JP7522709B2 - Charge control device, charge control method, and charge control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a charging control device, a charging control method, and a charging control system for charging a mobile object.

Conventionally, mobile objects that are powered by batteries are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2020-166901 A

It is known that keeping the remaining battery charge within a specified range while the battery is not in use can extend the battery's lifespan. However, in conventional mobile devices, the battery charge level was not managed, and this caused a problem in that the battery may be in a charged state that is not suitable for extending its lifespan even when the mobile device has not been used for a long period of time.

Therefore, the present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to extend the life of batteries used in mobile devices.

The charging control device according to the first aspect of the present invention has a schedule data acquisition unit that acquires scheduled use data indicating a scheduled time of use of a mobile object, and a charging control unit that controls the charging device to keep the remaining charge of the battery used by the mobile object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled time of use indicated by the scheduled use data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that the remaining charge of the battery is greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled time of use is less than the reference period.

The charging control unit may control the charging device to keep the remaining battery charge within a predetermined range until charging is started to bring the remaining battery charge to a level required for use by the mobile body by the planned time of use.

The charging control unit may control the charging device to charge the battery so that the remaining charge of the battery falls within a predetermined range when the remaining charge of the battery is less than a predetermined range.

When the remaining charge of the battery at the time when the schedule data acquisition unit acquires the planned use data is smaller than the lower limit of the specified range, and the time from the time when the schedule data acquisition unit acquires the planned use data to the planned use time is equal to or longer than the reference period that is longer than the charging time required for the remaining charge of the battery to reach a required remaining charge, the charging control unit may cause the charging device to charge the battery until the remaining charge of the battery falls within the specified range, and may cause the charging device to suspend charging of the battery when the remaining charge of the battery falls within the specified range, and may then cause the charging device to resume charging of the battery until the remaining charge of the battery is equal to or greater than the required remaining charge.

The schedule data acquisition unit may further acquire usage content data indicating usage content of the mobile object, and the charging control unit may control the charging device to charge the battery until the battery reaches or exceeds a required remaining battery level, which is a required battery level for the usage content indicated by the usage content data.

The charging control device may further have a battery data acquisition unit that acquires battery data indicating the remaining charge of the battery, and the charging control unit may refer to data indicating the time required to charge the battery, and based on the remaining charge indicated by the battery data and the battery remaining charge required for the usage content, calculate the charging time required for the remaining charge of the battery to reach the required remaining charge, and control the charging device to start charging the battery at least the required charging time before the scheduled usage time.

The charging control device may further include a battery data acquisition unit that acquires battery data indicating the remaining charge of the battery corresponding to each of the multiple mobile bodies, and the charging control unit may refer to data indicating the time required to charge the battery, and calculate the charging time required for the remaining charge of the battery to reach the required remaining charge based on the remaining charge indicated by the battery data and the battery remaining charge required for the usage content, and control the charging device to start charging the battery of the mobile body whose remaining charge of the battery will reach the required remaining charge before the scheduled usage time.

The battery used by the mobile body is removable, and the charging control device further has a battery data acquisition unit that acquires battery data indicating the remaining capacity of one or more batteries selected from a plurality of batteries each having a different capacity based on the required remaining capacity, and the charging control unit calculates a charging time required for the remaining capacity of the battery to reach the required remaining capacity based on the remaining capacity indicated by the battery data and the required remaining capacity, and may control the charging device to start charging the battery at least the charging time before the planned time of use.

The charging control device may further have a battery data acquisition unit that acquires performance test data for the plurality of batteries, and the charging control unit may select the battery to be charged by the charging device based on the relationship between the usage content data and the performance test data.

The charging control unit may identify multiple usage plans for which the same mobile object can be used based on the usage plan data and the usage content data, and calculate the required remaining capacity for the identified multiple usage plans.

The mobile body can use a large-capacity battery with a first capacity alone or in a state where multiple small-capacity batteries with a second capacity smaller than the first capacity are connected, and the charging control unit may determine whether to cause the charging device to charge the large-capacity battery or the multiple small-capacity batteries based on the length of time until the scheduled use time indicated by the scheduled use data.

The battery used by the mobile body is removable, and the charging control unit further has a memory unit that stores the number of times each of the multiple batteries has been charged, and the charging control unit may cause the charging device to charge the battery that is usable by the mobile body and that is stored in the memory unit less frequently, in preference to the battery that is stored in the memory unit more frequently.

The charging control device may further have a weather data acquisition unit that acquires weather data indicating the weather, and the charging control unit may refer to the weather data to identify the weather at the planned use time indicated by the planned use data, and may determine whether or not to charge the battery in the charging device based on the identified weather.

The charging control system of the second aspect of the present invention includes a charging device having a charging port for charging a battery used by a mobile object, and a charging control device for controlling the charging device, the charging control device having a schedule data acquisition unit for acquiring scheduled use data indicating a scheduled time for use of the mobile object, and a charging control unit for controlling the charging device to charge the battery so that the remaining charge of the battery used by the mobile object is within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled time for use indicated by the scheduled use data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that the remaining charge of the battery is greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled time for use is less than the reference period.

The charging device has a plurality of waiting spaces in which the plurality of mobile bodies can wait, and a movement control unit that moves the charging port to a position of one of the plurality of waiting spaces, and the charging control unit may select a mobile body whose battery is to be charged by the charging device from among the plurality of mobile bodies waiting at the charging device based on the usage schedule data, and control the charging device to move the charging port to the waiting space in which the selected mobile body is waiting.

The charging control unit may select a mobile object, of the multiple mobile objects waiting at the charging device, whose battery is to be charged by the charging device based on the usage schedule data, and transmit instruction data to the selected mobile object to move it to the position of the charging port.

The charging control method of the third aspect of the present invention executes the steps of: a computer acquiring planned use data indicating a planned time for using a mobile object; and controlling a charging device to keep the remaining charge of the battery used by the mobile object within a predetermined range if the period until the planned use indicated by the planned use data is equal to or longer than a reference period; and to charge the battery so that the remaining charge of the battery is greater than the predetermined range if the period until the planned use is less than the reference period.

The present invention has the effect of extending the life of batteries used in mobile devices.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a charging control system S. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a charge control device 1. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of required remaining amount data. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of charging time data. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a charging control unit 134. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a typical operation flow of the charge control device 1.

[Outline of charging control system S]
1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a charging control system S. The charging control system S is a system for charging a mobile object 3 that operates on a battery. The charging control system S charges the mobile object 3 based on a usage schedule acquired from a user who uses the mobile object 3. The mobile object 3 is, for example, an aircraft that flies in the air such as a drone, a vehicle that runs on land such as an electric car, or a ship that moves on or underwater.

The charging control system S includes a charging control device 1 and a charging device 2. The charging control device 1 is a computer that controls the charging device 2 to charge a battery mounted on a mobile object 3 that a user plans to use, or a battery that the mobile object 3 plans to use. The charging control device 1 controls the timing at which the charging device 2 starts charging the battery by acquiring usage schedule data indicating the planned time of use of the mobile object 3 from a schedule management device 4 that manages the planned time of use of the mobile object 3. The usage schedule data is created, for example, when a user makes a reservation to use the mobile object 3. The charging control device 1 may incorporate the functions of the schedule management device 4.

The charging device 2 has a waiting space 21, a charging port 22, and a movement control unit 23. The waiting space 21 is a space where the moving body 3 can wait. In FIG. 1, the waiting space 21 is formed in the shape of a single flat plate. The charging device 2 may have multiple waiting spaces 21 where one moving body 3 can wait.

The charging port 22 has an electric circuit and mechanism for charging the battery used by the mobile object 3, and is provided in the waiting space 21. The charging port 22 charges the battery of the mobile object 3, for example, when the mobile object 3 is waiting within a predetermined range from the charging port 22. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the charging device 2 has multiple charging ports 22 (charging ports 22-1 to 22-6), but the number of charging ports 22 that the charging device 2 has is arbitrary. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 1, a state in which multiple mobile objects 3 (mobile objects 3-1 to 3-4) are connected to multiple charging ports 22 is shown, but the number of mobile objects 3 connected to the charging device 2 is also arbitrary.

The charging port 22 may be configured to be movable. In this case, the movement control unit 23 moves the position of the charging port 22. The movement control unit 23 moves the charging port 22, for example, to within a predetermined range from the position where the mobile object 3 that needs charging is waiting.

The charging control device 1 is characterized by controlling the timing of charging the battery so as to extend the battery's life. When the period until the scheduled use indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period sufficiently longer than the time required to charge the battery, the charging control device 1 controls the charging device 2 so as to keep the remaining charge of the battery used by the mobile object 3 within a specified range. The remaining charge of the battery is expressed in units of mAh (milliampere hours), which is the amount of current discharged per hour, for example, but may also be expressed by the amount of power that can be supplied. The specified range is a range in which battery deterioration is unlikely to progress. By operating in this manner, the charging control device 1 can extend the battery's life because the remaining battery charge is not maintained outside the specified range when it is a long time until the mobile object 3 is used.

On the other hand, if the period until the planned use is less than the reference period, the charge control device 1 controls the charge device 2 to charge the battery to the amount of charge necessary for the mobile object 3 to operate. By operating in this manner, the charge control device 1 can extend the battery's life while ensuring that the remaining battery power at the time the mobile object 3 is used is appropriate.

The reference period may be a fixed time regardless of the remaining battery charge before charging starts, or may be a time determined based on the remaining battery charge before charging starts. When the remaining battery charge is low, time is required to charge the battery until the remaining battery charge reaches a predetermined range, so the charge control device 1 may make the reference period longer the lower the remaining battery charge.

[Configuration of the charging control device 1]
2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the charge control device 1. The charge control device 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 has a schedule data acquisition unit 131, a battery data acquisition unit 132, a weather data acquisition unit 133, and a charge control unit 134.

The communication unit 11 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data between the charging device 2 or the schedule management device 4 via a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The communication unit 11 inputs the usage schedule data received from the schedule management device 4 to the schedule data acquisition unit 131. The communication unit 11 also inputs battery data indicating the remaining battery level or battery characteristics received via the charging device 2 to the battery data acquisition unit 132. The communication unit 11 also inputs weather data received from a server that provides weather information to the weather data acquisition unit 133.

Furthermore, the communication unit 11 transmits the control data input from the charging control unit 134 to the charging device 2. The control data includes, for example, a charging device ID for identifying the multiple charging ports 22 that the charging device 2 has, and date and time data indicating the date and time when charging is to be started at the charging port 22 corresponding to the charging device ID.

The storage unit 12 has storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 also stores the usage schedule data acquired by the schedule data acquisition unit 131 in association with a mobile unit ID for identifying the mobile unit 3.

The storage unit 12 also stores various data used by the control unit 13 to control the timing to start charging the battery used by the mobile object 3. For example, the storage unit 12 stores required remaining charge data that associates the model name of the mobile object 3, the usage content, and the required remaining charge. This data is used by the charging control unit 134 to identify the required remaining charge for the usage content of the mobile object 3 reserved by the user.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of required remaining amount data. In Figure 3, the remaining amount required when using mobile units 3 of model name A and model name B for 10 minutes of photography, 20 minutes of photography, 10 minutes of transportation, and 20 minutes of transportation is shown. The usage contents are merely examples, and the required remaining amount data may associate the required remaining amount with even more combinations of work time and work contents. The work contents may include information regarding the shape and weight of the transported item.

The memory unit 12 also stores charging time data that associates the model name of the mobile object 3 or the model name of the battery used by the mobile object 3 with the remaining battery charge at the start of charging, the remaining battery charge at the end of charging, and the required charging time. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of charging time data. The horizontal axis of Figure 4 indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the remaining battery charge. Figure 4 shows charging time data for each of batteries A, B, and C. By referring to this charging time data, the charging control unit 134 can identify the required charging time based on the difference between the time corresponding to the remaining battery charge at the start of charging and the time corresponding to the required remaining battery charge (i.e., the remaining battery charge at the end of charging).

The control unit 13 has, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 executes the programs stored in the memory unit 12 to function as a schedule data acquisition unit 131, a battery data acquisition unit 132, a weather data acquisition unit 133, and a charging control unit 134.

The schedule data acquisition unit 131 acquires usage schedule data indicating the planned time of use of the mobile unit 3 via the communication unit 11. In the usage schedule data, for example, a mobile unit ID is associated with the date and time when the mobile unit 3 corresponding to the mobile unit ID is planned to be used. The schedule data acquisition unit 131 acquires the usage schedule data from, for example, the schedule management device 4, but may also acquire usage schedule data stored in advance in the storage unit 12 from the storage unit 12.

The schedule data acquisition unit 131 may further acquire usage content data indicating usage content of the mobile object 3. The usage content data is, for example, data indicating the destination of the mobile object 3, or data indicating the content of the work such as measurement or photography performed by the mobile object 3. In the usage content data, the mobile object ID is associated with the usage content corresponding to the mobile object ID. The schedule data acquisition unit 131 acquires the usage content data from, for example, the schedule management device 4, but may also acquire usage content data stored in advance in the storage unit 12 from the storage unit 12. The schedule data acquisition unit 131 associates the acquired usage schedule data and usage content data with the mobile object ID and stores them in the storage unit 12.

The battery data acquisition unit 132 acquires battery data indicating the remaining charge of the battery corresponding to each of the multiple mobile objects 3. For example, the battery data acquisition unit 132 acquires battery data indicating the remaining charge of the battery used by the mobile object 3, in association with the mobile object ID of each of the multiple mobile objects 3 connected to the multiple charging ports 22 of the charging device 2. For example, the battery data acquisition unit 132 acquires battery data from the charging device 2 that has acquired information indicating the remaining charge of the battery from the mobile object 3. The battery data acquisition unit 132 may acquire battery data from the mobile object 3 via the communication unit 11 that communicates directly with the mobile object 3.

In addition, if the battery used by the mobile object 3 is removable, the battery data acquisition unit 132 acquires battery data from the computer used by the battery manager or the charging device 2, in association with a battery ID for identifying each of the multiple batteries that can be used by the mobile object 3. The battery data acquisition unit 132 stores the acquired battery data in the memory unit 12 in association with the battery ID or mobile object ID.

The battery data acquisition unit 132 may acquire battery data indicating the remaining capacity of one or more batteries selected from a plurality of batteries each having a different capacity based on the remaining battery capacity (required remaining capacity) required for the usage content indicated by the usage content data. The capacity is the maximum remaining capacity that can be charged into the battery. The battery data acquisition unit 132 acquires battery data of one or more batteries selected by the charging control unit 134 and having one or more capacities greater than the required remaining capacity, for example.

The battery data acquisition unit 132 may acquire performance test data of multiple batteries from a computer used by a battery manager. The performance test data is, for example, data indicating the current capacity that can be stored in the battery, output voltage characteristic data, or discharge characteristic data.

The weather data acquisition unit 133 acquires weather data indicating the weather. The weather data acquisition unit 133 acquires the weather data from an external server that provides the weather data, for example, via the communication unit 11. The weather data includes forecast data such as wind speed or rainfall, which is necessary for determining whether the mobile body 3 is capable of flying.

The charging control unit 134 controls the operation of the charging device 2 by transmitting control data to the charging device 2. The charging control unit 134 selects a mobile object 3 whose battery the charging device 2 will charge, selects a battery to be charged, and determines the timing to start or stop charging. The charging control unit 134 transmits to the charging device 2 control data including information for identifying the battery or mobile object 3 to be charged, or control data indicating the timing to start or stop charging. The operation of the charging control unit 134 will be described in detail below.

(Charging start timing)
The charging control unit 134 controls, for example, the timing at which the charging device 2 charges the mobile object 3. As an example, when the period until the planned use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to keep the remaining charge of the battery used by the mobile object 3 within a predetermined range in which battery deterioration is unlikely to progress. On the other hand, when the period until the planned use time is shorter than the reference period, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to charge the battery so that the remaining charge of the battery is greater than the predetermined range.

The charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to keep the remaining battery charge within a predetermined range until the time when charging is to start so that the remaining battery charge is sufficient for use by the mobile object 3 by the time of planned use. In addition, when the remaining battery charge is less than the predetermined range, the charging control unit 134 may control the charging device 2 to charge the battery so that the remaining battery charge is within the predetermined range.

Specifically, if the remaining battery charge at the time when the schedule data acquisition unit 131 acquires the usage schedule data is less than the lower limit of a predetermined range, and the time from the time when the schedule data acquisition unit 131 acquires the usage schedule data to the scheduled usage time is equal to or greater than a reference period longer than the time required for charging, the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to charge the battery until the remaining battery charge falls within the predetermined range. Then, the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to suspend charging the battery when the remaining battery charge reaches the predetermined range. Thereafter, when it is time to resume charging, the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to resume charging the battery until the remaining battery charge is equal to or greater than the required remaining charge required for the usage content indicated by the usage content data.

The time to resume charging is a time prior to the planned use time that is longer than the time required to charge a battery with a remaining charge within a specified range to the required remaining charge (i.e., required remaining charge) for the usage content indicated by the usage content data. That is, the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to resume charging the battery so that charging is completed at the planned use time. The charging control unit 134 may set the reference period to the time required for charging from the time the planned use data is acquired to the planned use time, plus a specified period. The specified period is the minimum time that the remaining charge of the battery may be maintained outside the specified range, and is, for example, one hour.

Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the charging control unit 134. The horizontal axis of Figure 5 indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the remaining battery charge. Figure 5 shows how the charging control unit 134 charges the battery by controlling the charging device 2, and how the remaining battery charge changes. "100%" on the vertical axis corresponds to a state in which the battery is charged to the maximum remaining charge that can be charged.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that a reservation for using mobile unit 3 from 15:00 was made at 10:00. The two-dot chain line "required remaining capacity" shown in FIG. 5 indicates the remaining capacity required for the reserved usage.

At the time of the reservation at 10:00, the battery charge of the mobile unit 3 is only 20% of the maximum charge, which is not yet the required remaining charge. Therefore, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to charge the battery until the charge falls within a predetermined range (50% of the maximum charge ±α in the example of FIG. 5). The size of the predetermined range corresponds to the accuracy with which the charging device 2 can control the battery charge, and is, for example, 50 ± 5%. The charging control unit 134, for example, obtains data indicating the remaining battery charge from the charging device 2, and compares the remaining battery charge indicated by the obtained data with a value within the predetermined range to determine the timing to interrupt battery charging.

At 11:00, when the charge level reaches the specified range, there are four hours until 15:00, when use of the mobile unit 3 begins. If it takes two hours to charge a battery that has been charged to the specified range until it reaches the required remaining amount, if charging continues from 11:00, the charge level will be outside the specified range during the two hours between when the battery is charged to the required remaining amount and when use of the mobile unit 3 begins, causing the battery to deteriorate.

Therefore, the charging control unit 134 refers to the charging time data indicating the time required to charge the battery, and calculates the charging time required for the battery to reach the required remaining amount (i.e., the required charging time) based on the remaining amount indicated by the battery data and the battery remaining amount required for the usage. As shown in Figure 4, the charging time data associates the remaining amount of the battery before charging, the remaining amount of the battery after charging, and the time required for charging.

The charging control unit 134 identifies, in the charging time data, a charging time corresponding to a combination of the remaining battery charge acquired from the charging device 2 and the remaining charge required for the usage content of the mobile object 3. The charging control unit 134 then controls the charging device 2 so that the remaining battery charge is maintained within a predetermined range until a predetermined time that is at least the calculated charging time before the planned usage time. Thereafter, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 so that charging of the battery begins at least the calculated charging time before the planned usage time.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to resume charging at 13:00, so that the remaining battery charge reaches the required remaining charge at 15:00. The charging control unit 134 may resume charging of a battery with a charge amount within a predetermined range so that charging is completed a predetermined time earlier than the start time of use of the mobile object 3. The predetermined time is, for example, a time determined based on the magnitude of variation in charging time.

In this way, if the time from when the use of the mobile object 3 is reserved to the start time of use is longer than the time required to charge the battery of the mobile object 3 until it reaches the required remaining charge, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to keep the remaining battery charge within a specified range, thereby suppressing battery deterioration.

The required remaining capacity differs depending on the usage of the mobile object 3. To avoid a power shortage in the usage of the mobile object 3, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to charge the battery until it reaches or exceeds the required remaining capacity, which is the battery remaining capacity required for the usage indicated by the usage content data. However, since charging the battery with more power than necessary makes the battery more susceptible to deterioration and leads to energy loss, the charging control unit 134 may also control the charging device 2 to charge the battery to an amount that is equal to or greater than the required remaining capacity and that is the required remaining capacity plus a specified margin. The specified margin is determined based on the range of variation in the remaining capacity consumed in the usage of the mobile object 3, and may be a different value depending on the usage.

(Select the battery to charge)
Furthermore, when there are multiple mobile objects 3 that can be used for the usage content of the user who has reserved the mobile object 3, the charging control unit 134 may select a mobile object 3 suitable for charging by the charging device 2 by referring to battery data indicating the remaining battery power corresponding to each of the multiple mobile objects 3 acquired by the battery data acquisition unit 132. A mobile object 3 suitable for charging by the charging device 2 is, for example, a mobile object 3 that can be charged so that the remaining battery power reaches the required remaining power power before the scheduled time of use.

Specifically, the charging control unit 134 refers to data indicating the time required to charge the battery, and calculates the charging time required for the remaining battery charge of each of the multiple mobile objects 3 to reach the required remaining charge, based on the remaining charge indicated by the battery data corresponding to each of the multiple mobile objects 3 and the battery remaining charge required for the usage content. Then, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to start charging the battery of the mobile object 3 whose remaining battery charge will reach the required remaining charge before the scheduled usage time. When there are multiple mobile objects 3 suitable for charging by the charging device 2, the charging control unit 134 selects, for example, the mobile object 3 whose remaining battery charge will take the shortest time to reach the required remaining charge.

When there are multiple batteries that the charging device 2 can charge, the charging control unit 134 may control the charging device 2 to charge one or more batteries selected from the multiple batteries, each with a different capacity, based on the remaining battery charge (required remaining charge) required for the usage content indicated by the usage content data. Specifically, the charging control unit 134 first calculates the charging time required for the remaining battery charge to reach the required remaining charge based on the remaining charge indicated by the battery data and the remaining battery charge required for the usage content of the mobile object 3 by the user. Then, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to start charging the battery at least the required charging time before the planned usage time.

However, the required battery performance may differ depending on the usage. For example, in usage that requires a high level of safety, it is desirable to use a battery with higher performance than in usage that requires a low level of safety. Therefore, the charging control unit 134 may select a battery to be charged by the charging device based on the relationship between the usage data and the performance test data.

The charging control unit 134, for example, refers to data that indicates the relationship between the usage content and the required battery performance, which is stored in advance in the memory unit 12, and selects a battery whose performance test data indicates that the performance can be used for the usage content indicated by the usage content data. When there are multiple batteries that satisfy the required performance, the charging control unit 134 may select the battery with the lowest performance among the multiple batteries. By operating in this manner, the charging control unit 134 makes it possible to reserve batteries with relatively high performance for other users.

In addition, if the mobile object 3 is capable of using a large-capacity battery with a first capacity alone and is also capable of using multiple small-capacity batteries with a second capacity smaller than the first capacity in a connected state, the charging control unit 134 may determine whether to have the charging device 2 charge the large-capacity battery or the multiple small-capacity batteries based on various conditions. The charging control unit 134 determines whether to have the charging device charge the large-capacity battery or the multiple small-capacity batteries based on, for example, the length of time until the scheduled use time indicated by the scheduled use data. The capacities of the multiple small-capacity batteries may be the same or different.

As an example, if the length of time until the planned use indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than the time required to charge the large-capacity battery until the required remaining capacity is reached, the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to charge one large-capacity battery. On the other hand, if the length of time until the planned use indicated by the usage schedule data is shorter than the time required to charge the large-capacity battery until the required remaining capacity is reached, the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to charge multiple small-capacity batteries.

Specifically, the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to charge in parallel multiple small-capacity batteries that satisfy the conditions that the total capacity of the multiple small-capacity batteries is greater than the required remaining capacity, and the charging time of the small-capacity battery that takes the longest time to charge is shorter than the length of time until the planned use time. By operating the charging control unit 134 in this manner, the user can start using the mobile object 3 at the planned use time, even if there is insufficient time to charge a large-capacity battery that can charge the remaining capacity required for the operation of the mobile object 3.

(Leveling out the number of charging times)
Batteries deteriorate with each charge and discharge. Therefore, when there are many batteries, it is desirable to equalize the number of charge and discharge cycles of multiple batteries so that some batteries do not deteriorate more than others.

The charging control unit 134 may store the number of times each of the multiple batteries has been charged in the memory unit 12, and may cause the charging device 2 to charge, among the multiple batteries that can be used by the mobile object 3, batteries that are stored in the memory unit 12 fewer times, in priority over batteries that are stored more times. The memory unit 12 stores the number of times the battery has been charged, for example, in association with information for identifying the battery. The memory unit 12 may further store the date and time of charging, and the charging control unit 134 may select the battery to be charged by the charging device 2 so that the intervals between the charging dates and times are as even as possible.

Also, for example, lithium polymer batteries deteriorate when fully charged, so the charging control unit 134 may store the number of times each of the multiple batteries has been fully charged in the memory unit 12, and among the multiple batteries that can be used by the mobile object 3, the batteries that have been fully charged fewer times may be charged by the charging device 2 in priority over batteries that have been fully charged more frequently.

(Sharing of the moving object 3 by multiple users)
When a single user uses the mobile object 3 for a short period of time, it is inefficient to charge the battery every time the user finishes using the mobile object 3, and the battery deteriorates as the number of times the battery is repeatedly charged and discharged increases. Therefore, the charging control system S may cause the charging device 2 to charge the battery on the assumption that multiple users use the same mobile object 3 in sequence between the time the battery used by the mobile object 3 is charged once and the time the battery is charged again.

To achieve this, the charging control unit 134 identifies multiple usage plans for which the same mobile unit 3 can be used, based on the usage plan data and usage content data. The multiple usage plans for which the same mobile unit 3 can be used are multiple usage plans for which the usage content can be handled by the same mobile unit 3 and the time periods for the usage plans do not overlap. The charging control unit 134 calculates the required remaining amount for the multiple identified usage plans. Specifically, the charging control unit 134 calculates the required remaining amount for the multiple usage plans by adding up the remaining amount required for each of the usage contents of the multiple usage plans. The charging control unit 134 may calculate the required remaining amount by adding a predetermined margin to the added remaining amount.

In this case, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 so that the battery charge reaches the required remaining amount by the start time of the earliest planned use among multiple planned uses that use the same mobile object 3. Specifically, after determining multiple planned uses, the charging control unit 134 calculates the required charging time based on the remaining amount of the battery before the start of charging and the calculated required remaining amount. Then, the charging control unit 134 determines the charging start time to be a time that is at least the calculated required charging time before the start time of the earliest planned use.

(Weather-dependent charging control)
Even if a user has reserved the moving object 3 and a usage schedule has been decided, there may be cases where the moving object 3 cannot fly due to bad weather. If the user charges the battery of the moving object 3 even though the user cannot use the moving object 3, the battery will remain charged with power above a predetermined range, causing the battery to deteriorate.

The charging control unit 134 may then refer to the weather data acquired by the weather data acquisition unit 133 to identify the weather at the planned use time indicated by the planned use data, and determine whether or not to charge the battery in the charging device 2 based on the identified weather. If the charging control unit 134 determines based on the identified weather that the mobile object 3 can fly as planned, it causes the charging device 2 to start charging in time for the planned use time.

On the other hand, if the charging control unit 134 determines that the mobile unit 3 cannot fly based on the specified weather, it does not allow the charging device 2 to start charging even if the planned time of use approaches. If the charging control unit 134 determines that the mobile unit 3 cannot fly, it may display a screen for receiving approval to stop charging on an information terminal (e.g., a smartphone or computer) used by the user or the manager of the mobile unit 3 via the communication unit 11, and may not allow the charging device 2 to start charging on the condition that approval to stop charging is received.

[Control of movement of charging port 22]
In the charging control system S, the charging port 22 may be configured to be movable. In this case, the movement control unit 23 of the charging device 2 moves the charging port 22 to any position of the multiple waiting spaces 21. Specifically, the movement control unit 23 moves the charging port 22 to a position where the moving object 3 is waiting so that the charging port 22 can charge the moving object 3 to be charged.

As an example, the movement control unit 23 moves the charging port 22 based on an instruction from the charging control unit 134. In this case, the charging control unit 134 selects a mobile object 3 that will have its battery charged by the charging device 2 from among multiple mobile objects 3 waiting at the charging device 2 based on the usage schedule data, and controls the charging device 2 to move the charging port 22 to the waiting space 21 where the selected mobile object 3 is waiting.

To enable the charging control unit 134 to control the charging device 2 in this manner, the charging control unit 134 may acquire data indicating the position where the mobile unit 3 is waiting from the charging device 2 or the mobile unit 3. The charging control unit 134 may acquire, for example, identification information for identifying the waiting space 21 where the mobile unit 3 is waiting from the mobile control unit 23. The mobile unit 3 may identify the position of the waiting space 21 where it is waiting or the identification information of the waiting space 21, and the charging control unit 134 may acquire information indicating the position of the waiting space 21 where the mobile unit 3 is waiting or the identification information of the waiting space 21 from the mobile unit 3. By configuring the charging control device 1 and the charging device 2 in this manner, even if the number of waiting spaces 21 is greater than the number of charging ports 22, the charging device 2 can charge the battery of the mobile unit 3 without the mobile unit 3 moving after waiting.

[Movement Control of Moving Object 3]
In the charging control system S, instead of moving the charging port 22 to the position of the mobile object 3, the mobile object 3 may be moved to the position of the charging port 22. In this case, the charging control unit 134 selects a mobile object 3 whose battery is to be charged by the charging device 2 from among the multiple mobile objects 3 waiting at the charging device 2 based on the usage schedule data, and transmits instruction data to the selected mobile object 3 to move it to the position of the charging port 22.

The charging control unit 134, for example, identifies a charging port 22 that is not charging the mobile object 3, and transmits location information indicating the location of the identified charging port 22 or identification information of the charging port 22 to the mobile object 3. The mobile object 3 moves to a location corresponding to the received location information or identification information, and when the movement is completed, notifies the charging control unit 134 that the movement is complete. After receiving the notification that the movement is complete, the charging control unit 134 starts charging the mobile object 3. By the charging control device 1 and the mobile object 3 operating in this manner, the charging device 2 can charge the battery of the mobile object 3 even if the charging port 22 is fixed.

[Operation flow of the charging control device 1]
6 is a flowchart showing a typical operation flow of the charge control device 1. The flowchart shown in FIG.

When the schedule data acquisition unit 131 receives a notification from the schedule management device 4 that a reservation has been made for use of the mobile object 3, it acquires usage schedule data and usage content data from the schedule management device 4 (S1). Next, the battery data acquisition unit 132 acquires battery data from the charging device 2 indicating the remaining capacity of the battery owned by the mobile object 3 for which a reservation has been made for use, or the battery that can be used by the mobile object 3 (S2).

Then, the charging control unit 134 determines the remaining charge required for the usage content indicated by the usage content data acquired in step S1, for example, by referring to required remaining charge data stored in the memory unit 12, which associates the model name of the mobile unit 3, the usage content, and the required remaining charge (S3).

Then, the charging control unit 134 calculates a first required time required to charge the battery to the required remaining amount based on the relationship between the remaining amount of the battery indicated by the battery data acquired in step S2 and the required remaining amount (S4). The charging control unit 134 calculates the required charging time for the reserved mobile unit 3 by referring to charging time data stored in the memory unit 12, which associates the model name of the mobile unit 3 or the model name of the battery used by the mobile unit 3, the remaining battery amount at the start of charging, the remaining battery amount at the end of charging, and the required charging time.

Furthermore, the charging control unit 134 calculates a second required time required to charge a battery with a battery remaining capacity within a predetermined range associated with the battery used by the mobile object 3 until the battery reaches the required remaining capacity (S5). The charging control unit 134 determines the time that is the second required time before the usage start time indicated by the usage schedule data as the time to start charging from the predetermined range (charging start time).

Next, the charging control unit 134 determines whether the first required time is longer than the remaining time until the usage start time indicated by the usage schedule data (S6). If the charging control unit 134 determines that the first required time is longer than the remaining time (NO in S6), it instructs the battery data acquisition unit 132 to acquire battery data of other batteries, and repeats the processes of steps S2 to S5 until it can determine that the first required time is equal to or less than the remaining time (YES in S6).

When the charging control unit 134 determines that the first required time is longer than the remaining time, the charging control unit 134 may output warning information indicating that charging will not be completed in time. For example, the charging control unit 134 may display the warning information on a display or transmit the warning information to an information terminal used by the manager of the mobile unit 3.

Next, the charging control unit 134 calculates the difference between the first required time and the remaining time, and determines whether the difference is equal to or greater than a threshold (S7). The threshold is the time during which it is undesirable for the remaining battery charge to be kept above a predetermined range when the battery is not in use, and is, for example, one hour.

When the charging control unit 134 determines that the time difference is equal to or greater than the threshold value (YES in S7), it controls the charging device 2 so that the remaining battery charge is maintained within a predetermined range (S8). Specifically, when the remaining battery charge is below the predetermined range, the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to charge the battery until the remaining battery charge reaches the predetermined range, and when the remaining battery charge is within the predetermined range, the charging control unit 134 does not cause the charging device 2 to charge the battery. On the other hand, when the time difference is below the threshold value (NO in S7), the charging control unit 134 causes the charging device 2 to start charging the battery.

Then, the charging control unit 134 determines whether the charging start time calculated in step S5 has arrived while the remaining battery level is within a predetermined range (S9). When the charging control unit 134 determines that the charging start time has arrived (YES in S9), it instructs the charging device 2 to start charging the battery (S10). The charging control unit 134 monitors whether charging to the required remaining amount has been completed based on data indicating the remaining battery level periodically transmitted from the charging device 2 (S11), and ends the charging process when it determines that the remaining battery level has reached the required remaining amount (YES in S11).

[Effects of the charging control system S]
As described above, the charging control unit 134 controls the charging device 2 to keep the remaining battery charge used by the mobile object 3 within a predetermined range when the period until the user plans to use the mobile object 3 is equal to or longer than the reference period, and to charge the battery so that the remaining battery charge is greater than the predetermined range when the period until the user plans to use the mobile object 3 is shorter than the reference period. By operating in this manner, the charging control unit 134 can maintain the remaining battery charge within an appropriate range when the period until the user plans to use the mobile object 3 is sufficiently longer than the time required to charge the battery, thereby making it possible to extend the life of the battery.

Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and infrastructure."

Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination also has the effect of the original embodiment.

Reference Signs List 1 Charging control device 2 Charging device 3 Mobile object 4 Schedule management device 11 Communication unit 12 Memory unit 13 Control unit 21 Waiting space 22 Charging port 23 Movement control unit 131 Schedule data acquisition unit 132 Battery data acquisition unit 133 Weather data acquisition unit 134 Charging control unit

Claims (17)

a schedule data acquisition unit for acquiring usage schedule data indicating a scheduled time for using the mobile object;
a charging control unit that controls a charging device to keep a remaining capacity of a battery used by the moving object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that a remaining capacity of the battery becomes greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time is shorter than the reference period;
having
The moving body can use a large-capacity battery having a first capacity alone or a plurality of small-capacity batteries having a second capacity smaller than the first capacity in a connected state,
The charging control unit determines whether to cause the charging device to charge the large-capacity battery or the plurality of small-capacity batteries based on the length of time until the scheduled use time indicated by the scheduled use data. a schedule data acquisition unit for acquiring usage schedule data indicating a scheduled time for using the mobile object;
a charging control unit that controls a charging device to keep a remaining capacity of a battery used by the moving object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that a remaining capacity of the battery becomes greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time is shorter than the reference period;
A weather data acquisition unit that acquires weather data indicating weather;
having
The charging control unit identifies the weather at the planned use period indicated by the planned use data by referring to the weather data, and determines whether or not to charge the battery by the charging device based on the identified weather. the charging control unit controls the charging device so that a remaining charge of the battery is kept within a predetermined range until a time when charging is to be started in order to make the remaining charge of the battery a remaining charge necessary for use by the moving body by the scheduled time of use.
The charge control device according to claim 1 or 2 . when the remaining charge of the battery at the time when the schedule data acquisition unit acquires the planned use data is smaller than a lower limit of the specified range, and the time from the time when the schedule data acquisition unit acquires the planned use data to the planned use time is equal to or longer than the reference period that is longer than a charging time required for the remaining charge of the battery to reach a required remaining charge, the charging control unit causes the charging device to charge the battery until the remaining charge of the battery falls within the specified range, and when the remaining charge of the battery reaches the specified range, causes the charging device to suspend charging of the battery, and then causes the charging device to resume charging of the battery until the remaining charge of the battery reaches or exceeds the required remaining charge.
The charge control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The schedule data acquisition unit further acquires usage content data indicating usage content of the mobile object,
the charging control unit controls the charging device to charge the battery until the battery reaches or exceeds a required remaining charge, which is a battery remaining charge required for the usage content indicated by the usage content data.
The charge control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . A battery data acquisition unit that acquires battery data indicating a remaining capacity of the battery,
the charging control unit refers to data indicating the time required to charge the battery, and calculates a charging time required for the remaining charge of the battery to reach the required remaining charge based on the remaining charge indicated by the battery data and the battery remaining charge required for the usage content, and controls the charging device to start charging the battery at least the required charging time before the scheduled usage time.
The charge control device according to claim 5. a battery data acquisition unit that acquires battery data indicating a remaining capacity of the battery corresponding to each of the plurality of moving objects;
the charging control unit refers to data indicating the time required to charge the battery, and calculates a charging time required for the remaining charge of the battery to reach the required remaining charge based on the remaining charge indicated by the battery data and the battery remaining charge required for the usage content, and controls the charging device to start charging the battery of the mobile body whose remaining charge of the battery will reach the required remaining charge before the scheduled usage time.
The charge control device according to claim 5. the battery used by the moving object is removable,
the charging control device further includes a battery data acquisition unit that acquires battery data indicating a remaining capacity of one or more batteries selected from a plurality of batteries each having a different capacity based on the required remaining capacity,
the charging control unit calculates a charging time required for the remaining amount of the battery to reach the required remaining amount based on the remaining amount indicated by the battery data and the required remaining amount, and controls the charging device to start charging the battery at least the charging time before the scheduled use time.
The charge control device according to claim 5. A battery data acquisition unit that acquires performance test data of the plurality of batteries,
the charging control unit selects the battery to be charged by the charging device based on a relationship between the usage content data and the performance test data.
The charge control device according to claim 5. the charging control unit specifies a plurality of use schedules in which the same mobile object can be used based on the use schedule data and the use content data, and calculates the required remaining capacity for the specified plurality of use schedules.
The charge control device according to any one of claims 5 to 9. the battery used by the moving object is removable,
The charging control unit further includes a storage unit that stores the number of times each of the plurality of batteries has been charged,
the charging control unit causes the charging device to charge a battery that is used by the moving body and that is stored in the storage unit less frequently, in preference to a battery that is used by the storage unit more frequently.
The charge control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . A charging device having a charging port for charging a battery used by a mobile object;
A charge control device that controls the charging device;
Equipped with
The charging control device includes:
a schedule data acquisition unit that acquires usage schedule data indicating a scheduled time for using the moving object;
a charging control unit that controls the charging device to keep a remaining capacity of a battery used by the mobile object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that a remaining capacity of the battery becomes greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time is shorter than the reference period;
having
The charging device is
A plurality of waiting spaces in which the plurality of moving bodies can wait;
a movement control unit that moves the charging port to any one of the plurality of waiting spaces;
having
The charging control unit selects a mobile body from among the multiple mobile bodies waiting at the charging device based on the usage schedule data, and controls the charging device to move the charging port to the waiting space where the selected mobile body is waiting. A charging device having a charging port for charging a battery used by a mobile object;
A charge control device that controls the charging device;
Equipped with
The charging control device includes:
a schedule data acquisition unit that acquires usage schedule data indicating a scheduled time for using the moving object;
a charging control unit that controls the charging device to keep a remaining capacity of a battery used by the mobile object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that a remaining capacity of the battery becomes greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time is shorter than the reference period;
having
the charging control unit selects a mobile object, the battery of which is to be charged by the charging device, from among the plurality of mobile objects waiting at the charging device based on the usage schedule data, and transmits instruction data to the selected mobile object to move it to the position of the charging port.
Charging control system. A charging device having a charging port for charging a battery used by a mobile object;
A charge control device that controls the charging device;
Equipped with
The charging control device includes:
a schedule data acquisition unit that acquires usage schedule data indicating a scheduled time for using the moving object;
a charging control unit that controls the charging device to keep a remaining capacity of a battery used by the mobile object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that a remaining capacity of the battery becomes greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time is shorter than the reference period;
having
The moving body can use a large-capacity battery having a first capacity alone or a plurality of small-capacity batteries having a second capacity smaller than the first capacity in a connected state,
A charging control system in which the charging control unit determines whether to cause the charging device to charge the large-capacity battery or the plurality of small-capacity batteries based on the length of time until the planned use time indicated by the planned use data. A charging device having a charging port for charging a battery used by a mobile object;
A charge control device that controls the charging device;
Equipped with
The charging control device includes:
a schedule data acquisition unit that acquires usage schedule data indicating a scheduled time for using the moving object;
a charging control unit that controls the charging device to keep a remaining capacity of a battery used by the mobile object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that a remaining capacity of the battery becomes greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time is shorter than the reference period;
A weather data acquisition unit that acquires weather data indicating weather;
having
A charging control system in which the charging control unit identifies the weather at the planned use period indicated by the planned use data by referring to the weather data, and determines whether or not to charge the battery by the charging device based on the identified weather . The computer
acquiring usage schedule data indicating a time when the mobile object is to be used;
controlling a charging device to keep a remaining capacity of a battery used by the mobile object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that a remaining capacity of the battery becomes greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time is shorter than the reference period;
Run
The moving body can use a large-capacity battery having a first capacity alone or a plurality of small-capacity batteries having a second capacity smaller than the first capacity in a connected state,
A charging control method in which, in a step of controlling the charging device, it is determined whether to have the charging device charge the large-capacity battery or multiple small-capacity batteries based on the length of time until the planned use time indicated by the planned use data . The computer
acquiring usage schedule data indicating a time when the mobile object is to be used;
controlling a charging device to keep a remaining capacity of a battery used by the mobile object within a predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time indicated by the usage schedule data is equal to or longer than a reference period, and to charge the battery so that a remaining capacity of the battery becomes greater than the predetermined range when the period until the scheduled use time is shorter than the reference period;
obtaining weather data indicative of weather;
Run
A charging control method in which, in a step of controlling the charging device, the weather data is referenced to identify the weather at the planned use period indicated by the planned use data, and it is determined whether or not to charge the battery by the charging device based on the identified weather .

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