Charger reservation management system

Abstract

To promote a reservation to use a charger according to the situation of each user.SOLUTION: Provided is a charger reservation management system for managing reservations to use a first charger and a second charger in a predetermined facility having the first charger for charging a power storage device equipped in a motor vehicle and the second charger for charging the storage device more quickly than the first charger. The system recommends making a reservation to use the first charger when the scheduled stay time for which a user who wants to charge a power storage device in the predetermined facility stays around the predetermined facility is at least a threshold value, and recommends making a reservation to use the second charger when the scheduled stay time is less than the threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charger reservation management system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of charger reservation management system, there has been proposed a system including a reservation processing unit that receives a reservation registration for using a charger and manages reservation information including a use start date and time and a provisional use end date and time, and a charging time calculation unit that calculates the required time for charging when a user starts using the charger based on the reservation registration (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this system, the reservation processing unit calculates a new use end date and time based on the required time and updates the provisional use end date and time to the new use end date and time.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a predetermined facility including a first charger for charging a power storage device mounted on an electric vehicle and a second charger for rapidly charging the power storage device compared to the first charger, when a user with a relatively long planned stay time reserves the second charger, there is a concern that a user with a relatively short planned stay time cannot use the second charger for that time period (from the start of stay to the end of stay).

[0005] The main object of the charger reservation management system of the present disclosure is to promote the reservation of charger use according to the circumstances of the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The charger reservation management system described herein employs the following measures to achieve the primary objectives described above.

[0007] The charger reservation management system of this disclosure is a charger reservation management system for managing reservations for use of the first and second chargers at a predetermined facility, which includes a first charger for charging an energy storage device mounted on an electric vehicle and a second charger for rapidly charging the energy storage device compared to the first charger, and the gist of the system is to recommend the use of the first charger when the planned stay time of a user who wishes to charge the energy storage device at the predetermined facility is greater than or equal to a threshold, and to recommend the use of the second charger when the planned stay time is less than the threshold.

[0008] The charger reservation management system disclosed herein recommends that users who wish to charge their energy storage devices at a designated facility reserve the use of the first charger if their planned stay time around the designated facility exceeds a threshold, and recommends that they reserve the use of the second charger if their planned stay time is less than the threshold. Therefore, by discouraging users whose planned stay time exceeds the threshold from reserving the use of the second charger, it is possible to prevent users whose planned stay time is less than the threshold from being unable to reserve the second charger for that time range (from the start to the end of their stay). As a result, it is possible to promote the use of chargers that are appropriate to the user's circumstances. Here, designated facilities can be, for example, shopping centers or parking lots of leisure facilities. The number of first and second chargers is not limited to one each, but may be multiple.

[0009] In the charger reservation management system of this disclosure, the threshold may be set such that the longer the desired charge amount of the energy storage device is, the greater the desired charge amount. In this way, it is possible to recommend the use of the more appropriate charger among the first and second chargers. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the charging system 10. [Figure 2]This is a schematic diagram of an electric vehicle 220, which is an example of a vehicle that can use the standard chargers 22 and rapid chargers 24 of the designated facility 20. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows an example of a processing routine executed by the charger reservation management unit 34. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the charging system 10. As shown in the figure, the charging system 10 comprises a predetermined facility 20, a wired or wireless communication network 12, a management server 30 connected to the communication network 12, and a user terminal 120 connected to the communication network 12. In this embodiment, the charger reservation management system corresponds to the management server 30 and the user terminal 120.

[0012] Examples of designated facilities 20 include parking lots of shopping centers and leisure facilities. Designated facilities 20 are equipped with a standard charger 22 as a first charger and a rapid charger 24 as a second charger. The standard charger 22 and the rapid charger 24 are connected to a power supply source such as a commercial power source and are configured to charge the energy storage devices installed in vehicles connected to them. The number of standard chargers 22 and rapid chargers 24 is not limited to one each, but may be multiple.

[0013] The standard charger 22 is configured to supply a relatively small amount of AC power to the vehicle it is connected to. The standard charger 22 comprises an AC power supply unit that supplies AC power to the vehicle, a communication device that communicates with the management server 30 and the vehicle, and a control unit that controls the AC power supply unit and the communication device. The rapid charger 24 is configured to supply a sufficiently larger amount of DC power to the vehicle it is connected to compared to the standard charger 22. The rapid charger 24 comprises a DC power supply unit that supplies DC power to the vehicle, a communication device that communicates with the management server 30 and the vehicle, and a control unit that controls the DC power supply unit and the communication device.

[0014] The management server 30 comprises a computer and a communication device 32. The communication device 32 communicates with the communication network 12, the standard charger 22, the fast charger 24, and the vehicles. The management server 30 also includes a charger reservation management unit 34. The charger reservation management unit 34 is a functional block in which hardware and application software function together, and it receives and manages reservations for the use of the standard charger 22 and the fast charger 24.

[0015] The user terminal 120 is configured as a portable communication terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, and includes a computer, a display 122, and a communication device 124. The display 122 is configured as a touch panel type. The communication device 124 communicates with the communication network 12 and the vehicle. The user terminal 120 has a charger reservation application 126 installed for making reservations to use the standard charger 22 and the fast charger 24.

[0016] Vehicles that can utilize the standard chargers 22 and rapid chargers 24 of the designated facility 20 include, for example, the electric vehicle 220 illustrated in Figure 2. The electric vehicle 220 is equipped with a motor 232, an inverter 234, a power storage device 236, a connector 240, a charging circuit 242, a connector 244, a navigation system 246, a communication device 248, and an electronic control unit 250.

[0017] Motor 232 is configured, for example, as a synchronous generator-motor, and the rotor of motor 232 is connected to a drive shaft 226 which is connected to a drive wheel 222 via a differential gear 224. Inverter 234 is connected to power line 238 together with energy storage device 236, and converts DC power from energy storage device 236 into three-phase AC power and supplies it to motor 232. This rotates motor 232. Energy storage device 236 is configured, for example, as a lithium-ion secondary battery or a nickel-metal hydride secondary battery. Connector 240 is connected to power line 238 via charging circuit 242 and is also configured to be connected to a normal charger 22. When connector 240 is connected to the normal charger 22, charging circuit 242 is configured to convert AC power from the normal charger 22 into DC power and convert the voltage and supply it to power line 238 (energy storage device 236). Connector 244 is connected to power line 238 and is also configured to be connected to a rapid charger 24. The navigation system 246 comprises a main unit, a GPS antenna, and a display. This navigation system 246 receives the vehicle's current location via the GPS antenna and provides route guidance by displaying various information on the display. The communication device 248 communicates with other vehicles, with the standard charger 22 and the fast charger 24, and with the user terminal 120.

[0018] The electronic control unit 250 is equipped with a microcomputer. The electronic control unit 250 receives signals from various sensors. Examples of signals received by the electronic control unit 250 include the start signal from the start switch 260, the rotational position θm from the rotational position sensor that detects the rotational position of the motor 232, and the voltage Vb and current Ib from the voltage sensor 236v and current sensor 236i attached to the output terminals of the energy storage device 236. The electronic control unit 250 outputs various control signals. Examples of signals output by the electronic control unit 250 include control signals to the inverter 234, control signals to the charging circuit 242, and control signals to the communication device 248. The electronic control unit 250 communicates with the navigation system 246. The electronic control unit 250 calculates the energy storage ratio (SOC) of the energy storage device 236 based on the integrated value of the current Ib from the current sensor 236i.

[0019] Next, the operation of the charging system 10 of this embodiment, in particular, the operation when making a reservation to use the normal charger 22 or rapid charger 24 at a designated facility 20, will be described. First, when the user starts the charger reservation application 126 on the user terminal 120, the startup information is sent from the user terminal 120 to the management server 30. The charger reservation management unit 34 of the management server 30 sends to the user terminal 120 one or more available reservation slots (each time slot is, for example, 30 minutes) in which the use of at least one of the normal charger 22 and rapid charger 24 can be reserved. Subsequently, when the user is instructed to enter or select the necessary information in the charger reservation form of the charger reservation application 126 and submit it, the information of the necessary information is sent from the user terminal 120 to the management server 30. Examples of necessary information include the user's name and contact information (telephone number or email address), the desired time slot Tc for the charger (normal charger 22 or rapid charger 24), the planned stay time Ts at the designated facility 20, and the desired charge amount Qc. The desired time slot Tc can be configured such that the user selects one or more time slots from one or more available reservation slots. The desired charge amount Qc can be configured such that the user inputs a numerical value, or the user selects from options obtained from the electric vehicle 220. The options obtained from the electric vehicle 220 could be, for example, B1 [kWh] for charging the energy storage device 236's energy storage ratio SOC from its current value to A1 [%], and B2 [kWh] for charging to A2 [%].

[0020] The charger reservation management unit 34 reserves the use of the available charger if only one of the standard charger 22 or the rapid charger 24 is available for the desired time slot Tc. On the other hand, if both the standard charger 22 and the rapid charger 24 are available for the desired time slot Tc, it executes the processing routine shown in Figure 3.

[0021] In the processing routine of FIG. 3, the charger reservation management unit 34 inputs the planned stay time Ts and the desired charge amount Qc (step S100), sets a threshold value Tsref based on the input desired charge amount Qc (step S110), and compares the planned stay time Ts with the threshold value Tsref (step S120). The method for setting the threshold value Tsref will be described later. When the planned stay time Ts is greater than or equal to the threshold value Tsref, it recommends a reservation for using the normal charger 22 (step S130) and ends this routine. On the other hand, when the planned stay time Ts is less than the threshold value Tsref, it recommends a reservation for using the rapid charger 24 (step S140) and ends this routine. The recommendation of the reservation for using the normal charger 22 or the rapid charger 24 is made by transmitting the relevant information from the management server 30 to the user terminal 120 and displaying it on the display 122 of the user terminal 120. When recommending a reservation for using the normal charger 22, it may also be displayed on the display 122 that an incentive is given compared to the case of reserving the rapid charger 24 when reserving the normal charger 22. Examples of incentives include discounts on charging fees. When the user selects the normal charger 22 or the rapid charger 24 and instructs transmission, the selection information is transmitted from the user terminal 120 to the management server 30, and the management server 30 makes a reservation for using the normal charger 22 or the rapid charger 24 according to the selection information.

[0022] Thus, by recommending a reservation for using the normal charger 22 to users whose planned stay time Ts around the predetermined facility 20 is greater than or equal to the threshold value Tsref, it is possible to suppress the user from reserving the rapid charger 24. As a result, for that time period (from the start of stay to the end of stay), it is possible to suppress the situation where users whose planned stay time Ts around the predetermined facility 20 is less than the threshold value Tsref are unable to reserve the rapid charger 24. These results can promote the reservation for using the normal charger 22 or the rapid charger 24 according to the circumstances of the user.

[0023] Here, the setting process of the threshold value Tsref will be described. The threshold value Tsref can be derived, for example, by applying the desired charge amount Qc to a predetermined relationship between the desired charge amount Qc and the threshold value Tsref. The threshold value Tsref is set so that it becomes longer as the desired charge amount Qc increases. Since the time required for charging the power storage device 236 becomes longer as the desired charge amount Qc increases, by setting the threshold value Tsref in this way, it is possible to recommend a reservation for using a more appropriate charger between the normal charger 22 and the rapid charger 24 to the user.

[0024] In the management server 30 included in the charging system 10 of the present embodiment described above, when the scheduled stay time Ts of the user who desires to charge the power storage device 236 at the predetermined facility 20 around the predetermined facility 20 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Tsref, a reservation for using the normal charger 22 is recommended, and when the scheduled stay time Ts is less than the threshold value Tsref, a reservation for using the rapid charger 24 is recommended. Thereby, it is possible to promote the reservation for using the normal charger 22 or the rapid charger 24 according to the circumstances of the user.

[0025] In the above-described embodiment, the charger reservation management unit 34 is configured to set the threshold value Tsref based on the desired charge amount Qc. However, the threshold value Tsref may be a constant value regardless of the desired charge amount Qc.

[0026] In the above-described embodiment, the charger reservation management unit 34 recommends the normal charger 22 or the rapid charger 24 to the user by displaying it on the display 122 of the user terminal 120. However, in addition to or instead of this, the recommendation of the normal charger 22 or the rapid charger 24 may be made to the user by voice output from the speaker of the user terminal 120.

[0027] In the above-described embodiment, a portable communication terminal is cited as the user terminal 120. However, in addition to or instead of this, an in-vehicle unit having an electronic control unit 250, a navigation system 246, a communication device 248, etc. of the electric vehicle 220 may be used.

[0028] In the embodiments described above, the vehicles that can utilize the standard chargers 22 and rapid chargers 24 of the designated facility 20 were, for example, the electric vehicle 220 illustrated in Figure 2, specifically an electric vehicle 220 equipped with a motor 232, an inverter 234, and a power storage device 236. However, the invention is not limited to this, and may also include hybrid vehicles equipped with an engine in addition to a motor, inverter, and power storage device, or fuel cell vehicles equipped with a fuel cell in addition to a motor, inverter, and power storage device.

[0029] In the embodiment described above, the charger reservation management system consists of a management server 30 and a user terminal 120. However, the charger reservation management system may consist of only the management server 30.

[0030] The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem will be explained. In the embodiment, the normal charger 22 corresponds to the "first charger," the rapid charger 24 corresponds to the "second charger," the designated facility 20 corresponds to the "designated facility," and the management server 30 (and user terminal 120) corresponds to the "charger reservation management system."

[0031] Furthermore, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem is merely an example to specifically explain the form in which the embodiment implements the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem. In other words, the interpretation of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem should be based on the description in that section, and the embodiment is merely one specific example of the invention described in the section on means for solving the problem.

[0032] While embodiments for implementing this disclosure have been described above, this disclosure is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and can of course be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of this disclosure. [Industrial applicability]

[0033] This disclosure can be used in industries such as manufacturing for charger reservation management systems. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 10 Charging system, 12 Communication network, 20 Designated facilities, 22 Standard charger, 24 Fast charger, 30 Management server, 32 Communication device, 34 Charger reservation management unit, 120 User terminal, 122 Display, 124 Communication device, 126 Charger reservation app, 220 Electric vehicle, 236 Energy storage device, 238 Power line, 240 Connector, 242 Charging circuit, 244 Connector, 246 Navigation system, 248 Communication device, 250 Electronic control unit.

Claims

[Claim 1] A charger reservation management system for managing reservations for use of the first and second chargers at a predetermined facility, which includes a first charger for charging an energy storage device mounted on an electric vehicle, and a second charger for rapidly charging the energy storage device compared to the first charger, When a user who wishes to charge the energy storage device at the designated facility has an estimated planned stay time around the designated facility that exceeds a threshold, the system recommends that the user reserve the first charger and provides an incentive for doing so; when the estimated stay time is less than the threshold, the system recommends that the user reserve the second charger. The threshold is set so that it becomes longer as the desired charge amount of the energy storage device desired by the user increases. Charger reservation management system.

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