring sensor (LiDAR, millimeter wave radar, etc.) for detecting the distance to an object around the vehicle 3. The output of the vehicle-side sensor 64 is input to the ECU 35 via an in-vehicle network.

[0042] The HMI 65 notifies the user of the vehicle 3 of the notification information received from the ECU 35 via the in-vehicle network. Thus, the HMI 65 functions as a notification device that notifies the user of information. Specifically, the HMI 65 has a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and a speaker. The HMI 65 also accepts input from an occupant and transmits the accepted input to the ECU 35 via the in-vehicle network. Thus, the HMI 65 functions as an input device that accepts input from the user. Specifically, the HMI 65 has a touch panel, a switch, a button, and a remote control. The HMI 65 is provided, for example, on an instrument panel.

[0043] The ECU 35 performs various controls of the vehicle 3. For example, the ECU 35 is electrically connected to a charging circuit 55 of the power receiving device 5, and controls the charging circuit 55 to control charging of the battery 32 with power transmitted from the power transmitting device 4. The ECU 35 is also electrically connected to the PCU 33, and controls the PCU 33 to control the exchange of power between the battery 32 and the motor 31. Furthermore, the ECU 35 controls devices connected via an in-vehicle network, such as a vehicle-side communication device 61, a storage device 63, and an HMI 65.

[0044] The ECU 35 is connected to the PCU 33, the charging circuit 55, the vehicle-side communication device 61, the GNSS receiver 62, the storage device 63, the vehicle-side sensors 64, and the HMI 65 via an in-vehicle network conforming to a standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network). The ECU 35 has a communication interface 36, a memory 73, and a processor 38. The communication interface 36, the memory 73, and the processor 38 are connected to each other via signal lines.

[0045] The communication interface 36 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 35 to an in-vehicle network. The ECU 35 communicates with other devices via the communication interface 36.

[0046] The memory 73 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory (for example, a RAM) and a non-volatile semiconductor memory (for example, a ROM). The memory 73 stores computer programs for executing various processes in the processor 38, various data used when the processor 38 executes various processes, and the like.

[0047] The processor 38 has one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 38 may further have an arithmetic circuit such as a logic arithmetic unit or a numerical arithmetic unit. The processor 38 executes various processes based on computer programs stored in the memory 73. Specific arithmetic processes performed by the processor 38 will be described later.

[0048] <Power supply flow> Next, with reference to Figs. 6 to 8, a flow of operations in the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 when power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 will be described.

[0049] In this embodiment, the vehicle 3 searches for a travel route to the destination, and inquires of the server 1 about the electricity price (in this embodiment, the price per unit of electricity) at each ground power supply device 2 along the searched travel route. When the server 1 receives the electricity price inquiry, it transmits the electricity price at the target ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. When the vehicle 3 receives the electricity price, it presents information about the travel route and the electricity price at the ground power supply device 2 along each travel route to the user.

[0050] If the user approves power supply from the ground power supply device 2 as a result of such presentation, the vehicle 3 transmits a power supply reservation for the ground power supply device 2 to the server 1. When the server 1 receives the power supply reservation, it transmits reservation information to the target ground power supply device 2. In this state, when the vehicle 3 travels over the target ground power supply device 2, power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 during that time.

[0051] 6 is a functional block diagram of the processor 13 of the server 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the processor 13 of the server 1 includes a price notification unit 131 that notifies the vehicle 3 of the set electricity price, a power supply cost notification unit 132 that notifies the vehicle 3 of a power supply cost when power is supplied to the vehicle 3, and a power supply notification unit 133 that notifies the vehicle 3 of a cost associated with the cancellation of a power supply reservation received from the vehicle 3 after receiving the power supply reservation from the vehicle 3. Each of these units included in the processor 13 of the server 1 is, for example, a functional module realized by a computer program that runs on the processor 13. Alternatively, each of these units included in the processor 13 of the server 1 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 13. Details of each of these units will be described later.

[0052] Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3. As shown in Fig. 7, the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 includes a route search unit 381 that searches for a driving route of the vehicle 3 to a destination, an electricity price acquisition unit 382 that acquires electricity prices at the ground power supplying devices 2 along the driving route searched by the route search unit 381 based on the electricity prices transmitted from the server 1, and a presentation unit 383 that presents the electricity prices at the ground power supplying devices 2 along the searched driving route to a user of the vehicle 3.

[0053] Furthermore, the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 has a reservation sending unit 384 that sends to the server 1 a power supply reservation for the ground power supply device 2 for which power supply has been approved, when the power supply from the ground power supply device 2 is approved as a result of the electricity price at the ground power supply device 2 being presented to the user, and a cancellation sending unit 385 that sends to the server 1 a cancellation request for the power supply reservation for the ground power supply device 2 that is no longer included in the driving route, when the user changes the driving route and as a result the ground power supply device 2 for which a power supply reservation has already been sent is no longer included in the changed driving route.

[0054] Next, a flow of operations in the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 when power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is an operation sequence diagram showing the flow of operations in the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 8, when a destination is input by a user via the HMI 65, the route search unit 381 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 searches for a travel route of the vehicle 3 to the destination (step S11). The route search unit 381 searches for a travel route of the vehicle 3 from the self-position of the vehicle 3 to the destination based on the self-position of the vehicle 3 detected by the GNSS receiver 62 and the destination input by the user via the HMI 65. The route search unit 381 searches for a travel route, for example, in a manner similar to that of a known navigation device. In this embodiment, the travel route searched by the route search unit 381 includes the planned time for the vehicle 3 to pass through each place in addition to the travel path of the vehicle 3. The route search unit 381 may also search for a plurality of travel routes from the self-position of the vehicle 3 to the destination. The travel route searched by the route search unit 381 is stored in the memory 37.

[0056] Next, the power price acquisition unit 382 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 identifies the ground power supply devices 2 (particularly, the positions of the power transmission side coils 44) located on the travel route searched by the route search unit 381 (step S12). As described above, the map information stored in the storage device 63 includes the installation position information and the identification information of each ground power supply device 2. Therefore, the power price acquisition unit 382 identifies the identification information of the ground power supply devices 2 located on the travel route based on the map information stored in the storage device 63 and the travel route searched by the route search unit 381. In addition, the power price acquisition unit 382 may identify the scheduled time at which the vehicle 3 arrives at each identified ground power supply device 2. The scheduled time of arrival at each ground power supply device 2 is identified based on the travel route including the scheduled time of passing through each place and the installation position of each ground power supply device 2. Note that the identification of the ground power supply devices 2 located on the travel route may be performed by the processor 13 of the server 1. In this case, information on the searched travel route is transmitted from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2.

[0057] When the ground power supply devices 2 located on the travel route are identified, the power price acquisition unit 382 transmits a signal including an inquiry about the power price at the identified ground power supply device 2 to the server 1 (step S13). The inquiry signal includes identification information of the ground power supply device 2 that is the subject of the inquiry about the power price. In addition, in this embodiment, the inquiry signal may include a scheduled time of passing each ground power supply device 2.

[0058] When the server 1 receives the inquiry signal for the power price, the price notification unit 131 of the server 1 transmits a signal including the power price of the ground power supply device 2 that is the subject of the inquiry to the vehicle 3 (step S14). In this embodiment, as described later, the power price of each ground power supply device 2 is set to change according to the demand for power in the ground power supply device 2. Therefore, the price notification unit 131 transmits a signal including the current power price of each ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3. Also, in this embodiment, the power price of each ground power supply device 2 is set to change for each time period during which power supply is scheduled to be performed (for example, every 30 minutes or every hour). Therefore, in this embodiment, the price notification unit 131 transmits a signal including the power price of the ground power supply device 2 that is the subject of the inquiry to the vehicle 3 for the time period including the scheduled vehicle passage time. In any case, in this embodiment, when the price notification unit 131 receives an inquiry for the power price from the vehicle 3, it transmits information including the power price to the vehicle 3. In particular, the electricity price in each time zone of each ground power supply device 2 is stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1 , and the price notification unit 131 refers to the electricity price stored in the storage device 12 .

[0059] When the vehicle 3 receives a signal including the power price, that is, when the power price acquisition unit 382 acquires the power prices at each ground power supply device 2 located along the travel route based on the signal including the power price transmitted from the server 1, the presentation unit 383 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 presents to the user of the vehicle 3 the travel route searched by the route search unit 381 and the power prices at the ground power supply devices 2 along the travel route (step S15). In this embodiment, the presentation unit 383 presents the power prices at each ground power supply device 2 along the travel route. Therefore, when there are multiple ground power supply devices 2 along the travel route, the presentation unit 383 presents the power prices at each of the multiple ground power supply devices 2. Specifically, the presentation unit 383 transmits a display signal to the HMI 65 to cause the display of the HMI 65 to display the travel route and the power prices at each ground power supply device 2.

[0060] The presentation unit 383 may present the total electricity cost when traveling the travel route, based on the electricity prices of each ground power supply device 2 and the expected power supply amount (e.g., a fixed value) of each ground power supply device 2. Therefore, it can be said that the presentation unit 383 presents information on the electricity prices of the ground power supply devices 2 along the travel route to the user of the vehicle 3.

[0061] When the user approves power supply from each ground power supply device 2 as a result of the information on the power price at each ground power supply device 2 being presented to the user by the presentation unit 383, the reservation transmission unit 384 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 transmits a signal including a power supply reservation to the ground power supply device 2 approved for power supply to the server 1 (step S16). The user's approval of power supply from each ground power supply device 2 is performed by the HMI 65. For example, the user approves power supply by pressing an approval button displayed next to the power price of each ground power supply device 2 displayed on the display. In addition, the power supply reservation transmitted from the reservation transmission unit 384 includes identification information of the ground power supply device 2 approved for power supply, the power price at which power supply is approved for each ground power supply device 2, and identification information of the vehicle 3 having the reservation transmission unit 384. In addition, in this embodiment, the power supply reservation includes information such as a time (a specific time or time period) at which the vehicle 3 is scheduled to supply power from each ground power supply device 2. In addition, the power supply reservation may include a requested amount of power supply to each ground power supply device 2. The requested amount of power supply is set, for example, based on the power receiving capability of the power receiving device 5, and the requested power supply is set to be larger as the power receiving capability is higher.

[0062] When the server 1 receives a signal including a power supply reservation, the processor 13 of the server 1 transmits reservation information to the ground power supply device 2 corresponding to the identification information included in the power supply reservation (step S17). The reservation information includes the identification information of the vehicle 3 making the power supply reservation and the time when the vehicle 3 is scheduled to supply power from the ground power supply device 2. The processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 stores the identification information of the vehicle 3 and the scheduled time of power supply, etc., included in the received reservation information in the memory 26. In addition, the processor 13 of the server 1 transmits a notification to the vehicle 3 to permit power supply, unless there is information indicating that power cannot be supplied from the ground power supply device 2, such as an abnormality occurring in the ground power supply device 2 that is the subject of the power supply reservation (step S18).

[0063] When the vehicle 3 that has received the power supply permission notification travels near the target ground power supply device 2, it transmits the identification information of the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2 (step S20). The transmission of the identification information from the vehicle 3 to the ground power supply device 2 is performed by short-range wireless communication. Therefore, the ground power supply device 2 recognizes that the vehicle 3 is approaching the ground power supply device 2 by receiving the identification information of the vehicle 3 by short-range wireless communication. In addition, when the processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 receives the identification information of the vehicle 3, the processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 compares the received identification information with the identification information included in the reservation information stored in the memory 26. Then, when the processor 27 of the ground power supply device 2 finds that the received identification information matches any of the identification information included in the reservation information stored in the memory 26 as a result of the comparison, power is supplied to the power transmission device 4 so that power can be supplied to the vehicle 3 when the vehicle 3 travels on the ground power supply device 2.

[0064] Thereafter, when the vehicle 3 travels on the ground power supply device 2 with power being supplied to the power transmission device 4 (step S21), contactless power supply from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 is performed (step S22). When power supply is being performed, the ground side sensor 23 of the ground power supply device 2 detects the current and voltage flowing in the power transmission device 4. In addition, when power supply is being performed, the vehicle side sensor 64 of the vehicle 3 detects the current and voltage flowing in the power receiving device 5.

[0065] When the contactless power feeding from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is completed, the processor 27 of the ground power feeding device 2 calculates the amount of transmitted power during the power feeding based on the current, voltage, etc. detected by the ground side sensor 23 during the power feeding. In addition, the processor 27 of the ground power feeding device 2 transmits information on the power transmission, including the calculated amount of transmitted power, to the server 1 (step S23). Furthermore, when the contactless power feeding from the ground power feeding device 2 to the vehicle 3 is completed, the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 calculates the amount of received power during the power feeding based on the current, voltage, etc. detected by the vehicle side sensor 64 during the power feeding. In addition, the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 transmits information on the power reception, including the calculated amount of received power, to the server 1 (step S24).

[0066] Thereafter, the power supply cost notifying unit 132 of the processor 13 of the server 1 calculates the power supply cost based on the information on power transmission received from the ground power supply device 2, the information on power reception received from the vehicle 3, and the power price at the ground power supply device 2 transmitted in step S14. Then, the power supply cost notifying unit 132 transmits a signal including the calculated power supply cost to the vehicle 3 (step S25).

[0067] Next, referring to Fig. 9, a flow of operations in the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 when the travel route is changed will be described. Fig. 9 is an operation sequence diagram similar to Fig. 8, showing a flow of operations in the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 when the travel route is changed. The example shown in Fig. 9 shows a case where a travel route has already been set, but the travel route is reset due to a change in the destination by the user, etc. In particular, the example shown in Fig. 9 shows a case where the already set travel route includes the first ground power supply device 2a but does not include the second ground power supply device 2b, while the reset travel route does not include the first ground power supply device 2a but does include the first ground power supply device 2a.

[0068] As can be seen from Fig. 9, even when the travel route is reset, the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3 basically operate in the same manner as when the travel route shown in Fig. 8 is set for the first time. Therefore, steps S31 to S38 and S40 to S45 in Fig. 9 are basically the same as steps S11 to S18 and S19 to S24 in Fig. 8, and therefore their explanation will be omitted.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 9, even when the travel route is reset, a search for the travel route is performed (step S31), and the searched travel route and the power prices at the ground power supply devices 2 on the travel route are presented to the user of the vehicle 3 (step S35). Then, when the user approves the power supply, the reservation transmission unit 384 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 transmits a signal including a power supply reservation to the server 1 (step S36). In addition, the cancellation transmission unit 385 of the processor 38 of the vehicle 3 transmits a signal including a power supply reservation to the server 1 for the first ground power supply device 2a for which a power supply reservation was previously transmitted but for which the power supply reservation is no longer necessary due to the resetting of the travel route (step S36). That is, when the user changes the travel route and the ground power supply device 2 for which a signal including a power supply reservation has already been transmitted is no longer included in the changed travel route, the cancellation transmission unit 385 transmits a signal including a cancellation request for the power supply reservation to the server 1 for the ground power supply device 2 that is no longer included in the changed travel route.

[0070] When the server 1 receives a signal including a power supply reservation and a signal including a request to cancel the power supply reservation, the processor 13 of the server 1 transmits reservation information to the first ground power supply device 2a corresponding to the identification information included in the power supply reservation (step S37). In addition, the processor 13 of the server 1 transmits cancellation information indicating that the power supply reservation has been canceled to the second ground power supply device 2b to which reservation information was previously transmitted and to which the current power supply reservation did not include corresponding identification information (step S39). The cancellation information includes the identification information of the vehicle 3 that made the power supply reservation and the time when the vehicle 3 was scheduled to supply power from the ground power supply device 2. When the processor 27 of the second ground power supply device 2b receives the cancellation information, it deletes the identification information of the vehicle 3 included in the cancellation information from the memory 26.

[0071] After power supply, when the server 1 receives information on power transmission from the ground power supply device 2 and information on power reception from the vehicle 3, the power supply cost notification unit 132 of the server 1 transmits information including the power supply cost to the vehicle 3 (step S46). In addition, when the server 1 receives a signal including a power supply reservation from the vehicle 3, but then receives a signal including a request to cancel the power supply reservation, the power supply cost notification unit 133 of the server 1 calculates the power supply cost associated with the cancellation of the power supply reservation. Then, the power supply cost notification unit 133 of the server 1 transmits information including the calculated power supply cost to the vehicle 3 (step S46). That is, when the server 1 receives a request to cancel the power supply reservation from the vehicle 3 after receiving the power supply reservation from the vehicle 3, the power supply cost notification unit 133 notifies the vehicle 3 of the cost associated with the cancellation of the power supply reservation.

[0072] The cost associated with canceling a power supply reservation is set to, for example, a predetermined fixed amount. Alternatively, the cost associated with canceling a power supply reservation may vary depending on the remaining time until the time slot during which power supply is scheduled. Specifically, the cost associated with canceling a power supply reservation may be set to, for example, 10% of the average amount of power supply energy per power supply when the remaining time until the time slot during which power supply is scheduled is within one hour, 20% of the average amount of power supply energy when the remaining time until the time slot during which power supply is scheduled is within 30 minutes, and 30% of the average amount of power supply energy when the remaining time until the time slot during which power supply is scheduled is within 10 minutes.

[0073] According to this embodiment, when power is supplied from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3, the power price at each ground power supply device 2 is notified to the user of the vehicle 3 in advance, and power is supplied only if the user approves. Therefore, the user of the vehicle 3 can supply power from the ground power supply device 2 to the vehicle 3 only when the user determines that the power price is appropriate.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if a power supply reservation is cancelled after it has been made, information including the consumption and take-up fee is transmitted to the vehicle 3, and the user is required to pay the consumption and take-up fee. This allows a power supply reservation to be made with a certain degree of accuracy. Note that in this embodiment, if a power supply reservation is cancelled after it has been made, the user of the vehicle 3 who cancelled the power supply reservation is billed for the consumption and take-up fee. However, even in such a case, the user does not have to be billed for the consumption and take-up fee.

[0075] <Electricity supply price setting> Next, a method for setting the electricity supply price in each ground electricity supply device 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0076] In this embodiment, when setting the power price at each ground power supply device 2, the server 1 calculates the value of the planned power supply amount at each ground power supply device 2 based on the power supply reservation from each vehicle 3 to each ground power supply device 2. Then, the server 1 sets the power price by each ground power supply device 2 based on the calculated planned power supply amount at each ground power supply device 2. The set power price of each ground power supply device 2 is stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1, and the server 1 transmits the stored price information to each vehicle 3 in response to an inquiry from the vehicle 3. The power supply price at each ground power supply device 2 is set based on the power supply reservation at that ground power supply device 2.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 7 , the processor 13 of the server 1 has, in addition to the above-mentioned price notifying unit 131, power supply cost notifying unit 132, and consumption notifying unit 133, a planned power calculation unit 134 that calculates a planned amount of power to be supplied at each ground power supply device 2 based on a power supply reservation from each vehicle 3 to each ground power supply device 2, and a price setting unit 135 that sets the power price for power supply by each ground power supply device 2 based on the planned amount of power to be supplied at each ground power supply device 2.

[0078] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a setting process for setting an electricity price for a specific time period. The setting process shown in Fig. 10 is performed by the processor 13 of the server 1. The setting process shown in Fig. 10 is executed for each time period of each ground power supply device 2, and is started an arbitrary time (for example, one day) before the target time period.

[0079] In the setting process, first, the price setting unit 135 sets the power price for the target time slot to the base price (step S51). The base price is a predetermined fixed price that is set when there are almost no power supply reservations from the vehicles 3 during the target time slot. Therefore, the base price is basically the lowest power price during the target time slot.

[0080] Thereafter, the scheduled power calculation unit 134 determines whether or not a new power supply reservation has been received from any vehicle 3 for the target time period (step S52). A power supply reservation from any vehicle 3 is transmitted from the reservation transmission unit 384 of that vehicle 3 by the operation shown in step S16 of Fig. 8, etc. In addition, the reserved power calculation unit 234 determines whether or not a new cancellation request for a power supply reservation already received from any vehicle 3 for the target time period has been received (step S53). A cancellation request for a power supply reservation from any vehicle 3 is transmitted from the cancellation transmission unit 385 of that vehicle 3 by the operation shown in step S36 of Fig. 9.

[0081] When it is determined in step S52 that a new power supply reservation has been received or when it is determined in step S53 that a new cancellation request has been received, the reservation power calculation unit 234 calculates the planned supply power amount from the target ground power supply device 2 for the target time slot (step S54). In this embodiment, the planned supply power amount is calculated by summing up the requested power supply power amounts from each vehicle 3 included in all power supply reservations in the target time slot. That is, in this embodiment, the planned supply power amount is calculated based on the number of power supply reservations in the target time slot in the target ground power supply device 2 and the requested power supply power amount in each power supply reservation. Therefore, when it is determined in step S52 that a new power supply reservation has been received, a new planned supply power amount is calculated by adding the requested power supply power amount included in the new power supply reservation to the planned supply power amount up to that point. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S53 that a new cancellation request has been received, a new planned supply power amount is calculated by subtracting the requested power supply power amount included in the power supply reservation corresponding to the new cancellation request from the planned supply power amount up to that point.

[0082] When the planned supply amount of power of the target ground power supply device 2 is calculated in step S54, the price setting unit 135 resets the power price of the ground power supply device 2 based on the calculated planned supply amount of power (step S56). In particular, the price setting unit 135 sets the power price for the target time period based on the planned supply amount of power of the target ground power supply device 2 for that time period. Therefore, the price setting unit 135 sets the power price for power supply by each ground power supply device 2 for each time period. Specifically, the price setting unit 135 sets the power price such that the power price for that time period and for that ground power supply device 2 increases as the planned supply amount of power for that time period and for each ground power supply device 2 increases.

[0083] In addition, the price setting unit 135 may set the power price according to the power supply capacity of each ground power supply device 2. For example, when the amount of power that the ground power supply device 2 can supply per unit time is large (i.e., when the power supply capacity is high), the price setting unit 135 sets the power price for the planned supply amount of power low. On the other hand, when the amount of power that the ground power supply device 2 can supply per unit time is small (i.e., when the power supply capacity is low), the price setting unit 135 sets the power price for the planned supply amount of power high. This prevents many power supply reservations from being made to ground power supply devices 2 with low power supply capacity.

[0084] The electricity price calculated by the price setting unit 135 is stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1 for each ground power supply device 2 and for each time period. Therefore, the electricity price stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1 varies depending on the electricity demand. The electricity price stored in the storage device 12 of the server 1 is transmitted to the vehicle 3 based on an inquiry from the vehicle 3, as described above with reference to step S14 in Fig. 8.

[0085] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S52 that a new power supply reservation has not been received and if it is determined in step S53 that a new cancellation request has not been received, the planned supply power is not calculated, and the power price is not reset but is maintained at the price previously set.

[0086] When the electricity price is reset, the processor 13 of the server 1 determines whether the current time has reached the target time slot (step S56). If it is determined in step S56 that the current time has not reached the target time slot, steps S52 to S55 are repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S56 that the current time has reached the target time slot, the setting process is terminated.

[0087] <Effects and Modifications> In this embodiment, the price of electricity for power supply by each ground power supply device 2 is set according to the status of power supply reservation of each ground power supply device 2. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to set the electricity price to a price that reflects the actual electricity demand.

[0088] In addition, in this embodiment, the power price of each ground power supply device is set for each time period. Power demand changes depending on the time period, and according to this embodiment, it is possible to set a power price that reflects the power demand that changes depending on the time period. Note that, although the power price of the ground power supply device 2 is set for each time period in this embodiment, the power price may be set based on the number of future power supply reservations regardless of the time period.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the planned power supply amount is calculated based on the number of power supply reservations for each ground power supply device and the requested power supply amount for each power supply reservation, and the power price is set based on this planned power supply amount. However, the planned power supply may be calculated by other methods, such as based on the number of power supply reservations and the average power supply amount in one power supply at each ground power supply device 2. Also, the power price may be set based on the value of a parameter other than the planned power supply amount, as long as the parameter is a power supply parameter value that changes in relation to the planned power supply amount at each ground power supply device. For example, the power price may be set based on the number of power supply reservations in a target time period for the target ground power supply device 2 (i.e., the number of vehicles 3 scheduled to pass the target ground power supply device 2 in the target time period).

[0090] In the above embodiment, the power price is set for each ground power supply device 2. In particular, in the above embodiment, since a plurality of power transmission side resonant circuits 43 (i.e., power transmission side coils 44) are provided in one ground power supply device 2, the same power price is set for all the power transmission side coils 44 provided in one ground power supply device 2. However, the same power price may be set for a plurality of ground power supply devices 2. In particular, since a plurality of ground power supply devices 2 are connected to one power source 21, the power price may be set so that the same power price is set for the plurality of ground power supply devices 2 connected to one power source 21. This makes it possible to set the power price according to the power demand for the power source 21. Alternatively, a different power price may be set for each power transmission side coil 44 provided in one ground power supply device 2. This makes it possible to set the power price according to the detailed power demand for each power transmission side coil 44.

[0091] Second embodiment Next, referring to Fig. 11, the configuration and operation of the contactless power supply system 100 according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the contactless power supply system 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, mainly the parts different from the contactless power supply system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0092] In the above-described first embodiment, when the price notification unit 131 of the server 1 receives an inquiry about the electricity price from a vehicle 3, it transmits information including the electricity price of the vehicle 3 to the vehicle 3. However, in this embodiment, the price notification unit 131 transmits the current electricity price to a plurality of vehicles 3 simultaneously at every predetermined arbitrary fixed time interval.

[0093] Fig. 11 is an operation sequence diagram similar to Fig. 8, showing the flow of operations in the server 1, the ground power supply device 2, and the vehicle 3. Steps S65 to S74 in Fig. 11 are similar to S16 to S25 in Fig. 8, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0094] 11, the price notification unit 131 of the server 1 transmits the current electricity price to the vehicles 3 at regular time intervals (step S61). Particularly in this embodiment, the price notification unit 131 transmits the current electricity price stored in the storage device 12 to all of the vehicles 3 capable of communicating with the server 1 at regular time intervals all at once. The vehicles 3 that receive the electricity price store the received electricity price in the storage device 63 or memory 37 of the vehicles 3.

[0095] Thereafter, in response to the user's input of the destination via the HMI 65, the route search unit 381 searches for a travel route of the vehicle 3 to the destination (step S62), similar to step S11 in Fig. 8. When the route search unit 381 searches for a travel route, the power price acquisition unit 382 identifies a ground power supply device 2 located on the travel route searched by the route search unit 381, and acquires the power price at the identified ground power supply device 2 (particularly, the power price during the time period when the vehicle 3 reaches the ground power supply device 2) from the storage device 63 or the memory 37 of the vehicle 3 (step S63). Then, the presentation unit 383 of the vehicle 3 presents the travel route searched by the route search unit 381 and the power price at the ground power supply device 2 on the travel route (step S64).

[0096] According to this embodiment, since there is no inquiry about the power price to the server 1, the processing load on the server 1 can be reduced.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the price notifying unit 131 transmits the current electricity price to the vehicle 3 at regular time intervals. However, when the electricity price set by the setting process shown in Fig. 10 has changed by a predetermined value or more in at least some of the ground power supply devices 2, the price notifying unit 131 may transmit the current electricity price after the change to the vehicle 3. This can reduce the frequency of transmission of the electricity price from the server 1, and therefore the power consumption of the server 1 can be reduced.

[0098] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1 Server 2 Ground power supply equipment 3. Vehicle 4 Power transmission equipment 5 Power receiving device 100 Non-contact power supply system

Claims

1. A server capable of communicating with a plurality of power supply devices connected to a single power supply source and a plurality of vehicles, the server comprising: a scheduled power calculation unit that calculates a value of a power supply parameter that changes in relation to a scheduled amount of power supply in each power supply device based on a power supply reservation from each vehicle to each power supply device; a price setting unit that sets an electricity price for power supply by each power supply device based on a value of a power supply parameter in the power supply device; a price notification unit that notifies a vehicle of the set electricity price, The price setting unit sets the power price so that the power prices for the plurality of power supply devices connected to the one power supply source are the same.

2. The power supply reservation includes information regarding a time when power supply is scheduled to be performed, The server according to claim 1 , wherein the price setting unit sets an electricity price for power supply by each power supply device for each time period.

3. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the price setting unit sets the power price according to the power supply capacity of the power supply device in addition to the planned amount of power supply.

4. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the price notification unit transmits the electricity price to the vehicle when an inquiry about the electricity price is received from the vehicle.

5. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the price notification unit notifies the vehicle of a current electricity price at predetermined time intervals.

6. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the price notification unit notifies the vehicle of a current electricity price when the set electricity price in at least some of the power supply devices changes by a predetermined value or more.

7. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply parameter that changes in relation to the planned power supply amount is the number of power supply reservations in each power supply device.

8. 3 . The server according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply parameter that changes in relation to the planned power supply amount is a planned power supply amount calculated based on a number of power supply reservations in each power supply device and a requested power supply amount in each power supply reservation.

9. 3 . The server according to claim 1 , wherein the price setting unit sets the power price such that the power price of each power supply device increases as the planned power supply amount represented by the power supply parameters of the power supply device increases.

10. 3. The server according to claim 1, further comprising a consumption notification unit that, when receiving a power supply reservation from a vehicle and then receiving a request to cancel the power supply reservation from the vehicle, notifies the vehicle of a cost associated with the cancellation.

11. A power supply system having a server and a vehicle capable of communicating with the server, The server is capable of communicating with a plurality of power supply devices capable of supplying power to the vehicle and a plurality of vehicles, a scheduled power calculation unit that calculates a value of a power supply parameter that changes in relation to a scheduled amount of power supply in each power supply device based on a power supply reservation from each vehicle to each power supply device; a price setting unit that sets an electricity price for power supply by each power supply device based on a value of a power supply parameter in the power supply device; a price notification unit that notifies a vehicle of the set electricity price, The vehicle is A route search unit that searches for a driving route to a destination; an electricity price acquisition unit that acquires electricity prices at the electricity supply devices along the travel route searched for by the route search unit based on the electricity prices transmitted from the server; a presentation unit that presents information about an electricity price at the power supply device along the searched travel route to a user of the vehicle, The power supply system further includes a cancellation transmission unit that, when the user changes a driving route and the power supply device to which the power supply reservation has already been transmitted is no longer included in the changed driving route, transmits to the server a request to cancel the power supply reservation for the power supply device that is no longer included in the driving route.

12. 12. The power supply system according to claim 11, further comprising a reservation transmission unit that transmits, to the server, a power supply reservation to the power supply device for which power supply has been approved, when power supply from the power supply device is approved by the user of the vehicle as a result of presenting information about the electricity price at the power supply device to the user of the vehicle.

13. 1. An electricity price setting method performed in a server connected to a plurality of power supply devices connected to a single power supply source and a plurality of vehicles capable of supplying electricity to the vehicles, the method comprising: calculating a value of a power supply parameter that changes in relation to a planned amount of power supply in each power supply device based on a power supply reservation from each vehicle to each power supply device; setting an electricity price for power supply by each power supply device based on a value of the power supply parameter in the power supply device; notifying a vehicle of the set electricity price; The power price setting method, wherein the power price for power supply by the power supply device is set to be the same for a plurality of power supply devices connected to the single power supply source.

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