JP4966387B2 - Power supply system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a system that allows a user to easily use a power supply facility that can be charged outdoors. In particular, when the installer expands general household power supply and installs a power supply facility, and the user receives power from a battery mounted on a device such as an electric vehicle, the user is easily authenticated and receives a power supply service. It relates to a system that can

  Compared to conventional automobiles that are driven by individually burning fossil fuels such as gasoline engines, they are equipped with batteries and use their electric energy in terms of the amount of fossil fuel consumed and the amount of greenhouse gases released. The superiority of plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles that travel (hereinafter, vehicles that are equipped with a battery and that are repeatedly charged to the vehicle and run with the electric energy are collectively referred to as “electric vehicles”) is known. Development and dissemination are underway. However, compared to the popular gas stations, there are still few public power supply stations that can charge electric vehicles, and there is an urgent need to establish a power supply infrastructure for the popularization of electric vehicles. As represented by plug-in hybrid vehicles, charging using a household power supply is becoming possible at home, but when charging is required on the go, a power supply stand provided for the public is required. ing.

  If a clerk who receives a charge is resident like a conventional gas station, the provision cost of the power supply station increases, and it cannot be installed easily. For this reason, it has been studied to disseminate a power supply stand that can be operated unattended by providing a device for charging together with the power supply device. For example, a parking space dedicated to power supply is set up in a parking lot that charges at a fixed time, a charging device and a charging information input / output device are installed in the parking space, charging is performed and the charging fee is calculated. A system has been proposed in which an exit gate is opened by adjusting the charge (Patent Document 1).

  However, in the power supply station that pays the fee in cash, it is difficult to make the device compact because the fine change corresponding to the amount of electric power must be prepared, and the introduction cost is increased. In addition, it takes time to collect fees, and the power supply stand itself may be stolen. For this reason, it is considered that the server does not exchange cash but records the user identification information in a server that can transmit and receive with the power supply station through the telecommunication line and charges the server.

  For example, the battery unit of an electric vehicle or the electric vehicle itself has user identification information, and the recognition information is transmitted to the power supply station by power line communication (PLC) through a power supply cable for charging. ) Is transmitted to a billing authentication server through a network, and a charging service system is proposed in which the billing authentication server charges based on user information and a charge amount (Patent Documents 2 and 3).

JP 2001-312772 A JP 2006-262570 A JP 2009-240552 A

  By the way, in recent years, the use of rental cars has expanded, and car sharing in which a vehicle is shared by a plurality of people has been spreading. However, in the methods of Patent Documents 2 and 3 in which authentication is performed using user information unique to an electric vehicle, it is not clear who used and how much power among rental car users and sharers.

  In addition, with the spread of portable electronic devices, the demand for a power supply station that can be charged on the go is not limited to electric vehicles, but is spreading to electronic devices in general. Nevertheless, in the conventional system, only the electric vehicle having the authentication information can be charged, and the opportunity for the power supply service is missed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable a person who wants to receive electricity to easily receive a power supply service without being restricted by an electric vehicle or electronic device that is to receive power. To do.

According to the present invention, identification information for authentication is recorded on a portable portable interface that has a plug and an outlet and can be energized, and the identification information can be transmitted when current is supplied. When the user receives a power supply service, a plug of an electronic device such as an electric vehicle is inserted into the outlet of the portable interface, and the plug of the portable interface is inserted into a power supply outlet of the power supply stand.
On the other hand, in the power supply stand, a current limited to such an extent that the communication unit of the portable interface can be driven is allowed to flow through a power supply outlet that supplies electricity even during standby. Thereby, the portable interface itself does not need to be equipped with a battery or the like, and can activate the transmission function of the identification information by using the action of inserting into the power supply outlet as a switch.

The mechanism and procedure for authenticating the identification information and starting power feeding are as follows.
The power supply stand has a function of receiving identification information transmitted from the portable interface and communicating with the server through the telecommunication line. The server is provided by the service provider, and has a function of registering the identification information and calculating and charging the amount of power and the power charge used by the user of the identification information. When the server receives the identification information from the power supply stand, the server determines whether the identification information is registered, and transmits information indicating whether or not the identification information is registered to the power supply stand. When the power supply stand receives the information that can be authenticated, the power supply stand releases the restriction on the current flowing to the power supply outlet and starts power supply to the electric vehicle or the electronic device connected by the user.

  Further, when charging is performed according to the amount of supplied power, the current value of the power supply and the amount of supplied power are measured by the provided power amount sensor at the start of power supply. If charging of the electronic device is completed and the power sensor can confirm that the value of the current flowing to the power outlet is close to 0 and below the predetermined threshold, the power supply stand again limits the amount of current supplied to the power outlet. To enter a standby state and transmit the amount of supplied power to the server. The server accumulates the amount of power for each identification information, and charges the user who registered the identification information at a later date.

  The portable interface does not need to have a built-in battery, and can be miniaturized because it is powered by power from the plug when necessary. Identification information can be sent and received automatically by plugging the mobile interface into a power outlet and using power line communication or specific low-power radio, etc., so the user does not need to be aware of the task of authenticating in the first place, and is smooth. Can receive power.

A power supply system that realizes such a solution includes a server, a power supply facility, and a portable interface, and specific configurations thereof are as follows.
The server has a database capable of registering identification information, and includes authentication means for authenticating identification information received through the telecommunication line, and authentication result transmitting means for transmitting permission / inhibition of authentication through the telecommunication line.
The portable interface has a plug that receives power supply, an outlet that is connected to the plug and can supply power to the device to be charged, a storage unit that records the identification information, and a communication unit that can transmit the identification information read from the storage unit. it can.
The power supply facility includes a power supply outlet connected to a power source and capable of supplying power, a switch capable of restricting a current supply amount to the power supply outlet during standby and releasing the restriction during supply, and a receiving unit that receives the identification information from the communication unit A transmission / reception unit capable of transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the server, an authentication transmission / reception unit configured to transmit the identification information received from the communication unit by the transmission / reception unit to the server and receive authentication permission / reception, and the received And authentication processing means for transmitting a signal for releasing the restriction to the switch when authentication is possible.

The above configuration is sufficient for a flat-rate service, but the following configuration is added when charging is performed for each power amount.
The database can register the amount of power used or the billing amount together with the identification information. The power supply facility is a power sensor that measures the amount of power from the start of charging by the release of the restriction until the current value to be fed falls below a threshold, and the charge amount measured by the transmission / reception unit or a charge value calculated from the power amount Power amount transmitting means for transmitting to the server.

  The communication unit and the reception unit may transmit and receive by power line communication (PLC) through a plug and a power supply outlet, or may be wireless such as a specific low power wireless station system, IEEE802.11a / b / g / n, or the like. Wireless communication such as LAN, PHS, infrared communication, and active IC tag may be used. Among these, communication by power line communication is particularly preferable because the receiving unit as a connection destination is not confused even if the power supply facilities are close to each other. When performing wireless communication, sufficiently limit the wireless reach so that the communication unit of the mobile interface to be used will not communicate with the receiving unit of other power supply equipment installed in the surroundings, The receiving unit may be provided in the immediate vicinity of the power supply outlet. In the present invention, since the outlet of the portable interface is physically connected to the power supply facility by the action of inserting it into the power supply facility, an environment in which power line communication can be used is prepared, and it is easier to miniaturize the device than providing a separate wireless communication device. .

  You may implement | achieve the said memory | storage part and communication part of a portable interface, and the receiving part of the said electric power feeding installation with a passive IC tag and its reading / rewriting apparatus. Since the portable interface inevitably comes into close contact with the power supply equipment, if a passive tag with a short reach is used, reading can be performed without fear of confusion. Since the IC tag side can passively transmit by radio waves by the reading / writing device on the power supply facility side, it is not necessary to provide any output device on the portable interface side, and further compared with the case of transmitting by power line communication or wireless etc. The mobile interface can be downsized. Moreover, it is possible to easily write the value of the electric energy obtained from the power sensor in the storage unit without additional equipment.

  In the case of using the above IC tag, the prepaid information is described in the storage unit, and when the processing unit of the power supply facility supplies power to the upper limit of the amount of the prepaid information, the charge for shifting the switch to the standby restricted state If it has a restriction | limiting means, a user can receive electric power supply only as much as needed, without worrying about the amount of electric power being excessive and paying monthly every month.

  The communication line connecting the server and the transmission / reception unit may be a wireless or wired internet line, a dedicated communication line may be prepared, or a mobile phone network. In urban areas, an Internet line is suitable. However, when a mobile phone network is used, installation of power supply facilities can be easily performed even in remote areas as long as the mobile phone communication area. If power and current values are continuously sent to the server through this communication line during power supply, it is possible to monitor whether power supply is normally performed. Even if it falls out, the amount of power supplied up to that point can be recorded in the server almost accurately.

  A portable power sensor may be provided in the portable interface. The power measurement does not need to be performed on the power supply facility side, and the portable power sensor may perform the process performed by the power sensor in the configuration in which the above charging is performed.

  On the other hand, in the case of using the power sensor on the power supply facility side, as an effect that cannot be obtained when using the portable power sensor, even if the plug or outlet of the mobile interface is disconnected before the power supply ends, the power supply facility side Since the power information is stored in the storage device, it is considered that the charging is finished at that time, and the measured power amount or billing value can be sent to the server.

  In addition, the server acquires both the measured value and the accumulated value at the power sensor on the power supply facility side, and the measured value and the accumulated value at the portable power sensor on the portable interface side, so that a deviation between these values is lost. When the range that is considered to be an error is exceeded, it is possible to detect that some abnormality has occurred in the power supply equipment.

  If the power supply facility or portable interface is provided with a cut-off switch or input device for interrupting the power supply, there is a risk of forcibly pulling out the outlet even if you want to move the electric vehicle suddenly before charging is complete. There is no need to take any necessary measures. In the case where it is provided on the power supply facility side, any device that can transmit a signal forcibly returning the state to the limit state to the switch may be used. When it is provided in the portable interface, it is transmitted once through the communication unit, and a signal is transmitted to the switch on the power supply facility side.

  A timer reservation means for providing a power supply facility with an input device composed of a button or a touch panel that can be operated by a user, and capable of transmitting a signal for returning the switch to a standby state after a predetermined time from the input device. If it is provided, charging can be completed within a short time before using the electric vehicle again, and the rechargeable battery can be cooled down before use. In addition, if the timer reservation means can be set so that the power supply can be stopped at the end of the application time of the night charge where the electricity charge is cheap, the user can use the cheap electricity and the service provider can also use the electricity. Since concentration of the amount in the daytime can be eased, it is preferable from the viewpoint of environmental load. In any case, the timer reservation means can be arbitrarily or forcibly determined from the input device in conjunction with a separately provided clock function device.

  If the mobile interface is provided with a display that displays whether authentication to the server is possible, the user can immediately know the abnormality when authentication fails, and the user can be charged with peace of mind when authentication is successful. Can do. Specifically, the reception unit is a second communication unit that also has a transmission function, the authentication transmission / reception means received by the authentication transmission / reception means is transmitted, and the communication unit (first communication unit, ). In the portable interface, the result is sent to the display unit and displayed. For example, the LEDs are turned on in different colors depending on whether authentication is possible or not, or whether or not authentication is possible is displayed on the liquid crystal display screen with a code or the like. The display is performed by supplying power from the power outlet when the plug is inserted. Even if the authentication is rejected, it is possible to display with the limited amount of current during the standby. Moreover, it can also be used as a charge display lamp by continuously lighting or displaying this display portion until the end of charging.

  In addition, the portable power sensor is provided in the portable interface, the display unit is a liquid crystal display screen, and the current amount, power amount, calculated charging fee, accumulated value, and the like measured by the portable power sensor are displayed on the liquid crystal. By providing a recording display means for displaying on the display screen, the amount of charge can be visualized, so that the user can use it with peace of mind. Since it is not necessary to attach a permanent display device to the power supply facility, it can be introduced without increasing the load on the installation of the power supply facility.

  By attaching a rechargeable battery or a solar battery to the mobile interface, the display unit configured with a liquid crystal display screen can be always displayed. The mobile interface becomes larger and heavier, but the amount of power consumed by a monochrome liquid crystal is small. Therefore, the rechargeable battery or solar battery can be small, and the increase in weight and volume can be suppressed to the extent that there is no practical problem. it can. In the case of using a rechargeable battery, it is possible to save the trouble of separately charging itself by charging together with power from a power supply outlet at the time of power supply.

  When an input device such as a touch panel is attached to the mobile interface, and a plug is inserted into a power outlet, and the user wants to receive power, the password stored by the user can be entered separately from the identification information. It is assumed that a password for each identification information is recorded in advance, and the communication unit of the portable interface and the transmission / reception unit of the power supply facility transmit this password together with the identification information, and the authentication means executed by the server It is also possible to make the authentication result positive only when the corresponding password is sent. In this way, it is not possible to receive power supply only by possessing the mobile interface, so that it is possible to prevent unauthorized use even if the mobile interface is lost or stolen and the mobile interface goes into another person's hand. A lock function can be realized. In the case of having the above display unit, the processing unit of the mobile interface can smoothly input the password by displaying on the display unit that the password is prompted before transmitting the identification information. . Furthermore, if the authentication result is negative, the second communication unit sends the result to the display unit of the portable interface and authenticates the display unit. If a message indicating failure and prompting the user to input the password again is displayed and the user is allowed to input the password again, the user can smoothly retry even if the password input fails. In addition, when the display unit and the touch panel are used in common, it is possible to suppress the increase in size of the mobile interface parts and increase the portability, thereby improving portability.

  In addition, biometric information such as a user's fingerprint, vein, and retina data is registered in place of the password, and a biometric reader such as a fingerprint reader is provided as an input device in the portable interface. The authentication means may be executed by transmitting information to the server. It can be used more easily than entering a password, and is more convenient for the user.

  When the mobile interface itself is activated, it may be necessary to input identification information or a unique password registered in the storage unit of the mobile interface itself or to read registered biometric information. It operates as a simple locking mechanism rather than communicating with the server.

  As another implementation method of the lock function, the server database records passwords and biometric information for each identification information in advance, and a touch panel, a keyboard such as 10 keys, and biometric information reading. An input device such as a device may be provided in the power supply facility. Response that the transmission / reception unit transmits identification information to the server or that the transmission / reception unit once transmits to the server and the server executes confirmation means for confirming the presence of the identification information in the database record. Is returned and before the restriction of the switch is released, the password or the biometric information is input from the input device and transmitted to the server from the transmission / reception unit. Authenticate by confirming that you are doing. Compared with the case where an input device is provided in a mobile interface, the number of parts of the mobile interface can be reduced, the size can be suppressed, and portability can be improved. In this case, in order to prompt the user to input a password or read biometric information, if the power supply equipment has a display unit, whether or not the identification information exists is confirmed and whether the password is correct. It is possible to display whether or not the biometric information has been successfully read, so that convenience for the user can be improved.

  Further, when any of the above-mentioned lock functions is provided, if an incorrect password or biometric information is transmitted to the server beyond the number of times specified in advance, further acceptance is rejected and the identification information Searching for lost or stolen mobile interfaces by notifying the contact address of the user registered in the server in advance, notifying where the mobile interface with the potential for unauthorized use was used at a power supply facility A mechanism may be provided so as to be useful.

  Furthermore, as another method for realizing the lock function, the password and the user's contact address are registered together with the identification information in the server database, and the authentication address is input to the server at the contact address. Strong security can be realized by providing notification means for notifying URL and web transmission / reception means for transmitting authentication password input page information in accordance with the request and acquiring information from the page. A user can use the system by applying for an e-mail address of a mobile phone or the like that he usually carries as a contact address. When identification information is sent from the mobile interface to the server through the communication unit and the transmission / reception unit, the server searches whether the data about the identification information exists in the database, and if it exists, the contact address of the identification information. The URL to the authentication password input page is notified by transmission of e-mail or the like. The user makes a request for the URL and causes the server to transmit an authentication password input page to the mobile phone or the like. The user inputs the password corresponding to the identification information from the form on the input page and returns it to the server. The server checks the password against the identification information in the database, and if the password is correct, the authentication result is positive, and if the password does not match, the authentication result is rejected. The system execution procedure after transmitting the authentication result to the power supply equipment is the same as in other cases. However, regardless of whether it is correct or not, if the result of the authentication is notified to the contact address, it will be easy for the user to understand. In particular, if it is not, the authentication password input page information will be sent again to the mobile phone, etc. Easy and desirable.

  On the surface of the mobile interface, there is a description part that can rewrite the display due to heat sensitivity etc., and if you describe the amount of power used in this description part, just looking at the description part of the mobile interface without consuming power, You can know the cumulative amount of power. In addition, the accumulated electricity charge may be described instead of or together with the power amount. In the power supply facility, it is necessary to provide a rewrite unit that can rewrite the description unit by a corresponding means such as heating, at a location facing the description unit of the portable interface. The configuration of the rewrite unit and the description unit may be a thermal method generally used for displaying point cards, but is not particularly limited as long as it can be rewritten and displayed.

  The voltage of electricity supplied to the power supply outlet may be 100 V or 200 V, but 200 V can be charged more rapidly. Therefore, it is desirable that the voltage be 200 V to be provided to an electric vehicle equipped with a large-capacity battery. In addition, when feeding is performed at 200 V and the communication unit and the receiving unit are PLCs, a part of the PLC power line and the 200 V feeding line may be shared, and the three lines may be connected to the feeding outlet.

According to the present invention, a user can receive a charging service and a charging service for not only a self-owned car, but also a car used by the user such as a shared car and a rental car, by only carrying a portable interface. In addition to automobiles, you can also receive charging services for other devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers.
If there is one outlet in the parking space outside the building, the installer of the power supply facility simply installs a switch, a power sensor, a receiver, and a transceiver in the wiring between the outlet and the distribution board. Benefit yourself as a provider of power supply services. This installation cost is lower than that of a power supply stand that requires a conventional personal input interface, and is particularly cheap if a liquid crystal display unit and an RFID detection unit are not provided. Accordingly, since a power supply facility can be easily installed even in a small store or an individual, the service provider can easily expand the installation of a power supply stand for using an electric vehicle.

Configuration diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention First chart of the first embodiment of the present invention Second chart of the first embodiment of the present invention Third chart of the first embodiment of the present invention Table showing an example of the database of the first embodiment The chart of the part different from 1st embodiment of 2nd embodiment of this invention The block diagram of 3rd embodiment of this invention Chart of the third embodiment of the present invention Table showing an example of the database of the third embodiment Configuration diagram of the fourth embodiment of the present invention Chart drawing extracting the middle of the fourth embodiment of the present invention

Hereinafter, specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described.
The first embodiment will be described in terms of specific functions and processes with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1 and the charts of FIGS.

First, the procedure for maintaining the system will be described with reference to FIG.
As a preparation for executing the system, a service provider having the electric wire network 30 or the like prepares a server 41 (S01) and causes the installer to install the power supply facility 21 or to become the installer himself. Is installed (S02), and the user is provided with a portable interface (abbreviated as “mobile IF” in the figure) 11 for using this, and a power supply service is provided (S03).

  The installation work (S02) of the power supply facility 21 is as follows. In a general home 20 or the like, a switch 23 is provided between the distribution board 29 and the power supply outlet 22 facing the outdoors. Between the switch 23 and the power supply outlet 22, a terminal of the power sensor 24 and a power line connected to the receiving unit 25 are connected. And the transmission / reception part 26 which can transmit / receive with the telecommunication line 40 is provided, and the process part 28 which controls these is provided. Although not shown, it also has a temporary storage unit for these operations. During standby, the switch 23 limits the amount of current supplied from the distribution board 29 to the power supply outlet 22 to an extent that is sufficient for driving the mobile interface 11 and insufficient for charging the electric vehicle. The switch 23 itself may use a general current suppressor.

  The service provider hands over the portable interface 11 in which the identification information unique to the nonvolatile memory or the ROM 15 is recorded in a contract with the user (S03). After that, when the identification information of the contracted mobile interface 11 is transmitted to the database 42 of the server 41, the authentication unit 44 executed by the processing unit 43 sets it to a state that can be authenticated (S04). This is the preparation for implementing the system.

Next, the operation of the system will be described with reference to FIG.
In order for the user to get on the electric vehicle and receive the electric power from the power supply facility 21, the plug 10 of the electric vehicle is first inserted into the outlet 12 of the portable interface 11 (S11), and the plug 13 of the portable interface 11 is inserted. The power supply equipment 21 is inserted into a power supply outlet 22 installed outdoors (S12). This order may be reversed.

  As a result, the limited current is supplied from the power supply outlet 22 to the mobile interface 11 and the system starts processing for power supply. The AC / DC switching unit 18 of the portable interface 11 converts the current into DC and activates the processing unit 16 and the first communication unit 14 (S13). The processing unit 16 reads the identification information recorded from the storage unit 15 (S14), and transmits it by the first communication unit 14 (S15). The first communication unit 14 is a power line communication modem, and transmits identification information to the receiving unit 25 in the power supply facility 21 by power line communication through the plug 13 and the power supply outlet 22. The receiving unit 25 is also a power line communication modem.

  When the receiving unit 25 receives the identification information, the processing unit 28 of the power supply facility 21 reads the identification information received by the receiving unit 25 (S16), and transmits it through the electric communication line 40 by the transmitting / receiving unit 26 (S17). 31 is executed. The transmission / reception unit 26 is a communication terminal having a function of connecting to the telecommunication line 40 and transmits from the telecommunication line 40 to the server 41.

  When the server 41 receives the identification information (S18, the communication unit is actually present but is omitted), the processing unit 43 determines whether or not the identification information is registered in the database 42 as identification information that can use the system. The authentication means 44 for judging the above is executed (S19). The processing unit 43 returns the authentication result of the correctness to the transmission / reception unit 26 of the power supply facility 21 that is the identification information transmission source through the telecommunication line 40 (S20).

  When the transmission / reception unit 26 receives the authentication result (S21), the authentication result means 32 of the processing unit 28 is executed. If the authentication result is negative, nothing is done as an error (S23), and if the authentication result is positive. The restriction on the current amount of the switch 23 is released (S24). Thereby, a large current for charging is supplied from the power supply outlet 22 to the plug 10 of the electric vehicle through the portable interface 11 (S25).

Next, the system operation after the start of power feeding will be described with FIG.
When the power sensor 24 senses a large current at the start of power supply (S31), the power amount from the start of power supply is accumulated (S32). This value is stored in a temporary storage unit (not shown). The processing unit 28 reads the current amount and the value of the power amount from the power sensor 24 at regular intervals (S34), and transmits the power amount together with the identification information by the transmitting / receiving unit 26 (S35). The power amount transmitting unit 33 is executed. . This is repeated until the charging is completed (S33). The processing unit 43 of the server 41 that has received the value of the electric energy through the telecommunications line 40 (S36) calculates a charging amount corresponding to the added electric energy from the electric power charge at that time (S37), together with the electric energy. The charging means 46 is executed to record and rewrite the information in the identification information column of the database 42 (S38). An example of the structure of the database is shown in FIG.

  When the charging of the electric vehicle is completed, the current received by the plug 10 is cut by the charging mechanism of the electric vehicle, and the current flowing from the switch 23 to the power supply outlet 22 becomes zero. When the power sensor 24 detects that the current amount has become equal to or less than the threshold (S33), the processing unit 28 regards this as the completion of charging, and ends the calculation of the current value and the power amount. At this time, the power amount and identification information in the temporary storage unit are cleared. This is to prepare for the next use. This is the end of the power supply processing on the system side.

  On the other hand, since the electric vehicle can know the completion of charging from the internal display, when the user confirms the completion of charging, the user pulls out the plug 13 of the portable interface 11 from the power supply outlet 22 (S39), and plugs in the electric vehicle. 10 is removed from the outlet 12 (S40), and the power supply is completed.

  Thereafter, the service provider obtains, for example, a cumulative value of the monthly billing amount according to the contract form with the user, and performs a billing procedure for the contracted user.

  A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This form is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the processing after the start of power supply, and specifically, the process is the same up to S32 in the figure. In this embodiment, the power sensor continues to accumulate the amount of power until the current value becomes equal to or less than the threshold value (S51), and detects the value at regular time intervals. As described above, when the charging of the electric vehicle is completed, the amount of current decreases. When this decrease in the amount of current is detected (S51), the processing unit 28 reads the value of the amount of power from the power sensor 24 (S52), along with the identification information. The power amount transmitting means 33 for transmitting to the transmitting / receiving unit 26 is executed (S53). Receiving the power amount value (S54), the server 41 calculates a charge amount from the power charge during the charging time (S55), and updates the power amount and the charge amount of the identification information in the database 42 (S56). The subsequent processing (S58, S59) is the same as in the first embodiment.

  Compared with the first embodiment, the second embodiment can reduce the communication amount to the server 41, the calculation in the server 41, and the database rewriting load. On the other hand, a normal value of electric power cannot be obtained at the end of unexpected charging or when a failure of the power sensor 24 occurs. However, if the plug is disconnected from the power supply outlet 22 or the outlet 12, the amount of current supplied at that time becomes 0, so that the amount of power is sent to the server as in the case of normal termination. be able to.

  A third embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 shows a configuration diagram of this embodiment. In this embodiment, authentication is performed not only with identification information but also with a password input by a user. The difference from the first embodiment is that the mobile interface 11 has a touch panel 50 including a display unit 51 and an input unit 52, and a procedure for receiving power from the authentication result (starting with the first embodiment). FIG. 3 is a portion). FIG. 8 shows a flow of the procedure part in the third embodiment. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment.

  First, as a premise, a password and a contact address are registered in the database of the server 41 together with identification information. A table showing an example of this database is shown in FIG. The password is made up of only numbers when the input unit 52, which will be described later, supports only numbers input from the numeric keypad. When the input unit 52 has software capable of inputting English characters, the characters usable for the password can be expanded accordingly. The password may be arbitrarily determined by the user at the time of contract, or may be randomly assigned by the service provider who manages the system. Further, it may be changed by a separate means.

  The procedure up to the authentication will be described along the flow of FIG. First, when the user wants to receive power supply, the portable interface is energized by inserting the plug 10 and the plug 13 into the outlet 12 and the power outlet 22, respectively, until the system starts processing for power supply. (S71, S72, corresponding to the above-described S11, S12, respectively). When the limited current is energized, the processing unit 16, the first communication unit 14, and the touch panel 50 are activated, and the processing unit 16 displays a message prompting the input of a password on the display unit 51 (S73). Corresponding to S13 above). The display unit 51 itself may be a general liquid crystal or organic EL monitor. The processing unit 16 waits for the input of a password from the input unit 52, and when input (S74), reads the identification information from the storage unit 15 (S75, corresponding to S14 above). The identification information transmitting means 17 'of the processing unit 16 sets the identification information and the password as a set and transmits the set from the first communication unit 14 (S76, corresponding to S15 above). When the second communication unit 25 ′ receives the identification information and the password, the power supply facility 21 is read by the processing unit 28 (S77, corresponding to S16), and is transmitted by the transmission / reception unit 26 through the electric communication line 40 (S78, S17 above). The authentication transmission / reception means 31 'is executed.

  When the server 41 receives the identification information and the password (S79, corresponding to the above S18), the processing unit 43 executes the authentication means 44 ′, and whether or not the identification information and the password are registered in the database 42. (S80, corresponding to S19 above). At this time (S81), if the authentication result is negative, it is determined how many times the authentication has failed continuously (S82). Even if the authentication result is positive or not, if it is less than the prescribed number n, the processing unit 43 executes the authentication result transmitting means 45 for returning the authentication result to the original transmitting / receiving unit 26 (S83). When the transmitter / receiver 26 receives the authentication result (S84, corresponding to S21), the subsequent response becomes unique to the third embodiment.

  First, when the authentication result is negative (S85), the authentication result means 32 'of the processing unit 28 transmits the fact from the second communication unit 25' to the first communication unit 14 (S86, S87). This is communication in the opposite direction to S76, and the first communication unit 14 and the second communication unit 25 ′ used in this embodiment can communicate with each other by power line communication through the power supply outlet 22 and the plug 13. is there. In response to the received result, the processing unit 16 displays an authentication failure message on the display unit 51, and again shifts to a state of accepting the password input from the input unit 52 (S88).

  On the other hand, if the authentication result is positive (S85), the authentication result means 32 'of the processing unit 28 releases the restriction of the switch 23 (S89, corresponding to S24 above). Thereby, power supply is started (S90, corresponding to S25 above). The subsequent processing of the system is the same as the steps of the first or second embodiment in FIG. 4 or FIG.

  By the way, when the authentication result in the server 41 is the nth failure in succession (S82), the processing unit 43 transfers the password n times in succession to the contact address registered in the identification information of the database. The notification means 47 for notifying that there has been an input failure and the location of the power supply facility where the input has been made is executed (S91), and the subsequent processing is stopped. By this notification, the user can rush to a place where the unauthorized use is considered.

  Further, as an additional element of the third embodiment, in parallel with the operation (S56) of updating the database 42 for the electric energy and the charged amount in FIG. Usage amount notifying means (not shown) for transmitting an email describing the amount of power and the billing amount to the destination address may be executed. In addition, similar information is transmitted to the first communication unit 14 of the mobile interface 11 through the transmission / reception unit 26 and the second communication unit 25 ′ of the power supply facility 21, and the processing unit 16 supplies the power amount and the billing amount to the display unit 51. It may be displayed.

  Furthermore, as an application form of the third embodiment, instead of the touch panel 50, the display unit 51 and the input unit 52 can be separated and a fingerprint reading device can be provided as the input unit 52. In this case, the system performs processing in a flow in which the password exchanged in the third embodiment and registered in the database 42 is changed to the read fingerprint data and the registered fingerprint data. Fingerprint data can be implemented as image data or data obtained by extracting elements from image data.

  A fourth embodiment will be described. A block diagram of this embodiment is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, authentication is performed not only with identification information but also with a password input by a user. The main difference from the third embodiment is that the WEB page display function of the portable terminal 61 that can access the telecommunication line 40 is used for inputting the password, so that the portable interface 11 and the power supply facility 21 have the input unit 52. In addition, the display unit 51 is not necessary and can be downsized so as not to impair the convenience of the portable interface. As in the third embodiment, the database configuration requires passwords and contact addresses as items as shown in FIG. However, the contact address is used for normal authentication, not in an emergency.

  The contents of the system execution process are the same as those in the first embodiment until the identification information reaches the server 41 (until S18 in FIG. 3). Hereinafter, the subsequent processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The confirmation unit 44 ″ of the processing unit 43 first searches whether the received identification information is registered in the database (S 101). If it is not registered (S102), it is not used by the registered user, so nothing is handled and the process ends there (S103).

  If the identification information is registered (S102), the confirmation unit 44 '' reads the contact address of the identification information (S105). The notification means 47 of the processing unit 43 transmits a URL that can access the WEB page that can be transmitted to the server 41 to the read contact address by mail (S106). The mail arrives at the portable terminal 61 possessed by the user who can receive the mail to the contact address via the telecommunication line 40 (S107).

  When an access request to the URL is generated from the portable terminal 61 and arrives at the server 41 (S108), the WEB page transmission / reception means 48 of the processing unit 43 transmits page information to the portable terminal 61 (S109). This page information is data such as HTML including a field for inputting a password and a form for issuing a command for transmitting the password to the server. When the WEB page transmission / reception means 48 receives the transmission of the password by this page information (S110), the authentication means 44 'of the processing unit 43 determines whether the identification information and the password match the database record (S111). .

  If the authentication result is negative (S112), the WEB page transmission / reception means 48 transmits to the browser of the portable terminal 61 information prompting the user to re-enter the password and the input field and form similar to the above. (S113). Thereafter, returning to S110, the same authentication is performed.

  If the authentication result is positive (S112), the WEB page transmission / reception means 48 transmits page information including a display indicating that the authentication is successful to the browser of the portable terminal 61 (S115). In addition, the result of the authentication success is transmitted to the transmission / reception unit 26 of the power supply facility 21 (S116). The processing unit 28 of the power supply facility 21 executes the authentication result means 32 and releases the restriction of the switch 23 (S117). As a result, power supply is started (S118), and the following system processing is the same as in the first or second embodiment.

  As an additional element of the fourth embodiment, notification is performed in parallel with the operation (S56) of updating the database 42 for the electric energy and the charged amount in FIG. 6 which is the same procedure as the second embodiment. Usage amount notifying means for transmitting a mail for notifying the amount of supplied power and the charged amount to the destination address may be executed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric vehicle plug 11 Portable interface 12 Outlet 13 Plug 14 1st communication part 15 Memory | storage part 16 Processing part 17, 17 'Identification information transmission means 18 AC / DC switching part 20 General household 21 Power supply equipment 22 Power supply outlet 23 Switch 24 Power sensor 25 receiving unit 25 ′ second communication unit 26 transmission / reception unit 28 processing unit 29 distribution board 30 electric wire network 31, 31 ′ authentication transmission / reception unit 32, 32 ′ authentication result unit 33 power amount transmission unit 40 electric communication line 41 server 42 database 43 Processing unit 44, 44 'Authentication unit 44''Confirmation unit 45 Authentication result transmission unit 46 Billing unit 47 Notification unit 48 WEB page transmission / reception unit 50 Touch panel 51 Display unit 52 Input unit 61 Portable terminal

Claims (9)

An authentication unit that has a database that can be registered together with the identification information and the amount of electric power used or a charge amount, and that authenticates the identification information received through the telecommunication line; and an authentication result processing unit that transmits whether or not authentication is possible through the telecommunication line; A server with
A portable interface having a plug to receive power supply, an outlet connected to the plug and capable of supplying power to the device to be charged, a storage unit storing the identification information, and a communication unit capable of transmitting the identification information read from the storage unit When,
Between the power supply outlet connected to the power source and capable of supplying power, a switch capable of restricting the amount of current supplied to the power supply outlet during standby and releasing the restriction during supply, the receiving unit receiving the identification information from the communication unit, and the server A transmission / reception unit capable of transmitting and receiving signals, an authentication transmission / reception means for transmitting the identification information received from the communication unit to the server by the transmission / reception unit, and receiving authentication propriety, and the switch when the received authentication is possible A power supply system comprising a power supply station having a power supply station having an authentication processing means for transmitting a signal for releasing the restriction as a component. The server can register the power consumption or billing amount for each identification information in the database,
The power supply facility is calculated from a power sensor that measures the amount of power from the start of charging by the release of the restriction until a current value to be fed falls below a threshold value, and the power amount or the power amount measured by the transmission / reception unit. The power supply system according to claim 1, further comprising: a power amount transmission unit that transmits the charged value to the server. The communication unit and the receiving unit communicate by power line communication,
The power supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a supply amount of the current during standby is equal to or greater than a current amount necessary for operating the portable interface in which the plug is inserted into the power supply outlet. The communication unit and the receiving unit communicate with each other by wireless communication using specific low power communication.
The power supply system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a supply amount of the current during standby is equal to or greater than a current amount necessary for operating the portable interface in which the plug is inserted into the power supply outlet. The mobile interface has an input unit that enables input of a password or biometric information,
The database of the server records a password or biometric information for each identification information,
The communication unit, the transmission / reception unit, and the authentication transmission / reception means transmit / receive a password or biometric information together with the identification information,
The power providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the authentication unit authenticates the identification information on condition that a corresponding password or biometric information exists. The database of the server records the password and contact address for each identification information,
The server is a means to be executed after receiving the identification information and before executing the authentication means for the identification information.
Confirming whether or not the identification information is recorded in the database, and if present, confirmation means for reading the contact address;
A notification means for transmitting a URL enabling a request to the password authentication page to the contact address for the identification information;
WEB page transmission / reception means for transmitting page information enabling password input and transmission to the terminal that has requested the request and receiving the password;
The power providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the authentication unit authenticates the identification information on condition that a corresponding password exists.   The power supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the portable interface includes a power sensor that measures an amount of power from the start of charging to the end of power feeding.   The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein the portable interface includes a display unit that displays a cumulative value of the amount of power measured by the power sensor, a charge amount calculated from the cumulative value, or both.   The mobile interface records a cumulative amount of power measured by the power sensor, a charge amount calculated from the cumulative value, or both, and a part or all of the recorded information. The power supply system according to claim 8, further comprising: a display unit that displays.

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