JP7584741B2 - Charging System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a charging system, and in particular to a system that can be installed in existing apartment buildings and the like, and that charges electric vehicles and the like in each parking space of an outdoor parking lot, etc.

In recent years, electric vehicles have become more popular in an effort to realize a carbon-free society, and it is not uncommon to see charging equipment installed in detached houses and commercial facilities. However, due to the difficulty of finding space to install charging equipment for electric vehicles and the high cost, the installation of such equipment in existing apartment complexes and other collective housing has not progressed.

Furthermore, in apartment complexes, if there is no system in place that allows charging based on the time or amount of electricity used, it is possible that a sense of unfairness will arise among residents, which could lead to complaints.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a facility that charges electric vehicles using a single electric vehicle charging device, without having to install an electric vehicle charging device in each parking space in an outdoor parking lot.

Utility Model Registration No. 3165170

In the invention described in Patent Document 1, charging reservations can only be made at parking lots where charging devices are installed, and it is inconvenient that you cannot know whether a reservation is available or not until you go to the location. In addition, the reservation is completed when the fee is paid through the billing system, and charging starts after a waiting time. Therefore, if you get in your vehicle and leave during the waiting time, there is a risk that another vehicle will park in the parking lot during that time and start charging after the waiting time has elapsed. Therefore, even if you make a reservation, you cannot move your vehicle after the reservation is completed, which is inconvenient.

Therefore, the present invention was made in consideration of the problems with the above-mentioned conventional technology, and aims to provide a convenient charging system that can be installed in existing apartment buildings, etc.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a charging system comprising a charger that charges vehicles, and a cloud management device that manages reservations for the charger based on reservation information from a customer 's mobile terminal and location information of the reserved vehicle , wherein the charger is able to start charging the reserved vehicle when an instruction to unlock the charging connector is input from the cloud management device, and when reservation information whose reservation time overlaps with earlier input reservation information is input later, the cloud management device obtains location information of a first vehicle related to the earlier reservation information and a second vehicle related to the later reservation information, calculates the estimated arrival times of the first and second vehicles at the charger based on the location information, and when it determines that the first vehicle cannot reach the charger within the reserved time and that the second vehicle can reach the charger by the start time of the reserved time, cancels the earlier reservation and allows the later reservation .

According to the present invention, since a customer can make a reservation for charging using a mobile terminal, the customer can know whether a reservation is possible without going to the charging facility, improving the customer's convenience. In addition, since the reservation can be made using a mobile terminal rather than an in-vehicle device, the convenience is further improved. In addition, by considering whether the reserved vehicle can arrive at the charging location at the desired reservation time based on the location information of the reserved vehicle, it is possible to flexibly respond even if the desired reservation times overlap.

The charger can also stop charging when the reservation authentication key is read into the charger and the stop switch of the charger is pressed. This prevents anyone other than the person who made the reservation from interrupting charging without permission, and prevents mischief, etc.

As described above, the present invention provides a convenient charging system that can be installed in existing apartment buildings, etc.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a charging system according to the present invention; 2 is a plan view showing an example of a parking lot in which a charger of the charging system shown in FIG. 1 is installed. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the charging system shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the charging system shown in FIG. 1 . 4 is a flowchart showing an interrupt operation of the charging system shown in FIG. 1 .

Next, the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of a charging system according to the present invention. This charging system 1 is composed of a charger 2 for charging vehicles and a cloud management device 3. Customers in vehicles A and B operate mobile terminals 4 (4A, 4B, ...) to make charging reservations, etc.

Figure 2 shows an example of a parking lot where a charger 2 is installed. This parking lot is, for example, an existing shared parking lot of an existing apartment building, and one charger 2 is installed in six parking spaces No. 1 to 6, and a charging connector 2h connected to the charger 2 and a rotating light 2j are installed in each parking space. In this parking lot, multiple charging connectors 2h are installed for one charger 2. By reducing the installation space required for a relatively large installation space to one, installation can be made in a space-saving manner. In addition, by providing multiple charging connectors 2h, multiple parking spaces No. 1 to 6 can be used as charging spaces. Furthermore, since a charging connector 2h is installed for each parking space No. 1 to 6, charging is possible in any parking space No. 1 to 6 without having to consider the handling or length of the hose from the charger 2.

The rotating light 2j is provided to notify "Waiting for charging", "Charging", and "Charging complete" by changing the display color. By providing the rotating light 2j on the top of the charging connector 2h, the current charging status can be seen where the vehicle is located without having to go to the main body of the charger 2, improving convenience.

The charger 2 includes a power source (not shown), the camera 2c shown in FIG. 1, a display 2d, a reservation authentication key reader 2f, and an emergency stop switch 2g, as well as a data communication means 2a for transmitting data such as the vehicle number captured by the camera 2c to the cloud management device 3, an authentication key reader 2b, and a charging connector locking mechanism 2e, as shown in FIG. 3. The camera 2c captures the vehicle's position in addition to the number of the parked vehicle.

The cloud management device 3 is provided to store member information in advance and to manage reservations for the charger 2 based on reservation requests from customers' mobile terminals 4. The cloud management device 3 includes a cloud storage means 3a consisting of a reservation information storage means 3b for storing reservation information, a charging/parking status storage means 3c, and a member information storage means 3d for storing information on customers who are members, a reservation management means 3e consisting of a reservation determination means 3f and a vehicle arrival time prediction means 3g, an authentication processing means 3h, a payment information determination means 3j for determining payment information, a calendar means 3k, and a data communication means 3m.

Each vehicle A, B, ... (6) is equipped with a data communication means 6a for communicating with the cloud management device 3, a location information acquisition means 6b using GPS, and a battery remaining capacity storage means 6c for storing the remaining capacity of the on-board battery.

Next, the membership information, reservation information, and charging history, etc., that are stored in advance by the cloud management device 3 upon advance registration by the customer's mobile terminal 4 (4A, 4B, etc.) will be explained with reference to Table 1. Note that Table 1 shows information as of the current time, October 1, 2021, 12:00.

As shown in Table 1, the name, address, vehicle number, payment method, and notification destination are stored for each individual member. In addition, current reservation information and past charging and parking history are stored in the cloud storage means 3a of the cloud management device 3. Table 2 shows reservation information for Apartment A as an example, and the date and time, name of the person who made the reservation, vehicle number, and whether parking only or charging is also performed are stored for each parking lot number. In addition, Table 3 shows the real-time status of the parking lots of Apartment A as an example, and the charging status and parking status are stored for each parking lot number. "Waiting" or "Charging completed" is recorded as the charging status, and the presence or absence of a vehicle is recorded as the parking status.

Next, the operation of the charging system having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 4. In the following flowchart, in steps where the route branches, the downward direction corresponds to Yes and the horizontal direction corresponds to No.

Before going to the parking lot, the customer (e.g., customer A, B in FIG. 1) pre-registers the name, address, vehicle number, payment method, and notification destination shown in Table 1 in the cloud management device 3 at home or elsewhere.

In step S1 on the mobile terminal 4, when the customer inputs the desired reservation date, desired reservation time, and whether they wish to only park or charge (step S1; Yes), in step S2, the mobile terminal 4 transmits reservation information including the customer's name and vehicle number in addition to this information to the cloud management device 3.

In step S11 of the cloud management device 3, when reservation information is input from the mobile terminal 4 (step S11; Yes), the cloud management device 3 checks in step S12 whether or not the customer's registration information exists in the database. If the customer's registration information exists (step S12; Yes), the vehicle's location information is acquired in step S13, and a reservation inquiry is made. If it is determined that the reservation is possible (step S14; Yes), a reservation authentication key is generated (step S15) and the process proceeds to step S17. On the other hand, if the customer's registration information does not exist in step S12 (step S12; No), or if it is determined that the reservation is impossible in step S14 (step S14; No), the process proceeds to step S17 without generating an authentication key as the reservation is impossible in step S16. In step S17, the cloud management device 3 outputs charging/parking reservation information to the mobile terminal 4 together with whether the reservation is possible. The charging/parking reservation information includes the reservation completion date and time, the charging/parking location, the parking lot number at the time of charging/parking, the reservation authentication key, and information on whether only parking or charging is performed.

In step S3 of the mobile terminal 4, when charging/parking reservation information is input from the cloud management device 3 (step S3; Yes), the mobile terminal 4 notifies the charging/parking reservation information together with whether or not the reservation can be made.

When a reservation is possible and a customer receives a reservation authentication key on their mobile terminal 4, they hold the reservation authentication key over the reservation authentication key reader 2f (see FIG. 1) of the charger 2 to have it read (step S51 of the charger 2; Yes), the camera 2c of the charger 2 captures an image of the vehicle number and parking location (step S52), and the read reservation authentication key and the captured image data are output to the cloud management device 3 (step S53). The captured image data includes the address of the location where the charger 2 is installed, and an image showing the vehicle number and where the vehicle is parked.

In step S18 of the cloud management device 3, when the reservation authentication key and the photographed data are input from the charger 2 (step S18; Yes), the cloud management device 3 checks whether the reservation authentication key is valid and the parking position is correct (step S19), and if it is a reservation for charging (step S20; Yes), and if the reservation authentication key is valid and the parking position is correct (step S21; Yes), it outputs an instruction to unlock the charging connector 2h (see FIG. 2) to the charger 2 and changes the state of the charger 2 to charging (step S22). On the other hand, if the reservation authentication key is invalid or the parking position is incorrect (step S21; No), it determines in step S24 whether the parking position is incorrect, and if the parking position is incorrect (step S24; Yes), it outputs the correct parking position to the charger 2 (step S25). Also, if the parking position is not incorrect (step S24; No), it outputs a message to the mobile terminal 4 that the reservation is not made (step S26) and ends the operation.

In step S20, if the reservation is not for charging (step S20; No) but the reservation authentication key is valid and the parking location is correct (step S27; Yes), the reservation is for parking only, so a parking OK is output to the charger 2 (step S28), and a payment instruction is output to the card company 5 based on the reservation information and payment information (step S29). On the other hand, if the reservation authentication key is invalid or the parking location is incorrect (step S27; No), in step S30, it is determined whether the parking location is incorrect, and if the parking location is incorrect (step S30; Yes), the correct parking location is output to the charger 2 (step S31). Also, if the parking location is not incorrect (step S30; No), a message indicating that the parking location is not yet reserved is output to the mobile terminal 4 (step S32), and the operation ends.

In step S54 of the charger 2, if the correct parking position is input from the cloud management device 3 (step S54; Yes), the charger 2 reports the correct parking position (step S55) and returns to step S52. On the other hand, in step S54, if the correct parking position is not input from the cloud management device 3 (step S54; No), in step S56, it is determined whether or not an instruction to unlock the charging connector 2h has been input from the cloud management device 3.

In step S56, if an instruction to unlock the charging connector 2h is input from the cloud management device 3 (step S56; Yes), the charging connector 2h is unlocked and a notification to that effect is given (step S57). On the other hand, in step S56, if an instruction to unlock the charging connector 2h is not input from the cloud management device 3 (step S56; No), the operation is terminated since an input indicating that parking is permitted has been received.

In step S58, when the charging start switch (SW) is pressed or the reserved time arrives (step S58; Yes), charging starts (step S59), and when charging is completed (step S60; Yes), charging completion information is output to the cloud management device 3 (step S61). The charging completion information includes the address of the location where the charger 2 is installed, the vehicle number, the charging end time, the amount of charging power, and the remaining battery power.

In step S23 of the cloud management device 3, when charging completion information is input from the charger 2 (step S23; Yes), the cloud management device 3 starts a timer, sets the status of the charger 2 to "charging completed" (step S33), and outputs a payment instruction to the card company 5 based on the charging completion information and the payment information (step S34). When a payment instruction is input in step S29 or step S34 of the cloud management device 3 (step S71; Yes), the card company 5 performs payment (step S72), outputs a payment completion signal to the cloud management device 3 (step S73), and ends the operation.

In step S35 of the cloud management device 3, if a payment completion signal is input from the card company 5 (step S35; Yes), the cloud management device 3 outputs charging completion information and a payment completion notification to the mobile terminal 4 (step S36). In step S7 of the mobile terminal 4, if charging completion information and a payment completion notification are input from the cloud management device 3 (step S7; Yes), the mobile terminal 4 notifies the charging completion information and payment completion (step S8).

After outputting the charging completion information in step S61, the charger 2 determines in step S62 whether the charging connector 2h has been returned to the charger 2. If it has been returned (step S62; Yes), the charger 2 locks the charging connector 2h and outputs a lock completion signal for the charging connector 2h to the cloud management device 3 (step S63).

The cloud management device 3, which has output the charging completion information and the payment completion notification to the mobile terminal 4 in step S36, determines in step S37 whether the payment completion is due to charging completion. If it is due to charging completion (step S37; Yes), in step S38, it determines whether a lock completion signal for the charging connector 2h has been input from the charger 2. If a lock completion signal has been input (step S38; Yes), the state of the charger 2 is set to "standby" (step S39) and the operation is terminated. On the other hand, if a lock completion signal for the charging connector 2h has not been input from the charger 2 in step S38 (step S38; No) and time T1 has elapsed (step S40; Yes), a signal notifying the mobile terminal 4 that the charging connector 2h has not been returned is sent (step S41), and the process returns to step S38, and the input of the lock completion signal for the charging connector 2h is awaited. If it is not due to charging completion in step S37 (step S37; No), the operation is terminated because payment has been completed with a reservation for parking only.

If the portable terminal 4 receives an input in step S9 indicating that the charging connector 2h has not been returned (step S9; Yes), the portable terminal 4 notifies the user to return the charging connector 2h (step S10) and ends the operation.

As described above, charging system 1 can manage reservations for both parking lots and charging facilities in one place, and parking lots in which charging system 1 is installed can be used not only for charging but also as parking lots.

In addition, in the charging system 1, when charging, the reservation authentication key issued when the reservation is completed is held over the reservation authentication key reading unit 2f of the charger 2 to unlock the charging connector 2h and enable charging. Therefore, only vehicles for which a reservation has been completed can charge, and payment is made using a payment method registered in advance (cash payment is not accepted). This eliminates the need to install a payment terminal, reducing capital investment.

Furthermore, even if only a parking space reservation is made, payment for parking fees can be made seamlessly by holding the reservation authentication key issued when the reservation is completed over the reservation authentication key reading unit 2f of the charger. In this case, too, payment is made using the payment method registered in advance, so there is no need to install a payment terminal, and capital investment is kept to a minimum.

In the charging system 1, if the charging connector 2h is not returned within a certain period of time after charging is completed, the customer's mobile terminal 4 is notified to return the charging connector 2h. This makes it possible to remind customers who do not come to remove the charging connector 2h even after being notified that charging is complete, and prevents the parking lot and the charging connector 2h from being monopolized.

If charging needs to be interrupted, the reservation authentication key can be read into the charger 2 and the stop switch can be pressed to interrupt charging. This prevents anyone other than the person who made the reservation from interrupting charging without permission, and helps prevent mischief.

In addition, by equipping the cloud management device 3 with an AI function and providing a recommendation function that learns the charging cycle and notifies the customer's mobile terminal 4 of the recommended time for the next charge, it is possible to reduce last-minute reservations, prevent the charger 2 from running out of charging power or becoming under-adjusted, and improve user convenience and the efficiency of system operation.

In addition, each vehicle A, B, ... (6) is equipped with a battery remaining capacity storage means 6c that stores the remaining capacity of the on-board battery, and performs data communication with the cloud management device 3 using the data communication means 6a, and performs data communication with the cloud management device 3 using the mobile terminal 4, so that the remaining battery capacity of the vehicle can be confirmed on the mobile terminal 4.

Next, the operation of the charging system 1 having the above configuration when an interrupt charging reservation (or parking reservation) occurs will be described with reference mainly to FIG. 5.

In step S81 on the mobile terminal 4A of customer A (the person making the interrupt reservation), customer A inputs the desired reservation date, desired reservation time, and whether they wish to only park or charge (step S81; Yes), and in step S82 on the mobile terminal 4A, the mobile terminal 4A transmits reservation information including the customer's name and vehicle number in addition to this information to the cloud management device 3.

When reservation information is input from the mobile terminal 4A (step S91; Yes), the cloud management device 3 determines whether or not there is registration information for customer A in the database, and if there is registration information (step S92; Yes), it acquires the location information of vehicle A (step S93). If there is no registration information (step S92; No), it determines that the reservation is not possible (step S102), outputs a message to that effect to the mobile terminal 4A (step S101), and ends the operation.

The cloud management device 3, which has acquired the location information of vehicle A in step S93, determines in step S94 whether there is another reservation (the original reservation, the reservation from vehicle B) for the reserved time and whether it is the reserved time on the same day (upcoming). If there is another reservation for the reserved time and it is the reserved time on the same day (upcoming), the cloud management device 3 acquires the location information of vehicle B, which made the other reservation, in step S95. On the other hand, if there is no other reservation for the reserved time or if there is another reservation but it is not the reserved time on the same day (upcoming), normal reservation processing is performed (step S103) and operation ends.

The cloud management device 3, which has acquired the location information of vehicle B in step S95, calculates the arrival times of the vehicle requested for reservation (vehicle A) and the other vehicle (vehicle B) (step S96), and determines whether the other vehicle (vehicle B) will arrive within the reservation time and whether the vehicle requested for reservation (vehicle A) will arrive by the reservation start time (step S97).

In step S97, if the other vehicle (vehicle B) does not arrive within the reserved time and the vehicle requested for reservation (vehicle A) arrives by the reservation start time (step S97; Yes), the expected arrival time of vehicle B, the reservation time, and whether the reservation can be canceled are output to the notification destination of the other reserved vehicle (vehicle B) (customer B's mobile terminal 4B) (step S98).

When the mobile terminal 4B receives inputs from the cloud management device 3 such as the expected arrival time of vehicle B, the reservation time, and whether or not the reservation can be canceled (step S111; Yes), the mobile terminal 4B reports this information (step S112), and if the reservation can be canceled is pressed (step S113; Yes), it outputs a reservation can be canceled to the cloud management device 3 (step S114) and ends the operation. On the other hand, if the reservation can be canceled is not pressed (step S113; No), it outputs a reservation cannot be canceled to the cloud management device 3 (step S115) and ends the operation.

If there is an input from mobile terminal 4B indicating that the reservation can be canceled (step S99; Yes), the cloud management device 3 generates a reservation authentication key (step S100). On the other hand, if there is no input from mobile terminal 4B indicating that the reservation can be canceled (step S99; No), the reservation is deemed unacceptable (step S102). Next, the cloud management device 3 outputs the charging/parking reservation information to mobile terminal 4A along with whether the reservation can be made (step S101), and ends the operation. The charging/parking reservation information includes the reservation completion date and time, the charging/parking location, the parking lot number at the time of charging/parking, and the reservation authentication key.

When charging/parking reservation information is input from the cloud management device 3 (step S83; Yes), the mobile terminal 4A notifies the user whether or not the reservation can be made and the charging/parking reservation information (step S84).

Next, we will explain a specific example of the operation when there is an interrupted charging reservation (or parking reservation) on the same day (immediately).

When a charging reservation is made from mobile terminal 4A of customer A, who will be driving vehicle A between 15:00 and 15:30 on the same day at the current time of 14:45, the cloud management device 3 checks the reservation status and obtains the location information of vehicle A.

If the comparison reveals that vehicle B is reserved for the day from 15:00 to 15:30, the cloud management device 3 acquires the location information of vehicle B and then calculates the time it will take for vehicle B to arrive at the parking lot.

As a result, if vehicle B is more than 45 minutes away from the parking lot (i.e., a distance that will not allow it to arrive by 15:30, which is within the reservation time) and vehicle A is within 15 minutes of arriving at the parking lot (i.e., a distance that will allow it to arrive by 15:00, the reservation start time), the mobile terminal 4B of customer B who made the charging reservation for vehicle B is checked to see if it is OK to cancel the reservation, and if customer B responds that it is OK to cancel the reservation, the reservation for vehicle A is permitted.

As described above, when making same-day (imminent) reservations, the vehicle arrival time is taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to accept a reservation. If a customer is unable to arrive at the reserved time, there is no need to leave the parking lot and charger available. This makes it possible to operate the parking lot and chargers efficiently, preventing disadvantages to both other customers (reservations) and the parking lot manager.

In addition, if a customer wants to use a parking space immediately, the system will take into account real-time conditions in addition to the reservation status to determine whether or not to accept the reservation, making it possible to accept reservations from customers who want to use the parking space immediately if charging is complete even if a reservation has been made.

In the above embodiment, to prevent any problems, the original reservation holder, customer B, is asked to decide whether or not to cancel, but since the original reservation cannot be fulfilled, it is also possible to forcibly cancel it.

In addition, in the above embodiment, if there is no one else who wants to use the vehicle, there is no need to cancel the reservation, so the location information of the originally reserved vehicle (vehicle B) is referenced only if there is someone else who wants to use the vehicle. Therefore, there is no need to obtain unnecessary information.

Furthermore, reservations can generally only be cancelled or changed if there are two vehicles available for swapping, but with this invention, even if a reservation cannot be swapped, if the new vehicle you wish to use (vehicle A) can arrive and the originally reserved vehicle (vehicle B) cannot arrive, you can change to a reservation for the new vehicle you wish to use (vehicle A).

In the above embodiment, one charger 2 is installed in each of the six parking spaces, No. 1 to 6, and a charging connector 2h and a rotating light 2j connected to the charger 2 are installed in each parking space. However, by configuring a single charging connector from a hanging charger to be movable up and down via a hose reel, it is possible to eliminate the need for space to install the charger and ancillary devices.

In addition, while the above embodiment was described as using a shared parking lot in an apartment complex, the system can be used in any parking lot that has been registered for use in advance.

The illustrated embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1 Charging system 2 Charger 3 Cloud management device 4 (4A, 4B, ...) Mobile terminal 5 Card company

Claims (2)

A charger for charging the vehicle ;
a cloud management device that manages reservations for the charger based on reservation information from a mobile terminal of a customer and location information of a reserved vehicle ;
When a charging connector unlock instruction is input from the cloud management device, the charger is enabled to start charging the reserved vehicle ,
When reservation information whose reservation time overlaps with previously input reservation information is later input, the cloud management device acquires location information of a first vehicle related to the earlier reservation information and a second vehicle related to the later reservation information, calculates estimated arrival times of the first and second vehicles at the charger based on the location information, and if it determines that the first vehicle cannot reach the charger within the reserved time and that the second vehicle can reach the charger by the start time of the reserved time, cancels the earlier reservation and allows the later reservation . 2. The charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the charger stops charging when a reservation authentication key is read into the charger and a stop switch of the charger is pressed.

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