DESCRIPTION
ON-BOARD UNIT AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Technical Field
[0001]
The present invention relates to an EV (Electric
Vehicle) management system and an on-board unit used
for this EV management system. The present invention
is used for, preferably, the EV management system in a
smart community in which electric power consumption of
the whole community is managed, and the on-board unit
used for this EV management system.
Background Art
[0002]
In the so-called smart community and so on, it is
expected to establish a low-carbon society by letting
an EV which travels mainly using an externally
rechargeable battery as a power source have a central
role in transportation means.
[0003]
In such a smart community, electric power
required for an operation of the EV is intensively
consumed during EV charging using charging equipment
of each home or a dedicated charging facility. If
life patterns are similar among most of inhabitants,
it is expected that many EVs are charged at the same
time. So, it is necessary to manage a charging amount
from the EV charging facility by an EV management
center and so on so that the electric power
consumption of the whole community does not exceeds
suppliable electric power even in an electric power
consumption peak. Note that a specific method for
shifting a part of the electric power consumption for
the EV charging from a peak time zone to another time
- 2 -
zone, including a method which is particularly called
as peak-cut, peak shift and so on, is required.
[0004]
In connection with the above, Patent Literature 1
(JP 2007-282383 A) discloses a method and system for
leveling electric power load. In the method and
system for leveling electric power load described in
Patent Literature 1, leveling of the electric power
load is realized at low costs by using a battery of
car such as an electric vehicle, which is used as a
commuter vehicle and is not used during an electric
power demand peak in the daytime.
[0005]
Patent Literature 2 (JP-2011-15521 A) discloses a
system and method for charge control of electric
vehicle, server, and smart meter. In the system and
method for charge control of electric vehicle, the
server, and the smart meter described in Patent
Literature 2, charging costs for the electric vehicle
are reduced by considering electric rates
corresponding to various time zones.
[0006]
Patent Literature 3 (WO 2012/017936 A1) discloses
a battery information output device for power
supply/demand leveling system. In the battery
information output device for power supply/demand
leveling system described in Patent Literature 3, in
order to perform the peak cut of electric power, a
battery of the electric vehicle, which is not operated
in the daytime, is effectively used by appropriately
discharging the battery based on an operation plan.
[0007]
Patent Literature 4 (WO 2012/017937 A1) discloses
a power demand-and-supply equalization system is
disclosed. In the power demand-and-supply
equalization system described in Patent Literature 4,
- 3 -
in order to perform the peak cut of electric power, a
battery of the electric vehicle, which is not operated
in the daytime, is effectively used by appropriately
discharging the battery based on an operation plan.
[0008]
Patent Literature 5 (JP 2012-213316 A) discloses
a system and method for optimal load planning of
electric vehicle charging. In the system and method
for optimal load planning of electric vehicle charging
described in Patent Literature 5, the system for
planning an electric vehicle charging plan for optimal
planning of electric power demand is provided.
[0009]
Patent Literature 6 (JP 2012-228170 A) discloses
an integrated electric meter and an electric vehicle
charging station. In the integrated electric meter
and the electric vehicle charging station described in
Patent Literature 6, charging equipment, metering
equipment and communication equipment required for
charging the electric vehicle is integrally stored in
an enclosure, and simplified electric vehicle charging
station is provided.
Citation List
[Patent Literature]
[00010]
Patent Literature 1: Japan Patent Application
Publication JP 2007-282383 A
Patent Literature 2: Japan Patent Application
Publication JP 2011-15521 A
Patent Literature 3: International Patent Application
Publication WO 2012/017936 A1
Patent Literature 4: International Patent Application
Publication WO 2012/017937 A1
Patent Literature 5: Japan Patent Application
Publication JP 2012-213316 A
- 4 -
Patent Literature 6: Japan Patent Application
Publication JP 2012-228170 A
Summary of the Invention
[0011]
An object of the present invention is providing
an EV management system for appropriately controlling
a charging amount of an electric vehicle and providing
an on-board unit used for the EV management system.
Other objects and original technical features will be
revealed from description of this specification and
attached drawings.
[0012]
According to an embodiment, the on-board unit
mounted on the electric vehicle detects a current
location, an electric vehicle management center
provided on a network manages a charging schedule
created in advance, it is possible to check whether or
not an charging operation is allowed at the current
time zone by their communications, and a result of the
check is notified a driver from a display unit of the
on-board unit.
[0013]
According to the above-mentioned embodiment, it
is possible to manage the EV charging based on the
charging schedule.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0014]
Fig. 1 is a block diagram for indicating an
entire configuration of an EV management system;
Fig. 2 represents graphs for indicating a concept
of a charging amount control for EVs;
Fig. 3 is a block diagram for indicating a
configuration example of an EV management center;
Fig. 4A is a block diagram for indicating a
- 5 -
configuration example of an on-board unit according to
a first embodiment;
Fig. 4B is a sequential diagram for indicating an
operational example of the EV management system
according to the first embodiment;
Fig. 5A is a block diagram for indicating a
configuration example of the on-board unit according
to a second embodiment;
Fig. 5B is a sequential diagram for indicating an
operational example of the EV management system
according to the second embodiment;
Fig. 6 is a sequential diagram for indicating an
operational example of the EV management system
according to a third embodiment; and
Fig. 7 is a sequential diagram for indicating an
operational example of the EV management system
according to a fourth embodiment.
Description of Embodiments
[0015]
With reference to the attached drawings, an
electric vehicle management system and an on-board
unit according to some embodiments will be explained.
[0016]
(First Embodiment)
Fig. 1 is the block diagram for indicating the
entire configuration of the EV management system.
Components indicated in Fig. 1 will be explained.
[0017]
The EV management system shown in Fig. 1
includes, a center management system 20, an EV
management center 30 which also functions as a server,
a network 40, a mobile phone network 50 as a wireless
communication network, GPS (Global Positioning System)
satellite group 60, a dedicated charging facility 70,
a home charging equipment 80, and an electric vehicle
- 6 -
90. The EV90 includes a rechargeable battery 91, a
charging circuit 92, and an on-board unit 100. Note
that a part of the components shown in Fig. 1 or all
of the components shown in Fig. 1 is included a given
smart community 10. In addition, the center
management system 20 may be a CEMS (Community Energy
Management System) which performs overall energy
management in the smart community 10.
[0018]
Connection relationships of the components of
the EV management system shown in Fig. 1 will be
explained. The center management system 20 is
connected to the EV management center 30. The EV
management center 30 is connected to the center
management system 20 and the network 40. The network
40 is connected to the EV management center 30, the
mobile phone network 50 and the dedicated charging
facility 70. The mobile phone network 50 can be
connected to the on-board unit 100 of the EV 90 via
wireless communication. The GPS satellite group 60
transmits a wireless communication signal for
measuring a location to the on-board unit 100 of the
EV 90. The dedicated charging facility 70 is
connected to the network 40, and is connectable to the
charging circuit 92 of the EV 90 via a charging plug
and so on. The home charging equipment 80 is
connectable to the charging circuit 92 of the EV 90
via a charging plug and so on. The charging circuit
92 of the EV 90 is connected to the rechargeable
battery 91, and is connectable to the dedicated
charging facility 70 and the home charging equipment
80 via the charging plug and so on. The on-board unit
100 of EV 90 is connectable to the mobile phone
network 50 and the GPS satellite group 60 via the
wireless communication.
[0019]
- 7 -
Operations of the components of the EV
management system shown in Fig. 1 will be explained.
The center management system 20 manages the entire
smart community 10, in particular, manages an amount
of electric power available in the smart community 10
for each time zone. More specifically, the center
management system 20 manages time distribution of the
amount of electric power available for charging the
rechargeable batteries 91 of an EV 90 group in the
smart community 10. The EV management center 30
manages a charging schedule of all the electric
vehicles 90 which are registered in the smart
community 10 so as to be consistent with the time
distribution of the amount of electric power available
for charging the EVs managed by the center management
system 20. The dedicated charging facility 70 is
under management of the EV management center 30 via
the network 40, and in principle, the dedicated
charging facility 70 supplies electric power for
charging to the rechargeable battery 91 of the EV 90
within a range allowed by the charging schedule. The
home charging equipment 80 is not managed by the EV
management center 30, and in principle, the home
charging equipment 80 can supply the electric power
for charging to the rechargeable battery 91 of the EV
90 through the charging circuit 92 regardless of the
charging schedule. The charging circuit 92 converts a
voltage, current, waveform etc. of the electric power
supplied from the dedicated charging facility 70 or
the home charging equipment 80, and charges the
rechargeable battery 91 after the conversion. The
rechargeable battery 91 is charged by the electric
power supplied from the charging circuit 92, and also
supplies the charged electric power to the EV 90. The
on-board unit 100 detects the current location of the
EV 90 by receiving the wireless communication signal
- 8 -
from the GPS satellite group 60, and communicates with
the EV management center 30 via the mobile phone
network 50 and the network 40. In addition, the onboard
unit 100 has a function of displaying to a user
of the EV 90 whether or not charge is allowed and
notifying the user of it when it has been confirmed
whether or not the charge is allowed.
[0020]
Fig. 2 represents the graphs for indicating the
concept of the charging amount control for the EV.
Referring to Fig. 2, the charging schedule managed by
the EV management center 30 will be explained.
[0021]
The graphs in Fig. 2 include a first graph (A),
a second graph (B), and a third graph (C). In each of
the first graph (A) to the third graph (C), the
horizontal axis represents time passage of the day,
and the vertical axis represents an amount of electric
power used for charging the EV 90.
[0022]
The first graph (A) represents a total amount
of electric power allowed to use for charging the EV
90 in the smart community 10 at each time zone. The
total amount is determined by the center management
system 20 and is indicated to the EV management center
30. The second graph (B) represents an expected total
amount of electric power to be used for charging the
EV 90 group in the smart community 10 at each time
zone. The expected total amount is calculated by the
EV management center 30 based on past records, future
predictions and so on. The third graph (C) represents
the charging schedule created by controlling the
expectation indicated by the second graph (B) so as to
keep the total amount within an allowable range
indicated by the first graph (A). That is, the third
graph (C) represents a total amount of electric power
- 9 -
practically allowed for charging the EV 90 group in
the smart community 10 at each time zone.
[0023]
In the example shown in the graph of Fig. 2, as
seen from the first graph (A), regarding the amount of
suppliable electric power, there is a margin in the
early morning and the night. On the other hand, there
is small margin during the day. Also, as seen from
the second graph (B), the expected charge amount is
concentrated in the early morning, around noon, and in
the night. Suppliable amount of electric power is
expected to be enough for the early morning and the
night, but it is expected to be insufficient around
noon. Therefore, as seen from the third graph (C),
the electric power for charging that would be required
around noon is distributed to time zones of morning
and afternoon at which there is a margin in the
electric power supply. According to the charging
schedule created in this way, a driver of the EV 90
performs the charge of the rechargeable battery 91 in
a planned manner. Thereby, it is possible that the
electric power consumption in the smart community 10
is optimized, or it is possible that the electric
power consumption in the smart community 10 is in a
state similar to the optimum state.
[0024]
More specifically, drivers of all the EVs 90
which are managed by the EV management center 30
register requests for future charging in that day or
in the following day using, for example, an
information terminal connected to the Internet. The
EV management center 30 creates the charging schedule
by appropriately adjusting the requests for future
charging registered by each driver such that the
adjusted requests are below a charge instruction
- 10 -
amount required from the center management system 20
at all the time zones.
[0025]
Thereafter, the created charging schedule is
notified each driver via the information terminal and
so on. When the driver starts the charge of the EV 90,
if its charging operation has not been registered in
the charging schedule, a message requesting to stop
charging is transmitted to the on-board unit 100 of
the EV 90. This message may be transmitted to the
information terminal.
[0026]
Fig. 3 is the block diagram for indicating the
configuration example of the EV management center 30.
Components of the EV management center 30 shown in
Fig. 3 will be explained. The EV management center 30
includes an internet I/F (InterFace) 31, a control
unit 32, a charge amount instruction storage unit 33,
a charging schedule creation section 34, a charge
amount adding section 35, and a charging tendency
estimation section 36.
[0027]
Connection relationships of the components of
the EV management center 30 shown in Fig. 3 will be
explained. The internet I/F 31 is connected to the
network 40 and the control unit 32. The control unit
32 is connected to the internet I/F 31, the charge
amount instruction storage unit 33, the charging
schedule creation section 34, the charge amount adding
section 35 and the charging tendency estimation
section 36. The charge amount instruction storage
unit 33 is connected to the control unit 32, the
charging schedule creation section 34, the charge
amount adding section 35 and the charging tendency
estimation section 36. The charging schedule creation
section 34 is connected to the control unit 32, the
- 11 -
charge amount instruction storage unit 33, the charge
amount adding section 35 and the charging tendency
estimation section 36. The charge amount adding
section 35 is connected to the control unit 32, the
charge amount instruction storage unit 33, the
charging schedule creation section 34 and the charging
tendency estimation section 36. The charging tendency
estimation section 36 is connected to the control unit
32, the charge amount instruction storage unit 33, the
charging schedule creation section 34 and the charge
amount adding section 35.
[0028]
Operation of the components of the EV
management center 30 shown in Fig. 3 will be explained.
The internet I/F 31 relays a signal transmitted from
the control unit 32 and a signal received by the
control unit 32 via the network 40. The charge amount
instruction storage unit 33 stores the data about the
charge amount that has been instructed from the center
management system 20. The charge amount adding
section 35 calculates a requested charge amount by
adding the charge request registered by each driver
for each time zone. The charging tendency estimation
section 36 estimates a predicted charge amount under
the consideration of past data about actual charge
amount and future relating data which can give an
influence on fluctuations in a charging action such as
weather forecasts as well as the requested charge
amount which has been calculated. The charging
schedule creation section 34 creates the charging
schedule based on the charge instruction amount stored
in the charge amount instruction storage unit 33 and
the predicted charge amount estimated by the charging
tendency estimation section 36. Note that it is
preferable that operations performed by the charge
amount instruction storage unit 33, the charge amount
- 12 -
adding section 35, the charging tendency estimation
section 36 and the charging schedule creation section
34 are carried out under the control of the control
unit 32. The control unit 32 also performs
communication with the on-board unit 100, the
dedicated charging facility 70, other information
terminals not shown etc.
[0029]
Fig. 4A is the block diagram for indicating the
configuration example of the on-board unit 100
according to the first embodiment. Components of the
on-board unit 100 shown in Fig. 4A will be explained.
[0030]
The on-board unit 100 shown in Fig. 4A includes a
power supply unit 110, a bus 120, input and output
unit 130, an arithmetic unit 140, a storage unit 150,
and a GPS unit 160 serving as a current location
detection unit. The input and output unit 130
includes a wireless communication circuit 131, a
display unit 132, an ACC (ACCessory) signal input unit,
IGCT (Ignition) signal input unit, and a charge start
signal input unit. Note that the input and output
unit 130 may not necessarily include all of the ACC
signal input unit, the IGCT signal input unit and the
charge start signal input unit.
[0031]
Connection relationships of the components of
the on-board unit 100 shown in Fig. 4A will be
explained. The power unit 110 is connected to the
input and output unit 130, the arithmetic unit 140,
the storage unit 150 and the GPS unit 160. The bus
120 is connected to the input and output unit 130, the
arithmetic unit 140, the storage unit 150 and the GPS
unit 160.
[0032]
- 13 -
Operations of the components of the on-board
unit 100 shown in Fig. 4A will be explained. The
electric power is inputted in the power unit 110 from
a battery not shown of the EV 90 or the rechargeable
battery 91. The power unit 110 generates a stable
electric power if necessary and outputs it to each
circuit. Operation signals outputted from the EV 90,
more specifically, an ACC signal, an IGCT signal, a
charging start signal and so on are inputted in the
input and output unit 130, and the input and output
unit 130 transmits these signals to each circuit via
the bus 120. The GPS unit 160 receives wireless
communication signals from the GPS satellite group 60,
detects the current location of the EV 90 and on-board
unit 100 and transmits it to each circuit via the bus
120. The wireless communication circuit 131
communicates with the EV management center 30 and so
on via the mobile phone network 50 and the network 40.
The display unit 132 displays the message and so on
relating to mainly propriety of the charging operation
to the driver of the EV 90. This message is generally
visual information, but it may contain auditory
information such as voice. In this case, the display
unit 132 may include an audio output device. The
arithmetic unit 140 controls each circuit mentioned
above, and also performs other necessary calculations.
The storage unit 150 stores an identification number
of the on-board unit 100. The storage unit 150 may
further readably store a program to be executed by the
arithmetic unit 140.
[0033]
In addition, it is preferable that this message
is notified the driver using the information terminal
such as mobile phone and smart phone registered in
advance. In this case, the communication with the
information terminal may be performed via the wireless
- 14 -
communication signal from the on-board unit 100, may
be performed via the mobile phone network 50, or may
be performed from the EV management center via the
network 40 and the mobile phone network 50.
[0034]
Fig. 4B is the sequential diagram for
indicating the operational example of the EV
management system according to the first embodiment.
The sequential diagram shown in Fig. 4B indicates
operations executed by the charging circuit 92, the
on-board unit 100 and the EV management center 30,
respectively, and signals sent to or received from
each other at that time. These operations will be
explained as the first step S101 to the fourth step
S104.
[0035]
At first, in the first step S101, charging of
the rechargeable battery 91 by the charging circuit 92
is initiated. Here, explanation will be made for the
case in which this charge is performed by the home
charging facility 80, but this charge may be performed
by the dedicated charging facility 70. At this time,
the on-board unit 100 detects the charging start
signal indicating that the charging has started.
[0036]
The charging start signal may be substituted by,
for example, an operation result of combining a state
of the ACC signal and a state of the IGCT signal.
That is, when the IGCT signal becomes on-state while
the ACC signal is off-state, it is possible to
determine that the charging has started.
[0037]
As another example, the charging start signal
may be obtained via a CAN (Controller Area Network)
bus of the EV 90. In this case, it is necessary that
the input and output unit 130 of the on-board unit 100
- 15 -
is connected to the CAN bus. In addition, it is
preferable that the input and output unit 130 is
connected to the CAN bus via a safety device such as a
so-called CAN gateway so as not to output undesirable
signals to the CAN bus.
[0038]
As yet another example, the charging start
signal may be obtained via an OBD2 (On Board Diagnosis
2) bus of the EV 90.
[0039]
Following the first step S101, the second step
S102 is executed.
In the second step S102, when the on-board unit
100 detects the start of charging, the on-board unit
100 notifies the EV management center 30 of it. At
this time, more specifically, the identification
number of the on-board unit 100, the detected current
location and the charging start signal are transmitted
towards the EV management center 30 from the on-board
unit 100. Furthermore, at this time, a remaining
amount of the battery 91 may also be transmitted
towards the EV management center 30. Following the
second step S102, the third step S103 is executed.
[0040]
In the third step S103, the EV management
center 30 checks whether or not the charging operation
correlated with a combination of the transmitted
identification number, the transmitted current
location and a current time is registered in the
charging schedule. More specifically, firstly, the EV
management center 30 checks that the EV 90 is a
managed object by the EV management center 30 based on
the transmitted identification number, and secondly,
the EV management center 30 checks that the EV 90 is
located in a range of the smart community 10 based on
the transmitted current location. After that, the EV
- 16 -
management center 30 checks whether or not the
charging of the EV 90 at the current time is
registered in the charging schedule.
[0041]
As a result of the check, especially when the
corresponding charging operation is not registered in
the charging schedule, the check result is notified
towards the on-board unit 100 from the EV management
center 30. Following the third step S103, the fourth
step S104 is performed.
[0042]
In the fourth step S104, the on-board unit 100
displays the check result notified from the EV
management center 30 on the display unit 132. In
particular, if an initiated charging is not registered
in the charging schedule, the display unit 132
displays the message such as “stop charging”.
[0043]
The EV management center 30 according to the
first embodiment is operated in this way, and thereby
it notifies the driver of the EV 90 of the charging
operation which has not been registered in the
charging schedule. It is expected that the driver who
has received such a notification immediately stops
charging. As a result, it is possible to suppress the
charge amount in the smart community 10.
[0044]
(Second Embodiment)
Fig. 5A is the block diagram for indicating the
configuration example of the on-board unit 100
according to the second embodiment. The on-board unit
100 shown in Fig. 5A is the same as the on-board unit
100 according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 4A
with the following modifications. That is, in the
storage unit 150, a charging schedule storage section
151 is provided.
- 17 -
[0045]
Because other configurations of the on-board
unit 100 according to the second embodiment shown in
Fig. 5A is the same as those in the first embodiment
shown in Fig. 4A, a more detailed description is
omitted.
[0046]
The charging schedule storage section 151
included in the on-board unit 100 according to the
second embodiment shown in Fig. 5A stores the charging
schedule which is transmitted from the EV management
center 30 as described later. Because other
operations of the components of the on-board unit 100
according to the second embodiment shown in Fig. 5A is
the same as those in the first embodiment shown in Fig.
4A, a more detailed description is omitted.
[0047]
Fig. 5B is the sequential diagram for indicating
the operational example of the EV management system
according to the second embodiment. The sequential
diagram shown in Fig. 5B indicates operations executed
by the EV 90, the charging circuit 92, the on-board
unit 100 and the EV management center 30,
respectively, and signals sent to or received from
each other at that time. These operations will be
explained as the first step S201 to the eighth step
S208.
[0048]
At First, in the first step S201, key operation
is performed for the EV 90. That is, as the driver
operates a key of the EV 90, the EV 90 makes the ACC
signal or the IGCT signal on-state. The ACC signal or
the IGCT signal is detected by on-board unit 100.
Following the first step S201, the second step S202 is
executed.
[0049]
- 18 -
In the second step S202, when the ACC signal or
the IGCT signal becomes on-state, the power supply of
the on-board unit 100 which has detected the signal is
turned on, and in particular, the arithmetic unit 140
starts to operate. Following the second step S202,
the third step S203 is executed.
[0050]
In the third step S203, the arithmetic unit 140
which have started to operate detects the current
location using the GPS unit 160, and transmits the
detected current location to the EV management center
30 via the wireless communication circuit 131. At
this time, it is preferable that the identification
number of the on-board unit 100 stored in the storage
unit 150 is also transmitted to the EV management
center 30. Following the third step S203, the fourth
step S204 is performed.
[0051]
In the fourth step S204, when the EV management
center 30 receives the current location and the
identification number transmitted from the on-board
unit 100, the EV management center 30 checks the
latest charging schedule in response to these received
signals, and notifies the on-board unit 100 of
contents of the latest charging schedule. Following
the fourth step S204, the fifth step S205 is executed.
[0052]
In the fifth step S205, the on-board unit 100
stores the latest charging schedule received from the
EV management center 30 in the charging schedule
storage section 151.
[0053]
Note that every time the first step S201 is
executed, that is, every time the ACC signal or the
IGCT signal becomes on-state, the second step S202 to
- 19 -
the fifth step S205 are executed, and the latest
charging schedule is stored in the on-board unit 100.
[0054]
Thereafter, charging of the rechargeable
battery 91 by the charging circuit 92 is initiated at
an arbitrary timing, namely the sixth step S206 is
executed. Here, explanation will be made for the case
in which this charge is performed by the home charging
equipment 80, but this charge may be performed by the
dedicated charging facility 70.
[0055]
In the sixth step S206, as in the first step
S201 in the first embodiment, when the charging of the
rechargeable battery 91 by the charging circuit 92
starts, the on-board unit 100 detects the charging
start signal indicating that the charging has started.
Following the sixth step S206, the seventh step S207
is executed.
[0056]
In the seventh step S207, when the on-board
unit 100 detects the start of charging, the arithmetic
unit 140 checks whether or not the charging operation
correlated with a combination of the identification
number, the current location and the current time is
registered in the charging schedule read out from the
charging schedule storage section 151. Following the
seventh step S207, the eighth step S208 is executed.
[0057]
In the eighth step S208, the on-board unit 100
displays on the display unit 132 a result of the check
which has been performed in the seventh step S207,
that is, whether or not the charge is allowed. In
particular, if the initiated charging is not
registered in the charging schedule, the display unit
132 displays the message such as “stop charging”.
[0058]
- 20 -
The EV management center 30 according to the
second embodiment is operated in this way, and thereby
the driver of the EV 90 is notified of the charging
operation which has not been registered in the
charging schedule. It is expected that the driver who
has received such a notification immediately stops
charging. As a result, it is possible to suppress the
charge amount in the smart community 10.
[0059]
Particularly, in the case of the second
embodiment, during a time between detection of the
charging start signal by the on-board unit 100 and
displaying the message on the display unit 132, it is
not necessary to perform a query to the EV management
center 30. Therefore, it is possible to reduce time
of an improper charging operation as much as possible.
[0060]
(Third Embodiment)
Configurations of the on-board unit 100 used in
the third embodiment is the same as those in the first
embodiment shown in Fig. 4A. Therefore, a more
detailed description is omitted.
[0061]
Fig. 6 is the sequential diagram for indicating
the operational example of the EV management system
according to the third embodiment. The sequential
diagram shown in Fig. 6 indicates operations executed
by the EV 90, the on-board unit 100 and the EV
management center 30, respectively, and signals sent
to or received from each other at that time. These
operations will be explained as the first step S301 to
the tenth step S310.
[0062]
At first, in the first step S301, the key
operation is performed for the EV 90. That is, as the
driver operates the key of the EV 90, the EV 90 makes
- 21 -
the ACC signal or the IGCT signal on-state. The ACC
signal or the IGCT signal is detected by on-board unit
100. Following the first step S301, the second step
S302 is executed.
[0063]
In the second step S302, when the ACC signal or
the IGCT signal becomes on-state, the power supply of
the on-board unit 100 which has detected the signal is
turned on, and in particular, the arithmetic unit 140
starts to operate. Following the second step S302,
the third step S303 is executed.
[0064]
In the third step S303, the arithmetic unit 140
detects the current location using the GPS unit 160,
and transmits the detected current location to the EV
management center 30 via the wireless communication
circuit 131. At this time, it is preferable that the
identification number of the on-board unit 100 stored
in the storage unit 150 is also transmitted to the EV
management center 30.
[0065]
After the first step S301, in parallel with the
second step S302 and the third step S303, the EV 90
travels, namely the fourth step S304 is executed.
Here, explanation will be made for the case in which
the EV travels within a range of the smart community
10, but the EV may travel without its range.
[0066]
Note that, during the execution of the fourth
step S304, namely, during the traveling of the EV 90,
the on-board unit 100 repeats the detection of the
current location using the GPS unit 160, and the onboard
unit 100 repeats the transmission of the
detected result to the EV management center 30.
[0067]
- 22 -
Then, during the execution of the fourth step
S304, that is, during the traveling of the EV 90, if
the driver feels necessity of charging as the
remaining amount of charging decreases, the EV 90
approaches the dedicated charging facility 70, namely
the fifth step S305 is executed.
[0068]
In the fifth step S305, even while the EV90
approaches the dedicated charging facility 70, the onboard
unit 100 is repeating the detection of the
current location using the GPS unit 160, and the onboard
unit 100 is repeating the transmission of the
detected result to the EV management center 30, namely
the sixth step S306 is executed. Following the sixth
step S306, the seventh step S307 is executed.
[0069]
In the seventh step S307, as the EV management
center 30 has stored in advance locations of the
dedicated charging facilities 70, the EV management
center 30 detects that the current location received
from the on-board unit 100 is sufficiently close to
any of the dedicated charging facilities 70.
Judgement criteria of this detection may be based on a
distance from the current location of the EV 90 to the
dedicated charging facility 70, or speed of the EV 90
estimated based on the current locations received
consecutively may be taken into consideration. In any
case, the EV management center 30 judges that the EV
90 that is sufficiently close to the dedicated
charging facility 70 is trying to charge the
rechargeable battery 91. Following the seventh step
S307, the eighth step S308 is executed.
[0070]
In the eighth step S308, as in the third step
S103 in the first embodiment, the EV management center
30 checks whether or not the charging operation
- 23 -
correlated with the combination of the transmitted
identification number, the transmitted current
location and the current time is registered in the
charging schedule. Following the eighth step S308,
the ninth step S309 is executed.
[0071]
In the ninth step S309, the EV management
center 30 notifies the on-board unit 100 of the result
of the check which has been performed in the eighth
step S308. Following the ninth step S309, the tenth
step S310 is executed.
[0072]
In the tenth step S310, the on-board unit 100
displays the check result notified from the EV
management center 30 on the display unit 132. In
particular, when the EV90 is not registered in the
charging schedule of the dedicated charging facility
70 which the EV 90 is currently approaching, the
display unit 132 displays the message such as “stop
charging”.
[0073]
The EV management center 30 according to the
third embodiment is operated in this way, and thereby
it is possible to display the message relating to
whether or not the charging operation is allowed on
the display unit 132 of the on-board unit 100 before
charging the rechargeable battery 91 of the EV 90. As
a result, it is possible to prevent the improper
charging before the start of charging.
[0074]
(Fourth Embodiment)
Configurations of the on-board unit 100 used in
the fourth embodiment is the same as those in the
first embodiment shown in Fig. 4A. Therefore, a more
detailed description is omitted.
[0075]
- 24 -
Fig. 7 is the sequential diagram for indicating
the operational example of the EV management system
according to the fourth embodiment. The sequential
diagram shown in Fig. 7 indicates operations executed
by the EV 90, the dedicated charging facility 70, the
charging circuit 92, the on-board unit 100 and the EV
management center 30, respectively, and signals sent
to or received from each other at that time. These
operations will be explained as the first step S401 to
the eighth step S408.
[0076]
At first, in the first step S401, the EV90
arrives at the dedicated charging facility 70. Then,
in the second step S402, the charging of the
rechargeable battery 91 from the dedicated charging
facility 70 via the charging circuit 92 is initiated.
At this time, as in the first step S101 in the first
embodiment, the on-board unit 100 detects the charging
start signal which indicates that the charging has
started. Following the second step S402, the third
step S403 is executed.
[0077]
In the third step S403, when the on-board unit
100 detects the start of charging, the on-board unit
100 notifies the EV management center 30 of it as in
the second step S102 in the first embodiment.
Following the third step S403, the fourth step S404 is
executed.
[0078]
In the fourth step S404, the EV management
center 30 judges that the EV 90 exists in the
dedicated charging facility 70 by comparing the
current location transmitted from the on-board unit
100 with the location of the dedicated charging
equipment 70 stored in advance. Following the fourth
step S404, the fifth step S405 is executed.
- 25 -
[0079]
In the fifth step S405, as in the third step
S103 in the first embodiment, the EV management center
30 checks whether or not the charging operation
correlated with the combination of the transmitted
identification number, the transmitted current
location and the current time is registered in the
charging schedule, and notifies the on-board unit 100
of the result. Following the fifth step S405, the
sixth step S406 and the seventh step S407 are executed.
[0080]
In the sixth step S406, as in the fourth step
S104 in the first embodiment, the on-board unit 100
displays the check result notified from the EV
management center 30 on the display unit 132.
[0081]
In the seventh step S407, the EV management
center 30 can forcibly stop the charging in the
dedicated charging facility 70, if necessary, that is,
if the driver does not voluntarily stop charging etc.
as well as the charging is not registered in the
charging schedule. In this case, the EV management
center 30 may transmit a forced stop signal to the
dedicated charging facility 70 via, for example, the
network 40. Following the seventh step S407, the
eighth step S408 is executed.
[0082]
In the eighth step S408, the dedicated charging
facility 70 which has received the forced stop signal
stop supplying the electric power. Thereby, the
charging of the rechargeable battery 91 by the
charging circuit 92 has come to end.
[0083]
The EV management system according to the
fourth embodiment is operated in this way, and thereby
it notifies the driver of the EV 90 of the charging
- 26 -
operation which has not been registered in the
charging schedule. It is expected that the driver who
has received such a notification immediately stops
charging. In the case in which the charging is not
stopped, it is possible that the EV management center
30 forcibly stops charging by remotely operating the
dedicated charging facility 70. As a result, it is
possible to suppress the charge amount in the smart
community 10 more securely.
[0084]
Although the invention made by the inventors
has been concretely described based on the embodiments,
the present invention is not limited to the abovementioned
embodiments and can be variously modified
without departing from the spirit or scope of the
general inventive concept thereof. In addition, it is
possible to freely combine the features explained in
embodiments as long as the technical contradiction
does not occur.
[0085]
This application claims a priority based on
Japan Patent Application No. JP 2013-036242. The
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety.
- 27 -
CLAIMS
1. An on-board unit mounted on an electric vehicle
which travels using an externally rechargeable battery
comprising:
a current location detecting unit configured to
detect a current location of the electric vehicle;
a wireless communication unit configured to
communicate with a server managing an already allowed
charging schedule via a wireless communication network,
the server provided on an external network; and
a display unit configured to display whether or
not a charging operation is allowed at the current
location at a current time based on the charging
schedule.
2. The on-board unit according to claim 1, further
comprising:
a storage unit configured to store an
identification number of the on-board unit in advance;
an input unit configured to detect a start of
charging of the rechargeable battery; and
an arithmetic unit configured to transmit the
current location and the identification number to the
server via the wireless communication unit when the
start of charging is detected, receive a result of
checking the charging schedule by the server via the
wireless communication unit, and transmit the result
to the display unit.
3. The on-board unit according to claim 1, further
comprising:
a power unit configured to turn on a power
supply in response to an operation signal transmitted
from the electric vehicle;
an arithmetic unit configured to transmit the
- 28 -
detected current location to the server via the
wireless communication unit every time the power
supply is turned on, and receive the charging schedule
transmitted from the server via the wireless
communication unit;
a storage unit configured to store an
identification number of the on-board unit in advance
and the received charging schedule; and
an input unit configured to detect a start of
charging of the rechargeable battery,
wherein the arithmetic unit is configured to
judge whether or not charge correlated with a
combination of the current location, the
identification number and the current time is allowed
based on the stored charging schedule in response to
detection of the start of charging, and transmit a
result of the judgement to the display unit.
4. The on-board unit according to claim 1, further
comprising:
a storage unit configured to store an
identification number of the on-board unit in advance;
a power unit configured to turn on a power
supply in response to an operation signal transmitted
from the electric vehicle;
an arithmetic unit configured to repeatedly
order the current location detecting unit to detect
the current location, repeatedly transmit the
identification number and the current location to the
server via the wireless communication unit, receive a
check result of a charging schedule transmitted from
the server via the wireless communication unit when
the electric vehicle approaches a dedicated charging
facility, and transmit the result to the display unit.
5. The on-board unit according to claim 3 or 4,
- 29 -
wherein the operation signal is an ACC (ACCessory)
signal or an IGCT (Ignition) signal.
6. An electric vehicle management system
comprising:
an electric vehicle management center provided
on a network and configured to manage an already
allowed charging schedule; and
an on-board unit mounted on an electric vehicle
which travels using an externally rechargeable battery
and configured to communicate with the electric
vehicle management center via the wireless
communication network,
wherein the on-board unit comprises:
a current location detecting unit configured to
detect a current location of a car; and
a display unit configured to display whether or
not a charging operation is allowed at the current
location at a current time based on the charging
schedule.
7. The electric vehicle management system
according to claim 6, wherein the on-board unit
further comprises:
a storage unit configured to store an
identification number of the on-board unit in advance;
an input unit configured to detect a start of
charging of the rechargeable battery; and
an arithmetic unit configured to transmit the
current location and the identification number to the
electric vehicle management center via the wireless
communication unit when the start of charging is
detected,
wherein the electric vehicle management system
comprises a control unit configured to check whether
or not charge allowance correlated with a combination
- 30 -
of the transmitted current location, the transmitted
identification number and a current time is registered
in the charging schedule, and transmit the check
result to the on-board unit,
wherein the arithmetic unit is configured to
receive the check result from the electric vehicle
management system via the wireless communication unit,
and transmit the result to the display unit.
8. The electric vehicle management system
according to claim 6, wherein the on-board unit
further comprises:
a power unit configured to turn on a power
supply in response to an operation signal transmitted
from the electric vehicle; and
an arithmetic unit configured to transmit the
detected current location to the electric vehicle
management center via the wireless communication unit
every time the power supply is turned on,
wherein the electric vehicle management center
comprises a control unit configured to transmit the
charging schedule correlated with the transmitted
current location to the on-board unit,
wherein the on-board unit further comprises:
a storage unit configured to store the
transmitted charging schedule; and
an input unit configured to detect a start of
charging of the rechargeable battery,
wherein the arithmetic unit is configured to
judge whether or not charge correlated with a
combination of the current location, the
identification number and the current time is allowed
based on the stored charging schedule in response to
detection of the start of charging, and transmit a
result of the judgement to the display unit.
- 31 -
9. The electric vehicle management system
according to claim 6, further comprising:
a dedicated charging facility connected to the
network and which is capable of charging the
rechargeable battery,
wherein the on-board unit further comprises:
a storage unit configured to store an
identification number of the on-board unit in advance;
a power unit configured to turn on a power
supply in response to an operation signal transmitted
from the electric vehicle; and
an arithmetic unit configured to repeatedly
order the current location detecting unit to detect
the current location, and repeatedly transmit the
identification number and the current location to the
server via the wireless communication unit;
wherein the electric vehicle management center
comprises a control unit configured to detect approach
of the electric vehicle to the dedicated charging
facility based on the transmitted current location,
check whether or not charge correlated with a
combination of the transmitted current location, the
transmitted identification number and a current time
is allowed based on the charging schedule, and
transmit the check result to the on-board unit,
wherein the arithmetic unit is configured to
transmit the result to the display unit.
10. The electric vehicle management system
according to claim 7, further comprising:
a dedicated charging facility connected to the
network and which is capable of charging the
rechargeable battery,
wherein the control unit is configured to
detect that the electric vehicle exists in the
dedicated charging facility based on the transmitted
- 32 -
current location, and forcibly stop charging in the
dedicated charging facility when charge correlated
with the combination is not allowed.
11. The electric vehicle management system
according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the operation
signal is an ACC (ACCessory) signal or an IGCT
(Ignition) signal.
12. An electric vehicle management method
comprising:
managing an already allowed charging schedule
by an electric vehicle management center provided on a
network;
detecting a current location by an on-board
unit mounted on an electric vehicle which travels
using an externally rechargeable battery;
communicating between the electric vehicle
management center and the on-board unit via a wireless
communication network; and
displaying on the on-board unit whether or not
a charging operation at the current location at a
current time is allowed based on the charging schedule.
13. The electric vehicle management method
according to claim 12, further comprising:
detecting a start of charging of the
rechargeable battery by the on-board unit;
transmitting the current location and an
identification number of the on-board unit from the
wireless communication unit to the electric vehicle
management center when the start of charging is
detected;
checking whether or not charge allowance
correlated with a combination of the transmitted
current location, the transmitted identification
- 33 -
number and a current time is registered in the
charging schedule;
transmitting the check result to the on-board
unit;
receiving the check result by the on-board
unit; and
transmitting the check result to the display
unit.
14. The electric vehicle management method
according to claim 12, further comprising:
turning on a power supply of the on-board unit
in response to an operation signal transmitted from
the electric vehicle;
transmitting the detected current location from
the wireless communication unit to the electric
vehicle management center every time the power supply
is turned on;
transmitting the charging schedule correlated
with the transmitted current location from the
electric vehicle management center to the on-board
unit;
storing the transmitted charging schedule in a
storage unit;
detecting a start of charging of the
rechargeable battery;
judging whether or not charge correlated with a
combination of the current location, the
identification number and the current time is allowed
based on the stored charging schedule in response to
the detection of the start of charging; and
transmitting a result of the judgement to the
display unit.
15. The electric vehicle management method
according to claim 12, further comprising:
- 34 -
repeating turning on a power supply of the onboard
unit in response to an operation signal
transmitted from the electric vehicle and detecting
the current location;
repeatedly transmitting an identification
number of the on-board unit and the current location
from the wireless communication unit to the server;
detecting approach of the electric vehicle to a
dedicated charging facility based on the transmitted
current location by the electric vehicle management
center;
checking whether or not reception of electric
energy correlated with a combination of the
transmitted current location, the identification
number and a current time is allowed based on the
charging schedule;
transmitting the check result to the on-board
unit; and
transmitting the result to the display unit.
16. The electric vehicle management method
according to claim 13, further comprising:
starting charging the rechargeable battery in a
dedicated charging facility connected to the network
and which is capable of charging the rechargeable
battery; and
detecting that the electric vehicle exists in
the dedicated charging facility based on the
transmitted current location by the control unit, and
forcibly stopping the charging in the dedicated
charging facility when charge correlated with the
combination is not allowed.
17. The electric vehicle management method
according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the operation
signal is an ACC (ACCessory) signal or an IGCT
- 35 -
(Ignition) signal.