JP7679278B2 - EV charging system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an EV charging system in which multiple charging units for charging electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "EVs") are installed in common areas of a building.

As EVs become more common, the number of parking facilities equipped with multiple charging units is increasing in commercial facilities and housing complexes. In particular, it is expected that there will be an increasing need in the future for apartment complexes and other housing complexes to be able to charge multiple EVs at once.
Patent Document 1 (JP 2013-188031 A) describes a home gateway (7) having an operation unit (8) for a user to input a desired time for charging the electric vehicle, an interface unit (71), a data storage unit (72), a program memory (73), and a CPU (74), and the home gateway (7) is capable of communicating with a distribution board (20) and a vehicle charger (2) via a LAN (25), and the CPU (74) creates a charging plan for the on-board battery (1) and limits the power consumed for charging by multiple subscribers' homes to within the allowable supply capacity of an apartment building or a region (see, in particular, paragraphs 0020, 0023-0027, 0036, 0058, and Figures 2 and 3).

In addition, Patent Document 2 (JP 2014-057448 A) describes that one of the multiple power management assemblies (2) has a charging station (35) for charging electric vehicles (36), that during times of day when there is a lot of surplus power, electricity is stored in a central storage battery (32) and used to charge the electric vehicles (36), that the number of electric vehicles (36) that can be charged simultaneously is displayed on a reservation monitor, and that consumers (21) can make reservations for use of the charging station (35) by looking at the reservation monitor (see, in particular, paragraphs 0033, 0042 and Figure 1).

Furthermore, Patent Document 3 (JP 2014-073065 A) describes the gradual installation of chargers in line with the spread of electric vehicles, making it possible to change the contract capacity as necessary, and economically operating parking facilities in apartment complexes, etc. (see especially the abstract, paragraphs 0020, 0021, and Figure 3). Patent Document 4 (JP 2020-018104 A) describes the sending of a charging command to the corresponding charger (32) to the charging control device (30) in response to a notification from each user's smartphone (13), the execution of charging control for each charger so as to satisfy the constraints of the power supply of the business, and the execution of automatic charging using the individual charging mechanism in the smartphone (13) (see especially paragraphs 0029, 0034, 0050, 0057, and Figures 1 and 2).

However, in the energy management system of Patent Document 1, as described in paragraph 0054, in cases where the total amount of reservations exceeds the power upper limit after receiving charging reservations from multiple users, the charging plan is adjusted ex post. Therefore, the user cannot know at the time of making the reservation whether charging will be carried out as scheduled, and is required to check before and after the start of charging.
In addition, in the power interchange control system of Patent Document 2, the number of electric vehicles (36) that can be charged simultaneously is displayed on a reservation monitor, and the consumer (21) can make a reservation for use of the charging station (35) by looking at the reservation monitor. However, in order to do so, a central storage battery (32) with a considerable capacity is required, which raises the problem of high costs for the entire system.
The electric vehicle charging system of Patent Document 3 controls the operation of each charger so that the total power consumption does not exceed the contracted capacity, and does not vary the capacity.
Furthermore, in the charging control device of Patent Document 4, charging control is performed based on the constraint conditions of the power supply. However, as can be seen from the description in paragraphs 0011 and 0051, etc., the constraint conditions of the power supply change from moment to moment. Therefore, similarly to the energy management system of Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that the user of the charger (32) does not know whether charging will be performed as planned.

JP 2013-188031 A (Patent No. 5780984 A) JP 2014-057448 A (Patent No. 6051404 A) JP 2014-073065 A JP 2020-018104 A

A first object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and enable a user who uses a charging unit to charge an EV to reliably understand the charging schedule of the charging unit he or she intends to use at the start of use.
A second object of the present invention is to make it possible to adjust the number of simultaneous charges that can be made depending on the chargeable capacity for each time period and the number of users or the number of charging units.
Furthermore, the third objective of the present invention is to enable a user to make a reservation for the use of a charging unit in advance and to reliably understand the charging schedule of the charging unit to be used at the time of reservation, and the fourth objective is to enable the charging capacity to be easily expanded even in a situation where the charging capacity becomes insufficient due to an increase in the number of users or charging units.

The invention according to claim 1 is an EV charging system having a plurality of charging units to which power is supplied from a power distribution network,
a power distribution system that supplies power from the power distribution network includes a common system that branches off from an existing transformer and distributes power to other power receiving equipment and the plurality of charging units, and a dedicated system that branches off from the existing transformer and distributes power only to the plurality of charging units;
a child device installed in each of the plurality of charging units;
A master unit capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the slave unit;
a user terminal operable by a user who can use the EV charging system;
a server capable of transmitting and receiving information between the parent device and the user terminal;
The user terminal,
a charging unit designation means for designating one of the plurality of charging units;
a current command input means for inputting current command information for commanding the start or stop of current supply to the charging unit designated by the charging unit designation means;
a charging unit designation information transmission means for transmitting charging unit designation information designated by the charging unit designation means to the server;
a power-on command information transmitting means for transmitting the power-on command information inputted by the power-on command input means to the server,
the server includes a charging unit control information transmitting means configured to transmit charging unit control information to the parent device based on the charging unit designation information transmitted from the charging unit designation information transmitting means and the energization command information transmitted from the energization command information transmitting means;
the parent device has a current instruction information transmission means for transmitting current instruction information for instructing a start or stop of current supply to a child device corresponding to a designated charging unit based on the charging unit control information transmitted from the server;
The child device is
a current control unit that controls start and stop of current supply from a corresponding charging unit to an EV based on the current supply instruction information transmitted from the current supply instruction information transmission unit;
a current control information transmission means for transmitting current control information indicating a current state of the corresponding charging unit to the parent device at predetermined time intervals;
the parent device has a current control information transfer means for transferring the current control information transmitted from the current control information transmission means of all the child devices to the server;
The server,
a usage information transmission means for transmitting usage information including a current state and an amount of power used of the corresponding charging unit to the user terminal based on the current control information transferred from the current control information transfer means;
a time-series maximum capacity determination means for determining a maximum capacity that can be supplied from the common system and the dedicated system to the plurality of charging units for each date range and each time period in advance;
a capacity information transmission means for transmitting to the user terminal time-slot-specific chargeable capacity information relating to a chargeable capacity for each time slot from the present time until a specific time based on the maximum capacity for each date slot and each time slot determined by the time-slot-specific maximum capacity determination means and the current control information transferred from the current control information transfer means,
The user terminal,
a usage information display means for displaying a current state and an amount of power used of a corresponding charging unit based on the usage information transmitted from the usage information transmission means;
The present invention is characterized in that it has a chargeable capacity display means for displaying the chargeable capacity for each time period from the present to a specific time based on the chargeable capacity information for each time period transmitted from the capacity information transmission means.

The invention according to claim 2 is the EV charging system according to claim 1,
The user terminal,
a current amount input means for inputting a desired current amount to be used;
a current amount information transmission means for transmitting the current amount information inputted by the current amount input means to the server,
the charging unit control information transmission means transmits charging unit control information to the parent device based on the charging unit designation information, the current flow command information, and the current amount information transmitted from the current amount information transmission means;
The energization instruction information is information instructing a start of energization and a current amount or an end of energization,
the current control means controls the start, amount, and stop of current supply from the corresponding charging unit to the EV;
The current flow control information is information indicating a current state and a current amount in the corresponding charging unit,
The usage information display means displays the current state, amount of current, and amount of power used of the corresponding charging unit.

The invention according to claim 3 is the EV charging system according to claim 1 or 2,
the power supply command input means has a date and time input means for inputting a date and time of power supply start and a date and time of power supply stop to the charging unit designated by the charging unit designation means,
the power supply command information transmitting means transmits power supply command information specifying a power supply start date and time and a power supply stop date and time inputted by the date and time input means to the server;
the charging unit control information transmission means transmits charging unit control information to the parent machine on a date and time of starting energization and a date and time of stopping energization, which are specified in the energization command information, based on the charging unit designation information and the energization command information;
the capacity information transmitting means transmits to the user terminal a chargeable capacity for each date range and each time range based on the maximum capacity for each date range and each time range determined by the time-series maximum capacity determining means, the power supply control information transferred from the power supply control information transferring means, and the power supply command information transmitted from the power supply command information transmitting means of all the user terminals;
The chargeable capacity display means displays the chargeable capacity for each date range and each time period based on the chargeable capacity information for each date range and each time period transmitted from the capacity information transmission means.

The invention according to claim 4 provides an EV charging system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The power distribution system is characterized by including the common system, the dedicated system, and an external dedicated system that branches off from an external transformer different from the existing transformer and distributes power only to the multiple charging units.

The power distribution system that supplies power from the power distribution network assumed in the invention of claim 1 includes a common system that branches off from an existing transformer and distributes power to other power receiving equipment and multiple charging units. Therefore, the amount of power consumed by other power receiving equipment (such as homes or businesses) varies depending on the time of day, and the power capacity that can be supplied to multiple charging units for charging varies.
However, according to the invention of claim 1, the server capable of transmitting and receiving information between the parent unit and the user terminal has a time-series maximum capacity determination means for determining in advance the maximum capacity that can be supplied to multiple charging units from the common system and the dedicated system for each date range and time period, and has a capacity information transmission means for transmitting to the user terminal time-range chargeable capacity information regarding the chargeable capacity for each time range from the present to a specific time period based on the maximum capacity for each date range and time period and the power supply control information indicating the current status of each charging unit transmitted from all child units to the parent unit and transferred from the parent unit to the server.Therefore, a user using a charging unit can reliably understand the charging schedule for the charging unit he or she intends to use at the start of use.

According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the user terminal has a current amount input means for inputting a desired current amount and a current amount information transmission means for transmitting the input current amount information to the server, the server transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit based on the received current amount information, etc., the parent unit transmits current instruction information instructing the start of current flow and the current amount or stop of current flow to the child unit corresponding to the specified charging unit based on the received charging unit control information, and the child unit controls the start of current flow, the current amount and stop of current flow from the corresponding charging unit to the EV based on the transmitted current instruction information, so that the number of simultaneous charges can be adjusted according to the chargeable capacity for each time period and the number of users or the number of charging units used.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the user terminal transmits to the server current command information specifying the date and time of power start and power stop to the charging unit, and the server transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit at the date and time of power start and power stop specified in the current command information, and transmits the chargeable capacity for each date range and time period to the user terminal, and the user terminal displays the chargeable capacity for each date range and time period, so that the user can make a reservation for use of the charging unit in advance and can reliably grasp the charging schedule of the charging unit to be used at the time of reservation.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effects of the inventions of claims 1 to 3, the power distribution system consists of a common system, a dedicated system, and an external dedicated system that branches off from an external transformer different from the existing transformer and distributes power only to multiple charging units, so that the charging capacity can be easily expanded even if the charging capacity becomes insufficient due to an increase in users and charging units.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an EV charging system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an EV charging system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the maximum capacity that can be supplied to a plurality of charging units for each time period. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure from the start of charging to the end of charging in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure from the start of charging to the end of charging in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure from the start of charging to the end of charging in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an EV charging system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of increasing the number of chargeable devices without changing the maximum supplyable capacity. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an EV charging system according to a third embodiment.

The following describes the embodiment of the present invention using examples.

FIG. 1 shows a conceptual diagram of an EV charging system according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a block diagram thereof.
The EV charging system of Example 1 is supplied with power from a power distribution network and has a plurality of charging units 1 for charging EVs, as well as a slave unit 2 and a master unit 3 for controlling these charging units 1, and is equipped with the following means.
(1) A power distribution system consisting of a common system L1 that branches off from the existing transformer Tr1 and distributes power to other power receiving equipment R (homes, businesses, etc.) and multiple charging units 1, a dedicated system L2 that branches off from the existing transformer Tr1 and distributes power only to the multiple charging units 1, and an external dedicated system L3 that branches off from an external transformer Tr2 different from the existing transformer Tr1 and distributes power only to the multiple charging units 1.
(2) A slave unit 2 installed in each of the multiple charging units 1.
(3) A master unit 3 connected to each slave unit 2 via a communication line and capable of sending and receiving various types of information.
(4) A user terminal 4 that can be operated by a user who can use the EV charging system.
(5) A cloud server 5 capable of transmitting and receiving information between the parent device 3 and the user terminal 4 via an Internet line.

Next, configurations of the child device 2, the parent device 3, the user terminal 4, and the cloud server 5 will be described with reference to the block diagram of the EV charging system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.
<Child unit 2> Child unit 2 has a current control means 21 that controls the start and stop of current flow from the charging unit 1 to the EV by turning on or off the switch of the corresponding charging unit 1 based on current flow instruction information (described later) transmitted from the parent unit 3, and a current flow control information transmission means 22 that transmits current flow control information indicating the current status of the corresponding charging unit 1 (whether an EV is connected or not, the on/off status of the switch, and the charging current value to the EV) to the parent unit 3 at predetermined time intervals.
The charging current value to the EV is controlled to a constant value (usually 15 A), but as the EV battery approaches full charge, the charging current value decreases, so an ammeter that measures the charging current value is provided in the charging unit 1 in order to switch off the charging unit 1 when the charging current value falls below a threshold value (usually 10 A).In addition to the switch and ammeter, the charging unit 1 is also provided with a connection detection circuit that detects when the EV's charging plug is connected or disconnected by changes in current value or voltage value, etc.
However, if there is no need to switch off the charging unit 1 when the charging current value falls below a threshold value, only a connection detection circuit may be provided, and since the connection and unplugging of the EV charging plug can also be detected by an ammeter, only an ammeter may be provided, and if there is no need to detect the charging current value and the connection of the EV charging plug, an integrating wattmeter may be provided instead of an ammeter.

<Parent unit 3> The parent unit 3 has a current instruction information transmission means 31 that transmits current instruction information instructing the start or stop of current flow to the child unit 2 corresponding to the specified charging unit 1 based on charging unit control information (described later) transmitted from the cloud server 5, and a current control information transfer means 32 that transfers the current control information transmitted from the current control information transmission means 22 of all child units 2 to the cloud server 5.

<User terminal 4> The user terminal 4 has a charging unit designation means 41 that designates one of the multiple charging units 1, a current command input means 42 that can input current command information that commands the start or stop of current flow to the charging unit 1 designated by the charging unit designation means 41, a charging unit designation information transmission means 43 that transmits the charging unit designation information designated by the charging unit designation means 41 to the cloud server 5, a current command information transmission means 44 that transmits the current command information input by the current command input means 42 to the cloud server 5, a usage information display means 45 that displays the current status and amount of power used of the corresponding charging unit 1 based on usage information (described later) transmitted from the cloud server 5, and a chargeable capacity display means 46 that displays the chargeable capacity for each time zone from the present to a specific time period (for example, 24 hours later) based on time-zone-specific chargeable capacity information (described later) transmitted from the cloud server 5.
The user terminal 4 is a general-purpose smartphone with dedicated application software installed, and is capable of transmitting and receiving various types of information to and from the cloud server 5 using an Internet connection. The dedicated application software also displays on the screen buttons for designating the charging unit 1 and buttons for commanding the start or stop of power supply to the charging unit 1, and the user can input desired information by touching these buttons. Furthermore, based on various types of information transmitted from the cloud server 5, information such as the current status of the corresponding charging unit 1, the amount of power used to charge the EV, and the chargeable capacity for each time period is output.
In addition, when there is a one-to-one correspondence between the user terminal 4 and the charging unit 1, the charging unit designation means 41 may be a means for outputting pre-stored charging unit designation information at the appropriate time, but when there is no one-to-one correspondence between the user terminal 4 and the charging unit 1, the charging unit designation means 41 is a means for the user to check an available charging unit 1 and select or input charging unit designation information.

<Cloud server 5> The cloud server 5 has a charging unit control information transmitting means 51 that transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 based on the charging unit designation information transmitted from the charging unit designation information transmitting means 43 of the user terminal 4 and the energization command information transmitted from the energization command information transmitting means 44, a usage information transmitting means 52 that transmits usage information to the user terminal 4 including the current status and the amount of power used of the corresponding charging unit 1 based on the energization control information transferred from the energization control information transferring means 32 of the parent unit 3, a time-series maximum capacity determining means 53 that determines in advance the maximum capacity that can be supplied to the multiple charging units 1 from the common system L1, the dedicated system L2, and the external dedicated system L3 for each date zone and for each time zone, and a capacity information transmitting means 54 that transmits to the user terminal 4 time-slot-specific chargeable capacity information regarding the chargeable capacity for each time zone from the present time until a specific time based on the maximum capacity for each date zone and for each time zone determined by the time-series maximum capacity determining means and the energization control information transferred from the energization control information transferring means 32.
Then, the time-series maximum capacity determination means 53 determines the maximum capacity that can be supplied to the multiple charging units 1, taking into consideration the maximum amount of electricity used in the building in which the multiple charging units are installed for each date and time period throughout the year.
Therefore, it is possible to show in advance how the maximum supplyable capacity will change, and since there is usually no need to change that maximum capacity, the user can easily estimate by what time the EV battery will be fully charged when they start using it.
In addition, since the charging unit 1 is switched off when the charging current value falls below a threshold value (usually 10 A), even if no current flow command information instructing the power supply to be stopped is sent from the user terminal 4, when the charging current value falls below the threshold value, charging unit control information instructing the power supply to be stopped is sent from the charging unit control information sending means 51 to the parent unit 3.
Furthermore, the cloud server 5 creates a charging schedule for the specified charging unit 1 based on the charging unit designation information and power supply command information transmitted from the user terminal 4, and transmits charging unit control information according to the schedule to the parent unit 3, but it is better to transmit information on the created charging schedule or the charging end time to the user terminal 4.
In such a case, the user terminal 4 notifies the user by display or audio of the schedule until the end of charging (switch on/off) or the charging end time based on the received information.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the maximum capacity for each time period that can be supplied to a plurality of charging units 1 on a certain date, the maximum capacity being determined by the time-series maximum capacity determination means 53. In FIG.
This diagram shows an example of an EV charging system in which nine charging units 1 are installed, where the common system L1 can supply a maximum of 45 A of power from midnight to 7:00 and from 11:00 to 24:00, and the dedicated system L2 and external dedicated system L3 can supply a maximum of 45 A of power at all times.
In other words, in this example, during the time periods of midnight to 7:00 and 23:00 to 24:00, all charging units 1 can each supply a maximum of 15 A of power, and during the time period of 7:00 to 23:00, each of the six charging units 1 can supply a maximum of 15 A of power.
Therefore, even if a user wishes to start charging between 7:00 and 23:00, if charging is already being performed in six charging units 1, charging cannot be started until any of the charging units 1 that are currently charging has completed charging or stopped supplying power.
In such a case, the cloud server 5 transmits usage information including the current status of the corresponding charging unit 1 (that is, that it is waiting for charging to start) to the user terminal 4, but if the time when charging can start is known, that information may be included in the usage information.
In FIG. 3, the maximum capacity from the common system L1 during the time period from 11:00 p.m. to midnight is always set to 0 A, but the maximum capacity setting may be changed in finer detail, for example, by setting the maximum capacity from the common system L1 to 15 A during the time period from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram 1 illustrating the procedure (sequence) from the start of charging to the end of charging in the first embodiment, in which charging is continued continuously after the start of charging an EV, and the charging ends when the EV is fully charged.
<When charging starts>
When a user inputs energization command information instructing the start of energization from a user terminal 4 , the energization command information is transmitted to a cloud server 5 .
When the user connects the EV's plug to the outlet of the charging unit 1 before or after inputting the power supply command information, the connection is detected by a small current or voltage, etc., and power supply control information indicating that the EV has been connected is sent from the child unit 2 to the cloud server 5 via the parent unit 3.
When the cloud server 5 receives charging unit designation information and power supply command information instructing the start of power supply from the user terminal 4, it refers to this information and creates a charging schedule for the specified charging unit 1 based on the maximum capacity for each date range and time period, and the power supply control information from all child units 2 transferred from the parent unit 3.
Then, the cloud server 5 receives power supply control information indicating that the EV has been connected, and when the EV is in a state where charging is possible according to the created charging schedule, it transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 instructing the parent unit 3 to start supplying power to the specified charging unit 1.
When the parent device 3 receives the charging unit control information, the parent device 3 transmits current supply instruction information instructing the child device 2 corresponding to the designated charging unit 1 to start current supply.
When the child device 2 receives the power supply instruction information instructing the start of power supply, the child device 2 switches on the charging unit 1 and transmits power supply control information (switch on) to the cloud server 5 via the parent device 3 .
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply control information (switch on), it transmits usage information informing the user terminal 4 of the current status (power supply start) of the charging unit 1 .
When the user terminal 4 receives the usage information informing the current status (start of power supply) of the charging unit 1, the user terminal 4 displays the current status (start of power supply) of the charging unit 1. The usage information may be transmitted by email or by using an app for the EV system.
When charging unit designation information is transmitted from the user terminal, the cloud server 5 transmits to the user terminal 4 time-zone-specific chargeable capacity information regarding the chargeable capacity for each time zone from the present until a specific time period (e.g., up to 24 hours later) based on the maximum capacity for each date range and time zone and the power supply control information transferred from the parent unit 3, and the user terminal 4 displays the chargeable capacity for each time zone, so that the user can predict how charging will be performed before inputting power supply command information that instructs the start of power supply to the specified charging unit 1.

<Charging>
When power supply begins, the child device 2 transmits power supply control information indicating the current status of the corresponding charging unit 1 (charging current value to the EV) to the cloud server 5 via the parent device 3 at predetermined time intervals (e.g., every 15 minutes).
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply control information (charging current value), it transmits usage information informing the user terminal 4 of the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1 .
When the user terminal 4 receives the usage information informing the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1, the user terminal 4 displays the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1.
When the EV battery approaches full charge, the charging current value falls below a threshold value (usually 10 A).

<When charging is finished>
When the cloud server 5 receives power supply control information (charging current value) indicating that the charging current value has fallen below a threshold value (usually 10 A), it transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 instructing the specified charging unit 1 to stop supplying power.
When the parent device 3 receives the charging unit control information instructing the stopping of power supply, the parent device 3 transmits power supply instruction information instructing the stopping of power supply to the child device 2 corresponding to the specified charging unit 1 .
When the child device 2 receives the power supply instruction information instructing to stop power supply, it switches off the charging unit 1 and transmits power supply control information (switch off) to the cloud server 5 via the parent device 3 .
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply control information (switch off), it creates a usage history and then transmits usage information to the user terminal 4 informing the user terminal 4 of the current status of the charging unit 1 (power supply stopped) and the amount of electricity used, etc.
When the user terminal 4 receives the usage information informing the user of the current status (power supply stopped) of the charging unit 1 and the amount of power used, etc., the user terminal 4 displays the current status (power supply stopped) of the charging unit 1 and the amount of power used, etc.
Instead of or in addition to the amount of power used, the charging time or the usage fee may be displayed.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram 2 illustrating the procedure (sequence) from the start of charging to the end of charging in the first embodiment, in which charging of an EV is started, power supply is temporarily stopped, and power supply is resumed, resulting in a full charge and end of charging.
The procedures at the start and end of charging are the same as those shown in FIG. 4, so only the procedures during charging will be described.
<Charging>
When power supply begins, the child device 2 transmits power supply control information indicating the current status of the corresponding charging unit 1 (charging current value to the EV) to the cloud server 5 via the parent device 3 at predetermined time intervals (e.g., every 15 minutes).
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply control information (charging current value), it transmits usage information informing the user terminal 4 of the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1 .
When the user terminal 4 receives the usage information informing the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1, the user terminal 4 displays the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1.
Thereafter, if charging needs to be stopped temporarily according to the created schedule, or if charging needs to be stopped due to a natural disaster, accident, etc., the cloud server 5 transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 to instruct the specified charging unit 1 to stop supplying power.
When the parent device 3 receives the charging unit control information, the parent device 3 transmits current supply instruction information instructing the child device 2 corresponding to the designated charging unit 1 to stop supplying current.
When the child device 2 receives the power supply instruction information instructing to stop power supply, it switches off the charging unit 1 and transmits power supply control information (switch off) to the cloud server 5 via the parent device 3 .
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply control information (switch off), it transmits usage information informing the user terminal 4 of the current status (power supply stopped) of the charging unit 1 .
When the user terminal 4 receives the usage information informing the current status (power supply stopped) of the charging unit 1, the user terminal 4 displays the current status (power supply stopped) of the charging unit 1.
Furthermore, when power supply is resumed according to the created schedule, or when power supply can be resumed due to power recovery, etc., the cloud server 5 transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 to instruct the start of power supply to the specified charging unit 1.
When the parent device 3 receives the charging unit control information, the parent device 3 transmits current supply instruction information instructing the child device 2 corresponding to the designated charging unit 1 to start current supply.
When the child device 2 receives the power supply instruction information instructing the start of power supply, the child device 2 switches on the charging unit 1 and transmits power supply control information (switch on) to the cloud server 5 via the parent device 3 .
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply control information (switch on), it transmits usage information informing the user terminal 4 of the current status (power supply start) of the charging unit 1 .
When power supply is resumed, the child device 2 transmits power supply control information indicating the current status of the corresponding charging unit 1 (charging current value to the EV) to the cloud server 5 via the parent device 3 at predetermined time intervals (e.g., every 15 minutes).
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply control information (charging current value), it transmits usage information informing the user terminal 4 of the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1 .
When the user terminal 4 receives the usage information informing the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1, the user terminal 4 displays the current status (charging current value) of the charging unit 1.
When the EV battery approaches full charge, the charging current value falls below a threshold value (usually 10 A).

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram 3 illustrating the procedure (sequence) from the start of charging to the end of charging in the first embodiment, which shows the procedure in the case where charging is terminated at the user's request, etc., when charging of the EV has been started and continues continuously, when power supply to the EV has been stopped once since charging started, or when power supply has been resumed and charging is continuing.
Note that the procedure at the start of charging is the same as the procedure shown in FIG. 4, the procedure during charging when charging continues continuously after charging of an EV has started is the same as the procedure shown in FIG. 4 up to a certain point, and the procedure during charging when current supply is temporarily stopped after charging of an EV has started or when current supply is resumed and charging continues is the same as the procedure shown in FIG. 5 up to a certain point, therefore, FIG. 6 will only explain the procedure at the end of charging.
<When charging is finished>
When a user who wishes to stop power supply during charging inputs a power supply stop command from the user terminal 4 , power supply command information instructing the stopping of power supply to the specified charging unit 1 is transmitted to the cloud server 5 .
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply command information commanding the stopping of power supply, the cloud server 5 transmits charging unit control information commanding the stopping of power supply to the designated charging unit 1 to the parent device 3 .
When the parent device 3 receives the charging unit control information, the parent device 3 transmits current supply instruction information instructing the child device 2 corresponding to the designated charging unit 1 to stop supplying current.
When the child device 2 receives the power supply instruction information instructing to stop power supply, it switches off the charging unit 1 and transmits power supply control information (switch off) to the cloud server 5 via the parent device 3 .
When the cloud server 5 receives the power supply control information (switch off), it creates a usage history and then transmits usage information to the user terminal 4 informing the user terminal 4 of the current status of the charging unit 1 (power supply stopped) and the amount of electricity used, etc.
When the user terminal 4 receives the usage information informing the user of the current status (power supply stopped) of the charging unit 1 and the amount of power used, etc., the user terminal 4 displays the current status (power supply stopped) of the charging unit 1 and the amount of power used, etc.
In addition to when the user wishes to stop power supply during charging, if the EV's charging plug is unplugged due to mistake or accident, power supply control information indicating that the EV's charging plug has been unplugged and power supply control information (charging current value) indicating that the charging current value has reached approximately 0 A are transmitted from the child unit 2 to the parent unit 3 via the cloud server 5.
When the cloud server 5 receives such information, it transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 instructing the corresponding charging unit 1 to stop supplying power, and then the same procedure as described above is performed, so that the user can be informed that power has been stopped.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an EV charging system according to the second embodiment.
The EV charging system of Example 2 differs from the EV charging system of Example 1 (Figure 2) in that a current amount input means 47 and a current amount information transmission means 48 are added to the user terminal 4, the charging unit control information transmitted from the cloud server 5 to the parent unit 3 and the current flow instruction information transmitted from the parent unit 3 to the child unit 2 include information regarding the current amount during charging, and the current flow control means 21 of the child unit 2 controls the start, current amount, and stop of current flow from the corresponding charging unit 1 to the EV, but the other configurations are approximately the same as those of Example 1.
Therefore, the same reference numbers are used for components common to the EV charging systems of the first and second embodiments, and descriptions of components and functions that are identical to those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

<Child unit 2> In Example 1, the current control means 21 only controlled the start and stop of current flow from the corresponding charging unit 1 to the EV, but in Example 2, the current control means 21 not only turns the switch of the charging unit 1 on or off based on current flow instruction information (described later) transmitted from the parent unit 3, but also controls the current amount adjustment means, thereby controlling the start, current amount, and stop of current flow from the charging unit 1 to the EV.
The charging current value for the EV is controlled so as to maintain the current value instructed by the current flow instruction information, and is usually instructed to be either 15A or 7.5A.

<Parent unit 3> The power supply instruction information transmission means 31 in Example 1 transmits power supply instruction information instructing the start or stop of power supply to the child unit 2 corresponding to the specified charging unit 1, but the power supply instruction information transmission means 31 in Example 2 transmits power supply instruction information instructing the start and amount of current or stop of power supply to the child unit 2 corresponding to the charging unit 1 based on the charging unit control information (described later) transmitted from the cloud server 5.

<User terminal 4> In Example 2, a current amount input means 47 and a current amount information transmission means 48 are added to the user terminal 4, and the user inputs the desired current amount to be used when charging the EV using the charging unit 1 specified by the charging unit designation means 41, and the current amount information input by the current amount input means 47 is transmitted to the cloud server 5 by the current amount information transmission means 48.
The usage information display means 45 then displays the current state, amount of current, and amount of power used of the corresponding charging unit 1 based on the usage information (described later) transmitted from the cloud server 5 .

<Cloud server 5> The charging unit control information transmission means 51 in Example 1 transmitted charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 instructing the start or stop of current flow based on the charging unit designation information and current flow command information transmitted from the user terminal 4, whereas the charging unit control information transmission means 51 in Example 2 transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 instructing the start of current flow and the current amount or stop of current flow based on the charging unit designation information transmitted from the charging unit designation information transmission means 43 of the user terminal 4, the current flow command information transmitted from the current flow command information transmission means 44, and the current amount information transmitted from the current amount information transmission means 48.
In addition, the usage information transmission means 52 in Example 1 transmitted usage information including the current status of the corresponding charging unit 1 and the amount of power used to the user terminal 4 based on the current control information transferred from the parent unit 3, whereas the usage information transmission means 52 in Example 2 differs in that it transmits usage information including the current status, current amount, and amount of power used of the charging unit 1 to the user terminal 4 based on the current control information transferred from the current control information transfer means 32 of the parent unit 3.
In the cloud server 5 in Example 1, when the charging current value falls below a threshold value (usually 10 A), the charging unit control information transmitting means 51 transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 instructing the power supply to be stopped. However, in the cloud server 5 in Example 2, the charging current value may be controlled to a low value, so when the charging current value falls below a lower threshold value (usually 5 A), the charging unit control information transmitting means 51 transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 instructing the power supply to be stopped.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the number of chargeable devices is increased without changing the maximum supplyable capacity.
That is, similarly to FIG. 3 , the maximum capacity that can be supplied to the multiple charging units 1 for each time period determined by the time series maximum capacity determination means 53 is 135 A for the time periods from midnight to 7:00 and 23:00 to 24:00, and 90 A for the time periods from 7:00 to 23:00. However, in the EV charging system of Example 2, the amount of current supplied to one charging unit 1 can be limited to, for example, 7.5 A. Therefore, during the time periods from midnight to 7:00 and 23:00 to 24:00, a maximum of 18 charging units 1 can charge EVs, and during the time periods from 7:00 to 23:00, a maximum of 12 charging units 1 can charge EVs.
Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to increase the number of charging units 1 that can charge simultaneously without changing the maximum supplyable capacity.
FIG. 8 shows an example of the amount of current set for each charging unit 1 when 16 charging units 1 are installed and the charging units 1 are operated at full capacity.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an EV charging system according to the third embodiment.
The EV charging system of Example 3 differs from the EV charging system of Example 1 ( FIG. 2 ) in that a date and time input means 49 is added to the power supply command input means 42 of the user terminal 4, that the power supply command information transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the cloud server 5 includes information specifying the date and time of power supply start and the date and time of power supply stop, and charging unit control information is transmitted from the cloud server 5 to the parent unit 3 at the date and time of power supply start and the date and time of power supply stop specified in the power supply command information, and that chargeable capacity information for each date zone and each time zone is transmitted from the cloud server 5 to the user terminal 4, and the chargeable capacity for each date zone and each time zone is displayed on the user terminal 4 based on the chargeable capacity information, and in addition, while each child unit 2 and parent unit 3 in Example 1 are connected by a communication line, each child unit 2 and parent unit 3 in Example 3 are connected by a wireless line. However, the other configurations are substantially the same as those of Example 1.
Therefore, the same reference numbers are used for components common to the EV charging systems of the first and third embodiments, and descriptions of components and functions that are exactly the same as those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

<Child unit 2 and parent unit 3> While each child unit 2 and parent unit 3 in the first embodiment are connected by a communication line, each child unit 2 and parent unit 3 in the third embodiment are connected by a wireless line. However, both the first and third embodiments are the same in that they can transmit and receive various information between each other.
In the first and second embodiments, each handset 2 and the base unit 3 may be connected by a wireless line, and conversely, in the third embodiment, each handset 2 and the base unit 3 may be connected by a communication line.

<User terminal 4> In Example 3, a date and time input means 49 is added to the power supply command input means 42, and power supply command information specifying the date and time of power start and the date and time of power stop inputted by the date and time input means 49 can be transmitted to the cloud server 5 by the power supply command information transmission means 44.
In addition, the chargeable capacity display means 46 in Example 1 displayed the chargeable capacity for each time zone from the present to a specific time based on the chargeable capacity information by time zone transmitted from the cloud server 5, whereas the chargeable capacity display means 46 in Example 3 can display the chargeable capacity for each date zone and time zone around the date and time when the start and stop of power supply are to be scheduled, based on the chargeable capacity information for each date zone and time zone transmitted from the capacity information transmission means 54 of the cloud server 5 to the user terminal 4.

<Cloud server 5> In Example 1, the charging unit control information transmission means 51 immediately transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 upon receiving the charging unit designation information and power supply command information transmitted from the user terminal 4 based on the information. In Example 3, the charging unit control information transmission means 51 transmits charging unit control information to the parent unit 3 at the date and time of power supply start and the date and time of power supply stop specified in the power supply command information based on the charging unit designation information transmitted from the charging unit designation information transmission means 43 of the user terminal 4 and the power supply command information transmitted from the power supply command information transmission means 44.
In addition, the capacity information transmitting means 54 in Example 1 transmits chargeable capacity information by time zone regarding the chargeable capacity for each time zone from the present to a specific time period to the user terminal 4, whereas the capacity information transmitting means 54 in Example 3 transmits chargeable capacity information for each date zone and each time zone to the user terminal 4.

Modifications of the first to third embodiments are listed below.
(1) In Examples 1 to 3, the power distribution system consisted of a common system L1, a dedicated system L2, and an external dedicated system L3. However, when the number of users and charging units 1 is small, it is not necessary to provide the external dedicated system L3.
(2) In Examples 1 to 3, the user terminal 4 is a smartphone on which application software is installed. However, it may also be a dedicated mobile terminal or a personal computer (installed in the user's home, etc.) on which application software is installed.
(3) In Examples 1 to 3, a cloud server 5 was used that can transmit and receive information between the parent unit 3 and the user terminal 4 using an Internet line. However, a server that can transmit and receive information between the parent unit 3 and the user terminal 4 using an appropriate line (which may be wireless or wired) may also be used.
(4) In Examples 1 to 3, when the charging current value falls below a threshold value, charging unit control information transmitting means 51 transmits charging unit control information instructing the power supply to be stopped from cloud server 5 to parent unit 3. However, such a function may be omitted.
Also, instead of transmitting charging unit control information commanding the power supply to be stopped, the user terminal 4 may notify the user that the battery is fully charged.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Charging unit 2 Child unit 3 Parent unit 4 User terminal 5 Cloud server 21 Power supply control means 22 Power supply control information transmission means 31 Power supply instruction information transmission means 32 Power supply control information transfer means 41 Charging unit designation means 42 Power supply instruction input means 43 Charging unit designation information transmission means 44 Power supply instruction information transmission means 45 Usage information display means 46 Chargeable capacity display means 47 Current amount input means 48 Current amount information transmission means 49 Date and time input means 51 Charging unit control information transmission means 52 Usage information transmission means 53 Time-series maximum capacity determination means 54 Capacity information transmission means EV Electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid vehicle L1 Common system L2 Dedicated system L3 External dedicated system R Other power receiving equipment Tr1 Existing transformer Tr2 External transformer

Claims (4)

An EV charging system having a plurality of charging units supplied with power from a power grid,
a power distribution system that supplies power from the power distribution network includes a common system that branches off from an existing transformer and distributes power to other power receiving equipment and the plurality of charging units, and a dedicated system that branches off from the existing transformer and distributes power only to the plurality of charging units;
a child device installed in each of the plurality of charging units;
A master unit capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from the slave unit;
a user terminal operable by a user who can use the EV charging system;
a server capable of transmitting and receiving information between the parent device and the user terminal;
The user terminal,
a charging unit designation means for designating one of the plurality of charging units;
a current command input means for inputting current command information for commanding the start or stop of current supply to the charging unit designated by the charging unit designation means;
a charging unit designation information transmission means for transmitting charging unit designation information designated by the charging unit designation means to the server;
a power-on command information transmitting means for transmitting the power-on command information inputted by the power-on command input means to the server,
the server has a charging unit control information transmitting means configured to transmit charging unit control information to the parent device based on the charging unit designation information transmitted from the charging unit designation information transmitting means and the energization command information transmitted from the energization command information transmitting means;
the parent device has a current instruction information transmission means for transmitting current instruction information for instructing a start or stop of current supply to a child device corresponding to a designated charging unit based on the charging unit control information transmitted from the server;
The child device is
a current control unit that controls start and stop of current supply from a corresponding charging unit to an EV based on the current supply instruction information transmitted from the current supply instruction information transmission unit;
a current control information transmission means for transmitting current control information indicating a current state of the corresponding charging unit to the parent device at predetermined time intervals;
the parent device has a current control information transfer means for transferring the current control information transmitted from the current control information transmission means of all the child devices to the server;
The server,
a usage information transmission means for transmitting usage information including a current state and an amount of power used of the corresponding charging unit to the user terminal based on the power supply control information transferred from the power supply control information transfer means;
a time-series maximum capacity determination means for determining a maximum capacity that can be supplied from the common system and the dedicated system to the plurality of charging units for each date range and each time period in advance;
a capacity information transmission means for transmitting to the user terminal time-slot-specific chargeable capacity information relating to a chargeable capacity for each time slot from the present time until a specific time based on the maximum capacity for each date slot and each time slot determined by the time-slot-specific maximum capacity determination means and the current control information transferred from the current control information transfer means,
The user terminal,
a usage information display means for displaying a current state and an amount of power used of a corresponding charging unit based on the usage information transmitted from the usage information transmission means;
a chargeable capacity display means for displaying the chargeable capacity for each time period from the present to a specific time based on the chargeable capacity information for each time period transmitted from the capacity information transmission means. The user terminal,
a current amount input means for inputting a desired current amount to be used;
a current amount information transmission means for transmitting the current amount information inputted by the current amount input means to the server,
the charging unit control information transmission means transmits charging unit control information to the parent device based on the charging unit designation information, the current flow command information, and the current amount information transmitted from the current amount information transmission means;
The energization instruction information is information instructing a start of energization and a current amount or an end of energization,
the current control means controls the start, amount, and stop of current supply from the corresponding charging unit to the EV;
The current flow control information is information indicating a current state and a current amount in the corresponding charging unit,
The EV charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the usage information display means displays a current state, an amount of electric current, and an amount of electric power used of the corresponding charging unit. the power supply command input means has a date and time input means for inputting a date and time of power supply start and a date and time of power supply stop to the charging unit designated by the charging unit designation means,
the power supply command information transmitting means transmits power supply command information specifying a power supply start date and time and a power supply stop date and time inputted by the date and time input means to the server;
the charging unit control information transmission means transmits charging unit control information to the parent machine on a date and time of starting energization and a date and time of stopping energization, which are specified in the energization command information, based on the charging unit designation information and the energization command information;
the capacity information transmitting means transmits to the user terminal a chargeable capacity for each date range and each time range based on the maximum capacity for each date range and each time range determined by the time-series maximum capacity determining means, the power supply control information transferred from the power supply control information transferring means, and the power supply command information transmitted from the power supply command information transmitting means of all the user terminals;
3. The EV charging system according to claim 1, wherein the chargeable capacity display means displays the chargeable capacity for each date zone and each time zone based on the chargeable capacity information for each date zone and each time zone transmitted from the capacity information transmission means. 4. The EV charging system according to claim 1, wherein the power distribution system comprises the common system, the dedicated system, and an external dedicated system that branches off from an external transformer different from the existing transformer and distributes power only to the multiple charging units.