Charge level monitoring system

Abstract

The amount of EV charging measured in an average household is understood separately from the power consumed by other devices in the home. [Solution] The charging amount grasping system includes an acquisition means for acquiring charging amount information, which is information regarding the charging of an electric vehicle that is distinguished from electricity consumed by other devices in the home, from a charging device that is connected to wiring in the home and charges the electric vehicle, and an output means for outputting the acquired charging amount information and / or information obtained from the charging amount information via a network.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for determining a charge amount of an electric vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses that in order to provide a credit card payment system for charging fees that can be automatically settled when charging of an electric vehicle is completed, the charging fee is calculated in a charging terminal device and the charging fee is transmitted to a payment server together with a credit card number via a payment relay server. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-137634 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, there is a work style where an employee does not go to the office, but goes directly from home to a destination in a company car, and when work is finished, goes home in the company car without returning to the office. In this work style, the employee may charge the company EV car at the employee's home. And the cost of charging should be borne by the company. However, few ordinary households have EV stands that use EV charging equipment to monitor the amount of charge in an EV, making it difficult to accurately calculate the electricity costs for EV charging in an ordinary household. An object of the present invention is to understand the amount of charge of an EV measured in an ordinary home separately from the power consumed by other devices in the home. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 includes an acquisition means for acquiring, from a charging device that is connected to wiring in a home and charges an electric vehicle, charging amount information that is information relating to the charging of the electric vehicle and that is differentiated from power consumed by other devices in the home, and an output means for outputting the acquired charging amount information and / or information obtained from the charging amount information via a network, wherein the charging device: a charging cable side plug connected to a charging cable for charging the electric vehicle; and a socket for inserting a charging cable side plug connected to the charging cable for charging the electric vehicle, the charging cable having a plug that is inserted into a household socket for taking electricity from wiring electrically connected to equipment in each room in the home, rather than from a dedicated socket for the charging equipment for the electric vehicle; and the charging cable side plug is connected to the wiring in the home via the plug that is inserted into the household socket; The charge amount grasping system includes a control unit that controls charging of the electric vehicle based on information about current values ​​within the home, the control unit acquiring a present current value, which is the current value, from a meter that measures current values ​​within the home, and the control unit acquiring a reserve current value obtained from the difference between a target current value that takes into account a margin for the contract current under contract between an electric power company and the home and the current current value, and the control unit performs charging when a charging current value, which is the current required for charging the electric vehicle, is small compared to the reserve current value, and does not perform charging when the charging current value is large compared to the reserve current value. The invention recited in claim 2 is the charge amount grasping system recited in claim 1, characterized in that the information obtained from the charge amount information is information relating to a charging fee. The invention described in claim 3 is the charging amount grasping system described in claim 1, characterized in that the information obtained from the charging amount information is CO2 information, which is information on CO2 emitted by the electricity associated with charging the electric vehicle. The invention described in claim 4 is the charge amount monitoring system described in claim 1, characterized in that the output means outputs the charge amount information and / or information obtained from the charge amount information to a customer terminal that manages the user who uses the electric vehicle. The invention described in claim 5 is the charging amount grasping system described in claim 4, characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the charging amount information together with information that distinguishes the charging equipment from others and / or information that distinguishes the user from others, and the output means outputs the charging amount information and / or information obtained from the charging amount information to the customer's terminal based on the acquired information that distinguishes the charging equipment from others and / or information that distinguishes the user from others. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp the amount of charge of an EV measured in an ordinary home separately from the power consumed by other devices in the home. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a charge amount grasping system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an external structure of a charging device according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a charging device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a specific example of a control process of a control unit in the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart of a control process of a control unit in the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an external server according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of information processing of an external server in the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the charge amount grasping system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Generally, in companies that use electric vehicles as company cars, for example, electric vehicles are loaned to employees, and the employees may use the electric vehicles to go to their destination directly from their homes without coming to the office, and when work is finished, they may use the electric vehicles to go home without returning to the office. In this case, if the employee's home does not have charging equipment for the electric vehicles, the employee must stop at a charging station for the electric vehicles during working hours to charge (route charging), which creates a problem of reduced work efficiency and sales efficiency. To solve this problem, if a company tries to install charging equipment for electric vehicles at employees' homes, electrical installation work is usually required, which incurs construction costs on the company's side. Furthermore, when the charging equipment is no longer needed due to a transfer or other reason, restoration (removal) work is required, which incurs construction costs on the company's side. Furthermore, when installing charging equipment for electric vehicles, it is usually necessary to increase the contract capacity of electricity by the amount of the charging current of the electric vehicle, which increases the basic electricity fee that employees pay to the power company. In addition, for example, when charging a company car at an employee's home, it is required to distinguish between the electricity consumed by other devices used at the employee's home and the electricity consumed for charging the company's electric vehicle. However, if the system is left as it is, it is not possible to measure only the electricity fee for charging the company's electric vehicle, and it is not possible to accurately reimburse expenses. In response to these problems, the present embodiment does not require any special construction work or an increase in the electricity contract capacity, and enables accurate settlement of the charging fee for an electric vehicle.

[0009] <Explanation of the charging level monitoring system> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a charging amount grasping system 1 in this embodiment. The charging amount grasping system 1 is used in a home A, and includes a charging device 100 having a plug and an outlet for charging an electric vehicle 500. The charging amount grasping system 1 also includes an outdoor outlet 200 connected to the charging device 100, which is an example of an electric vehicle charging device, a distribution board 300, a measuring instrument 400, and a charging cable 600 connecting the electric vehicle 500 and the charging device 100. The charging amount grasping system 1 also includes an external server 700 of, for example, a power company that acquires information from the charging device 100 via a network 900 such as the Internet, and a customer-side terminal 800 connected to the external server 700 via the network 900.

[0010] This charging equipment 100 is, for example, a charging device provided by a power company that provides power to home A. The charging equipment 100 has a plug (described later) that is inserted into an outdoor outlet 200 for taking electricity from wiring in home A, and an outlet (described later) into which a plug (described later) on the side of a charging cable connected to a charging cable 600 for charging an electric vehicle 500 is inserted.

[0011] The charging equipment 100 constantly acquires charging amount information, which is information related to charging of the electric vehicle 500, or at timings according to need. The charging amount information is, for example, information related to the charging time of the electric vehicle 500 or charging power of the electric vehicle 500, and is information that is differentiated from power consumed by other equipment in the home A. The acquired charging amount information is output to the external server 700 via the network 900.

[0012] At this time, identification information is output to the external server 700 together with the charge amount information. The identification information includes information for distinguishing the charging equipment 100 from others and information for distinguishing the user of the electric vehicle 500 from others. An example of the information for distinguishing the charging equipment 100 from others is the terminal number of the charging equipment 100. An example of the information for distinguishing the user of the electric vehicle 500 from others is the name or ID of the user. Note that both the information for distinguishing the charging equipment 100 from others and the information for distinguishing the user of the electric vehicle 500 from others may be output, or only one of them may be output. Note that the information for distinguishing the charging equipment 100 from others may be referred to as "charging equipment information" in this embodiment, and the information for distinguishing the user of the electric vehicle 500 from others may be referred to as "user information" in this embodiment.

[0013] Furthermore, the charging device 100 acquires information on control parameters from the external server 700 via the network 900. Examples of the control parameters include a charging current value that is a current required for charging the electric vehicle 500, a contract current value contracted between the electric power company and the household A, and a margin used to calculate a target current value (described later).

[0014] Note that charging device 100 and outdoor outlet 200 are configured with a standard of, for example, a rated voltage of 125 V and a rated current of 15 A in order to receive a single-phase voltage of 100 V, which is the voltage in home A. However, charging device 100 and outdoor outlet 200 may be configured with a standard of, for example, a rated voltage of 250 V and a rated current of 20 A in order to receive a single-phase voltage of 200 V.

[0015] The distribution board 300 is a facility that is placed inside home A and distributes power within home A. The distribution board 300 has a main breaker 310 that is electrically connected to the power system via a service line (not shown). The distribution board 300 also has an earth leakage breaker 320 that is electrically connected to the main breaker 310 via a voltage line R, a voltage line T, and a neutral line N. The distribution board 300 also has a branch breaker 330 that is electrically connected to the earth leakage breaker 320 via a voltage line R, a voltage line T, and a neutral line N.

[0016] The power system is a commercial AC power system managed by a power company. The voltage line R, the voltage line T, and the neutral line N are a so-called single-phase three-wire power line that distributes electricity by combining voltage lines and neutral lines.

[0017] The earth leakage breaker 320 is a device that detects an earth leakage and cuts off the current passing from the main breaker 310 to the branch breaker 330 via the voltage line R, the voltage line T, and the neutral line N.

[0018] The branch breaker 330 has an upper branch breaker 331 electrically connected to the earth leakage breaker 320 via a voltage line R and a neutral line N. It also has a lower branch breaker 332 electrically connected to the earth leakage breaker 320 via a voltage line T and a neutral line N.

[0019] The upper branch breaker 331 and the lower branch breaker 332 are electrically connected to equipment and outlets in each room in the home A via wiring within the home. For example, the outdoor outlet 200 is electrically connected to the upper branch breaker 331 via a branch circuit L1, which is wiring within the home.

[0020] The measuring instrument 400 is provided on the voltage line R and the voltage line T of the distribution board 300, and is a device for measuring the current value supplied to the home A. The measuring instrument 400 acquires a current value, which is a current value currently supplied to equipment and outlets in each room in the home A. For example, the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R acquires a current value of a current supplied to each equipment through the upper branch breaker 331. The measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T acquires a current value of a current supplied to each equipment through the lower branch breaker 332. The current current values ​​acquired by the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R and the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T are output to the charging device 100 via wireless communication (Wi-fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.) at all times or as necessary. The measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R and the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T may output a current current value by power line communication using the branch circuit L1 as a communication circuit.

[0021] Note that the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R and the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T may add up the current value acquired by the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R and the current value acquired by the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T and output the sum as the current current value in home A. For example, the current current value acquired by the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R may be acquired by the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T, and the sum of the current current value acquired by the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R and the current current value acquired by the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T may be output as the current current value in home A.

[0022] Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of measuring instruments 400, and one measuring instrument 400 may be provided on the voltage line R and on the voltage line T.

[0023] In this embodiment, for example, a smart meter having a communication function may be adopted as a watt-hour meter (not shown) that calculates the amount of power consumed in home A, thereby substituting the function of meter 400.

[0024] The electric vehicle 500 is a vehicle that runs using a rechargeable battery (not shown). The electric vehicle 500 has a charging port 510 into which a charging cable 600 is inserted. The charging cable 600 has a plug 610 on the charging cable side for insertion into a socket (described later) of the charging device 100. Electrically-powered vehicle 500 can be charged by connecting charging port 510 and charging equipment 100 via charging cable 600. In this embodiment, electrically-powered vehicle 500 is charged with, for example, a voltage of 100 V, a current of 12 A, and a power of 1.2 kW.

[0025] The external server 700 is a server device that manages information about the charging device 100. For example, the external server 700 is a server device used by an electric power company that provides electric power to the electric vehicle 500. The external server 700 outputs information about control parameters to the charging device 100 via a network 900.

[0026] Furthermore, the external server 700 acquires charging amount information together with the identification information from the charger 100 via the network 900. Note that only one of the charger information and the user information may be acquired as the identification information. Alternatively, the charger information may be acquired from the charger 100, and the user information may be acquired from a user side terminal (not shown).

[0027] Furthermore, the external server 700 acquires parameters, for example, from a power company terminal (not shown). The parameters include values ​​for calculating a charging fee for the electric vehicle 500. The parameters also include values ​​for calculating CO2 information, which is information on CO2 emitted by electricity accompanying charging of the electric vehicle 500. The values ​​for calculating the charging fee for the electric vehicle 500 include, for example, the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 and the charging fee per kWh. The values ​​for calculating the CO2 information include the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 and the amount of CO2 emissions per kWh.

[0028] Then, the external server 700 calculates the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 using the charging time of the electric vehicle 500 and the charging power of the electric vehicle 500. For example, when the charging time for one month is 100 hours and the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 is 1.2 kW, the charging power is calculated as 120 kWh. The charging power may be obtained from the charging equipment 100.

[0029] Furthermore, the external server 700 calculates the charging fee for the electric vehicle 500 using the charging power and the charging fee per kWh. For example, when the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 is 120 kWh and the charging fee per kWh is 31 yen, the charging fee for the electric vehicle 500 is calculated as 3720 yen. The charging fee for the electric vehicle 500 is an example of information obtained from the charging amount information.

[0030] Furthermore, the external server 700 calculates CO2 information of the electric vehicle 500 using the charging power and the amount of CO2 emissions per 1 kWh. For example, when the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 is 120 kWh and the amount of CO2 emissions per 1 kWh is 0.5 kg-CO2, the CO2 information is calculated as 60 kg-CO2. The CO2 information is an example of information obtained from the charging amount information.

[0031] Furthermore, the external server 700 outputs the identification information, the charging amount information, the charging fee, and the CO2 information to the customer terminal 800 via the network 900. The customer terminal 800 is a customer terminal that manages users who use the electric vehicle 500. For example, the customer is a company organization, and the users are employees of the company. Note that only one of the charging device information and the user information may be output as the identification information. Also, only one of the charging amount information, the charging fee, and the CO2 information may be output. Note that the charging fee is settled by the customer terminal 800 to the employee who is the user of the electric vehicle 500 as a customer expense.

[0032] <External configuration of charging device 100> 2 is a diagram illustrating the external structure of the charging device 100 in this embodiment. The charging device 100 has a plug 110 that is inserted into an outdoor outlet 200 (see FIG. 1), and an outlet 120 into which a plug 610 (see FIG. 1) of a charging cable connected to an electric vehicle 500 is inserted. The plug 110 has a ground pin 111 that is inserted into a ground terminal (not shown) of the outdoor outlet 200, and is connected to the main body of the charging device 100 via a cable 112. The outlet 120 also has a ground terminal 121 into which a ground pin (not shown) of the plug 610 of the charging cable is inserted. 2, the cable 112 is used, but the plug 110 may be provided directly on the main body of the charger 100 without the cable 112. In this case, the plug 110 of the charger 100 can be inserted into the outdoor outlet 200 without the cable 112.

[0033] <Functional configuration of the charging device 100> FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the charging equipment 100 in this embodiment. The charging equipment 100 has a plug 110, an outlet 120, and a relay 130. This relay 130 switches between energization and cut-off from the plug 110 to the outlet 120 via a current path L2 in response to an instruction from a control unit 140. The charging equipment 100 also has a control unit 140 that controls charging of an electric vehicle 500 (see FIG. 1), and a communication unit 150 that communicates with the outside via a communication interface. The functions of the control unit 140 are realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM by using a storage area of ​​the RAM. The charging equipment 100 also has a memory (not shown) that stores various information.

[0034] The control unit 140 includes a target current value calculation unit 141 that calculates a target current value which is a value that takes into account a margin of error with respect to the contract current value under contract between the electric power company and household A, a reserve current value calculation unit 142 that calculates a reserve current value from the difference between the target current value and the current current value in household A, a relay control unit 143 that compares the target current value with the reserve current value and controls the relay 130, a charging amount information acquisition unit 144 that acquires charging amount information when current is flowing through the current path L2 of the charging device 100, and an error flag acquisition unit 145 that acquires an error that occurs due to the control processing of the control unit 140 as an error flag.

[0035] The target current value calculation unit 141 calculates the target current value by multiplying the contract current value by the margin. Note that the margin may be changed according to the temperature of the day, for example, by lowering the margin on a midsummer day.

[0036] The reserve current value calculation unit 142 calculates the reserve current value from the difference between the current value and the target current value in the home A. The reserve current value may be calculated from the difference between the current value and the target current value acquired by the measuring instrument 400 (see FIG. 1) on the voltage line R (see FIG. 1), or the reserve current value may be calculated as the difference between the current value and the target current value acquired by the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T (see FIG. 1).

[0037] The relay control unit 143 controls so as to charge the electric vehicle 500 when the charging current value, which is a current required for charging the electric vehicle 500, is small relative to the reserve current value, and controls so as not to charge the electric vehicle 500 when the charging amount current value is large relative to the reserve current value. In other words, when the reserve current value is larger than the charging current value, the relay control unit 143 controls so as to energize the current path L2, and when the reserve current value is smaller than the charging current value, the relay control unit 143 controls so as to interrupt the current path L2.

[0038] The charging amount information acquisition unit 144 acquires, for example, the charging time of the electric vehicle 500 as the charging amount information. Note that, as the charging amount information, the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 may be acquired together with the charging time of the electric vehicle 500. Also, the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 may be acquired as the charging amount information.

[0039] The error flag acquisition unit 145 acquires, as an error flag, an error that occurs due to the control processing of the control unit 140 described in Fig. 5. An example of an error flag that occurs due to the control processing of the control unit 140 is a communication error with the measuring instrument 400.

[0040] The communication unit 150 has a charging amount information output unit 151 that outputs charging amount information to an external server 700 (see FIG. 1) via a network 900 (see FIG. 1). It also has a current current value information acquisition unit 152 that acquires a current current value in home A from a meter 400 via wireless communication. It also has a control information acquisition unit 153 that acquires control parameters and control logic from the external server 700 via the network 900. It also has an error flag output unit 154 that outputs an error flag to the external server 700 via the network 900.

[0041] The charging amount information output unit 151 outputs the charging amount information acquired by the charging amount information acquisition unit 144 to the external server 700 constantly or at an appropriate timing as required. For example, the charging time of the electric vehicle 500 from 5 pm of the previous day to 5 pm of the current day is output as the charging amount information once a day. As described above, the charging amount information is output together with the identification information.

[0042] The current current value information acquisition unit 152 acquires the current current value from the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R and the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T. As described above, the current current value acquired may be the current current value in home A. The current current value acquired from the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line R and the current current value acquired from the measuring instrument 400 on the voltage line T may be added together to obtain the current current value in home A.

[0043] The control information acquisition unit 153 acquires the control parameters and the control logic from the external server 700. The control logic is a program that realizes the control process of the control unit 140 shown in Fig. 5. The control parameters are, for example, the margin, as described above. The control parameters and the control logic may be stored in a memory provided in the charging device 100 in advance, without being acquired from the external server 700. The error flag output unit 154 outputs the error flag acquired by the error flag acquisition unit 145 to the external server 700 .

[0044] <Control process of the control unit 140> FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the control process of the control unit 140 in this embodiment. The vertical axis of FIG. 4 indicates the current value in home A. The horizontal axis of FIG. 4 indicates time. FIG. 4 also shows the contracted current value in home A and the target current value in home A. The target current value is a value that takes into account a margin for the contracted current value, and is herein a value obtained by multiplying the contracted current value and the margin. In FIG. 4, the contracted current value is 40 A, the margin is 95%, and the target current value is 38 A.

[0045] Furthermore, the reserve current value is exemplified by a1, which is a time when the reserve current value is large, and a2, which is a time when the reserve current value is small. The reserve current value is the difference between the target current value and the current current value in household A. The reserve current value at time a1 is 33A, which is the difference between the target current value 38A and the current current value 5A in household A. The reserve current value at time a2 is 6A, which is the difference between the target current value 38A and the current current value 32A in household A. Furthermore, as a guideline for charging control of the electric vehicle 500, 26 A, which is the difference between the target current value (38 A) and the charging current value (12 A), is illustrated.

[0046] 4, the reserve current value is greater than the charging current value between midnight and 5:00 p.m. For example, at 12:00 p.m., the reserve current value a1 is 33 A, which is greater than the charging current value of 12 A of the electric vehicle 500. Therefore, during the time period between midnight and 5:00 p.m., the control unit 140 performs control so as to charge the electric vehicle 500.

[0047] Next, between 17:00 and 20:00, the reserve current value is smaller than the charging current value. For example, at 19:00, the reserve current value a2 is 6 A, which is smaller than the charging current value of 12 A of the electric vehicle 500. In other words, during the time period between 17:00 and 20:00, the control unit 140 controls so as not to charge the electric vehicle 500. Then, the reserve current value is greater than the charging current value between 8 pm and midnight. That is, during the time period between 8 pm and midnight, the control unit 140 controls the charging of the electric vehicle 500 to be performed again.

[0048] 5 is a flowchart of the control process of the control unit 140 in this embodiment. When power is supplied from home A, the charging device 100 is turned on (step 501). At this point, the current path L2 (see FIG. 3) is cut off. Then, it is determined whether or not there is a control logic and a control parameter (step 502). If there is a control logic and a control parameter (YES in step 502), it is determined whether or not there is communication with the measuring instrument 400 (step 503). If there is no control logic and a control parameter (NO in step 502), an error flag is output and the control process of the control unit 140 ends.

[0049] If there is communication with the meter 400 (YES in step 503), it is determined whether or not the current current value obtained from the meter 400 is greater than a predetermined value X (step 504). Note that the predetermined value X is, for example, the value of the standby current in home A. If there is no communication with the meter 400 (NO in step 503), an error flag is obtained and the control process of the control unit 140 is terminated.

[0050] If the current current value is greater than the predetermined value X (YES in step 504), a target current value is calculated from the control parameters (step 505). The calculation of the target current value has been described with reference to Fig. 4. If the current current value is less than the predetermined value X (NO in step 504), an error flag is acquired, and the control process of the control unit 140 is terminated.

[0051] Next, the current value of the current in home A is obtained as the current value from the meter 400 (step 506), a reserve current value is calculated from the current value in home A (step 507), and it is determined whether or not this reserve current value is greater than the charging current value (step 508). If the reserve current value is greater than the charging current value (YES in step 508), the current is turned ON (step 509), and the relay is controlled so that the current path L2 is energized. If the reserve current value is less than the charging current value (NO in step 508), the current is turned OFF (step 510), and the relay is controlled to keep the current path L2 interrupted.

[0052] Then, after turning on the power (step 509) and turning off the power (step 510), the charging amount information and an error flag are transmitted to the external server 700 (step 511). Then, the processes from step 506 to step 511 are repeated. Note that step 511 does not have to be performed every time, and for example, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the charging amount information acquired until the predetermined time has elapsed may be accumulated and output to the external server 700. Note that, as described above, the charging amount information is output together with the identification information.

[0053] <Functional configuration of the external server 700> Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the external server 700 in this embodiment. The external server 700 has a calculation unit 710 that calculates a charging fee and CO2 information, an identification information correspondence unit 720 that associates identification information with, for example, a customer, and a communication unit 730 that communicates with the outside via a communication interface. The function of the calculation unit 710 is realized by a CPU executing a program stored in a ROM using a storage area of ​​a RAM. The external server 700 also has a memory (not shown) that stores various information.

[0054] The calculation unit 710 has a charging power calculation unit 711 that calculates charging power for the electric vehicle 500 (see FIG. 1). The calculation unit 710 also has a charging fee calculation unit 712 that calculates a charging fee for the electric vehicle 500 using a value for calculating a charging fee for the electric vehicle 500 and the charging power. The calculation unit 710 also has a CO2 information calculation unit 713 that calculates CO2 information using a value for calculating CO2 information and the charging power.

[0055] The identification information corresponding unit 720 corresponds the identification information to the corresponding information. The corresponding information is, for example, information in which charging equipment information, user information, and information of the customer to which the user belongs are linked. For example, when charging equipment information, which is identification information obtained from charging equipment 100 (see FIG. 1), is obtained, the user information and information of the customer to which the user belongs are identified. Also, for example, when user information, which is identification information obtained from charging equipment 100, is obtained, the charging equipment information and information of the customer to which the user belongs are identified. Note that the information of the customer to which the user belongs may be referred to as customer information.

[0056] The communication unit 730 has a charging fee output unit 731 , a CO2 information output unit 732 , a charging amount information acquisition unit 733 , a charging amount information output unit 734 , a parameter acquisition unit 735 , a control information acquisition unit 736 , and a control information output unit 737 .

[0057] The charging fee output unit 731 outputs the charging fee calculated by the calculation unit 710 to the customer terminal 800 (see FIG. 1) via the network 900 (see FIG. 1). At this time, the charging fee output unit 731 specifies an output destination based on the information specified by the identification information correspondence unit 720, and outputs the charging fee to each individual customer terminal 800 as an individual charging fee. For example, when the identification information correspondence unit 720 specifies user information and customer information, the charging fee is output to each individual customer terminal 800 from the user information and customer information. At this time, the user information and customer information may be output together with the charging fee.

[0058] The CO2 information output unit 732 outputs the CO2 information calculated by the calculation unit 710 to the customer terminal 800 via the network 900. The CO2 information output unit 732 specifies the output destination based on the information specified by the identification information correspondence unit 720, and outputs the information as individual CO2 information to the customer terminal 800. For example, when user information and customer information are specified by the identification information correspondence unit 720, the CO2 information is output from the user information and customer information to the individual customer terminal 800. At this time, the user information and customer information may be output together with the CO2 information.

[0059] The charging amount information acquisition unit 733 acquires the charging amount information from the charger 100 via the network 900. At this time, the charging amount information is acquired together with the identification information. The charging amount information output unit 734 outputs the charging amount information to the customer side terminal 800 via the network 900. At this time, the charging amount information is output together with the identification information.

[0060] The parameter acquisition unit 735 acquires parameters from a power company terminal (not shown) via the network 900. As described above, the parameters are values ​​for calculating the charging fee and the CO2 information, and examples of the parameters include the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 and the charging fee per 1 kWh.

[0061] The control information acquisition unit 736 acquires control parameters from a power company terminal (not shown) via the network 900. The control parameters are, for example, the margins described above. The control information output unit 737 outputs the control parameters to the charging device 100.

[0062] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of information processing of the external server 700 in this embodiment. The external server 700 acquires identification information together with charging amount information from the charging equipment 100 (step 701). The charging power is calculated based on the charging power of the electric vehicle 500 and the charging time of the electric vehicle 500 (step 702). As described above, the charging power may be acquired from the charging equipment 100. Then, the charging fee and CO2 information are calculated based on the charging power and the parameters (step 703). The calculation method has been described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 6. Next, the external server 700 associates the identification information with the corresponding information (step 704). Then, the external server 700 specifies an output destination based on the result of the association (step 705), and outputs the charging amount information, the charging fee, and the CO2 information to an individual customer-side terminal 800 (step 706). As described above, only one of the charging amount information, the charging fee, and the CO2 information may be output.

[0063] In this manner, in the present embodiment, the charging device 100 is connected to the outdoor outlet 200, and the electric vehicle 500 is charged using 100V, which is a general voltage used in the home A, so that the electric vehicle 500 can be charged without the need for new construction of a charging facility. Furthermore, when there is no reserve current value, the electric vehicle 500 is not charged due to the charging control of the control unit 140, so that there is no need to change the contract current value in the home A when charging the electric vehicle 500. Furthermore, as described above, the charging fee for the electric vehicle 500 is provided to the customer at a rate that is differentiated from the power consumed by other devices in the home A. In this manner, in the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user when charging the electric vehicle 500 using a power source for the home A.

[0064] In this embodiment, the control unit 140 performs control processing based on the current current value in home A, which is the sum of the current current value obtained by measuring instrument 400 on voltage line R and the current current value obtained by measuring instrument 400 on voltage line T. However, the control unit 140 may perform control processing based on the current current value obtained by measuring instrument 400 on voltage line R, or the control unit 140 may perform control processing based on the current current value obtained by measuring instrument 400 on voltage line T.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the external server 700 managed by the electric power company processes information, but the information may be processed by a server managed by a customer company that owns the customer-side terminal 800. For example, the server of the customer company may acquire the identification information together with the charging amount information from the external server 700, and the server of the customer company may calculate an individual charging fee and CO2 information based on the charging amount information. Also, the server of the customer company may acquire the charging amount information from the charging equipment 100.

[0066] <Modification> 8 is a diagram illustrating a charging amount grasping system 2 which is a modified example of the above-described charging amount grasping system 1. The charging amount grasping system 2 illustrates a case where charging control of the electric vehicle 500 is performed in response to an instruction from an external server 700. Note that the same functions as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted here.

[0067] The charging amount grasping system 2 includes a charging equipment 101 for charging an electric vehicle 500. The charging equipment 101 includes a wireless communication device 10 that controls a relay 130 based on information related to charging control, and a measuring instrument 20 on the charging equipment side that measures charging amount information of the electric vehicle 500. The charge amount monitoring system 2 also includes a wireless communication device 30 on the distribution board side that outputs a current current value to an external server 700. The system also includes a router 40 that communicates with the external server 700, the wireless communication device 10, and the wireless communication device 30 on the distribution board side.

[0068] The wireless communication device 10 acquires charging amount information of the electric vehicle 500 from the measuring instrument 20 on the charging equipment side. The acquired charging amount information is output to the router 40 by wireless communication.

[0069] The wireless communication device 10 acquires information related to charging control from the external server 700 via the router 40. The information related to charging control includes information instructing to charge the electric vehicle 500. The information related to charging control also includes information instructing not to charge the electric vehicle 500.

[0070] The wireless communication device 10 then controls the relay 130 based on the acquired information related to charging control. For example, when the wireless communication device 10 acquires information instructing to charge the electric vehicle 500, the wireless communication device 10 controls the relay 130 to energize the current path L2. Also, for example, when the wireless communication device 10 acquires information instructing not to charge the electric vehicle 500, the wireless communication device 10 controls the relay 130 to interrupt the current path L2.

[0071] The wireless communication device 30 on the distribution board side acquires the current current value of the home A from the meter 400. The acquired current current value is output to the router 40 by wireless communication.

[0072] The router 40 acquires charging amount information from the wireless communication device 10 via wireless communication. The router 40 also outputs the charging amount information to the external server 700 via the network 900. The router 40 also acquires a current current value from the wireless communication device 30 on the distribution board side via wireless communication. The router 40 also outputs the current current value to the external server 700 via the network 900. The router 40 also acquires information related to charging control from the external server 700 via the network 900. The router 40 also outputs information related to charging control to the wireless communication device 10 via wireless communication.

[0073] In the charging amount monitoring system 2, the external server 700 acquires the charging amount information and the current current value from the router 40 via the network 900. In the charge amount monitoring system 2, the external server 700 calculates the target current value, the reserve current value, and the charging current value from the control parameters and the current current value. The calculation method is the same as the method described for the control unit 140 in FIG. Then, the external server 700 compares the difference between the reserve current value and the charging current value, and outputs information related to charging control. For example, when the reserve current value is greater than the charging current value, the external server 700 outputs information to the wireless communication device 10 instructing the wireless communication device 10 to charge the electric vehicle 500. Also, for example, when the reserve current value is smaller than the charging current value, the external server 700 outputs information to the wireless communication device 10 instructing the wireless communication device 10 not to charge the electric vehicle 500.

[0074] In this manner, according to the modified example, the configuration of the charger 101 can be simplified by communicating with the external server 700 using the router 40 in the home A. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 100: charging device, 400: measuring instrument, 500: electric vehicle, 700: external server, 800: customer terminal

Claims

1. an acquisition means for acquiring, from a charging device that is connected to wiring in a home and charges an electric vehicle, charging amount information that is information regarding the charging of the electric vehicle and that is differentiated from power consumed by other devices in the home; and an output means for outputting the acquired charging amount information and / or information obtained from the charging amount information via a network, the charging device has a plug to be inserted into a household outlet for taking electricity not from a dedicated outlet for charging equipment for the electric vehicle but from wiring electrically connected to equipment in each room in the home, and an outlet for inserting a charging cable side plug connected to a charging cable for charging the electric vehicle, the charging device is connected to the wiring in the home via the plug inserted into the household outlet, and has a control unit that controls charging of the electric vehicle based on information about a current value in the home, The control unit acquires a current value, which is a current value, from a meter that measures a current value in the home, The control unit acquires a margin current value obtained from a difference between a target current value, which is a margin of a contract current between an electric power company and the household, and the current current value, The control unit performs charging when a charging current value, which is the current required to charge the electric vehicle, is small relative to the reserve current value, and does not perform charging when the charging current value is large relative to the reserve current value.

2. 2. The system for determining a charge amount according to claim 1, wherein the information obtained from the charge amount information is information relating to a charge fee.

3. 2. The charge amount grasping system according to claim 1, wherein the information obtained from the charge amount information is CO2 information which is information on CO2 emitted by electricity accompanying charging of the electric vehicle.

4. the output means outputs the charging amount information and / or information obtained from the charging amount information to a terminal of a customer who manages a user of the electric vehicle; 2. The system for monitoring a charge amount according to claim 1 .

5. the acquiring means acquires the charging amount information together with information that distinguishes the charging device from others and / or information that distinguishes the user from others; the output means outputs the charging amount information and / or information obtained from the charging amount information to the customer terminal based on the acquired information distinguishing the charging device from others and / or information distinguishing the user from others; 5. The system for monitoring a charge amount according to claim 4.

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