Operation management system, vehicle operation system, operation management method, and program

Abstract

An operation management system (1) according to the present disclosure is an operation management system (1) for a business-use EV (3) that travels on routes including expressways, the operation management system (1) comprising: an information acquisition unit (11) that acquires movement information including, at a minimum, the departure points and destinations of each of a plurality of EVs (3) managed by the operation management system (1); and an operation plan creation unit (12) that creates an operation plan including a plan for charging the plurality of EVs (3) so that, on the basis of the movement information and the positions of charging spots where chargers capable of charging the EVs (3) are provided, the periods over which charging is performed using the same charger do not overlap between the EVs (3).

Description

Traffic management system, vehicle traffic system, traffic management method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a traffic management system, a vehicle traffic system, a traffic management method, and a program for managing the operation of commercial electric vehicles.

[0002] In recent years, the introduction of electric vehicles has progressed. Electric vehicles run on electricity stored in built-in storage batteries as a power source. Electric vehicles generally need to be charged more frequently than gasoline-powered vehicles, which are powered by burning gasoline, and the time it takes to charge an electric vehicle is longer than the time it takes to refuel a gasoline-powered vehicle.

[0003] Therefore, for electric vehicles used for business purposes, charging the electric vehicles while satisfying the operational conditions of the business is a challenge. Patent Literature 1 discloses a operation planning system that creates an operation plan that takes charging into consideration for electric vehicles used in demand-responsive transportation operations. The operation planning system of Patent Literature 1 calculates, for each electric vehicle, the charge deficiency that will be incurred when the electric vehicle travels along the operation section corresponding to the user's request, and creates an operation plan to assign to operation along that operation section an electric vehicle that can charge the charge deficiency amount by the start of operation along that operation section. In this way, the operation planning system of Patent Literature 1 can avoid the need for charging the electric vehicle while it is traveling along the operation section.

[0004] JP 2022-95389 A

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 is based on demand-responsive transportation, and operates within a limited area such as a city, town, or village. Therefore, by charging the vehicle at a fixed location before starting a trip, charging while traveling within the route can be avoided. However, for trucks, buses, and other vehicles that must travel medium to long distances, the distance traveled in a single trip exceeds the cruising range, which is the maximum distance an electric vehicle can travel without charging, and charging is required during the trip. However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 cannot create a trip plan that takes into account charging during the trip.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an operation management system that can create operation plans for commercial electric vehicles that take into account charging during operation.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a traffic management system according to the present disclosure is a traffic management system for commercial electric vehicles that travel on routes that include expressways, and includes an information acquisition unit that acquires travel information including at least the departure and destination points of each of multiple electric vehicles managed by the traffic management system. The traffic management system further includes an operation plan creation unit that creates a traffic plan including charging plans for the multiple electric vehicles based on the travel information and the locations of charging spots where chargers that can charge the electric vehicles are installed, so that charging periods at the same charger do not overlap between the electric vehicles.

[0008] The operation management system according to the present disclosure has the effect of being able to create an operation plan for commercial electric vehicles that takes into account charging during operation.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in an operation management system according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a change of a charging location according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a charging plan created by an operation management system according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation system according to the first embodiment when an autonomously driven vehicle is to be managed; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes each of the operation management systems according to the first embodiment;

[0010] Hereinafter, a traffic management system, a vehicle traffic system, a traffic management method, and a program according to embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] First Embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation system according to a first embodiment. The vehicle operation system 100 of this embodiment includes commercial electric vehicles (EVs) 3-1 to 3-n (n is an integer of 2 or greater) that travel on routes including expressways, and an operation management system 1 that creates operation plans for the EVs 3-1 to 3-n. The EVs 3-1 to 3-n are commercial vehicles powered by electricity, and may be, for example, at least one of a large truck, a medium-sized truck, a large bus, a medium-sized bus, and a microbus, but are not limited to these. Hereinafter, the EVs 3-1 to 3-n will also be referred to as EV3 when referring to the EVs 3-1 to 3-n without distinguishing them individually. The EVs 3 are manually operated vehicles driven by a driver.

[0012] In one trip, the EV 3 may travel a distance longer than the cruising range, which is the maximum distance the EV 3 can travel without charging (the distance the EV 3 can travel from a fully charged state). For example, the trip of the EV 3 includes long-distance trips. Note that a long-distance trip indicates, for example, a trip distance of 300 km per trip, but is not limited to this. The EV 3 travels, for example, on a route including a highway. Note that, in the following, an example will be described in which the EV 3 is a truck, but as described above, the EV 3 may also be a bus.

[0013] The operation mode of the EV3 may be a chartered flight, a dedicated flight, or a mixed-load flight, for example, traveling from one distribution center to another, or a combination of these. In the case of a mixed-load flight, delivery from the distribution origin to the distribution destination may be performed by multiple vehicles. For example, a first vehicle may transport goods from the distribution origin to a first distribution center, a second vehicle may transport goods from the first distribution center to a second distribution center, and a third vehicle may transport goods from the second distribution center to a third distribution center. In this case, for example, if the route from the first distribution center to the second distribution center includes a highway, the entire route for this delivery will include the highway. Therefore, if the first vehicle, the second vehicle, and the third vehicle in this case are EV3s, the first vehicle, the second vehicle, and the third vehicle can be considered to be EV3s traveling on a route including a highway. In such a case, the operation management system 1 may create an operation plan for only the second vehicle traveling from the first distribution center to the second distribution center, or may create an operation plan for the first vehicle, the second vehicle, and the third vehicle.

[0014] Terminal devices 4-1 to 4-m (m is an integer of 2 or more) are terminal devices that can be operated by the driver of EV 3, and are, for example, portable terminal devices such as smartphones and tablets. Hereinafter, when referring to terminal devices 4-1 to 4-m without distinguishing them individually, they will also be referred to as terminal device 4. Note that it is not essential to use terminal device 4, and terminal device 4 may not be used.

[0015] The EV 3 is managed by a business operator system 2 operated by a business operator such as a transportation business operator or a bus business operator that manages the operation of the EV 3. The business operator system 2 includes a transmitter / receiver 21, a vehicle management unit 22, an input reception unit 23, and an information display unit 24.

[0016] The input receiving unit 23 receives input from an operator or the like. For example, it receives input of request information indicating a request for transportation, such as information about the destination, departure point, and cargo of the EV 3 under management, and outputs the received request information to the vehicle management unit 22. The input receiving unit 23 may also output the request information to the information display unit 24. Note that the request information may be transmitted from another device (not shown). In this case, the transmitting / receiving unit 21 may receive the request information and output the received request information to the vehicle management unit 22.

[0017] The vehicle management unit 22 determines which EV 3 is to be assigned to which operation based on the request information, and creates an operator operation plan, which is a tentative operation plan for EV 3. The vehicle management unit 22 may output the operator operation plan to the information display unit 24. The operator operation plan includes movement information for each operation of EV 3. The vehicle management unit 22 outputs the movement information to the transmitter / receiver 21. The movement information includes at least the departure point and destination of each EV 3. Specifically, the movement information includes at least the departure point and destination of each operation. The movement information may be generated for each operation, or may be generated to include information about operations for a certain period of time, such as one day.

[0018] The travel information may also include the travel route of the EV 3. The travel route is a tentative travel route that does not take into account charging of the EV 3, and may be, for example, a route optimized using Dijkstra's algorithm or the like to satisfy either the shortest distance or the shortest time, or may be a route optimized by other methods. Alternatively, the travel information may be a route that is appropriate for the operator, reflecting the operator's know-how, etc. The method for determining the travel route is not limited to these examples. The travel information may also include identification information of the EV 3 used in each operation. Note that the identification information of the EV 3 used in each operation may be generated as vehicle allocation information separately from the travel information, and in this case, the vehicle management unit 22 also outputs the vehicle allocation information to the transmission / reception unit 21.

[0019] The travel information may also include time information, which is at least one of information regarding a departure time and information regarding a time of arrival at a destination. The information regarding the departure time may be a scheduled time of departure from a departure point, i.e., a scheduled departure time. The scheduled departure time may be defined as a time range, for example, between 7:00 and 7:30. Similarly, the information regarding the arrival time may be a scheduled time of arrival at a destination, i.e., a scheduled arrival time. The scheduled arrival time may be defined as a time range, for example, between 18:00 and 19:00. Furthermore, a variable tolerance range may be defined for the scheduled departure time and the scheduled arrival time, for example, allowing a delay of up to two hours.

[0020] The transmitter / receiver 21 communicates with other devices to exchange information with them. For example, the transmitter / receiver 21 transmits movement information received from the vehicle management unit 22 to the operations management system 1. When the transmitter / receiver 21 receives vehicle allocation information from the vehicle management unit 22, the transmitter / receiver 21 also transmits the vehicle allocation information to the operations management system 1. The transmitter / receiver 21 also receives an operation plan from the operations management system 1 and outputs the received operation plan to the information display unit 24. The transmitter / receiver 21 may transmit the received operation plan to at least one of the EVs 3 and the terminal device 4.

[0021] The information display unit 24 displays various types of information. For example, the information display unit 24 displays an operation plan received from the transmitting / receiving unit 21. The information display unit 24 may also receive and display request information from the input receiving unit 23. The information display unit 24 may also receive and display an operator operation plan from the vehicle management unit 22.

[0022] 1 illustrates one business operator system 2, there may be multiple business operator systems 2. For example, there may be multiple business operator systems 2 corresponding to different business operators. In this case, each business operator system 2 manages EVs 3 managed by the corresponding business operator.

[0023] The EV 3 includes an on-board terminal 31. The on-board terminal 31 is capable of communicating with the operator system 2 and displaying various information. The communication line between the on-board terminal 31 and the operator system 2 includes, for example, a wireless line, but may also be a combination of a wireless line and a wired line. The on-board terminal 31 may also include a location identification unit that identifies the self-location of the EV 3. The location identification unit is realized, for example, using a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver that performs GPS positioning, but is not limited to this.

[0024] The on-board terminal 31 may receive the departure point and destination from the provider system 2, create a driving route based on the departure point and the destination, and transmit the driving route as travel information to the traffic management system 1. The travel information may be transmitted from the on-board terminal 31 to the traffic management system 1 via the provider system 2. The on-board terminal 31 may also transmit location information indicating the location identified by the location identification unit to at least one of the provider system 2 and the traffic management system 1. The on-board terminal 31 may also acquire at least one of the SOC (State of Charge) and SOH (State of Health) of the storage battery from a device controlling the storage battery (not shown) of the EV 3 as storage battery information, and transmit the acquired storage battery information to at least one of the provider system 2 and the traffic management system 1. The on-board terminal 31 may also calculate a remaining driving distance, which is the distance the EV 3 can travel from its current state without charging, and transmit the calculated remaining driving distance to at least one of the provider system 2 and the traffic management system 1.

[0025] Medium-sized and large EVs require a large amount of driving force and therefore consume a lot of power, and they need to be charged while in operation, especially when traveling long distances. However, there are only a limited number of locations where such EVs can be charged, and if EVs are charged unplanned, they may have to wait for charging, which can cause delays and lead to inefficient operation. Hereinafter, a charging location that has one or more chargers that can charge EVs is called a charging spot.

[0026] The traffic management system 1 of this embodiment creates a traffic plan including a charging plan for EVs 3 based on travel information and the locations of charging spots so that charging periods at the same charger do not overlap between EVs 3. The charging period indicates the period from the start time to the end time of charging. As a result, the traffic management system 1 creates a traffic plan for business-use EVs 3 that takes charging during travel into consideration. The charging spot is, for example, at least one of a service area (SA), a parking area (PA), an office of a business operator that manages EVs 3, an office of a business operator that manages EVs 3, a charging station, a parking lot, a shopping center, a convenience store, etc., but is not limited to these. The charging spot may be a charging location managed by a business operator that manages EVs 3, a general-purpose charging location, or a combination of these.

[0027] The operation management system 1 includes an information acquisition unit 11, an operation plan creation unit 12, an information storage unit 14, and a presentation unit 15. The information acquisition unit 11 acquires movement information. For example, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires movement information by receiving the movement information from the operator system 2. Note that if the movement information received from the operator system 2 does not include identification information of EVs 3 for each operation, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle allocation information by further receiving vehicle allocation information from the operator system 2. The information acquisition unit 11 stores the acquired movement information in the information storage unit 14. Note that while FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the movement information includes identification information of EVs 3 for each operation, if the information acquisition unit 11 receives vehicle allocation information, the information acquisition unit 11 also stores the vehicle allocation information in the information storage unit 14.

[0028] The information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the movement information by accepting input from an operator or the like, or may acquire the movement information from a device other than the business operator system 2. For example, the information acquisition unit 11 may acquire the movement information from the EV 3. The information acquisition unit 11 may also acquire the movement information from the terminal device 4. In this case, for example, the terminal device 4 receives a departure point and a destination from the business operator system 2, creates a driving route based on the departure point and the destination, and transmits the driving route as movement information to the traffic management system 1. In this case, the movement information may also be transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 31 to the traffic management system 1 via the business operator system 2. If the EV 3 for which a charging plan is to be created, i.e., the EV 3 for which a traffic plan is to be created, is an EV 3 managed by multiple business operators, the method of acquiring the movement information may differ depending on the business operator.

[0029] The operation plan creation unit 12 includes a travel route creation unit 13. Note that if the travel information is a travel route, the operation plan creation unit 12 does not necessarily include the travel route creation unit 13. When the travel information received from the information acquisition unit 11 does not include a travel route, the travel route creation unit 13 creates a travel route for the EV 3 based on the travel information and map information stored in the information storage unit 14. This travel route is also a tentative travel route that does not take into account charging of the EV 3. The map information is information used to determine the travel route, i.e., for route search, and may be a map represented as a graph in graph theory. That is, the travel route creation unit 13 determines the travel route for the EV 3 from the departure point to the destination using the departure point and destination included in the travel information. The travel route may be a route optimized to satisfy either the shortest distance or the shortest time using, for example, Dijkstra's algorithm, or may be a route optimized by other methods.

[0030] The operation plan creation unit 12 creates an operation plan including a charging plan for EVs 3 using the travel route received from the information acquisition unit 11 or the travel route created by the travel route creation unit 13, time information included in the movement information, and EV information and charging spot information stored in the information storage unit 14, and stores the created operation plan in the information storage unit 14. The EV information includes information indicating the vehicle type (size), storage battery capacity, cruising range, etc. for each EV 3. Note that time information does not need to be used if the departure time is determined in advance, for example.

[0031] The charging spot information includes the location of the charging spot, charger information about chargers set at the charging spot that can charge EVs 3, and size information that is information about the size of vehicles that can be charged. Note that, for example, when there is a mixture of medium-sized trucks and large trucks as EVs 3, chargers that can charge EVs 3 are chargers that can charge medium-sized trucks and chargers that can charge large trucks. Also, when there are only large trucks as EVs 3, chargers that can charge EVs 3 are chargers that can charge large trucks.

[0032] The charger information includes the number of chargers that can charge an EV 3, the specifications of the chargers that can charge an EV 3 (charging power), etc. The size information includes, for each charger, the size of the vehicles that can be charged using that charger, such as being compatible with vehicles up to X m in total length. Note that if the EVs 3 managed by the traffic management system 1 are limited in size to a certain extent, such as only large trucks, the charge spot information only needs to include charger information related to chargers that can charge the EV 3, and does not necessarily need to include size information. Note that the charge spot information is not limited to the above example, and may include information equivalent to the above example.

[0033] The operation plan creation unit 12 creates an operation plan that includes a charging plan for EVs 3 so that, for example, as described above, the charging periods at the same charger do not overlap between EVs 3. This makes it possible to create an operation plan that takes into account the charging of EVs 3 traveling long distances while in operation. This also saves the driver of the EV 3 the trouble of searching for a charging spot. This also makes it possible to avoid congestion at charging spots, thereby reducing the waiting time for charging. This therefore reduces operation delays and also reduces the driver's time spent on duty by reducing the driver's waiting time. In particular, since it is expected that there are only a limited number of chargers available for large EVs 3, there is a high possibility that charging waits will occur if multiple EVs 3 try to charge at the same time. Therefore, the use of the operation plan of this embodiment is highly effective.

[0034] The operation plan creation unit 12 may also impose a restriction on the number of EVs 3 that can be charged simultaneously at one charging spot. This can prevent an increase in power consumption at the charging spot due to simultaneous charging, and can suppress peak power consumption at the charging spot.

[0035] The traffic management system 1 may create a traffic plan for only expressway sections, or for both expressway sections and non-expressway sections. For example, if an EV 3 travels from a start point of a trip on a general road, then on an expressway, and then on the expressway again and on a general road to arrive at an end point of the trip, the traffic management system 1 may create a traffic plan for only the expressway section. In this case, the departure point and destination in the travel information may be the start point and end point of the trip itself, or the departure point and destination in the travel information may be the start point and end point of the expressway section. If the departure point and destination in the travel information are the start point and end point of the trip itself, for example, the traffic plan creation unit 12 determines the start point and end point of the expressway section based on the travel information and creates a traffic plan from the start point to the end point of the expressway section. In this way, the departure point and destination accepted by the traffic management system 1 may be the start point and end point of the trip itself, or the start point and end point of the expressway section.

[0036] The information storage unit 14 stores travel information, map information, charging spot information, EV information, operation plans, and performance information. The travel information is acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 as described above and stored in the information storage unit 14. The map information is acquired in advance by the information acquisition unit 11 from, for example, a device (not shown) that provides map information and stored in the information storage unit 14, but the method of acquiring the map information is not limited to this example. The charging spot information may be input by an operator or the like and stored in the information storage unit 14, or may be received by the information acquisition unit 11 from another device (not shown and stored in the information storage unit 14). The EV information may be acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 from the business operator system 2 or the EV 3 and stored in the information storage unit 14, or may be input by an operator or the like and stored in the information storage unit 14. The performance information is information indicating the performance of each EV 3, such as when and where it actually traveled and when and where it was charged. The performance information may be received by the information acquisition unit 11 from the EV 3, the business operator system 2, the terminal device 4, etc. and stored in the information storage unit 14, or may be input by an operator or the like and stored in the information storage unit 14. Note that if there is no need to manage the performance information, the performance information does not need to be stored in the information storage unit 14. The performance information is used, for example, to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions. The performance information may be transmitted to the business operator system 2 by the presentation unit 15, for example.

[0037] The presentation unit 15 presents the operation plan stored in the information storage unit 14 to the business operator, the driver, the operator or manager of the operation management system 1, etc. Specifically, the presentation unit 15 may, for example, display the operation plan, or may present the operation plan by transmitting the operation plan to at least one of the business operator system 2, the in-vehicle terminal 31, the terminal device 4, etc. The presentation unit 15 may both display and transmit the operation plan. Note that, when there are multiple business operators managing EVs 3, the presentation unit 15 transmits, for each business operator, the operation plan of the EVs 3 managed by that business operator to the corresponding business operator system 2. Note that, when transmitting the operation plan to the in-vehicle terminal 31, for example, the presentation unit 15 transmits the operation plan for the EVs 3 in which the in-vehicle terminal 31 is installed to the in-vehicle terminal 31. In addition, when the presentation unit 15 transmits an operation plan to the terminal device 4, for example, the travel information may include identification information of the terminal device 4 of the driver corresponding to each operation, and the presentation unit 15 may transmit the corresponding operation plan to the terminal device 4 using the identification information of the terminal device 4.

[0038] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the traffic management system 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the traffic management system 1 acquires movement information (step S1). In detail, the information acquisition unit 11 acquires movement information for a period for which a plan is to be created (plan creation period) and stores the acquired movement information in the information storage unit 14. Note that the planning period is, for example, one day until the next day, and the traffic management system 1 creates an operation plan on the day before the planning period. Note that the planning period may be half a day, two days, or the like, and the length of the planning period is not limited to this example. The timing for creating an operation plan is also not limited to the day before.

[0039] The traffic management system 1 creates a travel route (step S2). Specifically, if the travel information does not include a travel route, the travel route creation unit 13 of the operation plan creation unit 12 creates a travel route using the travel information and map information stored in the information storage unit 14. If the travel information includes a travel route, step S2 does not need to be performed.

[0040] The operation management system 1 determines tentative charging locations (step S3). Specifically, the operation plan creation unit 12 estimates locations where charging is expected to be required for each EV 3 based on, for example, the travel route, the positions of the charging spots in the charging spot information stored in the information storage unit 14, and the EV information stored in the information storage unit 14, and determines charging spots near the estimated locations as tentative charging locations.

[0041] Specifically, for example, the operation plan creation unit 12 assumes that the SOC of the EV 3 at the departure point is a predetermined value, and assigns a charging spot closest to the point where the SOC is predicted to be equal to or lower than a first value as a temporary charging point based on the time information and the travel route in the travel information, before the point (toward the departure point) and determines the start and end times of charging. The operation plan creation unit 12 also determines the time for charging at the temporary charging point, i.e., the charging period corresponding to the temporary charging point. For example, the operation plan creation unit 12 calculates the expected time of arrival at the temporary charging point based on the travel route, a predetermined travel speed, and the departure time. Then, the operation plan creation unit 12 determines the time required for the SOC to change from the estimated value upon arrival at the temporary charging spot to the predetermined value based on the specifications of the EV 3 in the EV information and the charging power of the charger in the charge spot information, and defines the determined time as the charging time. The charging time refers to the time (length) required for charging. For example, the operation plan creation unit 12 may determine the charging time on the assumption that the EV 3 and the charger will be charged with the maximum charging power that they can handle, or the expected charging power may be determined in advance. The operation plan creation unit 12 determines the time when the EV 3 is expected to arrive at the tentative charging location as the charging start time, and determines the time after the charging time has elapsed from that time as the charging end time.

[0042] If multiple charging operations are required during one trip, the operation plan creation unit 12 repeats the same allocation, assuming that charging was performed at a temporary charging location. For the SOC of EV 3 at the departure location, an estimated SOC value at the departure location obtained from the business operator system 2 may be used, or an actual measurement value obtained from the business operator system 2 or EV 3 may be used. When an actual measurement value is used, it is assumed that EV 3 does not run between the time of actual measurement and the start of EV 3's operation during the plan creation period. The first value may be the lower limit of the range of SOC that the storage battery should preferably maintain, or may be set to a value greater than the lower limit to provide a margin. By providing a margin in the first value, not only charging spots before a point where the SOC is predicted to fall below the first value but also charging spots beyond the point may be included as candidates for temporary charging locations.

[0043] Alternatively, instead of determining temporary charging locations one by one, the operation plan creation unit 12 may assume that the SOC of each EV 3 at the departure point is a predetermined value, and may first determine, based on the travel distance and cruising range of the travel route, how many times charging is required to prevent the SOC from falling below a lower limit (a margin may be taken into account in the lower limit of the SOC). In this case, the operation plan creation unit 12 may, for example, divide the travel route into equal distances based on the number of charges, and set the nearest charging spot before each of the divided points as a temporary charging location. Then, the operation plan creation unit 12 determines the start time and end time of charging based on the time information in the travel information. Note that the method of determining temporary charging locations is not limited to the example described above.

[0044] Next, the operation management system 1 identifies EVs 3 that will be charged at the same charging spot for overlapping times (step S4). In particular, the operation plan creation unit 12 extracts, for each charging spot based on the temporary charging location, EVs 3 to which the charging spot is assigned as a temporary charging location, and identifies EVs 3 among the extracted EVs 3 that will be charged for overlapping times (charging periods). Note that after extracting EVs 3 with overlapping charging periods, the operation plan creation unit 12 may identify EVs 3 that will be charged at the same charging spot among the extracted EVs 3; the specific processing is not limited to the example described above.

[0045] Next, the traffic management system 1 determines whether there is a charging spot where the number of identified EVs 3 exceeds a threshold value (step S5). Specifically, in step S4, for each charging spot, the operation plan creation unit 12 calculates the number of EVs 3 identified as having overlapping charging periods among the EVs 3 to which the charging spot is assigned as a temporary charging location. At this time, the operation plan creation unit 12 calculates the number of EVs 3 that will be charged simultaneously at the charging spot. In other words, the operation plan creation unit 12 does not count EVs 3 whose charging periods overlap in different time periods as the number of EVs with overlapping charging periods. For example, assume that EV 3-1 charges at a certain charging spot from 16:50 to 19:00, EV 3-2 charges at the same charging spot from 15:30 to 17:00, and EV 3-3 charges at the same charging spot from 18:00 to 20:10. In this case, the charging period of EV3-1 overlaps with that of EV3-2 and EV3-3, but the charging periods of EV3-2 and EV3-3 do not overlap. In this example, the charging periods of EV3-2 and EV3-3 do not overlap, so the number of EV3s identified as having overlapping charging periods at this charging spot is two. This means that two EVs are being charged twice.

[0046] The threshold value is set, for example, as a value equal to or less than the number of chargers capable of charging EVs 3 at each charging spot. By setting the threshold value to a value equal to or less than the number of chargers capable of charging EVs 3, it is possible to prevent overlapping charging periods between EVs 3 at the same charger. The threshold value may be set for each charging spot. For example, if all EVs 3 are large trucks, the number of chargers capable of charging large trucks may be set as the threshold value. Furthermore, if EVs 3 include medium-sized trucks and large trucks, and a charging spot is set with chargers capable of charging medium-sized trucks and chargers capable of charging large trucks, a threshold value may be set separately for large trucks and medium-sized trucks. In this case, the number of identified EVs 3 is also calculated separately for large trucks and medium-sized trucks. The threshold value may be set to a value less than the number of chargers capable of charging EVs 3. For example, for charging spots where EVs not managed by the traffic management system 1 of the present embodiment may be charged, the threshold value may be set to a value less than the number of chargers capable of charging EVs 3, taking into consideration the possibility that EVs not managed by the traffic management system 1 may also be charged. Furthermore, by setting the threshold value to a value less than the number of chargers capable of charging EVs 3, it is possible to suppress the power demand at the same charging spot.

[0047] If there are no charging spots where the number of identified EVs 3 exceeds the threshold value (No in step S5), the operation management system 1 determines an operation plan (step S6) and ends the process. In step S5, in detail, the operation plan creation unit 12 determines the charging spots assigned as temporary charging locations and temporary charging times for each EV 3 as a charging plan for each EV 3, and determines an operation plan based on the charging plan. Note that the charging plan is a plan that includes when and where each EV 3 is to be charged, and the operation plan includes the charging plan and, for example, also includes the driving route of each EV 3.

[0048] If there is a charging spot where the number of identified EVs 3 exceeds the threshold value (Yes in step S5), the operation management system 1 changes at least one of the charging location and the charging time (step S7) and repeats the processing from step S4. In detail, in step S7, the operation plan creation unit 12 changes at least one of the charging location (temporary charging location) and the charging time (temporary charging time) of any of the EVs 3 whose charging times at the charging spots overlap. For example, if the charging times of three EVs 3 overlap, at least one of the charging location and the charging time of two of the three EVs 3 is changed.

[0049] Specifically, the operation plan creation unit 12 may change the temporary charging location of EV3 to a closer charging spot and determine the charging time at the changed charging spot. Note that the first value may be set to a value greater than the lower limit of the SOC to allow for a margin. When the operation plan creation unit 12 changes the temporary charging location of EV3, it may include not only the closer charging spot but also charging spots within a certain distance as candidate locations. Alternatively, the operation plan creation unit 12 may change the start time of the charging period by changing the departure time of one of the EV3 whose charging period overlaps with the charging period at the charging spot, without changing the temporary charging location, so that the charging periods at the charging spots do not overlap. Furthermore, the operation plan creation unit 12 may change the charging period by changing the charging time (the time required for charging) to avoid overlapping charging periods. However, when changing the departure time, if a requirement is set for either the departure time or the arrival time, the operation plan creation unit 12 changes the departure time within a range that satisfies the requirement.

[0050] In the above example, the driving route is not changed, i.e., the driving route remains the same as the driving route provided by the service provider system 2 or the driving route created in step S2. However, this is not limited to this example, and the operation plan creation unit 12 may change the driving route. For example, in step S7, the operation plan creation unit 12 may change at least one of the charging location and the charging time by changing the driving route. In this case, for example, the driving route creation unit 13 changes the driving route of at least a portion of the driving route of any EV 3 whose charging time at the charging spot overlaps, the driving route including the charging spot that will be the temporary charging location, and the operation plan creation unit 12 determines the temporary charging location using the changed driving route in the same manner as in step S3. Note that FIG. 2 is an example, and the processing order and specific processing content of the traffic management system 1 may be limited to the above example as long as equivalent results are obtained.

[0051] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of changing a charging location in this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 3, SAs 5-1 to 5-3 and PAs 6-1 and 6-3 located on a highway are assumed to be charging spots. FIG. 3 shows an example in which SA 5-1 is assigned as a temporary charging location for EVs 3-1 to 3-3. In FIG. 3, the driving routes of EVs 3-1 to 3-3 are indicated by solid lines, dashed lines, and dashed-dotted lines, respectively. In addition, white circles in FIG. 3 indicate temporary charging locations on each driving route, and black circles indicate temporary charging locations after the change. Note that the temporary charging location for EV 3-1 is not changed, so the charging location is indicated by a black circle.

[0052] In the example shown in Fig. 3, the tentative charging locations and charging times of EV3-1 to EV3-3 before the change overlap. Assume that the threshold value for SA5-1 is set to 1. In the example shown in Fig. 3, this causes the tentative charging location for EV3-2 to be changed to PA6-1 just before SA5-1, and the tentative charging location for EV3-3 to be changed to PA6-3 just before SA5-1. In this way, the traffic management system 1 of the present embodiment creates a traffic plan including a charging plan so that the number of EV3s that overlap in charging time at the same charging spot is equal to or less than the threshold value.

[0053] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a charging plan created by the traffic management system 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the charging plan includes the SOC (predicted SOC value) of each EV 3, the charging location, and the charging time. Note that FIG. 4 is an example, and the format of the charging plan is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 4. Note that, as described above, the operation plan created by the traffic management system 1 adds information indicating a driving route to the charging plan, for example, but is not limited to this. The operation plan may also include rest times for the driver.

[0054] Although Fig. 1 shows an example in which the traffic management system 1 manages an EV 3, which is a manually driven vehicle operated by a driver, the traffic management system 1 may also manage an autonomous vehicle. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle traffic system of this embodiment in which an autonomous vehicle is managed. Components having the same functions as those in Fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0055] The EVs 3a-1 to 3a-n in the vehicle operation system are autonomously driven vehicles for business use. The EVs 3a-1 to 3a-n are at least one of a large truck, a medium-sized truck, a large bus, a medium-sized bus, and a microbus. Hereinafter, when the EVs 3a-1 to 3a-n are referred to without being individually distinguished, they will also be referred to as EV 3a.

[0056] The EV 3a includes an on-board terminal 31 and a driving control unit 32. The on-board terminal 31 receives an operation plan from the operation management system 1 directly or via the operator system 2 and outputs the received operation plan to the driving control unit 32. The driving control unit 32 controls the driving of the EV 3a by autonomous driving using location information received from a self-location identification unit (not shown) of the on-board terminal 31 and the operation plan received from the on-board terminal 31. For example, the driving control unit 32 controls a driving mechanism (not shown) based on information acquired by sensors (not shown), such as a camera for detecting obstacles, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and a millimeter-wave sensor, location information, and map information. The driving mechanism is a mechanism for driving the EV 3a, and includes, for example, a plurality of mechanisms for driving the EV 3a, such as an accelerator pedal or other accelerator operating device, a steering device, and a brake, but the configuration of the driving mechanism is not limited to these.

[0057] In this way, the operation plan created by the operation management system 1 may be used as an operation plan for the EV 3a, which is an autonomous vehicle. Furthermore, the management targets of the operation management system 1 may include both the EV 3 and the EV 3a.

[0058] Next, the hardware configuration of the traffic control system 1 of this embodiment will be described. In the traffic control system 1 of this embodiment, a computer program describing the processing in each of the traffic control systems 1 is executed on the computer system, so that each computer system functions as the traffic control system 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a computer system that realizes each of the traffic control systems 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, this computer system includes a control unit 101, an input unit 102, a storage unit 103, a display unit 104, a communication unit 105, and an output unit 106, which are connected via a system bus 107.

[0059] In FIG. 6 , the control unit 101 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program describing the processes of the traffic management system 1 of this embodiment. The input unit 102 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, buttons, a mouse, etc., and is used by a user of the computer system to input various information. The memory unit 103 includes various memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a storage device such as a hard disk, and stores programs to be executed by the control unit 101, necessary data obtained during processing, etc. The memory unit 103 is also used as a temporary storage area for programs. The control unit 101 and the memory unit 103 constitute, for example, a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be a single circuit or multiple circuits. The display unit 104 is composed of a display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc., and displays various screens to the user of the computer system. Note that a touch panel in which the input unit 102 and the display unit 104 are integrated may also be used. The communication unit 105 is a receiver and transmitter that perform communication processing. The output unit 106 is a speaker or the like. Note that Fig. 6 is an example, and the configuration of the computer system that realizes each of the traffic control systems 1 is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 6. For example, the output unit 106 does not have to be provided.

[0060] Here, an example of the operation of the computer system until the program of this embodiment is ready to be executed will be described. In the computer system having the above configuration, for example, the program is installed in storage unit 103 from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM inserted in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown). Then, when the program is executed, the program read from storage unit 103 is stored in the main storage area of ​​storage unit 103. In this state, control unit 101 executes the processes of each of the traffic management system 1 of this embodiment in accordance with the program stored in storage unit 103.

[0061] In the above description, a program describing the processing in each of the operation control systems 1 is provided using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as a recording medium, but this is not limited to this. Depending on the configuration of the computer system, the capacity of the program to be provided, etc., it is also possible to use a program provided via a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 105.

[0062] The program of this embodiment, for example, causes a computer system that manages the operation of EV3 to execute the steps of acquiring movement information and creating an operation plan that includes charging plans for multiple EV3s based on the movement information and the locations of charging spots where chargers that can charge EV3s are installed, so that charging periods at the same charger do not overlap between EV3s.

[0063] The operation plan creation unit 12 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by the control unit 101 shown in FIG. 6 executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 6. The storage unit 103 is also used to realize the operation plan creation unit 12. The information acquisition unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by at least one of the communication unit 105 and the input unit 102 shown in FIG. 6. The information storage unit 14 shown in FIG. 1 is part of the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 6. The presentation unit 15 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by at least one of the communication unit 105 and the display unit 104 shown in FIG. 6. The operation management system 1 may be realized by multiple computer systems. For example, the operation management system 1 may be realized by a cloud computer system.

[0064] The business operator system 2 shown in Fig. 1 is also realized by the computer system shown in Fig. 6. The traffic control system 1 shown in Fig. 5 is also realized by the computer system shown in Fig. 6.

[0065] As described above, the traffic management system 1 of this embodiment creates a traffic plan including a charging plan for EV3 and EV3a based on the departure points and destinations of EV3 and EV3a and the locations of charging spots, so that the charging periods at the same charger do not overlap between EV3 and EV3a. This allows the traffic management system 1 to create a traffic plan for EV3 and EV3a for business use that takes charging during travel into consideration.

[0066] Second Embodiment Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation system according to a second embodiment. The vehicle operation system of this embodiment is similar to the vehicle operation system 100 shown in Fig. 1 of the first embodiment, except that it includes an operation control system 1a instead of the operation control system 1. Components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained.

[0067] The operation management system 1a of the present embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 11a, an operation plan creation unit 12a, an information storage unit 14a, and a presentation unit 15. The presentation unit 15 is the same as in the first embodiment. The information acquisition unit 11a has the same functions as in the first embodiment and further acquires rest information and stores the acquired rest information in the information storage unit 14a. The rest information is, for example, information indicating restrictions on rest for drivers of EVs 3. The rest information may be information indicating restrictions on rest that are stipulated by law, or rules established by operators or the like to satisfy legal restrictions on rest. The information acquisition unit 11a may acquire the rest information by receiving it from the operator system 2 or the like, or by accepting input from an operator or the like. The rest information includes, for example, information regarding conditions on the amount of time continuous driving is possible and the length of the rest time, such as ensuring a 30-minute or longer rest within four hours after starting driving or immediately after four hours has elapsed, but is not limited to this.

[0068] The information storage unit 14a stores the same information as the information storage unit 14 in the first embodiment, and also stores rest information. The operation plan creation unit 12a uses the rest information in addition to the movement information, map information, and charging spot information to create an operation plan that includes a charging plan for EV 3. Specifically, the operation plan is created so that charging periods overlap with rest periods.

[0069] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the operation management system 1a of this embodiment. Steps S1 and S2 are the same as those in the first embodiment. After step S2, the operation management system 1a provisionally sets a rest period (step S11). In detail, the operation plan creation unit 12a estimates the time required for travel based on the travel route and a predetermined travel speed, and sets the time at which the continuous travel period reaches the upper limit of the constraint based on the rest information as the start time of the rest period. The length of one rest period is, for example, determined in advance.

[0070] The operation management system 1a determines a tentative charging location so that the charging time overlaps with the rest time (step S12). In detail, the operation plan creation unit 12a determines, as the tentative charging location, a charging spot that can be reached a certain time before the start time of the rest time, using, for example, the travel route, the positions of the charging spots in the charging spot information stored in the information storage unit 14a, and the tentatively set rest time. The operation plan creation unit 12a determines the tentative charging time using the tentative charging location and the SOC, as in the first embodiment.

[0071] Steps S4 to S6 are the same as those in embodiment 1. If the answer to step S5 is Yes, the operation management system 1a changes at least one of the rest time, the charging location, and the charging time (step S13), and repeats the processing from step S4. In detail, in step S13, the operation plan creation unit 12a changes at least one of the rest time, the charging location, and the charging time for any of the EVs 3 whose charging times at the charging spots overlap.

[0072] For example, the operation plan creation unit 12a may change the departure time within the requested range of the departure time and the arrival time, as in the first embodiment. In this case, the operation plan creation unit 12a changes the departure time so that a rest period is included in the charging period.

[0073] When the departure time cannot be changed so that the rest time is included in the charging period due to the requests related to the departure time and the arrival time, the operation plan creation unit 12a changes the temporary charging location of one of the EVs 3 whose charging periods at the charging spots overlap to an earlier location, as in the first embodiment, for example. Then, the operation plan creation unit 12a calculates a temporary charging period at the changed temporary charging location, and if the calculated charging period includes the rest time, repeats the processing from step S4 using the temporary charging location and temporary charging period. If the calculated charging period does not include the rest time, the operation plan creation unit 12a changes the rest time to be brought forward, and if the charging period includes the rest time, changes the rest time to be brought forward, and repeats the processing from step S4 using the temporary charging location and temporary charging period.

[0074] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a change of a temporary charging location in this embodiment. The top row of FIG. 9 shows a provisionally set rest period. The second row shows the timing of charging at the temporary charging location. In step S12 described above, the temporary charging location is determined so that the rest period (provisionally set rest period) of the driver of EV3 is included in the charging time at the temporary charging location. In the example shown in FIG. 9 , SA5-1 is determined as the temporary charging location in step S12. If step S5 returns Yes and the charging location of EV3 is changed, the temporary charging location is changed to PA6-1, which is a closer charging spot, as shown in the bottom row of FIG. 9 . If the charging time at PA6-1 includes the rest period, PA6-1 remains the temporary charging location, and the process from step S4 is performed. Note that if the rest period is no longer included in the charging time as a result of changing the temporary charging location to PA6-1, the rest period is moved forward so that the charging time includes the rest period.

[0075] The traffic management system 1a of this embodiment may be used when there is a mixture of EV 3a, which is an automatically driven vehicle, and EV 3, which is a manually driven vehicle, as described in embodiment 1. In this case, the traffic management system 1a creates an operation plan for EV 3a in the same manner as in embodiment 1 without taking rest periods into consideration, and creates an operation plan for EV 3 by the processing described in this embodiment while taking rest periods into consideration.

[0076] Like the traffic control system 1 of the first embodiment, the traffic control system 1a of the present embodiment is also realized by, for example, the computer system illustrated in FIG. 6. The traffic plan creation unit 12a illustrated in FIG. 7 is realized by the control unit 101 illustrated in FIG. 6 executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 6. The storage unit 103 is also used to realize the traffic plan creation unit 12a. The information acquisition unit 11a illustrated in FIG. 7 is realized by at least one of the communication unit 105 and the input unit 102 illustrated in FIG. 6. The information storage unit 14a illustrated in FIG. 7 is part of the storage unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 6. The traffic control system 1a may be realized by multiple computer systems. For example, the traffic control system 1a may be realized by a cloud computer system.

[0077] As described above, the operation management system 1a creates a charging plan so that rest periods are included in the charging period, thereby reducing the amount of time the driver is confined compared to when rest periods and charging occur at different times.

[0078] Third Embodiment Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation system according to a third embodiment. The vehicle operation system of this embodiment is similar to the vehicle operation system 100 shown in Fig. 1 of the first embodiment, except that it includes an operation control system 1b instead of the operation control system 1. Components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained.

[0079] The operation control system 1b of the present embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 11b, an operation plan creation unit 12b, an information storage unit 14b, and a presentation unit 15. The presentation unit 15 is the same as in the first embodiment. The information acquisition unit 11b has the same functions as in the first embodiment, and further acquires power supply and demand information and stores the acquired power supply and demand information in the information storage unit 14b. The information acquisition unit 11b may acquire the power supply and demand information by receiving it from the business operator system 2 or the like, or by accepting input from an operator or the like. In addition, the power supply and demand information may include a predicted value of power demand at a charging spot.

[0080] The power supply and demand information is information regarding the balance between power supply and demand, and is, for example, information indicating the upper limit (upper limit value) of power at each charging spot. The power supply and demand information may also be information indicating a power surplus or shortage. The information indicating a power surplus or shortage may also be information regarding demand response, such as information indicating the schedule for the next day's downward demand response (DR) and upward demand response (DR). The upper limit of power is, for example, but is not limited to, defined as the average power per unit time. The unit time is, for example, but is not limited to, 30 minutes. The power supply and demand information may be acquired from a system that manages charging spots, or, in the case of charging spots managed by a business operator, may be acquired from the business operator system 2. The demand response information may change on the day. The demand response information may be acquired from the system of an aggregator that manages DR, or from another system. The power surplus or shortage information may also be a predicted value of power supply and demand for each time period. In this case, the power supply and demand information may be acquired from, for example, a power company system.

[0081] Furthermore, if a solar power generation facility and a storage battery installed by any of the business operator that manages the EVs 3, the operator of the charging spot, or the operator of the operation control system 1b are installed adjacent to the charging spot, information indicating the amount of power generated and stored (hereinafter referred to as information indicating the amount of power generated and the amount of stored power) may be included in the power supply and demand information. The information indicating the amount of power generated and the amount of stored power may be acquired from a system that manages the charging spot, or may be acquired from the business operator system 2. The information indicating the amount of power generated and the amount of stored power may be an actual measured value or a predicted value.

[0082] The information storage unit 14b stores the same information as the information storage unit 14 in the first embodiment, and also stores electricity supply and demand information. The operation plan creation unit 12b creates an operation plan including a charging plan for EV3 by using movement information, map information, charging spot information, and electricity supply and demand information. Specifically, for example, when the electricity supply and demand information includes information indicating an upper limit of electricity at a charging spot, the information storage unit 14b creates an operation plan so as not to exceed the upper limit of electricity at the charging spot. Furthermore, for example, when the electricity supply and demand information includes information regarding demand response, the information storage unit 14b creates an operation plan including a charging plan for EV3 so as to avoid charging in areas where downward DR occurs and promote charging in areas where upward DR occurs.

[0083] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the traffic management system 1b of this embodiment. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the power supply and demand information includes a power upper limit. Steps S1 to S5 are the same as those in the first embodiment. If the answer to step S5 is No, the traffic management system 1b determines whether there is a charging spot whose power exceeds the power upper limit (step S21). Specifically, the traffic plan creation unit 12b determines, for each charging spot, whether there is a time period in which the total power consumption used to charge the EVs 3 (power consumption due to charging) exceeds the power upper limit, based on the charging power of each charger at the charging spot and the charging period for the EVs 3 to which the charging spot is assigned as a temporary charging location. The traffic plan creation unit 12b determines a charging spot in which there is a time period in which the total power consumption due to charging the EVs 3 exceeds the power upper limit as a charging spot that exceeds the power upper limit, and determines a charging spot in which there is no time period in which the total power consumption due to charging the EVs 3 exceeds the power upper limit as a charging spot that does not exceed the power upper limit.

[0084] Note that, although an example has been shown in which vehicles other than EV3 do not charge at the charge spots, for charge spots where vehicles other than EV3 are charged, for example, the operation plan creation unit 12b may predict the power consumption used to charge vehicles other than EV3 based on past performance. Then, the operation plan creation unit 12b determines whether there is a time period in which the sum of the total power consumption due to charging EV3 and the predicted value exceeds the power upper limit. Alternatively, the predicted value of power consumption used to charge vehicles other than EV3 may be provided from an external source. For example, the predicted value of power consumption used to charge vehicles other than EV3 may be included in the power supply and demand information as a predicted value of power demand at the charge spot. Alternatively, the predicted value of power consumption used to charge vehicles other than EV3 may be transmitted from a system (not shown) that manages the charge spots and stored in the information storage unit 14b. The operation plan creation unit 12b may then use the predicted value stored in the information storage unit 14b to calculate the sum of the total charging power of EV3 and the predicted value. In addition, if there are facilities, devices, etc. at the charging spot that consume power other than for charging, a predicted value of power consumption other than for charging may be used to determine whether there is a charging spot that exceeds the power upper limit. The predicted value of power consumption other than for charging may be included in the power supply and demand information, or may be transmitted from, for example, a system (not shown) that manages the charging spot.

[0085] Furthermore, if a charging spot is equipped with a renewable energy (renewable energy) power generation facility such as a solar power generation facility, the operation plan creation unit 12b may take into account the power generated by the renewable energy power generation facility. That is, the operation plan creation unit 12b may predict the power generated by the renewable energy power generation facility and determine whether the value obtained by subtracting the predicted value of the generated power from the power consumption due to charging of EV3, or from the power consumption due to charging of EV3 and the power consumption due to other than charging of EV3, exceeds the power upper limit. Furthermore, if a storage battery that stores the power generated by the renewable energy power generation facility is installed at the charging spot, the charging and discharging of the storage battery may also be taken into account. That is, the operation plan creation unit 12b may also create a charge and discharge plan for the storage battery based on the predicted value of the renewable energy power generation facility, and determine whether there is a charging spot that exceeds the power upper limit using the charge and discharge plan for the storage battery, the predicted value of the renewable energy power generation facility, and the power consumption due to charging of EV3, or from the power consumption due to charging of EV3 and the power consumption due to other than charging of EV3.

[0086] If there are no charging spots that exceed the power upper limit (No in step S21), the traffic management system 1b proceeds to step S6. Step S6 is the same as in embodiment 1. If there are charging spots that exceed the power upper limit (Yes in step S21), the traffic management system 1b proceeds to step S7. Step S7 is the same as in embodiment 1, but if step S21 is Yes, the operation plan creation unit 12b assigns the charging spots that exceed the power upper limit as temporary charging locations and changes at least one of the charging location and the charging time of any of the EVs 3 that are charging during the time period when the power upper limit is exceeded.

[0087] Furthermore, when information indicating the amount of power generation and the amount of stored power is included in the power supply and demand information, the operation plan creation unit 12b may further use the amount of power generation and the amount of stored power to determine a charging spot that will serve as a temporary charging location. For example, when selecting a temporary charging location, the operation plan creation unit 12b may prioritize a charging spot with a large amount of power generation. Alternatively, the operation management system 1b may also function as an EMS (Energy Management System) that manages the energy of the charging spots, and the operation plan creation unit 12b may predict the amount of power generation using the past amount of power generation of the solar power generation facility and use the predicted result to create a charging and discharging plan for the storage battery and a power purchasing plan. In this case, the operation plan creation unit 12b may assume that EV3 will be charged at the charging spot determined as the temporary charging location, and may create a charging and discharging plan for the storage battery and a power purchasing plan taking into account the amount of power used to charge EV3, and determine the temporary charging location so as to reduce the amount of power purchased. The traffic management system 1b may externally acquire a predicted value of the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility.

[0088] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in the traffic control system 1b of this embodiment when the power supply and demand information includes information on demand response. Fig. 12 shows an example in which the power supply and demand information includes both information on the upper limit of power and information indicating a power surplus or shortage.

[0089] Steps S1 and S2 are the same as those in the first embodiment. After step S2, the traffic management system 1b determines a tentative charging location by prioritizing charging spots in an area and time period where a power surplus occurs (step S22). The area and time period where a power surplus occurs are areas and time periods where an up-regulation demand response (DR) is planned if the power supply and demand information includes information on demand response. Alternatively, they are areas and time periods where power supply is predicted to exceed demand if the power supply and demand information includes forecast values ​​for power supply and demand for each time period. This area may be a supply area of ​​a power transmission and distribution utility, an area managed by a retail electricity utility, or an area corresponding to a balancing group, etc. Thus, the above-mentioned area is not limited to a geographical area and may be a predetermined group of consumers, etc.

[0090] In step S22, for example, the operation plan creation unit 12b first determines a tentative charging location as a charging location candidate, as in the first embodiment. Based on the information indicating the power surplus or shortage, the operation plan creation unit 12b determines whether the charging location candidate and the charging time at the charging location candidate correspond to an area and a time period in which surplus power occurs. If the charging location candidate and the charging time at the charging location candidate correspond to an area and a time period in which surplus power occurs, the operation plan creation unit 12b searches for a charging spot that is located before the charging location candidate and whose position and charging time do not correspond to an area and a time period in which surplus power occurs. If the search result indicates a charging spot that is located before the charging location candidate and does not correspond to an area and a time period in which surplus power occurs, the operation plan creation unit 12b sets the charging spot obtained as the search result as a tentative charging location.

[0091] Furthermore, if the search result does not yield a charging spot that does not fall within the area or time period in which surplus power occurs before the charging location candidate, the operation plan creation unit 12b determines the charging location candidate as a tentative charging location. Furthermore, if the search result does not yield a charging spot that does not fall within the area or time period in which surplus power occurs before the charging location candidate, the operation plan creation unit 12b may change the driving route, search for a charging spot that does not fall within the area or time period in which surplus power occurs, and determine a tentative charging location and charging time based on the search result.

[0092] Steps S5, S21, and S6 are the same as the example shown in Fig. 11 . If the result of step S21 is Yes, the traffic management system 1b changes at least one of the charging location and the charging time, giving priority to charging spots in areas and time periods where surplus power occurs (step S23), and repeats the processing from step S4. In step S23, in detail, the operation plan creation unit 12b changes at least one of the charging location and the charging time. At this time, as in step S22, at least one of the charging location and the charging time is changed so that charging at the changed temporary charging spot is performed as much as possible in areas and time periods where surplus power occurs.

[0093] In demand response (DR), the control amount is specified for each supply area of ​​the power transmission and distribution utility. Although an aggregator can operate in multiple supply areas, DR instructions are issued on a supply area basis. Therefore, when determining the temporary charging location described above, the traffic management system 1b receives a DR (upward DR or downward DR) instruction, i.e., a DR schedule, as information related to demand response from the aggregator system. The traffic management system 1b determines a temporary charging location (charging spot) for EV3 so that the charging amount within the supply area corresponding to the instruction is controlled. Furthermore, depending on the product (type of DR) applied for through public solicitation or bidding, the time before the actual DR time when the DR instruction is received, the control amount, the duration of continuous supply, and other factors vary. Therefore, the DR instruction includes requested conditions such as the time period during which DR is performed, the control amount, and the duration of continuous supply. When the traffic management system 1b receives a DR instruction from the aggregator system as power supply and demand information, the traffic management system 1b replies to the aggregator system indicating whether it is possible to perform control that satisfies the requested conditions based on the created operation plan. If the conditions cannot be met, the traffic control system 1b returns a "DR response not possible" to the aggregator system.

[0094] Furthermore, even when DR is taken into consideration, if information indicating the amount of power generation and the amount of stored power is included in the power supply and demand information, the operation plan creation unit 12b may further consider the amount of power generation and the amount of stored power when determining charging spots that will serve as temporary charging locations. For example, when determining temporary charging locations, the operation plan creation unit 12b may prioritize selecting charging spots with a large amount of power generation among charging spots in areas and time periods where surplus power occurs. Alternatively, as described above, the operation management system 1b may also function as an EMS that manages the energy of charging spots, and the operation plan creation unit 12b may predict the amount of power generation using the past amount of power generation of the solar power generation facility and formulate a charging / discharging plan for the storage battery and a power purchase plan using the predicted result. At this time, the operation plan creation unit 12b may assume that EV3 will be charged at a charging spot in an area and time period where surplus electricity occurs as a provisional charging location, provisionally create a charging / discharging plan for the storage battery and a power purchasing plan taking into account the amount of electricity used to charge EV3, and determine the provisional charging location based on the provisional creation results so as to reduce the amount of electricity purchased. Furthermore, the operation plan creation unit 12b may determine the provisional charging location so as to reduce the total cost by further creating a charging / discharging plan for the storage battery and a power purchasing plan taking into account the profits obtained by DR.

[0095] Through the above processing, the traffic management system 1b can promote charging in areas and time periods where surplus power occurs, thereby contributing to maintaining the balance between power supply and demand. In the above example, the traffic planning unit 12b promotes charging in areas and time periods where surplus power occurs. However, charging may be avoided as much as possible in areas and time periods where power shortages or tight power supply and demand occur. That is, the traffic planning unit 12b may determine temporary charging locations so as to prioritize areas and time periods other than those where power shortages or tight power supply and demand occur. If the power supply and demand information includes information on demand response, the areas and time periods where power shortages or tight power supply and demand occur are areas and time periods where a downward demand response (DR) is planned. If the power supply and demand information includes forecast values ​​for power supply and demand for each time period, the areas and time periods where power shortages or tight power supply and demand occur are areas and time periods where power supply falls below demand or the reserve margin is below a specified value.

[0096] For example, if the charging period for the charging location candidate determined in step S22 in the same manner as in embodiment 1 corresponds to an area and time period where a power shortage or a power tightness occurs, the operation plan creation unit 12b searches for a tentative charging location where charging can be performed outside of the area and time period where a power shortage or a power tightness occurs. If a tentative charging location where charging can be performed outside of the area and time period where a power shortage or a power tightness occurs is obtained as a search result, the operation plan creation unit 12b sets the location as the tentative charging location. If a tentative charging location where charging can be performed outside of the area and time period where a power shortage or a power tightness occurs is not obtained as a search result, the operation plan creation unit 12b sets the charging location candidate as the tentative charging location. Similarly, in step S23, at least one of the charging location and the charging period is changed so as to prioritize areas and time periods other than those where a power shortage or a power tightness occurs.

[0097] Furthermore, the operation plan creation unit 12b may take into consideration both a power surplus and a power shortage or a tight power supply and demand. For example, in step S22, the operation plan creation unit 12b first determines a tentative charging location by prioritizing charging spots in areas and time periods where a power surplus occurs. As a result, for EVs 3 whose tentative charging location and charging time are not in an area or time period where a power surplus occurs, if the tentative charging location and charging time are in an area or time period where a power shortage or a tight power supply and demand occurs, the operation plan creation unit 12b searches for a tentative charging location where charging can be performed in an area or time period other than the area or time period where a power shortage or a tight power supply and demand occurs. In this way, the operation plan creation unit 12b determines a tentative charging location by taking into consideration both a power surplus and a power shortage or a tight power supply and demand. Similarly, in step S23, the operation plan creation unit 12b changes at least one of the charging location and the charging time by taking into consideration both a power surplus and a power shortage or a tight power supply and demand.

[0098] The above-described process is merely an example, and the order and specific content of the process are not limited to the above example. Also, while Fig. 12 illustrates an example in which both the upper limit of the power of the charging spot and the power surplus or shortage are considered, the present invention is not limited to this example, and only the power surplus or shortage may be considered. In this case, the process of step S21 illustrated in Fig. 12 does not need to be performed.

[0099] In addition, when creating a charging plan that takes into account the upward DR and downward DR, for example, the aggregator that manages the charging spots may be notified of the increase or decrease in power consumption taking into account the upward DR and downward DR, and the aggregator may bid for the upward DR and downward DR based on the notification.

[0100] As described in embodiment 1, the operation management system 1b of this embodiment may be used when the managed vehicle is an EV3a, which is an automatically driven vehicle, and when the managed vehicles include a mixture of EV3a and EV3, which is a manually driven vehicle.

[0101] Furthermore, the second embodiment and the present embodiment may be combined. In this case, for example, step S11 may be performed before step S3 shown in FIG. 11 , and at least one of the rest period, the charging location, and the charging time may be changed in step S7 shown in FIG. 11 . Furthermore, step S11 may be performed before step S22 shown in FIG. 12 , and at least one of the rest period, the charging location, and the charging time may be changed in step S23 shown in FIG. 12 , giving priority to charging spots in areas and time periods where surplus power occurs.

[0102] Like the traffic control system 1 of the first embodiment, the traffic control system 1b of the present embodiment is also realized by, for example, the computer system illustrated in FIG. 6. The traffic plan creation unit 12b illustrated in FIG. 10 is realized by the control unit 101 illustrated in FIG. 6 executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 6. The storage unit 103 is also used to realize the traffic plan creation unit 12b. The information acquisition unit 11b illustrated in FIG. 10 is realized by at least one of the communication unit 105 and the input unit 102 illustrated in FIG. 6. The information storage unit 14b illustrated in FIG. 10 is part of the storage unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 6. The traffic control system 1b may be realized by multiple computer systems. For example, the traffic control system 1b may be realized by a cloud computer system.

[0103] As described above, the traffic management system 1b can contribute to maintaining the balance between power supply and demand by creating a charging plan based on power supply and demand information. Furthermore, charging of EVs 3 can be used as a demand response resource. Furthermore, the traffic management system 1b can suppress increases in costs due to exceeding the power upper limit by creating a charging plan so as not to exceed the power upper limit.

[0104] Fourth Embodiment Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation system according to a fourth embodiment. The vehicle operation system of this embodiment is similar to the vehicle operation system 100 shown in Fig. 1 of the first embodiment, except that it includes an operation control system 1c instead of the operation control system 1. Components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained below.

[0105] The operation management system 1c of the present embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 11c, an operation plan creation unit 12c, an information storage unit 14c, and a presentation unit 15. The presentation unit 15 is the same as in the first embodiment. The information acquisition unit 11c has the same functions as in the first embodiment and further acquires cost information and stores the acquired cost information in the information storage unit 14c. The information acquisition unit 11c may acquire the cost information by receiving it from the business operator system 2 or by accepting input from an operator. The cost information also includes information indicating the charging fee (the unit price of electricity required for charging) at each charging spot. The cost information may also include power source information indicating the ratio of each power source (power generation method) (the ratio of green power, thermal power generation, etc.). The power source information may be acquired separately from the cost information and stored in the information storage unit 14c. The information storage unit 14c stores information similar to that of the information storage unit 14 of the first embodiment and further stores cost information.

[0106] The operation plan creation unit 12c creates an operation plan by optimizing the operation route, including the charging locations and timings, using the operation route, map information, charging spot information, and cost information. Optimization is a process known as mathematical optimization or mathematical programming, and is a process of finding variables that minimize or maximize an objective function (evaluation value, evaluation function) under constraints. Examples of optimization algorithms include Dijkstra's algorithm, branch and bound algorithm, and metaheuristic solution methods, but are not limited to these, and any algorithm may be used.

[0107] For example, the operation plan creation unit 12c sets the locations and times (charging times) where EVs 3 are charged, and the driving route as variables in the optimization, sets a condition that the charging times at the same charger do not overlap between EVs 3 as a constraint, and solves the optimization problem to minimize the objective function. Note that, as in the first embodiment, a condition that the number of EVs 3 simultaneously charging at one charging spot is equal to or less than a threshold may be set as a constraint, and by setting the threshold to be equal to or less than the number of chargers that can charge EVs 3, overlapping of the charging times at the same charger between EVs 3 may be prevented. Furthermore, the driving route may be fixed to a driving route provided by the business operator system 2 or the like, and the driving route may be used as a constraint rather than a variable.

[0108] As the objective function, for example, one of the following is set: (1) Minimization of the cost required to charge EV3 taking into account the unit price of electricity at each charging spot (2) Minimization of the total cost taking into account the unit price of electricity at each charging spot and the carbon tax (3) Minimization of carbon dioxide emissions (carbon dioxide emissions) (4) Minimization of any two or more of the above (1)-(3) (5) Minimization of the relationship between one or more of the above (1)-(3) and the driver's time of detention (6) Minimization of the relationship between one or more of the above (1)-(3) and the distance traveled by EV3

[0109] The objective function is not limited to the above example. The rest information described in the second embodiment may be included in the constraints. When (3) is the objective function, the cost information does not need to include information related to costs, and power source information is used instead of the cost information. The upper limit of the power of a charging spot may be included in the constraints using the power supply and demand information described in the third embodiment. The power supply and demand information described in the third embodiment may be used to score charging spots per unit time, and the score may be used as the objective function, so that charging spots in areas and time periods where upward DR is expected to be implemented are given lower scores and charging spots in areas and time periods where downward DR is expected to be implemented are given higher scores. Alternatively, the score and one or more of (1) to (6) above may be used as the objective function.

[0110] Furthermore, if the power supply and demand information described in the third embodiment includes information indicating predicted values ​​of the amount of power generated and the amount of stored power, costs may be minimized by taking into account the predicted values ​​of the amount of power generated and the amount of stored power, as well as the price of purchased power at the charging spot. That is, charging power supplied from the solar power generation equipment and storage batteries installed by the business operator managing the EVs 3, the operator of the charging spot, or the operator of the traffic management system 1c may be free or at a predetermined low price (unit price), and the costs (1) and (2) described above may be minimized. Alternatively, the traffic management system 1c may also function as an EMS for the charging spots. In this case, the operation plan creation unit 12c may predict the amount of power generated using the past amount of power generated by the solar power generation equipment, and may use the prediction result to create an operation plan that minimizes costs by using the amount of charging and discharging of the storage battery in each time slot and the amount of purchased power in each time slot as variables, and also taking into account the unit price of purchased power. At this time, if the electricity supply and demand information includes information about DR, the operation plan creation unit 12c may create an operation plan so as to minimize costs while also taking into account the profits obtained from DR.

[0111] When there are multiple items to be considered as objective functions, a multi-objective optimization problem may be solved using each item as an objective function, or multiple items may be combined into one objective function by weighting and adding the items together.

[0112] As described above, the operation plan creation unit 12c may create an operation plan, for example, based on the cost required to charge EV3, or may create an operation plan based on the total cost including the electricity fee and carbon tax required to charge EV3, or may create an operation plan based on the carbon dioxide emission charge of EV3.

[0113] When taking into account carbon taxes and carbon dioxide emissions, the ratio of each power source of electricity used for charging is required. As described above, these are included in, for example, cost information, but this is not limiting, and the ratio of each power source may also be included in the charging spot information. Furthermore, in charging spots equipped with renewable energy power generation facilities, the ratio of each power source for each time period may be provided by a system that manages the charging spot. For charging spots managed by a business operator, this ratio may be provided by the business operator system 2. The carbon dioxide emissions for each power source are calculated, for example, by multiplying the carbon dioxide emission coefficient for each power source by the amount of electricity.

[0114] As described in embodiment 1, the operation management system 1c of this embodiment may be used when the managed vehicle is an EV3a, which is an automatically driven vehicle, and when the managed vehicles include a mixture of EV3a and EV3, which is a manually driven vehicle.

[0115] Like the traffic control system 1 of the first embodiment, the traffic control system 1c of the present embodiment is also realized by, for example, the computer system illustrated in FIG. 6. The traffic plan creation unit 12c illustrated in FIG. 13 is realized by the control unit 101 illustrated in FIG. 6 executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 6. The storage unit 103 is also used to realize the traffic plan creation unit 12c. The information acquisition unit 11c illustrated in FIG. 13 is realized by at least one of the communication unit 105 and the input unit 102 illustrated in FIG. 6. The information storage unit 14c illustrated in FIG. 13 is part of the storage unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 6. The traffic control system 1c may be realized by multiple computer systems. For example, the traffic control system 1c may be realized by a cloud computer system.

[0116] As described above, the traffic management system 1c creates a charging plan taking costs into consideration, thereby reducing the cost required for charging. Furthermore, the traffic management system 1c creates a charging plan taking carbon dioxide emissions into consideration, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, the traffic management system 1c creates a charging plan taking driver on-duty time into consideration, thereby reducing driver on-duty time.

[0117] Fifth embodiment Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle operation system according to a fifth embodiment. The vehicle operation system of this embodiment is similar to the vehicle operation system 100 shown in Fig. 1 of the first embodiment, except that it includes an operation control system 1d instead of the operation control system 1. Components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly explained.

[0118] The operation management system 1d of the present embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 11d, an operation plan creation unit 12d, an information storage unit 14d, and a presentation unit 15. The presentation unit 15 is the same as in embodiment 1. The information acquisition unit 11d has the same functions as in embodiment 1, and further acquires status information and EV status information, outputs the status information to the operation plan creation unit 12d, and stores the status information and EV status information in the information storage unit 14d.

[0119] The status information includes information indicating road conditions (traffic congestion information, road closures, etc.), weather information, and information indicating the supply and demand status of electricity. The information acquisition unit 11d acquires the status information by receiving it from, for example, a system that provides the respective information. Specifically, for example, the information acquisition unit 11d acquires information indicating road conditions from a road traffic center or the like. The EV status information is information indicating the status of the EV 3, and is, for example, at least one of location information indicating the location of the EV 3, at least one of the SOC and SOH of the EV 3, an actual value of when to charge, and a remaining driving distance. The information acquisition unit 11d acquires the EV status information by receiving it from the EV 3 directly or via the business operator system 2.

[0120] The information storage unit 14d stores the same information as the information storage unit 14 in the first embodiment, and also stores situation information and EV status information. The operation plan creation unit 12d determines whether a review condition (a review condition for an operation plan) is satisfied based on the situation information, and recreates the operation plan if the review condition is satisfied. That is, the operation plan creation unit 12d recreates the operation plan if the road conditions satisfy the review condition for the operation plan. When revising, i.e., when recreating the operation plan, the operation plan creation unit 12d may change the assumed traveling speed depending on the situation. Furthermore, when recreating the operation plan, the operation plan creation unit 12d may select an EV 3 for which the operation plan is to be changed based on the EV status information, and modify the operation plan for the selected EV 3.

[0121] The review conditions are, for example, but not limited to, one or more of the following conditions: (a) Occurrence of traffic congestion of a certain degree or more (e.g., more than X km), such as a traffic congestion of more than X km; (b) Occurrence of a road closure; (c) Occurrence of a speed limit; (d) Snowfall or rainfall of a certain amount or more; (e) A change in the electricity supply and demand situation, such as an occurrence of a power shortage; (f) A delay of a certain time or more (based on location information).

[0122] Note that the following mainly describes an example in which the review of this embodiment is performed after an operation plan is created by the method described in embodiment 1. However, the review of this embodiment may also be performed after an operation plan is created by any of the methods of embodiment 2, embodiment 3, and embodiment 4. Furthermore, the review of this embodiment may also be performed after an operation plan is created by a method that combines two or more of embodiment 1 to embodiment 4. Note that when an operation plan is created by the method described in embodiment 3, the review condition may include a case in which the power surplus or shortage situation has changed from the power surplus or shortage situation indicated by the power supply and demand information used to create the operation plan. For example, when an operation plan is created based on a demand response schedule for the next day, the review condition may include a case in which the situation changes due to a demand response adjustment on the day (for example, an adjustment several hours before the activation of the demand response).

[0123] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for reviewing an operation plan in the operation management system 1d of this embodiment. The processing shown in FIG. 15 is performed after an operation plan is created. For example, if an operation plan for one day is created the day before, the processing shown in FIG. 15 is performed on the day itself. The operation management system 1d acquires status information (step S31). In detail, the information acquisition unit 11d acquires the status information and outputs the acquired status information to the operation plan creation unit 12d.

[0124] The operation management system 1d determines whether the review condition is satisfied (step S32). Specifically, the operation plan creation unit 12d determines whether the review condition is satisfied using, for example, the situation information received from the information acquisition unit 11. The review condition may be, for example, one or more of the above-described conditions (a) to (f), but is not limited to these. When two or more conditions among the above-described conditions (a) to (f) are set as review conditions, the operation plan creation unit 12d determines Yes in step S32 when at least one of the two or more conditions is satisfied. Note that when the review condition includes the above-described condition (f), in step S32, the operation plan creation unit 12d determines, for each EV 3, whether the delay time from the operation plan is equal to or longer than a certain time based on the location information in the EV status information and the operation plan. The above-described condition (f) is an example of a review condition related to the situation of the EV 3. Therefore, in step S32, the operation plan creation unit 12d may determine whether at least one of the road situation and the situation of the EV 3 satisfies the review condition.

[0125] If the review condition is not satisfied (step S32: No), the traffic management system 1d terminates the review process. If the review condition is satisfied (step S32: Yes), the traffic management system 1d selects EVs 3 whose charging plans are to be revised using the EV status information (step S33). Specifically, the operation plan creation unit 12d extracts EVs 3 whose charging plans require revision according to the review condition, and selects EVs 3 whose charging plans are to be revised, i.e., EVs 3 whose operation plans are to be re-created, from among the extracted EVs 3, using the EV status information stored in the information storage unit 14d. For example, if the review is due to the occurrence of traffic congestion, the operation plan creation unit 12d may extract EVs 3 affected by the traffic congestion and, from among the extracted EVs 3, prioritize EVs with low SOC or short remaining mileage as targets for revision of the charging plans. The remaining mileage may also be calculated using the SOH. For example, the charging plans may be reviewed sequentially, such as first reviewing EVs 3 with high priority, and then reviewing EVs 3 with low priority in the next process. This makes it possible to quickly review the charging plans of EVs 3 with high priority while suppressing the processing load for one time. Alternatively, the operation plan creation unit 12 d may, for example, shift the charging plans of delayed EVs 3 by the amount of the delay without changing them, and may target the charging plans of EVs 3 that are not delayed and that are affected by the shift.

[0126] Next, the operation management system 1d modifies the charging plan for the EV 3 to be modified, modifies the operation plan based on the modified charging plan (step S34), and ends the processing. In step S34, for example, the operation plan creation unit 12d re-creates an operation plan including a charging plan for the selected EV 3 by using the current operation plan and the SOC and location information in the EV status information, and regarding the charging location and charging time in the current charging plan as a tentative charging location and charging time, by processing similar to that from step S4 onwards in FIG. 2 . Note that, in a case where the operation plan has been created by any of the methods of the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the fourth embodiment, or a method combining two or more of the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment, the operation plan creation unit 12d re-creates an operation plan including a charging plan for the selected EV 3 by using the SOC and location information in the EV status information, similar to the processing when each operation plan was created. Note that, when selecting a non-delayed EV 3 as a target for correcting the charging plan without changing the operation plan of the delayed EV 3, for example, the operation plan creation unit 12 d updates the charging plan of the delayed EV 3 to a charging plan shifted later by the amount of the delay. Then, the shifted charging plan for the delayed EV 3 is fixed, and an operation plan including a charging plan is created for the selected non-delayed EV 3 by the same process as when the operation plan was created, so that the charging periods at the same charger do not overlap.

[0127] For example, suppose the charging plans for EV3-1 to EV3-3 are as follows: EV3-1 departs at 8:15, drives for two hours, charges at charging spot A from 10:15 to 10:30, drives for four hours, charges at charging spot C from 14:30 to 15:00, and arrives at the destination at 17:00 after driving for two hours. EV3-2 departs at 8:45, drives for two hours, charges at charging spot A from 10:45 to 11:15, drives for four hours, charges at charging spot C from 15:15 to 15:30, and arrives at the destination at 17:30 after driving for two hours. EV3-3 departs at 8:00, drives for four hours, charges at charging spot B from 12:00 to 12:45, and arrives at the destination at 16:45 after driving for four hours.

[0128] If the charging plan as described above has been created, it is assumed that on the day of the trip, it becomes clear that the departure of EV3-1 will be delayed by 45 minutes. In this case, the operation plan creation unit 12d shifts the charging plan for EV3-1 back by 45 minutes. The charging plan for EV3-1 will be as follows, and the charging periods at charging spot A and charging spot C will overlap with those of EV3-2. EV3-1 departs at 9:00, drives for two hours, charges at charging spot A from 11:00 to 11:15, drives for four hours, charges at charging spot C from 15:15 to 15:45, and arrives at the destination at 17:45 after driving for two hours.

[0129] Therefore, if there is one charger that can charge EV3 at each of charging spot A and charging spot C, EV3 will have to wait for charging at both charging spot A and charging spot C. In this case, the operation plan creation unit 12d selects EV3-2, which is affected by the shift in the charging plan for EV3-1, as a target for changing the charging plan. In the charging plan for EV3-2, the operation plan creation unit 12d shortens the charging time at charging spot A by 15 minutes, for example, and changes the charging location from charging spot C to charging spot B, which is closer to charging spot C, thereby avoiding overlapping with the charging period for EV3-1. As a result, the charging plan for EV3-2 is changed as follows: Note that EV3-3 is not affected by the shift in the charging plan for EV3-1, and so its charging plan is not changed, but if a change in the charging plan for EV3-2 causes an overlap in charging periods at the same charging spot, at least one of the charging location and charging period of EV3-2, EV3-3, whose charging periods overlap, is changed as described in embodiment 1. EV3-2 departs at 8:45, drives for two hours, charges at charging spot A from 10:45 to 11:00, drives for two hours, charges at charging spot B from 13:00 to 13:30, and arrives at the destination at 17:30 after driving for four hours.

[0130] The specific method for changing the charging plan is not limited to the above example. The processing illustrated in Fig. 15 reduces the amount of calculation required to modify the charging plan, and prevents overlapping of charging periods at the same charger when the charging plan needs to be revised, allowing the EV 3 to travel smoothly.

[0131] FIG. 15 shows an example in which an EV3 to be the target of correction of the charging plan is selected, but it is also possible to adjust the operation of the EV3 to the actual state by recreating the charging plan reflecting the latest state of the EV3 without selecting an EV3 to be the target of correction of the charging plan.

[0132] Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing another example of the processing procedure for reviewing an operation plan in the operation management system 1d of this embodiment. The processing shown in Fig. 16 is performed after an operation plan is created. For example, when an operation plan for one day is created the day before, the processing shown in Fig. 16 is performed on the day itself. Steps S31 and S32 are the same as the example shown in Fig. 15.

[0133] If the answer is Yes in step S32, the operation management system 1d recreates the operation plan using the EV status information (step S35) and ends the review process. Specifically, the operation plan creation unit 12d uses the SOC and location information in the EV status information to consider the charging locations and charging times in the current charging plan as temporary charging locations and charging times, and recreates the operation plan including the charging plan by processing similar to that from step S4 onward in FIG. 2 . Note that if an operation plan has been created using any one of embodiments 2 to 4, or a combination of two or more of embodiments 1 to 4, the operation plan creation unit 12d recreates the operation plan including the charging plan for the selected EV 3 using the SOC and location information in the EV status information, similar to the processing used when creating each operation plan. In this way, when an event that meets the review condition occurs, the operation management system 1d can create an operation plan including a charging plan that reflects the actual status of the EV 3, thereby enabling the EV 3 to travel smoothly.

[0134] The operation management system 1d of the present embodiment may be used when an EV 3a, which is an autonomously driven vehicle, is subject to management, as described in embodiment 1, or when a mixture of EVs 3a and manually driven vehicles 3 is subject to management. As described above, the present embodiment may be reviewed after an operation plan is created by any of the methods of embodiment 2, embodiment 3, and embodiment 4, or the present embodiment may be reviewed after an operation plan is created by a method that combines two or more of embodiment 1 to embodiment 4.

[0135] Furthermore, the traffic control system 1d may use different methods for creating an operation plan when creating the operation plan and when recreating the operation plan in the review process. For example, the traffic control system 1d may create an operation plan using the optimization described in the fourth embodiment, and may modify the charging plan (and the operation plan) using the method described in the first or second embodiment when recreating the operation plan in the review process.

[0136] Like the traffic control system 1 of the first embodiment, the traffic control system 1d of the present embodiment is also realized by, for example, the computer system illustrated in FIG. 6. The traffic plan creation unit 12d illustrated in FIG. 14 is realized by the control unit 101 illustrated in FIG. 6 executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 6. The storage unit 103 is also used to realize the traffic plan creation unit 12d. The information acquisition unit 11d illustrated in FIG. 14 is realized by at least one of the communication unit 105 and the input unit 102 illustrated in FIG. 6. The information storage unit 14d illustrated in FIG. 14 is part of the storage unit 103 illustrated in FIG. 6. The traffic control system 1d may be realized by multiple computer systems. For example, the traffic control system 1d may be realized by a cloud computer system.

[0137] As described above, the operation management system 1d recreates an operation plan when the review condition is met. This prevents overlapping charging periods at the same charger and allows EVs 3 to travel smoothly even when an event occurs that requires a review of the operation plan. Furthermore, by selecting EVs 3 for which the operation plan is to be recreated based on the current operation plan and EV status information, the amount of calculation required to recreate the operation plan can be reduced.

[0138] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. It is also possible to omit or modify parts of the configurations as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention.

[0139] 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d Operation management system, 2 Operator system, 3-1 to 3-n, 3a-1 to 3a-n EV, 4-1 to 4-m Terminal device, 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d Information acquisition unit, 12, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d Operation plan creation unit, 13 Travel route creation unit, 14, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d Information storage unit, 15 Presentation unit, 21 Transmitting / receiving unit, 22 Vehicle management unit, 23 Input acceptance unit, 24 Information display unit, 31 In-vehicle terminal, 32 Travel control unit, 100 Vehicle operation system.

Claims

1. A traffic management system for commercial electric vehicles that travel on routes including expressways, comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires movement information including at least the departure and destination points of each of the electric vehicles managed by the traffic management system; and a traffic plan creation unit that creates a traffic plan including charging plans for the electric vehicles based on the movement information and the locations of charging spots where chargers that can charge the electric vehicles are installed, so that the charging periods of the electric vehicles at the same chargers do not overlap.

2. The operation management system described in claim 1, characterized in that the operation plan creation unit determines the driving route of the electric vehicle based on the departure point and destination of each of the electric vehicles, and creates the operation plan based on the driving route and the location of the charging spot.

3. The operation management system described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the travel information includes the driving route of the electric vehicle, and the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan based on the driving route and the location of the charging spot included in the travel information.

4. An operation management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the operation plan creation unit further creates the operation plan based on rest information indicating constraints regarding rest for the driver of the electric vehicle.

5. The operation management system described in claim 4, characterized in that the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan so that the charging period for the electric vehicle driven by the driver overlaps with the driver's rest period.

6. An operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan based on power supply and demand information relating to the balance between power supply and demand.

7. The traffic management system according to claim 6, characterized in that the power supply and demand information includes information indicating an upper limit of power at the charging spot.

8. The traffic management system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the power supply and demand information includes information regarding demand response.

9. An operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan further based on the cost required to charge the electric vehicle.

10. An operation management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan based on a total cost including the electricity charges and carbon tax required to charge the electric vehicle.

11. An operation management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the operation plan creation unit creates the operation plan based further on the carbon dioxide emissions of the electric vehicle.

12. An operation management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the operation plan creation unit recreates the operation plan based on the state of the electric vehicle when at least one of the road conditions and the state of the electric vehicle meets the conditions for reviewing the operation plan.

13. An operation management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, when at least one of the road conditions and the electric vehicle conditions meets the conditions for reviewing the operation plan, the operation plan creation unit selects the electric vehicle to be subject to revision of the operation plan based on the state of the electric vehicle, and recreates the operation plan for the selected electric vehicle.

14. A vehicle operation system comprising: a plurality of electric vehicles for business use that travel on routes including expressways; and an operation management system that manages the operation of the plurality of electric vehicles, wherein the operation management system comprises: an information acquisition unit that acquires movement information including at least the departure and destination of each of the plurality of electric vehicles; and an operation plan creation unit that creates an operation plan including charging plans for the plurality of electric vehicles based on the movement information and the locations of charging spots where chargers that can charge the electric vehicles are installed, so that the charging periods of the electric vehicles at the same charger do not overlap; and wherein the electric vehicles display the operation plan.

15. An operation management method in an operation management system for commercial electric vehicles that travel on routes including expressways, comprising the steps of: acquiring movement information including at least the departure and destination points of each of a plurality of electric vehicles managed by the operation management system; and creating an operation plan including charging plans for a plurality of electric vehicles based on the movement information and the locations of charging spots where chargers capable of charging the electric vehicles are installed, so that the charging periods of the electric vehicles at the same chargers do not overlap.

16. A program that causes a computer system that manages the operation of multiple electric vehicles for business use that travel on routes including expressways to execute the following steps: acquiring movement information that includes at least the departure and destination points of each of the multiple electric vehicles; and creating an operation plan that includes charging plans for the multiple electric vehicles based on the movement information and the locations of charging spots where chargers that can charge the electric vehicles are installed, so that the charging periods of the electric vehicles at the same charger do not overlap.

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