Server, reservation management system and management method

Abstract

To facilitate usage reservation for a power charging station in order to respond to a request to adjust balance between power demand and supply on a power grid.SOLUTION: A server 1 includes a communication unit 11 and a processing unit 12. The communication unit 11 receives a reservation request signal which requests a usage reservation of a power charging station 3 by an electric vehicle 2. The processing unit 12 sets a usage reservation time zone during which the electric vehicle 2 uses the power charging station 3 on the basis of the reservation request signal. The processing unit 12 sets length of the usage reservation time zone longer, when the reservation request signal includes information indicating implementation of adjustment power control, than when the reservation request signal does not include the information indicating the implementation of the adjustment power control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] International Publication No. 2013 / 137071 describes a charger reservation system. This system includes a reservation processing unit and a required charging time calculation unit. The reservation processing unit receives a reservation registration for charger use and manages reservation information including a start date and time of use and a tentative end date and time of use. The required charging time calculation unit calculates the required time for charging when a user starts using the charger based on the reservation registration. The reservation processing unit calculates a new end date and time of use based on the required time and updates the tentative end date and time of use to the new end date and time of use. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2013 / 137071 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is conceivable that electric vehicles may use charging stations (chargers) connected to a power grid to implement power control in response to adjustment requests from a supply and demand management server that manages the demand and supply of electricity in the power grid, rather than through normal charging control. Therefore, in managing reservations for charging stations, it is necessary not only to increase the efficiency of charging station use, but also to make it easier to reserve charging stations in response to adjustment requests for the demand and supply of electricity in the power grid.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to facilitate reservations for the use of charging stations in order to meet the demand for adjusting the supply and demand of electricity in a power grid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A server according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a server that manages reservations for use of a charging station connected to an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle or the charging station is configured to be able to perform adjustable power control, which is power control that includes at least one of feeding power from the electric vehicle to the power grid and charging the electric vehicle from the power grid, in response to an adjustment request from a supply and demand management server that manages power supply and demand in the power grid, and normal charging control that charges the battery of the electric vehicle without an adjustment request. The server includes a communication unit and a processing unit. The communication unit receives a reservation request signal that requests a reservation for use of the charging station by the electric vehicle. The processing unit sets a reservation time slot for use of the charging station by the electric vehicle based on the reservation request signal, and sets the length of the reservation time slot longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control.

[0007] A server according to a first aspect of the present disclosure can improve the utilization efficiency of charging stations by setting a reservation time slot long enough for normal charging control when an electric vehicle is not scheduled to perform adjustable power control. On the other hand, an electric vehicle is required to perform adjustable power control for a relatively longer period of time than normal charging control. According to the above configuration, when an electric vehicle requests adjustable power control, the server sets a longer reservation time slot for performing adjustable power control. This allows an electric vehicle to easily make a reservation to use a charging station to meet a request for adjusting the supply and demand of power in the power grid.

[0008] In the server according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, when the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control, the processing unit preferably sets the usage reservation time slot based on the information so that the usage reservation time slot includes at least a portion of the time slot during which adjustable power control is implemented. This allows the electric vehicle to more reliably implement adjustable power control when actually using the reserved charging station.

[0009] In the server according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the charging station is preferably configured such that the electric vehicle connected to the charging station or the charging station is capable of regulated power control that includes both power feeding from the electric vehicle to the power grid and charging of the electric vehicle from the power grid, and the processing unit sets the length of the reserved usage time slot longer when the regulated power control includes both charging of the electric vehicle from the power grid and power feeding from the electric vehicle to the power grid than when the regulated power control includes only charging of the electric vehicle from the power grid. This makes it possible to encourage use of the charging station by electric vehicles that can more flexibly respond to requests for power supply and demand adjustment.

[0010] A management system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes an electric vehicle equipped with a battery, a charging station connected to the electric vehicle, and a server that manages reservations for use of the charging station. The electric vehicle or the charging station is configured to be able to perform adjustable power control, which is power control that includes at least one of feeding power from the electric vehicle to the power grid and charging from the power grid to the electric vehicle, in response to an adjustment request from a supply and demand management server that manages power supply and demand in the power grid, and normal charging control that charges the battery without an adjustment request. The server includes a communication unit and a processing unit. The communication unit receives a reservation request signal that requests a reservation for use of the charging station by the electric vehicle. The processing unit sets a reservation time slot for use of the charging station by the electric vehicle based on the reservation request signal, and sets the length of the reservation time slot longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control.

[0011] In a management system according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, when an electric vehicle is not scheduled to perform adjustable power control, a reservation usage time slot is set that is long enough for normal charging control, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of charging stations. On the other hand, the electric vehicle is required to perform adjustable power control for a relatively longer period of time than normal charging control. Here, according to the above configuration, when an electric vehicle desires adjustable power control, a longer reservation usage time slot for performing adjustable power control is set. This allows the electric vehicle to easily make a reservation to use a charging station to meet the adjustment request for power demand and supply in the power grid.

[0012] A management method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a management method for managing reservations for use of a charging station connected to an electric vehicle equipped with a battery. The electric vehicle or the charging station is configured to be able to perform adjustable power control, which is power control that includes at least one of feeding power from the electric vehicle to the power grid and charging the electric vehicle from the power grid, in response to an adjustment request from a supply and demand management server that manages power supply and demand in the power grid, and normal charging control that charges the battery without an adjustment request. The management method includes the steps of receiving a reservation request signal requesting a reservation for use of the charging station by the electric vehicle, and setting a reservation time slot during which the electric vehicle will use the charging station based on the reservation request signal, and setting the length of the reservation time slot longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control.

[0013] In a management method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, when an electric vehicle is not scheduled to perform adjustable power control, a reservation usage time slot is set that is long enough for normal charging control, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of charging stations. On the other hand, the electric vehicle is required to perform adjustable power control for a relatively longer period of time than normal charging control. Here, according to the above configuration, when an electric vehicle desires adjustable power control, a longer reservation usage time slot is set for performing adjustable power control. This allows the electric vehicle to easily make a reservation to use a charging station to meet the adjustment request for power demand and supply in the power grid. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it becomes easier to reserve the use of charging stations to meet the demand for adjusting the supply and demand of electricity in a power grid. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a reservation management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of contract information related to adjustment power control. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of user registration information. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of charging station registration information. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of charging station reservation information. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow of a server and an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a reservation system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0017] [Embodiment 1] <Overall system configuration> 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a reservation management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The reservation management system includes a server 1, an electric vehicle 2, and a plurality of charging stations 3.

[0018] The server 1 is a computer used to manage reservations for use of the charging stations 3. In this embodiment, the server 1 may belong to, for example, a management company that manages the charging stations 3 and parking spaces for electric vehicles that use the charging stations 3. The server 1 may also belong to an electric power company, an aggregator (described later), or another company (such as an automobile manufacturer). A detailed configuration of the server 1 and a reservation management method using the server 1 will be described later.

[0019] The electrically powered vehicle 2 is equipped with a battery 21. Examples of the electrically powered vehicle 2 include a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle). The electrically powered vehicle 2 is configured so that a charging cable 31 extending from a charging station 3 is connected to the electrically powered vehicle 2, thereby receiving power from the power grid PG and charging the battery 21. Furthermore, the electrically powered vehicle 2 may be configured so that the charging cable 31 is connected to the electrically powered vehicle 2, thereby supplying power from the battery 21 to the power grid PG.

[0020] The electric vehicle 2 is configured to be able to perform regulated power control and normal charging control. Regulated power control is power control that includes at least one of power feeding from the electric vehicle 2 to the electric power system PG and charging from the electric power system PG to the electric vehicle 2, for example via a charging stand 3, in response to an adjustment request (details of which will be described later) from a supply and demand management server 40 that manages the supply and demand of power in the electric power system PG. Normal charging control is normal power control that charges the battery 21 of the electric vehicle 2 without following the adjustment request.

[0021] The electric vehicle 2 further includes a communication device 22. The communication device 22 of the electric vehicle 2 is configured to be capable of wireless communication with the server 1 and a server 50, which will be described later. The communication device 22 of the electric vehicle 2 may be configured to be capable of communication via a user device owned by the user of the electric vehicle 2. The electric vehicle 2 may also include a touch display (not shown) that accepts user input and displays and outputs various information for the user. Input to the electric vehicle 2 may be accepted via the user device owned by the user.

[0022] Each of the multiple charging stands 3 is configured to allow an electric vehicle 2 to be connected thereto via, for example, a charging cable 31. Each charging stand 3 is configured to allow an electric vehicle 2 connected to the charging stand 3 to charge the electric vehicle 2 (battery 21) from the power grid PG. In this embodiment, the charging stand 3 is configured to allow an electric vehicle 2 connected to the charging stand 3 to perform regulated power control via the charging stand 3. This regulated power control may include both power supply from the electric vehicle 2 to the power grid PG and charging of the electric vehicle 2 from the power grid PG.

[0023] The charging stand 3 may be configured to receive reservation information for the charging stand 3 from the server 1 and, based on this information, permit the electrically powered vehicle 2 to control the power of the connected electric vehicle 2. In this case, when the electrically powered vehicle 2 connects to the charging stand 3 for which a usage reservation time slot has been set in advance by the server 1, the electric vehicle 2 is able to control the power of the electrically powered vehicle 2 (charging or power supply) during the usage reservation time slot. The charging stand 3 is, for example, so-called EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment). Furthermore, the charging stand 3 may be configured to be able to perform the above-mentioned regulated power control and the regulated power control while connected to the electrically powered vehicle 2.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-described power system PG is a power grid constructed by a power plant and power transmission and distribution facilities (not shown). In this embodiment, an electric power company serves as both a power generation business operator and a power transmission and distribution business operator. The electric power company corresponds to a general power transmission and distribution business operator, and maintains and manages the power system PG. The electric power company corresponds to a manager of the power system PG.

[0025] The supply and demand management server 40 manages the demand and demand of power in the power system PG. The supply and demand management server 40 belongs to a power company. The supply and demand management server 40 transmits to the server 50 a request (adjustment request) to adjust the power demand of the power system PG based on the power generation and consumption by each power adjustment resource managed by the supply and demand management server 40. Specifically, when the power generation or consumption of the power adjustment resource is expected to be higher than usual (or is currently higher), the supply and demand management server 40 transmits a request to the server 50 to increase or decrease the power demand compared to usual.

[0026] The server 50 is a server managed by an aggregator, which is an electric utility that provides energy management services by bundling multiple power adjustment resources such as those for a region or a specific facility.

[0027] The server 50 requests (requests) the electrically powered vehicle 2 to perform regulated power control in accordance with the above-mentioned regulation request in order to increase or decrease the amount of power demand in the power grid PG. Specifically, the communication unit 51 of the server 50 transmits a request signal in accordance with the above-mentioned regulation request to the electrically powered vehicle 2.

[0028] Here, a predetermined agreement (agreement) regarding the adjustable power control is exchanged between the server 50 and the electric vehicle 2. Specifically, the agreement includes information regarding the location where the adjustable power control is performed. The agreement also includes an agreement regarding the amount of charge and / or the amount of power supply, and the charging time and / or the power supply time. The agreement further includes an agreement regarding the time period during which the adjustable power control is performed. Hereinafter, the time period may be referred to as the "agreed time period." Information regarding the agreement is stored, for example, in a memory of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 23 of the electric vehicle 2.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of contract information related to regulated power control. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the amount of power charged or supplied in regulated power control at each time point. As shown in FIG. 2, the contract information includes information indicating a contract time period. Furthermore, during the contract time period, it is preferable that the total amount of charging in the power grid is greater than the total amount of power supplied to the power grid.

[0030] The server 50 is configured to manage information on registered electric vehicles 2 (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle information"), information on registered users (hereinafter also referred to as "user information"), and information on registered adjustable and controllable charging stands 3 (hereinafter also referred to as "charging stand information"). The user information and vehicle information are distinguished by identification information (ID) and stored in a storage unit 52 of the server 50.

[0031] The user ID is identification information for identifying a user, and also functions as information for identifying a user device owned by the user. The server 50 is configured to store information received from the user device separately for each user ID. The user information includes the communication address of the user device owned by the user and the vehicle ID of the electric vehicle 2 belonging to the user. The vehicle ID is identification information for identifying the electric vehicle 2. The vehicle ID may be a license plate or a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number).

[0032] The charging station ID is identification information for identifying the charging station 3. The charging station information transmitted to and received from the server 50 stores the communication address of the charging station 3 and identification information for identifying the electric vehicle 2 connected to the charging station 3.

[0033] <Server configuration> Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the server 1. The server 1 includes a communication unit 11, a processing unit 12, and a storage unit 13. The communication unit 11 is configured to be able to communicate bidirectionally with the electric vehicle 2. The communication unit 11 is configured to be able to receive, for example, a reservation request signal (details of which will be described later) that requests a reservation for use of the charging stand 3 by the electric vehicle 2.

[0034] The processing unit 12 is an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The storage unit 13 includes a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a memory, and a rewritable non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory as a storage. The storage stores system programs including an OS (Operating System) and control programs including computer-readable code required for arithmetic processing. The processing unit 12 reads the system programs and control programs, expands them into the memory of the storage unit 13, and executes them to perform various processes.

[0035] The storage unit 13 includes a plurality of databases 131, 132, and 133. The plurality of databases stores user registration information, charging station registration information, and charging station reservation information, respectively.

[0036] 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of user registration information. As shown in FIG. 3, the user registration information includes user information registered by a user who uses the reservation management system of this embodiment. The user registration information includes, for example, a user ID, a vehicle ID for linking the user to a vehicle, and vehicle model information for the vehicle ID.

[0037] The user information is registered in advance in response to a user operation received by the electric vehicle 2 or a user device owned by the user of the electric vehicle 2. The registered content is transmitted from the electric vehicle 2 or the user device to the server 1 and stored in the user registration information database 131.

[0038] Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of charging station registration information. As shown in Fig. 4, the charging station registration information includes information about charging stations 3 for which the server 1 can set a reservation for use by an electric vehicle 2. The charging stations 3 for which the server 1 can set a reservation for use are registered in advance in the server 1. The charging station registration information includes information indicating the station ID, charging station basic information, normal reservation time slot length, adjustment power control availability information, first reservation time slot length, and second reservation time slot length, which are stored separately for each charging station 3 in the charging station registration information database 132. This information is stored in the charging station registration information database 132.

[0039] The station ID is identification information for identifying each charging station 3. The charging station basic information includes name information of the charging station 3 that is displayed so that the user can identify each charging station 3, location information of each charging station, and information indicating the maximum power value when charging from the power grid PG of the charging station 3 to the electric vehicle 2. The charging station basic information may also include information indicating the maximum power value when power is supplied from the electric vehicle 2 to the power grid PG.

[0040] The normal reservation time slot length is the length of a time slot during which use of the charging station 3 can be reserved when the method of use of the charging station 3 desired by the user at the time of reservation does not include the implementation of regulated power control by the electric vehicle 2, but only includes charging of the electric vehicle 2 from the power grid PG. The normal reservation time slot length will be described in detail later.

[0041] The adjustable power control availability information is information indicating whether or not the electric vehicle 2 connected to the charging stand 3 can carry out adjustable power control via the charging stand 3 .

[0042] The first reservation time slot length is the length of a time slot during which use of the charging stand 3 can be reserved when the method of use of the charging stand 3 desired by the user at the time of reservation meets a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition is when the method of use includes the implementation of the above-mentioned regulated power control by the electric vehicle 2, and the regulated power control includes charging the electric vehicle 2 from the electric power grid PG but does not include power supply from the electric vehicle 2 to the electric power grid PG. The first reservation time slot length is set in advance for each charging stand 3 so as to be longer than the normal reservation time slot length.

[0043] The second reservation time slot length is the length of a time slot during which use of the charging station 3 can be reserved when a user's desired method of using the charging station 3 at the time of reservation satisfies a predetermined condition in a reservation management method described below. The predetermined condition is when the method of use includes the implementation of the above-described regulated power control by the electric vehicle 2, and the regulated power control includes power supply from the electric vehicle 2 to the power grid PG. The second reservation time slot length is set for each charging station 3 so as to be longer than the first reservation time slot length.

[0044] In this embodiment, the normal reservation time slot length, the first reservation time slot length, and the second reservation time slot length are each set as fixed values ​​for each registered charging station 3 in the memory unit 13 (charging station registration information database 132) of the server 1.

[0045] However, these time slot lengths may be set as calculated values ​​calculated based on a predetermined algorithm by a program stored in the processing unit 12. When these time slot lengths are set as calculated values, these time slot lengths may be calculated based on, for example, the maximum power value of the charging stand 3 when charging the electric vehicle 2 from the power grid PG.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first and second reservation time slot lengths are preferably set to be sufficiently longer than the length of the time slot (agreed time slot) during which adjustable power control is implemented. For example, if the first reservation time slot length and the second reservation time slot length are each set to a fixed value, the first and second reservation time slot lengths are preferably set to be sufficiently longer than the typical length of the time slot (e.g., approximately 3 hours) during which adjustable power control is implemented. Note that if the first reservation time slot length and the second reservation time slot length are set to calculated values, these time slot lengths may be values ​​calculated based on information (agreed information) indicating the implementation of adjustable power control received from electric vehicle 2. For example, the first and second reservation time slot lengths may be calculated by adding a predetermined time slot length to the time slot length during which adjustable power control is implemented (agreed time slot length).

[0047] Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of charging station reservation information. As shown in Fig. 5, the charging station reservation information is registered with reservation information for use of charging stations 3 for each time period (or each time point) separated by a predetermined time length. This information is stored in the charging station reservation information database 133. The server 1 can check the availability information for use reservations of each charging station 3 by referring to the charging station reservation information database 133.

[0048] <How to manage charging station reservations> Next, a method for managing reservations for charging stations will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by a server and an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] 6, first, the electric vehicle 2 accepts a user input (step S30). The electric vehicle 2 may accept the user input in step S30 via a user device owned by the user of the electric vehicle 2. Alternatively, the user device may accept the user input instead of the electric vehicle 2. The processing by the electric vehicle 2 described below (steps S31 to S35) may also be executed by the user device owned by the user of the electric vehicle 2.

[0050] The input information includes information indicating the desired time to start using the charging station 3, information indicating the desired location at which the charging station is to be used, and information indicating how to use the charging station 3. The information indicating the desired location at which the charging station 3 is to be used may be, for example, information indicating a building such as a parking lot or commercial facility where the charging station 3 is installed, information indicating the area, or information directly indicating a specific charging station 3.

[0051] In this embodiment, the information indicating the three ways of using the charging station includes at least information indicating the implementation of normal charging control or information indicating the implementation of regulated power control.

[0052] Subsequently, the electric vehicle 2 transmits a reservation request signal to the server 1 (step S31). The electric vehicle 2 may transmit the reservation request signal to the server 1 via a user device. The server 1 receives this reservation request signal (step S10). At this time, the reservation request signal includes information input by the user indicating a desired start time of use, information indicating a desired location of the charging station, and information indicating a method of using the charging station.

[0053] When the information indicating the usage method of the charging stand 3 includes information indicating the implementation of regulated power control, the information indicating the implementation may further include predetermined contract information (see FIG. 2 ) related to the regulated power control stored in the memory of the ECU 23 of the electric vehicle 2. The contract information indicates whether the contracted regulated power control includes charging the electric vehicle 2 from the electric power grid PG, and whether the regulated power control includes charging the electric vehicle 2 from the electric power grid PG. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , the regulated power control includes both charging the electric vehicle 2 from the electric power grid PG and supplying power from the electric vehicle 2 to the electric power grid PG.

[0054] Next, the server 1 (processing unit 12) determines whether the received reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control (step S11). If the received reservation request signal does not include information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control (NO in step S11), the length of the usage reservation time slot for the charging stand 3 is set to the above-mentioned normal reservation time slot length (step S12). In this embodiment, when the information indicating the usage method of the charging stand 3 is information indicating the implementation of normal charging control, it does not include information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control.

[0055] If the received reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustment power control (YES in step S11), the server 1 (processing unit 12) acquires agreement information related to the adjustment power control from the electric vehicle 2 at the same time as or after acquiring the information indicating the implementation of adjustment power control, and further determines, based on the agreement information, whether the adjustment power control includes charging the electric vehicle 2 from the power grid PG and also includes power supply from the electric vehicle 2 to the power grid PG (step S13).

[0056] If the regulated power control includes charging the electric vehicle 2 from the electric power system PG but does not include power supply from the electric vehicle 2 to the electric power system PG (NO in step S13), the length of the reserved usage time slot for the charging station 3 is set to the first reserved time slot length described above (step S14). In this embodiment, the charging station registration information database 132 has registered therein a plurality of charging stations 3 whose first reserved time slot lengths are set to be longer than the normal reserved time slot lengths (see FIG. 4).

[0057] If the regulated power control includes both charging of the electric vehicle 2 from the electric power system PG and power supply from the electric vehicle 2 to the electric power system PG (YES in step S13), the server 1 (processing unit 12) sets the length of the reserved usage time slot for the charging stand 3 to the second reserved time slot length described above (step S15). In this embodiment, the charging stand registration information database 132 registers a plurality of charging stands 3 whose second reserved time slot length is set to be longer than the first reserved time slot length (see FIG. 4).

[0058] In this way, in steps S12 to S15, prior to the registration of the reservation for the use of the charging stand 3, the processing unit 12 of the server 10 sets a reserved usage time slot during which the electric vehicle 2 will use the charging stand 3 based on the reservation request signal. Then, after the processing described below, the length of this reserved usage time slot can be finally registered as the length of the reserved usage time slot.

[0059] Furthermore, as described above, the length of the first reservation time slot and the length of the second reservation time slot are longer than the normal reservation time. That is, the length of the usage reservation time slot is set longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control. Therefore, when the electric vehicle 2 desires adjustable power control, the server 1 sets a longer usage reservation time slot to implement adjustable power control. The electric vehicle 2 can easily make a reservation for use of the charging station 3 to respond to a request to adjust the supply and demand of the power grid PG. Furthermore, because the usage reservation time slot can be set to a longer time slot, convenience is improved for the user of the electric vehicle 2 that intends to implement adjustable power control.

[0060] Furthermore, as described above, the length of the second reservation time slot is longer than the length of the first reservation time slot. That is, the length of the usage reservation time slot is set longer when the adjustment power control includes both charging of the electric vehicle 2 from the power grid PG and power supply from the electric vehicle 2 to the power grid PG than when the adjustment power control includes only charging of the electric vehicle 2 from the power grid PG. This makes it possible to encourage the use of the charging station 3 by electric vehicles 2 that can more flexibly respond to requests for power supply and demand adjustment. Furthermore, because the usage reservation time slot can be set to a longer time slot, convenience is improved for users of electric vehicles 2 that wish to implement adjustment power control.

[0061] Next, the server 1 determines whether any of the charging stations 3 can be reserved based on the received reservation request signal (step S16). First, it determines whether any of the charging stations 3 can be reserved based on the information included in the reservation request signal (specifically, the desired reservation start time), the length of the reservation time slot set as described above, and information indicating the availability of each station stored in the charging station reservation information database 133 (see FIG. 5).

[0062] Furthermore, if the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control, it is determined whether the period from the desired reservation start time to the time after the elapse of the length of the usage reservation time slot (i.e., the usage reservation time slot) overlaps with the contract time slot (the time slot during which adjustable power control is implemented). At this time, it is more preferable to determine whether the entire contract time slot is included in the usage reservation time slot.

[0063] If there is no charging station available for reservation and / or the reservation time slot does not overlap with the contracted time slot, the server 1 determines that the electric vehicle 2 cannot be reserved (NO in step S16), and sends a notification that the reservation is not possible to the electric vehicle 2 (step S17). On the other hand, if there is a charging station available for reservation (and the reservation time slot overlaps with part or all of the contracted time slot) and reservation is possible (YES in step S16), the server 1 sends reservation proposal information to the electric vehicle 2 (step S18). The reservation proposal information includes information indicating one or more charging stations 3 available for reservation for the usage method desired by the user within the set reservation time slot length, and information indicating the reservation time slot starting from the reservation start time at each charging station 3.

[0064] In this embodiment, when the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control, steps S16 to S18 and the processing described below are performed to set the reserved usage time period based on the information so that the reserved usage time period includes at least a portion of the time period during which adjustable power control is implemented. This allows the electric vehicle 2 to more reliably implement adjustable power control when actually using the reserved charging station 3.

[0065] After transmitting a reservation request signal (step S31), the electric vehicle 2 determines whether or not it has received a notification from the server 1 that there are no charging stations available for reservation (step S32). If the electric vehicle 2 has received this communication (YES in step S32), the electric vehicle 2 again receives user input necessary for the server 1 to suggest charging stations 3 available for reservation in step S30.

[0066] If the electric vehicle 2 has not received the notification (NO in step S32), the electric vehicle 2 determines whether or not it has received reservation proposal information (step S33). If the electric vehicle 2 has not received the reservation proposal information (NO in step S33), it performs the determination in step S32 again. If the electric vehicle 2 has received the reservation proposal information from the server 1 (YES in step S33), it further accepts user input (step S34). Specifically, the electric vehicle 2 selects the charging station 3 that the user actually wishes to reserve from the charging stations 3 that are available for use and are included in the reservation proposal information, and accepts input of information for deciding on the reservation.

[0067] In step S34, the electric vehicle 2 may accept input of information for amending the reserved use time slot set in steps S11 to S15. In this case, the amendment is preferably an amendment to bring forward the end of the reserved use time slot. This further improves convenience for the user of the electric vehicle 2.

[0068] Subsequently, the electric vehicle 2 transmits a reservation confirmation signal to the server 1 (step S35). The reservation confirmation signal includes information indicating the charging station 3 for which the user actually wishes to make a reservation and the reserved usage time slot (or the above-mentioned modified reserved usage time slot) set at that charging station 3. Upon receiving the reservation confirmation signal (step S19), the server 1 registers the usage reservation information in the charging station reservation information database 133 of the storage unit 13 based on the information included in the reservation confirmation signal (step S20).

[0069] After registering the reservation (step S20), the server 1 may transmit a notification to the electrically powered vehicle 2 that the reservation has been registered. When a usage reservation for the electrically powered vehicle 2 to perform adjustable power control is registered, the notification transmitted to the electrically powered vehicle 2 may include incentive information. This incentive information is, for example, information indicating compensation that the user can obtain when the electrically powered vehicle 2 performs adjustable power control at the charging station 3 in accordance with the usage reservation. This makes it possible for the electrically powered vehicle 2 to perform adjustable power control more reliably.

[0070] In this manner, reservations for use of a plurality of charging stations 3 are managed. In this embodiment, the length of the reservation time slot is set longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control. This makes it easier to reserve use of charging stations 3 in order to respond to requests for adjustment of the supply and demand of power in the power grid PG.

[0071] [Embodiment 2] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment of the present disclosure differs from the first embodiment of the present disclosure mainly in the system configuration. Therefore, the description of the same configuration as the first embodiment will not be repeated.

[0072] 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a reservation system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the server 50A is a CEMS server. The server 50A is a computer that manages power adjustment resources in the CEMS 500. Note that CEMS stands for Community Energy Management System or City Energy Management System.

[0073] The multiple charging stands 3 and the electric vehicle 2 are included in this CEMS 500 as power adjustment resources. The CEMS 500 also includes a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) as a power adjustment resource. A BEMS is a system that manages the demand and supply of electricity used in buildings such as offices, commercial facilities, or accommodation facilities. The multiple charging stands 3 may be installed on the premises of the owner of the building whose power demand and supply are managed by the BEMS.

[0074] Although not shown, the CEMS 500 may include a factory energy management system (FEMS) and a home energy management system (HEMS) as power regulation resources, and may also include other power regulation resources such as a generator, a naturally fluctuating power source, and a power storage system. In the CEMS 500, a microgrid MG is constructed using these power regulation resources.

[0075] For this reason, in this embodiment, the charging stand 3 is configured so that an electric vehicle 2 connected to the charging stand 3 can charge the electric vehicle 2 (battery 21) from the microgrid MG of the power system PG. Furthermore, when the electric vehicle 2 is connected to the charging stand 3, it is configured so that power can be supplied from the electric vehicle 2 (battery 21) to the home microgrid MG of the power system PG.

[0076] In the present embodiment, the server 50A, which is a CEMS server, receives a request for adjusting the amount of power demand in the power system PG from the supply and demand management server 40. Then, the server 50A, which is a CEMS server, transmits a request signal corresponding to the request for adjusting the amount of power demand (adjustment request) to the electric vehicle 2 based on the power consumption (and power generation) by each power adjustment resource, such as the BEMS 60 and each charging stand 3, in the CEMS 500.

[0077] The server 50A and the electric vehicle 2 are configured to be able to execute the same processes (processes shown in FIG. 6) as the server 50 and the electric vehicle 2 in the first embodiment. After the reservation registration process (step S20), incentive information that may be included in the notification sent to the electric vehicle 2 may be, for example, information regarding the issuance of a discount coupon for the usage fee of a commercial facility or accommodation facility related to the BEMS 60.

[0078] Also in this embodiment, the length of the usage reservation time slot is set longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating the implementation of adjustable power control. This makes it easier to reserve the use of the charging station 3 in order to respond to requests for adjustment of the power demand and supply of power in the power grid PG.

[0079] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above embodiments, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1, 10, 50, 50A servers, 2 electric vehicles, 3 charging stations, 40 supply and demand management servers.

Claims

1. A server that manages reservations for use of charging stations connected to electric vehicles, the electric vehicle or the charging station is configured to be able to perform regulated power control, which is power control including at least one of power feeding from the electric vehicle to the electric power system and charging from the electric power system to the electric vehicle, in response to an adjustment request from a supply and demand management server that manages power supply and demand in the electric power system, and normal charging control that charges a battery of the electric vehicle without following the adjustment request, The server a communication unit that receives a reservation request signal requesting a reservation for use of the charging station by the electric vehicle; a processing unit that sets a usage reservation time slot during which the electric vehicle will use the charging station based on the reservation request signal, and sets the length of the usage reservation time slot to be longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating implementation of the adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating implementation of the adjustable power control.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein, when the reservation request signal includes the information indicating the implementation of the adjustable power control, the processing unit sets the reserved usage time period based on the information so that the reserved usage time period includes at least a portion of a time period during which the adjustable power control is implemented.

3. the charging stand is configured so that the electric vehicle connected to the charging stand or the charging stand can perform the regulated power control including both power supply from the electric vehicle to the power grid and charging from the power grid to the electric vehicle; 3. The server according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit sets the length of the usage reservation time slot to be longer when the adjustment power control includes both charging of the electric vehicle from the electric power grid and power supply from the electric vehicle to the electric power grid than when the adjustment power control includes only charging of the electric vehicle from the electric power grid.

4. an electric vehicle equipped with a battery; a charging station connected to the electric vehicle; a server that manages reservations for use of the charging station; the electric vehicle or the charging station is configured to be able to perform regulated power control, which is power control including at least one of power supply from the electric vehicle to the electric power system and charging from the electric power system to the electric vehicle, in response to an adjustment request from a supply and demand management server that manages power supply and demand in the electric power system, and normal charging control that charges the battery without following the adjustment request, The server a communication unit that receives a reservation request signal requesting a reservation for use of the charging station by the electric vehicle; a processing unit that sets a usage reservation time slot during which the electric vehicle will use the charging station based on the reservation request signal, and sets the length of the usage reservation time slot to be longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating implementation of the adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating implementation of the adjustable power control.

5. A management method for managing reservations for use of a charging station connected to an electric vehicle equipped with a battery, comprising: the electric vehicle or the charging station is configured to be able to perform regulated power control, which is power control including at least one of power supply from the electric vehicle to the electric power system and charging from the electric power system to the electric vehicle, in response to an adjustment request from a supply and demand management server that manages power supply and demand in the electric power system, and normal charging control that charges the battery without following the adjustment request, receiving, by a computer, a reservation request signal requesting a reservation for use of the charging station by the electric vehicle; and a step of setting a usage reservation time slot during which the electric vehicle will use the charging station based on the reservation request signal, and setting the length of the usage reservation time slot to be longer when the reservation request signal includes information indicating implementation of the adjustable power control than when the reservation request signal does not include information indicating implementation of the adjustable power control.

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