Vehicle charging device and vehicle charging method

Abstract

To guide a vehicle to a charging facility that matches the performance of a battery charger of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle charger 1 comprises: a charging unit 10 which charges a connected vehicle 5; a storage unit 12 which stores charger performance information of a charger 101; a vehicle performance information acquisition unit 112 which acquires performance information of a battery 6 of the vehicle 5 from the vehicle 5; a privilege information creation unit 113 which creates privilege information to the vehicle 5 when output performance of the charger 101 included in the charger performance information is equal to or less than the performance information of the battery 6 of the vehicle 5; and an output unit 114 which presents the privilege information to a user of the vehicle 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle charging device for charging an electric vehicle and a vehicle charging method. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, electric vehicles, especially BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), are becoming increasingly popular, and there are models with various battery capacities, both large and small. The larger the battery capacity of an electric vehicle, the longer the driving distance, which improves convenience for users. However, the weight of the battery increases, which in turn increases the vehicle weight and the energy required for movement. In addition, since the energy required to manufacture a vehicle is large, it can generally be said that vehicles with large battery capacities have a higher environmental impact than vehicles with small battery capacities. Therefore, when considering the environmental impact on society as a whole, it is desirable to increase the proportion of vehicles with small battery capacities. Vehicles with such large battery capacities require a large amount of charging, so they are often designed to be compatible with charging facilities equipped with high-performance quick chargers with a high kWh upper limit, which indicates charging performance. However, because the number of quick chargers is limited, when vehicles that are not compatible with quick chargers charge at a quick charger, they charge at a slower speed, such as the speed of a standard charger, which results in a long charging time. This can lead to cases where EVs that are compatible with high output have to wait to use a quick charger. For this reason, it is important to increase the number of charging facilities and equalize their use so that electric vehicles that are compatible with high power can use high-power rapid chargers, while vehicles that are not compatible with high-power rapid charging can use low-speed chargers, such as standard chargers, rather than high-power rapid chargers. In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 4985748) discloses a technology for allocating chargers from among multiple types depending on the necessity or ease of charging of an electric vehicle parked in a parking space, as a system for reducing the maximum capacity of the power source to which all chargers are connected by using multiple types of chargers with different charging performance for each parking space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4985748 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the charging facility described in Patent Document 1 is intended to be a charging facility equipped with a large number of chargers, for example, in a parking lot of an apartment complex, etc. However, currently, the majority of charging facilities only have one or two chargers installed per charging facility, so the invention described in Patent Document 1 is not suitable for the current situation. Furthermore, as electric vehicles become more widespread in the future, it is expected that there will be a need for more charging facilities, and as the number of charging facilities increases, there will be an increasing need for users to actively select charging facilities themselves, rather than having the system assign chargers, as in Patent Document 1. For this reason, there is a demand for charging equipment that allows electric vehicles that are compatible with high power output to use high power rapid chargers, while vehicles that are not compatible with high power rapid charging are directed to charging equipment that matches the vehicle's charging capabilities rather than high power rapid chargers, thereby allowing users to actively select a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging capabilities of their vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a vehicle charging device that, when charging a vehicle, guides the user to charging equipment that matches the charging performance of the vehicle, thereby enabling the user to actively select a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging performance of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A vehicle charging device of the present invention (e.g., the "vehicle charging device 1" described below) includes a charging unit (e.g., the "charging unit 10" described below) that charges a connected vehicle (e.g., the "vehicle 5" described below), a memory unit (e.g., the "memory unit 12" described below) that stores charger performance information including the output performance of the charger (e.g., the "charger 101" described below), a vehicle performance information acquisition unit (e.g., the "vehicle performance information acquisition unit 112" described below) that acquires performance information of the vehicle's rechargeable battery (e.g., the "battery 6" described below) from the vehicle, a bonus information creation unit (e.g., the "bonus information creation unit 113" described below) that creates bonus information for the vehicle when the output performance of the charger included in the charger performance information is equal to or lower than the performance information of the vehicle's rechargeable battery, and an output unit (e.g., the "output unit 114" described below) that presents the bonus information to a user of the vehicle.

[0007] According to (1) above, a vehicle charging device can be provided that, when charging a vehicle, guides the user to a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging performance of the vehicle, allowing the user to actively select a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging performance of the vehicle.

[0008] (2) The bonus information creation unit described in (1) (for example, the “bonus information creation unit 113” described below) may create the bonus information as a discount on the charging fee depending on the charging time or amount of charging of the vehicle.

[0009] According to the above (2), it is possible to further guide the vehicle to a charger (charging facility) that is suited to the charging performance of the vehicle.

[0010] (3) The bonus information creation unit (e.g., the "bonus information creation unit 313" described below) described in (1) or (2) may further create the bonus information under the condition that the output performance of the charger (e.g., the "charger 101" described below) is equal to or less than the performance information of the vehicle's rechargeable battery and is within a predetermined range.

[0011] According to the above (3), for example, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a high-capacity vehicle is connected to a normal charging facility and the normal charging facility is occupied for a long period of time.

[0012] (4) The vehicle performance information acquisition unit (e.g., the “vehicle performance information acquisition unit 112” described below) described in any one of (1) to (3) may acquire performance information of the vehicle’s rechargeable battery (e.g., the “battery 6” described below) from the connected vehicle via a charging cable (e.g., the “cable 102” described below).

[0013] According to the above (4), the user can check the benefit information via the vehicle by performing a charging operation of connecting the charging cable to the vehicle.

[0014] (5) The output unit described in any one of (1) to (4) (e.g., the “output unit 114” described below) may be configured to output the bonus information to the vehicle via a charging cable (e.g., the “cable 102” described below).

[0015] According to the above (5), the user can check the benefit information via the vehicle by performing a charging operation of connecting the charging cable to the vehicle.

[0016] (6) The vehicle charging device described in any one of (1) to (4) (e.g., the "vehicle charging device 1" described below) may be provided with a display (e.g., the "display 15" described below), and the output unit (e.g., the "output unit 114" described below) may output the benefit information to the display and present it to the user of the vehicle.

[0017] According to the above (6), the user can check the benefit information via the vehicle charging device. (7) The vehicle charging method of the present invention is a vehicle charging method for charging a connected vehicle (e.g., "vehicle 5" described below) using a vehicle charging device (e.g., "vehicle charging device 1" described below) that includes a control unit (e.g., "control unit 11" described below), a charger (e.g., "charger 101" described below), and a memory unit (e.g., "memory unit 12" described below) that stores charger performance information, and the control unit executes a vehicle performance information acquisition step of acquiring performance information of the vehicle's rechargeable battery from the vehicle, a bonus information creation step of creating bonus information for the vehicle if the output performance of the charger included in the charger performance information is equal to or lower than the performance information of the vehicle's rechargeable battery, and an output step of presenting the bonus information to the user of the vehicle.

[0018] According to the above (7), the same effect as that of (1) can be achieved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, a vehicle charging device can be provided that, when charging a vehicle, guides the user to a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging performance of the vehicle, allowing the user to actively select a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging performance of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 3 is a flowchart showing a basic operation of the vehicle charging device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] <Overall Configuration of Vehicle Charging System 100 with Benefit Information Providing Function> A preferred embodiment of the vehicle charging device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows the overall configuration of a vehicle charging system 100.

[0022] 1, vehicle charging system 100 includes a vehicle charging device 1 and a vehicle (electric vehicle) 5. Vehicle charging system 100 may also include a charging service support device 4. These may also be capable of communicating with each other via a communication network NW. Here, the charging service support device 4 may be, for example, a cloud service that registers user information (e.g., user ID, credit information for deducting usage fees, etc.) in advance in order to use the charging facility, and performs authentication processing, etc. when the user uses the charging facility. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, a battery electric vehicle (BEV) is also simply referred to as an electric vehicle, an electrically powered vehicle, or a vehicle.

[0023] Before describing the functions of the vehicle charging device 1 and the vehicle 5, an outline of the main communication sequence for charging the vehicle 5, including session establishment, user authentication, setting of charging parameters and a charging schedule, charging start processing, charging control, and charging end processing, will be described. Note that the following communication sequence is an example and is not limited to this.

[0024] (1) Establishing a session When the user of the vehicle 5 connects the charging plug 103 to the charging port 601 provided on the vehicle 5, the vehicle 5 establishes a session with the vehicle charging device 1.

[0025] (2) User authentication The vehicle charging device 1 checks the authentication and payment method of the user of the connected vehicle 5. In this embodiment, as described above, it is assumed that user information (e.g., user ID, credit card information for withdrawing the usage fee, account information, etc.) has been registered in advance. For example, a charging card known to those skilled in the art may be used to set the authentication and payment method of the user. Note that the vehicle charging device 1 may request the charging service support device 4 to perform these processes.

[0026] (3) Setting charging parameters and schedule When starting charging, the vehicle 5 sets charging parameters and a charging schedule between the vehicle 5 and the vehicle charging device 1. Specifically, the vehicle 5 transmits charging parameters, including, for example, a charging current value, a voltage value, a charging method, and a charging time that the vehicle 5 can support, as request information to the vehicle charging device 1, and the vehicle charging device 1 transmits charger performance information (e.g., a maximum supply current value and a voltage value) including the output performance of the charger 101 provided therein, the maximum amount of power that can be supplied, a price list for the time period, and the like, to the vehicle 5. In this communication sequence, the charging parameters and schedule are set between the vehicle 5 and the vehicle charging device 1. Also, in this communication sequence, the vehicle charging device 1 may acquire performance information (e.g., battery capacity) of the battery 6 provided in the vehicle 5 from the connected vehicle 5, as will be described later.

[0027] (4) Charging start process When the vehicle 5 determines that charging should start, the vehicle 5 transmits a request to start charging to the vehicle charging device 1, and in response, the vehicle charging device 1 starts charging and returns a response to start charging. Note that the request to start charging may also be transmitted to the vehicle charging device 1 by the user pressing a start button on the vehicle charging device 1, for example.

[0028] (5) Charging control After charging starts, for example, in the case of DC charging, the vehicle periodically transmits target current values ​​and target voltage values ​​to the vehicle charging device 1, and in response, the vehicle charging device 1 transmits the current supply current value, voltage value, etc. to the vehicle, thereby controlling charging. On the other hand, in the case of AC charging, the vehicle periodically requests the current charging status from the vehicle charging device 1, and the vehicle charging device 1 transmits the current charging status, thereby controlling charging.

[0029] (6) Charging end process When vehicle 5 determines that charging has finished, vehicle 5 transmits a request to terminate charging to vehicle charging device 1, and in response, vehicle charging device 1 stops charging and returns a response that charging has finished. Note that the request to terminate charging may also be transmitted to vehicle charging device 1 by the user pressing a stop button on vehicle charging device 1, for example. In addition, in this communication sequence, vehicle charging device 1 may present the charging fee to the user of vehicle 5. The above describes the main communication sequence when charging the vehicle 5 from the vehicle charging device 1. In the following description, DC charging will be described unless otherwise specified. Note that AC charging is a method that is only used for normal charging, and as mentioned above, the charging control sequence is slightly different, but the following description can also be applied to AC charging.

[0030] First, the vehicle 5 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 5 includes an ECU 51, a storage unit 52, a battery 6, a charging port 601, a battery ECU 61, and a communication line 7 such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). The ECU 51, the battery ECU 61, the battery 6, etc. are connected via the communication line 7 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0031] The storage unit 52 may store performance information (for example, battery capacity, etc.) of the battery 6 of the vehicle 5 in advance.

[0032] The ECU 51 and the battery ECU 61 are composed of a calculator including a microcomputer, and have a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory such as ROM (including EEPROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), and other input / output devices such as an A / D converter and a D / A converter, a timer as a timekeeping unit, etc., and function as various function realization units (function realization means) by the CPU reading and executing programs recorded in the ROM.

[0033] The ECU 51 controls, for example, an interface for input / output information with the user of the vehicle 5 and an external device (for example, the charging service support device 4, etc.). For example, in a setting sequence for charging parameters, etc. with the vehicle charging device 1, the ECU 51 acquires benefit information output from the vehicle charging device 1 (output unit 114) via, for example, a control line (also referred to as a "communication line") (not shown) included in the cable 102 and a control line ("communication line") (not shown) wired to the charging port 601. The ECU 51 may display the acquired benefit information on, for example, a display (not shown). The ECU 51 may instruct the battery ECU 61 to start charging when the user inputs a benefit information confirmation. During the charging end process, the ECU 51 may receive charging fee information from the vehicle charging device 1 and display it on a display (not shown), for example.

[0034] A charging port 601, to which the battery 6, a power line (not shown), and a control line (also called a "communication line") (not shown) are wired, is connected to the battery ECU 61. The charging port 601 may be provided with, for example, an LED indicator (not shown) to display the charging state. The battery ECU 61 controls the battery 6 and also executes the vehicle-side processing in the communication sequence with the vehicle charging device 1 described above. For example, in the charging parameter setting sequence, the battery ECU 61 responds to an acquisition request from the vehicle charging device 1 (vehicle performance information acquisition unit 112) by transmitting performance information (e.g., battery capacity information) of the battery 6 included in the vehicle 5, as will be described later. In the charging start processing sequence, the battery ECU 61 transmits a charging start request to the vehicle charging device 1, and can proceed to the charging control sequence when it receives a response from the vehicle charging device 1. Note that the request to start charging may be transmitted to the vehicle 5 by, for example, the user pressing a start button on the vehicle charging device 1. In the charging control sequence, the battery ECU 61 periodically transmits target current values ​​and target voltage values ​​to the vehicle charging device 1 and receives current supply current values, voltage values, etc. from the vehicle charging device 1, thereby controlling the charging of the battery 6. In the charging end processing sequence, the battery ECU 61 transmits a charging end request to the vehicle charging device 1, receives a response from the vehicle charging device 1, and ends the charging sequence. Note that the charging end request may be transmitted to the vehicle 5 by, for example, the user pressing a stop button on the vehicle charging device 1. The functions of the vehicle 5 have been described above. Next, the function of the vehicle charging device 1 will be described.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle charging device 1 includes a charging unit 10, a charger 101, a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a display unit 15.

[0036] The charging unit 10 supplies current to the battery 6 of the vehicle 5. The charging unit 10 includes a charger 101, a cable 102, and a charging plug 103. The charger 101 may include, for example, a normal charger (not shown) and a quick charger (not shown). The charging plug 103 is detachably connected to a charging port 601 provided on the vehicle 5 via the cable 102. The cable 102 may include a power line (not shown) and a control line (also called a "communication line") (not shown). The charging unit 10 communicates with the vehicle side via a cable 102 (control line) based on a predetermined protocol (communication sequence) by a charging control unit 111 described later, and controls the charger 101 in response to requests from the vehicle side, thereby starting and stopping the charging current and controlling the charging current, thereby charging the battery 6 of the vehicle 5. In this embodiment, the case where communication between the charging unit 10 and the battery 6 (battery ECU 61) of the vehicle 5 is performed via a control line included in the cable 102 is exemplified, but is not limited to this. Communication may also be performed via a power line based on power line communication.

[0037] The storage unit 12 stores in advance charger performance information including the output performance of the charger 101 (for example, a maximum supply current value, a voltage value, etc., which indicate the capacity of the charger 101). The storage unit 12 may also store time periods and the maximum amount of power that can be supplied during those time periods. The storage unit 12 may also store a price list and special benefit information. The benefit information means, for example, a benefit to be given to the charging of the vehicle 5 when the output performance of the charger 101 of the vehicle charging device 1 is equal to or lower than the performance information of the battery 6 of the vehicle 5. By doing so, for example, it is possible to induce a small-capacity vehicle 5 to use, for example, a normal charger rather than a rapid charger. An example of the benefit information is a discount on the charging fee. The discount on the charging fee can be, for example, a preset discount rate on the charging unit price, whether the charging fee is calculated based on the charging time or the charging amount. The benefit information (for example, the discount rate) may be set differently depending on the day of the week, public holiday, time period, etc., when the vehicle 5 is charged.

[0038] Furthermore, it is desirable that the bonus information be created when the output performance of the charger 101 is equal to or lower than the performance information of the battery 6 of the vehicle 5, but is within a predetermined range and satisfies a preset condition (hereinafter also referred to as "bonus granting condition"). By doing so, for example, it is possible to discourage vehicles 5 equipped with high-performance batteries 6 from using non-high-output chargers, such as standard chargers, to charge. This makes it possible to avoid preventing the use of non-high-output chargers, such as standard chargers, by vehicles 5 with small capacity batteries. In this way, vehicle performance information (for example, battery capacity) may be divided into multiple stages ranging from small capacity to large capacity, and for vehicles 5 whose battery capacity is equal to or greater than the output performance of charger 101 of vehicle charging device 1 and within a predetermined range, bonus conditions may be set according to the battery capacity stage, and bonus information may be associated with the battery capacity and stored as a bonus information table (not shown). Note that different bonus information tables (not shown) may be set depending on the day of the week, public holidays, time period, etc. when vehicle 5 is charged. Vehicle charging device 1 may be provided with a sign indicating, for example, the conditions for receiving the special benefit and the special benefit. By doing so, the user of vehicle 5 can proactively select a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging performance of the vehicle by referring to the sign before charging.

[0039] The control unit 11 is configured with a microprocessor having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and I / O (Input / Output). The CPU executes each program read from the ROM or the storage unit 12, and during execution, reads information from the RAM, ROM, and storage unit 12, writes information to the RAM and storage unit 12, and exchanges signals with each component. In this way, the functions of this embodiment are realized by the cooperation of hardware and software (programs). Furthermore, some or all of the functions may be realized by hardware such as an LSI, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a GPU.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 11 includes, as functional blocks, a charging control unit 111, a vehicle performance information acquisition unit 112, a benefit information creation unit 113, and an output unit 114.

[0041] As described above, the charging control unit 111 starts and stops the charging current and controls the charging current in accordance with a predetermined protocol ("communication sequence") to charge the battery 6 of the vehicle 5. Charging current control is well known to those skilled in the art, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0042] The vehicle performance information acquisition unit 112 acquires performance information (e.g., battery capacity) of the battery 6 included in the connected vehicle 5 from the vehicle 5. As described above, the vehicle performance information acquisition unit 112 may receive the performance information (e.g., battery capacity information) of the battery 6 included in the vehicle 5 by transmitting an acquisition request via a control line ("communication line") (not shown) included in the cable 102, for example, in the "charging parameter and schedule setting sequence."

[0043] As described above, for example, in the "charging parameter and schedule setting sequence," when the output performance of the charger 101 included in the charger performance information is equal to or lower than the performance information of the battery 6 of the connected vehicle 5, the bonus information creation unit 113 creates bonus information for the vehicle 5 by referring to the bonus information or bonus information table stored in the memory unit 12. Specifically, the benefit information creating unit 113 creates the benefit information as, for example, a discount rate for the charging unit price. As described above, the benefit information creating unit 113 may create the benefit information when the benefit granting condition is satisfied, that is, the output performance of the charger 101 is equal to or lower than the performance information of the battery 6 of the vehicle 5 and is within a predetermined range. Furthermore, as described above, the benefit information creating unit 113 may calculate a discount amount for the charging fee according to the charging time or the amount of charge for the vehicle 5 in the "charging end processing sequence", for example.

[0044] For example, in the "charging parameter and schedule setting sequence," output unit 114 may output the benefit information created by benefit information creation unit 113 via a control line ("communication line") (not shown) included in cable 102. In this way, vehicle 5 (ECU 51) may display the received benefit information on a display (not shown) of vehicle 5, for example. Furthermore, as described above, for example, in the "charging end processing sequence," the benefit information creation unit 113 may output the discount amount of the charging fee calculated according to the charging time or the charging amount for charging the vehicle 5 via a control line ("communication line") (not shown) included in the cable 102. In this way, the vehicle 5 (ECU 51) may display the received discount amount of the charging fee on, for example, a display (not shown) of the vehicle 5.

[0045] In addition, in the "charging parameter and schedule setting sequence", the output unit 114 may output to the display 15 provided in the vehicle charging device 1 instead of outputting to the vehicle 5, and present it to the user of the vehicle 5. In addition, in the "charging completion processing sequence", the output unit 114 may convert the discount amount on the charging fee calculated by the benefit information creation unit 113 into an output to the vehicle 5, output it to the display 15 provided in the vehicle charging device 1, and present it to the user of the vehicle 5. This makes it possible to further motivate the user of the vehicle 5 to use a charger (charging facility) that matches the charging performance of the vehicle. The functions of the vehicle charging device 1 have been described above.

[0046] Finally, a brief description will be given of the charging service support device 4. The charging service support device 4 can be deployed to be executed on a single computer or in a distributed manner on multiple computers located in one location or distributed across several locations and interconnected by a communication network. It may also be configured using multiple virtual computers on a cloud. As described above, the charging service support device 4 registers user information (e.g., a user ID, credit card information for debiting a usage fee, etc.) in advance to use the charging facility, and performs authentication processing when the user uses the charging facility. The charging service support device 4 may also manage the usage status of the vehicle charging device 1. Furthermore, the charging service support device 4 may provide a service to inform the user of the vehicle 5 (who has registered user information) of the charging status including special benefit information via a mobile terminal (not shown). The charging service support device 4 has been described above.

[0047] The vehicle charging system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. <Operation of this embodiment> Next, the operation of the vehicle charging device 1 of this embodiment during the charging process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 2. Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the operation from when a user selects the vehicle charging device 1, connects the vehicle 5, and the vehicle charging device 1 starts charging, until charging is completed.

[0048] Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 2, in step S10, the vehicle charging apparatus 1 establishes a session with the vehicle 5 when the vehicle 5 is connected.

[0049] In step S11, the vehicle charging equipment 1 authenticates the user of the vehicle 5.

[0050] In step S12, the vehicle charging device 1 sets charging parameters between the vehicle 5 and the vehicle charging device 1, and the vehicle performance information acquisition unit 112 acquires performance information from the vehicle 5 (for example, battery performance information).

[0051] In step S13, the vehicle charging device 1 (benefit information creation unit 113) determines whether the output performance of the charger 101 and the performance information of the battery 6 of the vehicle 5 satisfy the benefit granting conditions. If the benefit granting conditions are satisfied (YES), the process proceeds to step S14. If the benefit granting conditions are not satisfied (NO), the process proceeds to step S16.

[0052] In step S14, the vehicle charging device 1 (benefit information creation unit 113) creates benefit information (e.g., a discount rate on the charging fee) and a benefit granting price list based on the output performance of the charger 101 and performance information of the battery 6 of the vehicle 5.

[0053] In step S15, the vehicle charging apparatus 1 (output unit 114) outputs the benefit information and price list created in step S14 to the vehicle 5. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S17.

[0054] In step S16, the vehicle charging equipment 1 (output unit 114) outputs the normal price list to the vehicle 5.

[0055] In step S17, the vehicle charging apparatus 1 (output unit 114) receives the charging start request from the vehicle 5 and starts charging.

[0056] In step S18, the vehicle charging apparatus 1 (charging control unit 111) performs charging control in response to a request from the vehicle 5.

[0057] In step S19, the vehicle charging device 1 (charging control unit 111) receives the charging end request from the vehicle 5 and performs charging end processing, and the vehicle charging device 1 (output unit 114) outputs the charging fee to the vehicle 5.

[0058] Through the above processing flow, the vehicle charging device 1 acquires performance information (battery capacity) of the vehicle from the vehicle side, and can provide a benefit, such as a discount on the charging fee, to a vehicle 5 that satisfies the benefit providing conditions. In this way, when charging the vehicle 5, the vehicle charging device 1 can guide the vehicle 5 to a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging performance of the vehicle 5, and also allows the user to actively select a charger (charging equipment) that matches the charging performance of their own vehicle 5.

[0059] <About hardware and software> Each of the devices included in the vehicle charging device 1 can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. In addition, the input / output method of charging facility guidance including benefit information, which is performed by the cooperation of each of the devices included in the vehicle charging device, can also be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. Here, "realized by software" means that it is realized by one or more computers reading and executing one or more programs.

[0060] The program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable media can supply the program to a computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire or optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path.

[0061] <Modification> The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment alone, and the present invention can be implemented in various modified forms within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0062] <Variation 1> In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which a control line (communication line) (not shown) is wired in addition to a power line (not shown) in the cable 102, but this is not limiting. For example, by applying power line communication (PLC) to the power line (not shown), a high-frequency communication signal may be superimposed on the power line that supplies electrical energy and transmitted, thereby using the power line (not shown) as a communication line.

[0063] <Variation 2> The functional configuration of the above-described embodiment may be modified. In other words, the functional configuration of FIG. 1 is merely an example and does not limit the functional configuration of this embodiment. In other words, it is sufficient that each device has a function that can execute a series of processes related to the vehicle charging function of the present invention as a whole, and the functional blocks used to realize this function are not particularly limited to the example of FIG. 1.

[0064] Furthermore, the devices for realizing these functional configurations are merely examples in the above-described embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the vehicle charging device 1 is described as being realized by a single device, but the functions of the vehicle charging device 1 may be distributed across multiple devices as appropriate, forming a distributed processing system. Furthermore, the functions of the vehicle charging device 1 may be realized using a virtual server function on the cloud.

[0065] <Variation 3> The privilege information stored in the memory unit 12 of the vehicle charging device 1 can be configured to be created and updated as appropriate, for example, in response to input from the administrator of the charging facility from a charging facility terminal device (not shown) installed at the charging facility. For example, after a user logs in to the charging service support device 4 from a charging facility terminal device and the charging service support device 4 determines that the user ID is valid, the charging service support device 4 transmits to the charging facility terminal device an editing processing screen for creating and updating the benefit information of the vehicle charging device 1, thereby enabling the charging facility terminal device to edit the benefit information of the vehicle charging device 1 and appropriately create and update the benefit information in accordance with input from the manager of the charging facility, etc. Thereafter, the charging service support device 4 may create and update the benefit information of the vehicle charging device 1. In addition, it is also possible to log in directly to the vehicle charging device 1 from the terminal device for the charging facility, and after the vehicle charging device 1 determines that the user ID is valid, create and update the benefit information for the vehicle charging device 1 directly from the terminal device for the charging facility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 100 Vehicle Charging System 1. Vehicle charging device 10 Live parts 101 Charger 102 Cable 103 Charging plug 11 Control section 111 Charging control unit 112 Vehicle performance information acquisition unit 113 Special Offer Information Creation Department 114 Output section 12 Storage section 15 Display 4. Charging service support device 5. Vehicles (electric vehicles, electric cars) 51 ECU 6 Battery 601 Charging port 61 Battery ECU 7. Communication lines NW communication network

Claims

1. a charging unit that charges the connected vehicle; a storage unit that stores charger performance information including the output performance of the charger; a vehicle performance information acquisition unit that acquires performance information of a rechargeable battery of the vehicle from the connected vehicle; a benefit information creation unit that creates benefit information for the vehicle when the output performance of the charger included in the charger performance information is equal to or lower than performance information of a rechargeable battery of the vehicle; an output unit that presents the benefit information to a user of the vehicle; A vehicle charging device comprising:

2. The benefit information creation unit 2. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein the special benefit information is generated as a discount amount for charging charges according to a charging time or a charging amount for charging the vehicle.

3. The benefit information creation unit The vehicle charging device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the bonus information is created under the condition that the output performance of the charger is equal to or less than the performance information of the vehicle's rechargeable battery and is within a predetermined range.

4. The vehicle performance information acquisition unit 4. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein performance information of the rechargeable battery of the vehicle is acquired from the connected vehicle via a charging cable.

5. The output unit 5. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein the benefit information is output to the vehicle via a charging cable.

6. the vehicle charging device includes a display; The output unit 5. The vehicle charging device according to claim 1, wherein the benefit information is output to the display and presented to a user of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle charging method for charging a connected vehicle using a vehicle charging device including a control unit, a charger, and a storage unit that stores charger performance information, the method comprising: The control unit a vehicle performance information acquisition step of acquiring performance information of a rechargeable battery of the vehicle from the vehicle; a benefit information creation step of creating benefit information for the vehicle when the output performance of the charger included in the charger performance information is equal to or lower than performance information of a rechargeable battery of the vehicle; an output step of presenting the benefit information to a user of the vehicle; A vehicle charging method comprising:

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