Charging device

Abstract

Provided is a charging device that is capable of charging vehicles one by one, wherein: the charging device comprises a plurality of connector portions to which vehicles can be connected one by one, a plurality of switches that are provided corresponding to the plurality of connector portions and that conduct or block electric power to be supplied to the connector portions, and a control unit that is capable of controlling the operation of the plurality of switches and that controls charging with respect to the vehicles; and the control unit forcibly switches the vehicle to be charged and starts charging of the next vehicle in a predetermined charging order when a prescribed time elapses after starting charging with respect to the vehicles.

Description

charging device

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging device.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Charging devices that can connect to multiple vehicles and charge the vehicles are known. Patent Literature 1 discloses a vehicle charging station that is electrically connected to one or more electric vehicles via a connector and supplies charging power to the one or more electric vehicles via the connector.

[0003] JP 2010-183824 A

[0004] In a charging device that charges vehicles one at a time, the charging time for a vehicle that is earlier in the charging sequence may be longer, causing subsequent vehicles to have to wait longer. As a result of this longer wait time, the user of the later vehicle may give up on charging and start driving the vehicle instead.

[0005] Therefore, when charging vehicles one by one, there is a problem in controlling charging while taking into consideration the balance between the vehicles.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device as follows. The charging device is capable of charging vehicles one at a time. The charging device includes a plurality of connector units, a plurality of switches, and a control unit. The connector units are connectable to the vehicles on a one-to-one basis. The switches are provided corresponding to the connector units and supply or cut off power to the connector units. The control unit is capable of controlling the operation of the switches and controls charging of the vehicles. Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed since charging of the vehicle began, the control unit forcibly switches the vehicle to be charged and begins charging the next vehicle in a predetermined charging order.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device as follows. The charging device is capable of charging vehicles one at a time. The charging device includes a plurality of connector units, a plurality of switches, and a control unit. The connector units are connectable to the vehicles on a one-to-one basis. The switches are provided corresponding to the connector units and energize or cut off power supplied to the connector units. The control unit is capable of controlling the operation of the switches and controls charging of the vehicles. The control unit charges the vehicles in a predetermined charging order, and if the remaining charge of a vehicle reaches a predetermined reference value, skips charging of that vehicle and starts charging of the next vehicle in the charging order.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device as follows. The charging device is capable of charging vehicles one at a time. The charging device includes a plurality of connector units, a plurality of switches, and a control unit. The connector units are connectable to the vehicles in a one-to-one relationship. The switches are provided corresponding to the connector units and energize or cut off power supplied to the connector units. The control unit is capable of controlling the operation of the switches and controls charging of the vehicles. The control unit charges the vehicles until the remaining charge reaches a first reference value, which is a reference value for the remaining charge, and then starts charging the next vehicle in a predetermined charging order.

[0009] According to the present invention, when charging vehicles one by one, charging control can be performed taking into consideration the balance between the vehicles. Note that problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a charging device; Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of charge control in a first embodiment; Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of charge control in a second embodiment; Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of charge control in a third embodiment; Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of conventional charge control.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and appropriate omissions and simplifications have been made for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural. The position, size, shape, and range of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, and range in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, and range disclosed in the drawings. When there are multiple components having the same or similar functions, they may be described using the same reference numeral with different subscripts. Furthermore, when it is not necessary to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted. In some embodiments, processing performed by executing a program will be described. Here, a computer executes a program using a processor (e.g., a CPU or a GPU) and performs processing defined by the program using storage resources (e.g., memory) and interface devices (e.g., communication ports). Therefore, the processor may be the entity that executes the program and performs the processing. Similarly, the entity that executes a program and performs processing may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The entity that executes a program and performs processing may be any computing unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device). The program may be installed on a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources that store the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers.In addition, in the embodiment, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0012] First, an example of the basic structure of a charging device used in the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. This charging device 11 is configured to charge multiple parked vehicles one by one, and as shown in Fig. 1, includes a charger 21, multiple connectors (31a to 31d), and a charging stand 41.

[0013] Charger 21 is connected to charging stand 41. Charger 21 includes, for example, an AC / DC converter 22 and a DC / DC converter 23, converts AC power supplied from AC power source 51 into DC power, and outputs the DC power to charging stand 41. Note that charger 21 only needs to be able to output power for charging the vehicle to charging stand 41, and the configuration of charger 21 may be changed as appropriate.

[0014] The connector unit is configured to connect the charging stand 41 and the vehicle to be charged, and multiple connector units (31a to 31d) are provided. Each connector unit (31a to 31d) includes a charging cable connected to the charging stand 41 and a connector that connects the charging cable to the vehicle. A user can charge the vehicle by connecting the connector to the vehicle and performing an operation to start charging. In this example, the number of connector units is four, but the number of connector units may be two or more, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0015] The charging stand 41 includes a plurality of switches (42a to 42d). The switches are provided corresponding to the connectors and connect or disconnect the charger 21 and the connectors (31a to 31d). That is, the switches energize or cut off the power supplied to the corresponding connectors. The charging stand 41 also includes a control unit 43. The control unit 43 is configured to control the operation of the charging stand 41 and can be appropriately configured, for example, using a processor that executes predetermined processes and a storage device (such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory). The control unit 43 can control the operation of each of the switches (42a to 42d) and can control charging of the vehicle based on the control of the operation of the switches (42a to 42d).

[0016] First Embodiment Next, an example of charging control in the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. In the first embodiment, the control unit 43 performs charging in a predetermined charging order and forcibly switches the vehicle to be charged according to a predetermined time. However, if charging cannot be started (for example, if no vehicle is connected to the connector unit), the control unit 43 charges the next vehicle in the charging order.

[0017] In this example, the charging sequence is to repeat charging via connector portion 31a, then charging via connector portion 31b, then charging via connector portion 31c, and then charging via connector portion 31d.

[0018] An example of charging control will now be described in detail. When the user of vehicle 1 connects connector 31a to vehicle 1 and performs an operation to start charging vehicle 1, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 1 for a predetermined period of time. That is, control unit 43 charges vehicle 1 from T1 to T2.

[0019] If the user of vehicle 2 connects connector 31b to vehicle 2 and performs an operation to start charging vehicle 2 by T2, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 2 for a predetermined time. That is, control unit 43 charges vehicle 2 from T2 to T3.

[0020] If the user of vehicle 3 connects connector 31c to vehicle 3 and performs an operation to start charging vehicle 3 by T3, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 3 for a predetermined time. That is, control unit 43 charges vehicle 3 from T3 to T4.

[0021] If the user of vehicle 4 connects connector 31d to vehicle 4 and performs an operation to start charging vehicle 4 by T4, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 4 for a predetermined time. That is, control unit 43 charges vehicle 4 from T4 to T5.

[0022] If the vehicle 1 is still connected to the connector 31a at time T5, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 1 for a predetermined time. That is, the control unit 43 charges the vehicle 1 from T5 to T6.

[0023] If vehicle 2 is still connected to connector 31b at time T6, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 2. If the remaining charge of a vehicle reaches 100%, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to switch the vehicle to be charged before a predetermined time has elapsed. In this example, control unit 43 switches the vehicle to be charged at time T7, which is before the predetermined time has elapsed from T6 and when vehicle 2 reaches 100% remaining charge.

[0024] If the vehicle 3 is still connected to the connector 31c at time T7, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 3 for a predetermined time. That is, the control unit charges the vehicle 3 from T7 to T8.

[0025] If vehicle 4 is still connected to connector 31d at time T8, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 4 for a predetermined time. If charging cannot be started, control unit 43 charges the next vehicle. In this example, vehicle 4 has already started moving at time T8 and is not connected to connector 31d, so control unit 43 charges the next vehicle.

[0026] If vehicle 1 is still connected to connector 31a at time T8, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 1 for a predetermined time. As described above, if the remaining charge of a vehicle reaches 100%, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to switch the vehicle to be charged before the predetermined time has elapsed. In this example, control unit 43 switches the vehicle to be charged at time T9, which is before the predetermined time has elapsed from T8 and when vehicle 1 reaches 100% remaining charge.

[0027] If vehicle 2 is still connected to connector 31b at time T9, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 2 for a predetermined time. However, if charging of the vehicle has already been completed (if the remaining charge of the vehicle has already reached 100%), control unit 43 charges the next vehicle.

[0028] If vehicle 3 is still connected to connector 31c at time T9, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 3 for a predetermined time. Control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 3, and ends charging vehicle 3 at time T10 when the remaining charge of vehicle 3 reaches 100%.

[0029] According to the first embodiment, the vehicles are charged in a predetermined charging order while the vehicle to be charged is forcibly switched according to a predetermined time, thereby achieving charging control that takes into account the balance between the vehicles.

[0030] Second Embodiment Next, an example of charging control in a second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 . In the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the control unit 43 performs charging in a predetermined charging order and forcibly switches the vehicle to be charged according to a predetermined time. Furthermore, as will be described below, when charging in the charging order, the control unit 43 performs control to omit charging of vehicles whose remaining charge amount is equal to or greater than a set reference value. Then, when the remaining charge amount of each vehicle connected to the connector unit is equal to or greater than the reference value, the control unit 43 charges each vehicle connected to the connector unit whose remaining charge amount is equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0031] In this example, the control unit 43 performs charging in the same charging order as in the first embodiment. Also, descriptions of the same content as in the first embodiment may be omitted. Also, descriptions of the same content may be brief.

[0032] The periods from T1 to T5 are the same as in the first embodiment, and the control unit 43 charges the vehicles 1 to 4 from T1 to T5 based on the same method as in the first embodiment. Also, as in the first embodiment, the control unit 43 charges the vehicle 1 from T5 to T6.

[0033] At time T6, if vehicle 2 is still connected to connector 31b, control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 2. If the remaining charge of a vehicle has already reached or exceeded a reference value, control unit 43 omits charging. In this example, the reference value is set to 80%, and control unit 43 omits charging of vehicles with a remaining charge of 80% or more. Therefore, charging of vehicle 2 is omitted, and control unit 43 charges the next vehicle.

[0034] If the vehicle 3 is still connected to the connector 31c at time T6, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 3 for a predetermined time. That is, the control unit 43 charges the vehicle 3 from T6 to T7.

[0035] At time T7, vehicle 4 has already started moving and is not connected to connector 31d, so control unit 43 charges the next vehicle.

[0036] At time T7, the remaining charge of vehicle 1 connected to connector 31a is equal to or greater than the reference value, so control unit 43 omits charging vehicle 1. Also, at time T7, the remaining charge of vehicle 2 connected to connector 31b is equal to or greater than the reference value, so control unit 43 omits charging vehicle 2.

[0037] At time T7, vehicle 3 is still connected to connector 31c, and the remaining charge of vehicle 3 has not reached the reference value, so control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 3. That is, control unit 43 charges vehicle 3 from T7 to T8.

[0038] The control unit 43 confirms that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector unit is equal to or greater than a reference value, and starts charging each vehicle whose remaining charge is equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0039] At time T8, vehicle 1 is still connected to connector 31a, and the remaining charge of vehicle 1 has not yet reached 100%, so control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 1. Control unit 43 charges vehicle 1 from T8 to T9.

[0040] At time T9, vehicle 2 is still connected to connector 31b, and the remaining charge of vehicle 2 has not yet reached 100%, so control unit 43 controls switches (42a to 42d) to charge vehicle 2. Control unit 43 charges vehicle 2 from T9 to T10.

[0041] At time T10, vehicle 3 is still connected to connector 31c, but the remaining charge of vehicle 3 is 100%, so control unit 43 does not charge vehicle 3.

[0042] In addition, after charging has begun for each vehicle whose remaining charge is equal to or greater than the reference value, if a vehicle whose remaining charge is less than the reference value is connected to the connector and the user of that vehicle performs an operation to start charging, the control unit 43 may prioritize charging the vehicle whose remaining charge is less than the reference value. For example, if a vehicle whose remaining charge is less than the reference value is connected to the connector between times T8 and T10 and the user of that vehicle performs an operation to start charging, the control unit 43 may prioritize charging of that vehicle over vehicles whose remaining charge is equal to or greater than the reference value. In this case, if there are multiple vehicles whose remaining charge is less than the reference value, the control unit 43 may charge the vehicle by switching between them. Thereafter, the control unit 43 may confirm that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector is equal to or greater than the reference value before starting charging of each vehicle whose remaining charge is equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0043] On the other hand, if a new vehicle is connected to the connector unit after the control unit 43 has confirmed that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector unit is above a reference value, the control unit 43 may temporarily exclude charging of the new vehicle and first complete charging of the vehicle whose remaining charge has been confirmed to be above the reference value.

[0044] According to the second embodiment, when charging vehicles in a charging order, a vehicle whose remaining charge is equal to or greater than a reference value is temporarily removed from the charging order, and charging of this vehicle is omitted, thereby enabling charging control that takes into account the balance between vehicles.

[0045] In the present embodiment, an example in which the vehicle to be charged is switched at a predetermined time interval has been described. However, the control unit 43 may control the charging sequence to switch the vehicle to be charged at appropriate time intervals that take into consideration the balance of charging among the vehicles, while omitting charging of vehicles with remaining charge levels equal to or greater than a reference value. That is, in the above example, the charging times from T1 to T2, T2 to T3, T3 to T4, T4 to T5, T5 to T6, and T6 to T7 are the same predetermined time, but these charging times do not necessarily have to be the same.

[0046] In addition, the standard value of the remaining charge level at which charging is omitted was 80% in the above example, but it can be set as appropriate without being limited to this value as long as charging control can be performed taking into account the balance between vehicles.

[0047] Third Embodiment Next, an example of charge control in the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 4. In the third embodiment, the control unit 43 performs charge control based on the remaining charge amount, rather than time-based charge control. That is, a reference value for the target remaining charge amount is set. The control unit 43 then charges the vehicles in the charging sequence so that the remaining charge amount reaches the reference value, and forcibly switches the vehicle to be charged when the remaining charge amount reaches the reference value.

[0048] In this example, the control unit 43 performs charging in the same order as in the above embodiment. Also, descriptions of the same content as in the above embodiment may be omitted. Also, descriptions of the same content may be briefly given.

[0049] When the user of the vehicle 1 connects the connector 31a to the vehicle 1 and performs an operation to start charging the vehicle 1, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 1 up to a set reference value (first reference value) of the remaining charge. In the figure, time has passed from T1 to T2 due to this charging. In this example, the first reference value is set to 60%.

[0050] If the user of the vehicle 2 connects the connector 31b to the vehicle 2 and performs an operation to start charging the vehicle 2 by T2, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 2 up to the reference value (first reference value) of the remaining charge. Due to this charging, time has passed from T2 to T3.

[0051] If the user of the vehicle 3 connects the connector 31c to the vehicle 3 and performs an operation to start charging the vehicle 3 by T3, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 3 up to the reference value (first reference value) of the remaining charge. Due to this charging, time has passed from T3 to T4.

[0052] If the user of the vehicle 4 connects the connector 31d to the vehicle 4 and performs an operation to start charging the vehicle 4 by T4, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 4 up to the reference value (first reference value) of the remaining charge. Due to this charging, time has passed from T4 to T5.

[0053] The control unit 43 confirms that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector unit has reached a reference value (first reference value), and continues charging the vehicle.

[0054] If the vehicle 1 is still connected to the connector 31a at time T5, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 1 up to a reference value (second reference value) of the remaining charge. As a result of this charging, time passes from T5 to T6. The second reference value is higher than the first reference value, and in this example, the second reference value is set to 90%.

[0055] At time T6, if the vehicle 2 is still connected to the connector 31b, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 2 up to the reference value (second reference value) of the remaining charge. Due to this charging, time has passed from T6 to T7.

[0056] If the vehicle 3 is still connected to the connector 31c at time T7, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 3 up to the reference value (second reference value) of the remaining charge. Due to this charging, time has passed from T7 to T8.

[0057] At time T8, vehicle 4 has already started moving and is not connected to connector 31d, so charging of the next vehicle is carried out.

[0058] The control unit 43 confirms that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector unit has reached a reference value (second reference value), and continues charging the vehicle.

[0059] If the vehicle 1 is still connected to the connector 31a at time T8, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 1 until the remaining charge reaches 100%. Due to this charging, time has passed from T8 to T9.

[0060] If the vehicle 2 is still connected to the connector 31b at time T9, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 2 until the remaining charge reaches 100%. Due to this charging, time passes from T9 to T10.

[0061] If the vehicle 3 is still connected to the connector 31c at time T10, the control unit 43 controls the switches (42a to 42d) to charge the vehicle 3 until the remaining charge reaches 100%. Due to this charging, time elapses from T10 to T11.

[0062] In addition, after the control unit 43 confirms that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector unit has reached a reference value, if a vehicle whose remaining charge does not reach the reference value is connected to the connector unit and the user of this vehicle performs an operation to start charging, the control unit 43 may prioritize charging the vehicle that has not reached the reference value.

[0063] For example, if a vehicle whose remaining charge does not reach the first reference value is connected to the connector between T5 and T8 and the user of this vehicle performs an operation to start charging, the control unit 43 may prioritize charging this vehicle up to the first reference value over charging vehicles whose remaining charge has reached the first reference value. In this case, if there are multiple vehicles that have not reached the first reference value, the control unit 43 may charge the vehicles while switching between them. Thereafter, the control unit 43 may confirm that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector is equal to or greater than the first reference value, and then start charging each vehicle whose remaining charge is equal to or greater than the first reference value.

[0064] Similarly, for example, if a vehicle whose remaining charge does not reach the second reference value is connected to the connector between T8 and T11 and the user of this vehicle performs an operation to start charging, the control unit 43 may prioritize charging this vehicle to the second reference value over charging vehicles that have reached the second reference value. In this case, if there are multiple vehicles that have not reached the second reference value, the control unit 43 may charge the vehicle while switching between them. Here, if there is a vehicle that has not reached the first reference value, the control unit 43 may prioritize charging the vehicle that has not reached the first reference value so that the remaining charge reaches the first reference value. Thereafter, the control unit 43 may confirm that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector is equal to or greater than the second reference value, and then start charging each vehicle whose remaining charge is equal to or greater than the second reference value.

[0065] On the other hand, if a new vehicle is connected to the connector unit after the control unit 43 has confirmed that the remaining charge of each vehicle connected to the connector unit is equal to or greater than a reference value (first reference value or second reference value), the control unit 43 may temporarily exclude charging of the new vehicle and first complete charging of the vehicle whose remaining charge has been confirmed to be equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0066] According to the third embodiment, a reference value for the remaining charge is set, and when a vehicle is charged up to the set reference value, the vehicle to be charged is forcibly switched, thereby enabling charging control that takes into account the balance between vehicles.

[0067] In the present embodiment, an example in which multiple reference values ​​(first and second reference values) are used has been described. However, a single reference value may be used to perform similar charging control. Furthermore, three or more reference values ​​may be used to perform similar charging control.

[0068] Furthermore, the magnitude of the reference value is not limited to the above example, and may be set appropriately as long as charging control can be performed taking into account the balance between vehicles. For example, in order to increase the opportunities for charging each vehicle, the reference value may be set to a smaller value as the number of connectors increases.

[0069] Next, a comparison with the prior art will be described with reference to Fig. 5. With the conventional charging device 11p, once charging of a vehicle begins, charging is considered to continue until the remaining charge reaches a level determined by the user, unless the user of the vehicle or the like interrupts the charging. Alternatively, charging of the vehicle is considered to continue until charging has been completed for the time period set by the user.

[0070] 5, vehicle 1 and vehicle 3 are continuously charged for the time set by the user, and vehicle 2 is charged until it reaches the remaining charge (100%) set by the user. As a result of this charging, the waiting time becomes long, and the user of the subsequent vehicle (the user of vehicle 4 in FIG. 5) may give up on charging and start the vehicle.

[0071] In contrast, in the embodiment described above, charging control is realized taking into consideration the balance between vehicles, which results in an increase in opportunities to charge vehicles. Therefore, for example, even vehicles that are parked for a short time are expected to be charged to a certain extent, and it is possible to prevent vehicles from being unable to charge even after waiting for a long time.

[0072] Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, for example, other configurations may be added, deleted, or replaced with part of the configuration of the embodiment.

[0073] The vehicle to be charged by the charging device 11 is an EV (electric vehicle), and is not particularly limited as long as it is a chargeable vehicle. The vehicle model may be an electric car, an electric motorcycle, an electric truck, or the like.

[0074] An operation unit that a user uses to perform various operations may be provided in the charging stand 41. The operation unit may be configured appropriately using buttons, a display, a touch panel display, or the like.

[0075] Data such as the predetermined time interval for switching between charging, the reference value of the remaining charge amount that serves as the criterion for omitting charging, and the reference value of the target remaining charge amount when charging, as described in the above embodiment, may be stored in a storage device, and the control unit 43 may use this data to control the charging operation.

[0076] The charging stand 41 may include a communication device for communication. The charging stand 41 may use the communication device to receive data on operation details transmitted by the vehicle user and process the data. The control unit 43 may also use the communication device to acquire data on the remaining charge, for example. Note that data may be transmitted from the vehicle to a server, and the charging stand 41 may acquire the data from the server.

[0077] Furthermore, the connector unit may be configured to include a communication circuit used for communication between the vehicle and charging stand 41 when connected to the vehicle. For example, when the connector unit is connected to the vehicle, control unit 43 may acquire data related to the remaining charge amount and the like via the communication circuit.

[0078] The present disclosure can provide, for example, the following charging method. That is, this charging method is a method of charging vehicles one by one. When a predetermined time has elapsed since charging of a vehicle began, the control unit 43 forcibly switches the vehicle to be charged and begins charging the next vehicle in a predetermined charging order. Here, if the remaining charge of a vehicle has reached a predetermined reference value, the control unit 43 may omit charging of the vehicle and begin charging the next vehicle in the charging order.

[0079] The present disclosure can also provide, for example, the following charging method. That is, this charging method charges vehicles one by one. The control unit 43 charges the vehicles in a predetermined charging order, and if the remaining charge of a vehicle reaches a predetermined reference value, skips charging the vehicle and starts charging the next vehicle in the charging order.

[0080] The present disclosure can also provide, for example, the following charging method. That is, this charging method is a method of charging vehicles one by one. The control unit 43 charges the vehicle until the remaining charge reaches a first reference value, which is a reference value for the remaining charge, and then starts charging the next vehicle in a predetermined charging sequence. Here, when the remaining charge of each vehicle to be charged has reached the first reference value, the control unit 43 may charge the vehicle up to a second reference value, which is a reference value for the remaining charge that is higher than the first reference value, and then start charging the next vehicle in the charging sequence.

[0081] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 Charging device 21 Charger 22 AC / DC converter 23 DC / DC converter 31a Connector section 31b Connector section 31c Connector section 31d Connector section 41 Charging stand 42a Switch 42b Switch 42c Switch 42d Switch 43 Control section

Claims

1. A charging device capable of charging vehicles one at a time, comprising: a plurality of connector units to which vehicles can be connected one at a time; a plurality of switches provided corresponding to the plurality of connector units for passing or cutting off power supplied to the connector units; and a control unit capable of controlling the operation of the plurality of switches and controlling charging of the vehicles, wherein when a predetermined time has elapsed since charging of the vehicles began, the control unit forcibly switches the vehicle being charged and begins charging the next vehicle in a predetermined charging order.

2. A charging device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, when the remaining charge of a vehicle has reached a predetermined reference value, the control unit omits charging of the vehicle and starts charging of the next vehicle in the charging sequence.

3. A charging device capable of charging vehicles one at a time, comprising: a plurality of connector units to which vehicles can be connected one at a time; a plurality of switches provided corresponding to the plurality of connector units for supplying or cutting off power to the connector units; and a control unit capable of controlling the operation of the plurality of switches and controlling the charging of the vehicles, wherein the control unit charges the vehicles in a predetermined charging sequence, and when a vehicle's remaining charge has reached a predetermined reference value, skips charging of the vehicle and starts charging of the next vehicle in the charging sequence.

4. A charging device capable of charging vehicles one at a time, comprising: a plurality of connector parts to which vehicles can be connected one at a time; a plurality of switches provided corresponding to the plurality of connector parts for passing or cutting off power supplied to the connector parts; and a control unit capable of controlling the operation of the plurality of switches and controlling charging of the vehicles, wherein the control unit charges the vehicles until a first reference value, which is a reference value for the remaining charge, is reached, and then starts charging the next vehicle in a predetermined charging order.

5. A charging device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, when the remaining charge of each vehicle to be charged has reached the first reference value, the control unit charges the vehicle up to a second reference value, which is a reference value for the remaining charge higher than the first reference value, and then starts charging the next vehicle in the charging sequence.

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