Charge and Discharge State Display Device

Abstract

To make it possible to detect that a user withdraws intentionally from a DR requirement.SOLUTION: When performing charge / discharge of a battery based on a DR requirement, a first mode display is displayed on a display part 620 of a portable terminal. A first mode display includes an end button Sb. When the end button Sb is operated, a communication part notifies a server of a fact that the charge / discharge of the battery is stopped. When a user operates the end button Sb, the portable terminal performs notification to the server, thus the server can detect that the user withdraws intentionally from the DR requirement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charge and discharge state display device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in order to maintain the supply-demand balance of electric power supplied from the power system, a virtual power plant (VPP) that integrates and controls a plurality of distributed energy resources (DERs) as if they were a single power plant has attracted attention. For example, in order to meet the requests of electric power companies, a demand response (DR) request is sent from the server of an aggregator to the energy management system of a consumer (for example, a home energy management system (HEMS)) via an EMS (Energy Management System) network, and the charge and discharge of the battery mounted on an electric vehicle is performed, so that the in-vehicle battery is assumed to be utilized as a DER.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-85383 (Patent Document 1) discloses a charge and discharge system having a smart grid control mode in which a charge and discharge schedule of a battery is created based on various information such as the history of power demand in a house, the state of the battery mounted on an electric vehicle, and the current time, and the battery is charged and discharged according to the schedule, and a dedicated charging mode in which the battery is charged by a manual operation of a user. The charge and discharge system of Patent Document 1 includes a display that displays whether the charge and discharge state of the battery is in the smart grid control mode and the power transmission direction between the charge and discharge device and the battery.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the charge and discharge system disclosed in Patent Document 1, a consumer (user) can recognize that the charge and discharge state of the battery is charge and discharge according to a charge and discharge schedule. However, if the charge and discharge plug (charge and discharge cable) is removed from the electric vehicle during the charge and discharge according to the charge and discharge schedule, the charge and discharge according to the charge and discharge schedule stops. When the charge and discharge schedule (charge and discharge plan) is created by a server, the server cannot determine whether the user intentionally detached from the charge and discharge plan or, for example, it is a temporary stop of charge and discharge due to a communication failure or the like. For this reason, it becomes difficult to replan the charge and discharge plan.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to enable detection of a user's intentional detachment from a charge and discharge plan.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The charge and discharge state display device of the present disclosure includes a display unit that displays the charge and discharge state of an electric vehicle equipped with a battery that can be electrically connected to a power system, and a communication unit that communicates with a server that creates a charge and discharge plan for the battery. The display unit of the charge and discharge state display device displays a first mode display that is displayed when the charge and discharge of the battery is executed based on the charge and discharge plan created by the server, and a second mode display that is displayed when the user of the electric vehicle operates to execute the charge and discharge of the battery. The first mode display includes an end operation unit that displays an instruction to end the charge and discharge of the battery. When the end operation unit is operated, the communication unit of the charge state display device notifies the server that the charge and discharge of the battery is to be stopped.

[0008] According to this configuration, when charging and discharging the battery based on the charge and discharge plan created by the server, the first mode display is shown on the display unit. The first mode display includes an end operation unit that indicates the completion of the battery charging and discharging. When the end operation unit is operated, the communication unit notifies the server that creates the charge and discharge plan of stopping the battery charging and discharging. When the user operates the end operation unit, the charge and discharge state display device notifies the server that creates the charge and discharge plan. Therefore, the server can detect that the user intentionally deviates from the charge and discharge plan.

[0009] Preferably, the display unit and the communication unit may be provided on a mobile terminal owned by the user.

[0010] Since the first mode display and the second mode display are shown on the mobile terminal owned by the user, the convenience of the user can be improved.

[0011] Preferably, the second mode display may not include an end operation unit that indicates the completion of the battery charging and discharging.

[0012] According to this configuration, since the end operation unit is shown only in the first mode display, the annoyance of the user can be reduced.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to detect that the user intentionally deviates from the charge and discharge plan.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a power system including a charge / discharge state display device according to the present embodiment. The power system 100 of the present embodiment is a VPP system. The VPP system is a mechanism that bundles a large number of DERs by using advanced energy management technology utilizing IoT (Internet of Things) and functions like a single power plant by remotely and integrally controlling these DERs. In the power system 100 of the present embodiment, as DERs, a stationary battery 20 and an electric vehicle 40 equipped with a battery are used.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the power system 100 includes a power grid PG, a house 10, a stationary battery 20, an electric vehicle 40, an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Service Equipment) 50, and a server 200. The power grid PG is a power system composed of a power plant, transmission lines, a high-voltage substation, etc., and is a power grid managed by a power company (power generation business operator, power transmission and distribution business operator, retail electricity business operator, etc.).

[0018] Server 200 is a server managed and operated by a resource aggregator. It directly concludes a VPP service contract with a customer who owns DERs and controls the DERs. Server 200 creates a charging and discharging plan for the DERs based on a requested DR request from an aggregation coordinator or a power company.

[0019] Residence 10 connected to the power grid PG is divided into Residence 10A equipped with a HEMS for controlling home appliances in the residence and Residence 10B without a HEMS. The HEMS controls the charging and discharging of the DERs based on the charging and discharging plan transmitted from Server 200. The stationary battery 20 is provided in Residence 10A equipped with a HEMS, and the charging and discharging of the stationary battery 20 are controlled by the HEMS.

[0020] The electric vehicle 40 is configured to be able to run using the power stored in the battery 41. The electric vehicle 40 according to the present embodiment is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) without an engine (internal combustion engine), but may also be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). The battery 41 is composed of a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery, for example. The electric vehicle 40 includes an inlet and a charging and discharging circuit (not shown) for charging and discharging the battery 41.

[0021] The EVSE50 is a power supply device compatible with V2H (Vehicle to Home) (or V2G (Vehicle to Grid)). It converts the AC power supplied from the power grid PG into DC power to charge the battery 41. The EVSE50 converts the DC power discharged from the battery 41 into AC power and supplies power to the household appliances in the house 10. Note that it may be possible to supply the power discharged from the battery 41 to the power grid PG (reverse power flow). When the plug (connector) 52 of the charge / discharge cable 51 of the EVSE50 is connected (plugged in) to the inlet of the electric vehicle 40, the electric vehicle 40 becomes in a charge / discharge enabled state (i.e., a state where power transfer with the EVSE50 is possible).

[0022] The EVSE50 installed in the house 10A equipped with HEMS is controlled by the HEMS, and the EVSE50 installed in the house 10B without HEMS is controlled by the control unit of the electric vehicle 40.

[0023] The mobile terminal 60 is an example of a charge / discharge state display device that displays the charge / discharge state of the electric vehicle 40 (battery 41). The mobile terminal 60 is a mobile terminal owned by the user of the electric vehicle 40 and may be, for example, a smartphone or a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal 60 and the electric vehicle 40 are paired, for example, by recognizing the identification numbers (IDs) of both to form a pair.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of each device such as the server 200 in the present embodiment. The server 200 includes hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, and these hardware constitute each functional block of an energy management unit 210, a vehicle management unit 220, and a communication unit 230. The energy management unit 210 receives, for example, a DR request from an aggregation coordinator and creates a DR request plan for each DER. For example, when the DR request is up-DR, a DR request plan is created to increase the power consumption of each DER, for example, by performing charging. When the DR request is down-DR, for example, a DR request plan is created for each DER to perform discharging. The vehicle management unit 220 creates a charge / discharge plan for the electric vehicle 40. The charge / discharge plan for the electric vehicle 40 is created based on the DR request plan created by the energy management unit 210 and the timer charging plan of the electric vehicle 40. The communication unit 230 communicates with the mobile terminal 60, the electric vehicle 40, the HEMS, etc. Further, the communication unit 230 also communicates with a server of an aggregation coordinator (not shown).

[0025] The control unit 410 of the electric vehicle 40 has hardware such as a CPU and a memory, and these hardware constitute each functional block of a timer setting unit 411, a battery management unit 412, a display control unit 413, and a communication unit 414. The communication unit 414 communicates with the server 200, the EVSE 50, the mobile terminal 60, etc. The timer setting unit 411 sets the timer charging of the battery 41. The timer charging may be to start charging from an arbitrary time specified by the user, or may be automatically set so that charging is completed by an arbitrary time (departure time) specified by the user and charging is performed during the late-night power time zone.

[0026] The battery management unit 412 detects the state of the battery 41 (e.g., SOC (State Of Charge)) and executes charge and discharge control of the battery 41. The display control unit 413 controls the display of an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device (not shown) provided in the electric vehicle 40. The HMI device may be, for example, a multi-information display provided on the dashboard.

[0027] The control unit 610 of the mobile terminal 60 has hardware such as a CPU and a memory, and these hardware constitute each functional block of a timer setting unit 611, an information collection unit 612, a display control unit 613, and a communication unit 614. The communication unit 614 communicates with the server 200, the electric vehicle 40, etc. The timer setting unit 611 sets timer charging of the battery 41. The function of the timer setting unit 611 is the same as that of the timer setting unit 411. The information collection unit 612 collects the charge and discharge plan of the electric vehicle 40, the state of the battery 41 (e.g., SOC, charge and discharge state), etc. from the server 200 (vehicle management unit 220) and the electric vehicle 40. The display control unit 613 controls the display of the display (display unit) of the mobile terminal 60.

[0028] The DR request transmitted from the Aggregation Coordinator to Server 200 is the time period (date and time) for executing DR and the required charge and discharge power. For example, taking 30 minutes as one frame, it is the charge and discharge power in each frame. The Energy Management Unit 210 of Server 200 creates a DR request plan for each DER according to the characteristics and scale of each DER based on the DR request transmitted from the Aggregation Coordinator. The Vehicle Management Unit 220 creates a charge and discharge plan for Battery 41 based on the DR request plan of Electric Vehicle 40 created by the Energy Management Unit 210 and the timer charging plan set by the Timer Setting Units 411 and 611. The charge and discharge plan of Battery 41 is created, for example, when timer charging is set so that charging is completed by an arbitrary time (departure time) specified by the user, while satisfying the charging end time by timer charging and enabling charge and discharge according to the DR request plan, and adjusting with the Energy Management Unit 210 as needed according to the DR request plan. Therefore, the charge and discharge plan of Battery 41 includes a charge and discharge plan based on the DR request and a charge and discharge plan based on timer charging. The charge and discharge plan based on the DR request corresponds to an example of the "charge and discharge plan created by the server" of the present disclosure.

[0029] In House 10A equipped with HEMS, the charge and discharge plan created by the Vehicle Management Unit 220 is transmitted to the HEMS, and the HEMS controls the EVSE 50 to charge and discharge Battery 41 according to the charge and discharge plan. In House 10B without HEMS, the charge and discharge plan created by the Vehicle Management Unit 220 is transmitted to Electric Vehicle 40 (Control Unit 410), and Electric Vehicle 40 (Control Unit 410) controls the EVSE 50 to charge and discharge Battery 41 according to the charge and discharge plan.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining display items displayed on a display unit (display) 620 of the mobile terminal 60. In FIG. 3, “(a) First mode display” is an example of display items displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 when charging the battery 41 is being executed according to a charge and discharge plan created by the server, and corresponds to an example of the “first mode display” of the present disclosure. In the first mode display, a display indicating that charging is in progress based on the charge and discharge plan created by the server (charging in progress by VPP control) and an end button Sb are displayed. The end button Sb corresponds to an example of the “end operation unit” of the present disclosure. When discharging is being executed from the battery 41 based on the charge and discharge plan created by the server, instead of “charging in progress”, a display indicating that “discharging is in progress” is shown (for example, instead of “charging in progress by VPP control”, it is shown as “discharging in progress by VPP control”). Note that the display form of the end button Sb does not have to be “end”, and may be, for example, a display such as “stop” or “interrupt”.

[0031] In FIG. 3, “(b) Second mode display” is an example of display items displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 when charging the battery 41 is being executed by timer charging (according to a charge and discharge plan based on timer charging) or by a user's charge start operation, and corresponds to an example of the “second mode display” of the present disclosure. Timer charging is set by the user and includes the user operating to execute charge and discharge of the battery 41. In the second mode display, the end button Sb is not displayed. When discharging is being executed from the battery 41 due to the user's discharge start operation or a request from the HEMS, instead of “charging in progress”, a display indicating that “discharging is in progress” is made.

[0032] In FIG. 3, “(c) Stop display” is a display item displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 when charge and discharge of the battery 41 is not being performed, and a display indicating that there is “no charge and discharge” is shown.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of display control processed by the control unit 610 of the mobile terminal 60. This flowchart is executed when there is a charging state display request operation. The charging state display request operation is performed, for example, when the user presses a display request button displayed on the display unit 620. When there is a charging state display operation request, at step (hereinafter, steps are abbreviated as "S") 10, it is determined whether the battery 41 is being charged or discharged. For example, the information collection unit 612 may determine whether the battery 41 is being charged or discharged based on the charging and discharging state of the battery 41 collected from the battery management unit 412. If the battery 41 is not being charged or discharged, a negative determination is made at S10 and the process proceeds to S11. If the battery 41 is being charged or discharged, an affirmative determination is made at S10 and the process proceeds to S12.

[0034] At S11, the display control unit 613 ends the current routine with the display item to be displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 being (c) "stop display" (see FIG. 3).

[0035] At S12, it is determined whether the charging and discharging of the battery 41 is under VPP control. Note that being under VPP control means when the charging and discharging of the battery 41 is being executed based on a charging plan created by the server. For example, the information collection unit 612 may determine whether it is under VPP control based on the charging and discharging plan collected from the vehicle management unit 220 and the current time. For example, when the current time is within the time zone of the charging and discharging plan based on the DR request, it is determined that it is under VPP control, and when the current time is not within the time zone of the charging and discharging plan based on the DR request, it is determined that it is not under VPP control. At S12, if it is determined (affirmative determination) that it is under VPP control, the process proceeds to S13. At S12, if it is determined (negative determination) that it is not under VPP control, the process proceeds to S14.

[0036] At S13, the display control unit 613 ends the current routine with the display item to be displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 being (a) "first mode display" (see FIG. 3). At S14, the display control unit 613 ends the current routine with the display item to be displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 being (b) "second mode display" (see FIG. 3).

[0037] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of notification control processed by the control unit 610 of the mobile terminal 60. This flowchart is repeatedly processed at predetermined intervals when the display item displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 is (a) "First mode display" (see FIG. 3).

[0038] In S20, it is determined whether or not the end button Sb has been pressed. If the end button Sb is pressed and the end button Sb is operated, an affirmative determination is made and the process proceeds to S21. If the end button Sb is not pressed, a negative determination is made and the current routine ends.

[0039] In S21, after transmitting a charge / discharge stop notification from the communication unit 614 to the vehicle management unit 220 of the server 200, the current routine ends. The charge / discharge stop notification notifies that the end button Sb has been pressed and the plug 52 has been removed from the inlet of the electric vehicle 40 by the user.

[0040] According to the present embodiment, based on a DR request (requested schedule requested from the power system) from the aggregation coordinator, the server 200 (vehicle management unit 220) creates a charge / discharge schedule for the electric vehicle 40 (battery 41). When charging and discharging the battery 41 based on the DR request (during VPP control), the first mode display is displayed on the display unit 620. The first mode display includes an end button Sb. When the end button Sb is operated (pressed), the communication unit 614 notifies the server 200 that the charging and discharging of the battery 41 is to be stopped (S21). When the user operates the end button Sb, since the mobile terminal 60 notifies the server 200, the server 200 can detect that the user intentionally deviates from the charge / discharge schedule (DR request) created by the server 200. When the server 200 (vehicle management unit 220) detects that the user intentionally deviates from the charge / discharge schedule (DR request), for example, it becomes possible to respond to the DR request by re-creating the DR request schedule (charge / discharge schedule) of each DER.

[0041] According to the present embodiment, when charging or discharging the battery 41 is executed by timer charging (according to a charge / discharge plan based on timer charging) or by a user's charge / discharge start operation, that is, when the user operates based on the user's needs to execute charge / discharge of the battery, the display unit 620 displays a second mode display. The second mode display does not include the end button Sb. When it is not charge / discharge based on a DR request, since the end button Sb is not displayed on the display unit 620, the annoyance of the user can be reduced.

[0042] In addition, in the first mode display, when the end button Sb is operated, the EVSE 50 may be controlled so that the charge / discharge of the battery 41 stops. In this case, when the charge / discharge stops, the plug 52 and the locking mechanism of the inlet may be released, and it may be possible to remove the plug 52 from the inlet.

[0043] Also, when the end button Sb is operated, the charge / discharge of the battery 41 does not necessarily have to stop. In this case, by operating a unlocking operation unit provided in the electric vehicle 40 or an unlocking button displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60, the locking mechanism of the plug 52 and the inlet may be released, and it may be possible to remove the plug 52 from the inlet. Also, in synchronization with the operation of the unlocking operation unit or the unlocking button, the charge / discharge of the battery 41 may be stopped.

[0044] In the above embodiment, an example in which the mobile terminal 60 is configured as the "charge state display device" of the present disclosure has been described. However, it may be configured as a charge state display device having the same function as the mobile terminal 60 by using the control unit 410 of the electric vehicle 40 and an HMI device (multi-information display) provided in the electric vehicle 40.

[0045] In the above-described embodiment, the server 200 created a charge / discharge plan based on a DR request. However, without being based on a DR request, for example, a charge / discharge plan may be created by the server so as to comply with an agreement implemented with an electric power company. The "charge / discharge plan created by the server" in the present disclosure is a charge / discharge plan created by the server without being based on the needs of the user of the electric vehicle (without the user operating / setting).

[0046] (Modification example) FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining display items displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 in the modification example. In the modification example, "second mode display" and "stop display" are the same as those in the above-described embodiment. In FIG. 6, "(a) first mode display" is a display item displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 when charging of the battery 41 is executed according to a charge / discharge plan based on a DR request. In this modification example, by displaying the item "demand response", it is indicated that charging is in progress based on a DR request. When discharging is executed from the battery 41 based on a DR request, it is indicated that "discharging" is in progress instead of "charging".

[0047] In this modification example, when the end button Sb is operated, the charge / discharge of the battery 41 does not stop. When the charge / discharge stop operation unit provided in the EVSE 50 is operated, or when the charge / discharge stop operation unit provided in the electric vehicle 40 is operated, or when the charge / discharge stop button displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 is operated, the charge / discharge of the battery 41 stops.

[0048] In FIG. 6, "(b) transition display" is a display item displayed on the display unit 620 of the mobile terminal 60 when the end button Sb of the first mode display is operated (pressed). In the "(b) transition display", the user is prompted to remove the plug 52 after performing the charge / discharge end operation. By prompting the user to perform the charge / discharge end operation before removing the plug 52 from the inlet, the convenience during insertion / removal of the plug 52 can be improved.

[0049] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, rather than the description of the above embodiments, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0050] 10 House, 20 Stationary battery, 40 Electric vehicle, 41 Battery, 50 EVSE, 51 Charge and discharge cable, 52 Plug, 60 Form terminal, 100 Power system, 200 Server, 210 Energy management unit, 220 Vehicle management unit, 230 Communication unit, 410 Control unit, 411 Timer setting unit, 412 Battery management unit, 413 Display control unit, 414 Communication unit, 610 Control unit, 611 Timer setting unit, 612 Information collection unit, 613 Display control unit, 614 Communication unit, 620 Display unit, PG Power system, Sb End button.

Claims

1. A charge / discharge state display device comprising: a display unit that displays the charge / discharge state of an electric vehicle equipped with a battery electrically connectable to an electric power system; and a communication unit that communicates with a server that creates a charge / discharge plan for the battery, wherein the display unit, displays a first mode display that is displayed when charging / discharging of the battery is being executed based on a charge / discharge plan created by the server, and a second mode display that is displayed when the user of the electric vehicle operates to execute charging / discharging of the battery, and the first mode display includes an end operation unit that displays that charging / discharging of the battery is to be ended, wherein the communication unit, when the end operation unit is operated, notifies the server that charging / discharging of the battery is to be stopped. The charge / discharge state display device.

2. The charge / discharge state display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit and the communication unit are provided in a mobile terminal owned by the user.

3. The charge / discharge state display device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the second mode display does not include the end operation unit.

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