Charging authentication control system

Abstract

To control charging so as to neither exceed a demand value, nor spoil a charging plan, while improving convenience of a user.SOLUTION: A charging authentication control system comprises: a user's terminal device comprising an authentication key acquisition part for acquiring an authentication key issued in advance as information of identifying an individual user, a charging condition producing part for producing a charging condition based on the authentication key, and a first communication part for transmitting the acquired authentication key and the produced charging condition thereto; and a charging control device comprising a second communication part for receiving the authentication key and the charging condition that are transmitted by the first communication part, an authentication part for authenticating a user on the basis of the received authentication key, a supply state acquisition part for acquiring a supply state of power fed from a commercial power supply, and a charging control part for controlling a charging state of a charging device capable of feeding power to a storage battery installed in a vehicle on the basis of an authentication result obtained by the authentication part, the acquired supply state, and the received charging condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging authentication control system. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, charging systems for charging electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and the like are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-85316 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional charging systems such as that described in Patent Document 1 have the drawback of being unable to improve user convenience due to the complicated operation required by the user. Furthermore, conventional charging systems have the drawback of being unable to control charging so as not to exceed the demand value and not to disrupt the charging plan.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a charging authentication control system that can perform charging control so as not to exceed a demand value and not to cause a charging plan to fail, while improving user convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a charging authentication control system comprising: a user terminal device including an authentication key acquisition unit that acquires an authentication key issued in advance as information for identifying an individual user, a charging condition generation unit that generates charging conditions based on the authentication key, and a first communication unit that transmits the acquired authentication key and the generated charging conditions; a charging control device including a second communication unit that receives the authentication key and the charging conditions transmitted by the first communication unit, an authentication unit that authenticates the user based on the received authentication key, a supply status acquisition unit that acquires the supply status of power supplied from a commercial power source, and a charging control unit that controls the charging state of a charging device capable of supplying the power to a storage battery provided in a vehicle based on the authentication result by the authentication unit, the acquired supply status, and the received charging conditions.

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, in the charge authentication control system, the first communication unit and the second communication unit communicate with each other by short-range wireless communication.

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, the charging authentication control system further includes a price management server that manages a price for charging based on a charging history of a user using the charging device.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is that in the above-mentioned charging authentication control system, the authentication key is issued based on the relationship between the facility where the charging control device is installed and the user, and the price management server manages the price for each facility and each user indicated by the authentication key.

[0010] In addition, one aspect of the present invention is that in the above-mentioned charging authentication control system, the authentication key is issued for each charging control device and for each user, and the charging condition generation unit generates charging conditions for each charging control device and for each user indicated by the authentication key.

[0011] In addition, one aspect of the present invention is that, in the above-mentioned charging authentication control system, a customer information server is further provided that manages the relationship between the facility where the charging control device is installed and the user, and the charging condition generation unit generates charging conditions based on information indicating the relationship obtained from the customer information server.

[0012] In addition, one aspect of the present invention is that in the above-mentioned charging authentication control system, the first communication unit receives charging status information indicating the charging status controlled by the charging control unit, and the terminal device further includes a presentation unit that presents information based on the received charging status information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform charging control that improves user convenience, does not exceed a demand value, and does not cause a charging plan to fail. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overview of a charge authentication control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the charging authentication control system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of obtaining an authentication key according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a customer registration condition table according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between charging time and charging energy amount for each charging plan according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an authentication key according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of acquiring demand information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow during charging operation in the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a charging condition generated by a charging condition generating unit of the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of a procedure for acquiring a charging status by the charging authentication control system of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an overview of a charging authentication control system 1 according to this embodiment. The charging authentication control system 1 includes a user terminal device 10, a charging control device 20, a monitoring device 30, a charging device 40, a charging management server 50, a cost management server 60, and a customer information server 70.

[0016] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet device, and is capable of communicating with the charge control device 20, the charge management server 50, the consideration management server 60, the customer information server 70, and the like. The charge control device 20 controls the charging device 40 to supply power from a commercial power source to an electric vehicle connected to the charging device 40. Note that the electric vehicle referred to in this embodiment may be any vehicle that runs on power stored in an on-board battery, and broadly includes so-called electric vehicles (EVs) as well as plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). The charging device 40 may not only charge electric vehicles, but may also charge portable battery devices, for example. The monitoring device 30 monitors the status of power supplied from a commercial power source to the charging control device 20. The monitoring device 30 stores demand information related to power supply and supplies the stored demand information to the charging control device 20. The charging device 40 supplies power to an object to be charged (for example, an electric vehicle) based on the control of the charging control device 20. That is, the charging device 40 is capable of supplying power to a storage battery provided in a vehicle or the like.

[0017] The charging management server 50 is capable of communicating with the user terminal device 10 and the charging control device 20, and provides the user terminal device 10 with information on the charging status acquired by the charging control device 20. The price management server 60 is capable of communicating with the user terminal device 10 and manages the price of the power charged by the charging device 40 through the operation of the user terminal device 10.

[0018] The customer information server 70 manages customer information of services to which the user of the user terminal device 10 subscribes as a customer. The service here refers to, for example, a points service to which the store where the charging control device 20 (or the charging device 40) is installed is a member. Depending on the facility (for example, a store), both the charging control device 20 and the charging device 40 may be installed on the premises of the facility, or only the charging device 40 may be installed on the premises of the facility and the charging control device 20 may be installed outside the premises of the facility. In the following description, when a facility where the charging control device 20 is installed is described, it also includes a facility where only the charging device 40 is installed on the premises.

[0019] The customer information server 70 manages the relationship between the facility where the charging control device 20 is installed and the user. The relationship here refers to, for example, whether the user is a member of a point service, the customer rank of the point service to which the user is a member (for example, whether the user is a regular member or a gold member who receives more preferential treatment), and the like. A specific example of the functions provided by each of these devices will be described with reference to FIG.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the charge authentication control system 1 of this embodiment. The user terminal device 10 includes an authentication key acquisition unit 110, a charging condition generation unit 120, a terminal communication unit 130, and a presentation unit 140. The charge control device 20 includes a charge control device communication unit 210, a supply status acquisition unit 220, a charge control unit 230, and an authentication unit 240. The monitoring device 30 includes a measurement unit 310 and a monitoring device communication unit 320 . The charge management server 50 includes a charge management server communication unit 510 . The value management server 60 includes a value management server communication unit 610 and a value management unit 620 . The customer information server 70 includes a customer information server communication unit 710, a customer information management unit 720, and an authentication key issuing unit 730.

[0021] [About the authentication key] The authentication key acquisition unit 110 acquires an authentication key from the customer information server 70. The flow of acquiring an authentication key will be described with reference to FIG.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of obtaining an authentication key in this embodiment. (Step S110) The terminal communication unit 130 of the user terminal device 10 transmits an authentication key issuance request to the customer information server 70. This authentication key issuance request includes information that identifies the user of the user terminal device 10, i.e., user identification information (e.g., a user ID). (Step S120) The customer information server communication unit 710 of the customer information server 70 receives an authentication key issuance request from the user terminal device 10. The customer information management unit 720 determines the customer registration conditions of the user of the user terminal device 10 based on the user identification information included in the authentication key issuance request received from the user terminal device 10. For example, the customer information server 70 stores a customer registration conditions table in a memory unit (not shown).

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a customer registration condition table of this embodiment. In this example, a user with user identification information "U001" is associated with "full charge" as a charging plan and "C01" as charging device identification information. A user with user identification information U002 is associated with "mild charge" as a charging plan and "C01" as charging device identification information. A user with user identification information U003 is associated with "low charge" as a charging plan and "C02" as charging device identification information. Full charge, mild charge, and low charge all indicate types of charging plans.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the charging time and the amount of charging energy for each charging plan according to this embodiment. The full charge plan is a plan that supplies more power (for example, enough power to fully charge an electric vehicle battery) in a shorter time than other charging plans. The curve w1 shows an example of the relationship between charging time and the amount of charging energy in the case of full charge. Mild charging is a plan that reduces the amount of charging energy per hour compared to full charging. Curve w2 shows an example of the relationship between charging time and amount of charging energy in the case of mild charging. Low-volume charging is a plan in which the upper limit of the amount of power supplied is set lower than that of full-volume charging. Curve w3 shows an example of the relationship between charging time and amount of charging power in the case of low-volume charging. These charging plans are merely examples, and are not limited to the above. Various other charging plans may be set in the customer registration condition table.

[0025] Returning to FIG. 4, the charging device identification information is information that is uniquely assigned to each charging device 40 (or charging control device 20). The charging device identification information identifies the charging device 40 (or charging control device 20) that a user can use among multiple charging devices 40 (or charging control devices 20). For example, in the example shown in the same figure, users with user identification information "U001" and "U002" can use the charging device 40 (or charging control device 20) with charging device identification information "C01". Also, a user with user identification information "U003" can use the charging device 40 (or charging control device 20) with charging device identification information "C02".

[0026] Returning to Figure 3, if the user identification information included in the authentication key issuance request is "U001", the customer information management unit 720 determines that the customer registration conditions are that the charging plan is "full charging" and the charging device identification information is "C01".

[0027] (Step S130) When the authentication key issuing unit 730 determines the customer registration conditions, it issues an authentication key. This authentication key includes the user identification information determined in step S120, the minimum charging amount, the required charging time, the scheduled charging start time, the scheduled charging end time, the charging speed, and the charging device identification information. An authentication key is issued for each user and each charging device 40.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an authentication key in this embodiment. The diagram shows an example of information included in an authentication key issued to a user with user identification information "U001." In this example, the authentication key includes user identification information "U001," a charging plan "Full Charge," and charging device identification information "C01." This authentication key functions as digital key information indicating that the user terminal device 10 can use the charging device 40 indicated by the authentication key.

[0029] (Step S140) Returning to FIG. 3, customer information server communication unit 710 transmits the issued authentication key to user terminal device 10 that has made the request.

[0030] (Step S150) The authentication key acquisition unit 110 of the user terminal device 10 receives the authentication key from the customer information server 70. The authentication key acquisition unit 110 stores the received authentication key in a memory unit (not shown) of the user terminal device 10. Here, the authentication key has been issued in advance by the customer information server 70 as information for identifying the individual user. That is, the authentication key acquisition unit 110 acquires an authentication key that has been issued in advance as information for identifying an individual user. The authentication key is stored in the user terminal device 10 through the above-described procedure.

[0031] [About demand information] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of obtaining demand information according to this embodiment. (Step S210) The measurement unit 310 of the monitoring device 30 measures the demand value of the power supplied from the commercial power source to the charging control device 20. Here, the demand value is information indicating the supply status of the power supplied from the commercial power source. As an example, the demand value indicates the average power usage during a demand time period (e.g., 30 minutes) of the power supplied from the commercial power source to the charging control device 20. The measurement unit 310 stores the history of the measured demand values ​​in a memory unit (not shown) of the monitoring device 30. (Step S220) The measurement unit 310 calculates the maximum value of the stored demand values. The monitoring device communication unit 320 transmits the maximum value of the demand values ​​calculated by the measurement unit 310 to the charge control device 20.

[0032] (Step S230) The charge control device communication unit 210 of the charge control device 20 receives the maximum value of the demand value transmitted by the monitoring device 30. The supply status acquisition unit 220 acquires the received maximum value of the demand value and stores it in a storage unit (not shown) of the charge control device 20. That is, the supply status acquisition unit 220 acquires the supply status of the power supplied from the commercial power source.

[0033] The maximum demand value may be updated at predetermined intervals. For example, the monitoring device 30 may update the maximum demand value every month to the maximum demand value over the past year. Furthermore, the monitoring device 30 may store maximum demand values ​​on a monthly basis for multiple years in the past. In this case, the monitoring device 30 transmits the maximum demand values ​​for the same month as the current month for the past multiple years to the charging control device 20. For example, if the current month is January, the monitoring device 30 transmits the maximum demand values ​​for January for the past five years to the charging control device 20. The monitoring device 30 configured in this manner can provide the charging control device 20 with monthly trends (or seasonal trends) of the demand values. The charging control device 20 can generate a charging plan (charging control instructions) based on the monthly trends (or seasonal trends) of the demand values.

[0034] [Charging procedure] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing during charging work in this embodiment. In one example of this embodiment, the terminal communication unit 130 (first communication unit) and the charge control device communication unit 210 (second communication unit) can communicate with each other by short-range wireless communication.

[0035] (Step S310) The charging control device communication unit 210 of the charging control device 20 searches for a user terminal device 10 near the charging control device 20. When the charging control device communication unit 210 detects the user terminal device 10, it notifies the user terminal device 10 that it is possible to send an authentication key to the user terminal device 10. The terminal communication unit 130 of the user terminal device 10 receives the notification from the charging control device communication unit 210 indicating that it is possible to send an authentication key. (Step S320) The terminal communication unit 130 transmits an authentication key to the charge control device communication unit 210.

[0036] (Step S330) The charging control device communication unit 210 receives the authentication key transmitted from the user terminal device 10. The authentication unit 240 authenticates the received authentication key. Here, authenticating the authentication key means determining whether the user of the user terminal device 10 is a user who is permitted to supply power to an electric vehicle or the like using the charging device 40 controlled by the charging control device 20. That is, the authentication unit 240 authenticates the user based on the received authentication key. When authenticating the authentication key, the authentication unit 240 notifies the user terminal device 10 of the authentication result via the charge control device communication unit 210. (Step S340) If the authentication key transmitted in step S320 is authenticated, the charging condition generating unit 120 generates charging conditions based on this authentication key.

[0037] 9 is a diagram showing an example of charging conditions generated by the charging condition generation unit 120 of this embodiment. The charging conditions include user identification information, charging device identification information, a minimum charging amount, a required charging time, a charging speed, a scheduled charging start time, and a scheduled charging end time. Here, the minimum charge amount is the minimum value of the amount of power that should be charged in the storage battery at the time of charging completion. Note that the minimum charge amount may be the minimum value of the amount of power supplied from the charging device 40 to the storage battery (i.e., the final supply amount), or may be the minimum remaining amount of the storage battery after charging (i.e., the minimum value of the storage battery's state of charge (SOC)). The charging time is the time required to charge a predetermined amount of power into the storage battery. The charging speed is the amount of charging power per unit time while the storage battery is being charged. The charging speed may be expressed in stages such as "slow," "standard," and "rapid," in order of decreasing amount of charging power per unit time. The scheduled charging start time is the scheduled time when the user connects the charging device 40 to the electric vehicle. The scheduled charging end time is the scheduled time when the user disconnects the charging device 40 from the electric vehicle.

[0038] In the above-described example, the authentication key includes the user identification information “U001,” the charging plan “Fully Charged,” and the charging device identification information “C01.” In this example, the charging condition generation unit 120 generates charging conditions based on the charging plan “Fully Charged.” When the charging plan is "full charge," the charging condition generating unit 120 sets the minimum charge amount to be about the same as for "mild charge," sets the required charging time to be relatively short, and sets the charging speed to be relatively fast. The charging condition generating unit 120 calculates the scheduled charging start time and the scheduled charging end time based on, for example, a time specification operation on the user terminal device 10 by the user, a learning result of the user's behavior history, and the like. The charging condition generation unit 120 generates charging conditions based on the set minimum charging amount, required charging time, and charging speed, and the calculated scheduled charging start time and scheduled charging end time. In this example, the generated charging conditions include user identification information "U001", minimum charging amount "P1", required charging time "t1", scheduled charging start time "14:00", scheduled charging end time "18:00", charging speed "rapid", and charging device identification information "C01".

[0039] That is, an authentication key is issued for each user and for each charge control device 20. The charging condition generating unit 120 generates charging conditions for each user and for each charge control device 20 indicated by the authentication key.

[0040] In addition, when a user is subscribed to a point service, the type of charging plan may be selectable depending on the customer rank of the user. In this case, the customer information server 70 manages the customer rank of the user. As an example, the customer information server 70 stores the purchase history of the user at the facility where the charging control device 20 is installed. Based on the purchase history, the customer rank of a user who spends a relatively large amount is set to "gold member," and the customer rank of a user who spends a relatively small amount is set to "normal member." If the user's customer rank is "normal member," the user can select "low-volume charging" or "mild charging." If the user's customer rank is "gold member," the user can select "full charging" in addition to "low-volume charging" and "mild charging." In this case, if the customer rank of the user managed in the customer information server 70 is "Gold Member" and "Full Charge" is selected as the charging plan, the charging condition generation unit 120 generates charging conditions based on the above-mentioned "Full Charge."

[0041] That is, the charging conditions are generated based on the information indicating the relationship obtained from the customer information server 70.

[0042] In some cases, multiple charging devices 40 are installed in one facility, allowing multiple electric vehicles to be charged simultaneously. In this case, the user terminal device 10 may generate charging conditions such that charging is given priority to users with higher customer ranks.

[0043] Returning to FIG. 8, the terminal communication unit 130 transmits the generated charging conditions to the charging control device 20. That is, terminal communication unit 130 (first communication unit) transmits an authentication key in step S320, and transmits charging conditions in step S340.

[0044] (Step S350) The charge control device communication unit 210 receives the charging conditions transmitted from the user terminal device 10. That is, the terminal communication unit 130 (second communication unit) receives the authentication key in step S330, and receives the charging conditions in step S350. The charging control unit 230 generates a charging control instruction based on the authentication result by the authentication unit 240, the supply status acquired in step S230, and the charging conditions received in step S350. The charging control unit 230 outputs the generated charging control instruction to the charging device 40 and controls the charging device 40.

[0045] [Example of control of charging device 40 by charging control unit 230] (1) If charging is performed at a charging rate specified in the charging conditions between the start of charging and the scheduled charging end time, the maximum value of the demand value may be exceeded. In this case, the charge control device 20 controls the charging device 40 so as to prevent the charging plan from collapsing while controlling the amount of power supplied to the charging device 40 so as not to exceed the maximum value of the demand value. Here, the collapse of the charging plan means, for example, that the minimum charge amount is not reached even after the scheduled charging end time has passed.

[0046] (2) The charge control device 20 may be configured to simultaneously control multiple chargers 40 (for example, a first charger 40-1, a second charger 40-2, and so on (not shown)). In this case, there may be a case where the scheduled charging end time of the first charger 40-1 is "6:00 PM" and the scheduled charging end time of the second charger 40-2 is "8:00 PM." Furthermore, there may be a case where a contract is made under which the electricity rate will become higher if the power simultaneously supplied to these multiple charging devices 40 exceeds the maximum value of the demand value received in step S230. Even in such a case, the charging control device 20 controls the amount of electricity supplied to the charging devices 40 so as not to exceed the maximum value of the demand value, and controls the charging devices 40 so as not to fail the charging plan of each charging device 40. When the amount of power supplied to the charging device 40 is likely to exceed the maximum demand value, the charging control device 20 prioritizes power supply by the first charging device 40-1, which has an earlier scheduled charging end time, and temporarily suspends (or reduces) power supply by the second charging device 40-2, which has a later scheduled charging end time.

[0047] (Step S360) The charging device 40 starts charging based on the charging control instruction generated by the charging control device 20. (Step S370) The charge control device 20 determines whether to complete the charge control instruction. Specifically, the charge control device 20 determines to complete the charge control instruction if the amount of power supplied by the charge device 40 satisfies the charge condition received from the user terminal device 10 in step S350. The charge condition may be a condition based on the minimum value of the amount of power supplied from the charge device 40 to the storage battery (i.e., the final supply amount), or a condition based on the minimum remaining amount of the storage battery after charging (i.e., the minimum value of the storage battery's state of charge (SOC)). (Step S380) The charge control device 20 outputs a charge stop request to the charger 40. (Step S390) When the charging device 40 receives the request to stop charging from the charging control device 20, the charging device 40 stops the charging operation.

[0048] In addition, in step S350, the charge control unit 230 transmits the generated charge control instruction to the charge management server 50. (Step S400) The charge management server communication unit 510 of the charge management server 50 receives the charge control instruction transmitted by the charge control unit 230, and stores it in a storage unit (not shown).

[0049] (Step S410) The charging management server 50 transmits a charging control instruction to the user terminal device 10. This charging control instruction includes the scheduled charging end time calculated by the charging control device 20. Upon receiving the charging control instruction, the presentation unit 140 of the user terminal device 10 presents the scheduled charging end time to the user. In this case, the charging control instruction functions as charging status information indicating the status of charging control by the charging control device 20. That is, terminal communication unit 130 (first communication unit) receives charging state information indicating the charging state controlled by charging control unit 230. Presentation unit 140 presents information based on the received charging state information.

[0050] [Charging status acquisition process] The user terminal device 10 can acquire the charging status from the charging control device 20 without directly communicating with the charging control device 20. The procedure for acquiring the charging status will be described with reference to FIG.

[0051] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of a procedure for acquiring the charging status by the charging authentication control system 1 of this embodiment. (Step S510) The user terminal device 10 transmits a request to the charge management server 50 to check the charging status. (Step S520) When the charge management server 50 receives the request to check the charging status from the user terminal device 10, the charge management server 50 transmits the request to check the charging status to the charge control device 20. (Step S530) The charge control device 20 outputs a request to the charger 40 to check the charging status. (Step S540) The charging device 40 acquires the status of charging the electric vehicle connected to the charging device 40, and outputs it to the charging control device 20 as a charging status confirmation response. (Step S550) The charge control device 20 transmits the charging status acquired from the charge device 40 to the charge management server 50. (Step S560) The charging management server 50 transmits the charging status received from the charging control device 20 to the user terminal device 10. The charging management server 50 may also transmit the charging status to the consideration management server 60. (Step S570) The user terminal device 10 displays the charging status received from the charging management server 50 on the display unit 140 (for example, a liquid crystal display). (Step S580 ) The consideration management server 60 performs a billing process for the user of the user terminal device 10 based on the charging status received from the charging management server 50 .

[0052] Here, a description will be given of the billing process performed by the price management server 60. The price management server 60 manages the price for charging by the charging device 40 based on the charging history of the user using the charging device 40. As an example, the price management server 60 may be configured to calculate a fee based on the amount of electricity supplied by the charging device 40 to the user's electric vehicle, and to debit the calculated fee from the user's bank account or charge it to a credit card account in the user's name.

[0053] As another example, the user may be a member of a points service to which the facility (e.g., a store) in which the charging control device 20 (or the charging device 40; the same applies in the following description) is installed is affiliated. In this case, the compensation management server 60 may be configured to calculate compensation according to the amount of electricity supplied by the charging control device 20 to the user's electric vehicle, and to perform billing processing by deducting points awarded to the user by the facility operator according to the calculated compensation. In this case, the authentication key may be issued based on the relationship between the user and the facility where the charging control device 20 is installed. The price management server 60 may be configured to manage the price for each facility and each user indicated by the authentication key.

[0054] Furthermore, the value management server 60 may provide an incentive based on the trend of the demand value in the billing process by point deduction described above. For example, the value management server 60 may deduct more points per unit of power amount during a time period when the demand value of the facility where the charge control device 20 is installed is relatively high, and may deduct fewer points per unit of power amount during a time period when the demand value is relatively low. According to the value management server 60 configured in this way, it is possible to equalize the demand value at the facility.

[0055] Furthermore, the customer information server 70 may store the address of the user's home and the address of the facility where the charging control device 20 is installed. In this case, it is possible to calculate the distance between the user's home and the facility where the charging control device 20 is installed. The cost management server 60 may manage the cost of charging by providing the amount of electricity required to travel the calculated distance free of charge to the user and having the facility cover the cost of the amount of electricity.

[0056] As described above, in the charging authentication control system 1 of this embodiment, the user terminal device 10 generates charging conditions based on an authentication key (i.e., a digital key). The charging control device 20 generates a charging control instruction for the charging device 40 based on the generated charging conditions and the maximum demand value (i.e., the power supply status). That is, the functions are shared so that the user terminal device 10 generates the charging conditions and the charging control device 20 generates the charging control instruction. According to the charging authentication control system 1 configured in this manner, by exchanging two types of information, the authentication key and the charging conditions, between the user terminal device 10 and the charging control device 20, charging can be controlled so as not to exceed the demand value and not to fail the charging plan. In other words, according to the charging authentication control system 1, it is possible to simplify communication between the user terminal device 10 and the charging control device 20. Furthermore, according to the charging authentication control system 1, the user terminal device 10 can generate charging conditions even if the user does not set the charging conditions in detail. This reduces the burden on the user of operating the user terminal device 10, and improves user convenience. Furthermore, according to the charging authentication control system 1, the user terminal device 10 generates charging conditions even if the user does not set the charging conditions in detail, so it is possible to avoid a situation in which the desired charging conditions are not set due to an operational error by the user.

[0057] In the example of the embodiment described above, the case where the charge control device 20 and the charge device 40 are installed in a facility such as a store has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The charging control device 20 and the charging device 40 may be installed in an apartment building where multiple users live. The apartment building has a parking lot for electric vehicles, and the charging device 40 supplies charging power to the electric vehicles parked in the parking lot. In this case, when a user signs a parking contract, an authentication key is distributed to the user terminal device 10 of the user. In the case of the example of the store described above, the authentication key may indicate charging conditions for each facility (store) and for each user, or may indicate charging conditions for each charge control device 20 and for each user. In the case of the example of the apartment building, the same authentication key may be issued to each user in a family, and the same charging conditions may be set within the family, or different authentication keys may be issued to each user in a family, and the same charging conditions may be set within the family for these different authentication keys.

[0058] In this example, the charging plan is as follows: a. The planned number of kilometers to be driven on weekdays and the planned number of kilometers to be driven on weekends and holidays are registered in advance, and the amount of electricity corresponding to the planned number of kilometers to be driven is charged (for example, at a specified time every day). b. The number of kilometers planned to be driven per week is registered in advance, and the amount of electricity corresponding to the number of kilometers planned to be driven is charged (for example, at night, when the unit price of electricity is relatively low). c. Fully charge every day. The user may be configured to be able to operate the user terminal device 10 to select one of the above-mentioned charging plans depending on the situation.

[0059] An example will be described in which the charging control device 20 and the charging device 40 are installed in an apartment building. In this example, the electric vehicles to be charged are electric vehicle A and electric vehicle B, and the case where nighttime electricity rates are cheaper than daytime electricity rates will be described as an example. The user of electric vehicle A is user A, and the user of electric vehicle B is user B. As an example, user A and user B are both residents of the apartment building.

[0060] (Prerequisite) Electric vehicle charging plan A: Minimum charging capacity 10kWh, scheduled end time of charging 5:00 AM Electric vehicle A: Charger connection start time: 0:00 AM Electric vehicle charging plan B: Minimum charging capacity 5kWh, scheduled end time of charging 9:00 AM Electric vehicle B: Charger connection start time 4:00 PM Nighttime electricity hours: 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM The maximum amount of power that can be used for charging (allowable power value) is the power obtained by subtracting the general load power used by the entire apartment complex from the demand value of the entire apartment complex. The past allowable power values ​​for each day of the week and each time period are stored in advance in the charge control device 20.

[0061] (Step S1) (Time: 4 PM) Electric vehicle B is connected to the charging device 40. The charging control device 20 authenticates user B based on the authentication key of user B and obtains a charging plan.

[0062] (Step S2) The charge control device 20 generates a charge control instruction based on the charge plan acquired in step S1. Specifically, the nighttime power time period is seven hours from 11 PM to 6 AM. The charge control device 20 calculates the average charge output (0.72 kWh) when charging the minimum charge amount of 5 kWh for user B in a scheduled charging time of seven hours. The charging control device 20 compares the allowable power value for each day of the week and each time period with the average charging output. If the comparison result shows that the relationship of allowable power value > average charging output is satisfied for all time periods within the charging period for electric vehicle B, the charging control device 20 saves a charging control instruction of "scheduled charging start time: 11 PM, scheduled charging end time: 6 AM, average charging output: 0.72 kWh" as reservation information and goes into standby mode.

[0063] (Step S3) When the reserved charging start time (11:00 PM) arrives, the charging control device 20 starts charging the electric vehicle B.

[0064] (Step S4) (Time: 0 AM) Electric vehicle A is connected to the charging device 40. The charging control device 20 authenticates user A based on the authentication key of user A and obtains a charging plan.

[0065] (Step S5) The charge control device 20 generates a charge control instruction based on the charge plan acquired in step S4. Specifically, the charger connection time period for electric vehicle A is five hours from the current time of 0:00 AM to 5:00 AM. The charge control device 20 calculates the average charging output (2.0 kWh) when charging the minimum charging amount of 10 kWh for user A in a scheduled charging time of five hours. The charging control device 20 compares the allowable power value for each day of the week and each time period with the total value of the average charging outputs to electric vehicle A and electric vehicle B (total average charging power). If the comparison result shows that the relationship of allowable power value > total average charging power is satisfied for all time periods within the charging period for electric vehicles A and B, the charging control device 20 generates a charging control instruction that specifies "scheduled charging start time (current time): 0:00 AM, scheduled charging end time: 5:00 AM, average charging output: 2.0 kWh" and starts charging electric vehicle A. If, as a result of the comparison, there is a time period within the charging period for electric vehicles A and B where the relationship of allowable power value > total average charging power is not satisfied, charging control device 20 reduces the charging output to the electric vehicle with the relatively large minimum charge amount during that time period (electric vehicle A in this example) to an output that satisfies the relationship of allowable power value = total average charging power. Charging control device 20 slides the reduced amount of power into the surplus power of the time period where allowable power value > total average charging power is satisfied. If there is a time period where the allowable power value is not greater than the total average charging power even after sliding the allowable power value to the remaining power, charging is completed for the electric vehicle with the earlier scheduled charging completion time (electric vehicle A in this example), and then charging is performed for the electric vehicle with the later scheduled charging completion time (electric vehicle B in this example). For example, the remaining minimum charging amount (5 kWh - (0.72 kWh x 2 h)) = 3.56 kWh, excluding the amount charged between 11:00 PM and 9:00 AM, is charged in the four hours from the scheduled charging start time of electric vehicle B at 5:00 AM to the scheduled charging completion time at 9:00 AM (i.e., charging is performed at an average charging output of 0.89 kWh). In this case, as in the above case, the charging control device 20 generates a charging control instruction based on the allowable power value for each day of the week and time period and the average charging output for electric vehicle B. In this example, the charge control device 20: Electric vehicle A: Scheduled charging start time: 12:00 AM, scheduled charging end time: 5:00 AM, average charging output: 2.0 kWh Electric vehicle B: Scheduled charging start time: 5:00 AM, scheduled charging end time: 9:00 AM, average charging output: 0.89 kWh The charging control instruction is generated and charging is started. Furthermore, if the demand becomes tight during charging, the charge control device 20 performs control to reduce the excess charging current and regenerates the charge control instruction.

[0066] Each unit included in each device in the above-described embodiments may be realized by dedicated hardware, or may be realized by a memory and a microprocessor.

[0067] In addition, each part of each device may be composed of a memory and a CPU (central processing unit), and the functions of each part of each device may be realized by loading a program into memory and executing it.

[0068] In addition, a program for realizing the functions of each unit of each device may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing by each unit of the control unit. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0069] Furthermore, if a WWW system is used, the "computer system" also includes the homepage provision environment (or display environment). "Computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" also includes devices that dynamically store programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks like the Internet or over communication lines like telephone lines, and devices that store programs for a fixed period of time, such as volatile memory within computer systems that serve as servers or clients. Furthermore, the programs may be programs that implement some of the aforementioned functions, or may be programs that can realize the aforementioned functions in combination with programs already stored in the computer system.

[0070] One embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to that described above, and various design changes and the like can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1...Charging authentication control system, 10...User terminal device, 20...Charging control device, 30...Monitoring device, 40...Charging device, 50...Charging management server, 60...Compensation management server, 70...Customer information server

Claims

1. an authentication key acquisition unit that acquires an authentication key that has been issued in advance as information for identifying an individual user; a charging condition generation unit that generates a charging condition based on the authentication key; a first communication unit that transmits the acquired authentication key and the generated charging condition; a user terminal device comprising: a second communication unit that receives the authentication key and the charging condition transmitted by the first communication unit; an authentication unit that authenticates a user based on the received authentication key; a supply status acquisition unit that acquires the supply status of power supplied from a commercial power source; a charging control unit that controls a charging state of a charging device that can supply the power to a storage battery provided in a vehicle based on an authentication result by the authentication unit, the acquired supply status, and the received charging conditions; a charging control device comprising: A charging authentication control system comprising:

2. The first communication unit and the second communication unit communicate with each other by short-range wireless communication. The charging authentication control system according to claim 1 .

3. The charging authentication control system according to claim 1 , further comprising a price management server that manages a price for charging based on a charging history of the user using the charging device.

4. the authentication key is issued based on a relationship between a facility in which the charging control device is installed and a user, The consideration management server manages the consideration for each facility and each user indicated by the authentication key. The charging authentication control system according to claim 3 .

5. the authentication key is issued for each of the charge control devices and for each of the users; The charging condition generation unit generates charging conditions for each of the charging control devices indicated by the authentication key and for each of the users. The charging authentication control system according to claim 1 .

6. a customer information server that manages the relationship between the facility where the charging control device is installed and the user; The charging condition generation unit generates charging conditions based on information indicating the relationship obtained from the customer information server. The charging authentication control system according to claim 1 .

7. the first communication unit receives charging state information indicating the charging state controlled by the charging control unit; The user terminal device further includes a presentation unit that presents information based on the received charging state information. The charging authentication control system according to claim 1 .

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