Heat management system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a heat management system capable of performing defrosting control without detracting from comfort of a user. [Solution] In a control system 100 that serves as a heat management system including a control unit 110 for controlling a vehicle on the basis of boarding reservation information and vehicle information, the control unit 110 predicts a change in amount of frost deposition on a radiator 61, when a vehicle having the radiator 61 serving as a heat exchange unit for exchanging heat with outside air travels from a current location to a destination, and executes defrosting control for defrosting the radiator 61 on the basis of prediction results, prior to the user boarding the vehicle.

Description

Thermal Management System

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal management system.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses changing the operating characteristics of a vehicle system or on-board equipment based on the sustainable range of the battery predicted from environmental conditions along the route until the vehicle reaches its destination. Patent Literature 2 discloses a method for remotely starting a vehicle.

[0003] US Patent Application Publication No. 2024 / 0027212 Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 115107697

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal management system that can perform defrosting control without impairing the comfort of the user.

[0005] According to one aspect of the thermal management system of the present invention, in a thermal management system having a control unit that controls a vehicle based on boarding reservation information and vehicle information, the control unit predicts changes in the amount of frost that will form on the heat exchange unit when a vehicle having a heat exchange unit that exchanges heat with outside air moves from its current location to its destination, and based on the prediction result, performs defrosting control to defrost the heat exchange unit before the user gets into the vehicle.

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat management system that can perform defrosting control without impairing the comfort of the user.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a control system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a server. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of an example of the configuration of a vehicle air conditioning system, and is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle air conditioning system when performing radiator defrosting control and passenger compartment heating operation while the vehicle is traveling. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart showing the procedure of a vehicle dispatch management control process. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart showing the procedure of a travel plan selection process. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a specific example of route selection when the travel plan selection process is executed. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart showing the procedure of a defrost control process. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of changes in frost formation rate and passenger compartment temperature when the defrost control process is executed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of changes in frost formation rate and passenger compartment temperature when the defrost control process is executed. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart showing the procedure of a charge control process.

[0008] [Configuration of the Control System] The heat management system of this embodiment is configured to be able to perform defrosting control without compromising the comfort of the user. Furthermore, the charging control system of this embodiment is configured to reliably transport the user to their destination. Furthermore, the vehicle dispatch management system of this embodiment is configured to enable vehicles that were not previously eligible for dispatch to be included in the vehicle dispatch selection system. Furthermore, the information processing device of this embodiment is configured to perform vehicle dispatch management that minimizes energy consumption without forcing the user to endure hardships while riding.

[0009] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an example configuration of a vehicle control system 100 that functions as a heat management system, a charge control system, and a vehicle dispatch management system.

[0010] The control system 100 includes a server 101. The server 101 is communicably connected to a plurality of vehicles 103 and a user terminal 104 via the Internet 102. The vehicles 103 are, for example, rechargeable electric vehicles (EVs) such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The user terminals 104 are, for example, personal computers (PCs) and smartphones. The control system 100 is a system capable of dispatching a vehicle 103 that meets certain conditions from among the plurality of vehicles 103.

[0011] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an example of the hardware configuration of the server 101. The server 101 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 111, and a communication device 112.

[0012] The control unit 110 is, for example, a one-chip microcomputer, and includes a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a central processing unit (CPU).

[0013] The control unit 110 controls the vehicle 103 based on the boarding reservation information and the vehicle information. The control unit 110 also functions as an information processing device. The control unit 110 includes a creation unit 110a that creates multiple driving plans that enable the vehicle to travel to the user's planned boarding point by the user's planned boarding time, an acquisition unit 110b that acquires external environment information along the route to be traveled according to the created driving plans, and a selection unit 110c that selects, from the multiple driving plans, a driving plan with the lowest energy consumption based on the acquired external environment information.

[0014] The storage unit 111 is a computer-readable recording medium (storage) that stores various types of data. The storage unit 111 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0015] The communication device 112 is connected to the Internet 102 and performs data communication with the vehicle 103 via the Internet 102 .

[0016] [Vehicle Configuration] As shown in FIG. 3 , the vehicle 103 includes a control unit 115 , a storage unit 116 , and a communication device 117 .

[0017] The control unit 115 is, for example, a one-chip microcomputer including a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a central processing unit (CPU). The control unit 115 can control the operation of the vehicle 103 based on the driving and air conditioning plans transmitted from the control unit 110.

[0018] The storage unit 116 is a computer-readable recording medium (storage) that stores various types of data. The storage unit 116 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0019] The communication device 117 is connected to the Internet 102 and performs data communication with the server 101 via the Internet 102 .

[0020] [Defrosting Control] As shown in Fig. 4, the vehicle 103 is equipped with the vehicle air conditioning system 1. The vehicle air conditioning system 1 is controlled by a control unit 115 of the vehicle 103. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle air conditioning system 1 when performing defrosting control of the radiator 61 and heating operation of the vehicle cabin while the vehicle 103 is traveling.

[0021] The vehicle air conditioning system 1 includes a refrigerant circuit 10, a high-temperature heat medium circuit 20, a low-temperature heat medium circuit 30, a battery temperature control circuit 40, a motor temperature control circuit 50, and an exterior heat exchange circuit 60. Of these circuits, the low-temperature heat medium circuit 30, the battery temperature control circuit 40, the motor temperature control circuit 50, and the exterior heat exchange circuit 60 are connected to a flow switching device 70 such as an eight-way valve. The vehicle air conditioning system 1 also includes an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) unit 80.

[0022] When defrosting control of the radiator 61 as a heat exchanger and heating operation of the vehicle interior are performed while the vehicle is traveling, the heat medium heated by heat exchange in the high-temperature side heat exchanger 12 circulates through the high-temperature side heat medium circuit 20, which is separated from the exterior heat exchange circuit 60, and flows through the heater core 21. As a result, the heat of the heat medium absorbed by the high-temperature side heat exchanger 12 heats the vehicle interior. Note that although the example of defrosting control while the vehicle is traveling is given in this embodiment, defrosting control may be performed not only while the vehicle is traveling, but also while the vehicle 103 is stopped, such as before starting to travel. In particular, if there is sufficient time before passengers get in the vehicle, the power required for defrosting can be reduced by performing defrosting control before traveling.

[0023] The flow path switching device 70 also connects the flow paths of the battery temperature control circuit 40 and the exterior heat exchange circuit 60, forming a circulation path through which the battery temperature control circuit 40 and the exterior heat exchange circuit 60 cooperate to circulate the heat medium. As a result, the radiator 61 is defrosted using heat generated by the battery 41 or the heat medium heated by the heat medium heater 42. When the control unit 115 executes only defrost control of the radiator 61 without executing heating operation while the vehicle 103 is traveling, the control unit 115 forms a flow path through which the heat medium absorbed by the high-temperature side heat exchanger 12 flows through the radiator 61 without passing through the heater core 21. In this case, the defrost control may be executed not only while the vehicle 103 is traveling but also while the vehicle 103 is stopped, such as before the vehicle starts traveling. In particular, if there is sufficient time before passengers enter the vehicle, executing the defrost control before the vehicle starts traveling can reduce the power required for defrosting.

[0024] The defrosting control is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 4. For example, the defrosting control of the radiator 61 may be performed using the heat of the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circuit 10, or the defrosting control of the radiator 61 may be performed using the heat medium heated by heat exchange in the high-temperature side heat exchanger 12.

[0025] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a vehicle allocation management control process executed by the control unit 110 of the server 101. The control unit 110 executes the vehicle allocation management control process to allocate a vehicle 103 that meets a condition from among a plurality of vehicles 103.

[0026] The vehicle dispatch management control process is executed, for example, when reserving and dispatching an autonomous, driverless taxi. That is, in the vehicle dispatch management control process, when a user requesting a taxi dispatch reservation requests a taxi dispatch reservation, "vehicle information" of taxis near the planned boarding point is acquired based on "boarding reservation information" including information such as the planned boarding time and the planned boarding point. Then, based on the acquired "vehicle information," a "driving plan" is created including a power consumption forecast based on the driving route to the destination and the air conditioning status. A taxi capable of executing the created "driving plan" is then selected, and reservation data is transmitted to the selected taxi. The "driving plan" may be corrected by executing a "driving plan selection process," a "defrosting control process," and a "charging control process." The vehicle dispatch management control process will be specifically described below with reference to FIG. 5.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, in the vehicle dispatch management control process, the control unit 110 acquires the boarding reservation information transmitted from the user terminal 104 (S1).

[0028] When a user desires to dispatch a taxi, the user inputs ride reservation information into an application installed on the user terminal 104 or into a reservation site on the web (World Wide Web) accessed using the user terminal 104. The ride reservation information input by the user is transmitted to the server 101 via the internet 102. This allows the control unit 110 to acquire the ride reservation information.

[0029] The boarding reservation information includes, for example, a scheduled boarding time, a scheduled boarding point, a destination, the number of passengers, and air conditioning setting information. The air conditioning setting information includes, for example, a desired temperature in the vehicle cabin, and can be specified by a specific temperature or a temperature tendency (higher or lower).

[0030] Next, the control unit 110 searches for a vehicle that can satisfy the user's desired conditions based on the boarding reservation information, and determines whether or not there is a vehicle that can satisfy the user's desired conditions (S2, S3).

[0031] If the control unit 110 determines that a corresponding vehicle exists (S3: YES), the control unit 110 acquires vehicle information of the corresponding vehicle (S4). The vehicle information includes, for example, the temperature inside the vehicle cabin, the remaining charge of the battery, and the amount of frost on the radiator 61.

[0032] Next, the control unit 110 creates a driving plan for the vehicle (S5). The driving plan is, for example, a driving route plan for the vehicle 103 from the current location to the destination via the user's planned boarding point, and a power consumption plan based on the predicted results of power consumption for driving and power consumption for air conditioning.

[0033] The power consumption plan includes a power consumption plan before the user gets on board from the current location of the vehicle 103 to the user's planned boarding point, and a power consumption plan during the user's ride from the user's planned boarding point to the destination.

[0034] Next, the control unit 110 executes a driving plan selection process to select a driving plan with the lowest energy consumption from among the plurality of driving plans (S6).

[0035] Next, the control unit 110 executes a defrost control process to defrost the radiator 61 (S7).

[0036] Next, the control unit 110 executes a charging control process to determine whether or not to permit the vehicle 103 to arrive at the user's planned boarding point via a charging spot (S8).

[0037] Next, the control unit 110 determines whether the remaining battery charge of the vehicle 103 exceeds the power required to reach the destination (S9).

[0038] If the power required to reach the destination exceeds the remaining battery charge of the vehicle 103 (S9: NO), the control unit 110 returns to the processing of step S2. If the power required to reach the destination does not exceed the remaining battery charge of the vehicle 103 (S9: YES), the control unit 110 transmits reservation data to the control unit 115 of the vehicle 103 to be dispatched (S10). The control unit 115 of the vehicle 103 controls the vehicle 103 based on the reservation data received from the control unit 110. This makes it possible to dispatch a vehicle 103 that meets the user's desired conditions based on the reservation data.

[0039] The reservation data is data based on the driving plan of step S6, but the data based on the driving plan of step S5 may be corrected by executing the driving plan selection process of step S6, the charge control process of step S8, and the defrost control process of step S7. Therefore, the reservation data may include a plan for the driving route of the target vehicle determined in the driving plan selection process of step S6 and the charge control process of step S8. The reservation data may also include plans for defrost control and pre-air conditioning determined in the defrost control process of step S7. Note that pre-air conditioning is air conditioning of the vehicle cabin that is performed before the user gets in the vehicle.

[0040] On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that there is no corresponding vehicle (S3: NO), it transmits a message to the user terminal 104 suggesting a change in conditions to the user (S11). For example, the control unit 110 suggests changing the scheduled boarding time, changing vehicles before arriving at the destination, or accepting a decrease in comfort (changing the set temperature, turning off the air conditioning, etc.).

[0041] The control unit 110 then determines whether the user has changed the desired conditions (S12). If the user has changed the desired conditions (S12: YES), the control unit 110 returns to the process of step S2. If the user has not changed the desired conditions (S12: NO), the control unit 110 sends a message to the user terminal 104 indicating that the vehicle cannot be dispatched (S13).

[0042] [Driving Plan Selection Process] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a driving plan selection process executed by the control unit 110 of the server 101 in step S6 of the vehicle dispatch control process shown in Fig. 5. The driving plan selection process is a process of selecting a driving plan with the lowest energy consumption from among multiple driving plans based on external environment information.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 110 calculates the time required for the vehicle 103 to travel from the current location to the user's planned boarding point along the shortest route (S1001).

[0044] Next, the control unit 110 determines whether there is sufficient time for the vehicle 103 to travel from the current location to the user's planned boarding point based on the required time calculated in step S1001 (S1002). An example of a specific method for determining whether there is sufficient time in step S1002 is to determine whether the difference between the time until the user's planned boarding time and the required time calculated in step S1001 is equal to or greater than a threshold, and determine that there is sufficient time if the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold. Another example is to search for a route that allows the vehicle 103 to arrive at the planned boarding point by the user's planned boarding time, and determine that there is sufficient time if multiple routes are found.

[0045] As a result, if the control unit 110 determines that there is sufficient time (S1002: YES), it selects the route with the lowest energy consumption from among multiple driving routes from the current location of the vehicle 103 to the user's planned boarding point (S1003).

[0046] 5, the creation unit 110a of the control unit 110 creates multiple driving plans that enable the vehicle 103 to travel to the user's planned boarding point by the user's planned boarding time. At this time, the acquisition unit 110b of the control unit 110 acquires external environment information along the route to be traveled according to the created driving plans. Then, in step S1003, the selection unit 110c of the control unit 110 selects the driving plan with the lowest energy consumption from the multiple driving plans based on the acquired external environment information.

[0047] Specifically, the power consumption for each route to the user's planned boarding point is calculated, and the route with the lowest power consumption is selected. For example, when traveling on a route with few hills or a route where the vehicle speed is constant, the driving power is low. Furthermore, for example, when air conditioning in the vehicle cabin is not performed, when the outside temperature is close to the user's set temperature, when passing through a tunnel, when humidity is low, or when the vehicle speed is high, the air conditioning power is low. Furthermore, when air conditioning is not performed or humidity is low, the defrosting power is low. Furthermore, by stopping the vehicle 103 or slowing down the speed of the vehicle 103, the cooling of the radiator 61 while traveling can be suppressed, the time required for defrosting can be shortened, and the defrosting power can be reduced. In this case, by increasing the speed of the vehicle 103 after defrosting is completed, water that has adhered to the surface of the radiator 61 as a result of defrosting control can be blown off.

[0048] When the control unit 110 selects the route with the lowest energy consumption, it executes the process of correcting the driving plan in step S5 of FIG. 5 so that the selected route is traveled.

[0049] In this way, by selecting the route with the lowest energy consumption to the user's planned boarding point, it is possible to reduce energy consumption before the user boards the vehicle. Furthermore, by reducing energy consumption before the user boards the vehicle, it is possible to ensure that the remaining battery power is sufficient to cover the amount of power required for driving after the user boards the vehicle, which is predicted from the information set in advance. Therefore, even if the user changes the air conditioning settings after boarding, it can be accommodated. This makes it possible to satisfy the user's comfort.

[0050] If the control unit 110 determines that there is not enough time (S1002: NO), the control unit 110 ends the process. In this case, the control unit 110 selects the shortest route to the planned boarding point. Note that, since the driving plan in step S5 of FIG. 5 is to travel the shortest route, the vehicle will travel along the route in accordance with the original driving plan.

[0051] [Specific Example of Route Selection According to Power Consumption] FIG. 7 shows a specific example of route selection when the travel plan selection process shown in FIG. 6 is executed.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 7, for example, it is assumed that there are three routes A, B, and C that can be traveled from the current location of the vehicle 103 to the user's planned boarding point.

[0053] When route A is selected, the running power required for the vehicle 103 to arrive at the user's planned boarding point is 8 kW / h, and the air conditioning power required for the vehicle 103 to arrive at the destination (including the power consumed by defrosting control) is 5 kW / h. As a result, when route A is selected, the power required for the vehicle 103 to arrive at the user's planned boarding point is 13 kW / h.

[0054] When route B is selected, the running power required for the vehicle 103 to arrive at the user's planned boarding point is 9 kW / h, and the air conditioning power required for the vehicle 103 to arrive at the destination (including the power consumed by defrosting control) is 3 kW / h. As a result, when route B is selected, the power required for the vehicle 103 to arrive at the user's planned boarding point is 12 kW / h.

[0055] When route C is selected, the running power required to reach the destination is 9 kW / h, and the air conditioning power required to reach the destination (including the power consumed by defrosting control) is 4 kW / h. As a result, when route C is selected, the power consumed by vehicle 103 until it reaches the user's planned boarding point is 13 kW / h.

[0056] Therefore, when comparing the power consumed by the vehicle 103 until it arrives at the user's planned boarding point among Route A, Route B, and Route C, the power consumed is lowest when Route B is selected. Therefore, Route B is selected (S1003 in FIG. 6).

[0057] [Defrosting Control Process] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the defrosting control process executed by the control unit 110 of the server 101 in step S7 of the vehicle dispatch control process shown in FIG.

[0058] The defrosting control process is a process that predicts the amount of frost that will form on the radiator 61 when a vehicle 103 having a radiator 61 that exchanges heat with outside air moves from its current location to its destination, and based on the prediction result, executes defrosting control to defrost the radiator 61 before the user gets into the vehicle 103.

[0059] 8, the control unit 110 predicts the amount of frost that will form on the radiator 61 when the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination from the current location (S601). Next, the control unit 110 determines whether or not defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination based on the prediction result in step S601 (S602).

[0060] If the control unit 110 determines that defrosting of the radiator 61 is not necessary before the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination (S602: NO), the control unit 110 terminates the processing. If the control unit 110 determines that defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination (S602: YES), the control unit 110 estimates a target temperature for performing pre-air conditioning based on the air conditioning setting information included in the boarding reservation information acquired in step S2 of Fig. 5 (S603). Note that if the boarding reservation information does not include air conditioning setting information, the air conditioning setting of the previous user may be estimated as the target temperature.

[0061] Next, the control unit 110 estimates the temperature in the vehicle interior at the time the user is scheduled to board the vehicle 103, assuming that defrost control and air conditioning in the vehicle interior (pre-air conditioning) will be performed before the user boards the vehicle 103, in the order of performing defrost control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle interior (S604).

[0062] Next, the control unit 110 estimates the amount of frost that will form on the radiator 61 from the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 until the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination, assuming that defrost control and interior air conditioning (pre-air conditioning) are performed before the user gets into the vehicle 103, in the order of performing defrost control followed by interior air conditioning (S605).

[0063] Next, based on the estimation result of step S604, the control unit 110 determines whether the temperature inside the vehicle cabin at the time the user is scheduled to board the vehicle 103 will reach the target temperature, assuming that defrost control and air conditioning inside the vehicle cabin are performed before the user boards the vehicle 103, in the order of performing defrost control followed by air conditioning inside the vehicle cabin (S606).

[0064] The control unit 110 also determines whether it is possible to execute the defrosting control and the air conditioning of the vehicle interior in the order in which the defrosting control is executed first and the air conditioning of the vehicle interior in consideration of the remaining battery charge of the vehicle 103 and the user's planned boarding time. That is, it considers whether there is enough remaining battery charge to complete the defrosting control and the air conditioning of the vehicle interior in the order in which the defrosting control is executed first ... air conditioning of the vehicle interior in the order in which the air conditioning of the vehicle interior is executed second. Therefore, if it is not possible to complete the defrosting control and the air conditioning of the vehicle interior in the order in which the air conditioning of the vehicle interior is executed second, the determination is NO. The same applies to the determinations in S607 and S610.

[0065] Then, if the control unit 110 determines that the temperature inside the vehicle cabin at the time the user is scheduled to board will reach the target temperature if it is assumed that defrost control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user boards the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin (S606: YES), it determines, based on the estimation result of step S605, whether defrosting of the radiator 61 is required between the time the user boards the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at the destination, if it is assumed that defrost control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user boards the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin (S607).

[0066] Then, assuming that defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning, if the control unit 110 determines that defrosting of the radiator 61 is not necessary between the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at the destination (S607: NO), it creates a first defrost implementation plan (S608).

[0067] In the first defrost control implementation plan, a plan is created to execute defrost control and cabin air conditioning before the user gets into the vehicle 103, with the order of executing defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning. In this case, for example, pre-air conditioning using outside air or pre-air conditioning using outside air and the heater core 21 is executed after the defrost control is completed. The first defrost control implementation plan is effective in improving user comfort because air conditioning is executed just before the user gets into the vehicle. Furthermore, by executing defrost control and air conditioning separately, an increase in the compressor rotation speed can be suppressed.

[0068] On the other hand, assuming that defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning, if the control unit 110 determines that defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary between the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at the destination (S607: YES), it creates a second defrost implementation plan (S609).

[0069] The second defrost control implementation plan takes into account the remaining battery charge of the vehicle 103 and creates a plan to execute defrost control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin before the user gets into the vehicle 103 so that defrosting of the radiator 61 is not necessary between the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at its destination. In this case, for example, defrost control and pre-air conditioning using the heater core 21 are performed simultaneously, and pre-air conditioning using outside air is performed after the defrost control is completed, or pre-air conditioning using outside air and the heater core 21 is performed after the defrost control is completed. The second defrost control implementation plan makes it possible to perform air conditioning in the vehicle cabin from the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 until the vehicle arrives at its destination, so that user comfort is not impaired. Furthermore, for example, by performing defrost control and air conditioning in parallel before the user gets into the vehicle, it is possible to improve user comfort when getting into the vehicle while minimizing the execution of defrost control after getting into the vehicle. In addition, in the second defrost control implementation plan, it is preferable to further create a defrost control implementation plan that executes defrost control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin before the user gets into the vehicle 103 so that the temperature in the vehicle cabin approaches the target temperature at the user's scheduled boarding time. In other words, it is preferable to create a plan similar to the fourth defrost control implementation plan.

[0070] In addition, if the control unit 110 determines that the temperature inside the vehicle cabin at the time the user is scheduled to board will not reach the target temperature if it is assumed that defrost control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user boards the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin (S606: NO), it determines whether defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary between the time the user boards the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at the destination, if it is assumed that defrost control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user boards the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin (S610).

[0071] Then, assuming that defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning, if the control unit 110 determines that defrosting of the radiator 61 is not necessary between the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at the destination (S610: NO), it creates a third defrost implementation plan (S611).

[0072] The third defrost control implementation plan is a defrost control implementation plan that performs defrost control and cabin air conditioning before the user gets into the vehicle 103 so that the cabin temperature approaches a target temperature at the user's scheduled boarding time. In this case, for example, defrost control and pre-air conditioning using the heater core 21 are performed simultaneously, and pre-air conditioning using outside air is performed after the defrost control is completed, or pre-air conditioning using outside air and the heater core 21 is performed after the defrost control is completed. The third defrost control implementation plan is effective in improving user comfort because air conditioning is performed just before the user gets into the vehicle. Furthermore, by performing defrost control and air conditioning separately, an increase in the compressor rotation speed can be suppressed. Note that, in the third defrost control implementation plan, it is preferable to further create a plan that performs defrost control and cabin air conditioning before the user gets into the vehicle 103 so that defrosting of the radiator 61 is unnecessary between the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at its destination. In other words, it is preferable to create a plan similar to the fourth defrost control implementation plan.

[0073] In addition, assuming that defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning, if the control unit 110 determines that defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary between the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at the destination (S610: YES), it creates a fourth defrost implementation plan (S612).

[0074] The fourth defrost control implementation plan takes into account the remaining battery charge of the vehicle 103 and creates a defrost control implementation plan for executing defrost control and cabin air conditioning before the user gets into the vehicle 103 so that the cabin temperature approaches the target temperature at the user's scheduled boarding time and defrosting of the radiator 61 is unnecessary between the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at its destination. In this case, for example, defrost control and pre-air conditioning using the heater core 21 are performed simultaneously, and pre-air conditioning using outside air is performed after the defrost control is completed, or pre-air conditioning using outside air and the heater core 21 is performed after the defrost control is completed. The second defrost control implementation plan does not impair user comfort because the cabin temperature approaches the target temperature at the user's scheduled boarding time. Furthermore, for example, by performing defrost control and air conditioning in parallel before the user gets into the vehicle, it is possible to improve user comfort when getting into the vehicle while minimizing the need for defrost control after getting into the vehicle.

[0075] In addition, in the second defrost control implementation plan and the fourth defrost control implementation plan, an example can be given of creating a plan to execute defrost control and pre-air conditioning before the user gets in so that the amount of frost on the radiator 61 will be zero at the user's scheduled boarding time.

[0076] In addition, in the second defrost control implementation plan and the fourth defrost control implementation plan, an example can be given of creating a plan to execute defrost control and pre-air conditioning before the user gets in so that the amount of frost is at a level that makes it impossible for the outside air to absorb heat when the vehicle 103 arrives at its destination.

[0077] In addition, when the control unit 110 creates any of the first defrost control implementation plan, the second defrost control implementation plan, the third defrost control implementation plan, and the fourth defrost control implementation plan, it executes a process to correct the operation plan created in step S5 of Figure 5 so as to implement that plan.

[0078] In addition, it is possible to perform only one of the following processes: a process of performing defrosting control before the user gets into the vehicle so that the temperature inside the vehicle approaches the target temperature at the user's scheduled time of getting into the vehicle; or a process of performing defrosting control before the user gets into the vehicle so that it is determined that defrosting control is not necessary from the time the user gets into the vehicle until the vehicle arrives at the destination, allowing air conditioning to be performed.

[0079] [Specific Example of Defrosting Control Process] FIGS. 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams showing the frost rate of the radiator 61 and the temperature inside the vehicle cabin when the defrosting control process shown in FIG. 8 is executed.

[0080] Here, the frost rate is the degree of frost formation in the radiator 61 determined based on a frost formation determination value (ΔTXO=TXObase−TXO), which is the difference between the heat medium endothermic temperature TXObase of the radiator 61 when no frost has formed and the heat medium endothermic temperature TXO at the time when the frost rate is determined. That is, the frost rate corresponding to the frost formation determination value is measured in advance, and the control unit 110 stores a table correlating the frost formation determination value with the frost formation rate. The control unit 110 can then determine the frost formation rate by calculating the frost formation determination value and searching the table. Because the frost formation rate is affected by external factors such as the outside temperature along the travel route of the vehicle 103 and the usage status of the air conditioning, it is preferable that the control unit 110 corrects the frost formation rate determined from the table by taking these factors into account.

[0081] In this embodiment, an example is given in which the heat medium passes through the radiator 61. However, when an outdoor heat exchanger is added to the refrigerant circuit 10 and the refrigerant absorbs heat from the outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger, the frost formation rate is determined based on a frost formation determination value (ΔTXO=TXObase-TXO), which is, for example, the difference between the refrigerant evaporation temperature TXObase of the radiator 61 when no frost has formed and the refrigerant evaporation temperature TXO at the time when the frost formation rate is determined.

[0082] In Fig. 9, the frost rate of the radiator 61 when defrost control is not performed before the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination is set to G0. The frost rate at which defrosting is necessary is set to G1. In other words, if the frost rate exceeds G1, air conditioning becomes impossible. The transition of the frost rate when defrost control is performed on the vehicle 103 is set to G2.

[0083] Also, the time when the vehicle 103 is located at the current location is set to t0, the user's scheduled boarding time is set to t1, and the time when the vehicle arrives at the destination is set to t2.

[0084] Furthermore, the target temperature inside the vehicle cabin at the user's scheduled boarding time t1 is T1, and the temperature inside the vehicle cabin at t1 when defrost control and air conditioning inside the vehicle cabin (pre-air conditioning) are performed before the user boards the vehicle 103 in the order of performing defrost control followed by air conditioning inside the vehicle cabin is T2, and the actual temperature inside the vehicle cabin at t1 is T3.

[0085] In the example of FIG. 9, a change in the amount of frost formed on the radiator 61 is predicted based on a change in the rate of frost formation on the radiator 61 when the vehicle 103 moves from the current location to the destination.

[0086] As shown in Figure 9 (a), if it is predicted that the frost rate G0 at time t2 when vehicle 103 arrives at the destination will be lower than the frost rate G1, it is determined that defrosting of radiator 61 is not necessary before vehicle 103 arrives at the destination.

[0087] As a result, it is possible to perform air conditioning in the vehicle cabin from the time the user gets into the vehicle 103 until the vehicle arrives at the destination, so the user's comfort is not impaired.

[0088] As shown in Figure 9 (b), if it is predicted that the frost rate G0 at time t2 when the vehicle arrives at the destination will exceed the frost rate G1, it is determined that defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination.

[0089] Then, assuming that defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into the vehicle 103 in the order of defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning, when the temperature T2 inside the vehicle at the user's scheduled time of entry t1 reaches the target temperature T1, a first defrost control implementation plan or a second defrost control implementation plan is created. As a result, defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed in the period from t0 to t1 before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning.

[0090] As a result, the temperature T2 inside the vehicle cabin when the user gets in will match the target temperature T1, so user comfort will not be impaired. Furthermore, if the defrosting control and the air conditioning inside the vehicle cabin are performed before the user gets in the vehicle in the order of performing the defrosting control followed by the air conditioning inside the vehicle, and the temperature inside the vehicle cabin reaches the target temperature at the time the user plans to get in, an increase in the compressor rotation speed can be suppressed by performing the defrosting control and the air conditioning separately.

[0091] As shown in Figure 9 (c), if the frost rate G0 at time t2 when the vehicle arrives at the destination exceeds the frost rate G1, it is determined that defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination.

[0092] Then, assuming that defrosting control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into the vehicle 103 in the order of performing defrosting control followed by cabin air conditioning, if the cabin temperature T2 at the user's scheduled boarding time t1 does not reach the target temperature T1, a third defrosting control implementation plan or a fourth defrosting control implementation plan is created. As a result, defrosting control and cabin air conditioning are performed in the period from t0 to t1 before the user gets into the vehicle 103 so that the cabin temperature T3 at the user's scheduled boarding time t1 approaches the target temperature T1.

[0093] As a result, the temperature T3 inside the vehicle cabin when the user gets in is closer to the target temperature T1 than the temperature T2, so that the user's comfort is not impaired. Also, for example, by performing defrosting control and air conditioning in parallel, it is possible to improve the comfort when the user gets in while minimizing the execution of defrosting control after getting in.

[0094] If the current location of the vehicle 103 at t=0 is the destination of the previous user, it is possible that the heat in the vehicle cabin from the previous user can be used for defrost control. For example, defrost control is performed by circulating the interior air and causing the heat in the vehicle cabin to be absorbed by a heat medium. It is also possible that the heat of the battery 41 or the motor 51 can be used for defrost control. For example, defrost control is performed by causing the heat of the battery 41 or the motor 51 to be absorbed by a heat medium. In this case, by performing defrost control during pre-air conditioning, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the vehicle 103.

[0095] As shown in Figure 10 (a), if it is predicted that the frost rate G0 at time t2 when the vehicle arrives at the destination will exceed the frost rate G1, it is determined that defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination.

[0096] Then, assuming that defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into vehicle 103 in the order of performing defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning, if defrosting of radiator 61 is not required between the time the user gets into vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at its destination, a first defrost control implementation plan or a third defrost control implementation plan is created. As a result, defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed in the period from t0 to t1 before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of performing defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning.

[0097] As a result, the frost rate G2 is lower than the frost rate G1 during the period from t1 to t2, from when the user gets into the vehicle 103 until the vehicle arrives at its destination. Therefore, it is possible to perform air conditioning in the vehicle cabin from when the user gets into the vehicle 103 until the vehicle arrives at its destination, without impairing the comfort of the user. Furthermore, when defrost control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of performing defrost control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin, if defrosting of the radiator 61 is not required from when the user gets into the vehicle until the vehicle arrives at its destination, an increase in the compressor rotation speed can be suppressed by performing the defrost control and air conditioning separately.

[0098] As shown in Figure 10 (b), if it is predicted that the frost rate G0 at time t2 when the vehicle arrives at the destination will exceed the frost rate G1, it is determined that defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle 103 arrives at the destination.

[0099] Then, assuming that defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into vehicle 103 in the order of performing defrost control followed by cabin air conditioning, if defrosting of radiator 61 is required between the time the user gets into vehicle 103 and the time the vehicle arrives at its destination, a second defrost control implementation plan or a fourth defrost control implementation plan is created. As a result, defrost control and cabin air conditioning are performed in the period from t0 to t1 before the user gets into vehicle 103 so that defrosting of radiator 61 is not required between t1 and t2, from the time the user gets into vehicle 103 until the vehicle arrives at its destination.

[0100] As a result, the frost rate G2 is lower than the frost rate G1 during the period from t1 to t2, which is from when the user gets into the vehicle 103 until the vehicle arrives at its destination. Therefore, it is possible to perform air conditioning in the vehicle cabin from when the user gets into the vehicle 103 until the vehicle arrives at its destination, without impairing the comfort of the user. Furthermore, for example, by performing defrost control and air conditioning in parallel before the user gets into the vehicle, it is possible to improve the comfort of the user when getting into the vehicle while minimizing the execution of defrost control after getting into the vehicle.

[0101] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the charging control process executed by the control unit 110 of the server 101 in step S8 of the vehicle dispatch control process shown in Fig. 5. The charging control process is a process for charging the vehicle 103 and then directing the vehicle 103 to the user's planned boarding point when there is sufficient time before the user's planned boarding time.

[0102] 11 , the control unit 110 creates a power consumption plan for the vehicle 103 until the vehicle arrives at the destination (S801). The power consumption plan is a plan for power consumption, for example, for the traveling power consumed by the vehicle 103 while traveling, the air conditioning power consumed by the air conditioning in the vehicle cabin, and the defrosting power consumed by the defrosting control.

[0103] Specifically, the running power is the power consumed by the vehicle 103 to run from the current location of the vehicle 103 to the destination via the user's planned boarding point. With regard to the running power, a power consumption plan is created so that the remaining battery power does not become 0 when the vehicle arrives at the destination. In this case, it is preferable to create a power consumption plan so that the remaining battery power takes into account travel to charging spots and vehicle depots.

[0104] The air conditioning power is the air conditioning power of the vehicle 103 from the current location of the vehicle 103 to the destination via the user's planned boarding point. The air conditioning power includes the power consumed in pre-air conditioning and the power consumed in air conditioning while the vehicle is traveling.

[0105] The defrosting power includes the power required for defrosting control based on the current amount of frost and the power required for defrosting control while traveling if defrosting control is required while traveling based on a predicted frost rate during traveling. Note that after arriving at the destination, defrosting control can be performed while traveling or while charging.

[0106] In this embodiment, an example is given in which the processing of S801 is executed to create a power consumption plan separately from the operation plan in step S5 of Figure 5, but S801 may be omitted by reusing the power consumption plan included in the operation plan in step S5 of Figure 5.

[0107] Next, the control unit 110 determines whether the power required to arrive at the destination exceeds the remaining battery charge of the vehicle 103 (S802). At this time, the control unit 110 estimates the amount of power required for the vehicle 103 to travel from the current location to the destination based on at least the boarding reservation information, and if the amount of power is insufficient compared to the remaining battery charge, calculates the amount of power that is insufficient compared to the remaining battery charge. Then, if the power required to arrive at the destination does not exceed the remaining battery charge of the vehicle 103 (S802: YES), the control unit 110 ends the processing. In other words, if the amount of power is not insufficient compared to the remaining battery charge, the processing ends.

[0108] If the power required to reach the destination exceeds the remaining battery power of the vehicle 103 (S802: NO), the control unit 110 searches for charging spots around the vehicle's current location and calculates the time required to charge the remaining power (S803, S804).

[0109] Next, the control unit 110 determines whether or not it is possible to secure the time required to charge the vehicle to make up for the shortfall in power by the time the user plans to board the vehicle by passing through a charging spot (S805).

[0110] That is, the control unit 110 determines whether there is sufficient time for the vehicle to travel to the user's planned boarding point relative to the user's planned boarding time. Specifically, the control unit 110 determines whether the vehicle 103 can arrive at the user's planned boarding point at the user's planned boarding time after charging the battery's power shortfall at a charging spot. In other words, the control unit 110 determines whether the difference between the remaining time until the user's planned boarding time and the vehicle's travel time to the user's planned boarding point is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. In this case, the predetermined time is the time required to charge the shortfall in power via a charging spot.

[0111] If the control unit 110 determines that the time required to charge the shortfall in power can be secured by the user's scheduled boarding time (S805: YES), it selects a route that will charge the required amount of power via a charging spot (S806).

[0112] In other words, if the vehicle 103 can arrive at the user's planned boarding point at the user's planned boarding time after charging the battery's power shortfall at the charging spot, the control unit 110 allows the vehicle 103 to arrive at the user's planned boarding point via the charging spot.

[0113] In this way, by charging the battery before the user gets in, the margin of remaining battery power increases, so it is possible to secure power even if power consumption increases in response to a user request, and the user can be transported to the destination reliably. Also, since it is possible to select a vehicle 103 that can charge the shortfall in power based on the boarding reservation information, even if the vehicle currently has insufficient remaining battery power, the user can be transported to the destination reliably.

[0114] When a route that passes through a charging spot is selected, the control unit 110 executes a process of correcting the driving plan created in step S5 of FIG. 5 so that the selected route is traveled.

[0115] On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that the time required to charge the vehicle for the shortfall in power cannot be secured by the scheduled boarding time of the user (S805: NO), the control unit 110 ends the process. In this case, the control unit 110 determines NO in step S9 of FIG. 5 and searches for a different vehicle in step S2 of FIG. 5.

[0116] That is, if the time it takes to move vehicle 103 to the charging spot to charge the battery's power deficit and then move it to the user's planned boarding point exceeds the user's planned boarding time, control unit 110 dispatches a vehicle other than the vehicle in question. Therefore, even if a vehicle has a battery power deficit, it can be dispatched by charging the shortage of power before the user boards, and vehicles 103 that were not subject to conventional vehicle dispatch management can also be subject to vehicle dispatch selection.

[0117] [Modification] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which all of the travel plan selection process, the defrosting control process, and the charging control process are executed, but any one or two of these processes may be executed. Furthermore, when at least two of the travel plan selection process, the defrosting control process, and the charging control process are executed, the execution order may be determined according to a predetermined priority or a priority determined according to the traveling environment of the vehicle 103.

[0118] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the travel plan selection process, the defrosting control process, and the charging control process are all executed in an unmanned autonomous taxi, but at least one of the travel plan selection process, the defrosting control process, and the charging control process may be executed in a manned taxi driven by a driver or a privately owned car.In addition, in a manned taxi, when defrosting control is executed before a user gets in, the temperature of only the driver's riding space is adjusted, and defrosting control is executed without adjusting the temperature of the user's riding space, thereby reducing the discomfort of the driver.

[0119] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the heat management system, the charge control system, the vehicle dispatch management system, and the information processing device are provided in the server 101, but these systems may also be provided in the vehicle 103. In this case, the processes performed by the control unit 110 of the server 101 in the present embodiment can be implemented by the control unit 115 provided in the vehicle 103.

[0120] [Effects of this embodiment] (a1) In the control system 100 as a thermal management system including the control unit 110 that controls a vehicle based on ride reservation information and vehicle information, the control unit 110 predicts changes in the amount of frost that will form on the radiator 61 as the vehicle, which has a radiator 61 as a heat exchanger that exchanges heat with outside air, moves from its current location to its destination, and based on the prediction result, executes defrosting control to defrost the radiator 61 before the user gets into the vehicle. This makes it possible to suppress the execution of defrosting control after the user gets into the vehicle, and defrosting control can be performed without impairing the user's comfort.

[0121] (a2) Based on the prediction result, the control unit 110 determines whether defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle arrives at the destination. If defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle arrives at the destination, the control unit 110 determines whether the temperature inside the vehicle will reach a target temperature at the user's scheduled boarding time, assuming that the defrosting control and the air conditioning inside the vehicle are performed before the user gets into the vehicle, in the order of performing the defrosting control followed by the air conditioning inside the vehicle. If the temperature inside the vehicle will reach the target temperature at the user's scheduled boarding time, the control unit 110 performs the defrosting control and the air conditioning inside the vehicle before the user gets into the vehicle, in the order of performing the defrosting control followed by the air conditioning inside the vehicle. If the temperature inside the vehicle has not reached the target temperature at the user's scheduled boarding time, the control unit 110 performs the defrosting control and the air conditioning inside the vehicle before the user gets into the vehicle so that the temperature inside the vehicle will approach the target temperature at the user's scheduled boarding time (FIGS. 8 and 9). This makes it possible to maintain the temperature inside the vehicle when the user gets into the vehicle near the target temperature, thereby preventing a loss of user comfort. Furthermore, if the defrost control and the air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of performing the defrost control followed by the air conditioning in the vehicle cabin, and the temperature in the vehicle cabin reaches the target temperature at the time the user plans to get in, an increase in the compressor rotation speed can be suppressed by performing the defrost control and the air conditioning separately.On the other hand, if the defrost control and the air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of performing the defrost control followed by the air conditioning in the vehicle cabin, and the temperature in the vehicle cabin does not reach the target temperature, for example, by performing the defrost control and the air conditioning in parallel, the execution of the defrost control after the user gets in can be suppressed as much as possible while improving comfort when the user gets in.

[0122] (a3) Based on the prediction result, the control unit 110 determines whether defrosting of the heat exchange unit is necessary before the vehicle arrives at the destination. If defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary before the vehicle arrives at the destination, the control unit 110 determines whether defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary after the user gets into the vehicle and before the vehicle arrives at the destination, assuming that defrosting control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of defrosting control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin. If defrosting of the radiator 61 is not necessary after the user gets into the vehicle and before the vehicle arrives at the destination, the control unit 110 performs defrosting control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of defrosting control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin. If defrosting of the radiator 61 is necessary after the user gets into the vehicle and before the vehicle arrives at the destination, the control unit 110 performs defrosting control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin before the user gets into the vehicle so that defrosting of the radiator 61 is not necessary after the user gets into the vehicle and before the vehicle arrives at the destination (FIGS. 8 and 10). Therefore, it is possible to perform air conditioning in the vehicle cabin after the user gets in, thereby preventing a loss of user comfort. Furthermore, when the defrosting control and the air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user gets in the vehicle in the order of performing defrosting control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin, if defrosting of the radiator 61 is not required between the time the user gets in the vehicle and the time the vehicle arrives at its destination, an increase in the compressor rotation speed can be suppressed by performing the defrosting control and the air conditioning separately. On the other hand, when the defrosting control and the air conditioning in the vehicle cabin are performed before the user gets in the vehicle in the order of performing defrosting control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin, if defrosting of the radiator 61 is required between the time the user gets in the vehicle and the time the vehicle arrives at its destination, for example, by performing the defrosting control and the air conditioning in parallel before the user gets in the vehicle, it is possible to improve the comfort of the user when getting in the vehicle and minimize the need to perform defrosting control after getting in the vehicle.

[0123] (b1) In the control system 100 as a charging control system including a control unit that controls a vehicle based on boarding reservation information and vehicle information, the control unit 110 allows the vehicle to arrive at the user's planned boarding point via a charging spot if there is sufficient time for the vehicle to travel to the user's planned boarding point relative to the user's planned boarding time ( FIG. 11 ). Therefore, by charging the battery before the user boards, the remaining battery capacity increases, making it possible to secure power even if power consumption increases in response to a user request, and ensuring that the user is transported to their destination.

[0124] (b2) The control unit 110 estimates the amount of power required for the vehicle to travel from the current location to the destination based on at least the ride reservation information, calculates the amount of power that is insufficient relative to the remaining battery charge, and, if the vehicle can arrive at the user's planned boarding point at the user's planned boarding time after charging the battery's power shortfall at a charging spot, allows the vehicle to arrive at the user's planned boarding point via the charging spot ( FIG. 11 ). Therefore, it is possible to select a vehicle 103 that can charge the shortfall based on the ride reservation information, so even a vehicle that currently has insufficient battery charge can reliably transport the user to the destination.

[0125] (b3) In the control system 100 as a vehicle dispatch management system that dispatches a vehicle 103 that meets conditions from among a plurality of vehicles 103, the amount of power required for the vehicle 103 to travel from its current location to its destination is estimated, and the amount of power that is insufficient relative to the remaining battery charge is calculated. If the time it takes to move the vehicle 103 to a charging spot to charge the battery's power deficiency and then move it to the user's planned boarding point exceeds the user's planned boarding time, a vehicle other than the vehicle 103 is dispatched (FIGS. 5 and 11). Thus, even if a vehicle has insufficient battery power, it can be dispatched by charging the deficiency before the user boards the vehicle, and vehicles 103 that were not subject to conventional vehicle dispatch management can also be selected as vehicles to be dispatched.

[0126] (c) The control unit 110, which serves as an information processing device that controls the vehicle 103 based on the boarding reservation information and the vehicle information, includes a creation unit 110a that creates multiple driving plans that enable the vehicle 103 to travel to the user's planned boarding point by the user's planned boarding time, an acquisition unit 110b that acquires external environment information along the route to be traveled according to the created driving plans, and a selection unit 110c that selects the driving plan with the lowest energy consumption from the multiple driving plans based on the acquired external environment information (FIGS. 2 and 6). This makes it possible to reduce energy consumption before the user boards the vehicle and eliminates the need to reduce air conditioning while the user is boarding, thereby enabling vehicle dispatch management that reduces energy consumption before the user boards and improves user comfort after the user boards.

[0127] The present invention has been described above by showing preferred embodiments, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0128] 100: Control system (heat management system, charging control system, vehicle dispatch management system) 103: Vehicle 110: Control unit (information processing device) 111: Storage unit 112: Communication device 115: Control unit 116: Storage unit 117: Communication device

Claims

1. A thermal management system having a control unit that controls a vehicle based on boarding reservation information and vehicle information, wherein the control unit predicts changes in the amount of frost that will form on a heat exchange unit that exchanges heat with outside air when the vehicle moves from its current location to its destination, and executes defrosting control to defrost the heat exchange unit based on the prediction result before the user gets into the vehicle.

2. The thermal management system described in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit: determines based on the prediction result whether defrosting of the heat exchange unit is necessary before the vehicle arrives at the destination; if defrosting of the heat exchange unit is necessary before the vehicle arrives at the destination, determines whether the temperature inside the vehicle cabin will reach the target temperature at the user's scheduled time of boarding, assuming that defrosting control and cabin air conditioning are performed before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of defrosting control followed by cabin air conditioning; if the temperature inside the vehicle cabin will reach the target temperature at the user's scheduled time of boarding, performs defrosting control and cabin air conditioning before the user gets into the vehicle in the order of defrosting control followed by cabin air conditioning; and if the temperature inside the vehicle cabin does not reach the target temperature at the user's scheduled time of boarding, performs defrosting control and cabin air conditioning before the user gets into the vehicle so that the temperature inside the vehicle cabin will approach the target temperature at the user's scheduled time of boarding.

3. The thermal management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit: determines based on the prediction result whether defrosting of the heat exchange unit is necessary before the vehicle arrives at the destination; if defrosting of the heat exchange unit is necessary before the vehicle arrives at the destination, determines whether defrosting of the heat exchange unit will be necessary between the user getting into the vehicle and the vehicle arriving at the destination, assuming that defrosting control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin will be performed before the user getting into the vehicle in the order of defrosting control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin; if defrosting of the heat exchange unit is not necessary between the user getting into the vehicle and the vehicle arriving at the destination, performs defrosting control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin before the user getting into the vehicle in the order of defrosting control followed by air conditioning in the vehicle cabin; if defrosting of the heat exchange unit is necessary between the user getting into the vehicle and the vehicle arriving at the destination, performs defrosting control and air conditioning in the vehicle cabin before the user getting into the vehicle so that defrosting of the heat exchange unit will not be necessary between the user getting into the vehicle and the vehicle arriving at the destination.

Images