JP2012182879A - Apparatus for supporting charging of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging support apparatus for supporting efficient utilization of a charging facility when charging a large capacity battery mounted on a vehicle.SOLUTION: The charging support apparatus 30 obtains approximate position information of another vehicle 10 and current SOC information of a battery 11 via a center 50 to share the running information of another vehicle 10. In addition, when another vehicle 10 is in a farther position than a predetermined distance from a charging stand 40 installed in collective housing where the user of another vehicle lives and takes time to return, on the basis of the shared position information, or when the amount of the residual power of the battery 11 of another vehicle 10 is less than a predetermined residual power amount such as to require time to charge the battery, on the basis of the shared SOC information, the apparatus 30 prompts the user of the user's own vehicle 10 to charge the battery 11 by utilizing the stand 40 in the charge parking space of a user's house. As a result, the user charges the battery in the user's house so that the charging facility can be utilized efficiently.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle charging support device that supports charging of a large-capacity battery mounted on a vehicle.

  Conventionally, for example, a vehicle charging system and a charging control device for an apartment house as shown in Patent Document 1 below are known. This conventional vehicle charging system and charging control device for an apartment house changes the charging start time of the charging terminal according to the presence or absence of the remaining charging capacity, so that the current consumption or usage of the common lamp can be changed in the parking lot of the apartment house. The vehicle can be charged by the charging terminal while suppressing the capacity from exceeding the upper limit value. Specifically, in the conventional vehicle charging system and charging control device for an apartment house, when there is no remaining charging capacity, charging by the charging terminal with the later charging completion request time is waited, or one charging terminal If the charging completion request time is the same for the other charging terminals, the charging current of the shared lamp is set to the upper limit value by waiting for charging by the charging terminal with the slower order of receiving the charging start request. The charging by a plurality of charging terminals can be smoothly performed while suppressing the excess.

  Conventionally, for example, a parking system as shown in Patent Document 2 below is also known. In this conventional parking system, a charging device is provided for each of the parking spaces provided in the parking lot, and the charging management device determines which of the plurality of charging devices is used to charge the battery from the power storage device. It comes to manage. Specifically, in this conventional parking system, when there is a charge reservation by the user, the charge management device determines the charge free time, and if the date and time of the charge reservation desired by the user is the charge free time, the vehicle-mounted battery is charged. It is supposed to be. Thereby, in this conventional parking system, when charging a vehicle-mounted battery by charging a plurality of vehicles, it is possible to charge the vehicle-mounted battery suitably while meeting each user's request.

JP 2010-187453 A JP 2010-022099 A

  By the way, in the conventional vehicle charging system and charging control device for an apartment house shown in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the user returns to the apartment house and requests the charging start by himself / herself, and then checks the charging status by the charging post. In order to grasp, for example, it may be difficult to efficiently use idle time and charge efficiently. Further, in the conventional parking system disclosed in Patent Document 2, a user registered in advance makes a charge reservation, and if the desired date and time is not a charge free time, the user himself makes a charge reservation according to the charge free time. Must be done.

  That is, in the conventional collective housing vehicle charging system and charging control device shown in Patent Document 1 and the conventional parking system shown in Patent Document 2, a user who has a vehicle that needs to be charged is used. Only when a charge request (charge reservation) is made, the system or device charges in consideration of the charge status and the charge reservation status. Therefore, in these cases, it is necessary for the user of the vehicle himself to charge, reserve a charge, or change or cancel a charge reservation depending on the reservation situation, which is extremely complicated. Further, when charging a large-capacity battery mounted on the vehicle, for example, it may take a long time including waiting for the charging order. For this reason, especially for a vehicle user who travels using the power of the battery, the idle time of the charging facility can be easily and accurately grasped and used efficiently, and the vehicle is traveled with reliable charging of the battery. It is extremely important to do so.

  The present invention has been made in order to cope with the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a charging support device that assists in efficiently using a charging facility when charging a large-capacity battery mounted on a vehicle. Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle charging support apparatus according to the present invention includes a charging facility for charging a battery of a plug-in electric vehicle having a large capacity battery among parking spaces for parking a plurality of vehicles. It supports charging of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle in a parking space. For this reason, the feature of the vehicle charging support device is that it includes a travel information sharing unit, a charging facility availability determination unit, and a presentation unit.

  The travel information sharing means acquires and shares each travel information that changes as a plurality of plug-in electric vehicles registered in advance as plug-in electric vehicles using the charging parking space travel. In this case, the travel information sharing means relates to each of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles, at least position information indicating a region where each plug-in electric vehicle exists and the electric power remaining in the battery of each plug-in electric vehicle. It is possible to acquire and share the remaining power amount information indicating the amount. In this way, when the travel information sharing means shares the travel information of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles, the shared travel information is not disclosed to the users of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles. Can be.

  The charging facility availability determination unit determines whether or not the charging facility provided in the charging parking space can be used based on the traveling information of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles shared by the traveling information sharing unit. In this case, the charging facility availability determination unit is configured such that another plug-in electric vehicle among the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles includes the charging facility based on the position information shared by the travel information sharing unit. Other of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles when the vehicle is separated from the charging parking space by a predetermined distance or more and / or based on the remaining power amount information shared by the travel information sharing means When the amount of power remaining in the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle is less than a predetermined amount of power set in advance, it can be determined that the charging facility provided in the charging parking space is available. .

  The presenting means presents an action to be taken by a user of the plug-in electric vehicle in order to charge the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle based on the determination as to whether or not the charging facility can be used by the charging facility availability determination means. To do. In this case, for example, when the charging facility is determined to be usable by the charging facility availability determination unit, the presenting unit provides the user with the plug-in electric vehicle with the charging facility provided with the charging facility. The presenting means can determine that the charging facility is not available because the charging facility is used by another plug-in electric vehicle, for example, by the charging facility availability determination means. Then, the user of the plug-in electric vehicle can be urged to charge the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle in another charging parking space provided with a charging facility other than the charging facility. .

  According to these, when a certain plug-in electric vehicle charges a battery with respect to a plurality of plug-in electric vehicles that charge a battery by sharing a charging facility in a charging parking space, Based on the traveling information of the electric vehicle, it is determined whether or not another plug-in electric vehicle may use the charging facility, and based on this determination, the user of the plug-in electric vehicle uses the charging facility. Appropriate actions to be taken by the user can be presented by presenting charging of the battery or by presenting charging of the battery using another charging facility.

  That is, the vehicle charging support apparatus according to the present invention determines whether or not the charging facility can be used based on the travel information of each plug-in electric vehicle, and automatically presents information for efficiently using the charging facility to the user. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user himself to change or cancel the charging reservation. Further, according to the presented information, the free time of the charging facility can be used efficiently, and the user can enjoy very good convenience. Even when the vehicle charging support device supports information by presenting information to the user as described above, the user does not necessarily have to follow the presented information and is completely free. Further, the shared travel information is not presented to the user of each plug-in electric vehicle. Thereby, even if it is a case where the inhabitants share the charging facility installed in the site of an apartment house, for example, privacy of each user can be protected favorably and reliably.

  In addition, another feature of the vehicle charging support apparatus further includes a charging facility usage status acquisition unit that acquires the usage status of the charging facility, and the charging facility usage availability determination unit is acquired by the charging facility usage status acquisition unit. It is to determine whether or not the charging facility provided in the charging parking space can be used based on the usage status of the charging facility. In this case, the charging facility usage status acquisition means acquires at least the charging status of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle using the charging facility, and the presenting means uses the charging facility usage status. Based on the state of charge of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle acquired by the acquisition means, the charging completion time of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle is estimated, and the plug-in electric vehicle according to the estimated charging completion time It is possible to present an action to be taken by the user. In this case, for example, the presenting means can search and present a route for moving to the charging parking space equipped with the charging facility in accordance with the estimated charging completion time, or the plug-in The user of the electric vehicle can be prompted to charge the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle in another charging parking space provided with a charging facility other than the charging facility.

  According to these, the vehicle charging support device also considers whether or not other plug-in electric vehicles may use the charging facility in consideration of the usage status of the charging facility installed in the charging parking space. Determining, based on this determination, presenting the user of the plug-in electric vehicle to charge the battery using the charging facility, or presenting to charge the battery using another charging facility, Appropriate actions to be taken by the user can be presented. Therefore, even in this case, since information for efficiently using the charging facility can be presented to the user, it is not necessary for the user himself to change or cancel the charging reservation. Further, according to the presented information, the free time of the charging facility can be used efficiently, and the user can enjoy very good convenience.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the system which can apply the charge assistance apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the charge assistance apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart of the charge assistance program which concerns on embodiment of this invention and which the electronic control unit of FIG. 2 performs. It is a flowchart of the charge assistance program which concerns on the modification of this invention and the electronic control unit of FIG. 2 performs.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle charging support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a system to which the vehicle charging support device can be applied. A vehicle 10 constituting this system is equipped with a large-capacity battery 11, and is a plug-in electric vehicle in which the battery 11 can be charged from an external power source, for example, an electric vehicle (EV vehicle) that runs on electric power of the battery 11. And a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV vehicle) equipped with an internal combustion engine, or a two-wheeled vehicle such as an electric bicycle, an assist bicycle, and an electric motorcycle. Here, as the configuration of the vehicle 10, a well-known configuration can be adopted, and since it is not directly related to the present invention, it will be briefly described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is driven by an inverter 12 that converts DC power output from the battery 11 into three-phase AC power and a three-phase AC power output from the inverter 12 as a travel drive system. A traveling motor 13 that rotates the wheel W and a motor control unit 14 that controls the output of the inverter 12 (hereinafter referred to as “motor ECU 14”) are provided. Thus, the vehicle 10 can travel by the motor ECU 14 controlling the electric power supplied from the battery 11 to the traveling motor 13 via the inverter 12.

  The vehicle 10 also includes a charging system 20 for charging the battery 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the charging system 20 includes a power receiving connector 21 provided so that a plug K1 of the charging connection cable K can be connected thereto, and converts AC power supplied to the power receiving connector 21 into DC power to convert the battery 11 And an AC / DC converter 22 that outputs DC power, and a vehicle-side charge control unit 23 that controls charging of the battery 11 (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle-side charge ECU 23”). In the charging system 20, a charging control switch 24 is provided on a power supply line between the power receiving connector 21 and the AC / DC converter 22. The charge control switch 24 can be switched between an on state and an off state by a control signal from the vehicle-side charge ECU 23. Further, in the charging system 20, an SOC detection unit 25 is provided that detects an SOC (State Of Charge) that is a value (amount of electric power) that is provided in the battery 11 and indicates a charging state of the battery 11. The SOC detection unit 25 outputs a signal representing the SOC to the vehicle side charging ECU 23 and an electronic control unit 31 of the charging support device 30 described later.

  And in the vehicle 10 provided with such a charging system 20, the charging outlet 41 of the charging stand 40 as a charging facility installed in the parking lot provided in the site of the housing complex which is a user's home, for example. Is electrically connected to the battery 11. The charging stand 40 is provided outdoors, for example, on the outer wall of a building or a parking space (charging parking space) in a parking lot. A charging outlet 41 provided on the stand 40 has a plug-in connector in a waterproof casing. I have. Thus, when charging the battery 11 of the vehicle 10, the plug K2 of the charging connection cable K is inserted into the charging outlet 41, and the plug K1 of the charging connection cable K is inserted into the power receiving connector 21 as described above. Thus, electric power is supplied from the charging outlet 41 to the battery 11 of the vehicle 10. The voltage supplied from charging outlet 41 is set to 100 V or 200 V in accordance with the supply voltage setting value of vehicle 10 to be charged.

  Here, the charging stand 40 includes a power supply control unit 42 (hereinafter referred to as “power supply ECU 42”). The power supply ECU 42 is a microcomputer whose main components are a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and as shown in FIG. 1, can communicate with a server computer 51 of a center 50 (described later) provided outside via a communication antenna. It is like that. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the power supply ECU 41 supplies an appropriate amount of power by performing short-range wireless communication with the vehicle-side charging ECU 23 of the charging system 20 via the communication antenna. Yes. That is, the power supply ECU 42 and the vehicle-side charge ECU 23 mutually perform various information (for example, request code and response code for charging, ID information for specifying the vehicle 10 (that is, the user), SOC of the battery 11, and the like at predetermined intervals. Etc.), an appropriate amount of power is supplied, in other words, the battery 11 is appropriately charged.

  The charging support device 30 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “this device 30”) provides and supports various useful information related to charging at home to users who are outing. It is. For this reason, as schematically shown in FIG. 2, the charging support device 30 includes an electronic control unit 31, an input unit 32, a liquid crystal display unit 33, a communication unit 34, a storage unit 35, and a navigation unit that are communicably connected to each other. 36 and various sensors 37 are provided.

  The electronic control unit 31 is a microcomputer whose main components are a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and comprehensively controls the operation of the apparatus 30 by executing various programs including a program described later. Here, the electronic control unit 31 is provided with, for example, a well-known interface that is communicably connected to various sensors 37 and the like, and each detection value detected by the various sensors 37 and the like can be acquired. . The interface provided in the electronic control unit 31 is capable of wireless communication with the SOC detection unit 25, for example, and the electronic control unit 31 can acquire SOC information from the SOC detection unit 25. The input unit 32 includes an operation switch provided in the vicinity of the liquid crystal display unit 33, a panel touch switch that is incorporated in the liquid crystal display unit 33 and detects a touch operation of the display panel, and enables various inputs by the user. Is. The liquid crystal display unit 33 displays characters, figures, etc. on the display panel.

  Although not shown, the communication unit 34 enables wireless or wired communication with a server computer 51 provided in an external center 50 that provides various types of information via the Internet network, for example. The storage unit 35 includes a storage medium such as a hard disk and a semiconductor memory, and a drive device for the storage medium, and previously stores programs and data necessary for the electronic control unit 31 to control the overall operation of the apparatus 30. In addition to the storage, various data (for example, map data and road data) necessary for the navigation unit 36 to search for a route are stored in advance.

  The navigation unit 36 uses various data stored in advance in the storage unit 35 or various data acquired from the external center 50 via the communication unit 34 to search for a route to the destination designated by the user. This guides the searched route. The various sensors 37 acquire data (detection values) necessary for the electronic control unit 31 to present information to the user. For example, GPS (as a sensor necessary for detecting the current location of the device 30) (Global Positioning System) signal detection sensor, a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 (that is, the moving speed of the device 30), and the like.

  Here, since the device 30 only needs to be able to present information related to charging at the place where the user goes out using the vehicle 10, for example, the user can use the information terminal device mounted on the vehicle 10. It can be used as the device 30. In addition, a portable information terminal device (for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook computer, etc.) owned by the user can be used as the device 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the center 50 includes a server computer 51, a storage unit 52, and a communication unit 53. The server computer 51 has a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like as main components. The storage unit 52 stores various types of information provided to the electronic control unit 31 or the power supply ECU 41, and stores various types of information supplied from the electronic control unit 31 and the power supply ECU 41 in an updatable manner. The communication unit 53 enables communication with the electronic control unit 31 and the power supply ECU 41 via, for example, the Internet network.

  Next, the operation of the apparatus 30 will be described in detail. For example, in a situation where the users who move into the apartment house each own the vehicle 10, the device 30 is used when each user shares the limited charging stand 40 to charge the battery 11 of the vehicle 10. In consideration of the situation of other vehicles 10 (hereinafter referred to as other vehicles 10), information is presented and supported so that the charging station 40 can be charged efficiently. For this reason, the electronic control unit 31 of the device 30 executes the charging support program shown in FIG. That is, the electronic control unit 31 starts executing the charging support program in step S10 according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 every elapse of a predetermined short time, and proceeds to step S11.

  In step S <b> 11, the electronic control unit 31 determines whether there is another vehicle 10 in the group in which the vehicle 10 owned by the user (hereinafter referred to as the own vehicle 10) is present. Here, as a group in which the own vehicle 10 is enrolled, for example, a group in which all the vehicles in the apartment house where the user enters are registered together, a group in which all the vehicles entering and leaving a predetermined facility are registered together, etc. Can be adopted. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding, it is assumed that the group in which the host vehicle 10 is registered is a group in which all the vehicles in the housing complex in which the user occupies are registered together. For example, it is assumed that the vehicle 10 that temporarily visits an apartment house, that is, a vehicle 10 registered in advance as a visitor is also included.

  And if the other vehicle 10 provided with the battery 11 exists in the said group, ie, if the number of the other vehicles 10 is "1" or more, the electronic control unit 31 will determine with "Yes" and step Proceed to S12. On the other hand, if the other vehicle 10 does not exist in the group, that is, if the number of other vehicles 10 is “0” and only the own vehicle 10 exists, the electronic control unit 31 determines “No”. Then, the process proceeds to step S20, and the execution of the charging support program is terminated.

  In addition, when the other vehicle 10 is not included in the said group, the user can charge the battery 11 of the own vehicle 10 using the charging stand 40 in a charge parking space at any time in principle. Therefore, in this case, the charging support by the device 30 is not necessary.

  In step S12, the electronic control unit 31 adds the own vehicle 10 to the number of other vehicles 10 confirmed in step S11, in which the number of charging facilities, that is, the number of charging stands 40 installed in the premises of the apartment building is added. It is determined whether it is less than the total number. That is, if the number of installed charging stands 40 is less than the total number of vehicles 10, the electronic control unit 31 determines “Yes” and proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, if the number of installed charging stations 40 is equal to or greater than the total number of vehicles 10, the electronic control unit 31 determines “No”, proceeds to step S20, and ends the execution of the charging support program. In addition, when the number of installed charging stations 40 is equal to or greater than the total number of vehicles 10, the user can charge the battery 11 of the host vehicle 10 using the charging station 40 at any time in principle. Therefore, in this case, the charging support by the device 30 is not necessary.

  In step S <b> 13, the electronic control unit 31 communicates with the server computer 51 of the external center 50 using the communication unit 34, and represents a rough position representing the area where the host vehicle 10 used by the user exists. The travel information including the information (current location information) and the SOC information of the host vehicle 10 is transmitted, and the travel information of the other vehicle including the rough position information of the other vehicle 10 belonging to the group and the SOC information of the other vehicle 10 is transmitted. get. That is, the electronic control unit 31 transmits the traveling information of the own vehicle 10 to the server computer 51 (more specifically, the communication unit 53) of the center 50, while acquiring the traveling information of the other vehicle 10, Share information with the vehicle 10. And if the electronic control unit 31 acquires the travel information of the other vehicle 10 and shares information, it will progress to step S14. In this case, the rough location information included in the travel information may be gradual information such as outside the prefecture, within the prefecture, and within the city from the viewpoint of protecting the privacy of each user. The information shared in this way can be referred to only by the electronic control unit 31 from the viewpoint of protecting the privacy of each user, and is not presented to each user at all.

  In the present embodiment, the server computer 51 installed in the external center 50 stores and manages each travel information in the storage unit 52 and accesses (communicates) the vehicle 10 from the electronic control unit 31 that accesses (communicates). The travel information of the other vehicle 10 is acquired and the travel information of the other vehicle 10 is provided. However, the own vehicle 10 and the other vehicle 10 directly communicate with each other to acquire the travel information. It is also possible to implement so that the electronic control unit 31 uses the above.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the server computer 51 installed in the external center 50 stores and manages the travel information in the storage unit 52 and accesses (communicates) the vehicle 10 from the electronic control unit 31 that accesses (communicates). The vehicle power supply ECU 41 installed in the charging stand 40 replaces the server computer 51 installed in the external center 50 with the travel information. It is also possible to manage so as to obtain the travel information of the own vehicle 10 from the electronic control unit 31 that accesses (communicates) and provides the travel information of the other vehicle 10. In this case, needless to say, the charging stand 40 is provided with a storage unit for storing the travel information.

  In step S <b> 14, the electronic control unit 31 determines whether the user is currently going out using the host vehicle 10. That is, the electronic control unit 31 specifies the current location of the host vehicle 10 (the present device 30) using the detection values obtained by the GPS signal detection sensors that constitute the various sensors 37. If the identified current location is not home (that is, an apartment house), the electronic control unit 31 determines “Yes” because the user is driving out the vehicle 10 and proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, if the identified current location is home (that is, an apartment house), since the user has not gone out using his / her own vehicle 10, the electronic control unit 31 determines “No” and proceeds to step S20 to assist charging. Terminates program execution. In addition, when the user has not gone out using the own vehicle 10, the battery 11 of the vehicle 10 is not consumed, and the user charges the battery 11 of the vehicle 10 using the charging stand 40 if necessary. can do. Therefore, in this case, the charging support by the device 30 is not necessary.

  In step S15, the electronic control unit 31 uses the travel information of the other vehicle 10 acquired in step S13, for example, and provides a rough current location X and current (more details) of each of the other vehicles 10 belonging to the group. Obtains the remaining battery amount Y, which is SOC, as the remaining power amount of the battery 11 at the time when the travel information is obtained. And if the electronic control unit 31 acquires each present location X and the remaining battery amount Y of the other vehicle 10, it will progress to step S16.

  In step S16, the electronic control unit 31 normally proceeds to step S15 centering on the position where the battery 11 of the host vehicle 10 is charged, that is, the position of the charging stand 40 installed in the premises of the apartment house which is the home. The distance L to the current location X of each of the other vehicles 10 acquired in the above is greater than a predetermined distance Lo set in advance, and / or each of the other vehicles 10 acquired in the step S15. It is determined whether or not the remaining battery amount Y is smaller than a predetermined remaining battery amount Yo. That is, in step S16, the electronic control unit 31 satisfies the above-described determination condition. Specifically, the electronic control unit 31 requires time to return to the apartment house that is the home, or the other vehicle 10 in which the charging time to the battery 11 is long. Determine if it exists. And if the other vehicle 10 which satisfy | fills the said determination conditions exists, the electronic control unit 31 will determine with "Yes" and will progress to step S18. On the other hand, if there is no other vehicle 10 that satisfies the above determination condition, the electronic control unit 31 determines “No” and proceeds to step S17.

  In step S <b> 17, whether or not the electronic control unit 31 can receive charging support (service) by the device 30 used by the user of the other vehicle 10 based on the travel information shared in step S <b> 13. Determine. Specifically, for example, when the user of the other vehicle 10 uses the other charging stand to charge the battery 11 while away from home, the remaining battery amount Y is less than the predetermined distance Lo, although the distance L to the current location X is larger than the predetermined distance Lo. The state becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined remaining battery charge Yo. And since the other vehicle 10 in this state does not need to charge the battery 11 immediately, the user of the other vehicle 10 does not need to receive the charge assistance service by this apparatus 30. Therefore, for such other vehicle 10, the electronic control unit 31 determines “No” in step S17, proceeds to step S20, and ends the execution of the charging support program.

  In addition, when the user of the other vehicle 10 does not need to receive the charging support service, the user of the own vehicle 10 can charge the battery 11 of the own vehicle 10 by using the charging stand 40 at any time. Therefore, in this case, charging support by the device 30 for the user of the host vehicle 10 is also unnecessary.

  On the other hand, when the electronic control unit 31 executes the determination process of step S16 in the charging support program, for example, the user of the other vehicle 10 uses the other vehicle 10 in a direction away from the home (that is, the charging stand 40). In the present situation, the distance L is not more than the predetermined distance Lo, and the remaining battery amount Y is not less than the predetermined remaining battery amount Yo. On the other hand, the user of the other vehicle 10 receives the charging support service by the device 30 in the situation where the distance L is not more than the predetermined distance Lo and the remaining battery amount Y is not less than the predetermined remaining battery amount Yo. That is, there is a possibility of returning to the charging stand 40). Therefore, for such other vehicle 10, the electronic control unit 31 determines “Yes” in step S17, and executes each step process after step S15 again to grasp the trend of the other vehicle 10.

  In step S18, the electronic control unit 31 determines, for example, whether or not charging is necessary today based on the current SOC of the battery 11 acquired from the SOC detection unit 25 of the host vehicle 10 via the interface. To do. That is, if the battery 11 of the host vehicle 10 needs to be charged, the electronic control unit 31 determines “Yes” and proceeds to step S19. On the other hand, when the battery 11 of the host vehicle 10 does not require charging, the electronic control unit 31 determines “No”, proceeds to step S20, and ends the execution of the charging support program.

  In step S19, the electronic control unit 31 notifies the user that he / she is going home and charges. Specifically, for example, the electronic control unit 31 displays a message such as “Please charge the battery when you go home because the charging stand can be used immediately” on the display panel of the liquid crystal display unit 33. Display and notify the user. If the user receives the notification by this message and returns home, the charging stand 40 is empty, so the power receiving connector 21 of the parked host vehicle 10 and the charging outlet 41 are connected using the charging connection cable K. The necessary preparation for charging can be completed promptly. Thereby, the battery 11 of the host vehicle 10 is appropriately charged. Here, it is needless to say that the user obtains the return notification presented by the device 30 as a reference, and can return home differently from the provided return notification. When the electronic control unit 31 notifies the user that he / she is going home, the electronic control unit 31 proceeds to step S20 and ends the execution of the charging support program.

  As described above, when the user of the host vehicle 10 quickly returns home and charges the battery 11 in accordance with the notification from the device 30, the charging of the battery 11 can be completed before the other vehicle 10 returns. Thereby, when the user of the other vehicle 10 returns home in accordance with the notification by the present device 30, for example, the charging stand 40 used by the own vehicle 10 is vacant, as in the case of the own vehicle 10 described above. The power receiving connector 21 of the vehicle 10 and the charging outlet 41 can be connected using the charging connection cable K to complete the preparation necessary for charging. Thereby, the battery 11 of the other vehicle 10 is charged appropriately.

  As can be understood from the above description, the user can go home according to the return notice and charge the battery 11 by using the empty charging stand 40, so that the free time of the charging stand 40 can be used effectively. And the battery 11 can be charged efficiently and smoothly. In addition, by following the notified return home notification, the user himself / herself confirms the availability of the charging stand 40 and the user himself / herself makes a charging reservation for using the charging stand 40. The user can enjoy very good convenience.

a. First Modification In the above embodiment, the situation of the other vehicle 10 belonging to the group, specifically, the approximate distance L from the home (more specifically, the charging station 40 that is normally used) and the remaining battery By considering the amount Y, it was determined whether the charging station 40 will be used or vacant in the future, and the user of the host vehicle 10 was notified whether or not he should return home for charging. In this case, it is possible to notify the user of the host vehicle 10 of the optimal return time in consideration of the usage status of the charging station 40 by the other vehicle 10. Hereinafter, the first modification will be described in detail, but the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in the above-described embodiment, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Also in the first modified example, the electronic control unit 31 executes the charging support program as in the above embodiment. However, in this first modification, the electronic control unit 31 executes the charging support program shown in FIG. 4 instead of the charging support program shown in FIG. 3 in the above embodiment. In this case, the charging support program according to the first modified example omits the step S13 and the steps S15 to S17 of the charging support program executed by the electronic control unit 31 in the above embodiment, while the step S30 is omitted. ~ Slightly different in that step S32 is newly added. Therefore, in the following description, step S30 to step S32 different from the above embodiment will be described in detail. In carrying out the first modification, the above-described step S13, step S15 to step S17 are not omitted, that is, the charging support program executed by the electronic control unit 31 in the above embodiment is stepped. Needless to say, this can be implemented by adding S30 to S32.

  In the first modification, the electronic control unit 31 also starts the execution of the charging support program shown in FIG. 4 in step S10, and in the subsequent step S11, the other vehicle 10 exists in the group to which the own vehicle 10 belongs. It is determined whether or not. When the other vehicle 10 exists in the group, the electronic control unit 31 determines that the number of charging stations 40 (charging facilities) installed in the site of the charging facility, that is, the apartment house, is the above-mentioned in step S12. It is determined whether the number of vehicles 10 belonging to the group is less than the number. If the number of charging stations 40 is smaller than the number of vehicles 10 by this determination processing, the electronic control unit 31 proceeds to step S14.

  In step S14, the electronic control unit 31 determines whether or not the user has gone out using the own vehicle 10, and if the user has gone out, the battery 11 of the own vehicle 10 is charged in step S18. It is determined whether or not the battery 11 is necessary. More specifically, it is determined whether or not the charging of the battery 11 must be charged today. If the electronic control unit 31 determines that the battery 11 of the host vehicle 10 needs to be charged, the electronic control unit 31 proceeds to step S30.

  In step S30, the electronic control unit 31 checks the current usage status of the charging station 40 (charging facility). More specifically, the power supply ECU 41 provided in the charging stand 40 communicates with the server computer 51 of the center 50, and the current usage status of the charging stand 40, that is, the other vehicle 10 is connected to the charging outlet 41 by the charging connection cable K. The other vehicle SOC information indicating the SOC of the battery 11 of the connected other vehicle 10 is sequentially transmitted together with the use state information indicating whether or not the battery 11 is charged. In the server computer 51 of the center 50, the usage status information and the SOC information transmitted from the power supply ECU 41 of the charging stand 41 are updated and stored in a predetermined storage position of the storage unit 52. When an information provision request is made, the latest usage status information and SOC information are provided.

  Therefore, the electronic control unit 31 uses the communication unit 34 to access the server computer 51 of the center 50 and transmits an information provision request for requesting provision of usage status information and SOC information. Thereby, the server computer 51 receives the information provision request, and transmits the latest usage status information and SOC information stored in the predetermined storage position of the storage unit 52 to the electronic control unit 31 via the communication unit 53. To do. The electronic control unit 31 acquires the latest usage status information and SOC information transmitted, and confirms the current usage status of the charging station 40 based on the acquired latest usage status information. And if the use condition of the charging stand 40 is confirmed, the electronic control unit 31 will progress to step S31.

  In step S31, the electronic control unit 31 determines whether or not the charging station 40 is currently empty based on the usage status of the charging station 40 confirmed in step S30. In other words, if the charging station 40 is not currently empty, that is, if the charging of the other vehicle 10 is not completed, the electronic control unit 31 determines “Yes” and proceeds to step S32. On the other hand, if the charging station 40 is currently empty, that is, charging of the other vehicle 10 is completed, the electronic control unit 31 determines “No”, proceeds to step S20, and ends the execution of the charging support program. In addition, when the charging stand 40 is vacant, the user can charge the battery 11 of the own vehicle 10 using the charging stand 40 at any time in principle. Therefore, in this case, the charging support by the device 30 is not necessary.

  In step S <b> 32, the electronic control unit 31 considers the time until the currently used charging station 40 is empty, i.e., the remaining charging time until the charging of the other vehicle 10 is completed, and sets the optimal return time for the user. Notice. Hereinafter, this notification will be described in detail. First, the electronic control unit 31 calculates the remaining charge time until the charging of the other vehicle 10 being used is completed for the currently used charging station 40. Specifically, the electronic control unit 31 uses the SOC information acquired in step S30 to relate each of the other vehicles 10 that are currently charged, for example, from the current SOC until the battery 11 is fully charged. Is calculated (estimated) according to a well-known method. In other words, the remaining charge time t1 to tn indicating the charge completion time is calculated (estimated).

  Next, the electronic control unit 31 extracts the shortest remaining charge time from the calculated remaining charge times t1 to tn, and when the user returns home based on the extracted remaining charge time, that is, the charge completion time. Next, the return time that the charging station 40 is available and can be used is calculated. Then, when the electronic control unit 31 calculates the return time, the electronic control unit 31 notifies the user of the calculated return time. Specifically, the electronic control unit 31 notifies the user by displaying a message such as “Please come home at XX and charge the battery” on the display panel of the liquid crystal display unit 33, for example. When the user receives the notification by this message and returns home, the charging stand 40 is empty, so the power receiving connector 21 of the parked host vehicle 10 and the charging outlet 41 are connected using the charging connection cable K, Preparations necessary for charging can be completed quickly. Thereby, the battery 11 of the host vehicle 10 can be charged appropriately. When the electronic control unit 31 notifies the user that he / she is going home, the electronic control unit 31 proceeds to step S20 and ends the execution of the charging support program.

  In this case, when the remaining charge time extracted in step S31 is equal to or longer than a certain time, there arises a situation where the user has to adjust the time in order to return to the notified return time. For this reason, when the electronic control unit 31 notifies the return time at the step S32 when the remaining charge time extracted at the step S31 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, for example, the facility or the food and drink that the user can stop by Instead of searching for the shortest distance route or recommended route when searching for and presenting a store using the navigation unit 36 or searching for a return route to the home using the navigation unit 36, the most amount It is possible to search for a route that is cheaper (that is, a route that takes time to return home) and present (guide) it to the user. Alternatively, when the remaining charge time extracted in step S31 is equal to or longer than a certain time, for example, it is difficult to charge the battery 11 using the charging stand 40 today. It can also be shown that the battery 11 is charged.

  As can be understood from the above description, also in the first modified example, the user arrives at the home at the time when he / she is notified easily and accurately without annoyance as in the above embodiment. can do. Then, if the user arrives at the notified return home time, the charging stand 40 is empty, and the user connects the power receiving connector 21 of the parked vehicle 10 and the charging outlet 41 using the charging connection cable K. Then, by completing the preparation necessary for charging, the battery 11 of the host vehicle 10 can be appropriately charged.

  In carrying out the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment and the modified example, as the device 30, when the user goes out using the vehicle 10, an information terminal device mounted on the vehicle 10 is used, or a portable information terminal owned by the user Devices (for example, mobile phones, smartphones, tablet terminals, laptop computers, etc.) were used. In this case, for example, the server computer 51 of the center 50 or the power supply ECU 41 of the charging station 40 acquires necessary information from the vehicle 10 and executes the above-described charging support program, and returns to the information portable terminal carried by the user. Etc. can be transmitted automatically or in response to an inquiry from the user. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the embodiment and the modification can be expected.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment and the said modification, when the electronic control unit 31 executed the said charge assistance program and notified return notification or return time, it implemented so that it might notify automatically with establishment of conditions. In this case, the electronic control unit 31 can be implemented so as to determine whether or not to notify according to the user's situation. For example, if the user has just arrived at the destination using his / her own vehicle 10, the electronic control unit 31 notifies the user of the return home time or return home time because the possibility of returning home immediately is low. It is possible not to be notified even in a situation where it is possible. Further, for example, even when the user uses the own vehicle 10 to move to a far destination, there is a low possibility that the user immediately returns to his / her home. Even in a situation where the time can be notified, the notification can be prevented.

  In addition, each user of the vehicle 10 enrolled in the group can receive a return home notification and a return home time notification as described above. For this reason, the situation which goes home in order to use the charging stand 40 with which the vehicle 10 is vacant at once can be assumed. In such a situation, the electronic control unit 31 of the apparatus 30 used by each user can request mediation from the server computer 51 of the center 50, for example. In this case, for example, the server computer 51 gives priority to the user (vehicle 10) who gives priority to the vehicle 10 close to the home (charging station 40) or returns in accordance with the notification of the return home or the return time in the past by the device 30. Arbitration can be done by returning home with priority. Thereby, the user can charge the battery 11 using the charging stand 40 that is vacant in order, and can efficiently and smoothly charge the battery 11 using the free time of the charging stand 40 effectively. it can.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment and the said modification, as a group in which the own vehicle 10 which a user owns is enrolled, for example, the group which registered all the vehicles in the collective housing in which a user occupies was illustrated and demonstrated, for example. did. And in this case, the situation where the charging stand 40 was installed in either of the several parking lots (parking space) provided in the apartment house where a user moves in was illustrated and demonstrated. In this case, as a group in which the host vehicle 10 is registered, it is possible to implement a plurality of independent detached houses and a parking lot installed in each detached house as one virtual apartment house. Thus, even if it is a case where a virtual apartment house is assumed, the effect similar to the said embodiment and the said modification can be anticipated.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle, 11 ... Battery, 12 ... Inverter, 13 ... Motor for driving, 14 ... Motor control unit, 20 ... Charging system, 21 ... Power receiving connector, 22 ... AC / DC converter, 23 ... Vehicle side charge ECU, 24 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Charge control switch, 25 ... SOC detection part, 30 ... Charge support apparatus, 31 ... Electronic control unit, 32 ... Input unit, 33 ... Liquid crystal display unit, 34 ... Communication unit, 35 ... Memory | storage unit, 36 ... Navigation unit, 37 ... various sensors, 40 ... outlet for charging, 41 ... power supply ECU, 50 ... center, 51 ... server computer, K ... connection cable for charging, K1, K2 ... plug

Claims (9)

Charging the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle in a charging parking space provided with a charging facility for charging the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle having a large capacity battery among parking spaces for parking a plurality of vehicles A vehicle charging support device for supporting
Travel information sharing means for acquiring and sharing each travel information that changes as a plurality of plug-in electric vehicles registered in advance as plug-in electric vehicles using the charging parking space travel,
Charging facility availability determination means for determining availability of a charging facility provided in the charging parking space based on each traveling information of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles shared by the traveling information sharing means;
Presenting means for presenting an action to be taken by a user of the plug-in electric vehicle in order to charge the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle based on the determination of availability of the charging facility by the charging facility availability determination means; A vehicle charging support apparatus comprising: In the vehicle charging support device according to claim 1,
The travel information sharing means is
For each of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles, at least position information indicating the region where each plug-in electric vehicle exists and remaining power amount information indicating the amount of power remaining in the battery of each plug-in electric vehicle are acquired. Vehicle charging support device characterized by being shared. In the vehicle charging support device according to claim 1 or 2,
The travel information sharing means is
The vehicle charging support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the traveling information of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles is shared, the shared traveling information is not disclosed to each user of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles. In the vehicle charging support device according to claim 2,
The charging facility availability determination means includes:
Based on the position information shared by the travel information sharing means, other plug-in electric vehicles out of the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles have a predetermined distance or more set in advance from a charging parking space provided with the charging facility. And / or remaining in the battery of another plug-in electric vehicle among the plurality of plug-in electric vehicles based on the remaining power amount information shared by the travel information sharing means. A vehicle charging support device that determines that a charging facility provided in the charging parking space is available when the amount of power that is present is less than a predetermined power amount that is set in advance. In the vehicle charging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The presenting means is
If it is determined by the charging facility availability determining means that the charging facility is available, the user of the plug-in electric vehicle is urged to move to the charging parking space provided with the charging facility. A vehicle charging support device. In the vehicle charging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The presenting means is
When it is determined by the charging facility availability determining means that the charging facility is being used by another plug-in electric vehicle and cannot be used, the user of the plug-in electric vehicle is in a state other than the charging facility. A vehicle charging support device that urges charging of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle in another charging parking space provided with a charging facility. The vehicle charging support device according to claim 1, further comprising:
Charging facility usage status acquisition means for acquiring the usage status of the charging facility;
The charging facility availability determination means includes:
A vehicle charging support apparatus that determines whether or not a charging facility provided in the charging parking space can be used based on the charging facility usage status acquired by the charging facility usage status acquisition means. In the vehicle charging support device according to claim 7,
The charging facility usage status acquisition means is at least:
Obtaining the state of charge of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle using the charging facility,
The presenting means is
Based on the charging state of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle acquired by the charging facility usage status acquisition means, the charging completion time of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle is estimated, and according to the estimated charging completion time A vehicle charging support apparatus that presents an action to be taken by a user of the plug-in electric vehicle. In the vehicle charging support device according to claim 8,
The presenting means is
Search and present a route for moving to the charging parking space equipped with the charging facility according to the estimated charging completion time, or charge other than the charging facility to the user of the plug-in electric vehicle A vehicle charging support device that urges charging of the battery of the plug-in electric vehicle in another charging parking space provided with a facility.

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