Reservation system for range extender vehicles and chargers using planned power generation and storage control technology

Abstract

To provide a reservation system relating to use of a range extender vehicle and a charger using a planned electric power generation and storage control technique.SOLUTION: A control center includes means that adjusts such that charging times of each of vehicles from a charger during traveling do not overlap by aggregating traveling schedules of all vehicles traveling in that day, and feeds back the adjusted traveling schedules to each of the vehicles. Also, even during traveling, the control center performs communication with each of the vehicles, and performs control such that a use time of the charger becomes maximum by reviewing the traveling schedules each time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a range extended-electrical vehicle (EV) equipped with a planned power generation and storage control system, which charges a secondary battery with an engine generator and drives a motor using the secondary battery, and a reservation system for an external charger. [Background technology]

[0002] EV vehicles powered by secondary batteries are attracting attention as a clean form of transportation that does not emit carbon dioxide (CO2). The first reason is that, unlike vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, they run by driving a motor with electricity stored in secondary batteries, which means they emit no CO2, are quiet, and offer a comfortable ride. The second reason is that maintenance costs, including fuel costs, are cheaper than vehicles with diesel engines, etc., so there are thought to be great advantages to introducing them.

[0003] However, the current price of electric buses, a type of electric vehicle, is several times higher than that of diesel-engine buses with the same number of seats because they require a large number of expensive secondary batteries to be installed, which has hindered their adoption.In addition, the use of electric trucks is also hindered by the inconvenience of the large amount of space required for secondary batteries, which reduces the truck's payload capacity.

[0004] To solve this problem, the series hybrid system is applied to passenger cars. Generally, this technology uses the existing engine as a generator, and a small-capacity secondary battery is installed, and the engine is almost always running to charge the secondary battery, which then drives the motor using the power from the secondary battery to move the vehicle.

[0005] However, when applying this technology to commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks, a large generator and a large number of secondary batteries are required to supply the excessively large amount of instantaneous power required when going up steep slopes, etc. This takes up space, reducing the number of seats in buses and limiting the cargo capacity in trucks, making it difficult to make series hybrids into commercial vehicles.

[0006] In contrast, the range extender EV (RE_EV) vehicle developed with this technology utilizes a geographic information system (GIS) and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) to collect road surface information such as location information and altitude differences along the driving route, and then uses driving data accumulated during previous driving to formulate a power generation plan (driving plan) before the drive. By formulating a driving plan for the day before the drive in this way, the required amount of power generation can be calculated in advance, allowing for appropriate power generation and charging, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the generator and secondary battery. After the drive begins, the vehicle can drive according to the plan by revising the driving plan based on driving data obtained sequentially during the drive.

[0007] In this way, this range-extended vehicle only runs the engine to charge the secondary battery when its charge level becomes low. Because the vehicle is normally powered solely by the secondary battery without the engine, there is no need to worry about running out of power while driving, as with EVs. This eliminates the range-limit limitations that EVs face, making it a highly user-friendly vehicle. Furthermore, because this range-extended EV vehicle runs on the motor powered by the secondary battery for a large percentage of its driving time, it is a clean form of transportation that emits significantly less carbon dioxide than conventional engine-driven vehicles. Furthermore, engine noise from the internal combustion engine is limited, resulting in a quieter and more comfortable ride for a significant period of driving time. Furthermore, maintenance costs, including fuel, are lower than those of diesel-engine vehicles, making its introduction a significant advantage.

[0008] The proposer has previously filed a patent application (Patent Application No. 2017-204209) for applying this range extender technology to buses, which are one of the main vehicles in public transportation systems. In addition, the proposer has also filed a patent application (Patent Application No. 2018-194138) for a method for configuring a range extender vehicle intended for commercial vehicles such as large trucks equipped with planned power generation and storage control technology.

[0009] This proposal relates to a reservation system for external chargers that can further reduce fuel consumption by using external charging from a power grid or other source while driving a range extender EV vehicle equipped with a planned power generation and storage control system, which charges a secondary battery with an engine generator and uses that secondary battery to drive the motor, and can also generate profits from electricity usage fees when other business entities use the company's own chargers.

[0010] Generally, when charging commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks from the power grid (so-called external charging), it is difficult to use the charging equipment for small vehicles such as passenger cars that is currently being installed at convenience stores, etc. This is because such charging equipment is not designed to charge large vehicles, so there are not enough parking spaces, and the equipment is not designed for heavy commercial vehicles. For this reason, large commercial vehicles generally use dedicated chargers installed at the business that owns the vehicle.

[0011] However, it is expected that charging facilities suitable for large vehicles will be installed and improved in the future, and it will be possible to use such charging facilities.In addition, a prior art document, "Charging Equipment Management and Operation Device (JP Patent Publication No. 2013-198230)," has been proposed, but this proposal only collects usage status from vehicles using charging facilities to a central server and updates the information, and does not make adjustments to minimize the operating time of the generators of all vehicles in motion based on the information collected by the control center, as in this proposal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2013-198230 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] The problem that this invention aims to solve is that, particularly in the case of large RE_EV commercial vehicles, delivery work is carried out by fully charging the vehicle at a charger at the business premises before driving, and then using both a secondary battery and a generator while driving.If external charging was possible while driving, fuel consumption could be further reduced, but because chargers for passenger cars are not designed for large vehicles, at the current stage it is necessary to use a dedicated charger. Furthermore, installing a dedicated charger outside of the business premises poses problems in terms of both equipment costs and security, so if the vehicle could be charged from a charger while driving, the generator's operating time could be reduced and fuel consumption could be reduced, which is an opportunity missed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] This proposal allows vehicles to use chargers installed at their own business premises as well as chargers from other companies along the way, which will reduce fuel consumption by running without using the onboard generators as much as possible, ultimately enabling environmentally friendly business development that will reduce CO2 emissions. However, if charging facilities for large vehicles are installed outside of business premises in the future, it will be entirely possible to charge the vehicle using these charging facilities.

[0015] Here, "other business locations" refers to business locations other than the company's own locations that also own charging facilities of other companies in the same industry. Generally, charging facilities are used to charge the company's own vehicles in the morning, and there is no room for other companies' vehicles to use the charging facilities, but during the daytime, the company's own vehicles are in operation, so the charging facilities are used less frequently, and this is the same for charging facilities at all business locations. Therefore, if vehicles from any business (company) could use chargers when they were near other business offices, it would be possible to curb the use of generators and reduce fuel consumption. Furthermore, by charging a charger usage fee that includes a certain margin on the electricity charges for the amount of electricity used by other companies' vehicles when using the charger, profits can be expected from improved charger utilization rates.

[0016] Mutual use of charging facilities at other businesses (other companies) can be facilitated by establishing an alliance, and the convenience can be enhanced by mutually paying the difference in electricity charges. Furthermore, there is no need to exchange cash, and a system where the difference is automatically paid into each other's bank accounts can significantly reduce the hassle.

[0017] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the range extender vehicle of this technology can create a driving plan for the day before driving, and can set in advance which areas to drive in and how much power to generate with the generator. Therefore, if the charger is not in use when the vehicle arrives at the desired location at the desired time, external charging becomes possible. However, it is not possible to know whether a charger is available until the vehicle arrives at the location, and if another vehicle is using the charger first, the vehicle will have to wait for the charger to finish, which is a waste of time.

[0018] Therefore, this proposal describes a reservation charging system that collects the driving plans of all RE_EV vehicles scheduled to drive that day in one place (for example, a control center) and ensures that registered chargers can be used efficiently and to the maximum by each vehicle.This is explained using the diagram below.

[0019] Figure 1 shows a case where there are chargers that can be used by three vehicles from three operators. For simplicity, we show the case of three operators and three vehicles, but this condition is not particularly specified, and this system will work regardless of the number of vehicles or the number of operators using the chargers. In this diagram, each RE_EV vehicle (vehicle a, vehicle b, vehicle c) of operators A, B, and C returns to the company after making deliveries to their respective destinations (customers, etc., Us_a, Us_b, Us_c), and drives based on the planned power generation and storage control system established before driving, but in this example, none of the vehicles will be externally charged along the way.

[0020] Figure 2 shows a case where each vehicle at each business receives information from the control center before setting off that a charger is available for use while on the road, and each vehicle then charges. For example, vehicle a from business A first goes to its destination, Us_a, and then charges at a charger installed by business C on the way back before returning to the company (shown by the solid line). Similarly, vehicle b from business B charges at a charger installed by business A on the way to its destination, Us_b (shown by the wavy line). Furthermore, business C charges at business B's charger while on the road (shown by the dashed line).

[0021] This situation is shown in the graph in Figure 3. The horizontal axis of the graph is the distance traveled. (1) After Company A's vehicle a1 arrives at its destination (Us_a), it stops at Company C's charger C on the way back to the company and fully charges. After that, it runs on the secondary battery alone, but generates electricity for a short period (Ta2) just before arriving. Ta1 is an amount proportional to the power generation time of the generator if external charging at Charger C is not performed, so Ta1 - Ta2 represents an amount proportional to the amount of time the generator's operating time is reduced by charging along the way, which is proportional to the amount of fuel savings. Similarly, (2) Company B's vehicle b does not fully charge initially, but charges at Company A's charger A on the way to its destination (Us_b), and continues to drive without operating the generator until it returns to the company. Therefore, the amount proportional to the reduced generator operating time is Tb1. Similarly, (3) Company C's vehicle c starts its journey fully charged, then fully charges again at Company B's charger B on the way to its destination, and operates the generator for only a short time (Tc2) just before returning to the company. In this case, the amount proportional to the reduced generator operating time is Tc1 - Tc2, just as in (1).

[0022] The time that each vehicle from each of companies (1), (2), and (3) uses a charger from another company is proportional to Ta1, Tb1, and Tc1, respectively. The center first records Ta1 + Tb1 + Tc1. For example, for Company A, if the cumulative charging time (Ta1 - Tb1) is positive, Company A pays the center an electricity and usage fee equivalent to (Ta1 - Tb1). Similarly, for Company B, if Tb1 - Tc1 is positive, Company A pays the center an amount equivalent to (Tb1 - Tc1). Since the sum of charging time among the three companies is zero, Company C's Tc1 - Ta1 is negative, and the center pays the amount equivalent to that charging time. Note that, while the charger usage fee is assumed to be uniformly proportional to the charging time, a simple conversion can be used to account for cases where the charging power is not proportional to the charging time due to differences in output current, etc.

[0023] Figure 4 shows the case where Company A drives another vehicle (a2) (thick solid line). The original driving plan called for charging at Company B's Charger B on the way to destination Us_a2 (a2_1). However, Company C's Vehicle c also had plans to stop at Charger B during the same time period (c_1). Ideally, the control center would make adjustments to prevent multiple vehicles from overlapping at chargers like this, but unexpected events (accidents, traffic jams, vehicle breakdowns, etc.) may prevent this from happening.

[0024] Figure 5 shows a situation where two vehicles arrive at a single charger at roughly the same time to charge. (4) and (5) in this figure show that the scheduled charging time for vehicle c, Tc1, overlaps with the scheduled charging time for vehicle a2, Ta3. In this case, vehicle c arrives at the charger earlier, but since vehicle a2 has more energy to charge than vehicle c (its SOC (State of Charge) is lower), the control center gives vehicle a2 priority for charging. Therefore, as shown in (6), vehicle c runs on its generator without charging, stopping at charger B on its way home to charge. Vehicle C does not reduce its power generation time like vehicle a2 in (5), but because it has a significant battery charge remaining when it returns to the office, the amount of charge required the next day is low, and therefore the charging time is short, allowing other vehicles to have time to charge.

[0025] Of course, vehicle C can also choose not to charge at charger B on the way home and instead run on the generator without using an external charger, as shown by the bold dashed line in Figure 7 or the wavy line in Figure 5(4).

[0026] In Figure 5, the control center coordinates when two vehicles wishing to charge use one charger, but it is also possible for the two vehicles to make the adjustments autonomously. The flowchart of this mechanism is shown in Figure 8.

[0027] When Company A's vehicle a2 approaches a charging facility, (1) it uses planned power generation and storage control technology to calculate the time it can reach its destination and calculate (estimate) whether there is enough time left to charge from the scheduled arrival time. If (2) there is time available for charging, it calculates the available charging time (Tc). (3) It then uses planned power generation and storage control technology to estimate whether it can drive to its next destination without charging. (4) If there is enough charging power and no need to generate power to reach the destination, it continues driving toward its destination. However, if it needs to generate power along the way to its destination, it will head to the charger because charging here will improve fuel efficiency. (5) If Company C's vehicle c is already charging at the charger, both vehicles a2 and c use planned power generation and storage control technology to calculate (A) the amount of power generation (PN) required to reach the next destination (charger, etc.) and (B) the amount of power Pc (Pc = Tc x Pu) that can be charged within the available charging time (Tc for vehicle a2). As a result, if vehicle a2's Pc is greater than vehicle c's, vehicle c will give up use of the charger to vehicle a2. However, if vehicle c's Pc is greater (6), vehicle a2 will continue on to its next destination without charging. (7) If vehicle a2 charges, it will return to the top of the flowchart after charging for the unit time (Tu) and check the charging time again using the planned power generation and storage control technology. If there is no more time to charge, it will head to its destination even if it is in the middle of charging, but if there is time to charge, it will complete charging so that it does not need to generate power on the way to its destination. Also, if the charger is not being used by any vehicle in (5), it will jump to (7).

[0028] While this example shows a simple transaction of income and expenditure for three or four vehicles at three businesses, even if the number of businesses mutually using this charger reservation system increases significantly and the number of vehicles on the road also increases, this system will function without any problems as long as each business's vehicles only use the chargers of other businesses in the alliance. This means that work efficiency can be greatly improved compared to when businesses settle their accounts individually. The settlement process can be carried out all at once by a tabulation machine (computer) in the control center, for example, on a set day at the end of the month.

[0029] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the automated settlement system. Each business and the charger installed there are designated by the letters A, B, C, D, ... N. Solid arrows indicate the time (amount of electricity) that a business's vehicle used a charger from another business, while wavy arrows indicate the time (amount of electricity) that a business's charger was used by a vehicle from another business.

[0030] For example, suppose three of Business A's vehicles are charged at other business locations for times (amount of electricity) Ta_s1, Ta_s2, and Ta_s3, respectively, and Business A's charger is used by vehicles from other business locations for times (amount of electricity) Ta_r1 and Ta_r2. In this case, the total electricity usage for Business A is Ta_s1 + Ta_s2 + Ta_s3 - (Ta_r1 + Ta_r2), which is represented as Ta_T. Whether Ta_T is positive or negative depends on the result of the addition, but if it is positive, it indicates that the time that Business A's vehicles used the chargers of other business locations (amount of electricity: Ta_s1 + Ta_s2 + Ta_s3) was longer than the time that Business A's charger was used by vehicles from other business locations (amount of electricity: Ta_r1 + Ta_r2), and the usage fee (electricity fee and usage fee) converted to that time (amount of electricity) will be collected from the control center. However, if Ta_T is negative, the corresponding usage fee will be paid by the control center. This is the same for all other business locations, and each business location does not need to be aware of the settlement process, as the control center automatically carries it out at set dates, making it hassle-free.

[0031] In Figure 5, priority is given to vehicles with a large charge level, but there are many other possible mechanisms for using chargers. For example, priority could be given to the vehicle that arrives at the charger first, and if there are vehicles waiting, the charging time could be limited (for example, a 10-minute rule).When concluding a contract to use the charger, one option would be to pay a higher contract fee than other companies in order to gain priority in using the charger. Furthermore, if a company initially planned to use a charger but decides not to charge due to reasons such as being in a hurry, the company can contact the control center to explain the situation. This will enable the center to review each company's charging plan and make adjustments to make external charging more efficient.

[0032] Figure 10 shows the relationship between the charger reservation system (control center function), each charger, each vehicle, and each business. The figure shows the charger reservation system (100), L chargers (200), M vehicles (300) scheduled to be driven that day, and N business locations (400). In reality, each charger is installed within each business, but since some businesses may own multiple chargers, we consider L > N.

[0033] The charger reservation system stores various information about vehicles that can use chargers (ID, license plate number, vehicle type, affiliation, etc.) in a registered vehicle information storage memory (101), and information about chargers (ID, installation location, output current, etc.) at each business registered in a registered charger information storage memory (102). First, all business offices (400) send the driving plans for each vehicle for that day to a block (103) that extracts vehicles that need charging in the charging reservation system. In addition, information about chargers that can be charged from the chargers (200) is sent to a block (104) that grasps the charger usage status. A block (105) that determines vehicles that can use chargers based on priority parameters sends a new reservation schedule updated taking into account the priority parameters according to the information from 103 and 104 to all vehicles (300) and all chargers (200). At the same time, it also sends the same information to each business office.

[0034] When a vehicle arrives at a charger location during the designated time, it checks the charging conditions with the charger and receives permission from the charger to charge. This communication can be via the Internet or near-field communication between the charger and the vehicle. The charger returns the vehicle's charger usage status to the charger usage status understanding block (104) of 100. If the vehicle decides not to charge as planned due to circumstances such as the need to hurry, it returns this information to 103, which then reassesssssss the vehicles that need charging and notifies 105. 105 reassessssss the combinations of chargers and vehicles that need charging and communicates this to all chargers (200) and all running vehicles (300). At the same time, it also sends this information to each business office (400).

[0035] In this way, the charging reservation system (control center function) adjusts the amount of charging power that is maximized for all vehicles when charging each vehicle's battery from the charger while the vehicle is traveling, within the bounds of the travel plan. This minimizes the total power generation time of each vehicle's generator, thereby contributing to reduced fuel consumption and environmental protection.

[0036] In addition, the settlement of electricity usage fees, which are converted into the amount of power charged by each vehicle from each charger, is carried out by the charge amount calculation and fee settlement block 106 of each business. The settlement method at this time is described in the automatic settlement system of Figure 9. This work can be performed by the control center itself, or it can also be done using blockchain technology (distributed ledger technology). Note that communication between the charger reservation system (100), chargers (200), vehicles (300), and each business (400) is carried out via a wireless communication network (such as the Internet). [Industrial Applicability]

[0037] The present invention is a technology that installs a device that implements planned power generation and storage control technology in a range extender vehicle that runs by charging a battery with a generator and then using the charged electricity to drive a motor.Vehicles that can run on small batteries and small motors create a driving plan (power generation plan) before setting off, and a control center collects the driving plans of all vehicles and reorganizes the driving plans to maximize the use of chargers installed along the way.By having each vehicle drive according to the reorganized driving plan, it is possible to minimize the total generator power generation time of all vehicles, thereby minimizing fuel consumption (CO2 generation). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] The driving plans made by each company's vehicle before the trip [Figure 2] Charging plans made independently by each company [Figure 3] The control center adjusts each vehicle's travel plan based on the availability of chargers. [Figure 4] If Company A further drives vehicle A2 (if an independent charging plan is created) [Figure 5] The center adjusts each vehicle's driving plan based on the availability of chargers (example of giving charging priority). [Figure 6] The center adjusts the charging plan and notifies each vehicle (1) [Figure 7] The center adjusts the charging plan and notifies each vehicle. (2) [Figure 8] Flowchart for when a vehicle autonomously charges from a charging station [Figure 9] Automated Clearing System [Figure 10] Relationship diagram between the charger reservation system, chargers, vehicles, and business locations

Claims

1. The system comprises a range extender vehicle that charges a battery with a generator as needed and runs by driving a motor with the charged power, and a control center that receives notification of a driving plan that the range extender vehicle has prepared before traveling. When the control center receives a notification of a driving plan in which multiple vehicles arrive at one charger in a chargeable state during the same time period from the vehicles after the start of driving, the control center adjusts the charger usage to prioritize vehicles with a larger amount of chargeable electric power when they arrive at the charger, and notifies each of the vehicles of the adjusted driving plan after the start of driving; When one vehicle has already started charging at a charger and a second vehicle arrives at the same charger, both vehicles calculate the amount of charge required to drive to the next charger, and the vehicle with the least amount of chargeable energy is given priority in using the charger to the vehicle with the most amount of chargeable energy.This is a reservation system for range extender vehicles and charger use that uses planned power generation and storage control technology.

2. The control center notifies each of the vehicles of the adjusted driving plan, and if, even though each of the vehicles has driven according to the plan, there is an overlap in the time periods during which multiple of the vehicles are charging at the same charger, the control center compares the amount of chargeable energy of each of the vehicles and gives priority to the vehicles in the order of the amount of chargeable energy that is greatest.

3. Furthermore, it includes a range extender vehicle that charges the battery with a generator as needed and runs by driving the motor with the charged power, 3. A reservation system for range extender vehicles and charger usage using planned power generation and storage control technology as described in claim 2, wherein the vehicle with a lower priority for use of the charger can choose not to charge using the charger when the charger is being used by a vehicle with a higher priority, but to continue driving by operating the generator, and notifies the control center that use of the charger has been canceled, and the control center then notifies each vehicle of a readjusted driving plan.

4. The vehicle further includes a range extender that charges a battery with a generator as needed and runs by driving a motor with the charged power, and a charger that charges the range extender vehicle. The vehicle confirms charging conditions with the charger, The reservation system for range extender vehicles and charger usage using planned power generation and storage control technology according to claim 1 , wherein the charger transmits information about the vehicle's use of the charger to the control center.

5. The control center calculates the amount of charge and settles the fees between each business when each vehicle of each business uses an external charger installed by another business, The electricity cost when one operator's vehicle uses an external charger from another operator is compared with the total electricity cost when that operator's charger is used by other operators' vehicles. If the total electricity cost when using a charger from another company is higher than the electricity cost when that company's charger is used by another company's vehicle, you will pay the difference in electricity cost and charger usage fee.

2. A reservation system for range extender vehicles and charger usage using the planned power generation and storage control technology of claim 1, wherein if the total electricity charge when using a charger of another operator is less than the electricity charge when the charger of that operator is used by a vehicle of another operator, the difference in electricity charge and charger usage fee are received.

6. 6. The reservation system for range extender vehicles and charger usage using planned power generation and storage control technology according to claim 5, wherein the control center settles the total of the electricity charges and usage fees for each vehicle using each charger and the electricity charges and usage fees for each charger used by each vehicle.

7. 5. A reservation system for a range extender vehicle using a planned power generation and storage control technology and a charger usage using the planned power generation and storage control technology described in claim 4, wherein when the vehicle arrives at the installation location of the charger during a designated time period, the vehicle confirms the charging conditions with the charger and starts charging when the vehicle receives permission from the charger that charging is possible.

8. The control center is operated in the following manner: jointly by all businesses that use chargers from other companies; by a consortium formed with the participation of all businesses; by an institution whose main business is the operation of the control center; or by a combination of any of these; a reservation system for range extender vehicles and charger usage using the planned power generation and storage control technology described in claim 1.

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