Charge system, charge management method, and program

Abstract

An objective of the present disclosure is to reduce the possibility of being incapable of performing charging starting from the beginning of a charge period. In a charge system (1) of the present disclosure, a schedule setting unit (301) sets, in a storage unit (33), charge schedule information including at least first information that pertains to a user who reserves the charging of an electric vehicle (7) by a charge unit (55) and second information that pertains to a charge period. The schedule setting unit (301) sets, as a reservation-prohibited period, at least one of a first period preceding the start time of the charge period or a second period following the end time of the charge period.

Description

Charging system, charging management method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging system, a charging management method, and a program. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a charging system, a charging management method, and a program for charging an electric vehicle.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a charging system that charges multiple electric vehicles using a single charger. The charging system in Patent Literature 1 includes a scheduling means that determines a charging schedule for the multiple electric vehicles, and a charging switching means that charges one of the electric vehicles using the charger in accordance with the charging schedule determined by the scheduling means. The scheduling means determines the charging schedule by dividing a certain period of time into multiple charging time slots corresponding to the number of electric vehicles and assigning each electric vehicle to each charging time slot.

[0003] In a charging system for charging electric vehicles (electrically powered vehicles), when changing the electric vehicle being charged at a charger, it takes time to remove the electric vehicle that has finished charging from the charging area and to prepare the next electric vehicle to be charged into the charging area.As a result, if the removal of the electric vehicle that was charging during the previous charging time slot is delayed, the preparation work will be delayed, and there is a possibility that charging of the next electric vehicle cannot begin even when the next charging time slot begins.

[0004] JP 2013-74776 A

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a charging system, a charging management method, and a program that reduce the possibility that charging will not be possible from the beginning of a charging period.

[0006] A charging system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a schedule setting unit, a determination unit, and a charging control unit. The schedule setting unit sets, in a storage unit, charging schedule information including at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of an electric vehicle, of a plurality of electric vehicles, by a charging unit capable of supplying power to the electric vehicle present in a charging area, and second information related to a charging period for the electric vehicle by the charging unit. The determination unit determines, based on the charging schedule information, whether the electric vehicle present in the charging area is the electric vehicle reserved for charging by the charging unit in the charging schedule information. When the determination unit determines that the electric vehicle present in the charging area is the electric vehicle reserved for charging by the charging unit, the charging control unit controls the charging unit based on the second information. The schedule setting unit sets at least one of a first period before the start of the charging period and a second period after the end of the charging period as a reservation prohibited period that cannot be set as the charging period.

[0007] A charging management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for managing charging of an electric vehicle, among a plurality of electric vehicles, using a charging unit capable of supplying power to the electric vehicle present in a charging area. The charging management method includes a schedule setting process, a determination process, and a charging control process. The schedule setting process sets, in a storage unit, charging schedule information including at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of the electric vehicle by the charging unit and second information related to a charging period for the electric vehicle by the charging unit. The determination process determines, based on the charging schedule information, whether the electric vehicle present in the charging area is the electric vehicle reserved for charging by the charging unit in the charging schedule information. The charging control process controls the charging unit based on the second information when the determination process determines that the electric vehicle present in the charging area is the electric vehicle reserved for charging by the charging unit. The schedule setting process sets at least one of a first period before a start point of the charging period and a second period after an end point of the charging period as a reservation prohibited period that cannot be set as the charging period.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer system to execute the charge management method.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a charging system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating a portion of the operation when a reservation is made in the same. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating a portion of the operation when a reservation is made in the same. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating a portion of the operation when charging starts in the same. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a portion of the operation when charging starts in the same. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation when stopping due to a stop operation in the same. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation when a charging schedule ends in the same. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation when stopping due to full charging in the same. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a registration screen for registering reservation schedule information in the same charging system.

[0010] Hereinafter, a charging system and a charging management method according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, each diagram described in the following embodiments is a schematic diagram, and the dimensional ratios of the sizes of the components and the like do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensional ratios. Furthermore, the configurations described in the following embodiments are merely examples of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as the effects of the present disclosure can be achieved.

[0011] (Embodiment) (1) Overview A charging system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and other figures.

[0012] The charging system 1 includes a schedule setting unit 301 , a determination unit 302 , and a charging control unit 303 .

[0013] The schedule setting unit 301 sets, in the storage unit 33, charging schedule information including at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of the electric vehicle 7 by the charging unit 55 and second information related to a charging period for the electric vehicle 7 by the charging unit 55. The charging unit 55 is capable of supplying power to an electric vehicle 7 that is present in the charging area AR1 among the multiple electric vehicles 7. The first information is, for example, information that can identify a user who reserves charging of the electric vehicle 7 by the charging unit 55, such as user identification information individually assigned to the user. Note that when multiple users use different electric vehicles, the first information may be information that can identify the electric vehicle 7 used by the user, such as the chassis number of the electric vehicle 7 used by the user. In the following embodiment, a case where the first information is user identification information will be described as an example.

[0014] Based on the charging schedule information, the determination unit 302 determines whether the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is an electric vehicle 7 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a reserved vehicle) that has been reserved for charging by the charging unit 55 in the charging schedule information.

[0015] When the determination unit 302 determines that the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is an electric vehicle 7 that has reserved charging by the charging unit 55 (a reserved vehicle), the charging control unit 303 controls the charging unit 55 based on the second information. When the determination unit 302 determines that the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is a reserved vehicle, the charging control unit 303 charges the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 during the charging period based on the second information included in the charging schedule information.

[0016] The schedule setting unit 301 sets at least one of the first period and the second period as a reservation prohibited period that cannot be set as a charging period. The first period is a period before the start of the charging period. The second period is a period after the end of the charging period.

[0017] The charging system 1 of this embodiment is installed in a facility such as an apartment building used (e.g., residence) by multiple users. One or more power supply devices 5 including a charging unit 55 are installed in the facility. If two or more of the multiple users using the facility use electric vehicles, one or more power supply devices 5 installed in the facility are shared by the two or more users or two or more electric vehicles used by the two or more users. In the charging system 1 of this embodiment, since the one or more power supply devices 5 are shared by multiple users, a charging period for charging the electric vehicle 7 using the charging unit 55 is reserved in advance, and the electric vehicle 7 is charged using the charging unit 55 during the reserved charging period. An electric vehicle 7 reserved for charging by the charging unit 55 refers to an electric vehicle 7 to be charged during the reserved period for which a user has reserved the charging unit 55.

[0018] Although the system configuration diagram of FIG. 1 shows one power supply device 5, the following embodiment will be described taking as an example a case where a plurality of power supply devices 5 (for example, five) are installed.

[0019] The electric vehicle 7 has a storage battery 72 for supplying power to the traction motor. When the charging unit 55 of the power supply device 5 is electrically connected to the storage battery 72 of the electric vehicle 7 via a cable CB1, the charging unit 55 can charge the storage battery 72. The electric vehicle 7 travels by driving the traction motor with power stored in the storage battery 72. The electric vehicle 7 is, for example, an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). Note that the charging unit 55 is not limited to supplying power to the electric vehicle 7 via the cable CB1, and may supply power to the electric vehicle 7 using a wireless power supply method such as an electromagnetic induction method, an electric field coupling method, or a magnetic resonance method.

[0020] The charging area AR1 is an area in which a power supply device 5 including, for example, a charging unit 55 is located. When charging an electric vehicle 7 using the charging unit 55, a user of the electric vehicle 7 moves the electric vehicle 7 to be charged to the charging area AR1. The electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 can be electrically connected to the charging unit 55 via, for example, a cable CB1. When the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is electrically connected to the charging unit 55, the charging unit 55 can supply power to the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1.

[0021] A user who wishes to charge the electric vehicle 7 using the charging unit 55 inputs, for example, first information including user identification information assigned to the user and second information regarding the charging period into the schedule setting unit 301 using the mobile terminal 6.

[0022] When a user who has reserved charging of an electric vehicle 7 moves the electric vehicle 7 to the charging area AR1 before the start of the charging period, the determination unit 302 determines whether the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is a reserved vehicle. If the determination unit 302 determines that the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is a reserved vehicle, the charging control unit 303 charges the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 during the charging period based on the second information.

[0023] Here, the schedule setting unit 301 sets at least one of the first period before the start of the charging period and the second period after the end of the charging period as the reservation prohibited period. This reduces the possibility that another charging period will be set in the first period before the start of the charging period or the second period after the end of the charging period. This allows the electric vehicle 7 that has reserved charging to move to the charging area AR1 before the start of the charging period, and allows charging of the electric vehicle 7 from the start of the charging period.

[0024] (2) Details The charging system 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0025] (2.1) Configuration As shown in FIG. 1 , the charging system 1 includes a charging management system 2 and a power supply device 5. That is, the charging system 1 includes a charging unit 55 in addition to a schedule setting unit 301, a determination unit 302, and a charging control unit 303. A user who uses the charging system 1 to charge an electric vehicle 7 makes a charging reservation by registering charging schedule information in the charging system 1 using a mobile terminal 6 such as a smartphone. The configurations of the charging management system 2, the power supply device 5, the electric vehicle 7, and the mobile terminal 6 will be described below.

[0026] (2.1.1) Power Supply Device The power supply device 5 includes a calculation unit 50, a first communication unit 51, a second communication unit 52, an operation unit 53, a switch 54, a charging unit 55, a code display unit 56, and the like.

[0027] The calculation unit 50 controls, for example, the switch 54 and the charging unit 55. The calculation unit 50 is mainly composed of, for example, a computer system having one or more processors and a memory. The functions of the calculation unit 50 are realized by the processor of the computer system executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in the memory, or may be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet, or may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card and provided.

[0028] The first communication unit 51 communicates with the charge management system 2 (more specifically, the control server 4) using an appropriate communication method such as a wired communication method or a wireless communication method.

[0029] The second communication unit 52 communicates with the electric vehicle 7 using a communication method conforming to the CHAdeMO (registered trademark) protocol, for example.

[0030] The operation unit 53 is disposed on the surface of the main body of the power supply device 5. The operation unit 53 is used, for example, to cancel an error notification or reset the calculation unit 50 when an error occurs in the calculation unit 50 or the like.

[0031] The switch 54 is an electromagnetic relay connected between the AC power supply PS1, such as a commercial AC power supply, and the charging unit 55. The switch 54 is switched on or off by the calculation unit 50.

[0032] Charging unit 55 is, for example, an AC / DC converter that converts AC to DC. When charging unit 55 is connected to electric vehicle 7 via cable CB1 and switch 54 is turned on, AC power is supplied from AC power supply PS1 to charging unit 55. Then, charging unit 55 converts the AC power into DC and supplies the DC power to electric vehicle 7.

[0033] The code display unit 56 displays a symbol representing charger information individually assigned to the power supply device 5. The code display unit 56 is, for example, a nameplate on which a two-dimensional barcode or one-dimensional barcode encoding the charger information is printed. The code display unit 56 is attached to the surface of the main body of the power supply device 5 in a manner that is visible from the outside.

[0034] (2.1.2) Charging Management System The charging management system 2 includes a reservation management server 3 that sets reservation schedule information and the like, and a control server 4 that controls the power supply device 5 .

[0035] The reservation management server 3 includes a calculation unit 30 , a first communication unit 31 , a second communication unit 32 , and a storage unit 33 .

[0036] The calculation unit 30 mainly comprises, for example, a computer system having one or more processors and a memory. The functions of the calculation unit 30 are realized by the processor of the computer system executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in the memory, or may be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet, or may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card and provided.

[0037] The calculation unit 30 has functions such as a schedule setting unit 301, a determination unit 302, a charge control unit 303, and an acquisition unit 304. Note that the schedule setting unit 301, the determination unit 302, the charge control unit 303, and the acquisition unit 304 merely indicate functions realized by the calculation unit 30, and do not necessarily indicate actual configurations.

[0038] The schedule setting unit 301 sets (stores) charging schedule information in the storage unit 33 based on information input by the user using the mobile terminal 6. In the present embodiment, the schedule setting unit 301 sets, in the storage unit 33, charging schedule information including at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of the electric vehicle 7 by the charging unit 55 and second information related to a charging period for the electric vehicle 7 by the charging unit 55, for example. The first information is, for example, user identification information individually assigned to the user. When a user uses multiple electric vehicles 7 or when charging electric vehicles 7 used by people related to the user, there is no need to set vehicle identification information of the electric vehicles 7 to be charged as charging schedule information, which has the advantage of reducing the effort required for setting. Note that the first information may be vehicle identification information individually assigned to the electric vehicle 7 used by the user. An example of vehicle identification information is a chassis number assigned to the electric vehicle 7. Furthermore, when multiple power supply devices 5 are installed, the schedule setting unit 301 sets, in the storage unit 33, charging schedule information including charger information specifying the power supply device 5 to be used for charging, in addition to the first information and the second information.

[0039] The acquisition unit 304 acquires third information related to a user of an electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1. The acquisition unit 304 acquires the third information from the mobile terminal 6 via the second communication unit 32. The third information is information that can identify an electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1. The third information is, for example, user identification information linked to the electric vehicle 7. Note that the third information may also be vehicle identification information (such as a chassis number) that is individually assigned to an electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1. In the following embodiment, a case will be described in which the third information is user identification information of a user who uses an electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1.

[0040] The determination unit 302 determines, based on the first information of the charging schedule information, whether the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is an electric vehicle 7 (a reserved vehicle) that has reserved charging by the charging unit 55 in the charging schedule information. For example, the determination unit 302 determines, based on the charging schedule information and the third information acquired by the acquisition unit 304, whether the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is an electric vehicle 7 that has reserved charging by the charging unit 55 in the charging schedule information. More specifically, the determination unit 302 determines whether the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is a reserved vehicle by comparing user identification information (first information) of the user who reserved charging with user identification information (third information) of the user who uses the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1. Even more specifically, if the user identification information (first information) of the user who reserved charging matches the user identification information (third information) of the user who uses the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1, the determination unit 302 determines that the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is a reserved vehicle.

[0041] When the determination unit 302 determines that the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is a reserved vehicle, the charging control unit 303 controls the charging unit 55 based on the charging schedule information. In this embodiment, the charging control unit 303 controls the charging unit 55 of the power supply device 5 via the control server 4.

[0042] The first communication unit 31 communicates with the control server 4 using an appropriate communication method such as a wired communication method or a wireless communication method.

[0043] The second communication unit 32 communicates with the mobile terminal 6 by, for example, a wireless communication method. The communication method of the second communication unit 32 can be changed as appropriate.

[0044] The storage unit 33 includes an external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 33 stores charging schedule information and the like. The storage unit 33 is capable of storing multiple pieces of charging schedule information. The storage unit 33 also stores identification information assigned to the power supply device 5, user IDs assigned to users who are permitted to use the charging system 1, and the like.

[0045] The control server 4 includes a calculation unit 40 , a first communication unit 41 , a second communication unit 42 , and a storage unit 43 .

[0046] The calculation unit 40 mainly comprises, for example, a computer system having one or more processors and a memory. The functions of the calculation unit 40 are realized by the processor of the computer system executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in the memory, or may be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet, or may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card and provided.

[0047] The first communication unit 41 communicates with the reservation management server 3 using an appropriate communication method such as a wired communication method or a wireless communication method.

[0048] The second communication unit 42 communicates with the power supply device 5 using an appropriate communication method such as a wired communication method or a wireless communication method.

[0049] The storage unit 43 includes an external storage device such as an HDD or an SSD, and stores, for example, charger information individually assigned to one or more power supply devices 5.

[0050] In this embodiment, the charging management system 2 is composed of a reservation management server 3 and a control server 4, but the charging management system 2 may also be realized by a single server that has the functions of the reservation management server 3 and the control server 4.

[0051] (2.1.3) Electric Vehicle The electric vehicle 7 includes a calculation unit 70 , a communication unit 71 , and a storage battery 72 .

[0052] The calculation unit 70 controls communication between the power supply device 5 and the communication unit 71. The calculation unit 70 mainly comprises, for example, a computer system having one or more processors and a memory. The functions of the calculation unit 70 are realized by the processor of the computer system executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in the memory, or may be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet, or may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card and provided.

[0053] The communication unit 71 communicates with the power supply device 5 using a communication method conforming to the CHAdeMO (registered trademark) protocol, for example.

[0054] The storage battery 72 is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or an all-solid-state battery. The storage battery 72 is charged by receiving power from the power supply device 5. The power stored in the storage battery 72 drives the traction motor of the electric vehicle 7 and the like.

[0055] (2.1.4) Portable Terminal The portable terminal 6 includes a calculation unit 60 , a communication unit 61 , a storage unit 62 , a display unit 63 , an operation unit 64 , and a camera unit 65 .

[0056] The mobile terminal 6 is, for example, a smartphone used by a user of the electric vehicle 7, but may also be a tablet terminal or a wearable terminal equipped with a communication function.

[0057] The calculation unit 60 mainly comprises, for example, a computer system having one or more processors and a memory. The functions of the calculation unit 60 are realized by the processor of the computer system executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in the memory, or may be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet, or may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card and provided.

[0058] The communication unit 61 communicates with the reservation management server 3 by, for example, a wireless transmission method. The communication method of the communication unit 61 can be changed as appropriate.

[0059] The storage unit 62 includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read-Only Memory), etc. The storage unit 62 stores, for example, user identification information of the user who uses the mobile terminal 6.

[0060] The display unit 63 is, for example, a thin display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

[0061] The operation unit 64 is, for example, a touch pad that is integrated with a thin display, etc. The operation unit 64 receives input from the user and outputs information according to the input content to the calculation unit 60.

[0062] The camera unit 65 includes a two-dimensional image sensor such as a CMOS image sensor, and outputs data of the captured image (for example, a still image) to the calculation unit 60.

[0063] (2.2) Description of Operation The operation of the charging system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 9. Note that the sequence diagrams shown in Figures 2 to 8 are merely examples of the operation of the charging system 1 according to this embodiment, and the order of processing may be changed as appropriate, and processing may be added or omitted as appropriate.

[0064] (2.2.1) Operation at the Time of Reservation The operation at the time of reservation of the charging system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

[0065] When a user performs a login operation to log in to the reservation management server 3 using the operation unit 64 of the mobile terminal 6 (S1), the calculation unit 60 of the mobile terminal 6 causes the communication unit 61 to transmit user identification information and a password to the reservation management server 3 (S2). Note that the user identification information and password of the user permitted to use the charging system 1 are registered in advance in the storage unit 33 of the reservation management server 3.

[0066] When the second communication unit 32 of the reservation management server 3 receives the user identification information and password from the mobile terminal 6, the calculation unit 30 authenticates the user by comparing the user identification information and password received by the second communication unit 32 with the user identification information and password stored in the memory unit 33 (S3).

[0067] If the user identification information and password received by the second communication unit 32 match the user identification information and password stored in the storage unit 33, the calculation unit 30 causes the second communication unit 32 to send a login notification to the mobile terminal 6 (S4). The calculation unit 30 checks the reservation status of the logged-in user, and if the user has already made a reservation, notifies the mobile terminal 6 of the reservation details of the user. Here, it is assumed that the user who has logged in to the reservation management server 3 has not made any reservations, so the calculation unit 30 does not notify the mobile terminal 6.

[0068] When the communication unit 61 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the login notification from the reservation management server 3, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display that the user has logged in to the reservation management server 3 (S5).

[0069] When the user, while logged in to the reservation management server 3, performs an operation using the operation unit 64 of the mobile terminal 6 to check the reservation status for the desired reservation date for reserving the charging unit 55 (S6), the calculation unit 60 transmits a reservation confirmation signal from the communication unit 61 to the reservation management server 3, requesting information about the reservation status for the desired reservation date (S7). When the second communication unit 32 of the reservation management server 3 receives the reservation confirmation signal, the calculation unit 30 reads charging schedule information for the desired reservation date from the storage unit 33 (S8), and causes the second communication unit 32 to transmit the charging schedule information read from the storage unit 33 to the mobile terminal 6 (S9).

[0070] When the communication unit 61 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the charging schedule information for the desired reservation date from the reservation management server 3, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display the charging schedule information for the desired reservation date (S10). FIG. 9 shows an example of a reservation screen G1 for making a reservation for the charging unit 55. The upper half of the reservation screen G1 displays an input field C1 for the charging period, etc., and the lower half of the reservation screen G1 displays the reservation status for the desired reservation date. In this embodiment, for example, there are five power supply devices 5, and the five power supply devices 5 are referred to as chargers 5A to 5E. The lower half of the reservation screen G1 displays bars indicating time periods when reservations are unavailable for each of the five chargers 5A to 5E. Note that in the lower half of the reservation screen G1, the time periods when reservations are unavailable are indicated by dotted bars, and the time periods entered by the user for which reservations are available are indicated by solid bars.

[0071] The user determines the charging period and the power supply device 5 to be used, taking into consideration the current reservation status displayed on the display unit 63. The user uses the operation unit 64 to input reservation information into the input field C1, such as the start date and start time for starting charging, the end date and end time for ending charging, and the name of the power supply device 5 to be used for charging (e.g., charger 5A) (S11). The calculation unit 60 of the mobile terminal 6 causes the communication unit 61 to transmit the reservation information input from the operation unit 64 to the reservation management server 3 (S12).

[0072] When the second communication unit 32 of the reservation management server 3 receives reservation information from the mobile terminal 6, if the charging period specified in the reservation information can be reserved based on the current reservation status, the second communication unit 32 executes reservation processing (S13) and sets charging schedule information based on the reservation information in the storage unit 33. Here, the charging schedule information includes user identification information (first information) of the logged-in user, second information regarding the charging period, and charger information regarding the charger (power supply device 5) to be used for charging. The charging period is the period from the start time of the start schedule (start date) included in the reservation information to the end time of the end schedule (end date). Furthermore, if a user reserves a charging period from 8:00 to 11:00, for example, the schedule setting unit 301 sets a first period before the charging period and a second period after the charging period as reservation prohibited periods. In other words, the schedule setting unit 301 sets both the first period and the second period as reservation prohibited periods. The end point of the first period is the start point of the charging period, and the end point of the charging period is the start point of the second period. The first period and the second period are, for example, 30 minutes, and no other charging period can be set between 7:30 and 11:30.

[0073] Note that when the multiple electric vehicles 7 include a first electric vehicle 7 that is an electric vehicle 7 for which a user has reserved charging by the charging unit 55, and a second electric vehicle that is scheduled to be charged by the charging unit 55 before the charging period for the first electric vehicle, the first period includes a third period and a fourth period that follows the third period. The third period is, for example, a period required for a user of the second electric vehicle, etc., to move the second electric vehicle 7 that has finished charging by the charging unit 55, out of the charging area AR1. The fourth period is, for example, a period required for a user of the first electric vehicle, etc., to move the first electric vehicle into the charging area AR1 and make the first electric vehicle available for charging by the charging unit 55. By setting the first period, which includes the third period and the fourth period, before the charging period, it is possible to complete the task of switching the second electric vehicle and the first electric vehicle during the first period, and charging of the first electric vehicle can be performed from the start of the charging period for the first electric vehicle.

[0074] Furthermore, when the multiple electric vehicles 7 include a first electric vehicle 7 that is an electric vehicle 7 for which a user has reserved charging by the charging unit 55, and a third electric vehicle that is scheduled to be charged by the charging unit 55 after the charging period for the first electric vehicle, the second period includes a fifth period and a sixth period following the fifth period. The fifth period is, for example, a period during which a user of the first electric vehicle, after charging by the charging unit 55, moves the first electric vehicle out of the charging area AR1. The sixth period is, for example, a period required for a user of the third electric vehicle, to move the third electric vehicle into the charging area AR1 and make the third electric vehicle chargeable by the charging unit 55. By setting the second period including the fifth and sixth periods after the charging period, it is possible to complete the task of switching the first electric vehicle and the third electric vehicle during the second period, and charging of the third electric vehicle can be performed from the start of the charging period for the third electric vehicle.

[0075] If a charging reservation for electric vehicle 7B is made after electric vehicle 7A, then if electric vehicle 7A is considered the first electric vehicle, then electric vehicle 7B is considered the third electric vehicle. In this case, the second period, which is the reservation prohibition period after the charging period for electric vehicle 7A, includes a fifth period during which electric vehicle 7A, the first electric vehicle, is outside the charging area AR1, and a sixth period during which electric vehicle 7B, the third electric vehicle, is inside the charging area AR1. On the other hand, if electric vehicle 7B is considered the first electric vehicle, then electric vehicle 7A is considered the second electric vehicle. In this case, the first period, which is the reservation prohibition period before the charging period for electric vehicle 7B, includes a third period during which electric vehicle 7A, the second electric vehicle, is outside the charging area AR1, and a fourth period during which electric vehicle 7B, the first electric vehicle, is inside the charging area AR1. In other words, the second period when electric vehicle 7A is considered the first electric vehicle is the same as the first period when electric vehicle 7B is considered the first electric vehicle. Therefore, the fifth and sixth periods included in the second period when electric vehicle 7A is considered to be the first electric vehicle are the same periods as the third and fourth periods included in the first period when electric vehicle 7B is considered to be the first electric vehicle.

[0076] When the reservation process is completed, the calculation unit 30 causes the second communication unit 32 to transmit a reservation completion notification to the mobile terminal 6 (S14). When the communication unit 61 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the reservation completion notification, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display that the reservation process is completed (S15).

[0077] (2.2.2) Operation at the Start of Charging The operation at the time of charging the electric vehicle 7 using the charging system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

[0078] When a user who has reserved use of a charger (power supply device 5) charges an electric vehicle 7 using the charging unit 55, the user moves the electric vehicle 7 to the charging area AR1 before the charging period begins (specifically, during the fourth period before the charging period) and performs a login operation to log in to the reservation management server 3 using the mobile terminal 6.

[0079] The operations from S21 to S25 from when the user performs the login operation until the login status is displayed on the display unit 63 of the mobile terminal 6 are the same as the operations from S1 to S5 described in "(2.2.1) Operation at the time of reservation," and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Note that, at the time when the user performs the login operation, the power supply device 5 used by the user to charge the electric vehicle 7 is in a stopped state in which it is not charging the electric vehicle 7.

[0080] The calculation unit 30 of the reservation management server 3 checks the reservation status of the logged-in user (S26) and causes the second communication unit 32 to transmit to the mobile terminal 6 the charging period reserved by the user and charger information for the power supply device 5 reserved by the user (S27). When the communication unit 61 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the charging period and charger information from the reservation management server 3, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display a message requesting connection of the cable CB1 to the vehicle inlet of the electric vehicle 7 if the current time falls within the fourth period before the charging period or the charging period (S28). Note that if there is no charging schedule information reserved by the logged-in user, or if there is charging schedule information reserved by the logged-in user but the current time does not fall within the fourth period before the charging period or the charging period, the calculation unit 30 of the reservation management server 3 causes the second communication unit 32 to transmit to the mobile terminal 6 a message indicating that charging cannot be performed, and ends the process.

[0081] When the user connects cable CB1 to the vehicle inlet of the electric vehicle 7 (S29), communication becomes possible between the second communication unit 52 of the power supply device 5 and the communication unit 71 of the electric vehicle 7. When the calculation unit 50 of the power supply device 5 detects the connection of cable CB1 from the communication state of the second communication unit 52, it causes the first communication unit 51 to transmit a cable connection notification notifying the control server 4 that cable CB1 has been connected (S30). When the second communication unit 42 of the control server 4 receives the cable connection notification, the calculation unit 40 causes the first communication unit 41 to transmit the cable connection notification to the reservation management server 3 (S31).

[0082] When the first communication unit 31 of the reservation management server 3 receives the cable connection notification, the calculation unit 30 causes the second communication unit 32 to transmit an authentication request to the mobile terminal 6 (S32). When the communication unit 61 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the authentication request, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display the authentication request requesting authentication of the power supply device 5 (S33), and activates the camera unit 65 (S34).

[0083] When the user, viewing the display on the display unit 63, operates the operation unit 64 to take an image of the code display unit 56 with the camera unit 65 in order to authenticate the power supply device 5 (S35), the calculation unit 60 of the mobile terminal 6 converts the image of the code display unit 56 into charger information (device ID) (S36). The calculation unit 60 then causes the communication unit 61 to transmit the charger information and the user identification information used at login to the reservation management server 3 (S37).

[0084] When the second communication unit 32 of the reservation management server 3 receives the charger information and the user identification information from the mobile terminal 6, the determination unit 302 performs a determination process based on the received charger information, user identification information, and charging schedule information. The determination unit 302 compares the user identification information and charger information included in the charging schedule information with the user identification information and charger information received from the mobile terminal 6 to determine whether the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is a reserved vehicle (S38). Note that if the determination unit 302 performs the determination process using vehicle identification information instead of user identification information, the user may further photograph the license plate of the electric vehicle 7 with the camera unit 65 of the mobile terminal 6 in step S35. The mobile terminal 6 performs image processing on the image of the license plate to obtain a chassis number and transmits the obtained chassis number to the reservation management server 3 as vehicle identification information. As a result, the determination unit 302 can perform the determination process by comparing the vehicle identification information and charger information linked to the user identification information included in the charging schedule information with the vehicle identification information and charger information received from the mobile terminal 6.

[0085] If it is determined in S38 that the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is not a reserved vehicle, the calculation unit 30 causes the second communication unit 32 to send a charging impossible notification to the mobile terminal 6, and ends the processing.

[0086] If it is determined in S38 that the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is a reserved vehicle, the calculation unit 30 causes the second communication unit 32 to send a charging start notification to the mobile terminal 6 (S39). When the communication unit 61 of the mobile terminal 6 receives the charging start notification, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display that charging is in progress (S40). Furthermore, the charging control unit 303 of the reservation management server 3 causes the first communication unit 31 to send charger information of the power supply device 5 that is permitted to start charging and a charging permission notification to the control server 4 (S41). When the first communication unit 41 of the control server 4 receives the charger information of the power supply device 5 and the charging permission notification from the reservation management server 3, the calculation unit 40 causes the second communication unit 42 to send a charging permission notification to the power supply device 5 specified in the charger information (S42). When the first communication unit 51 of the power supply device 5 receives the charging permission notification from the control server 4, the calculation unit 50 notifies the electric vehicle 7 from the second communication unit 52 to start charging, switches the switch 54 to the on state, and starts supplying power from the charging unit 55 to the electric vehicle 7 (S44). Furthermore, the calculation unit 30 of the reservation management server 3 stores the charging schedule information corresponding to the charging reservation for the electric vehicle 7 that has started charging in the storage unit 33 as authenticated (processed) charging schedule information.

[0087] When the communication unit 71 of the electric vehicle 7 receives a notification of the start of charging from the power supply device 5, the electric vehicle 7 switches a switch (not shown) provided between the vehicle inlet and the storage battery 72 to the on state, and transitions to a charging state in which the storage battery 72 is charged with power supplied from the power supply device 5. This causes the power supply device 5 to start charging the electric vehicle 7 in accordance with the charging schedule information.

[0088] In this embodiment, when the charging unit 55 becomes capable of charging the electric vehicle 7 (first electric vehicle) present in the charging area AR1 during the fourth period, the charging control unit 303 causes the charging unit 55 to supply power to the first electric vehicle. Therefore, if the electric vehicle 7 (first electric vehicle) can be moved to the charging area AR1 early, the charging system 1 can start charging the electric vehicle 7 (first electric vehicle) before the start of the charging period. Note that, because the third period is secured for moving the second electric vehicle out of the charging area AR1, the user who charges the second electric vehicle only needs to move the second electric vehicle out of the charging area AR1 before the end of the third period.

[0089] (2.2.3) Operation when charging is stopped by stop operation on portable terminal The operation when the user of the electric vehicle 7 stops charging of the electric vehicle 7 using the portable terminal 6 while the power supply device 5 is charging the electric vehicle 7 (S50) will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

[0090] When a user of an electric vehicle 7 being charged by a power supply device 5 wishes to stop charging of the electric vehicle 7 midway, the user first performs a login operation to log in to the reservation management server 3 using a mobile terminal 6 .

[0091] When a user performs a login operation to log in to the reservation management server 3 using the operation unit 64 of the mobile terminal 6 (S51), the calculation unit 60 of the mobile terminal 6 causes the communication unit 61 to send user identification information and a password to the reservation management server 3 (S52).

[0092] When the second communication unit 32 of the reservation management server 3 receives the user identification information and password, the calculation unit 30 authenticates the user by comparing the user identification information and password received by the second communication unit 32 with the user identification information and password stored in the memory unit 33 (S53).

[0093] When the user identification information and password received by the second communication unit 32 match the user identification information and password stored in the storage unit 33, the calculation unit 30 checks the reservation status of the logged-in user. At this time, the power supply device 5 is charging the electric vehicle 7 in accordance with the charging schedule information reserved by the logged-in user, so the calculation unit 30 causes the second communication unit 32 to transmit to the mobile terminal 6 a login notification and charging schedule information corresponding to the charging reservation for the electric vehicle 7 being charged (S54).

[0094] When the communication unit 61 of the mobile terminal 6 receives from the reservation management server 3 a login notification and charging schedule information corresponding to a charging reservation for the electric vehicle 7 being charged, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display that the mobile terminal 6 has logged in to the reservation management server 3 and that charging is being performed according to the reserved charging schedule information (S55).

[0095] When the user performs a stop operation to stop charging by the power supply device 5 using the operation unit 64 of the mobile terminal 6, the calculation unit 60 causes the communication unit 61 to send charging schedule information requesting the stop and a charging stop request to the reservation management server 3 (S56).

[0096] When the second communication unit 32 of the reservation management server 3 receives the charging schedule information requesting stop and the charging stop request, the charging control unit 303 causes the first communication unit 31 to transmit the charger information of the power supply device 5 for which charging is to be stopped and a charging stop notification to the control server 4 (S57). When the first communication unit 41 of the control server 4 receives the charger information and the charging stop notification, the calculation unit 40 causes the second communication unit 42 to transmit the charging stop notification to the power supply device 5 specified in the charger information (S58).

[0097] When the first communication unit 51 of the power supply device 5 receives the charging stop notification, the calculation unit 50 switches the switch 54 to the OFF state to stop the power supply from the charging unit 55 to the electric vehicle 7 (S59), and then causes the first communication unit 51 to transmit a stop completion notification to the control server 4 (S60). In addition, the calculation unit 50 notifies the electric vehicle 7 from the second communication unit 52 that power supply has been stopped, and the electric vehicle 7 performs processing to stop charging of the storage battery 72.

[0098] When the second communication unit 42 of the control server 4 receives a shutdown completion notification from the power supply device 5, the calculation unit 40 causes the first communication unit 41 to send the charger information of the power supply device 5 that has stopped charging and the shutdown completion notification to the reservation management server 3 (S61).

[0099] When the first communication unit 31 of the reservation management server 3 receives from the control server 4 the charger information of the power supply device 5 that has stopped charging and the stop completion notification, the calculation unit 30 determines that the power supply device 5 has stopped supplying power based on the received charger information and stop completion notification. The calculation unit 30 of the reservation management server 3 causes the second communication unit 32 to send a completion notification indicating that charging has finished to the mobile device 6 of the logged-in user (S62).

[0100] When the communication unit 61 of the portable terminal 6 receives the completion notification, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display that charging of the electric vehicle 7 has completed (S63). The user of the electric vehicle 7 can confirm that charging of the electric vehicle 7 has completed by checking the display unit 63 of the portable terminal 6.

[0101] (2.2.4) Operation when charging is stopped due to completion of the charging period set in the charging schedule The operation when charging is stopped due to completion of the charging period set in the charging schedule information when the power supply device 5 is charging the electric vehicle 7 (S70) will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .

[0102] The charging control unit 303 of the reservation management server 3 sequentially determines whether the charging period has ended based on charging schedule information corresponding to a charging reservation for the electric vehicle 7 being charged (S71). When the charging control unit 303 determines that the charging period has ended, the charging control unit 303 causes the first communication unit 31 to transmit charger information of the power supply device 5 for which charging is to be stopped and a charging stop notification to the control server 4 (S72). When the first communication unit 41 of the control server 4 receives the charger information and the charging stop notification, the calculation unit 40 causes the second communication unit 42 to transmit a charging stop notification to the power supply device 5 specified in the charger information (S73).

[0103] When the first communication unit 51 of the power supply device 5 receives the charging stop notification, the calculation unit 50 switches the switch 54 to the OFF state to stop the power supply from the charging unit 55 to the electric vehicle 7 (S74), and then causes the first communication unit 51 to transmit a stop completion notification to the control server 4 (S75). In addition, the calculation unit 50 notifies the electric vehicle 7 from the second communication unit 52 that power supply has been stopped, and the electric vehicle 7 performs processing to stop charging of the storage battery 72.

[0104] When the second communication unit 42 of the control server 4 receives a shutdown completion notification from the power supply device 5, the calculation unit 40 causes the first communication unit 41 to send the charger information of the power supply device 5 that has stopped charging and the shutdown completion notification to the reservation management server 3 (S76).

[0105] When the first communication unit 31 of the reservation management server 3 receives from the control server 4 the charger information of the power supply device 5 that has stopped charging and the stop completion notification, the calculation unit 30 determines that the power supply device 5 has stopped supplying power based on the received charger information and stop completion notification. The calculation unit 30 of the reservation management server 3 causes the second communication unit 32 to send a notification of the end of the charging schedule information to the mobile terminal 6 of the user who is using the electric vehicle 7 that was being charged (S77).

[0106] When the communication unit 61 of the portable terminal 6 receives the notification of the end of the charging schedule information, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display that the charging of the electric vehicle 7 has ended (S78). The user of the electric vehicle 7 can confirm that the charging of the electric vehicle 7 has ended by checking the display unit 63 of the portable terminal 6.

[0107] (2.2.5) Operation when charging is stopped due to full charge The operation when the power supply device 5 is charging the electric vehicle 7 and the storage battery 72 of the electric vehicle 7 becomes fully charged and charging is stopped will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

[0108] When the power supply device 5 is charging the electric vehicle 7 (S80) and the storage battery 72 becomes fully charged, the power supplied from the charging unit 55 of the power supply device 5 to the storage battery 72 falls below a predetermined threshold. The threshold is a value at which the power supplied from the charging unit 55 to the storage battery 72 can be considered to be substantially zero. When the calculation unit 50 of the power supply device 5 detects that the power supplied from the charging unit 55 to the storage battery 72 has fallen below the predetermined threshold (S81), the calculation unit 50 causes the first communication unit 51 to transmit charger information of the power supply device 5 and a full charge notification notifying the control server 4 that the storage battery 72 has become fully charged (S82).

[0109] When the second communication unit 42 of the control server 4 receives the charger information and full charge notification of the power supply device 5, the calculation unit 50 causes the first communication unit 41 to send the charger information and full charge notification of the power supply device 5 to the reservation management server 3 (S83).

[0110] When the first communication unit 31 of the reservation management server 3 receives the charger information of the power supply device 5 and the full charge notification, the charging control unit 303 controls the power supply device 5 to stop charging the electric vehicle 7 that has reached a fully charged state.

[0111] The charging control unit 303 of the reservation management server 3 causes the first communication unit 31 to transmit the charger information of the power supply device 5 for which charging is to be stopped and a charging stop notification to the control server 4 (S84). When the first communication unit 41 of the control server 4 receives the charger information and the charging stop notification, the calculation unit 40 causes the second communication unit 42 to transmit the charging stop notification to the power supply device 5 specified in the charger information (S85).

[0112] When the first communication unit 51 of the power supply device 5 receives the charging stop notification, the calculation unit 50 switches the switch 54 to the OFF state to stop the power supply from the charging unit 55 to the electric vehicle 7 (S86), and then causes the first communication unit 51 to transmit a stop completion notification to the control server 4 (S87). In addition, the calculation unit 50 notifies the electric vehicle 7 from the second communication unit 52 that power supply has been stopped, and the electric vehicle 7 performs processing to stop charging of the storage battery 72.

[0113] When the second communication unit 42 of the control server 4 receives a shutdown completion notification from the power supply device 5, the calculation unit 40 causes the first communication unit 41 to send the charger information of the power supply device 5 that has stopped charging and the shutdown completion notification to the reservation management server 3 (S88).

[0114] When the first communication unit 31 of the reservation management server 3 receives from the control server 4 the charger information of the power supply device 5 that has stopped charging and the stop completion notification, the calculation unit 30 determines that the power supply device 5 has stopped supplying power based on the received charger information and stop completion notification. The calculation unit 30 of the reservation management server 3 causes the second communication unit 32 to send a completion notification indicating that charging has ended with full charge to the mobile terminal 6 of the user who is using the electric vehicle 7 being charged (S89).

[0115] When the communication unit 61 of the portable terminal 6 receives the completion notification, the calculation unit 60 causes the display unit 63 to display that charging of the electric vehicle 7 has completed (S90). The user of the electric vehicle 7 can confirm that charging of the electric vehicle 7 has completed by checking the display unit 63 of the portable terminal 6.

[0116] (3) Modifications The above embodiment is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The above embodiment can be modified in various ways depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Hereinafter, the above embodiment may also be referred to as a basic configuration.

[0117] Functions similar to those of the charging system 1 may be embodied as a charging management method, a computer program, a non-transitory recording medium on which a program is recorded, or the like. A charging management method according to one aspect is a method for managing charging of an electric vehicle 7 using a charging unit 55 capable of supplying power to an electric vehicle 7 present in a charging area AR1 among a plurality of electric vehicles 7. The charging management method includes a schedule setting process, a determination process, and a charging control process. In the schedule setting process, charging schedule information including at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of the electric vehicle 7 by the charging unit 55 and second information related to a charging period of the electric vehicle 7 by the charging unit 55 is set in the storage unit 33. In the determination process, based on the charging schedule information, it is determined whether the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is the electric vehicle 7 for which charging by the charging unit 55 has been reserved in the charging schedule information. In the charging control process, if it is determined in the determination process that the electric vehicle 7 present in the charging area AR1 is the electric vehicle 7 for which charging by the charging unit 55 has been reserved, the charging unit 55 is controlled based on the second information. The schedule setting process sets at least one of a first period before a start point of the charging period and a second period after an end point of the charging period as a reservation prohibited period that cannot be set as a charging period.

[0118] The following are examples of modifications of the above embodiment. The basic configuration and modifications described above, and the modifications themselves, can be combined as appropriate and applied.

[0119] The charging system 1 (reservation management server 3, control server 4, power supply device 5) or the charging management method according to the present disclosure includes a computer system. The computer system is primarily configured with a processor and memory as hardware. The processor executes a program stored in the memory of the computer system to realize the functions of the charging system 1 or the charging management method according to the present disclosure. The program may be pre-stored in the memory of the computer system, provided via a telecommunications line, or provided by being stored on a non-transitory recording medium readable by the computer system, such as a memory card, optical disk, or hard disk drive. The processor of the computer system is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI). The integrated circuits, such as ICs and LSIs, are referred to by different names depending on the degree of integration, and include integrated circuits called system LSIs, very large-scale integration (VLSI), or ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI). Furthermore, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), which is programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a logic device capable of reconfiguring the connections within the LSI or the circuit partitions within the LSI, can also be employed as a processor. Multiple electronic circuits may be integrated into a single chip or distributed across multiple chips. Multiple chips may be integrated into a single device or distributed across multiple devices. The computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microcontroller is also composed of one or more electronic circuits, including a semiconductor integrated circuit or a large-scale integrated circuit.

[0120] Furthermore, it is not essential for the charging system 1 that multiple functions of the charging system 1 are concentrated in one housing, and the components of the charging system 1 may be distributed across multiple housings. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of the charging system 1, for example, some of the functions of the charging system 1, may be realized by the cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

[0121] Conversely, in the above basic configuration, at least some of the functions of the charging system 1 that are distributed among multiple devices may be integrated into one housing. For example, some of the functions of the charging system 1 that are distributed among the reservation management server 3 and the control server 4 may be integrated into one housing.

[0122] Furthermore, in the above basic configuration, during a first period before the charging period of the electric vehicle 7 (first electric vehicle), when the charging unit 55 is in a state where it can charge the first electric vehicle present in the charging area AR1, the charging control unit 303 may cause the charging unit 55 to supply power to the first electric vehicle.

[0123] In this case, during the first period, when the second electric vehicle moves out of the charging area AR1 and the charging unit 55 becomes able to charge the first electric vehicle, the charging system 1 can start charging the first electric vehicle. Therefore, if the first electric vehicle can be moved into the charging area AR1 early, the charging system 1 can start charging the first electric vehicle before the start of the charging period.

[0124] Furthermore, in the above basic configuration, the charging unit 55 of the power supply device 5 is an AC / DC converter, but the charging unit 55 may supply AC power supplied from the AC power source PS1 to the electric vehicle 7. In this case, the electric vehicle 7 only needs to be equipped with an AC / DC converter that converts the AC voltage supplied from the power supply device 5 into a DC voltage and charges the storage battery 72.

[0125] In the above basic embodiment, the storage unit 33 that stores the charging schedule information is provided in the reservation management server 3, but the storage unit 33 that stores the charging schedule information may be provided outside the reservation management server 3. The storage unit 33 that stores the charging schedule information may be provided in a data server with which the reservation management server 3 can communicate via a network.

[0126] (Summary) The above-described embodiments and the like disclose the following aspects.

[0127] A charging system (1) of a first aspect includes a schedule setting unit (301), a determination unit (302), and a charge control unit (303). The schedule setting unit (301) sets charging schedule information in a storage unit (33), the charging schedule information including at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of an electric vehicle (7) by a charging unit (55) that can supply power to an electric vehicle (7) present in a charging area (AR1) among a plurality of electric vehicles (7), and second information related to a charging period of the electric vehicle (7) by the charging unit (55). The determination unit (302) determines, based on the charging schedule information, whether the electric vehicle (7) present in the charging area (AR1) is the electric vehicle (7) reserved for charging by the charging unit (55) in the charging schedule information. When the determination unit (302) determines that the electric vehicle (7) present in the charging area (AR1) is an electric vehicle (7) that has reserved charging by the charging unit (55), the charging control unit (303) controls the charging unit (55) based on the second information. The schedule setting unit (301) sets at least one of a first period before the start of the charging period and a second period after the end of the charging period as a reservation prohibited period that cannot be set as a charging period.

[0128] According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the possibility that another charging period will be set in the first period before the start of the charging period or in the second period after the end of the charging period. Therefore, it is possible to move the electric vehicle (7) that has reserved charging to the charging area (AR1) before the start of the charging period, thereby reducing the possibility that charging will not be possible from the beginning of the charging period.

[0129] In the charging system (1) of the second aspect, in the first aspect, the schedule setting unit (301) sets both the first period and the second period as reservation prohibition periods.

[0130] According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the possibility that charging will not be possible from the beginning of the charging period.

[0131] In the charging system (1) of the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the plurality of electric vehicles (7) include a first electric vehicle that is an electric vehicle (7) for which a user has reserved charging by the charging unit (55), and a second electric vehicle that is scheduled to be charged by the charging unit (55) before the charging period of the first electric vehicle. The first period includes a third period required to move the second electric vehicle, which has finished charging by the charging unit (55), out of the charging area (AR1), and a fourth period required to move the first electric vehicle into the charging area (AR1) and make the first electric vehicle ready for charging by the charging unit (55).

[0132] According to this aspect, during the first period before the charging period, it is possible to ensure a third period in which the second electric vehicle is moved out of the charging area (AR1) and a fourth period in which the first electric vehicle is moved into the charging area (AR1), thereby reducing the possibility that the first electric vehicle will not be able to be charged from the start of the charging period for the first electric vehicle.

[0133] In the charging system (1) of the fourth aspect, in the third aspect, during the first period, when the charging unit (55) is in a state where it can charge the first electric vehicle present in the charging area (AR1), the charging control unit (303) causes the charging unit (55) to supply power to the first electric vehicle.

[0134] According to this aspect, during the first period, when the second electric vehicle moves out of the charging area (AR1) and the charging unit (55) is able to charge the first electric vehicle, the charging system (1) can start charging the first electric vehicle. Therefore, if the first electric vehicle can be moved into the charging area (AR1) early, the charging system (1) can start charging the first electric vehicle before the start of the charging period.

[0135] In the charging system (1) of the fifth aspect, in the third aspect, during the fourth period, when the charging unit (55) becomes able to charge the first electric vehicle present in the charging area (AR1), the charging control unit (303) causes the charging unit (55) to supply power to the first electric vehicle.

[0136] According to this aspect, when the charging unit (55) becomes capable of charging the first electric vehicle during the fourth period, the charging system (1) can start charging the first electric vehicle. Therefore, if the first electric vehicle can be moved into the charging area (AR1) early, the charging system (1) can start charging the first electric vehicle before the start of the charging period. Note that, since the third period is secured for moving the second electric vehicle out of the charging area (AR1), the user who charges the second electric vehicle only needs to move the second electric vehicle out of the charging area (AR1) before the end of the third period.

[0137] In a charging system (1) of a sixth aspect, in any of the first to fifth aspects, the plurality of electric vehicles (7) include a first electric vehicle that is an electric vehicle (7) for which a user has reserved charging by the charging unit (55), and a third electric vehicle that is scheduled to be charged by the charging unit (55) after the charging period of the first electric vehicle. The second period includes a fifth period required to move the first electric vehicle, which has finished charging by the charging unit (55), out of the charging area (AR1), and a sixth period required to move the third electric vehicle into the charging area (AR1) and make the third electric vehicle chargeable by the charging unit (55).

[0138] According to this aspect, it is possible to ensure a fifth period in which the first electric vehicle is moved out of the charging area (AR1) and a sixth period in which the third electric vehicle is moved into the charging area (AR1) during the second period following the charging period, thereby reducing the possibility that the third electric vehicle will not be able to be charged from the start of the charging period for the third electric vehicle.

[0139] In the charging system (1) of a seventh aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the first information includes user identification information individually assigned to the user.

[0140] According to this aspect, the determination unit (302) can perform the determination process using the user identification information of the user who uses the electric vehicle (7). When a user uses multiple electric vehicles (7) or when charging electric vehicles (7) used by people related to the user, there is no need to set the vehicle identification information of the electric vehicle (7) to be charged as charging schedule information, which has the advantage of reducing the effort required for setting.

[0141] The charging system (1) of an eighth aspect is the charging system (1) of any of the first to seventh aspects, further including an acquisition unit (304) that acquires third information related to a user of an electric vehicle (7) present in the charging area (AR1). The determination unit (302) determines, based on the charging schedule information and the third information acquired by the acquisition unit (304), whether the electric vehicle (7) present in the charging area (AR1) is an electric vehicle (7) that has reserved charging by the charging unit (55) in the charging schedule information.

[0142] According to this aspect, the determination unit (302) can perform the determination process using the third information acquired by the acquisition unit (304) and the user identification information, which is the first information of the charging schedule information.

[0143] In the charging system (1) of a ninth aspect, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the first information includes vehicle identification information individually assigned to the electric vehicle (7) used by the user.

[0144] According to this aspect, the determination unit (302) can perform the determination process using the vehicle identification information of the electric vehicle (7).

[0145] In the charging system (1) of the tenth aspect, in any of the first to ninth aspects, the end point of the first period is the start point of the charging period, and the end point of the charging period is the start point of the second period.

[0146] According to this aspect, the first period can be set immediately before the charging period, and the second period can be set immediately after the charging period.

[0147] The charging system (1) of an eleventh aspect is any one of the first to tenth aspects, further comprising a charging section (55).

[0148] According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the possibility that charging will not be possible from the beginning of the charging period.

[0149] A twelfth aspect of the charge management method is a charge management method for reserving charging of an electric vehicle (7) using a charging unit (55) capable of supplying power to an electric vehicle (7) present in a charging area (AR1) among a plurality of electric vehicles (7). The charge management method includes a schedule setting process, a determination process, and a charge control process. In the schedule setting process, charge schedule information including at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of the electric vehicle (7) by the charging unit (55) and second information related to a charging period of the electric vehicle (7) by the charging unit (55) is set in a storage unit (33). In the determination process, it is determined based on the charge schedule information whether the electric vehicle (7) present in the charging area (AR1) is the electric vehicle (7) for which charging by the charging unit (55) has been reserved in the charge schedule information. In the charge control process, if it is determined in the determination process that the electric vehicle (7) present in the charging area (AR1) is the electric vehicle (7) for which charging by the charging unit (55) has been reserved, the charge unit (55) is controlled based on the second information. The schedule setting process sets at least one of a first period before the start of the charging period and a second period after the end of the charging period as a reservation prohibited period that cannot be set as a charging period.

[0150] According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the possibility that another charging period will be set in the first period before the start of the charging period or in the second period after the end of the charging period. Therefore, it is possible to move the electric vehicle (7) that has reserved charging to the charging area (AR1) before the start of the charging period, thereby reducing the possibility that charging will not be possible from the beginning of the charging period.

[0151] A program according to a thirteenth aspect is a program for causing a computer system to execute the charge management method according to the twelfth aspect.

[0152] According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the possibility that charging will not be possible from the beginning of the charging period.

[0153] Not limited to the above aspects, various configurations (including modified examples) of the charging system (1) according to the above embodiment can be embodied as a charging management method, a (computer) program, or a non-transitory recording medium on which a program is recorded, etc.

[0154] The configurations according to the second to eleventh aspects are not essential for the charging system (1) and can be omitted as appropriate.

[0155] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Charging system 7 Electric vehicle 33 Storage unit 55 Charging unit 301 Schedule setting unit 302 Determination unit 303 Charging control unit 304 Acquisition unit AR1 Charging area

Claims

1. A charging system comprising: a schedule setting unit that sets charging schedule information in a storage unit, the charging schedule information including at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of an electric vehicle, of a plurality of electric vehicles, present in a charging area by a charging unit capable of supplying power to the electric vehicle, and second information related to a charging period for the electric vehicle by the charging unit; a determination unit that determines, based on the charging schedule information, whether the electric vehicle present in the charging area is the electric vehicle reserved for charging by the charging unit in the charging schedule information; and a charging control unit that controls the charging unit based on the second information when the determination unit determines that the electric vehicle present in the charging area is the electric vehicle reserved for charging by the charging unit, wherein the schedule setting unit sets at least one of a first period before the start of the charging period and a second period after the end of the charging period as a reservation prohibited period that cannot be set as the charging period.

2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the schedule setting unit sets both the first period and the second period as the reservation prohibition period.

3. The charging system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of electric vehicles include a first electric vehicle that is the electric vehicle for which the user has reserved charging by the charging unit, and a second electric vehicle that is scheduled to be charged by the charging unit before the charging period for the first electric vehicle, and the first period includes a third period required for the second electric vehicle, which has finished being charged by the charging unit, to be moved out of the charging area, and a fourth period required for the first electric vehicle to be moved into the charging area and for the charging unit to make the first electric vehicle chargeable.

4. The charging system according to claim 3, wherein, during the first period, when the charging unit is in a state capable of charging the first electric vehicle present in the charging area, the charging control unit causes the charging unit to supply power to the first electric vehicle.

5. The charging system according to claim 3, wherein, during the fourth period, when the charging unit is in a state capable of charging the first electric vehicle present in the charging area, the charging control unit causes the charging unit to supply power to the first electric vehicle.

6. A charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of electric vehicles include a first electric vehicle that is the electric vehicle for which the user has reserved charging by the charging unit, and a third electric vehicle that is scheduled to be charged by the charging unit after the charging period for the first electric vehicle, and the second period includes a fifth period required for the first electric vehicle, which has finished being charged by the charging unit, to be moved out of the charging area, and a sixth period required for the third electric vehicle to be moved into the charging area and for the charging unit to make the third electric vehicle chargeable.

7. The charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first information includes user identification information individually assigned to the user.

8. A charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising an acquisition unit that acquires third information related to the user of the electric vehicle present in the charging area, wherein the determination unit determines whether the electric vehicle present in the charging area is the electric vehicle that has been reserved for charging by the charging unit in the charging schedule information, based on the charging schedule information and the third information acquired by the acquisition unit.

9. The charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first information includes vehicle identification information individually assigned to the electric vehicle used by the user.

10. A charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the end point of the first period is the start point of the charging period, and the end point of the charging period is the start point of the second period.

11. The charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising the charging unit.

12. A charging management method for managing the charging of an electric vehicle that is present in a charging area out of a plurality of electric vehicles using a charging unit that is capable of supplying power to the electric vehicle, the charging management method comprising: a schedule setting process that sets in a storage unit charging schedule information that includes at least first information related to a user who reserves charging of the electric vehicle by the charging unit and second information related to a charging period for the electric vehicle by the charging unit; a determination process that determines, based on the charging schedule information, whether the electric vehicle that is present in the charging area is the electric vehicle that has reserved charging by the charging unit in the charging schedule information; and a charge control process that controls the charging unit based on the second information when it is determined in the determination process that the electric vehicle that is present in the charging area is the electric vehicle that has reserved charging by the charging unit, wherein the schedule setting process sets at least one of a first period before the start of the charging period and a second period after the end of the charging period as a reservation prohibited period that cannot be set as the charging period.

13. A program for causing a computer system to execute the charge management method according to claim 12.

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