JP2013118760A - Charge controller for plurality of quick chargers - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charge controller for a plurality of quick chargers for enhancing user's convenience in charging a plurality of electric vehicles using a normal charger.SOLUTION: A plurality of normal charger 20 supply an onboard charger 43 mounted on an electric vehicle 40 with a single phase AC to charge a driving battery 44 mounted on the electric vehicle 40. A centralized controller 10 (charge control apparatus) communicates with the plurality of normal charger 20 to control the charging operation thereof, and includes a management side card reader 17 (information acquisition part) for acquiring residual capacity information that indicates the residual capacity of the driving battery 44 for each of the plurality of normal chargers 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging control device that centrally controls charging operations of a plurality of ordinary chargers.

  In recent years, electric vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are becoming widespread. However, it is indispensable to improve charging facilities for full-scale popularization of electric vehicles. And it is thought that charging facilities can be enhanced by installing ordinary chargers or the like in parking lots or parking spaces of stores.

  In order to charge a plurality of electric vehicles, the device of Patent Document 1 realizes charging of a plurality of electric vehicles by a single charging device by switching a charging target outlet. Further, in the apparatus of Patent Document 2, when a new vehicle to be charged is connected, the convenience of the user is improved by switching the connection to the vehicle with higher priority and charging.

JP 2011-135660 A JP 2011-36096 A

  When charging multiple electric vehicles with ordinary chargers, it is necessary to adjust the total power value of the multiple chargers so that the contracted power value is not exceeded. Information on the rated current value of the charger is required. In addition, in order to determine the charging conditions, information on the remaining capacity of the battery is also required. In this respect, none of the above-described devices takes into consideration information on the rated charge current value and the remaining capacity.

  For this reason, when a plurality of ordinary chargers are installed in an existing parking lot or a parking space of a store, there is a problem that it is difficult to control with the maximum contract power value. That is, the contract power value may be exceeded depending on the situation. Although it is conceivable for the user to input information on the rated current value and remaining capacity, there is a problem that convenience is impaired.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The objective is to improve the convenience with respect to a user, when charging several electric vehicles with a normal charger.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention communicates with a plurality of ordinary chargers that charge a battery included in the electric vehicle by supplying a single-phase alternating current to a vehicle-mounted charger mounted on the electric vehicle. The charging control device controls the charging operation by the ordinary charger, and has an information acquisition unit that acquires the remaining capacity information indicating the remaining capacity of the battery for each of the ordinary chargers.

  According to the charge control device of the present invention, since the information acquisition unit is provided in the charge control device to acquire the remaining capacity information, the labor for inputting information can be saved and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  In the above-described charging control apparatus, when the information acquisition unit is configured by an information reading unit that reads the remaining capacity information from a recording medium in which the remaining capacity information is written by the information writing unit included in the electric vehicle. In other words, the remaining capacity information can be easily transferred from the electric vehicle to the charge control device via a portable recording medium.

  In the above-described charging control device, when the information acquisition unit is configured by a wireless information reception unit that receives the remaining capacity information transmitted from the wireless information transmission unit included in the electric vehicle, by wireless communication, The remaining capacity information can be easily transferred from the electric vehicle to the charge control device.

  In the above-described charging control device, the wireless information receiving unit receives an attachment detection signal transmitted from the ordinary charger when a charging plug provided in the ordinary charger is attached to an ordinary charging inlet provided in the electric vehicle. On the basis of this, when it is configured to shift to the reception state of the remaining capacity information, it is possible to receive the remaining capacity information in conjunction with an essential operation at the time of charging such as attachment of a charging plug. Can be further improved.

  In the above-described charging control device, the information acquisition unit includes total capacity information indicating a total capacity of the battery, and charging current value information indicating a current value of the single-phase AC supplied from the normal charger to the in-vehicle charger. Can be obtained together with the remaining capacity information, the input of total capacity information and charging current value information can be simplified when performing charging control using a plurality of ordinary chargers. Further improvement in convenience can be achieved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when charging several electric vehicles with a normal charger, the convenience with respect to a user can be improved.

It is a figure explaining the outline of a charging system. It is a functional block diagram of a charging system. (A) is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the management-side control unit, and (b) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the memory of the management-side control unit. It is a figure explaining the example of a display of an input indicator, (a) is a selection screen of a normal charger, (b) is a selection screen of desired charge amount, (c) is a selection screen of desired charge completion time, (D) shows a display screen of the scheduled charging completion time. (A) is a block diagram explaining the structure of a charge side control part, (b) is a conceptual diagram explaining the memory of a charge side control part. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of an electric vehicle. (A) is a block diagram explaining the structure of a vehicle side control part, (b) is a conceptual diagram explaining the memory of a vehicle side control part. It is a main flowchart of a charging system. It is a flowchart explaining a charge control determination process. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining the specific example of the charge control pattern determined by the charge control determination process in time series, respectively. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining the specific example of the charge control pattern determined by the charge control determination process in time series, respectively. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining the specific example of the charge control pattern determined by the charge control determination process in time series, respectively. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining the specific example of the charge control pattern determined by the charge control determination process in time series, respectively. It is a functional block diagram explaining other embodiment in a charge system.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The charging system of this embodiment is for charging a secondary battery mounted on an electric vehicle, and is installed, for example, in a charging stand for an electric vehicle or a convenience store.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the charging system includes a centralized management device 10, a plurality of ordinary chargers 20, and a load (other load 30) other than the ordinary charger 20.

  The central management device 10 is a device in charge of control in this charging system, and corresponds to a charging control device. The central management device 10 communicates with each ordinary charger 20 to control the charging operation by each ordinary charger 20. The centralized management apparatus 10 will be described later.

  The ordinary charger 20 is a device that charges the drive battery 44 through an on-vehicle charger 43 (see FIG. 6) mounted on the electric vehicle 40, and a plurality of units can be installed in one system and can be expanded. . In this system, one normal charger 20 charges one battery. For convenience, three ordinary chargers 20 are illustrated, but the number is not limited to three. The ordinary charger 20 will be described later.

  The other load 30 corresponds to various devices other than the ordinary charger 20. For example, an air conditioner or lighting corresponds to this load. In the case of a convenience store, facilities such as refrigerators and freezers also fall under this load. In the present embodiment, the centralized management apparatus 10 acquires a detection signal from the power sensor 51 provided in the indoor wiring, and recognizes the amount of power supplied to each load based on the level of the detection signal. Moreover, the centralized management apparatus 10 acquires a detection signal from the power sensor 52 provided on the lead-in line, and recognizes the amount of power supplied from the commercial system 50 based on the level of this detection signal.

  In this charging system, the centralized management apparatus 10 communicates with the ordinary charger 20 and sets the supply time of single-phase alternating current supplied to the on-vehicle charger 43. And in the electric vehicle 40, the single phase alternating current supplied to the vehicle-mounted charger 43 is converted into a high voltage direct current, and the drive battery 44 is charged. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, the centralized management apparatus 10 has a management-side control unit 11, the ordinary charger 20 has a charging-side control unit 21, and the electric vehicle 40 has a vehicle-side control unit 41. The management-side control unit 11 and the charging-side control unit 21 are connected in a communicable state, and the in-vehicle charger 43 and the driving battery 44 are connected in a state that can be controlled by the vehicle-side control unit 41. In FIG. 2, a thick line indicates a power supply line, and a thin line indicates a data or signal communication line.

  In this charging system, the total capacity (total charge capacity) of the drive battery 44, the remaining capacity (remaining charge capacity), and the ordinary charger 20 are supplied to the in-vehicle charger 43 via the information storage card CRD. A single-phase AC charging current value (individual current value) is transferred from the electric vehicle 40 to the centralized management device 10. For this reason, the centralized management apparatus 10 has a management-side card reader 17, and the electric vehicle 40 has a vehicle-side card writer 49. Then, when the ignition of the electric vehicle 40 is turned off, the vehicle side control unit 41 writes necessary information to the information storage card CRD via the vehicle side card writer 49. In addition, the management-side control unit 11 acquires necessary information from the information storage card CRD set in the management-side card reader 17.

  In this charging system, one ordinary charger 20 is responsible for charging one electric vehicle 40 (drive battery 44). That is, the set of the ordinary charger 20, the electric vehicle 40, the on-vehicle charger 43, and the driving battery 44 corresponds one-to-one. Here, the management-side card reader 17 uses the information storage card CRD to indicate information indicating the remaining capacity of a certain driving battery 44 (remaining capacity information) and information indicating the total charging capacity of the driving battery 44 (total charging capacity information). The information of the primary side current value supplied to the on-vehicle charger 43 (charging current value information) is acquired. The information storage card CRD corresponds to a recording medium in which remaining capacity information and the like are written by a vehicle-side card writer 49 (information writing unit) included in the electric vehicle 40. Accordingly, the management-side card reader 17 corresponds to an information reading unit that reads the remaining capacity information from the information storage card CRD.

  Next, the central management apparatus 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the centralized management apparatus 10 includes a management side control unit 11, an input display 12, and a management side card reader 17. The management-side control unit 11 is a central part of control in the centralized management apparatus 10, and includes a control unit main body 15 having a CPU 13 and a memory 14, and a communication interface 16, as shown in FIG. doing.

  In the control unit main body 15, various control operations are realized by the CPU 13 executing a program stored in the memory 14. For example, supply control of single-phase alternating current from each ordinary charger 20 to the electric vehicle 40 (on-vehicle charger 43) is realized. The communication interface 16 controls communication in the central management apparatus 10. That is, the communication performed with each ordinary charger 20 is controlled.

  The management-side card reader 17 is a part that reads information from the information storage card CRD, and an apparatus having a format that is suitable for the type of the information storage card CRD is used. For example, when the information storage card CRD is a magnetic card, a magnetic card reader is used. When the information storage card CRD is a non-contact IC card, a reader for the non-contact IC card is used.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, a part of the memory 14 includes a program storage area, an identification information storage area, a contract power value storage area, a time zone upper limit current value storage area, a set interval storage area, an AC / DC Conversion efficiency storage area, total capacity storage area, charging voltage value storage area, charging current value storage area, remaining capacity storage area, desired charge amount storage area, desired completion time storage area, charge urgency storage area, priority order storage area, It is used as a unit charge time storage area, a switching point storage area, a unit charge number counter, and a control pattern storage area.

  The program storage area stores a program that is read and executed by the CPU 13.

  In the identification information storage area, identification information indicating an electrical device that is communicable with the centralized management apparatus 10 is stored. In the present embodiment, unique identification information indicating each ordinary charger 20 is stored for each ordinary charger 20. Therefore, the centralized management device 10 collates the identification information included in the received information with the identification information stored in the identification information storage area, and from which normal charger 20 the received information is transmitted. Can be recognized. As described above, the set of the normal charger 20, the electric vehicle 40, the on-vehicle charger 43, and the driving battery 44 has a one-to-one correspondence. For this reason, the identification information also functions as identification information for the electric vehicle 40, the in-vehicle charger 43, and the driving battery 44 connected to the ordinary charger 20.

  The contract power value storage area stores a contract power value corresponding to the contract content with the customer who owns the charging system. The central management device 10 controls each ordinary charger 20 so as not to exceed the maximum power value.

  In the time zone upper limit current value storage area, a total upper limit value of current values (current values of the commercial system 50 on the primary side) that can be used for charging by each ordinary charger 20 is stored for each time zone. Here, the total upper limit value of the current value can be calculated by subtracting the amount of power consumed by the other load 30 (predicted value based on the actual result) from the contracted amount of power and dividing by the voltage of the commercial system 50. The time zone means a time as a unit of control, and can be set to an arbitrary time width by a system administrator. For example, it can be set to 1 hour every hour or 30 minutes. The time zone information is stored in the set interval storage area as a set interval.

  In the AC / DC conversion efficiency storage area, conversion efficiency for each on-vehicle charger 43 when converting from single-phase alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) is stored. The centralized management device 10 uses this conversion efficiency information when acquiring the expected value of the charging completion time. Regarding this conversion efficiency, a standard value of the vehicle charger 43 when converting from single-phase alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) is stored.

  Each of the total capacity storage area and the charging current value storage area is a part that stores information related to charging of the driving battery 44 in association with the normal charger 20 that performs charging. That is, information (total charge capacity, charge current value) read from the information storage card CRD is stored in these areas in the necessary information capturing process (S2, FIG. 8) described later. Specifically, the total charge capacity is stored in the total capacity storage area, and the charge current value (primary current value) supplied to the in-vehicle charger 43 is stored in the charge current value storage area. In addition, a single-phase AC voltage value (primary voltage value) in the commercial system 50 is stored in the charging voltage value storage area. This charging voltage value is commonly used in each ordinary charger 20 as a value not depending on the in-vehicle charger 43.

  In the remaining capacity storage area, the remaining charge capacity (remaining capacity) of the drive battery 44 included in the electric vehicle 40 to be charged is stored. This information is also read from the information storage card CRD and stored in the necessary information acquisition process (S2). Then, the CPU 13 refers to the charging condition for the driving battery 44.

  The desired charge amount storage area and the desired completion time storage area are parts that store requests related to charging from the user of the electric vehicle 40 in association with the ordinary charger 20 that performs charging. That is, in the desired charge amount storage area, information on the charge amount desired by the user (for example, XX% or more of the total capacity) is stored, and in the desired completion time storage area, information on the charge completion time desired by the user (for example, Δ (Within time) are stored together with the identification information of the ordinary charger 20 that performs charging. These pieces of information are also acquired by the user's operation on the input indicator 12 and are referred to by the CPU 13 when determining the charging condition for the driving battery 44.

  The charge urgency storage area is a portion that stores a charge urgency that is an index for determining a charge priority. This charge urgency is determined based on the ratio between the expected charge completion time (expected completion time) and the desired completion time desired by the user. For example, the greater the ratio obtained by dividing the expected completion time by the desired completion time (the longer the time required than the desired completion time), the higher the charge urgency. This charge urgency is also stored together with the identification information of the ordinary charger 20 that performs charging.

  The priority order storage area is a part for storing the priority order of the ordinary charger 20 that performs the charging operation. In this embodiment, the higher priority is assigned to the ordinary charger 20 having a higher charge urgency. This priority information is also stored together with the identification information of the ordinary charger 20 that performs charging.

  The unit charging time storage area is a part for storing a unit charging time corresponding to one time in the unit charging operation (one cycle in the cyclic charging operation). In this charging system, the amount of power charged in one unit charging operation is made equal from the viewpoint of equality among users. Since this amount of electric power is made equal, the time required for one unit charging operation is determined according to the charging current value supplied to the in-vehicle charger 43. Therefore, in this unit charging time storage area, one charging time in the unit charging operation is set as a unit charging time, and is stored together with identification information of the ordinary charger 20 that performs charging.

  The switching time storage area stores the control switching time (cross section described later) in the charge control pattern. The switching time includes a charging start time and a charging end time for each ordinary charger 20. In addition, the boundary between time zones that define the total upper limit value also corresponds to the switching time. In the unit charging number counter, the number of executions of unit charging is stored together with identification information of the ordinary charger 20 that performs charging. The unit charge number counter is used in the process of determining the charge control pattern.

  The control pattern storage area stores the charge control pattern determined by the charge control determination process. This charge control pattern is a set of control switching time points (cross section), a normal charger to be operated, and an operation time. When performing the charging process, the management-side control unit 11 reads out the charging control pattern stored in the control pattern storage area, and transmits necessary information to the normal charger 20 to be operated.

  Next, the input display 12 will be described. The input display 12 is a part that provides a user interface in the centralized management apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the input display 12 includes an input unit 12 a for inputting user instructions and a display unit 12 b for performing various displays. Have. The input display 12 of this embodiment is configured by a touch panel type liquid crystal display device. In this apparatus, the touch panel corresponds to the input unit 12a, and the liquid crystal display unit corresponds to the display unit 12b. Note that other types of devices may be used for the input display 12.

  This input indicator 12 is used when the user of the electric vehicle 40 selects the ordinary charger 20, inputs the required charge amount, and inputs the desired charge completion time. When selecting the ordinary charger 20, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the number of the ordinary charger 20 to be used and the OK characters are displayed as button images. When the desired amount of charge is input, for example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the amount of charge for the drive battery 44 (ratio to the total charge capacity) is displayed as a button image. When inputting the desired charging completion time, for example, as shown in FIG. 4C, the desired charging completion time is displayed as a button image. Moreover, as shown in FIG.4 (d), the input indicator 12 also displays the scheduled time of charge completion.

  The contents of the display image are determined by the management-side control unit 11. In the present embodiment, display modes are different for selectable items and non-selectable items. For example, a button image that feels that the lamp is lit is displayed for selectable items, and a button image that feels that the lamp is extinguished is displayed for items that are not selectable.

  In the display example of FIG. 4A, the selectable charger A and the charger B are displayed as button images that are turned on, and the selected charger C is displayed as a button image that is turned off. Thereby, the charger C can visually notify the user that it is not the target. FIG. 4B shows a case where the remaining charge capacity of the driving battery 44 is about 50%. In this case, button images with a desired charge amount of 20% or more and 40% or more are displayed in a non-selectable manner because the remaining charge capacity is larger. On the other hand, button images with a desired charge amount of 60% or more and 80% or more are displayed in a selectable manner because they are larger than the remaining charge capacity. Also, in FIG. 4C, a three-level button image is displayed in a selectable manner, and a two-level button image is displayed in a selectable manner.

  When the selectable button image is touched by the user, the touch operation is detected by the input unit 12a (touch panel). Then, detection information (for example, coordinates of the touch position) is output to the management-side control unit 11. The management-side control unit 11 recognizes the user selection based on the detection information. In the display example of FIG. 4A, when the button image of the charger A is touched and the OK button image is touched, the coordinate information of the button image of the charger A is transferred from the input display 12 to the management side. It is transmitted to the control unit 11. The management-side control unit 11 recognizes that the charger A has been selected based on the received coordinate information.

  Next, the ordinary charger 20 will be described. The ordinary charger 20 is a device that charges the drive battery 44 by supplying a single-phase alternating current to an in-vehicle charger 43 attached to the drive battery 44. For example, as shown in FIG. 21 and a switch 22.

  The charging-side control unit 21 is a central part of control in the ordinary charger 20, and includes a control unit body 25 having a CPU 23 and a memory 24, and a communication interface 26, as shown in FIG. doing. The control unit main body 25 and the communication interface 26 are configured in the same manner as described in the management-side control unit 11.

  The switch 22 is a part that performs supply control of single-phase alternating current. The opening / closing operation of the switch 22 is controlled by the charging-side control unit 21, and the switch 22 is closed over a unit charging time corresponding to the unit charging operation, and supplies single-phase alternating current to the in-vehicle charger 43. And the switch 22 is returned to an open state by progress of unit charge time. The charging-side control unit 21 controls the opening / closing operation of the switch 22 based on the operation instruction signal from the management-side control unit 11.

  Next, the memory 24 of the control unit body 25 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5B, a partial area of the memory 24 is used as a program storage area and an identification information storage area. In the program storage area, a program read and executed by the CPU 23 is stored, and in the identification information storage area, unique identification information indicating the normal charger 20 is stored.

  Next, the electric vehicle 40 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the electric vehicle 40 includes a vehicle-side control unit 41, a normal charging inlet 42 </ b> A, a quick charging inlet 42 </ b> B, an in-vehicle charger 43, a driving battery 44, an auxiliary battery 45, An inverter 46, a drive motor 47, and a transmission 48 are included. In FIG. 6, a thick line indicates a power supply line, and a thin line indicates a data or signal communication line.

  The vehicle-side control unit 41 is a central part of the control in the electric vehicle 40. As shown in FIG. 7A, the vehicle-side control unit 41 includes a control unit main body 63 having a CPU 61 and a memory 62, and a communication interface 64. ing. The control unit main body 63 and the communication interface 64 are configured in the same manner as described in the management-side control unit 11 and the like.

  The normal charging inlet 42A is a portion to which the charging plug PLG of the normal charger 20 is connected, and the quick charging inlet 42B is a portion to which a charging plug (not shown) of the quick charger is connected. Regarding these charging inlets 42A and 42B, the normal charging inlet 42A is supplied with a single-phase alternating current from the normal charger 20, whereas the quick charging inlet 42B is supplied with a direct current from a quick charger (not shown). Is different. In addition, the normal charging inlet 42A is not connected to the vehicle-side control unit 41 via a communication line, whereas the quick charging inlet 42B is connected to the vehicle-side control unit 41 via a communication line. There is a difference (not shown).

  A drive battery 44 and an auxiliary battery 45 are connected to the in-vehicle charger 43. The in-vehicle charger 43 charges the driving battery 44 and the auxiliary battery 45 with the supplied single-phase alternating current. The drive battery 44 is a part that stores DC power for operating the drive motor 47. The auxiliary battery 45 is a part that stores DC power for operating instruments such as the vehicle-side control unit 41.

  When charging the batteries 44 and 45, the in-vehicle charger 43 also performs control related to charging such as adjustment of charging voltage and termination of charging. The drive battery 44 and the auxiliary battery 45 have different DC power voltages. For this reason, the in-vehicle charger 43 is provided with a DC / DC converter circuit (not shown), and is configured to be able to be charged with an appropriate voltage.

  The inverter 46 is a power converter that generates AC power from DC power stored in the drive battery 44. The inverter 46 outputs AC power whose frequency is adjusted in accordance with a control signal from the vehicle-side control unit 41. Then, the AC power generated by the inverter 46 is supplied to the drive motor 47. Accordingly, the rotational speed of the drive motor 47 is controlled according to the control signal from the vehicle side control unit 41.

  The drive motor 47 is a portion serving as a drive source for rotating the tire TR. That is, the rotation shaft of the drive motor 47 is connected to the transmission 48, and the rotational force from the drive motor 47 is appropriately decelerated and transmitted to the axle. Since the tire TR is attached to the end of the axle DF, the tire TR is rotated by the rotation of the drive motor 47.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, a partial area of the memory 62 included in the control unit main body 63 is used as a program storage area, a total capacity storage area, a remaining capacity storage area, and a charging current value storage area. Since information stored in each area has been described above, description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, the operation in this charging system will be described. FIG. 8 is a main flowchart for explaining the charging operation of the electric vehicle 40 by this charging system. In the flowchart of FIG. 8 and the flowchart of FIG. 9 to be described later, “NC” is described, which means the normal charger 20.

  In this charging system, it is first determined whether or not the normal charger 20 that performs the charging operation is selected (S1). That is, the management-side control unit 11 determines whether or not the charger has been selected by the user for the input unit 12a. In the example of FIG. 4A, when the button image of the selectable charger A or the charger B is touched and then the OK button image is touched, the management-side control unit 11 touches the normal It recognizes that the charger 20 has been selected.

  If the ordinary charger 20 is selected, the management-side control unit 11 captures necessary information regarding the electric vehicle (S2). Here, information on the total capacity, remaining capacity, and charging current value of the drive battery 44 provided in the electric vehicle 40 is acquired from the information storage card CRD attached to the management-side card reader 17 by the user. As described above, these pieces of information are information written to the information storage card CRD when the vehicle ignition is turned off. If the information storage card CRD is not attached to the management-side card reader 17 in the necessary information fetching process, the management-side control unit 11 notifies the user by voice or text message.

  If the necessary information is taken in, the management-side control unit 11 waits for input of the desired charge amount and the desired charge completion time (S3, S4).

  In the example of FIG. 4B, a button image indicating a desired charge amount of three levels (60% or more, 80% or more, 100%) that can be selected from among the five levels is displayed. When the image is touched and then the OK button image is touched, the management-side control unit 11 recognizes that the touched desired charge amount has been selected.

  In the example of FIG. 4C, the button image indicating the desired charging completion time of 3 levels (within 4 hours, within 8 hours, within 12 hours) of 5 levels is displayed. When two button images are touched and then an OK button image is touched, the management-side control unit 11 recognizes that the desired charging completion time that has been touched has been selected.

  Next, the management side control part 11 determines the content of charge control (S5). In this determination process, the management-side control unit 11 functions as a unit charging condition acquisition unit, and unit charging is performed from the charging current value for each in-vehicle charger 43 (individual current value for each ordinary charger 20) and the desired charging amount. The unit charging time and the expected charging completion time required for charging the quantity are acquired. In addition, the management-side control unit 11 functions as a charge control pattern determination unit, and obtains a total of unit current values flowing from the commercial system 50 to the normal charger 20 in a time series in one unit charging operation for the driving battery 44. Compared with the upper limit current value of the corresponding time zone, if the total of unit current values is less than or equal to the upper limit current value, the content of the charge control is set so that the supply of single-phase alternating current from the normal charger 20 is permitted. decide. The determined charge control content is stored in the control pattern storage area of the memory 14 as a charge control pattern. The charging control determination process will be described in detail later.

  If the content of charge control is determined, the management-side control unit 11 performs determination result notification processing (S6). In this notification process, the expected time until the completion of charging is displayed on the display unit 12b. In addition, if the user's request for charging cannot be achieved, a message to that effect is displayed. In the display example of FIG. 4D, the fact that charging is scheduled to be completed after 6 hours and 30 minutes is displayed on the input display 12 (display unit 12b). In addition, precautions during charging are also displayed on the input display 12.

  If the notification process is performed, the charging process is performed (S7). In this charging process, the management-side control unit 11 functions as a charging permission unit, and opens and closes the normal charger 20 (charging-side control unit 21) to be operated in accordance with the charging control pattern determined in step S6. Instruction information for operating the device 22 is transmitted. The normal charger 20 supplies the single-phase alternating current to the in-vehicle charger 43 by closing the switch 22 over the unit charging time based on the received instruction information. The on-vehicle charger 43 charges the driving battery 44 over a period in which the single-phase alternating current is supplied.

  In the charging process, in this charging system, the normal charger 20 is controlled so that a charging operation (unit charging operation) of a unit charging amount is repeatedly performed on each driving battery 44 as in a specific example described later. . That is, the on-vehicle charger 43 repeatedly charges the driving battery 44 by closing the switch 22 of the ordinary charger 20 for a unit charging time corresponding to the unit charge amount. For this reason, the management side control part 11 transmits the operation instruction information for the switch 22 to the normal charger 20 to be operated every time the control switching point (cross section) in the charge control pattern arrives. .

  This charging process is continued until charging of all the drive batteries 44 is completed (S8). Then, charging is performed with the determined charging control pattern until a new ordinary charger 20 is selected (S9). On the other hand, if a new ordinary charger 20 is additionally selected, the process returns to step S2 to repeat the processes after taking in necessary information. In this case, the driving battery 44 being charged is processed by subtracting the amount already charged. When charging of all the drive batteries 44 is completed (S8), the process returns to step S1 and waits until the normal charger 20 is selected.

  Next, details of the charging control determination process by the management-side control unit 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the charging control determination process, the target ordinary charger 20 having the smallest identification number is selected (S11). Here, when the identification number is composed of alphabets, the smallest one in alphabetical order is selected, and when the identification number is composed of order numbers, the one with the smallest number is selected. .

  Next, an expected total charge amount is calculated for the selected normal charger 20 (S12). In the present embodiment, the expected total charge amount is calculated by the following equation (1).

  Expected total charge amount = total battery capacity x desired charge amount (%)-remaining battery capacity (1)

  If the expected total charge amount is calculated, the expected charge completion time is calculated (S13). In the present embodiment, the expected charging completion time is calculated by the following equation (2). In Equation (2), the charging voltage value is a single-phase AC voltage value. Therefore, in this process, the single-phase AC voltage value is read from the memory 14 (charge voltage value storage area) of the management-side control unit 11.

  Expected charge completion time = Expected total charge amount / AC / DC conversion efficiency / Power factor / (Charge voltage value x Charge current value) (2)

  Next, a unit charging time (one cycle charging interval) is calculated (S14). In this embodiment, this unit charging time is calculated by the following equation (3) and indicates the charging time in one cycle of cyclic charging. In equation (3), the reference cyclic charging time is a reference charging time in one cycle of cyclic charging, and can be set to an arbitrary time by the administrator of the charging system. The reference charging current value is a charging current value (single-phase AC current value flowing into the in-vehicle charger 43) that becomes a reference in one cycle of cyclic charging, and can be set to an arbitrary value by the administrator of the charging system. These reference cyclic charging time and reference charging current value are determined in order to equalize the amount of charge charged in the drive battery 44 in one cycle of cyclic charging.

  Unit charging time = reference cyclic charging time x reference charging current value ÷ charging current value (3)

  Next, the charge urgency is calculated (S15). As described above, the charge urgency is an index for determining the priority of charge, and is calculated by the following equation (4) in the present embodiment. That is, as the urgency of charging increases, it means that charging must be performed for a longer time than the user's desired charging time.

  Charge urgency = Expected completion time ÷ Desired completion time… (4)

  If the charge urgency level has been calculated, it is determined whether or not each calculation process from step S12 to S15 has been performed for all the normal chargers 20 (S16). Here, when there is a normal charger 20 that has not been subjected to calculation processing, the normal charger 20 with the younger identification information is selected (S17), and each calculation processing (S12-) for this normal charger 20 is performed. S15) is performed.

  On the other hand, when each calculation process is performed for all the normal chargers 20, the priorities of the normal chargers 20 are rearranged in descending order of charge urgency (S18). This process is performed based on the charge urgency calculated in step S15.

  Next, the target cross section is set (S19). Here, the cross section is a control switching time point in the charge control pattern, and corresponds to a determination timing as to whether or not the total upper limit value of current values that can be used for charging in each ordinary charger 20 is exceeded. As described above, this cross section includes a charging start time and a charging end time for each ordinary charger 20. In addition, the boundary between time zones that define the total upper limit value also corresponds to the cross section. Therefore, the start point of charging is the first cross section. For this reason, when the process proceeds from step S18, the charging start time (time t0 in the specific example) is set as the target cross section.

  If the target cross section is set, it is determined whether or not the constraint condition in the target cross section is satisfied (S20). Here, charging current values are integrated in descending order of priority (charging urgency). And when the integrated value about all the normal chargers 20 is below the upper limit electric current value in an object cross section, it is judged that a constraint condition is satisfied.

  Here, when the constraint condition is satisfied, the charge control pattern in the cross section is determined (S21). On the other hand, if the constraint condition is not satisfied, the normal charger 20 having a low priority and the normal charger 20 having a high unit charge count (cyclic charge count) are sequentially put into a standby state (S22), and the integrated value of the charging current is set. Is set to be equal to or lower than the upper limit current value, thereby determining the charge control pattern in the cross section (S21).

  If the charge control pattern of the target cross section is determined in this way, it is determined whether or not the charge control pattern has been determined for all target cross sections (S23). If there is a cross section for which the charge control pattern has not been determined, the cross section is set as the target cross section (S19), and the above-described processing is repeated (S20 to S22).

  In this setting process, the management-side control unit 11 sets the normal charger 20 to a standby state at the end of one cycle of charging (unit charging) by the normal charger 20. Moreover, the priority order of the normal charger 20 having a unit charge count larger than that of the other normal chargers 20 is temporarily set to be lower. By performing such setting, a problem that the specific drive battery 44 is continuously charged is suppressed. This setting process will be described based on a specific example.

  If the charge control pattern is determined for all the cross sections (S23), it is determined whether or not the charging request is satisfied for all the ordinary chargers 20 (S24). Here, if the desired charge amount can be charged within the desired time, it is determined that the charge request is satisfied. On the other hand, if the desired time is exceeded when charging the desired charge amount, it is determined that the charge request is not satisfied.

  If it is determined that the charging request is satisfied, notification data indicating that the request is expected to be achieved is created (S25). This notification data is displayed in the result notification in step S7. On the other hand, when it is determined that the charging request is not satisfied, notification data indicating that the request is not achieved is created (S26). This notification data is also displayed in the result notification in step S7. If these notification data creation processes are performed, the charging control determination process (S6) is terminated and the process returns to the main flowchart.

  The above charging control determination process will be described in detail based on the specific examples of FIGS. 10 (a) to 13 (d). In these figures, the horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is current value. Moreover, the dotted line drawn in the staircase shape is the total upper limit value for each time zone (current value on the commercial system 50 side that can be used by the entire ordinary charger 20). In this specific example, five time zones including time t0-t1, time t1-t2, time t2-t3, time t3-t4, and time t4- are depicted.

  Further, in this specific example, charging is performed by five ordinary chargers 20, and the amount of charge by each ordinary charger 20 is indicated by reference numerals NC1 to NC5. Here, the codes NC1, NC2, NC3, NC4, and NC5 are assigned to the charging amounts NC1 to NC5 in descending order of priority. Moreover, regarding the rectangular figure which shows charge amount, an area (charge amount) is equal and an aspect ratio is different. This is because the charge amounts NC1 to NC5 of one cycle are aligned from the viewpoint of charging the drive batteries 44 equally.

  That is, the in-vehicle charger 43 of each electric vehicle 40 has a unique charging current value. Since the size of the vertical axis in the rectangular figure (individual current value flowing from the commercial system 50 to the ordinary charger 20) is determined according to the charging current value, the charging current value becomes If the charging current value is relatively large, one cycle of charging operation (unit charging operation) is completed in a relatively short time. If the charging current value is relatively small, the unit charging operation requires a relatively long time. Therefore, the normal charger 20 connected to the on-vehicle charger 43 having a relatively large charging current value has a vertically long rectangular shape, and the normal charging connected to the on-vehicle charger 43 having a relatively small charging current value. The container 20 becomes a horizontally long rectangular figure.

  Hereinafter, the procedure for determining the charge control pattern will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 10 (a), first, the management-side control device integrates the charge amount in a range not exceeding the total upper limit value in order from the charge amount NC1 having a higher priority starting from the time t0 (starting cross section). In this example, the total upper limit value of the time period t0-t1 is the current value I1, and the current value (sum of the vertical axis) obtained by summing up the charge amounts NC1 to NC4 exceeds the current value I1, so the charge amount NC1 Up to -NC3 are determined as charging targets in the starting cross section. Among these, the charge amount NC2 is the one that completes one cycle of charging first. For this reason, time t0a which is the charge completion time of charge amount NC2 is set to the next cross section.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the charge control pattern at time t0a, which is the next cross section, is determined. Here, among the charge amounts NC2, NC4, and NC5 in the standby state, the priority order of the charge amount NC2 having the highest unit charge count than others is the lowest, and the current value of the charge amount NC4 having the highest priority is integrated. Is done. Since the accumulated current amount of the charging amounts NC1, NC3, and NC4 is lower than the current value I1, it is determined that the constraint condition is satisfied. Next, the charge amount NC5 having a higher priority than the charge amount NC2 is also integrated. However, since the integrated current value is higher than the current value I1, the standby state is set assuming that the constraint condition is not satisfied. As described above, the charging amounts NC1, NC3, and NC4 are determined as charging targets in this cross section. Of these, the charge amount NC1 is the one that completes one cycle of charging first. For this reason, time t0b which is the charge completion time of charge amount NC1 is set to the next cross section.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10C, the charge control pattern at time t0b is determined. Here, the charge amounts NC1 and NC2 are in a standby state, but since both have the same number of unit charges, the charge amount NC1 with the original high priority is targeted for integration. However, since the integrated current value is higher than the current value I1, the standby state is maintained. Then, the time t1 when the total upper limit value switches to the current I2 is set for the next cross section.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10D, the charge control pattern at time t1 is determined. Here, since the total upper limit value of the time period t1-t2 is the current value I2, which is higher than the integrated current value of NC1 to NC5, all the charge amounts NC to NC5 are set as charging targets. Then, the charging end time t1a of the charging amount NC4 is set to the next cross section.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11A, the charge control pattern at time t1a is determined. At this time t1a, the amount of charge NC4 for which one cycle of charging has been completed is integrated, but since the current value I2 is higher than the integrated current value of NC1 to NC5, the amount of charge NC4 is also set as the charging target. In this case, charging is continued. Then, the charging end time t1b of the charging amount NC3 is set to the next section.

  Thereafter, the charge control pattern is set every time the cross section arrives in the same procedure. Explaining the point, in the time period t1-t2, the total upper limit value is the current value I2, which is higher than the integrated current value of the charge amounts NC1 to NC5, and therefore the priority order is changed due to the difference in the number of unit charging times. However, all of the charge amounts NC1 to NC5 are to be charged (FIG. 11 (b) -FIG. 12 (b)).

  The charge amount NC4 for which one cycle of charging has been completed at time t1g is continuously selected as a charging target because the other is being charged. Here, since the total upper limit value decreases to the current value I3 in the time period t2-t3, if the charge amount NC4 is charged, the constraint condition is not satisfied after the time t2. Therefore, the charging amount NC4 is charged only in the time period from time t1g to time t2, and is set in a standby state after time t2 (FIGS. 12C and 12D).

  By the way, regarding the charge amount NC4, since the charge current value of the corresponding on-vehicle charger 43 is higher than the charge current value of the other on-vehicle charger 43, the number of unit charges is larger than the other charge amounts. For example, in the time period from time t0 to time t2, the number of unit charges by the charge amount NC4 is set to three. On the other hand, the number of unit charges by the charge amounts NC1 and NC2 is set to 2 times, and the number of unit charges by the charge amounts NC3 and 5 is set to 1 time.

  Therefore, the management-side control unit 11 gives priority to the charging of the other charging amount by lowering the priority order of the charging amount NC4 over the other charging amounts 1 to 3 and 5 (FIGS. 13A to 13D). )). Specifically, every time the cross section arrives, the management-side control unit 11 refers to the value of the unit charge counter (see FIG. 3B), and the charge amount with a small count value has a large count value. The priority order is changed to give priority over the charge amount.

  As described above, in the charging system according to the present embodiment, the central card 10 (charge controller) is provided with the management-side card reader 17 (information acquisition unit), and the total capacity, remaining capacity, and charging current of the drive battery 44 are increased. Since each value information is acquired, the labor of inputting information can be saved and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  In this charging system, information is easily transferred because information is read from the portable information storage card CRD using the management-side card reader 17 (information reading unit).

  In this charging system, the total upper limit value (upper limit current value) for each time zone is stored in the memory 14, and the charging current value (individual current value) used for charging the driving battery 44 and the driving battery 44 are stored. Simply obtaining the charging time required for charging the unit charging amount from the desired charging amount for the single-phase AC side unit current value required for one unit charging operation for the driving battery 44 in a time series, Compared with the total upper limit value for each cross section and determines whether charging is allowed (single-phase AC supply / non-supply), it is possible to realize efficient charge control in consideration of load fluctuations for each time zone.

  Further, in this charging system, the priority order for each ordinary charger 20 is stored in the memory 14 of the management-side control unit 11, unit current values are integrated in descending order of priority order, and the total current value indicates the total upper limit value. Since the last ordinary charger 20 at the time of exceeding the standby state and the unit charger operation for the previous ordinary charger 20 are performed, the driving battery 44 is driven by the ordinary charger 20 having a higher priority. Charge control that is preferentially charged and reflects the user's request can be realized.

  Further, in this charging system, the management-side control unit 11 includes a driving battery having a relatively small number of charging when the driving battery 44 having a relatively small number of unit charges and a driving battery 44 having a relatively large number are mixed. 44, the priority order is changed so that it is preferentially charged over the drive battery 44 having a relatively large number of times of charging, so that the specific drive battery 44 is continuously charged. Can be suppressed.

  Further, in this charging system, the priority is set higher as the ratio of the expected charging completion time to the desired completion time is larger, so that the charge control pattern can be made closer to the user's desire.

  The above description of the embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. For example, you may comprise as follows.

  In another embodiment shown in FIG. 14, information is transmitted and received by wireless communication, which is different from the first embodiment described above. That is, a management-side transceiver 17 ′ (wireless information receiving unit) is provided in place of the management-side card reader 17, and a vehicle-side transceiver 49 ′ (wireless information transmitting unit) is provided in place of the vehicle-side card writer 49. Further, the charging plug PLG is provided with a plug-side switch SW1 for detecting attachment to the normal charging inlet 42A, and the normal charging inlet 42A is provided with a vehicle-side switch SW2 for detecting that the charging plug PLG is attached. . And the detection signal of plug side switch SW1 is input into the management side control part 11 via a signal line and the charge side control part 21, and the detection signal of vehicle side switch SW2 is sent to the vehicle side control part 41 via a signal line. Is entered.

  In this charging system, when the charging plug PLG is attached to the normal charging inlet 42A, an attachment detection signal based on the plug-side switch SW1 is transmitted from the ordinary charger 20 to the centralized management device 10, and the management-side control unit 11 Recognizes that the charging plug PLG is attached. Similarly, since a mounting detection signal based on the vehicle-side switch SW2 is transmitted to the vehicle-side control unit 41, the vehicle-side control unit 41 also recognizes that the charging plug PLG is mounted. Along with this, the vehicle-side control unit 41 controls the vehicle-side transceiver 49 ′ to shift the information on the total capacity, remaining capacity, and charging current value of the drive battery 44 to a state where it can be transmitted. In addition, the management-side control unit 11 controls the management-side transceiver 17 ′ to shift to a state where each information can be received.

  With this configuration, the selection presence / absence determination at step S1, the selection presence / absence determination at step S9, and the necessary information fetching process at step S2 in the flowchart of FIG. Can be done. In addition, since information transmission / reception is performed by wireless communication, necessary information can be easily transferred from the electric vehicle 40 to the centralized management device without using the information storage card CRD.

  In the above-described embodiment, the standard value of the AC / DC conversion efficiency in the vehicle charger 43 is stored in the AC / DC conversion efficiency storage area of the memory 14. The vehicle side control unit 41 may transmit the data to the management side control unit 11. In this case, an AC / DC conversion efficiency storage area for storing the AC / DC conversion efficiency of the in-vehicle charger 43 is provided in the memory 62.

  Moreover, although electric vehicle 40 was illustrated as an electric vehicle in each above-mentioned embodiment, it can charge similarly if it is an electric vehicle provided with vehicle-mounted chargers, such as a plug-in hybrid vehicle and a construction vehicle.

  In addition to obtaining the charging current value as data from the electric vehicle, a single-phase alternating current is applied to the in-vehicle charger 43 on a trial basis over a specified time, and the amount of electric power at that time is obtained. You may ask for it.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Central management apparatus, 11 ... Management side control part, 12 ... Input indicator, 12a ... Input part, 12b ... Display part, 13 ... CPU, 14 ... Memory, 15 ... Control part main body, 16 ... Communication interface, 17 ... Management side card reader, 17 '... Management side transceiver, 20 ... Normal charger, 21 ... Charge side control unit, 22 ... Switch, 23 ... CPU, 24 ... Memory, 25 ... Control unit body, 26 ... For communication Interface 30. Other load 40 Electric vehicle 41 Vehicle control unit 42 A Normal charging inlet 42 B Fast charging inlet 43 Car charger 44 Drive battery 45 Auxiliary battery 46 ... Inverter, 47 ... Drive motor, 48 ... Transmission, 49 ... Vehicle side card writer, 49 '... Vehicle side transceiver, 50 ... Commercial system, 51 ... Electric power center Sir 52 ... Power sensor 61 ... CPU 62 ... Memory 63 ... Control unit body 64 ... Communication interface CRD ... Information storage card SW1 ... Plug side switch SW2 ... Vehicle side switch

Claims (5)

Charge control for communicating with a plurality of ordinary chargers for charging a battery included in the electric vehicle by supplying a single-phase alternating current to a vehicle-mounted charger mounted on the electric vehicle, and controlling a charging operation by the plurality of ordinary chargers A device,
A charge control apparatus comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires remaining capacity information indicating a remaining capacity of the battery for each of the normal chargers.   2. The information acquisition unit includes an information reading unit that reads out the remaining capacity information from a recording medium in which the remaining capacity information is written out by an information writing unit included in the electric vehicle. The charging control device according to 1.   The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the information acquisition unit includes a wireless information receiving unit that receives the remaining capacity information transmitted from a wireless information transmitting unit included in the electric vehicle.   The wireless information receiver is configured to receive the remaining capacity information based on a mounting detection signal transmitted from the normal charger when a charging plug included in the normal charger is mounted on a normal charging inlet included in the electric vehicle. The charging control device according to claim 3, wherein the charging control device shifts to a receiving state.   The information acquisition unit includes total capacity information indicating a total capacity of the battery, charging current value information indicating a current value of the single-phase AC supplied from the normal charger to the in-vehicle charger, together with the remaining capacity information. The charge control device according to claim 1, wherein the charge control device is acquired.

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