WO2014118852A1

WO2014118852A1 - Server for managing reservation situation of charging facilities

Info

Publication number: WO2014118852A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/007260
Authority: WO
Inventors: 翔下村
Original assignee: 株式会社デンソー
Priority date: 2013-01-31
Filing date: 2013-12-10
Publication date: 2014-08-07
Also published as: JP6060710B2; JP2014149611A

Abstract

A server (3) which manages reservation situations of charging facilities (1a to 1c, and 4a to 4d) of homes (5a to 5c) of providers is provided with a communication unit (31), a data storage unit (32) which stores the reservation situations, and a control unit (33). When a reservation situation includes a reservation for an ID of a user other than the respective provider, the control unit, on the basis of an authorization query (115), from a charger (1a to 1c, and Y), which includes the user ID of an owner of a vehicle (6a to 6c, and X) to be charged, assesses whether or not the user ID of the owner and the other user ID are the same. If different, then the control unit performs charging prohibition processing, and if the same, charging authorization processing is performed. In addition, the control unit, on the basis of a reservation cancellation request (153) from a mobile communicator (2a to 2c, and Y) of the provider, deletes a reservation by the other user ID.

Description

A server that manages the reservation status of charging facilities

Cross-reference of related applications

This disclosure is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-17179 filed on January 31, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

This disclosure relates to a server that manages the reservation status of charging facilities.

Conventionally, Patent Document 1 discloses a server technology for managing a reservation of a charging facility for a vehicle battery. And the technique which can cancel the reservation of charge with respect to the vehicle which he owns himself is also disclosed.

However, according to the inventor's study, there is a case where a technique is required that allows another person to cancel a charge reservation for a vehicle that he owns. Specifically, when the charging facility at the provider's home is provided to another user, the provider may want to cancel the reservation even if the other user has reserved the charging facility.

JP 2010-267110 A

This disclosure is intended to provide a technique that allows a provider to cancel a reservation when another user reserves the charging facility at the provider's home.

In the aspect of the present disclosure, the server that manages the reservation status of the charging facility installed at the provider's home includes a communication unit, a data storage unit, and a server-side control unit. The data storage unit stores a reservation status of the charging facility. When the reservation status of the charging facility stored in the data storage unit stores a reservation including a user ID corresponding to a user other than the provider, the server-side control unit is connected via the communication unit. The user ID included in the approval inquiry is based on receiving the approval inquiry including the user ID corresponding to the owner of the vehicle who is going to receive charging from the charger from the charger belonging to the charging facility. And the user ID included in the reservation are determined to be the same or different from each other. When the user ID included in the approval inquiry is different from the user ID included in the reservation, the server-side control unit performs a prohibition process for prohibiting charging by the charger using the communication unit. Do. When the user ID included in the approval inquiry and the user ID included in the reservation are the same, the server-side control unit performs an approval process for permitting charging by the charger using the communication unit. Do. When the reservation status of the charging facility stored in the data storage unit stores a reservation including a user ID corresponding to a user other than the provider, the server-side control unit is owned by the provider A reservation including a user ID other than the provider in the reservation status is deleted based on the fact that a cancellation request including information indicating that the reservation is canceled is received from the mobile communication device via the communication unit. .

When another user reserves the charging facility at the provider's home by the above server, the provider cancels the reservation by transmitting a cancellation request using the mobile communication device owned by the provider. be able to.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a charging facility sharing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of each charger. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing each configuration of the vehicle-mounted device, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the server. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the user information database. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the facility information database. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a transmission operation of vehicle operation information, FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the reservation status update process. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of usage status update processing. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the charge permission / rejection determination process. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of an operation example for reservation and use of a charging facility, FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram of an operation example for canceling a reservation of a charging facility, FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the charging adjustment process.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the charging facility sharing system according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of charging facilities 1a to 1c and 4a to 4d installed in homes 5a to 5c of a plurality of users, and each of the plurality of users. A plurality of vehicles 6a to 6c and a server 3 are provided.

In the present embodiment, the user means a user who subscribes to a charging facility shared service (hereinafter simply referred to as service). In addition, all of the vehicles 6a to 6c in the present embodiment include an electric motor that generates a driving force for running the vehicle and a battery for storing electric power supplied to the electric motor. It is possible to charge using the charging facility. Therefore, all of the vehicles 6a to 6c are plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) or electric vehicles (EV).

In this service, each user provides a charging facility installed at home for charging a battery installed in another user's vehicle, and installed in a vehicle that owns the charging facility installed at another user's home. It can be used for charging the used battery.

Hereinafter, the user who provides the charging facility is emphasized, and the provider who uses the charging facility is emphasized, and the user who uses the charging facility is called the power receiver. A user of this service can be both a provider and a receiver. In addition, what operates this service is called a service provider.

Each of the charging facilities of the houses 5a to 5b includes one charger 1a to 1c and one or a plurality of parking spaces 4a to 4d. For example, the charging facility attached to the house 5a includes one charger 1a and one parking space 4a, and the charging facility attached to the house 5c includes one

charger

1a, 2 The

parking spaces

4c and 4d are provided. In this embodiment, one charger can charge only the battery of one vehicle at the same time.

Also, one vehicle-mounted device 2a to 2c is mounted on each of the vehicles 6a to 6c. The vehicle-mounted devices 2a to 2c can communicate with the server 3 and the chargers 1a to 1c, and the chargers 1a to 1c can also communicate with the server 3 via a wide area network such as the Internet.

The server 3 manages the usage status and reservation status of each charging facility based on the communication contents with the chargers 1a to 1c and the vehicle-mounted devices 2a to 2c, and each vehicle-mounted device 2a to 2c communicates with the server 3 to By acquiring the usage status and reservation status of the charging facility, each user can charge the battery of his / her vehicle at an available charging facility.

Hereinafter, the configurations of the chargers 1a to 1c, the vehicle-mounted devices 2a to 2c, and the server 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the chargers 1a to 1c includes an on-vehicle device communication unit 10, a server communication unit 11, a charging unit 12, a proximity sensor 13, a connection detection unit 14, and a charger side control unit 15. I have.

The on-vehicle device communication unit 10 is a communication device used by the charger-side control unit 15 to communicate with the on-vehicle devices 2a to 2c. The vehicle-mounted device communication unit 10 may be a wireless communication device, and performs communication via a charging cable (power line cable) used for charging the batteries of the vehicles 6a to 6c from the chargers 1a to 1c. It may be a power line communication device. The server communication unit 11 is a communication device used by the charger side control unit 15 to communicate with the server 3.

The charging unit 12 is various electric devices (for example, a connector of a charging cable, a power circuit) for performing charging from the chargers 1a to 1c to the batteries of the vehicles 6a to 6c. The proximity sensor 13 is a well-known sensor (for example, an infrared sensor) for detecting that the vehicles 6a to 6c are close to the parking space of the charging facility to which the own device (charger) belongs. The connection detection unit 14 is a known circuit that detects whether the own device (charger) and the batteries of the vehicles 6a to 6c are connected or disconnected by a charging cable. The charger-side control unit 15 is a device that has a known microcomputer and implements various control processes.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the in-vehicle devices 2a to 2b includes an anti-charger communication unit 20, an anti-server communication unit 21, a position detection unit 22, an operation unit 23, a display unit 24, and an on-vehicle device side control unit 25. Have.

The charger-to-charger communication unit 20 is a communication device used by the vehicle-mounted device side control unit 25 to communicate with the chargers 1a to 1c. The charger communication unit 20 may be a wireless communication device, or a power line communication device for performing communication via a charging cable used for charging the batteries of the vehicles 6a to 6c from the chargers 1a to 1c. It may be. The server communication unit 21 is a wireless communication device used by the charger-side control unit 15 to communicate with the server 3.

The position detection unit 22 outputs a detection signal for specifying the current position of the vehicle in which the own device (on-vehicle device) is mounted, such as a GPS receiver, a vehicle speed sensor, a gyro sensor, and an acceleration sensor, to the on-vehicle device control unit 25. It is a sensor group. The operation unit 23 is a device that receives an operation of a user (vehicle driver). The display unit 24 is a device for displaying characters and images to the user (vehicle driver). The in-vehicle device control unit 25 is a device that has a known microcomputer and implements various control processes.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the server 3 includes a communication unit 31, a data storage unit 32, and a server side control unit 33. The communication unit 31 is a communication device used by the server control unit 33 to communicate with the chargers 1a to 1c and the in-vehicle devices 2a to 2c via a wide area network or the like. The data storage unit 32 includes a storage medium (for example, a flash memory, a magnetic storage medium, etc.) for storing various databases. The server-side control unit 33 is a device that has a known microcomputer and implements various control processes.

Here, details of the database recorded in the data storage unit 32 of the server 3 will be described. The data storage unit 32 stores a user information database (hereinafter referred to as user information DB) configured as illustrated in FIG. 5 and a facility information database (hereinafter referred to as facility information DB) configured as illustrated in FIG. It is like that.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the user information DB includes a plurality of records, and each record includes information corresponding to one user. Specifically, a record corresponding to a certain user includes a user ID uniquely assigned to each of the users who subscribe to the service, a current position of the vehicle owned by the user (that is, a vehicle position), and a current position of the vehicle. The remaining battery capacity of the vehicle and the current cruising range of the vehicle. Further, the record includes the number of reservation cancellations by the user within a recent predetermined period (for example, one month). Further, the record includes the facility provision count by the user within a recent predetermined period (for example, one month), a provision facility ID for identifying a charging facility provided by the user, and a vehicle owned by the user in the provision facility. It includes the time it takes to reach (that is, the time required for arrival).

Here, there is a case where one user provides a plurality of charging facilities. In that case, the combination of the providing facility ID and the required time for arrival is included in the charging facility provided in the user's record. Correspondingly a plurality are included.

Note that the number of facilities provided by a user is the number of times a charging facility at the user's home has been used by another user who subscribes to the service. That is, the provision of a charging facility means that another user uses the charging facility at home.

Among the information in the user information DB, the user ID and the provision facility ID are initially set in advance (for example, by the administrator of the server 3) and are not changed thereafter. Alternatively, the user operates some kind of communication terminal to cause the server 3 to transmit the information to be initialized, and the server 3 receives the received information based on the fact that the transmitted information is received. Initial setting may be made in the DB. Information other than the user ID and the provision facility ID is rewritten as needed in the operation described later.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the facility information DB includes a plurality of records, and each record includes information corresponding to one charging facility provided by the user in this service. Specifically, a record corresponding to a certain charging facility includes a provided facility ID uniquely assigned to the charging facility in this service, a latitude and longitude of the location of the charging facility (that is, a facility location), and the charging facility's location. Including the address and connector shape of the charger of the charging facility. Further, the record includes the parking space size (size and shape) of the charging facility, the power generation method of the power provided by the charging facility, the usage status of the charging facility, and the reservation status of the facility. In the present embodiment, the number of chargers and the number of charging facilities are the same. That is, one charging facility has only one charger.

Among the information in the facility information DB, the provided facility ID, facility position, address, connector shape, parking space dimension, and power generation method are initially set in advance (for example, by the administrator of the server 3) and are not changed thereafter. Yes. Alternatively, the user operates some communication terminal to cause the server 3 to transmit the information to be initialized, and the server 3 receives the received information based on the received information. Initial setting may be made in the DB. The usage status and the reservation status can be rewritten as needed in the operation described later.

Next, the operation of the charging facility shared system configured as described above will be described. First, in each of the vehicle-mounted devices 2a to 2c, the vehicle-mounted device-side control unit 25 uses the server communication unit 21 as shown in FIG. 7 while the vehicle 6a to 6c as the mounting destination travels. The

vehicle operation information

51, 52, 53 is repeatedly and periodically transmitted to the server 3.

Each of the own

vehicle operation information

51, 52, 53 includes information on the user ID of the owner of the own vehicle, the current position of the own vehicle, the current remaining battery level, and the current cruising distance. . The in-vehicle device side control unit 25 specifies the current position using the position detection unit 22, and specifies the current remaining battery level and the current cruising distance by a known method using a sensor (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 7, the server-side control unit 33 of the server 3 performs the

operation registration processing

61, 62, 63 every time the host

vehicle operation information

51, 52, 53 is received once via the communication unit 31. Perform once.

In each operation of the

operation registration processing

61, 62, 63, the server side control unit 33 extracts a record having the same user ID as the user ID included in the received own vehicle operation information from the user information DB (see FIG. 5). Then, the vehicle position, battery remaining amount, and cruising distance in the extracted record are updated based on the current position, battery remaining amount, and cruising distance included in the received own vehicle operation information.

In each of the operation registration processes 61, 62, and 63, the server-side control unit 33 further updates all required travel times in the extracted records based on the received vehicle operation information. Specifically, the provided facility ID corresponding to the required arrival time to be updated is read from the record, and a record including the same provided facility ID as the read provided facility ID is read from the facility information DB (FIG. 6) and read. Extract facility location from record. Then, based on the current position included in the received host vehicle operation information and the extracted facility position, the required travel time is calculated so as to increase as the distance from the current position to the facility position increases. And the arrival required time in the said record extracted from user information DB is updated using the calculated required arrival time.

Such transmission of the own

vehicle operation information

51, 52, 53 by the in-vehicle devices 2a-2c and the

operation registration processing

61, 62, 63 by the server 3 are performed by the vehicles 6a-6c on which the in-vehicle devices 2a-2c are mounted. Some will continue. Therefore, even in the operations of FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 described later, transmission of own vehicle operation information by the loading machine and operation registration processing by the server 3 are repeated periodically as long as the vehicle on which the vehicle is mounted is traveling. To be executed.

Next, the operation of the charging facility shared system for charging facility reservation and use will be described. For this operation, the server-side control unit 33 executes in parallel the reservation status update process shown in FIG. 8, the usage status update process shown in FIG. 9, and the charge permission / rejection determination process shown in FIG.

Fig. 11 shows a sequence diagram of an example of the operation of the charging facility shared system for reservation and use of the charging facility. The operation will be described below with reference to FIG. In this operation, one vehicle-mounted device X among the vehicle-mounted devices 2a to 2c belonging to the charging facility shared system and one charger Y among the chargers 1a to 1c belonging to the charging facility shared system will be described as an example. . However, other in-vehicle devices and chargers belonging to the charging facility shared system can also perform the same operation as these in-vehicle devices X and chargers Y.

First, in the reservation status update process of FIG. 8, the server-side control unit 33 does not receive a reservation request, does not receive a cancellation request, and does not start reservation charging, respectively, step 210, At 230 and 240, a negative determination is made. Therefore, in this case, a standby state is entered in which the determination processes of these

steps

210, 230, and 240 are repeated in this order.

In the usage status update process of FIG. 9, the server-side control unit 33 makes a negative determination in

steps

310 and 320, respectively, when it does not receive the release notification and is not immediately after executing the approval process. Therefore, in this case, a standby state is repeated in which the determination processes in

steps

310 and 320 are repeated in this order.

In the charging permission / refusal determination processing of FIG. 10, the server-side control unit 33 makes a negative determination in step 410 and enters a standby state in which the determination processing in step 410 is repeated when the approval inquiry is not received.

In the example of FIG. 11, it is assumed that charging from the charger Y is completed for the battery of the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device X other than the vehicle-mounted device X is mounted among the vehicle-mounted devices 2a to 2c (event 100). . The charger-side control unit 15 of the charger Y determines whether or not the charger Y has been opened as “a charging facility in which the charging cable is disconnected from the vehicle and to which the charger Y belongs (hereinafter referred to as charging facility Y)”. Based on whether the vehicle has left the parking space.

Whether or not the charging cable is disconnected from the vehicle can be determined based on the detection result of the connection detection unit 14. Whether or not the vehicle has left the parking space of the charging facility Y can be determined based on the detection result of the proximity sensor 13.

When the charger-side control unit 15 determines that the charger Y has been released in the event 100, the charger-side control unit 15 subsequently transmits a release notification 101 to the server 3 using the server communication unit 11 (step 510). The release notification 101 includes the providing facility ID of the charging facility Y and information indicating that the charger has been opened.

In the server 3, the server-side control unit 33 receives the release notification 101 via the communication unit 31. In the usage status update process, it is determined in step 310 that a release notification has been received, and the process proceeds to step 330. In step 330, a record having the same provided facility ID as the provided facility ID included in the received release notification 101 is identified from the facility information DB (see FIG. 6), and the usage status in the identified record is set to “in use”. To “empty” (see step 710 in FIG. 11). By doing so, information indicating that the charger is not currently used is recorded in the facility information DB.

Thereafter, it is assumed that the user (vehicle driver) of the in-vehicle device X performs a predetermined charging facility inquiry operation 102 to the operation unit 23 of the in-vehicle device X. Then, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 of the in-vehicle device X transmits a charging facility inquiry signal 103 to the server 3 using the server communication unit 21 based on the charging facility inquiry operation 102.

Alternatively, as another example, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 of the in-vehicle device X detects the current remaining amount of the battery of the host vehicle by a known method, and the detected remaining amount is less than a predetermined amount (for example, SOC 10%). Based on what happens, the charging facility inquiry signal 103 may be automatically transmitted to the server 3 using the server communication unit 21.

Note that the inquiry signal 103 includes the user ID of the owner of the vehicle on which the vehicle-mounted device X is mounted and data indicating the inquiry signal. This user ID is registered in the in-vehicle device X in advance.

In the server 3, the server-side control unit 33 receives the charging facility inquiry signal 103 via the communication unit 31, and based on the reception, an extraction process (step 715) is performed in parallel with the processes of FIGS. ). In the search process 715, one or more records are extracted from the facility information DB (see FIG. 6). Then, following the extraction process, the extracted one or more records (charging facility information) 105 are transmitted to the in-vehicle device X that is the transmission source of the inquiry signal 103 using the communication unit 31 (step 720).

Therefore, the charging facility information 105 includes the facility position, facility address, connector shape, parking space dimension, power generation method, usage status, and reservation status of each charging facility.

Note that the records extracted by the extraction process in step 720 may be all records in the facility information DB. Alternatively, the records to be extracted may be narrowed down to only records that are currently open, that is, the usage status is “vacant”.

In addition to the records that are currently released, in addition to the records that are to be extracted, among the records that are not currently opened (the usage status is “in use”), the charging facility must be opened. May be narrowed down to records whose predicted time (that is, predicted opening time) is before a predetermined time after the current time.

Here, the predetermined time may be, for example, a time required for a vehicle (vehicle owned by the power receiver, hereinafter referred to as the vehicle X) on which the vehicle-mounted device X is mounted to reach the charging facility. In this case, the required time may be the time obtained by dividing the distance from the current position of the in-vehicle device X to the position of the charging facility by the reference travel speed (for example, 20 km / h).

In addition, the vehicle position included in the record in the user information DB including the same user ID as the user ID in the received charging facility inquiry signal 103 is adopted as the current position of the in-vehicle device X. Moreover, the position of the charging facility employs the facility position included in the record of the charging facility. The predicted opening time may be a time when a predetermined time (for example, 5 hours) elapses from the time when the usage status of the charging facility changes from “empty” to “in use”.

Since charging takes a very long time compared to refueling, it is worth predicting when the charging facility will be opened. Since power receivers often leave immediately after completion of charging, it is easy to predict the time when the charging facility will be opened.

Alternatively, based on the history of past changes in the usage status of each record in the facility information DB, the charging facility is opened for each time zone of the day (for example, each time zone divided every 30 minutes). The probability of being open (opening probability) is calculated. Then, using the calculation result, the opening probability of each charging facility at the current time is specified, and the records to be extracted are narrowed down to the records of the facility where the specified probability is a predetermined value (for example, 80% or more). Good. Such a narrowing down is useful because the charging facility has a feature that there is a high possibility of regularity in the time zone when the charging facility is opened, for example, when a vehicle is used for commuting.

Further, the records to be extracted may be narrowed down to the records of parking facilities having a parking space that can be entered by the vehicle X. However, for this purpose, information on the dimensions (full length, full width, etc.) of the vehicle owned by the corresponding user needs to be registered in advance in each record of the user information DB.

If registered as such, the server-side control unit 33 identifies a record including the same user ID as the user ID in the received charging facility inquiry signal 103 from the user information DB. Then, by comparing the vehicle dimensions in the specified record with the parking space dimensions in each record in the facility information DB, whether or not the vehicle has a parking space large enough for a vehicle owned by the power receiver to enter. Determine whether.

Further, the records to be extracted may be narrowed down to records of charging facilities that are within a distance that the vehicle X can reach without charging the battery from the outside (and not refueling if PHV).

For this purpose, the server-side control unit 33 specifies a record including the same user ID as the user ID in the received charging facility inquiry signal 103 from the user information DB, and further determines the vehicle position and the cruising distance from the specified record. Identify. Then, based on the comparison of the distance from the facility position in each record in the facility information DB to the identified vehicle position and the identified cruising distance, the vehicle X does not charge the battery from the outside (and if it is PHV) It is determined whether or not the charging facility is within a reachable distance (without refueling).

Also, the records to be extracted may be narrowed down according to the unit price of electricity charges. For example, it may be narrowed down to records of charging facilities that are below a predetermined unit price. However, for this purpose, the unit price information of the corresponding charging facility is registered in advance in each record of the facility information DB, and the server-side control unit 33 uses this information for narrowing down. The unit price of electricity charges may not change with time, or it may change depending on the region or time zone due to the effects of smart grids, etc. I do.

Also, the records to be extracted may be narrowed down to records of charging facilities that can fully charge the battery. However, for this purpose, information on the full charge amount (unit: kWh) of the battery of the vehicle owned by the corresponding user needs to be registered in advance in each record of the user information DB.

For this purpose, the server-side control unit 33 specifies a record including the same user ID as the user ID in the received charging facility inquiry signal 103 from the user information DB, and further determines the remaining battery level and fullness from the specified record. Specify the amount of charge. Then, a charged charge amount (unit: kWh) obtained by subtracting the remaining battery amount from the full charge amount is divided by a predetermined fixed charge amount (unit: kW) per unit time. Then, the charging required time and the predetermined margin time (for example, 1 hour) as a result of the division are added to the current time, and the full charging completion time as a result of the addition and the reservation in the reservation status in each record in the facility information DB Compare with start time. As will be described later, if a reservation for a certain charging facility is registered, the reservation start time and the user ID of the reserved power receiver are recorded in the record corresponding to the charging facility in the facility information DB. As a result of the comparison, if the reservation start time is later than the full charge completion time, it is determined that full charge is possible, and otherwise, it is determined that full charge is not possible.

Also, the records to be extracted may be narrowed down by adopting any two or more of the various narrowing methods described above.

When the charging facility information 105 is transmitted, in the in-vehicle device X, the in-vehicle device-side control unit 25 receives the charging facility information 105 via the server communication unit 21, and the received charging facility is received. Information on each record of the information 105 is displayed on the display unit 24 (step 620).

At this time, the charging facility information 105 may be displayed as a list with one record as one line in the display format as shown in FIG. In this way, the power generation method (for example, nuclear power, solar power, wind power, etc.) supplied by each charging facility included in the record is also displayed. Thus, displaying the power generation method on the display unit 24 can be an option for selecting a charging facility used by the user.

Alternatively, when the map data is included in the storage medium of the in-vehicle device X, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 performs each charge based on the map data and the facility position (latitude, longitude) in each received record. The location of the facility may be displayed on a map.

Further, among the records included in the received charging facility information 105, the records to be displayed may be narrowed down. For example, among the received records, only the record in which the connector shape included in the record matches the available connector shape of the host vehicle (previously registered in the in-vehicle device X) is displayed on the display unit 24. It may be.

In addition, among the records included in the received charging facility information 105, only the charging facility record having a parking space large enough to allow the host vehicle to enter may be displayed on the display unit 24. Whether or not a certain charging facility has a parking space large enough for the host vehicle to enter is determined by the size of the parking space in the record of the charging facility and the size of the host vehicle (registered in advance in the in-vehicle device X). The determination can be made based on the comparison.

Further, among the records included in the received charging facility information 105, records whose usage status is “vacant” (currently open) may be narrowed down.

In addition, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 may be configured to cause the audio output device (not shown) to output the sound of the content of the record to be displayed on the display unit 24 instead of being displayed on the display unit 24.

The user (power receiver) of the in-vehicle device X sees the display result, selects which charging facility to use, and inputs the selection result using the operation unit 23 (event 106). Alternatively, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 may automatically select a charging facility to be used. For example, a record including a facility position closest to the current position of the host vehicle may be selected from the records to be displayed. In this example, it is assumed that the charging facility Y is selected.

Based on the user's input 106 or the automatic selection by the own device, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 performs the reservation process for the selected charging facility (step 630).

In the reservation process, first, the use start time of the selected charging facility is specified. Specifically, for example, a message prompting the user to input the use start time is displayed on the display unit 24, and the time input by the user using the operation unit 23 according to the message is specified as the use start time. Also good. Alternatively, for example, the estimated arrival time at the charging facility may be calculated based on the distance from the current position of the host vehicle to the charging facility, and the estimated arrival time may be specified as the use start time.

Further, in the reservation process, a reservation request 107 including the user ID of the user of the own device (registered in advance in the vehicle-mounted device X), the provided facility ID of the selected charging facility, and the specified use start time is created. . Then, the created reservation request 107 is transmitted to the server 3 using the server communication unit 21.

In the server 3, when the server-side control unit 33 receives the reservation request 107 via the communication unit 31, the server-side control unit 33 determines that the reservation request 107 has been received in step 220 of the reservation status update process in FIG. Then, the reservation registration process is performed (step 725 in FIG. 11).

In the reservation registration process, a record having the same provided facility ID as the provided facility ID in the received reservation request 107 (that is, a record corresponding to the charger X) is specified from the facility information DB. Then, the user ID and the use start time in the received reservation request 107 are stored in the reservation status in the specified record. After step 220, the process returns to step 210.

Thereafter, after a lapse of time and a little after the reserved charging start time (for example, 5 minutes later), the vehicle X arrives at the charging facility Y, stops in the parking space of the charging facility, and the battery of the vehicle And the charger Y are connected by a charging cable (event 111).

The in-vehicle device side control unit 25 transmits the vehicle information 113 to the charger Y using the anti-charger communication unit 20 based on the fact that this connection is detected based on a signal from a connection sensor (not shown) (step) 640). The vehicle information 113 includes the user ID of the user of the vehicle-mounted device X (the user ID of the owner of the vehicle who is going to receive charging), the current remaining battery level of the vehicle X, and the full charge amount of the battery of the vehicle X ( The remaining amount at the time of full charge) and the dimensional information of the vehicle X (including the full length and full width) are included.

In the charger Y, the charger side control unit 15 receives the vehicle information 113 via the on-vehicle device communication unit 10. And based on having received the said vehicle information 113, the approval inquiry 115 is transmitted to the server 3 using the server communication part 11. FIG. This approval inquiry 115 includes the user ID included in the received vehicle information 113, the providing facility ID of the charging facility to which the own device (charger Y) belongs, and the estimated charging completion time. Moreover, after transmitting the approval inquiry 115, the charger side control unit 15 controls the charging unit 12 and waits for reception of a result notification without starting charging.

Note that the estimated charging completion time is an estimated value of the time when charging of the battery of the vehicle X is completed and the charger Y is opened. The charging completion prediction time is calculated by the charger-side control unit 15 based on, for example, the remaining amount and the full charge amount of the battery, and the charging capability (the amount of power that can be charged per unit time) of the charger Y. .

In the server 3, when the server-side control unit 33 receives the approval inquiry 115 via the communication unit 31, the server-side control unit 33 determines that the approval inquiry has been received in step 410 of the charge permission / rejection determination of FIG. 10, and proceeds to step 420.

In step 420, a record having the same provided facility ID as the provided facility ID included in the received approval inquiry 115 is identified from the facility information DB, and the reservation status in the identified record is read.

If the charging start time is included in the read reservation status, whether or not the charging from the current time competes with the reserved charging based on the comparison between the current time and the charging start time. judge. For example, whether the charging start time is earlier or later than the current time, if the time difference between the current time and the charging start time is within a predetermined time (for example, 1 hour), it is determined that there is a conflict. In other cases, it is determined that there is no conflict. Moreover, if the charge start time is not included in the read reservation status, it is determined that there is no conflict. If it is determined that there is no competition, the process proceeds to step 430. If it is determined that there is no competition, the process proceeds to step 450.

In this example, since the reservation including the user ID of the user of the in-vehicle device X and the charging start time slightly before the current time (for example, 5 minutes before) is stored in the reservation status, it is determined that there is a conflict. . Accordingly, the process proceeds to step 430.

In step 430, it is determined whether or not the read reservation in the reservation status is a reservation by another user. Specifically, if the user ID included in the read reservation status and the user ID included in the received approval inquiry 115 are different from each other, it is determined that the reservation is made by another user, and the user ID is the same. For example, it is determined that the reservation is not made by another user. If it is determined that the reservation is made by another user, the process proceeds to step 440. If it is determined that the reservation is not made by another user, the process proceeds to step 450.

In this example, since the vehicle-mounted device X that executed the reservation process 630 transmits the vehicle information 113, the user ID included in the read reservation status is the same as the user ID included in the received approval inquiry 115. Is. Therefore, it is determined that the reservation is not made by another user, and the process proceeds to step 450.

Although it is different from this example, if it is determined that the reservation is made by another user, that is, if the charge reservation of the other user and the current charge of the user compete, the prohibition process is performed in step 440. In the prohibition process, in order to prohibit charging by the charger Y, a result notification indicating charging prohibition is transmitted to the charger Y as the transmission source of the approval inquiry 115 using the communication unit 31. In the charger Y, the result notification is received via the server communication unit 11, and based on the received result notification indicating that charging is prohibited, the charging unit 12 is controlled and charging is not started. Then, a charge rejection notification is transmitted to the in-vehicle device X using the on-vehicle device communication unit 10. In the in-vehicle device X, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 receives the charge rejection notification via the anti-charger communication unit 20 and cannot charge the display unit 24 based on the reception of the charge rejection notification. Is displayed. The user who sees this display knows that the charger Y cannot be charged. Thus, the user ID of the receiver who made the reservation is compared with the user ID of the user of the vehicle actually connected to the charging facility for authentication, and a receiver other than the receiver who made the reservation interrupts. Charging can be prevented from starting.

Return to explanation of this case. In step 450, an approval process is performed. In the approval process, in order to permit charging by the charger Y, the communication unit 31 is used to transmit a result notification 117 indicating charging permission to the charger Y that is the transmission source of the approval inquiry 115 (step 735 in FIG. 11). ).

Further, the server-side control unit 33 determines that the approval process has been executed in step 320 in the usage status update process of FIG. 9 based on the execution of the approval process as described above, and proceeds to step 340. In step 340, a record having the same provided facility ID as the provided facility ID included in the approval inquiry 115 received immediately before is identified from the facility information DB, and the usage status in the identified record is changed from “available” to “used”. Update to “medium” (step 740 in FIG. 11). At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the charge completion prediction time included in the approval inquiry 115 received immediately before may be included in the usage state. After step 340, the process returns to step 310. Further, in step 450, the current time is included in the usage status as the charging start time.

Further, as described above, when step 450 is executed following step 430, the reserved charge is approved. In this example, this is the case, so the server-side control unit 33 starts reservation charging in step 240 of the reservation status update process in FIG. 10 based on the execution of step 450 following step 430. Then, the process proceeds to step 250.

In step 250, a record having the same provided facility ID as the provided facility ID included in the approval inquiry 115 received immediately before is specified from the facility information DB, and the reservation is deleted from the reservation status in the specified record. That is, the reservation status is updated to “no reservation” (step 745 in FIG. 11). After step 250, the process returns to step 210.

Then, following step 450, in step 460, the number of provisions is updated. Specifically, a record having the same provided facility ID as the provided facility ID included in the approval inquiry 115 received immediately before is identified from the user information DB, and the “provided facility within the latest predetermined period” in the identified record is identified. Update “Number of times”.

Specifically, the current date and time (that is, the provided date and time) is added to the provided history data (recorded in the data storage unit 32) corresponding to the specified record. Thus, in each of the provision history data corresponding to each record (each user), the provision date and time when the user corresponding to the user ID included in the corresponding record provided the self-owned charging facility in the past is sequentially recorded. To go. Then, the server-side control unit 33, based on the provision history data corresponding to the record, the number of provision dates and times within the latest predetermined period (for example, one month), that is, the charge owned by the user within the recent predetermined period. The number of facility provisions is calculated, and the calculation result is set as “the number of facility provisions within a recent predetermined period” in the record. After step 460, the process returns to step 410.

Although it is different from the present case, if it is determined in step 420 that it does not conflict with the reservation and then step 450 is executed, the so-called jump charge is approved instead of approving the reserved charge. Therefore, in step 240 of FIG. 8, it is determined that reserved charging is not started. However, even in such a case, the server-side control unit 33 proceeds from step 320 to step 340 in the usage status update process of FIG. 9 based on the execution of the approval process. In step 340, as described above, the usage status in the corresponding record is updated from “free” to “in use”.

Return to explanation of this case. When the result notification 117 is transmitted, the charger Y receives the result notification 117 via the server communication unit 11, and based on the fact that the received result notification 117 indicates charging permission, the charging unit 12 is started to charge the battery of the vehicle X (event 119).

Further, after that, it is assumed that the battery of the vehicle X is fully charged and charging is completed (event 121). Then, the charger side control unit 15 of the charger Y detects the completion of charging based on a change in the amount of current passing through the charging cable, and uses the server communication unit 21 based on the detection. Then, a completion notification 123 is transmitted to the server 3 (step 530). The completion notification 123 includes the user ID of the user of the vehicle-mounted device X included in the vehicle information 113, the provision facility ID of the charging facility Y, the current charging start date and time, the current charging end date and time, and the current charging. Including the amount of charging power supplied.

Then, in the server 30, the server-side control unit 33 receives the completion notification 123 via the communication unit 31, and executes the accounting process based on the reception of the completion notification 123 (step 750). . This billing process is executed in parallel with the processes shown in FIGS. In the charging process, the server-side control unit 33 calculates a charging amount for the current charging based on the charging start date / time, the charging end date / time, and the charging power amount included in the received completion notification 123. The calculated charge amount, the user ID (user ID of the user who received the charge) included in the received completion notification 123, the provided facility ID, the amount of charge power, the charge start date and time, and the charge end date and time are one charge. A record is additionally recorded in the billing record data. The billing record data is stored in the data storage unit 32. In this way, the charging record corresponding to the charging is recorded in the charging record data for each of the charging performed at all charging facilities.

Furthermore, after that, it is assumed that the charging cable connecting the battery of the vehicle X and the charger Y is disconnected from the vehicle X and the vehicle X leaves the parking space of the charging facility Y. Then, the charger-side control unit 15 of the charger Y determines that the charger Y has been released by the operation as described in the event 100, and subsequently uses the server communication unit 11 to notify the release 125. Is transmitted to the server 3 (step 540). The release notification 125 includes the providing facility ID of the charging facility Y and information indicating that the charger has been opened. The server 3 that has received the release notification 125 performs the same operation as when the release notification 101 is received.

Next, an example will be described in which the charging facility provider cancels the charging reservation once registered for the charging facility Y. There are many cases where the parking space of the charging facility owned by the provider itself is limited, and it is often troubled if the own parking space is not freely used.

Therefore, the server 3 is configured to cancel the charging facility owned by the provider itself in response to the provider's own request when the charging facility has already been reserved by another power receiver.

Fig. 12 shows a sequence of an example of such cancellation operation. The operation shown in FIG. 12 is a case immediately after the reservation registration process is performed in step 725 in the operation of FIG. In this operation example, the on-vehicle device X and the on-vehicle device Y among the on-vehicle devices 2a to 2c belonging to the charging facility shared system will be described as an example. However, other in-vehicle devices that belong to the charging facility shared system can perform the same operation as the in-vehicle device X and the charger Y.

In FIG. 12, the in-vehicle device Y is an in-vehicle device owned by the provider of the charging facility Y (hereinafter referred to as the provider Y) among the in-vehicle devices 2a to 2c. The provider Y first performs a predetermined reservation canceling operation on the operation unit 23 of the in-vehicle device Y. The in-vehicle device side control unit 25 of the in-vehicle device Y transmits a cancel request 153 to the server 3 using the to-server communication unit 21 based on the reservation cancellation operation (step 810). The cancel request 153 includes the user ID of the provider Y (registered in advance in the in-vehicle device Y) and information indicating that the reservation is cancelled.

In the server 3, when the server-side control unit 33 receives the cancel request 153 via the communication unit 31, the server-side control unit 33 determines that the cancel request 153 has been received in Step 230 of the reservation status update process in FIG. move on.

In step 260, it is determined whether or not to approve the cancellation. Hereinafter, this determination method will be described.

This determination is to prevent the provider Y from unjustly canceling. For example, it may be determined to approve only when the cancel approval condition A that the vehicle Y of the provider Y is within a certain distance (for example, 5 km) from the charging facility Y is satisfied. Here, the position of the vehicle Y is specified by reading the vehicle position from the record including the user ID included in the received cancellation request 153 in the user information DB. Further, the position of the charging facility Y is specified as follows. First, the provided facility ID is read from the record including the user ID included in the received cancellation request 153. Then, the record including the read provided facility ID is identified in the facility information DB, and the facility position in the identified record is identified as the position of the charging facility Y. Based on the position of the vehicle Y and the position of the charging facility Y, it is determined whether or not the vehicle Y is within a certain distance from the charging facility Y.

Further, for example, it is determined to approve only when the cancel approval condition B that the vehicle Y of the provider Y is within a range that can be reached from the charging facility Y within a certain time (for example, 15 minutes) is satisfied. May be. Here, the time required for the vehicle Y to reach the charging facility Y is obtained by reading the time required to reach the facility from the record including the user ID included in the received cancellation request 153 in the user information DB. Identify.

Thus, the cancellation approval condition includes the condition that the vehicle Y owned by the provider Y is located within a predetermined range including the charging facility Y, so that the provider Y is at a remote location and the charging facility Y is for the time being. Unauthorized acts of canceling when not available can be restricted.

In addition, for example, the number of cancellations within the predetermined period (for example, one month) by the same provider Y (the number of cancellations performed in step 270 described later due to the cancellation operation of the provider Y) is the upper limit cancellation number (for example, (20 times) It may be determined that the approval is made only when the cancellation approval condition C is satisfied. By adopting such a condition, it is possible to suppress excessively frequent cancellation by the provider.

Here, the number of cancellations within the recent predetermined period of the provider Y can be obtained by reading the number of cancellations within the recent predetermined period from the record including the user ID included in the received cancellation request 153 in the user information DB. ,Identify. The number of cancellations within this recent predetermined period is that, as will be described later, if the provider Y has only one charging facility, the cancellation request has been received from the in-vehicle device Y within the recent predetermined period. This corresponds to the number of times the reservation is deleted from the reservation status in the record of the charging facility in the facility information DB.

Note that the upper limit cancellation count may always be a constant value regardless of the user ID, or may be set independently so as to be different for each user ID. In the latter case, for example, a larger number of facilities may be set as the number of facility provisions in the recent predetermined period increases from the record including the user ID included in the received cancellation request 153 in the user information DB. .

Further, for example, the determination in step 260 is performed based on the cancellation approval condition according to the situation of the power receiver (the owner of the vehicle X, hereinafter referred to as the power receiver X) who has made a reservation for the charging facility Y. It may be.

For example, it may be determined to approve only when the cancel approval condition D that the remaining amount of the battery of the vehicle X is equal to or less than the reference remaining amount is satisfied. Here, the remaining amount of the battery of the vehicle X is specified as follows. First, the provided facility ID is read out from the record including the user ID (provider Y's user ID) included in the received cancellation request 153. Then, the record including the read provided facility ID is specified in the facility information DB, and the reservation status in the specified record is read. Then, the user ID is specified from the read reservation status. The identified user ID corresponds to the user ID of the power receiver X. Then, a record including the identified user ID of the power receiver X is read from the user information DB, and the remaining battery level in the read record is specified as the remaining battery level of the vehicle X.

Further, for example, even if the charging facility that is an alternative to the charging facility Y is approved to be approved only when the cancellation approval condition E that the vehicle X does not exist within the reference distance from the current position is satisfied, Good. Here, the current position of the vehicle X is specified as follows. First, the user ID of the power receiver X is specified by the same method as in the cancellation approval condition D. Then, a record including the identified user ID of the power receiver X is read from the user information DB, and the vehicle position in the read record is identified as the current position of the vehicle X. Further, the position of the other charging facility is specified by reading the facility position in each record in the facility information DB. Further, as to whether or not another charging facility is to be replaced, whether or not the reservation status in the record of the charging facility includes a reservation with a charging start time within a predetermined time (for example, 10 hours) from the present. Judge by.

It should be noted that the reference distance in the cancellation approval condition E may be a constant value or a cruising distance of the vehicle X. Here, the cruising range of the vehicle X is specified as follows. First, the user ID of the power receiver X is specified by the same method as in the cancellation approval condition D. And the record containing the user ID of the specified power receiver X is read from the user information DB, and the vehicle cruising capability in the read record is specified as the cruising range of the vehicle X.

In step 260, a determination may be made by combining any two or more of the cancellation approval conditions A to E described above. For example, it may be determined to approve when both the cancel approval condition A and the cancel approval condition D are satisfied, and may be determined not to be approved otherwise. Further, for example, it may be determined that the approval is made when all of the cancellation approval conditions A, C, and E are satisfied, and it may be determined that the approval is not made in other cases.

Suppose in this case that it is determined in step 260 that the cancellation is approved. In that case, the process proceeds to step 270 to cancel. That is, the provided facility ID is read from the record including the user ID included in the received cancellation request 153. Then, the record including the read provided facility ID is specified in the facility information DB, and the reservation is deleted from the reservation form in the specified record. That is, the reservation status is updated to “no reservation”.

Subsequently, in step 280, a cancellation notification is made (step 760 in FIG. 12). Specifically, the cancel notification 155 is transmitted to the in-vehicle device X and the cancel notification 157 is transmitted to the in-vehicle device Y using the communication unit 31.

The cancellation notification 157 includes information indicating that the cancellation has been successful and the details of the reservation (user ID, reservation start time) deleted in step 280. In addition, the cancellation notification 155 includes information indicating that the charge reservation of the user (the power receiver X) has been canceled by the request from the provider Y of the charger Y, the contents of the reservation deleted in step 280, and an alternative Include information to find a charging facility. As information for searching for an alternative charging facility, for example, all records in the facility information DB or a part of the records may be used. In the latter case, the information for searching for an alternative charging facility may be all records of charging facilities within a predetermined distance (or the cruising distance of the vehicle X) from the position of the vehicle X.

In the in-vehicle device X, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 receives the cancel notification 155 via the server communication unit 21 and displays it on the display unit 24 (step 650). Similarly, in the in-vehicle device Y, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 receives the cancel notification 157 via the server communication unit 21 and displays it on the display unit 24 (step 820).

In the server 3, the server-side control unit 33 updates the number of cancellations in step 290 following step 280. Specifically, a record having the same user ID as the user ID of the provider Y included in the cancellation request 153 is identified from the user information DB, and the cancellation history data corresponding to the identified record (recorded in the data storage unit 32) The current date and time (ie, the provided date and time) is added. Thus, in each of the cancellation history data corresponding to each record (each user), the user corresponding to the user ID included in the corresponding record is reserved by another user (power receiver) of the charging facility that the user owns in the past. The date and time of canceling is sequentially recorded. And the server side control part 33 is based on the cancellation history data corresponding to the said record, The number of the cancellation dates in the latest predetermined period (for example, 1 month), ie, the charge owned by the said user in the latest predetermined period The number of cancellations of the facility is calculated, and the calculation result is set as “the number of cancellations provided within the latest predetermined period” in the record. After step 290, the process returns to step 210.

Although it is different from this case, if it is determined in step 260 that the cancellation is not approved, the process proceeds to step 295, and the communication unit 31 is used to send a cancellation rejection notification to the in-vehicle device Y that is the transmission source of the cancellation request 153. Send. In the in-vehicle device Y, the in-vehicle device side control unit 25 receives the cancellation rejection notification via the server communication unit 21 and displays it on the display unit 24.

Here, the charging adjustment process based on the charging record data will be described. In this embodiment, each charging facility owned by the provider is not provided with a device for paying a fee in order to reduce the installation cost of each charging facility. Therefore, the charge for using the electric power used to charge the battery of the vehicle at a certain charging facility is not limited to a user other than the provider (that is, the power receiving power) even if the vehicle is a vehicle of the provider (owner) of the charging facility. Even if the vehicle is a person's vehicle, the power used by the provider is once calculated by a power meter or the like. In other words, the payment is replaced by the provider. As a result, the electric power company that supplies power to each charging facility charges the charging facility provider for the amount charged for the total power used in each charging facility.

On the other hand, the server 3 calculates the adjustment amount of the charge amount of each user by the charge adjustment process. Specifically, the server-side control unit 33 is configured to repeatedly execute the charging adjustment process shown in FIG. 13 every predetermined charging unit period (for example, one month). In this accounting adjustment process, steps 910 to 940 in FIG. 13 are executed for each user ID included in the record in the user information DB (that is, for each user).

First, in step 910, the provision facility ID of the charging facility owned by the user of the target user ID is extracted from the user information DB. That is, the record including the same user ID as the target user ID is specified from the user information DB, and the provided facility ID in the specified record is extracted.

Subsequently, in step 920, a billing record including one of the provided facility IDs extracted in step 910 is read from the billing record data, and a sum of all billing amounts in the read record is defined as a sum P1. .

Subsequently, in step 930, the billing record including the target user ID is read from the billing record data, and the sum of all billing amounts in the read record is set as the sum P2.

Subsequently, in step 940, the amount obtained by subtracting the total amount P2 from the total amount P1 is set as the adjustment amount of the target user ID. If this adjustment amount is a negative value, the user with the target user ID is in a state of being charged too little. On the other hand, if the adjustment amount is a positive value, the user with the target user ID is in an overcharged state.

Therefore, the server-side control unit 33 performs an additional charging process or a reduction process for each user ID in step 950 based on the adjustment amount of each user ID calculated in the charging adjustment process.

Specifically, in the additional charging process, if the adjustment amount of a certain user ID is a negative value, the user of the target user ID is further charged for the absolute value of the adjustment amount. As a method of charging, a method of transmitting invoice data for the absolute value of the adjustment amount to the in-vehicle device possessed by the user may be employed, or another method may be employed. A method of withdrawing the absolute value of the adjustment amount from the bank account of the user may be adopted. In the latter case, it is assumed that the account number of each user is registered in advance.

Also, in the additional charging process, if the adjustment amount of a certain user ID is a positive value, cashback is performed for the user of the target user ID by the absolute value of the adjustment amount. As a method for cash back, a method of transmitting gift certificate data corresponding to the absolute value of the adjustment amount to the in-vehicle device possessed by the user may be adopted, or the adjustment amount may be stored in the bank account of the user. You may employ | adopt the method of paying in for the absolute value of. In the latter case, it is assumed that the account number of each user is registered in advance.

(Other embodiments)
Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed within the scope described in the claims. Further, the above embodiments are not irrelevant to each other, and can be combined as appropriate unless the combination is clearly impossible. In each of the above-described embodiments, it is needless to say that elements constituting the embodiment are not necessarily essential unless explicitly stated as essential and clearly considered essential in principle. Yes. Further, in each of the above embodiments, when numerical values such as the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc. of the constituent elements of the embodiment are mentioned, it is clearly limited to a specific number when clearly indicated as essential and in principle. The number is not limited to the specific number except for the case. Further, in each of the above embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of the component, etc., the shape, unless otherwise specified and in principle limited to a specific shape, positional relationship, etc. It is not limited to the positional relationship or the like.

(Modification 1)
The in-vehicle device in the above embodiment may be replaced with a mobile terminal (for example, a smart phone, a PDA, etc.) carried by the user. That is, the vehicle-mounted device may be replaced with a device within the range of the mobile communication device that moves with the user.

(Modification 2)
In the above embodiment, a user ID uniquely assigned to each user who subscribes to the service is employed as the user ID. This user ID may be realized as an identification number uniquely assigned to each vehicle owned by a user who subscribes to this service.

(Modification 3)
In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the charging facilities 1a to 1c are used only by the vehicle of the user who subscribes to the charging facility shared service. However, there is a possibility that a vehicle of a user who has not subscribed to the charging facility shared service may try to use the charging facility 1a to 1c. Good.

For this purpose, for example, if the server-side control unit 33 determines that the approval inquiry has been received in step 410 of the charge permission / inhibition determination in FIG. 10, before proceeding to step 420, the user information DB It is determined whether or not the user ID included in any of the records inside is included. If it is determined that the charging facility is included, the process proceeds to step 420. If it is determined that the charging facility is not included (that is, a person who has not subscribed to the charging facility shared service is going to use the charging facility), It is only necessary to proceed to step 440 to perform the prohibition process.

(Modification 4)
In order to participate in the charging facility shared service of the above-described embodiment, a charging facility that communicates with the server 3 and an in-vehicle device that communicates with the server are required. Therefore, in order to increase the number of service participants, such a charger and an in-vehicle device may be provided by a service provider at a low cost or free of charge.

Or, by paying a reasonable fee, it is possible to limit the time when the charging facility at home is opened to other users, or the service can be used as a power receiver without opening the charging facility at home. You may do it. In that case, the server 3 holds the time zone in which the charging facility can be used. Specifically, each record in the facility information DB includes information on an available time zone.

Then, in step 220 of the reservation status update process in FIG. 8, the server-side control unit 33 indicates that the use start time included in the reservation request received immediately before is the provided facility ID of the selected charging facility included in the reservation request. If it is within the available time zone, reservation registration is not performed, and if it is not, reservation registration may be performed.

Further, if the server-side control unit 33 determines that the approval inquiry is received in step 410 of the charge permission / rejection determination of FIG. 10, before proceeding to step 420, the charging facility providing facility whose current time is included in the approval inquiry If the ID is available, the process proceeds to step 440 to perform the prohibition process, and if not, the process may proceed to step 420.

(Modification 5)
In addition, the charging facility search function using the server is not essential, and a list of charging facilities registered in the service may be included in the map data of the vehicle-mounted device or distributed as a paper medium map. In this case, there is no information about whether the charging facility is currently open, and only the location information of the charging facility is provided.

(Modification 6)
In the above embodiment, in the charge permission / rejection determination of FIG. 10, the server-side control unit 33 uses the reserved charge for charging from the current time even in the charging facility in which the reservation is stored in the reservation status in the record. If there is no conflict, the approval process is executed (step 420 → 450). However, in order to secure a reservation more reliably, the prohibition process of step 440 may be executed even when charging from the current time is not competing with the reserved charging.

(Modification 7)
Moreover, in the said embodiment, the server side control part 33 prohibits the charge by the charger Y by transmitting the result notification which shows charge prohibition to the charger Y in the prohibition process of step 440. FIG. On the other hand, in the approval process of step 450, charging by the charger Y is permitted by transmitting a result notification 117 indicating charging permission to the charger Y.

However, in both cases where charging by the charger Y is prohibited or permitted, a result notification corresponding to that is transmitted. However, this is not necessarily the case.

For example, when charging by the charger Y is prohibited, the result notification may be transmitted only when the charging is permitted without transmitting the result notification. In this case, the charger side control unit 15 of the charger Y only needs to start charging only when the result notification is received from the server 3. In this case, transmitting the result notification corresponds to the approval process, and suppressing the transmission of the result notification corresponds to the prohibition process.

Conversely, the result notification may be transmitted only when charging by the charger Y is prohibited, and the result notification may not be transmitted when charging is permitted. In this case, the charger-side control unit 15 of the charger Y starts charging only when the result notification is not received from the server 3 within a predetermined time after the approval inquiry 115 is transmitted. That's fine. In this case, transmitting the result notification corresponds to the prohibition process, and suppressing the transmission of the result notification corresponds to the approval process.

(Modification 8)
In addition, when the provider of the charging facility owns a plurality of vehicles, one charging device may be shared. In that case, it may be determined that the charging facility has been opened based on the fact that at least one of both the charging device and the parking space has been opened.

Here, the flowchart or the process of the flowchart described in this application is configured by a plurality of sections (or referred to as steps), and each section is expressed as S100, for example. Further, each section can be divided into a plurality of subsections, while a plurality of sections can be combined into one section. Further, each section configured in this manner can be referred to as a device, module, or means.

Although the present disclosure has been described based on the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and structures. The present disclosure includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms including only one element, more or less, are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

A server (3) for managing the reservation status of charging facilities (1a-1c, 4a-4d) installed in a provider's home (5a-5c),
A communication unit (31);
A data storage unit (32);
A server-side control unit (33),
The data storage unit is configured to store a reservation status of the charging facility,
When the reservation status of the charging facility stored in the data storage unit stores a reservation including a user ID corresponding to a user other than the provider, the server-side control unit is connected via the communication unit. An approval inquiry (115) including a user ID corresponding to the owner of the vehicle (6a to 6c, X) that is going to receive charging from the charger from the charger (1a to 1c, Y) belonging to the charging facility. ) Is received, it is determined whether the user ID included in the approval inquiry and the user ID included in the reservation are the same or different from each other,
When the user ID included in the approval inquiry is different from the user ID included in the reservation, the server-side control unit performs a prohibition process for prohibiting charging by the charger using the communication unit. Done
When the user ID included in the approval inquiry and the user ID included in the reservation are the same, the server-side control unit performs an approval process for permitting charging by the charger using the communication unit. Done
When the reservation status of the charging facility stored in the data storage unit stores a reservation including a user ID corresponding to a user other than the provider, the server-side control unit is owned by the provider The provider in the reservation status based on the fact that the cancel request (153) including information indicating that the reservation is canceled is received from the mobile communication device (2a to 2c, Y) via the communication unit. A server that deletes reservations including user IDs other than.
When the reservation status of the charging facility stored in the data storage unit stores a reservation including a user ID corresponding to a user other than the provider, the server-side control unit is owned by the provider Based on the fact that the cancellation request (153) from the mobile communication devices (2a to 2c) is received via the communication unit, only when the cancellation approval condition is satisfied, the provider other than the provider in the reservation status Delete the reservation containing the user ID of
The server according to claim 1, wherein the cancellation approval condition includes a condition that a vehicle (6a to 6c, Y) owned by the provider is located within a predetermined range including the charging facility.
When the reservation status of the charging facility stored in the data storage unit stores a reservation including a user ID corresponding to a user other than the provider, the server-side control unit performs the cancel operation of the provider The mobile communication devices (2a to 2c) owned by the provider due to the fact that the cancel request (153) has been transmitted, and the server-side control unit has received the transmitted cancel request via the communication unit Only when the cancellation approval condition is satisfied, the reservation including the user ID other than the provider in the reservation status is deleted,
3. The cancellation approval condition includes a condition that a number of times that a reservation is deleted from the reservation status due to the cancel operation of the provider within a recent predetermined period is equal to or less than an upper limit cancellation number. Server.
When the reservation status of the charging facility stored in the data storage unit stores a reservation including a user ID corresponding to a user other than the provider, the server-side control unit is owned by the provider Based on the fact that the cancellation request (153) from the mobile communication devices (2a to 2c) is received via the communication unit, only when the cancellation approval condition is satisfied, the provider other than the provider in the reservation status Delete the reservation containing the user ID of
The cancellation cancellation condition includes a condition that a remaining battery of a vehicle owned by a user corresponding to a user ID included in the reservation is equal to or less than a reference remaining amount. server.
When the reservation status of the charging facility stored in the data storage unit stores a reservation including a user ID corresponding to a user other than the provider, the server-side control unit is owned by the provider Based on the fact that the cancellation request (153) from the mobile communication devices (2a to 2c) is received via the communication unit, only when the cancellation approval condition is satisfied, the provider other than the provider in the reservation status Delete the reservation containing the user ID of
5. The cancel approval condition includes a condition that an alternative charging facility other than a charging facility does not exist within a reference distance from a current position of a vehicle owned by a user corresponding to a user ID included in the reservation. The server as described in any one of these.