Charging system and vehicle

Abstract

This charging system comprises: a control unit; an on-vehicle device provided to a vehicle; a notification unit provided to the vehicle; an operation unit provided to the vehicle; and a wireless communication unit provided to the vehicle. The control unit has a processor and a memory connected to the processor. The processor performs a process including deriving charging time required for charging the vehicle, deriving update time required for updating a control program for the on-vehicle device through the wireless communication unit, providing, through the notification unit, a notification indicating that the control program is an update target when the update time is equal to or shorter than the charging time, and updating the control program upon reception of an operation to permit updating of the control program in the operation unit.

Description

Charging systems and vehicles

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging system for charging a vehicle and a vehicle.

[0002] For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for predicting the possibility of a vehicle being charged at a charging station. In Patent Literature 1, the lower the remaining battery charge of the vehicle, the higher the predicted possibility of charging, and the higher the remaining battery charge, the lower the predicted possibility of charging.

[0003] JP 2011-13893 A

[0004] Vehicles such as electric vehicles that have an electric motor as a drive source may need to charge their onboard batteries at charging stations. During this time, the vehicle's movement is restricted until charging is complete, resulting in wasted time. Therefore, it is desirable to make effective use of the waiting time during which the vehicle's movement is restricted.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a charging system and a vehicle that can effectively utilize the time the vehicle is waiting to be charged.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a charging system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a control unit, an on-board device provided in a vehicle, a notification unit provided in the vehicle, an operation unit provided in the vehicle, and a wireless communication unit provided in the vehicle, wherein the control unit has a processor and a memory connected to the processor, and the processor executes processes including: deriving a charging time required to charge the vehicle; deriving an update time required to update a control program of the on-board device through the wireless communication unit; if the update time is less than or equal to the charging time, notifying through the notification unit that the control program is to be updated; and updating the control program when an operation to allow the update of the control program is received at the operation unit.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the time a vehicle waits for charging.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a charging system according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle, a charging station, and a server device that constitute the charging system. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating information held in the memory of the server device. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating information held in the memory of the server device. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating information held in the memory of the vehicle. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of a navigation device in a vehicle. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of a display screen of a navigation device in a vehicle. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a method for charging a vehicle in a charging system.

[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 the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0010] (Charging System 1) Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a charging system 1 according to this embodiment. The charging system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a charging station 12, a wireless communication device 14, a server device 16, and a base station 18. The vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle having an on-board battery that supplies power to a drive source. Note that the vehicle 10 may also be a hybrid electric vehicle.

[0011] The charging station 12, which will be described in detail later, is configured to be capable of charging the on-board battery of the vehicle 10. Hereinafter, charging of the on-board battery may be simply referred to as "charging." Therefore, the expression "charging the vehicle 10" refers to charging of the on-board battery of the vehicle 10.

[0012] The charging station 12 is installed, for example, in correspondence with a predetermined position on the road 20. In Fig. 1, an example is shown in which the charging station 12 is installed in a service area 22 on a highway, which is the road 20. Although a highway is used as the road 20 in this example, the present invention is not limited to this case and can be applied to various roads on which the vehicle 10 can travel.

[0013] In addition, although an example is given here in which two charging stands 12 are installed in the service area 22, the number of charging stands 12 is not limited to two and may be one, or three or more. Note that, in this example, the area in which the charging stands 12 are installed and into which the vehicle 10 is permitted to enter for the purpose of charging is defined as the charging area 24.

[0014] The wireless communication device 14 is installed near the charging station 12 so as to be able to communicate wirelessly with at least the vehicle 10 located within the charging area 24. The wireless communication device 14 communicates with the vehicle 10, for example, via a wireless LAN, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 communication standard. Although the wireless LAN has a short communication distance of 15 m to 100 m, it can transfer large amounts of data at a wide bandwidth, for example, at speeds of 54 Mbps to 1.3 Gbps. However, the wireless communication method used by the wireless communication device 14 is not limited to a wireless LAN, and various existing wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth and ZigBee can also be used.

[0015] The server device 16 is, for example, a cloud server, and is capable of managing a plurality of charging stations 12 .

[0016] The base station 18 communicates with the vehicle 10 via a mobile communication system such as 4G or 5G. However, it is sufficient that the base station 18 can be connected to the vehicle 10 via wireless communication. Therefore, as a wireless communication method, for example, a communication method such as ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems), ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System), or VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) (registered trademark) can be adopted.

[0017] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle 10, the charging stand 12, and the server device 16 that make up the charging system 1. The vehicle 10, the charging stand 12, and the server device 16 are configured to be able to communicate with each other, for example, via a communication network 26.

[0018] The vehicle 10 includes a vehicle communication unit 40, an on-board battery 42, a charging connection unit 44, a navigation device 46, on-board equipment 48, and a vehicle control unit 50. The vehicle communication unit 40 can establish communication with the charging stand 12 and the server device 16 via the communication network 26. The vehicle communication unit 40 functions as a wireless communication unit that transfers a control program, which will be described later.

[0019] The vehicle battery 42 is a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery. The charging connection unit 44 has a charging port exposed to the outside, and is configured to be connectable to a charging connector 62 of the charging stand 12 (described later). The charging connection unit 44 functions as a connection unit that electrically connects the charging stand 12 and the vehicle battery 42.

[0020] The navigation device 46 can identify the location of the vehicle using a global positioning system (GPS). The navigation device 46 has a display device that can display various information such as map information, a driving route, and the location of the vehicle. The map information may include information about the driving route 20 and information about the locations of the charging stations 12.

[0021] The navigation device 46 also functions as a notification unit that notifies the occupant of information related to the vehicle 10 and as an operation unit that accepts operations by the occupant. For example, the navigation device 46 can display information related to charging the vehicle 10 and information related to updating the control program on a display device in addition to or instead of the various information described above. The navigation device 46 can also accept operation inputs by the occupant regarding options related to charging the vehicle 10 and options related to updating the control program, for example, via a touch panel or the like provided on the navigation device 46.

[0022] The on-board devices 48 refer to all the devices necessary for the vehicle 10 to travel. Each of the on-board devices 48 has a control unit and operates according to a corresponding control program. Such control programs can be updated over the air (OTA). Here, OTA refers to sending and receiving data via wireless communication. Herein, the process of updating a control program via OTA may be simply referred to as updating the control program.

[0023] The vehicle control unit 50 includes one or more processors 52a and one or more memories 52b connected to the processor 52a. The memory 52b includes a ROM in which programs and the like are stored and a RAM as a work area. The processor 52a controls the entire vehicle 10 in cooperation with the programs stored in the memory 52b. The processor 52a also functions as a vehicle control function unit 54 by executing the programs. The vehicle control function unit 54 performs various processes related to charging the vehicle 10 and updating the control programs.

[0024] The charging stand 12 includes a stand communication unit 60, a charging connector 62, a power conversion device 64, and a stand control unit 70. The stand communication unit 60 can establish communication with the server device 16 and the vehicle 10 via the communication network 26.

[0025] Charging connector 62 is configured to be connectable to charging connection unit 44 of vehicle 10. Power conversion device 64 converts, for example, power from a commercial power source and supplies the power to vehicle 10 via charging connector 62 and charging connection unit 44. In this way, on-board battery 42 can be charged.

[0026] The stand control unit 70 includes one or more processors 72a and one or more memories 72b connected to the processors 72a. The memory 72b includes a ROM storing programs and the like and a RAM serving as a work area. The processor 72a controls the entire charging stand 12 in cooperation with the programs stored in the memory 72b. The processor 72a also functions as a stand control function unit 74 by executing the programs. The stand control function unit 74 transmits various information, such as the charging specifications of the charging stand 12, to the server device 16.

[0027] The server device 16 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 via the communication network 26.

[0028] The server control unit 90 includes one or more processors 92a and one or more memories 92b connected to the processor 92a. The memory 92b includes a ROM storing programs and the like and a RAM serving as a work area. The processor 92a controls the entire server device 16 in cooperation with the programs stored in the memory 92b. The processor 92a also functions as a server control function unit 94 by executing the programs. The server control function unit 94 performs various processes related to charging the vehicle 10 and updating the control program.

[0029] Such a vehicle 10 having an electric motor as a drive source attempts to charge the on-board battery 42 at a charging station 12 as the SOC (State Of Charge) of the on-board battery 42 decreases. For example, while the vehicle 10 is traveling on the road 20, it may stop at a service area 22 and charge the on-board battery 42 at the charging station 12 within the service area 22.

[0030] However, the vehicle 10 is restricted from moving during the waiting time until charging of the on-board battery 42 is completed, resulting in wasted time. Therefore, the waiting time for charging of the vehicle 10 is used to update the control program of the on-board device 48 of the vehicle 10 via OTA. In this way, the waiting time during which the movement of the vehicle 10 is restricted can be effectively utilized.

[0031] However, because OTA control program updates use wireless communication, which has variable communication speeds (the amount of data that can be transferred per unit time), the time required to update the control program cannot be determined. Therefore, the control program update may take a long time that exceeds the waiting time for charging. This restricts the movement of the vehicle 10 for a period of time that exceeds the waiting time for charging. Furthermore, when wireless communication is unstable, the OTA may be interrupted midway, making it impossible to update the control program or requiring the update of the control program to be started over from the beginning.

[0032] Therefore, in this embodiment, the control program of the on-board device 48 of the vehicle 10 is stably updated by OTA while avoiding restricting the movement of the vehicle 10 for a long period of time.

[0033] As a premise for the processing of this embodiment, the memory 92b of the server device 16 and the memory 52b of the vehicle 10 store various pieces of information.

[0034] 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing information stored in the memory 92b of the server device 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the memory 92b stores a table in which charging information is associated with each of a plurality of charging stations 12. The charging information includes various information for deriving the charging time required to charge the vehicle 10 at a specific charging station 12. The charging information includes, for example, the charging specifications of the charging station 12. The server control function unit 94 of the server device 16 acquires the charging specifications and the like from each charging station 12 and stores them in the memory 92b in association with the charging station 12.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4 , the memory 92b of the server device 16 stores a table that associates, for each of a plurality of vehicles 10, the control programs of the in-vehicle devices 48 with update information corresponding to updates to the control programs. The update information includes various information for deriving the update time required to update the control program of a given in-vehicle device 48. The update information includes, for example, the data capacity of the control program. The update information also includes, for example, update necessity information indicating whether or not the control program needs to be updated. The server control function unit 94 of the server device 16 obtains the data capacity and update necessity information of the control program from the manufacturer of the vehicle 10 and stores them in the memory 92b in association with the vehicle 10.

[0036] Here, we will explain an example in which charging information, control programs, and update information are stored in the memory 92b of one server device 16, but this is not limited to this case, and the charging information, control programs, and update information may each be stored in the memory 92b of a different server device 16.

[0037] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing information stored in the memory 52b of the vehicle 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the memory 52b stores a table associating communication histories with each of the wireless communication devices 14 corresponding to a plurality of charging stations 12. The communication history includes various information for deriving the communication speed in wireless communication between the vehicle 10 and the wireless communication device 14 corresponding to a specific charging station 12. The communication history includes, for example, actual values ​​of the data capacity, update time, and communication speed when wireless communication was performed in the past. The vehicle control function unit 54 of the vehicle 10 measures the data capacity and update time each time the control program is updated, and stores the data capacity, update time, and communication speed in the memory 52b in association with the charging station 12.

[0038] In this embodiment, first, a determination is made as to whether a control program needs to be updated. When the ignition of the vehicle 10 is turned on or when the vehicle is in a ready state, the vehicle control function unit 54 of the vehicle 10 establishes communication with the server device 16 via the base station 18 and requests update necessity information. The server control function unit 94 of the server device 16 transmits the update necessity information to the vehicle 10. Based on the update necessity information, the vehicle control function unit 54 determines whether any control program needs to be updated.

[0039] If there is no control program that requires updating, the vehicle control function unit 54 will not perform processing related to updating the control program until the next time the ignition is turned on or until the ready state is turned on. On the other hand, if there is a control program that requires updating, the vehicle control function unit 54 updates the control program of the in-vehicle device 48 via OTA, utilizing the waiting time for charging the vehicle 10. Hereinafter, the operation of the charging system 1 will be described assuming that there is a control program that requires updating.

[0040] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen 100 of the navigation device 46 in the vehicle 10. As the SOC of the onboard battery 42 decreases, the occupant of the vehicle 10 identifies charging stations 12 on the travel route 20 where charging is possible. The navigation device 46 displays the starting point, the destination point, the travel route 20, and the current position of the vehicle 10. The navigation device 46 also displays an image showing the location of a first charging station 110 and an image showing the location of a second charging station 112, which are charging stations 12 that can be reached with the current SOC. The occupant uses the navigation device 46 to identify, from the displayed charging stations 12, the charging station 12 at which the occupant wishes to charge, for example, the first charging station 110.

[0041] Here, since the purpose is to specify the charging time, the vehicle control function unit 54 only needs to specify the charging station 12 at which charging is desired. However, this is not limiting, and the vehicle control function unit 54 may establish communication with the charging station 12 via the base station 18 and reserve charging for a predetermined time at the specified charging station 12. When such a charging reservation is made, charging at the charging station 12 during the reserved time is guaranteed.

[0042] The vehicle control function unit 54 establishes communication with the server device 16 via the base station 18 and requests acquisition of charging information corresponding to the identified charging station 12. The server control function unit 94 of the server device 16 transmits the charging information to the vehicle 10. The vehicle control function unit 54 derives the charging time required to charge the vehicle 10 based on the charging information, as follows, when the vehicle 10 has not yet arrived at the charging area 24.

[0043] First, the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the remaining distance d between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the charging station 12. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 multiplies the average power consumption Wa of the vehicle 10 (the amount of power consumption required per unit traveling distance) by the remaining distance d to derive the amount of power consumption Wu that the vehicle 10 will consume until it arrives at the charging area 24. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 subtracts the amount of power consumption Wu from the current amount of remaining power Wro of the on-board battery 42 to derive the amount of remaining power Wrn when the vehicle 10 arrives at the charging area 24. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the amount of chargeable power Wp by subtracting the amount of remaining power Wrn at the time of arrival from the maximum amount of power Wm of the on-board battery 42.

[0044] The vehicle control function unit 54 prompts the occupant to specify the amount of charging energy Wc that is equal to or less than the amount of chargeable energy Wp via the navigation device 46. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the charging time by dividing the amount of charging energy Wc by the amount of output energy Ws of the charging stand 12 (the amount of energy that can be charged per unit time).

[0045] Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 acquires the data capacity corresponding to the control program that needs to be updated from the server device 16. The vehicle control function unit 54 derives the update time required to update the control program based on the acquired data capacity, as follows, while the vehicle 10 has not yet arrived at the charging area 24.

[0046] First, the vehicle control function unit 54 extracts from the memory 52b the communication speed Dv of past communication with the wireless communication device 14 corresponding to the identified charging station 12. Note that here, the communication speed Dv of past communication with the wireless communication device 14 is directly used, but a predicted value of the communication speed that is statistically predicted from actual values ​​for multiple communications may also be used.

[0047] Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 divides the acquired data capacity D by the extracted communication speed Dv to derive the communication time Tc. Subsequently, the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the reflection time Tr of the control program to the in-vehicle device 48, which includes the time required to download the control program to the in-vehicle device 48 and the time required to rewrite the control program in the in-vehicle device 48. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 adds the communication time Tc and the reflection time Tr, and multiplies the result by a margin coefficient, for example, 1.2, to derive the update time. Here, the margin coefficient is a margin for absorbing fluctuations in the communication state of wireless communication.

[0048] With this configuration, it is possible to use past performance values ​​that reflect fluctuations in the communication state to identify the update time, thereby improving the accuracy of identifying the update time.

[0049] Note that the following description is given taking an example in which the vehicle control function unit 54 refers to the communication history of the wireless communication device 14 corresponding to the identified charging stand 12. However, this is not limited to such a case, and it is sufficient that the identity of the wireless communication is guaranteed, and the vehicle control function unit 54 can refer to the communication history of the wireless communication device 14 that has previously communicated, regardless of the charging stand 12, as long as the wireless communication device 14 is determined to be capable of wireless communication equivalent to that of the wireless communication device 14 that has previously communicated.

[0050] When the charging time and update time are specified, the vehicle control function unit 54 compares the update time with the charging time. If the update time is equal to or less than the charging time, the vehicle control function unit 54 determines that the control program can be updated within the waiting time for charging, and prompts the occupant via the navigation device 46 to update the control program.

[0051] For example, an image showing the update time and asking whether to update the control program is displayed on the navigation device 46. Note that, depending on the communication state, the control program update may not necessarily be completed within the waiting time for charging, so a warning to that effect may also be displayed on the navigation device 46.

[0052] When the vehicle control function unit 54 receives an operation from the occupant via the navigation device 46 to permit updating of the control program, the vehicle control function unit 54 enters a standby state for establishing communication with the wireless communication device 14 in order to update the control program.

[0053] Then, when the vehicle 10 arrives at the charging area 24, the vehicle control function unit 54 establishes communication with the wireless communication device 14. The vehicle control function unit 54 acquires a control program from the server device 16 via the wireless communication device 14. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 updates the in-vehicle equipment 48 with the acquired control program.

[0054] The vehicle control function unit 54 sequentially stores the performance values ​​of the wireless communication in the memory 52b while updating the control program. In this way, the vehicle 10 can build a communication history of past wireless communication with the wireless communication device 14.

[0055] Concurrently, when the vehicle 10 moves to the charging station 12, the occupant connects the charging connector 62 of the charging station 12 to the charging connection portion 44 of the vehicle 10. In this way, the charging station 12 can charge the on-board battery 42 of the vehicle 10 with power.

[0056] The vehicle control function unit 54 manages the charging of the vehicle 10 and the updating of the control program. Therefore, the vehicle control function unit 54 manages the progress of the charging of the vehicle 10 and the progress of the update of the control program, and can grasp the completion of the updates. When the charging of the vehicle 10 is completed and the update of the control program is completed, the vehicle control function unit 54 notifies the completion of the charging of the vehicle 10 and the updating of the control program via the navigation device 46.

[0057] Here, when the update of the control program is complete but the charging of the vehicle 10 is not complete, the vehicle control function unit 54 notifies the user that the update of the control program is complete and the remaining charging time until the charging is complete. Also, when the charging of the vehicle 10 is complete but the update of the control program is not complete, the vehicle control function unit 54 notifies the user that the charging is complete and the remaining updating time until the updating is complete.

[0058] In this case, the condition for starting the control program update is that the charging time is equal to or greater than the update time. Therefore, it is not expected that the update will not be completed even if charging is complete. However, as described above, the communication status fluctuates, and the control program update may not necessarily be completed within the charging wait time. In this case, the remaining update time can be notified to inform the occupant that the control program update is taking longer than expected.

[0059] Note that because updating the control program deletes the previous version of the control program, it is not desirable to interrupt the update of the control program midway. Therefore, once the update of the control program has begun, the control program will not be interrupted even if charging is completed.

[0060] After completing the control program update, the vehicle control function unit 54 stores in the memory 52b the data size of the control program, the update time actually required for the update, and the communication speed obtained by dividing the data size by the update time, in association with the charging station 12. The vehicle control function unit 54 uses this information as a communication history for the next control program update.

[0061] Note that the above description has been given with an example in which the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the charging time and the update time when the vehicle 10 has not yet arrived at the charging area 24. However, if the memory 52b of the vehicle 10 does not have a communication history of past communication with the wireless communication device 14 corresponding to the identified charging station 12, the communication speed cannot be derived. Furthermore, even if the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the charging time and the update time when the vehicle 10 has not yet arrived at the charging area 24, there may be cases in which the vehicle 10 wants to actually establish wireless communication with the wireless communication device 14 after arriving at the charging area 24 and confirm that the communication speed is stable.

[0062] In this case, the vehicle control function unit 54 may derive the charging time and the update time after the vehicle 10 arrives at the charging area 24 and actually establishes wireless communication with the wireless communication device 14 .

[0063] For example, after the vehicle 10 arrives at the charging area 24, the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the chargeable energy Wp by subtracting the remaining energy Wrn at the time of arrival from the maximum energy Wm of the on-board battery 42. The vehicle control function unit 54 prompts the occupant, via the navigation device 46, to specify the charging energy Wc that is equal to or less than the chargeable energy Wp. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the charging time by dividing the charging energy Wc by the output energy Ws of the charging station 12.

[0064] The vehicle control function unit 54 also establishes communication with the server device 16 via the wireless communication device 14 and measures the communication speed Dv with the wireless communication device 14. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 divides the data capacity D acquired from the server device 16 by the measured communication speed Dv to derive the communication time Tc. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 adds the communication time Tc and the reflection time Tr and multiplies the result by a margin coefficient to derive the update time.

[0065] With this configuration, the charging time and the update time can be derived when the vehicle 10 has not yet arrived at the charging area 24, when the vehicle 10 has established wireless communication with the wireless communication device 14, or both. This improves the accuracy of identifying the update time, and enables the control program to be updated in a stable communication state.

[0066] For the sake of convenience, the vehicle control function unit 54 has been described above as acquiring the data capacity corresponding to one control program from the server device 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this case, and the vehicle control function unit 54 may acquire the data capacity corresponding to a plurality of control programs.

[0067] The vehicle control function unit 54 determines whether any control programs require updating based on the update necessity information, and if any control programs require updating, obtains the data volume corresponding to all control programs requiring updating from the server device 16. This indicates that the control programs for each of the multiple on-board devices 48, such as the brake system and drive control system, require updating.

[0068] The vehicle control function unit 54 divides the data capacity D corresponding to all the acquired control programs by the communication speed Dv to derive the communication time Tc for each control program. Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 adds the communication time Tc and the reflection time Tr for each control program, and multiplies the result by a margin coefficient to derive the update time for each control program.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the display screen 100 of the navigation device 46 in the vehicle 10. The vehicle control function unit 54 prompts the occupant, via the navigation device 46, to update all control programs whose update times are less than the charging time. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 , the navigation device 46 displays the update times and check boxes for whether to update the control programs for all control programs "DEF001" and "GHI002" whose update times are less than 30 minutes, which is the charging time. The occupant can determine which control programs to update via the navigation device 46.

[0070] If the total update time of multiple control programs is equal to or less than the charging time, the occupant can also select multiple control programs whose total update time is equal to or less than the charging time via the navigation device 46. In this case, after the occupant selects one control program, the vehicle control function unit 54 prompts the occupant to update the control program whose update time is equal to or less than the charging time minus the update time of the selected control program.

[0071] When the vehicle control function unit 54 receives an operation by the occupant via the navigation device 46 to permit updating of the control programs, the vehicle control function unit 54 acquires all of the control programs determined by the occupant from the server device 16. The vehicle control function unit 54 updates the in-vehicle devices 48 with the acquired control programs.

[0072] This configuration makes it possible to update multiple control programs whose total update time is less than or equal to the charging time, thereby making it possible to more effectively utilize waiting time when the movement of the vehicle 10 is restricted.

[0073] In addition, the example described above is one in which the determination of whether or not to update the control program is made and the update of the control program is started when the vehicle 10 arrives at the charging area 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this case, and the update of the control program may be started at an earlier timing.

[0074] As described above, the wireless LAN exemplified as the wireless communication method for the wireless communication device 14 has a short communication distance. However, in a flat area with few obstacles, such as the service area 22, communication is possible over a relatively long distance. Therefore, the vehicle control function unit 54 establishes communication with the wireless communication device 14 within or outside the service area 22, and upon receiving an operation by the occupant to permit a control program update, acquires the control program from the server device 16 even before charging begins. The vehicle control function unit 54 updates the in-vehicle equipment 48 with the acquired control program.

[0075] With this configuration, for example, the control program can be updated before charging begins in the charging area 24, so that the control program can be updated stably even if the update time is extended due to fluctuations in the communication status.

[0076] In this case, if it seems that it will take a long time before charging starts, the vehicle control function unit 54 may determine whether to update the control program not only when the update time is less than the charging time, but also when the update time is less than or equal to (waiting time until charging starts + charging time).

[0077] With this configuration, for example, when there are many vehicles wanting to charge in the charging area 24 and the waiting time before charging begins is long, it becomes possible to update control programs that take a long time to update or multiple control programs.

[0078] In addition, in the above example, the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the update time using the communication speed Dv, which is a past actual value stored in the memory 52 b. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the server device 16 may derive the update time using the communication speed Dv, which is a past actual value.

[0079] For example, the server control function unit 94 of the server device 16 stores in the memory 92b the actual values ​​of the communication speeds Dv in past communications for the multiple wireless communication devices 14, for example, in association with the type of the vehicle 10. Thus, the memory 92b stores the past performance data for the combination of the wireless communication device 14 and the type of the vehicle 10.

[0080] When the server control function unit 94 receives a request from the vehicle control function unit 54 to obtain the update time, it extracts the communication speed Dv, which is a past performance value for the combination of the wireless communication device 14 and the type of vehicle 10. Next, the server control function unit 94 divides the data capacity D by the communication speed Dv to derive the communication time Tc. Subsequently, the server control function unit 94 transmits the communication time Tc to the vehicle 10. The vehicle control function unit 54 adds the communication time Tc and the reflection time Tr obtained from the server device 16 and multiplies the result by a margin coefficient to obtain the update time.

[0081] In this case, after completing the control program update, the vehicle control function unit 54 transmits the update time actually required for the update and the communication speed obtained by dividing the data volume by the update time to the server device 16. The server control function unit 94 stores the update time and the communication speed in the memory 92b and uses them as a communication history for the next control program update.

[0082] With this configuration, an appropriate communication speed is determined according to the combination of the wireless communication device 14 and the vehicle 10, so that the communication speed can be determined with high accuracy regardless of fluctuations in the communication state.

[0083] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a method for charging the vehicle 10 in the charging system 1.

[0084] When the ignition of the vehicle 10 is turned on, the vehicle control function unit 54 establishes communication with the server device 16 and obtains update necessity information from the server device 16. Then, the vehicle control function unit 54 determines whether any control programs require updating based on the update necessity information (S10). If no control programs require updating (NO in S10), the vehicle control function unit 54 ends the charging method without updating the control programs. If any control programs require updating (YES in S10), the vehicle control function unit 54 updates the control programs in parallel with charging the vehicle 10.

[0085] In order to charge the vehicle 10 in response to a decrease in the SOC of the on-board battery 42, the vehicle control function unit 54 identifies a charging station 12 located on the travel route (S11). The vehicle control function unit 54 determines whether a communication history of communication with the identified wireless communication device 14 or a wireless communication device 14 of the same type as the identified wireless communication device 14 is stored in the memory 52b (S12). If no communication history is stored (NO in S12), the vehicle control function unit 54 proceeds to the processing of step S17.

[0086] If the communication history is stored (YES in S12), the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the chargeable energy Wp based on the remaining distance d, the average power consumption Wa, the remaining energy Wro, and the maximum energy Wm, and specifies the charging energy Wc that is equal to or less than the chargeable energy Wp. The vehicle control function unit 54 also derives the charging time by dividing the charging energy Wc by the output energy Ws of the charging stand 12 (S13).

[0087] Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 obtains the data capacity D corresponding to the control program from the server device 16 and derives the update time based on the data capacity D and the communication speed Dv, which is a past performance value (S14). Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 compares the update time with the charging time (S15). If the update time is longer than the charging time (NO in S15), the vehicle control function unit 54 ends the charging method without updating the control program.

[0088] If the update time is equal to or less than the charging time (YES in S15), the vehicle control function unit 54 prompts the occupant to update the control program via the navigation device 46 (S16). If the vehicle control function unit 54 receives an operation from the occupant via the navigation device 46 to not allow the control program to be updated (NO in S16), the vehicle control function unit 54 ends the charging method without updating the control program. If the vehicle control function unit 54 receives an operation from the occupant to allow the control program to be updated (YES in S16), the vehicle control function unit 54 transitions to a state waiting for communication to be established with the wireless communication device 14.

[0089] The vehicle control function unit 54 attempts to establish communication with the wireless communication device 14 (S17). The vehicle control function unit 54 repeats the process of step S17 until communication with the wireless communication device 14 is established (NO in S17). Here, when the vehicle 10 arrives at the service area 22 and communication with the wireless communication device 14 is established (YES in S17), the vehicle control function unit 54 derives the chargeable energy Wp based on the remaining energy Wrn and the maximum energy Wm at that time, and identifies the charging energy Wc that is less than or equal to the chargeable energy Wp. The vehicle control function unit 54 also derives the charging time by dividing the charging energy Wc by the output energy Ws of the charging stand 12 (S18).

[0090] Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 obtains the data capacity D corresponding to the control program from the server device 16 and derives the update time based on the data capacity D and the actual measured value of the communication speed Dv at that time (S19). Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 compares the update time with the charging time (S20). If the update time is longer than the charging time (NO in S20), the vehicle control function unit 54 ends the charging method without updating the control program.

[0091] If the update time is equal to or less than the charging time (YES in S20), the vehicle control function unit 54 determines whether or not permission to update the control program has already been obtained from the occupant in step S16 (S21). If permission to update the control program has already been obtained from the occupant (YES in S21), the process proceeds to step S23.

[0092] If permission to update the control program has not yet been obtained from the occupant (NO in S21), the vehicle control function unit 54 prompts the occupant to update the control program (S22) via the navigation device 46. If the vehicle control function unit 54 receives an operation via the navigation device 46 indicating that the control program update is not permitted (NO in S22), the vehicle control function unit 54 ends the charging method without updating the control program.

[0093] When the vehicle control function unit 54 receives an operation from the occupant to permit the update of the control program (YES in S22), or when the occupant has already given permission to update the control program in step S21 (YES in S21), the vehicle control function unit 54 acquires the control program from the server device 16 via the wireless communication device 14 and updates the in-vehicle device 48 with the acquired control program (S23). Note that while the vehicle control function unit 54 is updating the control program, the vehicle control function unit 54 successively stores the communication history in the memory 52b.

[0094] Next, when the occupant connects the charging connector 62 of the charging stand 12 to the charging connection unit 44 of the vehicle 10, the vehicle control function unit 54 starts charging the vehicle 10 (S24).

[0095] Next, the vehicle control function unit 54 notifies the progress of charging of the vehicle 10 and the progress of the control program update via the navigation device 46 (S25). For example, if the control program update is complete but charging of the vehicle 10 is not, the vehicle control function unit 54 notifies that the control program update is complete and the remaining charging time until charging is complete. On the other hand, if charging of the vehicle 10 is complete but the control program update is not, the vehicle control function unit 54 notifies that charging is complete and the remaining updating time until updating is complete. When charging of the vehicle 10 is complete and the control program update is complete, the vehicle control function unit 54 notifies that fact via the navigation device 46.

[0096] After completing the update of the control program, the vehicle control function unit 54 stores in the memory 52b the update time actually taken for the update and the communication speed calculated backward based on the update time and the data volume (S26).

[0097] In this embodiment, the control program is updated while the vehicle 10, whose movement is restricted, is being charged. This minimizes fluctuations in the communication status between the vehicle 10 and the wireless communication device 14, enabling stable OTA control program updates. Furthermore, since past performance values ​​that reflect fluctuations in the communication status are used to determine the update time, the accuracy of determining the update time can be improved. Furthermore, the control program is updated only when the update time determined with such high accuracy is equal to or shorter than the charging time, preventing the movement of the vehicle 10 from being restricted for long periods of time.

[0098] While the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that such modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0099] The series of processes performed by each device (e.g., vehicle 10, server device 16) according to the present embodiment described above may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance in, for example, a non-transitory storage medium provided inside or outside each device. The programs are then read from, for example, a non-transitory storage medium (e.g., ROM) to a transitory storage medium (e.g., RAM) and executed by a processor such as a CPU.

[0100] A program for realizing each function of each of the above devices can be created and installed on the computer of each of the above devices. The processor executes the program stored in memory, thereby performing the processing of each of the above functions. At this time, the program may be shared and executed by multiple processors, or the program may be executed by a single processor. Furthermore, the functions of each of the above devices may be realized by cloud computing using multiple computers interconnected by a communications network. The program may be provided to and installed on the computer of each device by distribution from an external device via a communications network.

[0101] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Charging system 10 Vehicle 12 Charging stand 14 Wireless communication device 16 Server device 40 Vehicle communication unit (wireless communication unit) 42 In-vehicle battery 46 Navigation device (notification unit, operation unit) 48 In-vehicle equipment 50 Vehicle control unit (control unit) 54 Vehicle control function unit 94 Server control function unit

Claims

1. A control unit; an on-board device provided in a vehicle; a notification unit provided in the vehicle; an operating unit provided in the vehicle; a wireless communication unit provided in the vehicle; Equipped with The control unit a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and The processor: Identifying a charging station where the vehicle is to be charged; deriving a charging time required to charge the vehicle before the vehicle arrives at the charging station; deriving an update time required to update the control program of the in-vehicle device via the wireless communication unit before the vehicle arrives at the charging station; If the update time is equal to or less than the charging time, notifying the user through the notification unit that the control program is to be updated; updating the control program when an operation to permit updating the control program is received on the operation unit; A charging system that performs a process including:

2. The processor: deriving the update time based on a history of past communications performed through the wireless communication unit; The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the charging system performs a process including:

3. There are a plurality of the control programs, The processor: deriving the update time for each of the plurality of control programs; notifying all of the control programs whose update times are equal to or less than the charging time as update targets via the notification unit; The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the charging system performs a process including:

4. The processor: If the update of the control program is not completed even after the charging of the vehicle is completed, the notification unit notifies the user of the update. The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the charging system performs a process including:

5. The processor: Initiating an update of the control program before charging of the vehicle is initiated; The charging system of claim 1 , wherein the charging system performs a process including:

6. A control unit; In-vehicle equipment, a notification unit that notifies information; an operation unit that accepts operations; a wireless communication unit capable of performing wireless communication; Equipped with The control unit a processor; a memory connected to the processor; and The processor: Deriving the charging time required to charge the vehicle itself; deriving an update time required to update the control program of the in-vehicle device through the wireless communication unit; If the update time is equal to or less than the charging time, notifying the user through the notification unit that the control program is to be updated; updating the control program when an operation to permit updating the control program is received on the operation unit; A vehicle that performs processing including: