Charging system

Abstract

In the present invention, a charging system comprises a control unit, a charging stand capable of charging a vehicle, a first vehicle, and a second vehicle. The control unit has a processor and a memory connected to the processor. The processor executes processes including: receiving a reservation for charging the first vehicle in the charging stand; deriving the time of estimated arrival of the first vehicle to the charging stand on the basis of the current position and speed of the first vehicle; and, when the arrival estimation time is later than a start reservation time for charging of the first vehicle, permitting charging of the second vehicle in the charging stand at some or all of the time span from the start reservation time to the arrival estimation time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging system that performs charging.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for predicting the possibility that a vehicle charges at a charging stand. In such Patent Document 1, the lower the remaining battery level of the vehicle, the higher the predicted charging possibility, and the higher the remaining battery level, the lower the predicted charging possibility.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Vehicles such as electric vehicles having an electric motor as a drive source may attempt to charge an in-vehicle battery at a charging stand. However, at a charging stand where charging reservation is possible in advance, when the own vehicle attempts to charge, there may be a situation where charging reservations have been made without gaps by a plurality of other vehicles. In this case, even if the SOC (State Of Charge) of the own vehicle is low, there is a possibility that the charging time of the own vehicle cannot be secured.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a charging system capable of securing the charging time of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit, a charging stand capable of charging a vehicle, a first vehicle, a second vehicle, Equipped with, The control unit, Processor and The memory connected to the aforementioned processor, It has, The aforementioned processor, To accept reservations for charging the first vehicle at the aforementioned charging station, Based on the current position and speed of the first vehicle, the estimated arrival time of the first vehicle at the charging station is derived, If the estimated arrival time is later than the scheduled start time for charging the first vehicle, charging of the second vehicle at the charging station will be permitted for part or all of the time between the scheduled start time and the estimated arrival time. Execute the process that includes this. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to ensure sufficient charging time for the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overview of the charging system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a charging system, including a vehicle, charging station, and server equipment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a charging reservation in a vehicle. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a charging reservation in a vehicle. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of interrupt charging by a vehicle. [Figure 6] Figure 6 illustrates an example of interrupt charging by a vehicle. [Figure 7] Figure 7 illustrates an example of interrupt charging by a vehicle. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of interrupt charging by a vehicle. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of interrupt charging by a vehicle. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of a vehicle charging method in a charging system. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of a navigation device in a vehicle.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specific dimensions, materials, numerical values, etc. shown in such embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0010] (Charging System 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of a charging system 1 according to the present embodiment. The charging system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a charging stand 12, a server device 14, and a base station 16. The vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle having an in-vehicle battery that supplies power to a drive source. Note that the vehicle 10 may be a hybrid electric vehicle.

[0011] The charging stand 12, which will be described in detail later, is configured to be able to charge the in-vehicle battery of the vehicle 10. Hereinafter, charging of the in-vehicle battery may be simply referred to as charging. Therefore, an expression such as charging of the vehicle 10 indicates charging of the in-vehicle battery of the vehicle 10.

[0012] ​The charging stand 12 is installed, for example, in association with a predetermined position on the traveling road 20. In FIG. 1, an example is given in which the charging stand 12 is installed in the service area 22 on a highway as the traveling road 20. Here, a highway is cited as the traveling road 20, but it is not limited to such a case, and it can be applied to various roads on which the vehicle 10 can travel.

[0013] Also, here, an example is given in which two charging stands 12 are installed in the service area 22, but the number of charging stands 12 is not limited to two, and it may be one, or may be three or more. Here, the area that permits the entry of the vehicle 10 for charging, where the charging stand 12 is installed, is defined as the charging area 24.

[0014] The server device 14 is, for example, a cloud server or the like, and can manage a plurality of charging stands 12.

[0015] The base station 16 communicates with the vehicle 10 through a mobile communication system such as 4G or 5G. However, the base station 16 only needs to be able to connect to the vehicle 10 via wireless communication. Therefore, as the wireless communication method, for example, communication methods such as ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems), ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System), and VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) (registered trademark) can be adopted.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle 10, the charging stand 12, and the server device 14 that constitute the charging system 1. The vehicle 10, the charging stand 12, and the server device 14 are configured to be able to communicate with each other through, for example, the communication network 26.

[0017] The vehicle 10 includes a vehicle communication unit 40, an on-board battery 42, a charging connection unit 44, a navigation device 46, and a vehicle control unit 50. The vehicle communication unit 40 can establish communication with the charging station 12 and the server device 14 via the communication network 26.

[0018] The on-board battery 42 is a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. The charging connection section 44 has an externally exposed charging port and is configured to accept the charging connector 62 of the charging stand 12, which will be described later. The charging connection section 44 functions as a connection section that electrically connects the charging stand 12 and the on-board battery 42.

[0019] The navigation device 46 can determine the location of the vehicle 10 using GPS (Global Positioning System). The navigation device 46 has a display device capable of displaying various information such as map information, driving route, and the location of the vehicle 10. The map information may include information on the driving route 20 and information on the installation locations of the charging stations 12.

[0020] Furthermore, the navigation device 46 also functions as a notification unit that informs the occupants of information related to the vehicle 10, and as an operation unit that accepts operations from the occupants. For example, in addition to or instead of the above-mentioned information, the navigation device 46 can display information related to the charging of the vehicle 10 on its display device. The navigation device 46 can also accept the occupants' operational input regarding options related to the charging of the vehicle 10, for example, through a touch panel or the like provided on the navigation device 46.

[0021] The vehicle control unit 50 comprises one or more processors 52a and one or more memories 52b connected to the processors 52a. The memories 52b include ROM for storing programs and RAM as a work area. The processors 52a cooperate with the programs contained in the memories 52b to control the entire vehicle 10. The processors 52a also function as a vehicle control function unit 54 by executing programs. The vehicle control function unit 54 performs various processes related to charging the vehicle 10.

[0022] The charging station 12 includes a station communication unit 60, a charging connector 62, a power converter 64, and a station control unit 70. The station communication unit 60 can establish communication with the server device 14 and the vehicle 10 through the communication network 26.

[0023] The charging connector 62 is configured to be connectable to the charging connection section 44 of the vehicle 10. The power converter 64 converts power from the commercial power supply, for example, and supplies power to the vehicle 10 through the charging connector 62 and the charging connection section 44. In this way, the on-board battery 42 can be charged.

[0024] The stand control unit 70 comprises one or more processors 72a and one or more memories 72b connected to the processors 72a. The memories 72b include ROM for storing programs and RAM as a work area. The processors 72a cooperate with the programs contained in the memories 72b to control the entire charging station 12. The processors 72a also function as a stand control function unit 74 by executing programs. The stand control function unit 74 performs various processes related to charging the vehicle 10.

[0025] The server device 14 includes a server communication unit 80 and a server control unit 90. The server communication unit 80 can establish communication with the charging station 12 and the vehicle 10 through the communication network 26.

[0026] The server control unit 90 comprises one or more processors 92a and one or more memories 92b connected to the processors 92a. The memories 92b include ROM for storing programs and RAM as a work area. The processors 92a cooperate with the programs contained in the memories 92b to control the entire server device 14. The processors 92a also function as a server control function unit 94 by executing programs. The server control function unit 94 performs various processes related to charging the vehicle 10.

[0027] Any vehicle 10 having an electric motor as a power source will attempt to charge its onboard battery 42 at a charging station 12 as the State of Charge (SOC) of the onboard battery 42 decreases. For example, if any vehicle 10 is traveling on a road 20, it may stop at a service area 22 and charge its onboard battery 42 at a charging station 12 within the service area 22.

[0028] However, because it is unknown when the State of Charge (SOC) of other vehicles 10 or the occupants of other vehicles 10 will attempt to charge, multiple vehicles 10 may attempt to charge at the same charging station 12. In such cases, even if any vehicle 10 arrives at the service area 22, it may not be able to immediately charge its onboard battery 42.

[0029] Here, some charging stations 12 allow for advance charging reservations via a server device 14. Any vehicle 10, for example, while driving on a road 20 and before arriving at a service area 22, can estimate its arrival time at the charging station 12 and reserve the desired charging time from that arrival time. The start time of the reserved charging is sometimes called the start reservation time, and the end time of the reserved charging is sometimes called the end reservation time. In this way, when any vehicle 10 arrives at the charging station 12, it can start charging its onboard battery 42 from the start reservation time without having to wait for charging to begin.

[0030] Figures 3 and 4 show an example of a charging reservation in vehicle 10. As the state of charge (SOC) of the onboard battery 42 decreases, the occupant of any vehicle 10 attempts to identify a charging station 12 that can be used for charging along the route 20.

[0031] The navigation device 46 displays the starting point, the destination, the route 20, and the current position of any vehicle 10. The navigation device 46 also displays images of the charging areas 24 reachable with the current SOC, such as the location of the first charging area 110 and the location of the second charging area 112, as shown in Figure 3. The occupant identifies the first charging area 110 from among the displayed charging areas 24 via the navigation device 46.

[0032] The vehicle control function unit 54 establishes communication with the server device 14 via the base station 16 and requests the acquisition of a charging schedule corresponding to the identified charging area 24. The charging schedule shows the charging reservation status for each charging station 12 installed in that charging area 24. The server control function unit 94 of the server device 14 transmits the charging schedule from the current time onward to any vehicle 10.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4, the navigation device 46 displays an image showing the charging schedule 114 received from the server device 14. Through the navigation device 46, the occupants can understand that there are two charging stations 12 in the first charging area 110, and the charging reservation status of those two charging stations 12. In the example in Figure 4, the time slots reserved for charging by other vehicles 10 are indicated by hatching on the navigation device 46.

[0034] Here, for example, charging reservations are made for charging station "A0001" during the time slots of 12:00-12:40, 13:20-14:00, and 14:10-14:50. The occupant can reserve a time slot 116 for their vehicle 10 to charge, for example, a 40-minute time slot 116 from 12:40 to 13:20, excluding the time slots indicated by hatching in Figure 4. In this way, any vehicle 10 can secure a 40-minute charging time from the reserved start time of 12:40 to the reserved end time of 13:20.

[0035] However, in a charging station 12 where charging can be reserved in advance, when a vehicle 10 attempts to charge, it may be the case that multiple other vehicles 10 have already made charging reservations without any gaps, making it impossible to secure charging time for the vehicle 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if charging reservations have been made by other vehicles 10 at the charging station 12, charging time for the vehicle 10 is secured based on the status of the other vehicles 10 that have made charging reservations.

[0036] For example, even if another vehicle 10 has made a reservation for charging in advance, that vehicle 10 may not necessarily be able to start charging at the reserved time due to traffic congestion or other reasons. The server control function unit 94 of the server device 14 estimates the actual start time of charging for other vehicles 10 that have reserved to start charging after the timing when any vehicle 10 wishes to start charging. Here, the time when the other vehicle 10 arrives at the charging area 24 is considered the start time of charging for the other vehicle 10. Therefore, the server control function unit 94 estimates the actual arrival time of the other vehicle 10. The estimated arrival time is sometimes called the estimated arrival time.

[0037] Then, if the estimated arrival time of a vehicle 10 is later than the scheduled start time of a charge reserved by another vehicle 10, the server control function unit 94 allows any vehicle 10 to charge until the estimated arrival time of the other vehicle 10 that has a charging reservation. Hereinafter, this act of allowing any vehicle 10 to charge during a time when another vehicle 10 has a charging reservation is sometimes referred to as interrupt charging.

[0038] For the sake of explanation, in this description, any other vehicle 10 that has a charging reservation scheduled after the timing at which any vehicle 10 wishes to start charging will be referred to as vehicle 10a (first vehicle), and any vehicle 10 will be referred to as vehicle 10b (second vehicle). Furthermore, the actual start time of charging for vehicle 10a will be assumed to be substantially equal to the estimated arrival time of vehicle 10a.

[0039] Figures 5 to 7 illustrate an example of interrupt charging by vehicle 10b. Here, we show an example where vehicle 10b performs interrupt charging at charging station "A0001" in the first charging area 110.

[0040] Let's assume that vehicle 10b wants to charge its onboard battery 42 at 12:10 near charging area 24. After vehicle 10b wants to start charging, vehicle 10a has a charging reservation between 12:40 and 13:20. As can be understood by referring to Figure 5, at the time vehicle 10b wants to charge, another vehicle 10 has made a charging reservation. At this time, let's assume that vehicle 10a has not yet started the charging procedure, such as checking in, at the charging station "A0001".

[0041] Here, we assume that vehicle 10b is already located near charging area 24, and we have given an example where we want to charge the onboard battery 42 at the present time of 12:10. However, not limited to this case, if vehicle 10b is still traveling on the road 20, the time of vehicle 10b's arrival at charging area 24 can be used as the timing for starting charging. In this case, the present time can be replaced with the arrival time of vehicle 10b.

[0042] The vehicle control function unit 54 of vehicle 10b establishes communication with the server device 14 via the base station 16 and requests interrupt charging at charging station "A0001" in the identified charging area 24. The server control function unit 94 of the server device 14 establishes communication with vehicle 10a via the base station 16 and grasps the status of vehicle 10a. The server control function unit 94 can, for example, grasp the current position and average speed of vehicle 10a.

[0043] The server control function unit 94 obtains the current position of vehicle 10a, provided that vehicle 10a has not initiated the procedure to start charging, and derives the current position of vehicle 10a and the remaining distance d to charging station "A0001". Next, the server control function unit 94 obtains the average speed Va of vehicle 10a and derives the time Tn required to arrive at charging area 24 by dividing the remaining distance d by the average speed Va. Subsequently, the server control function unit 94 adds the required time Tn to the current time 12:10 to derive the estimated arrival time of vehicle 10a. This estimated arrival time can be considered as the actual start time of charging for vehicle 10a.

[0044] For example, if the remaining distance d of vehicle 10a is 10km and the average speed Va is 60km / h, the required time Tn will be 10 minutes, and the estimated arrival time will be 12:20. In this way, if the estimated arrival time is before 12:40, vehicle 10a can start charging at charging station "A0001" as scheduled. Therefore, the charging schedule shown in Figure 5 will proceed as planned, and interrupt charging for vehicle 10b will not be possible. In this case, the server control function unit 94 will inform vehicle 10b that interrupt charging is not possible.

[0045] On the other hand, for example, if the remaining distance d of vehicle 10a is 50km and the average speed Va is 60km / h, the required time Tn will be 50 minutes, and the estimated arrival time will be 13:00. In this way, if the estimated arrival time is 13:00, which is later than 12:40, vehicle 10a can only start charging from 13:00. As a result, as shown in Figure 6, no vehicles 10 will be charging at the charging station "A0001" between 12:40 and 13:00. The server control function unit 94 informs vehicle 10b that interrupt charging is possible between 12:40 and 13:00.

[0046] Then, vehicle 10b transmits to server device 14 that it will perform interrupt charging between 12:40 and 13:00. In this way, vehicle 10b becomes capable of performing interrupt charging at the charging station "A0001" between 12:40 and 13:00.

[0047] The charging station 12 may have multiple output power settings. For example, the charging station 12 can switch between two output power levels: a first output power level of 6-22kW using single-phase AC 200V, and a second output power level of 22-350kW using DC 400-500V, which is higher than the first output power level.

[0048] Here, the first output power is low in output power and tends to take a long time to charge, so charging with the first output power is sometimes called "slow charging" or "normal charging." On the other hand, the second output power is high in output power and can shorten the time spent charging, so charging with the second output power is sometimes called "fast charging" or "rapid charging."

[0049] However, the interrupt charging of vehicle 10b described above is merely charging using the idle time resulting from the delayed arrival of vehicle 10a. Therefore, in the case of interrupt charging, vehicle 10b's charging time is often limited. Accordingly, the server control function unit 94 informs vehicle 10b that interrupt charging is possible between 12:40 and 13:00, and controls it to perform high-speed charging using the second output energy. At this time, the server control function unit 94 may automatically set high-speed charging using the second output energy, or it may prompt vehicle 10b to perform high-speed charging using the second power and set high-speed charging using the second output energy according to its response.

[0050] Thus, as shown in Figure 6, vehicle 10b can perform high-speed charging using the second output power while interrupt charging is being performed. The charging connection section 44 of vehicle 10b is provided with multiple types of charging ports, and the occupant can select the output power to be charged using the charging port of the charging connection section 44. In this way, by actively performing high-speed charging during interrupt charging, vehicle 10b can efficiently increase the SOC of the onboard battery 42 during short-term interrupt charging.

[0051] Here, we have explained an example where, if vehicle 10a arrives later than the scheduled start time, vehicle 10b is allowed to take over charging before the vehicle arrives. However, vehicle 10a may not be able to reach charging station "A0001" between 12:40 and 13:20, the scheduled charging time, due to traffic congestion on road 20 or some other reason. Therefore, even though vehicle 10a has made a reservation to charge charging station "A0001", it may cancel the reservation before the reserved time ends.

[0052] As shown in Figure 7, when the charging reservation by vehicle 10a is canceled, no vehicle 10 will be charging at the charging station "A0001" between 13:00 and 13:20. The server control function unit 94 informs vehicle 10b that interrupt charging is possible between 13:00 and 13:20. In this way, vehicle 10b can secure sufficient charging time, such as between 12:40 and 13:20, as shown in Figure 7.

[0053] However, if vehicle 10a cancels its charging reservation, vehicle 10b can interrupt charging for the entire duration of vehicle 10a's reservation. This ensures sufficient time for charging, eliminating the need to perform high-speed charging using the second output power for the entire duration of the interrupt charge. Therefore, in response to vehicle 10a's cancellation of its charging reservation, the server control function unit 94 switches vehicle 10b from high-speed charging using the second output power to low-speed charging using the first output power. At this time, the server control function unit 94 may automatically switch from the second output power to the first output power, or it may prompt vehicle 10b to switch the output power and switch from the second output power to the first output power in response.

[0054] Thus, as shown in Figure 7, vehicle 10b can receive high-speed charging with the second output power while simultaneously undergoing low-speed charging with the first output power from 12:55 when vehicle 10a cancels its reservation. In this way, by using both high-speed and low-speed charging in interrupt charging, it is possible to efficiently increase the State of Charge (SOC) of the onboard battery 42 while obtaining the benefits of low-speed charging, such as suppressing the degradation of the onboard battery 42 and reducing charging costs.

[0055] In this explanation, the server control function unit 94 estimates the estimated arrival time of vehicle 10a, which has a charging reservation, and allocates the time from the start reservation time to the estimated arrival time to the interrupt charging of vehicle 10b. However, vehicle 10a may increase its speed and arrive at charging station "A0001" earlier than the estimated arrival time estimated by the server control function unit 94. Therefore, the server control function unit 94 may repeatedly estimate the arrival time until vehicle 10a arrives at charging station "A0001" or until the charging reservation for vehicle 10a is canceled, and adjust the length of the interrupt charging of vehicle 10b according to the result.

[0056] Furthermore, the above explanation described an example in which charging time for any vehicle 10 is secured based on the state of vehicle 10a, which has a charging reservation scheduled after vehicle 10b wishes to start charging. However, the system is not limited to this case; charging time for any vehicle 10 may also be secured based on the state of vehicle 10 that has already started charging at the time vehicle 10b wishes to start charging.

[0057] For example, some other vehicles 10 may terminate charging early, even before the reserved charging time has elapsed. Also, even if the charging time is fixed, some other vehicles 10 may not require the fixed charging time. Furthermore, some other vehicles 10 may reserve a longer charging time than necessary, fearing that they will run out of time. The server control function unit 94 estimates the end time of charging for other vehicles 10 that have reserved charging and have already started charging at the time when vehicle 10b wants to start charging. Here, the estimated end time of charging is called the estimated end time.

[0058] If the actual charging completion time is later than the scheduled charging completion time, the server control function unit 94 prompts vehicle 10b to start charging after other vehicles 10 that have also scheduled charging have finished charging.

[0059] For the sake of explanation, here we will refer to another vehicle 10 that has already started charging at the time when any vehicle 10 wishes to start charging as vehicle 10c (third vehicle), and the arbitrary vehicle 10 as vehicle 10b (second vehicle).

[0060] Figures 8 and 9 illustrate an example of interrupt charging by vehicle 10b. Here, as with Figures 5 to 7, an example of interrupt charging at charging station "A0001" in the first charging area 110 is given. Let's assume that vehicle 10b wants to charge its onboard battery 42 at 12:10. At the time vehicle 10b wants to start charging, vehicle 10c has made a charging reservation between 12:00 and 12:40. Vehicle 10c has already completed the charging procedure at charging station "A0001," for example, by checking in and starting charging.

[0061] Here, we assume that vehicle 10b is already located near charging area 24, and we have given an example where we want to charge the onboard battery 42 at the present time of 12:10. However, not limited to this case, if vehicle 10b is still traveling on the road 20, the time of vehicle 10b's arrival at charging area 24 can be used as the timing for starting charging. In this case, you can simply replace the present time with the arrival time.

[0062] The vehicle control function unit 54 of vehicle 10b establishes communication with the server device 14 via the base station 16 and requests an interrupt charge to the charging station "A0001" in the identified charging area 24. The server control function unit 94 of the server device 14 understands the status of vehicle 10c, which has a charging reservation, at the timing when vehicle 10b wants to start charging. The server control function unit 94 can, for example, understand the past charging history of vehicle 10c.

[0063] Such charging history may be stored in the memory 92b of the server device 14 in association with the vehicle 10c, or it may be stored in the memory 52b of the vehicle 10c and read by the server control function unit 94 from the memory 52b of the vehicle 10c.

[0064] The server control function unit 94 acquires all the charging times when the vehicle 10c has actually been charged in the past at the charging station "A0001" or at the charging station 12 with the same power output as charging station "A0001". Next, the server control function unit 94 statistically processes the charging times and derives the average time Ta and standard deviation σ. Subsequently, the server control function unit 94 multiplies the standard deviation σ by 3 and adds the average time Ta to derive the maximum charging time Tm. The reason for multiplying the standard deviation σ by 3 here is that a statistical method is used in which most values ​​of the charging time fall within 3 standard deviations of the average value. The server control function unit 94 derives the estimated end time by adding the maximum charging time Tm to the actual start time of charging of the vehicle 10c. This estimated end time can be considered as the actual end time of charging of the vehicle 10c.

[0065] For example, if the average charging time Ta of vehicle 10c is 30 minutes and the standard deviation σ is 10 minutes, the maximum charging time Tm will be 60 minutes, and the estimated completion time will be 13:00. In this way, if the estimated completion time is later than 12:40, vehicle 10c is likely to continue charging until 12:40, when it has a reservation for charging at charging station "A0001". Therefore, the charging schedule shown in Figure 8 will proceed, and interrupt charging for vehicle 10b will not be possible. In this case, the server control function unit 94 will inform vehicle 10b that interrupt charging is not possible.

[0066] On the other hand, for example, if the average charging time Ta of vehicle 10c is 14 minutes and the standard deviation σ is 2 minutes, the maximum charging time Tm will be 20 minutes, and the estimated completion time will be 12:20. In this way, if the estimated completion time is earlier than the scheduled completion time of 12:40, there is a high probability that vehicle 10c will finish charging at 12:20. In that case, as shown in Figure 9, there is a high probability that no vehicles 10 will be charging at the charging station "A0001" between 12:20 and 12:40. The server control function unit 94 informs vehicle 10b that interrupt charging is possible between 12:20 and 12:40.

[0067] Then, vehicle 10b transmits to server device 14 that it desires interrupt charging between 12:20 and 12:40. In this way, vehicle 10b becomes able to perform interrupt charging at charging station "A0001" between 12:20 and 12:40.

[0068] However, interrupt charging of vehicle 10b is merely charging that takes advantage of the free time resulting from the earlier completion of charging of vehicle 10c. Therefore, in the case of interrupt charging, the charging time of vehicle 10b is often limited. To address this, the server control function unit 94 informs vehicle 10b that interrupt charging is possible between 12:20 and 12:40, and controls it to perform high-speed charging using the second output energy. At this time, the server control function unit 94 may automatically set high-speed charging using the second output energy, or it may prompt vehicle 10b to perform high-speed charging using the second power and set high-speed charging using the second output energy according to its response. In this way, as shown in Figure 9, vehicle 10b can perform high-speed charging using the second output energy while interrupt charging is being performed.

[0069] In this explanation, the server control function unit 94 estimates the estimated completion time of charging for vehicle 10c, which has a charging reservation, and allocates the time from the estimated completion time to the scheduled completion time to the interrupt charging of vehicle 10b. However, there is a risk that vehicle 10c may continue charging for a long time, beyond the estimated completion time estimated by the server control function unit 94. Therefore, the server control function unit 94 may monitor the charging of vehicle 10c and adjust the length of the interrupt charging of vehicle 10b accordingly.

[0070] Furthermore, the server control function unit 94 may, while vehicle 10c is charging, recommend interrupt charging to vehicle 10b instead of allowing it. In this case, the occupants of vehicle 10b will wait for the recommended interrupt charging while vehicle 10c is charging, in a state where interrupt charging will be possible once vehicle 10c finishes charging early.

[0071] The server control function unit 94 cannot prioritize interrupt charging for vehicle 10b over vehicle 10c while vehicle 10c is being charged. However, if vehicle 10b requests interrupt charging before other vehicles 10, the server control function unit 94 may prohibit further interrupts from other vehicles 10 and, upon completion of charging of vehicle 10c, prioritize interrupt charging for vehicle 10b over other vehicles 10.

[0072] In this explanation, we have used an example where, if the estimated arrival time of vehicle 10a is later than the scheduled start time, or if the estimated end time of charging vehicle 10c is earlier than the scheduled end time, the entire available time is allocated to interrupt charging of vehicle 10b. However, it is not limited to these cases; a portion of the available time may also be allocated to interrupt charging of vehicle 10b.

[0073] Furthermore, here we have independently described two examples: one in which the estimated arrival time of vehicle 10a is delayed from the scheduled start time, and all of that free time is allocated to interrupt charging of vehicle 10b; and another in which the estimated end time of charging of vehicle 10c is earlier than the scheduled end time, and that free time is allocated to interrupt charging of vehicle 10b. However, it is not limited to these cases; if the estimated arrival time of vehicle 10a is delayed from the scheduled start time, and the estimated end time of charging of vehicle 10c is earlier than the scheduled end time, consecutive free time may be allocated to interrupt charging of vehicle 10b.

[0074] Furthermore, if there is no reservation before vehicle 10a starts charging, vehicle 10b may start charging before the scheduled start time for vehicle 10a and perform interrupt charging for the amount of time that vehicle 10a is delayed. Also, if there is no reservation after vehicle 10c has finished charging, vehicle 10b may perform interrupt charging from the estimated end time of vehicle 10c's charging and continue charging even after the scheduled end time of vehicle 10c's charging.

[0075] Furthermore, this explanation uses an example where vehicle 10b performs interrupt charging at charging station "A0001" in the first charging area 110. However, the server control function unit 94 may, not limited to this case, display the start time and charging time for interrupt charging for all of the multiple charging areas 24 that are reachable by the State of Charge (SOC) at the time vehicle 10b is driving, and for one or more charging stations 12 installed in each of them, via the navigation device 46. The occupant of vehicle 10b can select a desired charging station 12 from among these and reserve interrupt charging at that charging station 12.

[0076] Furthermore, this explanation uses an example where vehicle 10b performs interrupt charging. However, it is not limited to this case. For example, if vehicle 10a wants to start charging earlier than its reserved start time, vehicle 10a may perform interrupt charging from the estimated end time of vehicle 10c's charging and continue charging during its own reserved time. Also, for example, if vehicle 10c wants to continue charging after its reserved end time, vehicle 10c may continue charging until the estimated arrival time of vehicle 10a.

[0077] With this configuration, even if vehicle 10 has a low State of Charge (SOC), and even if multiple other vehicles 10 have already made reservations for charging without any gaps, it is possible to secure charging time for vehicle 10. Therefore, the convenience of charging vehicle 10 can be improved.

[0078] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the charging process for vehicle 10 in charging system 1.

[0079] The server control function unit 94 of the server device 14 establishes communication with the vehicle 10b and determines whether or not the vehicle 10b requests interrupt charging, i.e., high-speed charging using the second output power amount (S10). If there is no request for high-speed charging (NO in S10), the server control function unit 94 terminates the charging method without performing interrupt charging on the vehicle 10b. If the SOC in the vehicle 10b falls below a predetermined reference value, the vehicle control function unit 54 of the vehicle 10b may determine that the amount of charge is insufficient and automatically request high-speed charging.

[0080] If a request for high-speed charging is made (YES in S10), the server control function unit 94 determines whether there is a charging station 12 in the charging area 24 reachable by the vehicle 10b's current SOC that allows a predetermined charging time, for example, 30 minutes of charging, i.e., has a continuous period of free time for the predetermined charging time (S11). If there is a charging station 12 that allows charging for the predetermined charging time (YES in S11), the server control function unit 94 transmits charging station information to the vehicle 10b via the navigation device 46, associating all the acceptable charging stations 12 with the start time of charging and the charging time (S12), and terminates the charging method.

[0081] If there is no charging station 12 that allows charging for a predetermined charging time (NO in S11), the server control function unit 94 derives the available time after the estimated end time of charging for vehicles 10c that have already started charging at each charging station 12 (S13).

[0082] Specifically, the server control function unit 94 determines whether or not there is a vehicle 10c that has already started charging at the charging station 12. If there is no vehicle 10c that has already started charging at the charging station 12, the server control function unit 94 sets the time from the arrival time of vehicle 10b to the scheduled start time of charging for the next vehicle 10a to be charged as available time.

[0083] Furthermore, if there is a vehicle 10c that has already started charging at the charging station 12, the server control function unit 94 obtains all charging times at the charging station 12 from the vehicle 10c's past charging history, derives the maximum charging time Tm from the average time Ta and standard deviation σ, and derives the estimated end time by adding the maximum charging time Tm to the actual start time of charging for the vehicle 10c. The time from this estimated end time to the scheduled end time is considered the available time.

[0084] Next, the server control function unit 94 derives the available time before the estimated arrival time of the vehicle 10a that has reserved charging at each charging station 12 (S14).

[0085] Specifically, the server control function unit 94 derives the remaining distance d from the current position of vehicle 10a, which has a charging reservation scheduled after the timing when vehicle 10b wishes to start charging, to the charging station 12. The server control function unit 94 derives the time Tn required to arrive at the charging area 24 from the remaining distance d and the average speed Va of vehicle 10a, and derives the estimated arrival time by adding the required time Tn to the current time 12:10. If the estimated arrival time is later than the scheduled start time, the time between the scheduled start time and the estimated arrival time becomes idle time.

[0086] The server control function unit 94 adds the available time for interrupt charging, which was derived in step S13 when the estimated end time of charging of vehicle 10c is earlier, and the available time, which was derived in step S14 when the estimated arrival time of vehicle 10a is later than the start reservation time, to derive the interruptable time for interrupt charging (S15).

[0087] The server control function unit 94 extracts only the charging stations 12 whose interruptable time exceeds a predetermined charging time, for example, 10 minutes, from among all charging areas 24 and charging stations 12 that can be reached by the vehicle 10b's current SOC (S16). Next, the server control function unit 94 transmits charging station information to the vehicle 10b for the extracted charging stations 12, associating the charging station 12 with the start time of the interrupt charging and the interruptable charging time (S17).

[0088] Figure 11 shows an example of the display of the navigation device 46 in vehicle 10b. As shown in Figure 11, the navigation device 46 displays the charging stations 12 that can be interrupted for interrupt charging, the start time of interrupt charging, and the interrupted charging time for the charging areas 24 that can be reached at the current SOC, for example, the first charging area 110 and the second charging area 112. The occupant can select one of the desired charging stations 12 from among these charging stations 12.

[0089] Returning to Figure 10, the server control function unit 94 determines whether or not the charging station 12 has been selected for the vehicle 10b (S18). If the charging station 12 has been selected (YES in S18), the server control function unit 94 sets up fast charging of the vehicle 10b using the second output power amount at the charging station 12 during the idle time (S19), and terminates the charging method.

[0090] If charging station 12 is not selected (NO in S18), the server control function unit 94 determines whether the charging request has been canceled in vehicle 10b (S20). If the charging request has not been canceled (NO in S20), the server control function unit 94 repeats the process from step S18. If the charging request has been canceled (YES in S20), the server control function unit 94 terminates the charging method.

[0091] In this embodiment, even if the charging station 12 is already fully booked with charging reservations from multiple other vehicles 10, it is possible to secure charging time for vehicle 10. Therefore, the convenience of charging vehicle 10 can be improved.

[0092] Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0093] The series of processes performed by each device (e.g., vehicle 10, server device 14) according to this embodiment described above may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The program constituting the software is pre-stored in, for example, a non-transitory storage medium provided inside or outside each device. The program is then read from, for example, a non-transitory storage medium (e.g., ROM) to a temporary storage medium (e.g., RAM) and executed by a processor such as a CPU.

[0094] It is possible to create programs to implement each of the above-mentioned devices and install them on the computers of each device. The processor executes the programs stored in memory to perform the processing of each of the above-mentioned functions. At this time, the program may be divided and executed by multiple processors, or it may be executed by a single processor. Alternatively, each of the above-mentioned functions may be implemented through cloud computing using multiple computers interconnected by a communication network. The programs may also be provided to the computers of each device and installed by distribution from an external device via a communication network. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0095] 1 Charging System 10a Vehicle (Vehicle 1) 10b Vehicle (2nd vehicle) 10c Vehicle (3rd vehicle) 12 Charging Stands 14 Server Devices 42 Car batteries 90 Server Control Unit (Control Unit)

Claims

1. Control unit and A charging station that can charge vehicles, The first vehicle and The second vehicle and Equipped with, The control unit, Processor and The memory connected to the aforementioned processor, It has, The aforementioned processor, To accept reservations for charging the first vehicle at the aforementioned charging station, Based on the current position and speed of the first vehicle, the estimated arrival time of the first vehicle at the charging station is derived, If the estimated arrival time is later than the scheduled start time for charging the first vehicle, charging of the second vehicle at the charging station will be permitted for part or all of the time between the scheduled start time and the estimated arrival time. A charging system that performs a process including the following.

2. The charging station is capable of switching between outputting a first output power and a second output power that is higher than the first output power. The aforementioned processor, If the estimated arrival time of the first vehicle is later than the scheduled start time for charging, the charging station shall charge the second vehicle with the second output power for part or all of the time from the scheduled start time to the estimated arrival time. A charging system according to claim 1, which performs a process including the following:

3. The aforementioned processor, If the charging reservation for the first vehicle is canceled, charging of the second vehicle will be permitted even after the estimated arrival time. A charging system according to claim 1, which performs a process including the following:

4. The charging station is capable of switching between outputting a first output power and a second output power that is higher than the first output power. The aforementioned processor, If the estimated arrival time of the first vehicle is later than the scheduled start time for charging, the charging station shall charge the second vehicle with the second output power for part or all of the time from the scheduled start time to the estimated arrival time. If the charging reservation for the first vehicle is canceled, charging of the second vehicle will be permitted even after the estimated arrival time, and the switching from the second output power to the first output power will be permitted. A charging system according to claim 1, which performs a process including the following:

5. Control unit and A charging station that can charge vehicles, The second vehicle and The third vehicle and Equipped with, The control unit, Processor and The memory connected to the aforementioned processor, It has, The aforementioned processor, To accept reservations for charging the third vehicle at the aforementioned charging station, Based on the past charging history of the third vehicle, the estimated completion time for the charging of the third vehicle is derived, If the estimated end time for charging the third vehicle is earlier than the scheduled end time for charging the third vehicle, the charging of the second vehicle at the charging station will be encouraged for part or all of the time between the estimated end time and the scheduled end time. A charging system that performs a process including the following.

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