JP7620474B2 - Vehicles and Power Supply Systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle and a power supply system.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for supplying power from a power supply vehicle capable of supplying power to a target vehicle that requires charging of its on-board battery. In this technology, a power supply vehicle capable of supplying power to the target vehicle is selected from among a number of vehicles.

JP 2012-108870 A

In general, if the SOC (State Of Charge) of an in-vehicle battery is maintained at a high state, such as a fully charged state, the deterioration of the in-vehicle battery is likely to progress.

The present invention aims to provide a vehicle and a power supply system that can suppress the deterioration of an on-board battery.

In order to solve the above problem, a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises:
A vehicle battery,
A control device;
Equipped with
The control device includes:
one or more processors;
one or more memories coupled to the processor;
having
A vehicle that is different from the vehicle itself and that needs to receive power is defined as a power receiving vehicle,
the host vehicle is capable of supplying the power stored in the on-board battery to the power receiving vehicle,
The processor operates in conjunction with a program contained in the memory;
periodically deriving a decrease in the SOH of the vehicle-mounted battery based on the SOH at a predetermined timing;
When the amount of decrease in the SOH becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, a power supply request for requesting execution of the power supply to the power receiving vehicle is transmitted from the host vehicle to the power receiving vehicle;
Perform the process including:

In order to solve the above problem, a power supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
a power receiving vehicle that is a vehicle that requires power reception;
a power supply vehicle that is a vehicle capable of supplying power stored in an on-board battery to the power receiving vehicle;
Equipped with
The power supply vehicle includes:
A control device is provided,
The control device includes:
one or more processors;
one or more memories coupled to the processor;
having
The processor operates in conjunction with a program contained in the memory;
periodically deriving a decrease in the SOH of the vehicle-mounted battery based on a SOH at a predetermined timing;
When the amount of decrease in the SOH becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, a power supply request for requesting execution of the power supply to the power receiving vehicle is transmitted from the power receiving vehicle to the power receiving vehicle;
Perform the process including:

The present invention makes it possible to suppress the progression of deterioration of an in-vehicle battery.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a power supply system according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the control device in the power supply vehicle. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a full charge capacity map. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the charging fee unit price deriving unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the deterioration detection unit. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the process until a match is established. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow after matching is established.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. The specific dimensions, materials, values, etc. shown in the embodiment are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements that have substantially the same function and configuration are given the same reference numerals to avoid duplicated explanations, and elements that are not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a power supply system 1 according to this embodiment. The power supply system 1 includes one or more power receiving vehicles 10, one or more power supply vehicles 12, and a server 14. FIG. 1 illustrates one power receiving vehicle 10 and one power supply vehicle 12. However, the number of power receiving vehicles 10 and power supply vehicles 12 is not limited to one each, and may be any number. As will be described in detail later, the power supply system 1 can supply power from any power supply vehicle 12 to any power receiving vehicle 10.

The power receiving vehicle 10 is, for example, an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The power receiving vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board battery 20. The on-board battery 20 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery. The on-board battery 20 supplies power to a motor generator, which is the drive source of the power receiving vehicle 10. The motor generator drives the wheels of the power receiving vehicle 10. The motor generator also generates power when the power receiving vehicle 10 decelerates. The on-board battery 20 is charged with the power generated by the motor generator.

The power-receiving vehicle 10 has a charging port 22. The charging port 22 is electrically connected to the on-board battery 20. The charging port 22 can be connected to a charging connector 24. The power-receiving vehicle 10 can receive power from outside the power-receiving vehicle 10 through the charging port 22 and the charging connector 24. The on-board battery 20 can be charged with power received from outside the power-receiving vehicle 10.

The SOC of the on-board battery 20 decreases as the power receiving vehicle 10 travels. As the SOC decreases, it becomes necessary to charge the on-board battery 20. The power receiving vehicle 10 is a vehicle that requires power to be received from an external source in order to charge the on-board battery 20. Note that the power receiving vehicle 10 is a vehicle that is different from the power supply vehicle 12 described below.

The power receiving vehicle 10 includes a communication device 30. The communication device 30 can communicate with the outside of the power receiving vehicle 10. Specifically, the communication device 30 can communicate with the server 14 through a network 32 such as the Internet or a telephone network. The communication device 30 may also communicate with the power supply vehicle 12 through the network 32.

The power receiving vehicle 10 includes a control device 34. The control device 34 includes one or more processors 36 and one or more memories 38 connected to the processor 36. The memory 38 includes a ROM in which programs and the like are stored, and a RAM as a work area. The processor 36 of the control device 34 cooperates with the programs contained in the memory 38 to control the entire power receiving vehicle 10. For example, the processor 36 executes processing related to the reception of power from outside the power receiving vehicle 10. The processing executed by the processor 36 will be described in detail later.

The power supply vehicle 12 is, for example, an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The power supply vehicle 12 is equipped with an on-board battery 40. The on-board battery 40 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery. The on-board battery 40 supplies power to a motor generator, which is the drive source of the power supply vehicle 12. The motor generator drives the wheels of the power supply vehicle 12. The motor generator also generates power when the power supply vehicle 12 decelerates. The on-board battery 40 is charged with the power generated by the motor generator.

The power supply vehicle 12 has a charging port 42. The charging port 42 is electrically connected to the on-board battery 40. The charging port 42 can be connected to a charging connector 44 outside the power supply vehicle 12. The power supply vehicle 12 can supply the electricity stored in the on-board battery 40 to the outside of the power supply vehicle 12 through the charging port 42 and the charging connector 44.

The charging connector 24, which can be connected to the charging port 22 of the power receiving vehicle 10, is provided at a first of the two ends of the charging cable 46. The charging connector 44, which can be connected to the charging port 42 of the power supplying vehicle 12, is provided at a second of the two ends of the charging cable 46. When the charging connector 24 is connected to the power receiving vehicle 10 and the charging connector 44 is connected to the power supplying vehicle 12, the power supplying vehicle 12 can supply power to the power receiving vehicle 10 through the charging cable 46. The power supplying vehicle 12 is a vehicle capable of supplying power stored in the on-board battery 40 of the power supplying vehicle 12 to the power receiving vehicle 10.

The power supply vehicle 12 can also receive power from an external power source through the charging port 42 to charge the onboard battery 40.

The power supply vehicle 12 is equipped with a communication device 50. The communication device 50 can communicate with the outside of the power supply vehicle 12. Specifically, the communication device 50 can communicate with the server 14 through the network 32. The communication device 50 may also communicate with the power receiving vehicle 10 through the network 32.

The power supply vehicle 12 includes a control device 54. The control device 54 includes one or more processors 56 and one or more memories 58 connected to the processor 56. The memory 58 includes a ROM in which programs and the like are stored, and a RAM as a work area. The processor 56 of the control device 54 cooperates with the programs contained in the memory 58 to control the entire power supply vehicle 12. For example, the processor 56 executes processes related to power supply. The processes executed by the processor 56 will be described in detail later.

The power supply vehicle 12 is equipped with a temperature sensor 60 and a voltage sensor 62. The temperature sensor 60 detects the temperature of the on-board battery 40. The voltage sensor 62 detects the voltage of the input/output terminals of the on-board battery 40.

The server 14 includes a communication device 70. The communication device 70 can communicate with the power receiving vehicle 10 and the power supply vehicle 12 through the network 32.

The server 14 includes a control device 74. The control device 74 includes one or more processors 76 and one or more memories 78 connected to the processor 76. The memory 78 includes a ROM in which programs and the like are stored, and a RAM as a work area. The processor 76 of the control device 74 controls the entire server 14 in cooperation with the programs contained in the memory 78. For example, the processor 76 executes processing related to matching between any power supply vehicle 12 and any power receiving vehicle 10. When matching is established, the power supply vehicle 12 can supply power to the power receiving vehicle 10 matched with the power supply vehicle 12. Matching will be described in detail later.

Generally, when the SOC of the vehicle battery 40 is maintained in a high state such as a fully charged state, the deterioration of the vehicle battery 40 is likely to progress. The SOC is an index that indicates the charge state or charging state of the vehicle battery 40. Specifically, the SOC is an index that indicates the current charging capacity as a percentage when the fully charged capacity is set to 100%.

The processor 56 of the power supply vehicle 12 executes a process that includes periodically deriving the amount of decrease in the SOH (State Of Health) of the on-board battery 40 based on the SOH at a predetermined timing. The SOH is an index that indicates the deterioration state of the on-board battery 40. Specifically, the SOH is an index that indicates the current full charge capacity as a percentage when the initial full charge capacity is set to 100%. The predetermined timing here corresponds to a reference timing for detecting the progress of deterioration of the on-board battery 40. The predetermined timing is, for example, the timing when the power supply vehicle 12 transitions from the IG-ON state to the IG-OFF state. Note that the predetermined timing is not limited to this example and may be set to any timing. The amount of decrease in the SOH corresponds to the amount of progress of deterioration of the on-board battery 40 from the reference timing.

Then, when the amount of decrease in SOH becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the processor 56 of the power supply vehicle 12 executes processing including transmitting a power supply request from the power supply vehicle 12 to the power receiving vehicle 10, requesting the execution of power supply to the power receiving vehicle 10. Specifically, the power supply vehicle 12 transmits the power supply request to the power receiving vehicle 10 via the server 14. In addition, the predetermined threshold here is, for example, 1%, but is not limited to this example and can be set to any value.

In response to such a power supply request, the server 14 matches the power supply vehicle 12 that sent the power supply request with any power receiving vehicle 10. When the power receiving vehicle 10 is matched, the matched power receiving vehicle 10 moves to the position of the power supply vehicle 12 with which it is matched. The power supply vehicle 12 then becomes able to supply power from the on-board battery 40 of the power supply vehicle 12 to the power receiving vehicle 10. When power is supplied from the power supply vehicle 12 to the power receiving vehicle 10, the SOC of the on-board battery 40 in the power supply vehicle 12 decreases. This eliminates the high SOC of the on-board battery 40, and the power supply vehicle 12 becomes able to suppress further deterioration of the on-board battery 40.

In addition, when the decrease in SOH reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold, the power supply vehicle 12 transmits a power supply request, so it is desirable to supply power as soon as possible.

The processor 56 of the power supply vehicle 12 therefore executes processing including deriving a charging fee unit price, which indicates the price per unit amount of power in charging the on-board battery 40, for each charging execution. The processor 56 of the power supply vehicle 12 executes processing including setting the power supply fee unit price, which indicates the price per unit amount of power in power supply, to be equal to or lower than the charging fee unit price. The processor 56 of the power supply vehicle 12 executes processing including transmitting the power supply fee unit price from the power supply vehicle 12 to the power receiving vehicle 10. The price per unit amount of power corresponds to the unit price.

That is, the power supply vehicle 12 presents the power receiving vehicle 10 with a power supply unit price that is equal to or lower than the unit price of the charging fee borne by the vehicle itself. The power receiving vehicle 10 wishes to receive power from the power supply vehicle 12 that has a low unit price of the power supply fee. Therefore, the power supply vehicle 12 can increase the number of power receiving vehicles 10 that wish to receive power from the vehicle itself by setting the unit price of the power supply fee that is equal to or lower than the unit price of the charging fee. This makes it easier to match the power supply vehicle 12 that has transmitted the power supply request with the power receiving vehicle 10 that wishes to receive power from the power supply vehicle 12. As a result, the power supply vehicle 12 can quickly match with the power receiving vehicle 10, enabling early power supply.

The power supply vehicle 12 incurs a monetary loss equal to the unit price of the charging fee minus the unit price of the power supply fee. However, this monetary loss is outweighed by the benefit of being able to suppress the progression of deterioration of the on-board battery 40. For example, suppressing the progression of deterioration of the on-board battery 40 results in an extended lifespan of the on-board battery 40, and the effort and cost of replacing the on-board battery 40 can be reduced.

Furthermore, the power supply vehicle 12 is not limited to a mode in which the power supply unit price is set to be equal to or lower than the charging unit price. The power supply vehicle 12 may set the power supply unit price higher than the charging unit price. In this mode, it is more difficult to achieve matching compared to a mode in which the power supply unit price is equal to or lower than the charging unit price. However, if matching can be achieved, power supply is possible, and therefore, compared to a mode in which a power supply request is not transmitted, the power supply vehicle 12 can suppress further deterioration of the on-board battery 40.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the control device 54 in the power supply vehicle 12. The processor 56 of the control device 54 works in conjunction with a program contained in the memory 58 to function as a charging fee unit price derivation unit 80, a deterioration detection unit 82, a power supply request unit 84, and a power supply execution unit 86.

The charging fee unit price derivation unit 80 derives the charging fee unit price for the power supply vehicle 12 each time charging is performed from outside the power supply vehicle 12. The charging fee unit price derivation unit 80 derives the charging fee unit price for the current charging.

The deterioration detection unit 82 periodically derives the amount of decrease in SOH based on the SOH at a specified timing in the vehicle battery 40. The period for deriving the amount of decrease in SOH can be set arbitrarily, for example, every hour or every day. The deterioration detection unit 82 derives the amount of decrease in SOH, for example, using a full charge capacity map described below.

Figure 3 shows an example of a full charge capacity map. The full charge capacity map is stored in advance in the memory 58 of the power supply vehicle 12. The full charge capacity map is a map in which the full charge capacity, the standing time, the average temperature, and the average SOC of the on-board battery 40 are associated with each other.

The left-alone time indicates the duration of the IG-OFF state, starting from the timing when the power supply vehicle 12 transitioned from the IG-ON state to the IG-OFF state. The average temperature indicates the average temperature value of the on-board battery 40 acquired during the left-alone time. The average SOC indicates the average SOC value of the on-board battery 40 acquired during the left-alone time. In addition, in the full charge capacity map of the example of FIG. 3, the left-alone time is shown in number of days. For this reason, in the explanation of FIG. 3, the left-alone time may be referred to as the number of days left-alone. In addition, the full charge capacity map indicates the initial full charge capacity of the on-board battery 40.

Here, when the average SOC is 100%, the average temperature is 25°C, and the number of days left unattended is 0, the full charge capacity of the in-vehicle battery 40 is 25.0. This example corresponds to the power supply vehicle 12 starting to be left unattended when the SOC is 100%. In addition, since the initial full charge capacity of the in-vehicle battery 40 is 25.0, the SOH (State Of Health) of the in-vehicle battery 40 at the time when the vehicle starts to be left unattended is 100%.

Let us assume that the vehicle has now been left unused for 100 days. If the average SOC at this point is 100% and the average temperature is 25°C, then the fully charged capacity of the vehicle battery 40 is 24.5. At this time, the SOH of the vehicle battery 40 is 98% (24.5/25.0 x 100 = 98%).

The deterioration detection unit 82 derives the amount of decrease in SOH by subtracting the SOH at the current timing when the device is left unattended from the SOH at the timing when the device was left unattended. In other words, the amount of decrease in SOH corresponds to the SOH difference, which indicates the difference obtained by subtracting the current SOH from the SOH at the reference timing when the device was left unattended, i.e., when the device was left unattended for 100 days, the amount of decrease in SOH is 2% (100% - 98% = 2%).

When the amount of decrease in SOH is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the deterioration detection unit 82 can determine that the progression of deterioration in the vehicle battery 40 has been detected. Note that the method of deriving the amount of decrease in SOH is not limited to the method using the full charge capacity map. For example, the deterioration detection unit 82 may predict the amount of decrease in SOH based on the vehicle's past driving history and charging history, etc.

Returning to FIG. 2, when the deterioration detection unit 82 detects the progression of deterioration in the on-board battery 40, the power supply request unit 84 transmits a power supply request to the power receiving vehicle 10. Specifically, the power supply request unit 84 transmits the power supply request to the server 14. When the server 14 receives the power supply request, it extracts power receiving vehicles 10 that are candidates for matching, and transmits a power supply request to the extracted power receiving vehicles 10.

When transmitting a power supply request, the power supply request unit 84 also derives the amount of power that can be supplied and the unit price of power supply. The amount of power that can be supplied indicates the amount of power that can be supplied from the power supply vehicle 12 to the power receiving vehicle 10.

The power supply request unit 84 determines the amount of power that can be supplied so that the SOC of the vehicle battery 40 is equal to or lower than the suppressible SOC through power supply. The suppressible SOC indicates the SOC at which the progression of deterioration in the vehicle battery 40 can be suppressed. The suppressible SOC is set in advance as a fixed value based on the characteristics of the vehicle battery 40. The suppressible SOC is, for example, 50%, but is not limited to this example and can be set to any value. In other words, the power supply request unit 84 sets the amount of power that can be supplied to the amount of power equivalent to the SOC obtained by subtracting the suppressible SOC from the current SOC.

Assuming that power supply is to be performed, the power supply request unit 84 may predict the SOC that will decrease from the completion of power supply to the execution of the next charge, based on the vehicle's past driving history and charging history, etc. The power supply request unit 84 may determine the amount of power that can be supplied based on the predicted SOC and the suppressible SOC. For example, if the suppressible SOC is equal to or higher than the predicted SOC, the power supply request unit 84 may determine the amount of power that can be supplied based on an SOC obtained by subtracting the suppressible SOC from the current SOC. If the suppressible SOC is lower than the predicted SOC, the power supply request unit 84 may determine the amount of power that can be supplied based on an SOC obtained by subtracting the predicted SOC from the current SOC.

The power supply request unit 84 sets the power supply unit price to be equal to or lower than the charging unit price. For example, the power supply request unit 84 reads from the memory 58 the charging unit price for each charging operation that has been performed by the vehicle. The power supply request unit 84 sets the power supply unit price based on the highest charging unit price among the charging unit prices for each charging operation that has been performed. The driver of the power supply vehicle 12 can arbitrarily set how much lower the power supply unit price is to be from the charging unit price that is the standard.

The power supply request unit 84 may set the power supply fee unit price based on the charging fee unit price obtained by averaging the charging fee unit prices of the charging operations that have been performed up to now. The power supply request unit 84 may set the power supply fee unit price based on the charging fee unit price of the latest charging operation that has been performed up to now.

The power supply request unit 84 transmits a power supply request including the derived amount of power that can be supplied and the unit price of power supply from the vehicle to the power receiving vehicle. Note that the power supply request unit 84 may transmit the amount of power that can be supplied and the unit price of power supply separately from the power supply request.

The power supply execution unit 86 supplies power to the matched power receiving vehicle 10. After power supply is completed, the power supply execution unit 86 derives the power supply fee. For example, the power supply execution unit 86 multiplies the amount of power supply actually supplied by the power supply fee unit price presented in advance to derive the power supply fee. The power supply execution unit 86 transmits the derived power supply fee to the power receiving vehicle 10 and charges the power supply fee.

Figure 4 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the charging fee unit price derivation unit 80. The charging fee unit price derivation unit 80 repeatedly executes the series of processes in Figure 4 at each predetermined interrupt timing that occurs in a predetermined control period.

First, the charging fee unit price derivation unit 80 determines whether charging from outside the power supply vehicle 12 has been performed (S10). If charging from outside the power supply vehicle 12 has not been performed (NO in S10), the charging fee unit price derivation unit 80 ends the series of processes.

When charging from outside the power supply vehicle 12 is performed (YES in S10), the charging fee unit price derivation unit 80 derives the charging fee unit price for the current charging (S11). Then, the charging fee unit price derivation unit 80 stores the derived charging fee unit price for the current charging in the memory 58 (S12), and ends the series of processes.

Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining an example of the operation of the deterioration detection unit 82. The deterioration detection unit 82 repeatedly executes the series of processes in Figure 5 at each predetermined interrupt timing that occurs in a predetermined control period. The predetermined control period here can be any period, such as one hour or one day.

First, the deterioration detection unit 82 determines whether the power supply vehicle 12 is in the IG-OFF state (S20). If the power supply vehicle 12 is in the IG-ON state (NO in S20), the deterioration detection unit 82 ends the series of processes.

If the power supply vehicle 12 is in the IG-OFF state (YES in S20), the deterioration detection unit 82 derives the neglected time indicating the elapsed time from the timing of the transition from the IG-ON state to the IG-OFF state (S21).

Next, the deterioration detection unit 82 acquires the temperature of the vehicle battery 40 detected by the temperature sensor 60 (S22). The acquired temperature is stored in the memory 58. Next, the deterioration detection unit 82 derives the average temperature of the vehicle battery 40 during the unused time based on the temperature of the vehicle battery 40 acquired during the unused time (S23).

Next, the deterioration detection unit 82 acquires the SOC of the vehicle battery 40 based on the voltage of the vehicle battery 40 detected by the voltage sensor 62 (S24). The acquired SOC is stored in the memory 58. Next, the deterioration detection unit 82 derives the average SOC of the vehicle battery 40 during the unused time based on the SOC of the vehicle battery 40 acquired during the unused time (S25).

Next, the deterioration detection unit 82 applies the derived left-alone time, average temperature, and average SOC to the full charge capacity map to derive the current SOH (S26). The SOH at the time when the left-alone state started is stored in the memory 58.

Next, the deterioration detection unit 82 subtracts the current SOH from the SOH at the time when the device started to be left unattended to derive the amount of decrease in SOH (S27), and ends the series of processes.

Figure 6 is a flowchart explaining the flow until matching is established. The deterioration detection unit 82 of the power supply vehicle 12 judges whether the amount of decrease in SOH is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold at each predetermined interrupt timing that occurs in a predetermined control period (S30). If the amount of decrease in SOH is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the deterioration detection unit 82 judges that the progression of deterioration in the on-board battery 40 has been detected.

If no deterioration of the vehicle battery 40 is detected, i.e., if the decrease in SOH is less than the predetermined threshold (NO in S30), the deterioration detection unit 82 ends the processing for this interrupt timing.

If the progression of deterioration of the vehicle battery 40 is detected, i.e., if the amount of decrease in SOH is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (YES in S30), the deterioration detection unit 82 transfers processing to the power supply request unit 84. The power supply request unit 84 then executes the processing from step S31 onwards.

In step S31, the power supply request unit 84 derives the amount of power that can be supplied based on the current SOC (S31). For example, the power supply request unit 84 determines the amount of power that can be supplied to be the amount of power that corresponds to the SOC obtained by subtracting the suppressible SOC from the current SOC.

Next, the power supply request unit 84 derives the power supply fee unit price based on the charging fee unit price (S32). For example, the power supply request unit 84 uses the highest charging fee unit price among the charging fee unit prices of the charging operations performed up to now as a reference. The power supply request unit 84 determines the power supply fee unit price by subtracting a preset discount unit price from the reference charging fee unit price. The power supply request unit 84 may also determine the power supply fee unit price by adding a preset surcharge unit price to the reference charging fee.

Next, the power supply request unit 84 transmits a power supply request to the server 14 through the communication device 50 (S33). The power supply request includes information for identifying the power supply vehicle 12. The information for identifying the power supply vehicle 12 includes identification information for uniquely identifying the power supply vehicle 12, location information indicating the location of the power supply vehicle 12, the amount of power that can be supplied, and the unit price of power supply. Note that the information for identifying the power supply vehicle 12 is not limited to this example and may be set arbitrarily.

When the SOC of the on-board battery 20 of the power receiving vehicle 10 decreases, the driver of the power receiving vehicle 10 inputs an instruction to receive power to the power receiving vehicle 10. In response to the input, the control device 34 of the power receiving vehicle 10 transmits a power receiving request to the server 14 via the communication device 30 (S40). The power receiving request includes information that identifies the power receiving vehicle 10. The information that identifies the power receiving vehicle 10 includes identification information that uniquely identifies the power receiving vehicle 10, location information that indicates the location of the power receiving vehicle 10, the amount of power that can be received, and the unit price of the power receiving fee. The amount of power that can be received indicates the amount of power that the power receiving vehicle can receive from the power supply vehicle. The unit price of the power receiving fee indicates the unit price that can be paid for receiving power. Note that the information that identifies the power receiving vehicle 10 is not limited to this example and may be set arbitrarily.

When the control device 74 of the server 14 receives a power receiving request (S41), the control device 74 stores information identifying the power receiving vehicle 10 included in the power receiving request in the memory 78 (S42). The stored information identifying the power receiving vehicle 10 is used as a candidate for matching.

When the control device 74 of the server 14 receives a power supply request (S50), it extracts a power receiving vehicle 10 that satisfies a predetermined condition from among the multiple power receiving vehicles 10 stored in the memory 78 (S51). The extraction condition is, for example, a power receiving vehicle 10 that is within a predetermined distance from the position of the power supply vehicle 12 that transmitted the power supply request. The extraction condition is not limited to the exemplified conditions and may be set arbitrarily. Note that the server 14 received the power receiving request before receiving the power supply request. However, the server 14 may receive the power receiving request after receiving the power supply request.

The control device 74 of the server 14 transmits a power supply request to the extracted power receiving vehicle 10 (S52). When the control device 34 of the power receiving vehicle 10 receives the power supply request (S53), it presents the driver with the location information of the power supply vehicle 12, the amount of power that can be supplied, and the power supply rate unit price, and prompts the driver to select whether or not to accept the power reception (S54). Note that the information presented to the driver is not limited to the information exemplified. For example, the control device 34 of the power receiving vehicle 10 may present information indicating an evaluation or reputation of the power supply vehicle 12. The control device 34 of the power receiving vehicle 10 transmits the result selected by the driver of the power receiving vehicle 10 to the server 14 (S55).

When the control device 74 of the server 14 receives a result indicating that the power reception is accepted from any of the power receiving vehicles 10 (S56), it matches the power supply vehicle 12 that sent the power supply request with the power receiving vehicle 10 that accepted the power reception (S57).

When receiving results indicating that power reception is accepted from multiple power receiving vehicles 10, the control device 74 of the server 14 matches the power supply vehicle 12 with the power receiving vehicle 10 according to predetermined conditions. For example, the control device 74 of the server 14 derives a power supply estimate and a power receiving estimate. The power supply estimate indicates a value obtained by multiplying the amount of power that can be supplied in the power supply vehicle 12 by the unit power supply fee. The power receiving estimate indicates a value obtained by multiplying the amount of power that can be received in the power receiving vehicle 10 by the unit power receiving fee. The control device 74 of the server 14 matches the power receiving vehicle 10 that has accepted power reception with the power receiving vehicle 10 whose power receiving estimate is closest to the power supply estimate. This matching enables the power supply vehicle 12 to supply an appropriate amount of power at an appropriate fee.

The control device 74 of the server 14 is not limited to the mode of matching under the exemplified conditions. For example, the control device 74 of the server 14 may match with the power receiving vehicle 10 that has responded the earliest. The control device 74 of the server 14 may also match with the power supplying vehicle 12 and the power receiving vehicle 10 that are closest in distance to each other. The control device 74 of the server 14 may also match with the power receiving vehicle 10 that has the smallest difference between the time it takes for the power supplying vehicle 12 to supply power and the time it takes for the power receiving vehicle 10 to receive power.

When matching is established, the control device 74 of the server 14 transmits a notification indicating that matching has been established to the power supply vehicle 12 and the power receiving vehicle 10 (S58).

When the power supply request unit 84 of the power supply vehicle 12 receives the matched notification (S59), it notifies the driver of the power supply vehicle 12 that the match has been established and prompts the driver to supply power. The power supply request unit 84 of the power supply vehicle 12 may also transmit a notification prompting the driver to supply power to a communication terminal device carried by the driver.

When the control device 34 of the power receiving vehicle 10 receives the match notification (S60), it notifies the driver of the power receiving vehicle 10 that matching has been established and prompts the driver to receive power. The control device 34 of the power receiving vehicle 10 may also transmit a notification to a communication terminal device carried by the driver to prompt the driver to receive power.

In addition, if the control device 74 of the server 14 receives a result indicating that the power reception is not accepted from all of the power-receiving vehicles 10 to which the power supply request was sent (S56), the control device 74 of the server 14 may change the extraction conditions in step S51 and repeat the processing from step S51 onwards.

Figure 7 is a flowchart explaining the flow after matching is established. When matching is established, the driver of the power receiving vehicle 10 moves the power receiving vehicle 10 to the location of the matched power supply vehicle 12. The driver of the power receiving vehicle 10 can obtain a financial incentive by being presented with a power supply fee unit price that is lower than the charging fee unit price, and therefore can be allowed to move the power receiving vehicle 10 to the location of the power supply vehicle 12.

The present embodiment is not limited to the case where the power receiving vehicle 10 moves to the position of the power supply vehicle 12, and the power supply vehicle 12 may move to the position of the power receiving vehicle 10. Alternatively, both the power supply vehicle 12 and the power receiving vehicle 10 may move to a predetermined meeting place.

After the movement of the power receiving vehicle 10 is completed, the charging connector 44 of the charging cable 46 is connected to the power supplying vehicle 12, and the charging connector 24 is connected to the power receiving vehicle 10. When such power supply preparation is completed (YES in S71), the power supply execution unit 86 of the power supplying vehicle 12 starts supplying power to the power receiving vehicle 10 (S72). Then, the power receiving vehicle 10 starts receiving power from the power supplying vehicle 12 (S73). In FIG. 7, the transfer of power is indicated by dashed arrows.

The power supply execution unit 86 of the power supply vehicle 12 continues power supply until the power supply end condition is satisfied (NO in S74). The power supply end condition is, for example, when the actual power supply amount reaches the smaller of the power supplyable amount and the power receivable amount.

When the power supply end condition is met (YES in S74), the power supply execution unit 86 of the power supply vehicle 12 multiplies the actual amount of power supply by the power supply fee unit price to derive the power supply fee (S75). Then, the power supply execution unit 86 of the power supply vehicle 12 transmits information on the derived power supply fee to the power receiving vehicle 10 and bills the power supply fee (S76).

When the control device 34 of the power receiving vehicle 10 receives the information on the power supply fee (S77), it presents the power supply fee to the driver of the power receiving vehicle 10 and prompts payment (S78). When the driver of the power supply vehicle 12 receives payment from the driver of the power receiving vehicle 10 (S79), the series of operations ends.

As described above, the processor 56 of the power supply vehicle 12 in this embodiment executes processing that includes transmitting a power supply request from the power supply vehicle 12 to the power receiving vehicle 10 when the amount of decrease in SOH becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. As a result, the power supply vehicle 12 that transmitted the power supply request is matched with the power receiving vehicle 10 and can supply power to the power receiving vehicle 10. When power is supplied, the high SOC state of the on-board battery 40 is resolved.

Therefore, with the power supply vehicle 12 of this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the progression of deterioration of the on-board battery 40.

In the power supply system 1 of this embodiment, the server 14 matches the power supply vehicle 12 with the power receiving vehicle 10. However, the control device 54 of the power supply vehicle 12 may perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the power receiving vehicle 10 around the vehicle to match the vehicle with the power receiving vehicle 10.

In addition, at any timing between when the power supply vehicle 12 transmits a power supply request and when power supply is started, the control device 54 of the power supply vehicle 12 may provide the power receiving vehicle 10 with an opportunity to negotiate the unit price of the power supply fee. In addition, the control device 54 of the power supply vehicle 12 may obtain the unit price of the power reception fee from each of the power receiving vehicles 10 that are candidates for matching in an auction format, and determine the unit price of the power supply fee based on the unit price of the power reception fee.

In addition, when the amount of decrease in SOH is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the control device 54 of the power supply vehicle 12 may not transmit a power supply request if the SOC of the on-board battery 40 is less than the predetermined threshold.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Power supply system 10 Power receiving vehicle 12 Power supply vehicle 40 Vehicle-mounted battery 54 Control device 56 Processor 58 Memory

Claims (4)

A vehicle battery,
A control device;
Equipped with
The control device includes:
one or more processors;
one or more memories coupled to the processor;
having
A vehicle that is different from the vehicle itself and that needs to receive power is defined as a power receiving vehicle,
the host vehicle is capable of supplying the power stored in the on-board battery to the power receiving vehicle,
The processor operates in conjunction with a program contained in the memory;
periodically deriving a decrease in the SOH of the vehicle-mounted battery based on the SOH at a predetermined timing;
When the amount of decrease in the SOH becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, a power supply request for requesting execution of the power supply to the power receiving vehicle is transmitted from the host vehicle to the power receiving vehicle;
A vehicle that performs a process including: The processor,
Deriving a charging fee unit price indicating a price per unit amount of power in charging the on-board battery for each execution of the charging;
Setting a power supply fee unit price indicating a price per unit amount of power in the power supply to be equal to or lower than the charging fee unit price;
Transmitting the power supply fee unit price from the host vehicle to the power receiving vehicle;
The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising: an amount of power that can be supplied from the host vehicle to the power receiving vehicle is defined as a supplyable power amount;
The processor,
Deriving the supplyable power amount so that an SOC of the in-vehicle battery is equal to or lower than an SOC at which the progress of deterioration of the in-vehicle battery can be suppressed;
transmitting the supplyable power amount from the host vehicle to the power receiving vehicle;
The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, which executes a process including the steps of: a power receiving vehicle that is a vehicle that requires power reception;
a power supply vehicle that is a vehicle capable of supplying power stored in an on-board battery to the power receiving vehicle;
Equipped with
The power supply vehicle includes:
A control device is provided,
The control device includes:
one or more processors;
one or more memories coupled to the processor;
having
The processor operates in conjunction with a program contained in the memory;
periodically deriving a decrease in the SOH of the vehicle-mounted battery based on the SOH at a predetermined timing;
When the amount of decrease in the SOH becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, a power supply request for requesting execution of the power supply to the power receiving vehicle is transmitted from the power receiving vehicle to the power receiving vehicle;
A power supply system that performs a process including the steps of:

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