JP2013233013A - Charging support apparatus and charging support system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique effective in facilitating appropriate charging support of a plurality of charging apparatuses belonging to a power supply region in a predetermined power network.SOLUTION: A charging support apparatus for supporting charging of a plurality of vehicles belonging to a city 101 in a predetermined power network includes: a first database 210 for storing information on a use history of each of an arbitrary number of vehicles sampled from the plurality of vehicles, and information on a power history of the city 101; a first processing section 230 for creating a recommended charging time distribution that suppresses a maximum load of power in the city 101 when the plurality of vehicles are each charged, with the use of the information stored in the first database 210; and a first output section 240 for outputting the recommended charging time distribution created by the first processing section 230.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for supporting charging of a plurality of charging devices belonging to a power supply area by a predetermined power network.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique in which charging information of each vehicle is notified to the management center, and the management center transmits a charging plan to each vehicle so that the local power distribution system does not become unstable due to charging. Patent Document 2 below discloses a vehicle charging technique for an apartment house, and in particular, a technique in which a management center provides a charging schedule for each vehicle based on an application for a charging request time from a user of each vehicle. Has been.

JP 2011-244563 A Japanese Patent No. 4648464

  On the other hand, in a power supply area by a predetermined power network, there is a demand for optimizing individual charging schedules of a plurality of charging devices such as vehicles according to the power load in the power supply area. However, in the power supply area, the number of charging devices to be supported is enormous, and the charging request time and chargeable time from the user of each charging device are various. For example, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 and Patent Document When the technique described in 2 is applied, the management center needs to send a charging schedule for every charging device, and the processing load and communication load are considerably increased. Therefore, there is a limit in providing appropriate charging support for the charging device to be extended to the entire power supply area.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique effective for simply performing appropriate charging support for a plurality of charging devices belonging to a power supply area by a predetermined power network. It is said.

  To achieve the above object, a charging support apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for supporting charging of a plurality of charging devices belonging to a power supply area by a predetermined power network, and includes a first database and a first process. And a first output unit. The “power supply area” here is typically defined as a specific area covered by power from a specific power supply facility (typically, a power plant).

  The first database stores information on the usage history of each of an arbitrary number of charging devices sampled from the plurality of charging devices and information on the power history of the power supply area. In this case, the arbitrary number of charging devices matches all or some of the plurality of charging devices. Typical examples of the charging device include a plug-in electric vehicle equipped with a battery that can be charged from an external power source, a charging device installed in a home, and the like. Typically, the position of the plug-in electric vehicle, the time, the travel distance, the power consumption (power consumption rate expressed by the ratio of the travel distance and the electric energy), etc. are used as the information related to the usage history. Information related to the power history of the power supply area includes past power consumption, power charges, and the like. The first processing unit creates a recommended charging time zone distribution for suppressing the maximum load of power in the power supply area when charging each of the plurality of charging devices using the information stored in the first database. . The first output unit outputs the recommended charging time zone distribution created by the first processing unit. In this case, the output form of the first output unit includes output by display or printing on the equipment in the charging support apparatus, output by display or printing on the equipment outside the charging support apparatus, and further charging of the charging device. Output to the device for controlling is included.

According to the charging support device having the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide a user of each charging device with a recommended charging time zone distribution that is effective in suppressing the maximum load of power in the power supply area. In addition, it is only necessary to create a recommended charging time zone distribution for any number of charging devices among a plurality of charging devices to be supported, so it is easy to reduce the load and time on the provider side that provides the charging schedule. Support becomes possible. In this case, a charging schedule can be randomly assigned to users of each charging device to be supported by a random number from the recommended charging time zone distribution. The “charging schedule” here includes a charging time and a charging time zone including the charging time. Thereby, the load which provides a charging schedule with respect to the user of each charging device can be suppressed. Alternatively, the user of each charging device can appropriately select a convenient charging time from the output recommended charging time zone distribution.
Moreover, since the information regarding each usage log | history of arbitrary number of charging devices is used, a charging schedule without a penalty can be provided to a user.

  In a further form of the charging support apparatus of the present invention, the first processing unit uses the information stored in the first database, and can start charging and charge for each of an arbitrary number of charging devices. A charging device that sets an end time zone and has the same chargeable start time zone and chargeable end time zone among any number of charging devices for charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone For each of the above, obtain the recommended charging time zone distribution by determining the frequency of the charging time zone to suppress the maximum load of power in the power supply area and converting the frequency of the charging time zone to the time zone distribution for the same charging device It is preferable to do this. That is, the first processing unit uses the information stored in the first database to set a chargeable start time zone and a chargeable end time zone for each of an arbitrary number of charging devices, Regarding charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone set by the means, for each of the charging devices having the same chargeable start time zone and chargeable end time zone among any number of charging devices Deriving means for deriving the frequency of the charging time zone to suppress the maximum load of power in the power supply area, and charging by converting the frequency of the charging time zone derived by the deriving means into a time zone distribution for the same charging device And creating means for creating a recommended time zone distribution. Thereby, the optimal charge recommendation time zone distribution can be obtained using the frequency of the charge time zone for suppressing the maximum load of power in the power supply area.

  In another form of the charging support apparatus of the present invention, the first processing unit uses the information stored in the first database, and can start charging and charging is possible for each of an arbitrary number of charging devices. Regarding the charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone by setting the end time zone, each of the charging devices having the same chargeable start time zone and chargeable end time zone among any number of charging devices Create a recommended charging time zone distribution by calculating the frequency of the charging start time zone to suppress the maximum load of power in the power supply area and converting the frequency of the charging start time zone to the time zone distribution for the same charging device It is preferable to do this. That is, the first processing unit uses the information stored in the first database to set a chargeable start time zone and a chargeable end time zone for each of an arbitrary number of charging devices, Concerning charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone set by the means, power is supplied to each of the charging devices having the same chargeable start time zone and chargeable end time zone among any number of charging devices. Deriving means for deriving the frequency of the charging start time zone for suppressing the maximum load of local power, and charging by converting the frequency of the charging start time zone derived by the deriving means into a time zone distribution for the same charging device And creating means for creating a recommended time zone distribution. Thereby, the optimal charge recommendation time zone distribution can be obtained using the frequency of the charge start time zone for suppressing the maximum load of power in the power supply area.

  In a further aspect of the charging support apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first database further stores information related to a usage history of home appliances to which each of an arbitrary number of charging devices belongs. In addition, the first processing unit selectively sets a chargeable start time zone and a chargeable end time zone from time zones excluding the usage time of home appliances, using information on the usage history of home appliances. Is preferred. That is, the first processing unit uses the information about the usage history of home appliances to selectively set the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone from the time zones excluding the home appliance usage time. Is preferably included. By setting the charging time zone of the charging device so as not to overlap with the usage time of home appliances, a charging schedule without any disadvantage can be provided to the home.

  In a further aspect of the charging support apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the first processing unit allocates a charging schedule for each of the plurality of charging devices from the generated recommended charging time zone distribution by random numbers. That is, it is preferable that the first processing unit includes an allocating unit that allocates a charging schedule for each of the plurality of charging devices by a random number from the generated recommended charging time zone distribution. Thereby, the load which provides a charging schedule with respect to the user of a some charging device can be suppressed.

  A charging support system according to the present invention includes the above-described charging support device and a power utilization facility that includes each of a plurality of charging devices and is connected to the charging support device via a communication network line. In this case, the communication network line can be configured by an appropriate wired line or wireless line. Each of the plurality of charging devices is configured as a vehicle including a battery that can be charged from an external power source. The power utilization facility further includes a second database, a second processing unit, and a second output unit. The second database stores information related to usage histories of the plurality of vehicles. The second processing unit predicts the departure time of each of the plurality of vehicles using the information stored in the second database, and calculates the predicted departure time of the vehicle from the charging support device via the communication network line. A corrected distribution is created by removing from the recommended charging time zone distribution sent. The second output unit outputs the correction distribution created by the second processing unit. In this case, the output form of the second output unit controls the output by display or printing at the equipment inside the power utilization facility, the output by display or printing at the facility outside the power utilization facility, and further the charging of the vehicle. The output for the device to do is included. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a practical correction distribution capable of setting the charging time zone of the vehicle so as not to overlap with the departure time of the vehicle.

  In a further aspect of the charging support system of the present invention, it is preferable that the second database further accumulates information related to usage history of home appliances to which each of a plurality of vehicles belongs. In addition, the second processing unit predicts the usage time zone of home appliances to which each of the plurality of vehicles belongs using the information stored in the second database, and the predicted usage time zone of home appliances. It is preferable to create a corrected distribution by further removing from the recommended charging time zone distribution. That is, the second processing unit uses the information stored in the second database to predict a home appliance usage time zone to which each of the plurality of vehicles belongs and charges the predicted home appliance usage time zone. It is preferable to include a creation means for creating a corrected distribution by further removing it from the recommended time zone distribution. Thereby, the practical correction distribution which can set the charge time zone of a vehicle so that it may not overlap with the utilization time zone of a household appliance can be provided.

  In a further aspect of the charging support system of the present invention, the second processing unit is a rule that represents the relationship of the required power amount that requires collateral before each time for each of a plurality of vehicles. Create a curve, find the latest charge start time that is the latest charge start time to complete charging by the time when the required power amount reaches the local maximum value in the created rule curve, and than the latest charge start time It is preferable to create a corrected distribution by further removing the late time period from the recommended charging time period distribution. That is, the second processing unit includes, for each of a plurality of vehicles, a rule curve creating means for creating a rule curve that represents a relationship of required electric energy that requires collateral by each time, and a rule Deriving means for deriving the latest charging start time that is the latest charging start time for completing charging by the time when the required electric energy reaches the local maximum value in the rule curve created by the curve creating means, and deriving by the deriving means And a creation means for creating a corrected distribution by further removing the time zone later than the latest charging start time from the recommended charging time zone distribution. Thereby, the level of optimization of charge recommendation time slot | zone distribution can be raised using the rule curve regarding a vehicle. In addition, the vehicle user can reliably charge the vehicle in a charging time zone that is not later than the latest charging start time.

  In a further form of the charging support system of the present invention, the second processing unit is configured to charge a charging schedule (charging time or charging including the charging time) for each of the plurality of vehicles from the created correction distribution. (Time zone) is preferably assigned by random numbers. That is, it is preferable that the second processing unit includes allocating means for allocating a charging schedule for each of the plurality of vehicles from the created correction distribution by a random number. Thereby, the load which provides a charging schedule with respect to the user of a some vehicle can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily perform appropriate charging support for a plurality of charging devices belonging to a power supply area by a predetermined power network.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a charging support system 100 according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the process part 230 of the charge assistance center 200 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the typical input data input into the input part 220 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the electric power optimization part 231 of the process part 230 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the information regarding the charging time of a vehicle extracted by step S104 in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of step S303 in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating preparation of charge recommendation time slot | zone distribution. It is a figure which shows the structure of the process part 330 of the electric power utilization equipment 300 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the typical input data input into the input part 320 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the time slot | zone distribution a for prediction of the departure time of a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the time zone distribution b for the prediction of the utilization time of a household appliance. It is a figure which shows the time slot | zone distribution c for the prediction of the household surplus electric power. It is a figure for demonstrating the creation process of the 1st correction distribution. It is a figure which shows the structure of the process part 370 of another form of the electric power utilization equipment. It is a figure for demonstrating the creation process of the rule curve d by the rule curve creation part 338 in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the creation process of the 2nd correction distribution.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a charging support system 100 according to the present invention. The charging support system 100 is a system that supports charging of a plurality of charging devices that are assigned to a city 101 that is a power supply area of a predetermined power network and belong to the city 101. This charging support system 100 corresponds to the “charging support system” of the present invention.

  The charging support system 100 includes a charging support center 200, a plurality of power use facilities 300, and a communication network line 400 that enables communication between the charge support center 200 and each of the plurality of power use facilities 300. . The plurality of power utilization facilities 300 here can match all or a part of all the power utilization facilities belonging to the city 101. The communication network line 400 can be configured by an appropriate wired line or wireless line. This communication network line 400 corresponds to the “communication network line” of the present invention. Here, the city 101 is defined as a specific area covered by power from a specific power supply facility (typically, a power plant).

  Charging support center 200 includes a database 210, an input unit 220, a processing unit 230, an output unit 240, a memory 250, a processing unit 260, and a communication unit 270. The charging support center 200 may include other components as necessary. This charging support center 200 corresponds to the “charging support device” of the present invention.

  The database 210 includes information on the past power usage (also referred to as “power history”) of the city 101, and an arbitrary number of vehicles sampled from a plurality of vehicles (also referred to as “support target vehicles”) belonging to the city 101 (“ Information on past travel (also referred to as “running history”) of a sample vehicle ”, an arbitrary number of homes (“ sample ”) from a plurality of homes (also referred to as“ supported homes ”) belonging to the city 101 It also functions to store (also referred to as “memory”) information relating to home appliance usage (also referred to as “home appliance usage history”). In this case, information related to the power history of the city 101 includes past power consumption, power charges, and the like. The information related to the travel history of the vehicle includes the past position, time, travel distance, power consumption (power consumption rate expressed by the ratio of travel distance and electric energy), and the like. In addition, the information regarding the home appliance usage history of the home includes past usage times, usage charges, surplus power, and the like of the home appliance. In this case, the support target vehicle and the sample vehicle can match all or part of all the vehicles belonging to the city 101, and the support target home and the sample home can be all or one of all the homes belonging to the city 101. Can match the part. This database 210 corresponds to the “first database” of the present invention.

  Data suitable for processing by the processing unit 230 is input from the data stored in the database 210 to the input unit 220. The processing unit 230 has a function of performing predetermined processing using data input to the input unit 220. The processing unit 230 corresponds to the “first processing unit” of the present invention. Information after processing by the processing unit 230 is output from the output unit 240. The output unit 240 corresponds to the “first output unit” of the present invention. Information output from the output unit 240 is stored in the memory 250. The processing unit 260 performs a process of searching for and reading predetermined information from information stored in the memory 250 when a predetermined condition is satisfied in the charging support center 200 or upon a request from each power usage facility 300. . The communication unit 270 transmits the information read from the memory 250 by the processing unit 260 to the communication unit 360 of each power utilization facility 300 via the communication network line 400, and transmits the information from the communication unit 360 to the communication network. It performs the function of receiving via line 400.

  Each power use facility 300 includes a home (also referred to as “house”) equipped with a home appliance and a charging device that use power, and a vehicle as a charging device (corresponding to “charging device” of the present invention). In this case, typical examples of the home include the home where the driver of the vehicle lives, the home of the driver, the housing of a friend, and the housing of an acquaintance. Moreover, as a typical example of a vehicle, a plug-in electric vehicle including a battery that can be charged from an external power source, for example, an electric vehicle (EV) that runs on battery power, or a plug-in hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine ( PHV) or two-wheeled vehicles such as electric bicycles, assist bicycles, and electric motorcycles.

  The power usage facility 300 includes a database 310, an input unit 320, a processing unit 330, an output unit 340, a memory 350, and a communication unit 360. The power utilization facility 300 may include other components as necessary. This power utilization facility 300 corresponds to the “power utilization facility” of the present invention.

  The database 310 includes current and past travel data (position, time, travel distance, power consumption (power consumption rate expressed by a ratio of travel distance and power amount), etc.) of the vehicle belonging to the power use facility 300, and the power use. It fulfills the function of accumulating (also referred to as “memory”) usage data (usage history) of household appliances belonging to the facility 300. This database 310 corresponds to the “second database” of the present invention.

  Data suitable for processing by the processing unit 330 is input from the data stored in the database 310 to the input unit 320. The processing unit 330 performs a function of performing predetermined processing using both the data input to the input unit 320 and the data received by the communication unit 360. The processing unit 330 corresponds to the “second processing unit” of the present invention. Information after processing by the processing unit 330 is output from the output unit 340. The output unit 340 corresponds to the “second output unit” of the present invention. Information output from the output unit 340 is stored in the memory 350 and is transmitted to the communication unit 270 of the charging support center 200 via the communication unit 360 and the communication network line 400 as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the processing unit 230 of the charging support center 200 in FIG. 1 further includes a power optimization unit 231 and a distribution creation unit 233. The processing unit 230 is a microcomputer whose main components are a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and centrally controls the charging support center 200 by appropriately executing various programs. The power optimization unit 231 uses the power usage history of the city 101 and the travel history of the sample vehicle input to the input unit 220 to support the maximum load (peak) of the power of the city 101. Set the vehicle charging time zone. The distribution creation unit 233 uses the charging time zone of the support target vehicle set by the power optimization unit 231, and uses the charging time zone recommended for charging the support target vehicle (“recommended charging time zone distribution”). ").

  Here, specific processing by the processing unit 230 of the charging support center 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this process, as shown in FIG. 3 as typical input data input to the input unit 220 in FIG. 1, for example, a user of a sample vehicle and a resident of a sample household, such as Mr. A, Mr. B, For each of Mr. C, the first data indicating the vehicle and home history of September weekdays and the second data indicating the power usage history of September 101 in the city 101 can be used. In the first data, for example, the “travel” and “stop” times, stop locations, and travel distances of the sample vehicle are input as the travel history of the sample vehicle. The power for use is input.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the processing flow of the power optimization unit 231 of the processing unit 230 in FIG. 1 is the first stage (loop 1) in which a series of processing from step S101 to step S104 is performed every time the vehicle travels. And a second stage consisting of step S201 and a third stage (loop 2) in which a series of processing from step S301 to step S303 is performed each time the vehicle stops.

  In step S101, a vehicle parked for a predetermined time or more (for example, 2 hours or more) is selected from the sample vehicles. In step S102, it is determined whether or not the selected vehicle (also referred to as “selected vehicle”) is charged at home only when step S101 is satisfied (in the case of Yes in step S101). If step S102 is satisfied (in the case of Yes in step S102), the home appliance use time zone at home is obtained in step S103, and the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, when step S102 is not satisfied (No in step S102), step S103 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S104. In step S102, instead of determining whether or not the selected vehicle has been charged at home, it is determined whether or not the selected vehicle has been charged at a home other than the home, for example, a home of a friend or an acquaintance. It may be.

  In step S104, information on the charging time of each selected vehicle (chargeable start time zone, chargeable end time zone, required charging time) is extracted. In this case, the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone are selectively set from the time zone excluding the usage time or usage time zone of the home appliance. As shown in FIG. 5, for example, Mr. A on September weekdays can be charged at home from 1:30 to 3:30, and at the office from 9:00 to 19:00. Information that the band can be charged and the required charging time is 2 hours can be used. The same information can be used for Mr. B and Mr. C. In this case, it is preferable to obtain the required charging time from the required charging amount calculated based on the electricity consumption of each selected vehicle. Based on the above information, for example, the chargeable time zones of Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C are the time zone from 1:30 to 3:30, the time zone from 1:00 to 4:00, : It is set in the time zone from 45 to 4:00, and the required charging time for all three people is set to 2 hours. Therefore, the power optimizing unit 231 that performs this step S104 can be charged from the setting means for setting the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone as described above, particularly from the time zone excluding the usage time of home appliances. Setting means for selectively setting the start time zone and the chargeable end time zone is configured.

  Returning to FIG. 3, in step S <b> 201, the selected vehicles are sorted (arranged) in accordance with a predetermined rule (for example, in order of short chargeable time). For example, since the chargeable times of Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C are 2 hours, 3 hours, 3 hours and 15 minutes, they are sorted in the order of Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C.

前記の式１において、Ｕｔは都市の時間帯ｔの電力、Ｈｔは家庭の時間帯ｔの電力、Ｒｔは時間帯ｔの電気料金であり、α及びβはパラメータとして適宜に設定される。 In step S301, a time zone in which the power load of the city 101 is minimized is searched in the sort order executed in step S201, that is, in the order of the selected vehicle having a short chargeable time, and this search is completed (Yes in step S301). As a result, the power required for charging each selected vehicle is added to the base power as the power used in the city 101. In addition, when the selected vehicle is parked at home, it is preferable to calculate the power load Et in the time zone (or time) t using the following formula 1 in consideration of the power consumption of the home and the electricity bill.

In Equation 1, Ut is the power in the city time zone t, Ht is the power in the home time zone t, Rt is the electricity bill in the time zone t, and α and β are appropriately set as parameters.

  FIG. 6 is referred to for a specific example of the aforementioned addition processing. In this addition process, the power required for charging each vehicle is generally added to the power per unit time of the city 101 in the order of the shortest chargeable time and in the unit time zone where the power of the city 101 is minimum. To go. This makes it possible to set a vehicle charging time zone that is optimal for suppressing the power load of the city 101.

  As shown in FIG. 6, it is better to charge Mr. A's vehicle for 1 hour in the time zone from 2:00 to 3:00, when the power load of the city 101 is the minimum. As a result, Mr. A's power for one hour is added to the base power in the time zone from 2:00 to 3:00 (first addition step). Since it is the time zone from 1:00 to 2:00 that the power load of the city 101 becomes the minimum after performing the first addition step, Mr. A next charges for 30 minutes in this time zone. It is good to do. Thereby, Mr. A's power for 30 minutes is added to the power in the time zone from 1:00 to 2:00 (second addition step). After the second addition step, the city 101 has the smallest power load in the time zone from 3:00 to 4:00, so Mr. A next charges for 30 minutes in this time zone. It is good to do. Thereby, Mr. A's power for 30 minutes is added to the power in the time zone from 3:00 to 4:00 (third addition step).

  For Mr. B's vehicle, after the third addition step, the city 101 has the smallest power load in the time zone from 2:00 to 3:00. It is recommended to charge the belt for 1 hour. Thereby, Mr. B's power for one hour is added to the power in the time zone from 2:00 to 3:00 (fourth addition step). After the fourth addition step, the city 101 has the smallest power load in the time zone from 1:00 to 2:00. It is good to charge. Thereby, Mr. B's power for one hour is added to the power in the time zone from 1:00 to 2:00 (fifth adding step).

  For Mr. C's vehicle, after the fifth addition step, the city 101 has the smallest power load in the time zone from 3:00 to 4:00. It is recommended to charge the belt for 1 hour. Thereby, Mr. C's power for one hour is added to the power in the time zone from 3:00 to 4:00 (sixth addition step). After the sixth addition step, the city 101 has the minimum power load in the time zone from 2:00 to 3:00. It is good to charge. Thus, Mr. C's power for one hour is added to the power in the time period from 2:00 to 3:00 (seventh addition step).

  In the processing of the distribution creation unit 233 of the processing unit 230, the power optimization unit 231 performs the cell determination based on the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone set using the travel history of the sample vehicle or the selected vehicle. Count the frequency of the set charging time. For example, if the charging time is 1 hour and the frequency is 1, in the case of Mr. A, the frequency in the time zone from 1:00 to 2:00 is 0.5, and from 2:00 to 3:00 The frequency in the time zone becomes 1 and the frequency in the time zone from 3:00 to 4:00 becomes 0.5. In this case, each cell can include one or more runs for the vehicle. Therefore, the frequency of each vehicle traveling once may be counted for all vehicles, or the frequency of each vehicle traveling multiple times may be counted for all vehicles.

  Such a frequency count is performed for all the vehicles belonging to each cell, and the frequency counted as a result is converted into a ratio for each time zone for each cell, thereby providing a time zone distribution as shown in FIG. (Charge recommended time zone distribution) is created. This recommended charging time zone distribution relates to charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone set by the power optimization unit 231. These chargeable start time zone and chargeable end time zone are the same. The frequency of the charging time zone for suppressing the maximum load of the electric power in the city 101 is obtained for each of the vehicles, and the frequency of the charging time zone is converted into the time zone distribution for the same vehicle. The distribution creating unit 233 includes deriving means for obtaining the frequency of the charging time zone for suppressing the maximum power load of the city 101, and creating means for creating a recommended charging time zone distribution using the derived frequency. Yes.

  For example, it corresponds to a cell whose chargeable start time zone is from 18:00 to 19:00 and whose scheduled chargeable end time zone is from 8:00 to 9:00 on the next day In the case of a vehicle, a distribution 1 in the figure is created as a recommended charging time zone distribution. Similarly, in a cell in which the chargeable start time zone is a time zone from 0:00 to 1:00 and the scheduled chargeable end time zone is a time zone from 4:00 to 5:00 on the next day. In the case of the corresponding vehicle, the distribution 2 in the figure is created as the recommended charging time zone distribution. The distribution 1 and the distribution 2 here correspond to the “recommended charging time zone distribution” of the present invention.

  Furthermore, the time in the recommended charging time zone distribution or the time zone including the time may be randomly assigned to the sample vehicle or the support target vehicle including the sample vehicle with a random number. For example, if the unit time zone is 1 hour, a random number may be assigned once for vehicles that require charging for 1 hour, and a random number may be assigned 3 times for vehicles that require charging for 3 hours. That's fine. This makes it possible to suitably assign a time or time zone (also referred to as “charging schedule”) at which charging is recommended for the sample vehicle or the support target vehicle. Information on the recommended charging time zone distribution created by the distribution creation unit 233 as in the above distribution 1 and distribution 2, and the charging schedule (recommended charging time, recommended charging time zone, etc.) obtained from this recommended charging time zone distribution Then, after being stored in the memory 250 of the charging support center 200, the processing unit 260 appropriately searches and reads out from the memory 250 and transmits it to each power usage facility 300.

  In the process of the distribution creating unit 233, a method of counting the frequency of the charging start time zone can be used instead of the method of counting the frequency of the charging time zone. In this case, regarding the charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone set by the power optimization unit 231, the charge start time zone distribution for suppressing the maximum load of power in the city 101 is recommended for charging. It can be a time zone distribution. Accordingly, the distribution creation unit 233 in this case is a derivation unit that obtains the frequency of the charging start time zone for suppressing the maximum load of power in the city 101, and a creation unit that creates a recommended charging time zone distribution using the derived frequency. And make up. In this method, it is preferable to create a three-dimensional map determined by the chargeable start time zone, the chargeable end time zone, and the required charge time (or required charge amount). In this case, it is preferable to calculate the required charging time and the required amount of charge based on the power consumption of the vehicle (charging device) to be supported. By reflecting the charging time using this three-dimensional map, it is effective for the user of the vehicle to reliably end the desired charging within the charging time.

  According to the charging support center 200 having the above-described configuration, appropriate charging support for a plurality of support target vehicles belonging to the city 101 can be easily performed. That is, it is possible to provide the user of the support target vehicle with a recommended charging time zone distribution that is effective for suppressing the maximum load of power in the city 101. Moreover, since it is only necessary to create the recommended charging time zone distribution for the sample vehicle among the support target vehicles, the load and time for creating and providing the charging schedule are suppressed, and the frequency of creating the charging schedule is set to, for example, one month. From about 3 months.

  On the other hand, since the user of the support target vehicle does not need to input a desired time for charging or the like, and a waiting time for obtaining a charging schedule is unlikely to occur, the burden on the user can be reduced. In this case, since the charging schedule can be randomly assigned to the user of the support target vehicle by a random number from the recommended charging time zone distribution, the load for providing the charging schedule can be suppressed. Alternatively, the user of the support target vehicle can appropriately select a convenient charging schedule from the output recommended charging time zone distribution. Moreover, since the information regarding each usage history of the arbitrary number of sample vehicles sampled from among the support target vehicles is used, it is possible to provide a charging schedule without any disadvantage to the user.

  Further, according to the charging support center 200 having the above-described configuration, it is possible to obtain an optimum recommended charging time zone distribution using the frequency of the charging time zone or the charging start time zone for suppressing the maximum load of the electric power in the city 101.

  Moreover, according to the charging support center 200 having the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide a charging schedule without any disadvantage to the home by setting the charging time or charging time zone of the vehicle so as not to overlap with the usage time of the home appliance. If necessary, the recommended charging time zone distribution can be created without considering the usage time of home appliances.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the processing unit 330 of the power usage facility 300 in FIG. 1 further includes a departure time prediction unit 331, a home appliance usage prediction unit 333, a household surplus power prediction unit 335, and a recommended charging time prediction unit 337. including. The processing unit 330 is a microcomputer whose main components are a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and centrally controls the power utilization facility 300 by appropriately executing various programs. In the processing of the processing unit 330, for example, on the condition that Mr. A has returned home, typical input data as shown in FIG. 9 (Mr. A's return time, past departure time, past home appliance use, etc.) Time zone) is input to the input unit 320 in FIG.

  The departure time prediction unit 331 creates a departure time prediction map using the vehicle travel history input to the input unit 320, for example, the distribution a as shown in FIG. 10, and the departure scheduled from the departure time prediction map. Predict time. This distribution a is a distribution indicating the ratio for each departure time zone created using, for example, Mr. A's past departure time. The home appliance usage prediction unit 333 predicts a scheduled home appliance usage time and power usage using a home appliance usage history input to the input unit 320, for example, a distribution b as shown in FIG. This distribution b is a distribution indicating the ratio of the power consumption of home appliances for each time zone created using the power usage of home appliances of Mr. A, for example. The household surplus power prediction unit 335 predicts the surplus power in the home, for example, as a distribution c illustrated in FIG. 12, using the prediction result of the home appliance use prediction unit 333. This distribution c is a distribution indicating, for example, the ratio of surplus power at Mr. A's home for each time period.

  The recommended charging time prediction unit 337 includes prediction results of the departure time prediction unit 331, the home appliance usage prediction unit 333, and the home surplus power prediction unit 335, and the recommended charging time zone created by the distribution creation unit 233 of the charging support center 200. Using the distribution (see, for example, distributions 1 and 2 in FIG. 7), a corrected distribution in which the recommended charging time zone distribution is corrected is created. In other words, the recommended charging time prediction unit 337 predicts the departure time of the vehicle and the usage time zone of the home appliance, and removes the predicted departure time of the vehicle and the usage time zone of the home appliance from the recommended charging time zone distribution. A creation means for creating a correction distribution is configured. Then, the output unit 340 outputs this correction distribution, so that it is possible to provide a charging schedule (charging time or a charging time zone including the charging time) recommended for the user of the support target vehicle. Alternatively, the charging schedule can be randomly assigned to the user of the support target vehicle by a random number from the correction distribution.

  FIG. 13 is referred to for a specific example of the first correction distribution created by the recommended charging time prediction unit 337. In this case, the first correction distribution is a time zone distribution obtained by removing the predicted vehicle departure time and the home appliance usage time zone (time zone without surplus power) from the recommended charging time zone distribution (distribution 3). 4 is created. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a practical correction distribution in which the charging time zone of the vehicle is set so as not to overlap with the departure time of the support target vehicle and the usage time zone of the home appliance of the support target home. If necessary, the distribution of the time zone excluding only the predicted departure time or departure time zone of the support target vehicle can be created as a corrected distribution.

  In the above-described power utilization facility 300, the processing unit 370 having the configuration shown in FIG. 14 can be applied instead of the processing unit 330 shown in FIG. The processing unit 370 includes a rule curve creation unit 338 in addition to the above-described home appliance use prediction unit 333 and home surplus power prediction unit 335, and a recommended charge time prediction unit 339 related to the above-described recommended charge time prediction unit 337. including.

前記の式２において、θ（ｔ）は時刻ｔにおけるバッテリへの充電可能量を表し、Ｔ（ｔ）は時刻ｔにおける予想気温を表し、Ｖは充電電圧を表し、Ａは充電電流を表す。 The rule curve creation unit 338 creates a predetermined rule curve using the travel history of the support target vehicle. That is, the rule curve creation unit 338 is configured as rule curve creation means for creating a rule curve. This rule curve is a curve that represents the relationship between the power amount (necessary power amount) that requires collateral by each time, for example, with reference to the rule curve d in FIG. In the rule curve d, a line segment (for example, a tangent line) represented by the following expression 2 is created from a point (for example, a contact point) near the local maximum value of the required electric energy. The time of the intersection of this line segment and predetermined required power (typically power corresponding to the battery remaining amount) can be set as the latest charging start time ta. The latest charge start time ta is the latest charge start time for starting the charge so that the charge is completed by the time tb when the required electric energy reaches the local maximum value in the rule curve d, that is, the charge start is required. It is a limit time.

In Equation 2, θ (t) represents the chargeable amount of the battery at time t, T (t) represents the expected temperature at time t, V represents the charging voltage, and A represents the charging current.

  The recommended charging time prediction unit 339 uses the prediction results of the home appliance usage prediction unit 333 and the household surplus power prediction unit 335 and the information about the rule curve d created by the rule curve creation unit 338, and A modified distribution is created by modifying the recommended charging time zone distribution created by the distribution creating unit 233. That is, the recommended charging time prediction unit 339 derives the latest charging start time that is the latest charging start time for completing charging by the time tb when the required power amount reaches the local maximum value in the rule curve d. And means for creating a correction distribution by removing a time zone later than the latest charging start time derived by the deriving unit from the recommended charging time zone distribution. Then, the output unit 340 outputs this correction distribution, so that it is possible to provide a charging schedule (charging time or a charging time zone including the charging time) recommended for the user of the support target vehicle. Alternatively, the charging schedule can be randomly assigned to the user of the support target vehicle by a random number from the correction distribution. In this case, the processing unit 370 constitutes an allocating unit that allocates a charging schedule for the support target vehicle from the created correction distribution using random numbers. Thereby, the load which provides a charging schedule with respect to the user of assistance object vehicle can be suppressed.

  FIG. 16 is referred to for a specific example of the second correction distribution created by the recommended charging time prediction unit 339. In this case, the second correction distribution is a charge recommended time zone distribution (distribution 5), for example, excluding a time zone later than the latest charge start time ta obtained from the rule curve described above, and the use of hot water supply equipment. The time zone distribution 6 excluding the time zone tc is created. Thereby, the optimization level of charge recommendation time zone distribution can be raised using the rule curve regarding a support object vehicle. In addition, the user of the support target vehicle can reliably end the desired charging of the vehicle in a charging time zone that is not later than the latest charging start time. In addition, from the above-mentioned first correction distribution, the time zone distribution excluding the time zone later than the latest charging start time ta and the usage time zone tc of the hot water supply device is set as a new correction distribution. It can also be created.

  The present invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiment, and various applications and modifications are possible. For example, each of the following embodiments to which the above embodiment is applied can be implemented.

  In the above-described embodiment, the charging support system 100 including the charging support center 200 and the plurality of power use facilities 300 has been described. However, in the present invention, a charging support device mainly composed of the charging support center 200 may be used. it can. For example, the charging support center 200 derives derived information derived as a processing result of the processing unit 230, that is, information related to the recommended charging time zone distribution (for example, the recommended charging time zone distribution created by the distribution creating unit 233 and the recommended charging time) The charging schedule (recommended charging time, recommended charging time zone, etc.) obtained from the time zone distribution is output to the memory 250 or temporarily stored in the memory 250, and then the memory 250 provided in the charging support center 200. Can be output to other devices. As an example of this change, a charging support apparatus can be configured using the charging support center 200, the communication network line 400, and a part of each power utilization facility 300. In this case, the derived information can be directly output to the output device provided in the power utilization facility 300 via the communication unit 270, the communication network line 400, and the communication unit 360.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, when the power optimization unit 231 (step S104) of the charging support center 200 determines the required charging time of the charging device to be supported, the required charging is performed based on the power consumption of the charging device. In the present invention, instead of or in addition to this, the processing unit 330 or the processing unit 370 of each power utilization facility 300 calculates the necessary charge amount from the past power consumption of the charging device. A charge amount prediction unit for prediction can also be provided. Furthermore, in the case of charging devices having different specifications, the required charging time can be calculated from the specifications of each charging device.

  Further, in the above embodiment, for the user of the support target vehicle, the case where the recommended charging time zone distribution and the corrected distribution are provided, or the charging schedule assigned by random numbers from these distributions is described. A control device that controls charging of the support target vehicle based on the provided information may perform the actual charging process.

  In the above-described embodiment, a vehicle including a battery that can be charged from an external power source is described as an example of a charging device. However, with respect to a charging device installed at home as a charging device other than this type of vehicle. The present invention can also be applied.

  When based on description of said embodiment and a modification, in this invention, the following each aspects (aspect) can be taken.

In the present invention,
“A charging support method for supporting charging of a plurality of charging devices belonging to a power supply area by a predetermined power network,
When charging each of the plurality of charging devices by using information on the usage history of each of the arbitrary number of charging devices sampled from the plurality of charging devices and information on the power history of the power supply area A charging support method for generating a recommended charging time zone distribution for suppressing a maximum load of power in the power supply area and outputting the generated recommended charging time zone distribution. ”(Embodiment 1).

In the present invention,
“A charging support method according to the first aspect,
A chargeable start time zone and a chargeable end time zone are set for each of the arbitrary number of charging devices, and the chargeable start time zone is related to charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone. And for each charging device having the same chargeable end time zone, the frequency of the charging time zone for suppressing the maximum load of power in the power supply area is obtained, and the frequency of the charging time zone is determined for the same charging device. A charging support method for creating the recommended charging time zone distribution by converting to a time zone distribution. ”(Embodiment 2).

In the present invention,
“A charging support method according to the first aspect,
A chargeable start time zone and a chargeable end time zone are set for each of the arbitrary number of charging devices, and the chargeable start time zone is related to charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone. And the charging start time zone frequency for suppressing the maximum load of power in the power supply area for each of the charging devices having the same chargeable end time zone, and the frequency of the charging start time zone is set to the same charging device. A charging support method for creating the recommended charging time zone distribution by converting to a time zone distribution for. ”(Embodiment 3).

In the present invention,
“The charging support method according to the aspect 2 or 3,
Using the information about the usage history of home appliances to which each of the arbitrary number of charging devices belongs, the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone are selectively selected from the time zones excluding the usage time of the home appliances Set the charging support method. ”(Embodiment 4).

In the present invention,
“The charging support method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
A charging support method for allocating a charging schedule for each of the plurality of charging devices by a random number from the created charging recommended time zone distribution. ”(Embodiment 5).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Charging assistance system, 101 ... City, 200 ... Charging assistance center, 210 ... Database, 220 ... Input part, 230 ... Processing part, 231 ... Power optimization part, 233 ... Distribution creation part, 240 ... Output part, 250 ... Memory, 260 ... Processing unit, 270 ... Communication unit, 300 ... Power usage facility, 310 ... Database, 320 ... Input unit, 330 ... Processing unit, 331 ... Departure time prediction unit, 333 ... Home appliance usage prediction unit, 335 ... Home surplus Power prediction unit, 337, 339 ... recommended charging time prediction unit, 338 ... rule curve creation unit, 340 ... output unit, 350 ... memory, 360 ... communication unit, 370 ... processing unit, 400 ... communication network line

Claims (9)

A charging support device for supporting charging of a plurality of charging devices belonging to a power supply area by a predetermined power network,
A first database that accumulates information about each usage history of an arbitrary number of charging devices sampled from among the plurality of charging devices, and information about a power history of the power supply area;
Using the information stored in the first database, a first recommended charging time zone distribution for suppressing a maximum load of power in the power supply area when charging each of the plurality of charging devices A processing unit;
A first output unit that outputs the recommended charging time zone distribution created by the first processing unit;
Including a charging support device. The charging support device according to claim 1,
The first processing unit includes:
Using the information stored in the first database, set a chargeable start time zone and a chargeable end time zone for each of the arbitrary number of charging devices,
Regarding charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone, among the arbitrary number of charging devices, for each of the charging devices having the same chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone. The recommended charging time zone distribution is created by determining the frequency of the charging time zone for suppressing the maximum load of power in the power supply area, and converting the frequency of the charging time zone into a time zone distribution for the same charging device. To
Charging support device. The charging support device according to claim 1,
The first processing unit includes:
Using the information stored in the first database, set a chargeable start time zone and a chargeable end time zone for each of the arbitrary number of charging devices,
Regarding charging between the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone, among the arbitrary number of charging devices, for each of the charging devices having the same chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone. The charge recommended time zone distribution is obtained by obtaining the frequency of the charge start time zone for suppressing the maximum load of power in the power supply area, and converting the frequency of the charge start time zone into a time zone distribution for the same charging device. Create
Charging support device. The charging support device according to claim 2 or 3,
The first database further accumulates information on the use history of home appliances to which each of the arbitrary number of charging devices belongs,
The first processing unit includes:
Using the information about the usage history of the home appliance stored in the first database, the chargeable start time zone and the chargeable end time zone are selectively selected from the time zone excluding the usage time of the home appliance. Set,
Charging support device. The charging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first processing unit is a charging support device that allocates a charging schedule for each of the plurality of charging devices by a random number from the created recommended charging time zone distribution. The charging support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Each of the plurality of charging devices, including a power usage facility connected to the charging support device via a communication network line,
A charging support system including:
Each of the plurality of charging devices is configured as a vehicle including a battery that can be charged from an external power source,
The power usage facility is:
A second database for accumulating information on the usage history of each of the plurality of vehicles;
Using the information stored in the second database, the departure time of each of the plurality of vehicles is predicted, and the predicted departure time is sent from the charging support apparatus via a communication network line. A second processing unit for creating a corrected distribution removed from the recommended time zone distribution;
A second output unit for outputting the correction distribution created by the second processing unit;
including,
Charging support system. The charging support system according to claim 6,
The second database further accumulates information on the usage history of home appliances to which each of the plurality of vehicles belongs,
The second processing unit predicts a usage time zone of home appliances to which each of the plurality of vehicles belongs using the information stored in the second database, and charges the predicted usage time zone to the charge Creating the modified distribution by further removing from the recommended time zone distribution;
Charging support system. The charging support system according to claim 6 or 7,
The second processing unit includes:
For each of the plurality of vehicles, create a rule curve that represents the relationship of the required amount of power that must be secured by that time for each time,
In the created rule curve, find the latest charge start time that is the latest charge start time for completing the charge by the time when the required power amount becomes the local maximum value,
Creating the modified distribution by further removing the time zone later than the latest charging start time from the recommended charging time zone distribution,
Charging support system. The charging support system according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The charging support system, wherein the second processing unit allocates a charging schedule for each of the plurality of vehicles from the created correction distribution by a random number.

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