JP7807906B2 - Mechanical parking equipment and charging control method therefor - Google Patents

Description

This application relates to a charging device for a mechanical parking facility capable of charging electric vehicles, a mechanical parking facility equipped with the same, and a charging control method.

Traditionally, mechanical parking facilities for parking multiple vehicles have been installed in apartment buildings, business districts, and other locations. Mechanical parking facilities have adopted elevator-type, multi-level, and other types depending on installation conditions. Meanwhile, with the recent popularity of electric vehicles ("electric vehicles" in this specification and claims includes "electric vehicles: EVs" and "plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: PHEVs"), mechanical parking facilities have been proposed that allow electric vehicles to be charged while parked.

For example, one prior art of this type is a parking device that parks vehicles, including electric vehicles, and when there are multiple electric vehicles that require charging, controls the current value of the charging power for the electric vehicles so that the sum of the driving power of the parking mechanism and the charging power for the electric vehicles does not exceed the power capacity (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this prior art, the minimum value of the charging power for the electric vehicles is set to be non-zero.

Patent No. 6202817

When parking an electric vehicle in a mechanical parking facility, for example an elevator-type parking facility, the electric vehicle is parked in a designated position on a charging carrier (pallet) at the entrance/exit area, and an EVSE charging cable (EVSE: Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) provided on the electric vehicle is used to connect the electric vehicle's charging port to an outlet provided on the charging carrier. The charging carrier carrying the electric vehicle is then stored in a designated charging storage area, connecting the contacts on the charging carrier with the contacts on the charging storage area (mechanical parking facility) and enabling charging.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5, an EVSE charging cable 100 installed in a typical electric vehicle has a control box 104 installed midway along a cable 103, which has a charging connector 101 at both ends that connects to the charging port of the electric vehicle (EV) and a plug 102 that connects to a power supply outlet. This control box 104 also houses an electrical circuit (the IEC 61851-1 standard control pilot circuit (hereinafter referred to as "CPLT")) that transmits the current value of the charging power from the AC power source to the electric vehicle.

However, if charging does not begin when the EVSE charging cable is connected to the electric vehicle's charging port and the mechanical parking facility's outlet, even if the contacts on the charging carrier and the contacts on the mechanical parking facility connect and charging begins, the control box 104 may not transmit the appropriate current value to the electric vehicle, and the current value set in the EVSE charging cable may not be supplied to the electric vehicle. For example, if a current less than the value set in the EVSE charging cable is supplied to the electric vehicle, the charging time may be extended and charging may not be completed within the parking time. Furthermore, in situations where multiple electric vehicles share charging power, charging may take a long time until the vehicle is fully charged, and electric vehicles waiting to be charged may not be able to be charged. Furthermore, depending on the electric vehicle, charging may not begin even when the contacts on the charging carrier and the contacts on the mechanical parking facility connect. The above prior art does not mention any issues caused by the control box 104.

In order to solve this problem, the inventors of this application focused on the fact that when charging an electric vehicle, the charging current value is transmitted to the electric vehicle from an electrical circuit built into the control box of the EVSE charging cable. They then researched charging in power supply systems in mechanical parking facilities and invented a charging device for mechanical parking facilities that can charge electric vehicles at an appropriate current value, as well as mechanical parking facilities equipped with such a device and a charging control method.

The charging device for a mechanical parking facility according to the present application comprises a charging carrier capable of carrying an electric vehicle and a charging storage section that stores the charging carrier and charges the electric vehicle. The charging carrier and the charging storage section are connected by storing the charging carrier in the charging storage section. The charging carrier and the charging storage section have an information communication section that transmits information about the charging current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle. The charging controller is provided on the main body of the charging carrier or the mechanical parking facility, and the charging control device allocates the charging current to be supplied according to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage section and transmits information about the charging current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle via the charging controller. In this specification and claims, "charging controller" refers to a device that has, for example, EVSE signal communication functions compliant with IEC 61851-1 and SAE J1772 standards, or similar functions, and transmits the charging current value to the electric vehicle.

With this configuration, when the charging carrier is stored in the charging storage unit and the information and communication unit that sends information about the charging current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle is connected, the charging control device assigns the charging current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle according to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit. The charging control device then transmits information about the charging current value from the charging controller to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit via the charging controller. Therefore, the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit can be charged at the appropriate current value.

The charging vehicle may also have a number of charging controllers corresponding to the number of charging storage compartments, with each charging vehicle being equipped with a charging controller. In this specification and claims, "charging controller" refers to, for example, a device with EVSE signal communication functionality compliant with the IEC 61851-1 standard and SAE J1772, or a device with similar functionality. With this configuration, charging current information can be communicated between multiple electric vehicles and the charging control device via the charging controller equipped in the charging vehicle.

Furthermore, the number of charging controllers may correspond to the number of charging storage sections, and the charging controllers may be provided on the main body side of the mechanical parking facility. With this configuration, charging current information can be communicated between multiple electric vehicles and the charging control device via the charging controller provided on the main body side of the mechanical parking facility.

Furthermore, the charging vehicles and the charging storage units at multiple locations may be equipped with the information communication units, and the charging control device may be configured to determine the charging current value to be allocated to each of the electric vehicles based on information obtained from the control device of the mechanical parking facility regarding the status of each charging vehicle or whether charging is currently being performed at each charging vehicle. The status of each charging vehicle includes whether an electric vehicle is present or not, and whether storage at the charging storage unit has been completed. With this configuration, when charging multiple electric vehicles, the charging current can be appropriately allocated to each electric vehicle based on information obtained from the control device of the mechanical parking facility regarding the status of each charging vehicle or whether charging is currently being performed at each charging vehicle.

Furthermore, the information and communication units may be provided in the charging vehicles and the charging storage units at multiple locations, and the charging control device may be configured to determine the charging current value to be allocated to each of the multiple electric vehicles based on the number of electric vehicles stored in the charging storage units, the set current value of each electric vehicle, the current value that can be supplied to the electric vehicles from the main unit, and the charging current value of the electric vehicles. With this configuration, when charging multiple electric vehicles, the charging current that can be supplied from the parking facility main unit can be appropriately allocated according to the number of electric vehicles, the set current value of each electric vehicle, and the charging current value of the electric vehicles.

The charging control device may also be configured to monitor the number of electric vehicles being charged, and when the number of electric vehicles being charged changes, change the allocation of the charging current value in accordance with the new number of electric vehicles being charged. With this configuration, even if the number of electric vehicles being charged changes while multiple electric vehicles are being charged, the charging current can be appropriately allocated in accordance with the number of electric vehicles being charged.

The charging control device may also be configured to monitor the charging current value of the electric vehicle being charged, and when charging of the electric vehicle is complete, allocate the charging current value to an electric vehicle that will begin charging anew, or change the set current value of the electric vehicle being charged. With this configuration, when charging of the electric vehicle being charged is complete, the charging current value can be allocated to an electric vehicle that will begin charging anew, or the set current value of the electric vehicle being charged can be changed and used effectively.

The charging control device may also be configured to monitor the current value that can be supplied for charging the electric vehicle, and change the allocation of the charging current value for the electric vehicle when the current value that can be supplied changes. This configuration allows the current value that can be supplied for charging to be monitored, and when the current value that can be supplied for charging the electric vehicle changes, the allocation of the charging current value for the electric vehicle can be changed and used effectively.

The charging control device may also be configured to issue a command to move the charging vehicle carrying the electric vehicle to the charging storage unit when the current value that can be supplied to charge the electric vehicle exceeds the charging current value of the electric vehicle being charged and there is a charging vehicle carrying the electric vehicle that is not stored in the charging storage unit. With this configuration, when the current value that can be supplied to charge the electric vehicle exceeds the charging current value of the electric vehicle being charged, a command can be issued to move a charging vehicle carrying the electric vehicle that is not stored in the charging storage unit to the charging storage unit, so that the electric vehicle can be charged.

On the other hand, the mechanical parking facility according to the present application comprises a parking facility main body equipped with a plurality of the charging vehicles and a plurality of the charging storage sections, a power supply unit that supplies charging power to the electric vehicle and is connected when the charging vehicle is stored in the charging storage section, a control device that supplies the charging power to the charging vehicle stored in the charging storage section, and any of the charging devices described above.

This configuration allows a mechanical parking facility equipped with multiple charging vehicles and multiple charging storage sections to charge multiple stored electric vehicles at an appropriate charging current value.

On the other hand, the charging control method according to the present application is a charging control method for a mechanical parking facility that stores a charging carrier equipped with an electric vehicle in a charging storage unit and charges the electric vehicle. The charging current to be supplied is allocated according to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit, and information on the value of the charging current to be supplied to the electric vehicle is transmitted from the charging controller to the electric vehicle via an information communication unit that is connected when the charging carrier is stored in the charging storage unit.

With this configuration, the charging current to be supplied is allocated according to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit, and information on the charging current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle is sent from the charging controller to the electric vehicle via the information and communications unit that is connected when the charging carrier is stored in the charging storage unit. This allows the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit to be charged at an appropriate charging current value.

This application makes it possible to provide a charging device for mechanical parking facilities that can charge electric vehicles at an appropriate current value.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an elevator-type parking facility according to a first embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing a state in which the charging carrier of the elevator-type parking facility shown in FIG. 1 is stored in the charging storage section. FIG. 3 is a front view showing an elevator-type parking facility according to a second embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 is a front view schematically showing the charging carrier of the elevator-type parking facility shown in FIG. 3 stored in the charging storage section. FIG. 5 is a front view schematically illustrating the EVSE charging cable.

An embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, a 90-degree entry elevator-type parking facility 10, 50 will be described as an example of a mechanical parking facility. Mechanical parking facilities are not limited to elevator-type parking facilities 10, 50, and include other types in which a charging carrier 45 is stored in a charging storage section 24. Note that the concepts of front, rear, left, and right in this specification and claims correspond to the concepts of front, rear, left, and right when viewed from outside the loading/unloading section 12 as seen from the entrance door 13 in Figure 1.

(Mechanical parking facility according to the first embodiment)
Fig. 1 is a front view showing an elevator-type parking facility 10 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view showing a charging vehicle 45 of the elevator-type parking facility 10 shown in Fig. 1 stored in a charging storage section 24. Fig. 2 shows the charging vehicle 45 just before it reaches its home storage position, and shows the state before the connecting section, which will be described later, is connected.

As shown in Figure 1, the elevator-type parking facility 10 according to this embodiment has a steel-framed parking tower 11, the first floor of which serves as a loading/unloading area 12. The loading/unloading area 12 is provided with an openable entrance/exit door 13. An operation control panel 14 is provided to the side of the entrance/exit door 13.

The parking tower 11 has a vertically extending hoistway 16 in the center, which is rectangular in plan view. In this embodiment, a multi-tiered storage section 23 for storing regular carriages 40 and a multi-tiered charging storage section 24 for storing charging carriages 45 are arranged vertically on either side of the hoistway 16. The arrangement of the storage sections 23 and charging storage sections 24 is an example. Each charging storage section 24 is connected to the control device 30 of the elevator-type parking facility 10 by a power supply line 31. In this embodiment, wiring for transmitting and receiving information is provided parallel to the power supply line 31, but is not shown. In this embodiment, the control device 30 also includes a charging control device 33 for the charging device 35, which will be described later.

The elevator (transport device) 17 that transports the carriage 40 and charging carriage 45 is provided in the hoistway 16. The elevator 17 is suspended by a wire rope 19, which is driven by a drive machine 21 via a deflection roller 20 provided at the top of the parking tower 11. A counterweight 22 that reduces the hoisting force of the drive machine 21 is provided at one end of the wire rope 19 that raises and lowers the elevator 17.

In addition, the elevator-type parking facility 10 of this embodiment is provided with a pit 28 in the loading/unloading section 12, and a turning device 26 is provided inside the pit 28 to lift and turn the carrier 40 and charging carrier 45 transported by the elevator 17. The turning device 26 allows the automobile V and electric vehicle EV that have been loaded forward onto the carrier 40 and charging carrier 45 to be turned 90 degrees and stored in the storage section. The pallet transfer mechanism 18 and turning device 26 can be made of known means.

The carriage 40 and charging carriage 45 are raised and lowered in the hoistway 16 by the elevator 17 and stop at the designated storage section 23 or charging storage section 24. After stopping, the pallet transfer mechanism 18 withdraws and moves the carriage 40 between the elevator 17 and the storage section 23 or charging storage section 24. When the charging carriage 45 is stored in the charging storage section 24, the carriage-side connection section 46 is connected to the machine-side connection section 25 of the elevator-type parking facility 10. In this embodiment, the carriage-side connection sections 46 and machine-side connection sections 25 at multiple locations include a power supply section that sends charging power and an information and communication section that sends information on the current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle. That is, in this embodiment, the carriage-side connection section 46 and machine-side connection section 25 are provided with contacts for the power supply section and contacts for the information and communication section. The power supply section contact that sends charging power and the information and communication section contact that sends information on the current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle may be separate contacts, or they may serve both purposes. These contacts may also include multiple contacts. For example, the carrier-side connection unit 46 and the machine-side connection unit 25 may be a contact-type power supply unit that transmits charging power using technology such as power line communication (PLC), and may also serve as an information communication unit that transmits and receives information about the current value to be supplied. Furthermore, the contact-type power supply unit that transmits charging power and the wireless information communication unit (using a known method such as radio wave or optical communication) that transmits and receives information about the current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle may be separate connections, or the power supply unit may be a non-contact type such as an electromagnetic induction type. Furthermore, the power feed line 31 and signal wiring may be provided separately. The machine-side connection unit 25 is connected to the control device 30 via the power feed line 31. Connecting the carrier-side connection unit 46 to the machine-side connection unit 25 enables power to be supplied from the parking facility main body to the charging carrier 45. The control device 30 in this embodiment includes a function for controlling each component of the elevator-type parking facility 10. The parking tower 11, which includes the control device 30 and the charging storage section 24, is the main body of the parking facility.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment of the elevator-type parking facility 10, each charging vehicle 45 is equipped with a charging controller 32 that communicates the current value of charging power for an electric vehicle EV stored in the charging storage section 24 with the electric vehicle EV. The charging controller 32 has EVSE functionality in accordance with the IEC 61851-1 standard and SAE J1772. Each charging controller 32 transmits the current value of charging power to the electric vehicle EV stored in the charging vehicle 45. The charging vehicle 45 is equipped with a charging cable 47 extending from the charging controller 32 and a charging connector 48 attached to the charging cable 47. The shape of the charging connector 48 can be, for example, the shape of IEC Standard 62196-2 Type 1. The shape of the charging connector 48 may also be the shape of IEC Standard 62196-2 Type 2 or a shape that matches the shape of the charging port of other electric vehicles EV.

The charging controller 32 provided in each charging vehicle 45 is connected to a charging control device 33 that controls all of the charging controllers 32. The charging control device 33 has a processor, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, an I/O interface, etc. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the control device 30 of the elevator-type parking facility 10 and the charging control device 33 are integrated together. The current value transmitted from each charging controller 32 to the electric vehicle EV is determined by calculations performed by the processor using volatile memory based on a program stored in the non-volatile memory of the charging control device 33. The charging control device 33 may be integrated with the control device 30 or may be separate. The specified current values allocated to multiple electric vehicles EV will be explained in the elevator-type parking facility 50 of the second embodiment described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, with this elevator-type parking facility 10, after an electric vehicle EV is parked in a charging carrier 45 located in the entrance/exit area 12, the charging connector 48 of the charging cable 47 (without EVSE function) provided on the charging carrier 45 is connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle EV. The charging carrier 45 is then stored in the charging storage area 24, and the carrier-side connection part 46 of the charging carrier 45 is connected to the machine-side connection part 25 of the charging storage area 24. FIG. 2 shows the state immediately before connection (i.e., immediately before reaching the designated storage position). When the charging carrier 45 stops in the designated storage position in the charging storage area 24, the information and communication unit (shown integrated with the power supply unit in this embodiment) is connected and detected by a sensor. When the charging control device 33 confirms that the sensor has detected the connection of the information and communication unit, communication from the charging control device 33 to the charging controller 32 begins. Communication with the charging controller 32 involves the charging control device 33 transmitting a designated value of the charging current allocated to the electric vehicle EV via the charging controller 32 provided in the charging vehicle 45. After the current value is set and the charging state transitions to the initial charging state in this manner, charging of the electric vehicle EV begins. The electric vehicle EV is charged at the designated charging current value transmitted from the charging control device 33 via the charging controller 32 provided in the charging vehicle 45.

In this way, the charging carrier 45 is stored in the charging storage section 24 and the carrier-side connector 46 is connected to the machine-side connector 25, thereby connecting the information and communication section. The designated value of the charging current allocated to the electric vehicle EV mounted on the charging carrier 45 by the charging control device 33 is transmitted to the electric vehicle EV via the charging controller 32. This configuration is the charging device 35. Therefore, the elevator-type parking facility 10 equipped with this charging device 35 has the functions of charging control and Mode 3 of the IEC 61851-1 standard, which are part of the AC power charging method defined in the IEC 61851-1 standard.
Mode 1: A method in which electricity is simply supplied to the electric vehicle (EV) from an outlet, and charging is controlled by the vehicle.
Mode 2: A CPLT circuit that stops charging when an overcurrent or leakage current is detected is built into the charging cable's control box, and the charging cable is connected to the outlet and is a standard accessory for electric vehicles (EVs).
Mode 3: A stationary AC standard charger that incorporates a CPLT circuit inside the casing that stops charging when an overcurrent or leakage current is detected.

(Mechanical parking facility according to the second embodiment)
Fig. 3 is a front view showing an elevator-type parking facility 50 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 4 is a front view schematically showing the state in which the charging carrier 45 of the elevator-type parking facility 50 shown in Fig. 3 has been stored in the charging storage section 24. Fig. 4 shows the charging carrier 45 in a state before connection of the connection section immediately before storage. Note that the elevator-type parking facility 50 of the second embodiment differs from the elevator-type parking facility 10 of the first embodiment described above only in the configurations of the charging controller 32 and the charging control device 33. Therefore, in the following description, the same components as those of the elevator-type parking facility 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted, and only the different components are described.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in this embodiment of the elevator-type parking facility 50, the charging controller 32 is not located in the charging carriage 45, but is instead built into the charging control device 33 on the parking facility main body. In this embodiment, the charging control device 33 is built into the control device 30. The charging controller 32 may be configured as a charging control panel or the like separate from the charging control device 33. The charging controllers 32 may also be provided at locations corresponding to each charging storage section 24 of the parking tower 11. The number of charging controllers 32 corresponds to the number of charging storage sections 24, and they communicate to the electric vehicles EV the charging current value that can be supplied to each electric vehicle EV stored in each charging storage section 24. The charging control device 33 determines the predetermined charging current value to be allocated to multiple electric vehicles EV by having a processor perform calculations using volatile memory based on a program stored in non-volatile memory.

As shown in Figure 4, with this elevator-type parking facility 50, after an electric vehicle EV is parked in a charging carrier 45 located in the entrance/exit area 12, the charging connector 48 of the charging cable 47 (without EVSE function) provided on the charging carrier 45 is connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle EV. The charging carrier 45 is then stored in the charging storage area 24, and the carrier-side connection part 46 of the charging carrier 45 is connected to the machine-side connection part 25 of the charging storage area 24. Figure 4 shows the state just before connection. When the charging carrier 45 stops in its designated storage position in the charging storage area 24, the information and communication unit (shown integrated with the power supply unit in this embodiment) is connected and detected by a sensor. When the charging control device 33 confirms that the connection of the information and communication unit has been detected by the sensor, communication from the charging control device 33 to the charging controller 32 begins. Communication with the charging controller 32 involves the charging control device 33 transmitting a designated value of the charging current allocated to the electric vehicle EV via the charging controller 32 provided in the charging vehicle 45. After the current value is set and the charging state transitions to the initial charging state in this manner, charging of the electric vehicle EV begins. The electric vehicle EV is charged at the designated charging current value transmitted from the charging control device 33 via the charging controller 32 provided in the charging vehicle 45.

In this way, the charging vehicle 45 is stored in the charging storage section 24 and the vehicle-side connection section 46 is connected to the machine-side connection section 25, thereby connecting the information and communication section. The specified charging current value assigned to the electric vehicle EV mounted on the charging vehicle 45 by the charging control device 33 is then transmitted to the electric vehicle EV via the charging controller 32. This configuration constitutes the charging device 35. Therefore, an elevator-type parking facility 50 equipped with this charging device 35 also has the charging control and IEC 61851-1 Mode 3 functions of the AC power charging method specified in the IEC 61851-1 standard.

(Charging control for multiple electric vehicles)
An example of charging multiple electric vehicles EV in the elevator-type parking facility 50 of the second embodiment will be described below. The elevator-type parking facility 10 of the first embodiment differs only in the location of the charging controller 32, and the control of current allocation and other aspects described below is similar. In the elevator-type parking facility 50 of this embodiment, the charging device 35 can charge multiple electric vehicles EV at assigned current values. Furthermore, even if the number of electric vehicles EV to be charged increases or decreases, the total charging current value for the electric vehicles EV is controlled so that the remainder is minimized within the current value assigned to charging the elevator-type parking facility 50. During times when the elevator-type parking facility 50 is not in operation, the entire power of the elevator-type parking facility 50 may be used as charging power. That is, the charging power used for charging in the elevator-type parking facility 50 may be dedicated to charging or may be shared with the parking facility itself. In this case, priority is given to the operation of the parking facility itself, and the remaining power is used for charging.

As an example of charging multiple electric vehicles (EV), we will explain using an elevator-type parking facility 50 that has a charging storage section 24 that can charge 10 electric vehicles (EV) (Figure 3 shows 9, but for simplicity's sake, we will explain it as 10). With this elevator-type parking facility 50, if the maximum charging current for each electric vehicle (EV) is 15A (set current value: amperes), 150A would be required to charge 10 vehicles simultaneously. In this case, if the charging current value that can be supplied from the elevator-type parking facility 50 is 150A or more, all electric vehicles can be charged at 15A.

However, if the current value allocated for charging is less than 150A, it is not possible to charge all electric vehicles EV at 15A. In such cases, charging current values can be allocated to each electric vehicle EV as follows. For example, if the total charging current value that can be supplied from elevator-type parking equipment 50 is 100A or less and 10 electric vehicles EV are to be charged, and EVSE charging cable 100 (Figure 5) with a conventional set current value of 15A is used, charging six vehicles simultaneously will result in a total current value of 90A, leaving 10A of current remaining. However, because the set current value of EVSE charging cable 100 is fixed, it is not possible to instruct one electric vehicle EV to charge at 10A and allocate the current, and the 10A of power will not be used effectively. In this case, four electric vehicles EV will be in a charging standby state.

In such a case, with the elevator-type parking facility 50, the charging control device 33 of the charging device 35 has the functionality of the control box 104 (Figure 5) provided on the EVSE charging cable 100 built in. Therefore, the charging control device 33 assigns a charging power current value of 10A to one electric vehicle EV and commands the charging controller 32, which then transmits a charging current value of 10A to each electric vehicle EV. This allows the total charging current value supplied to the 10 electric vehicles EV to be 100A, allowing each electric vehicle EV to be appropriately charged. In this way, with the elevator-type parking facility 50, it is possible to use all of the current that can be supplied from the parking facility itself to the electric vehicles EV for charging.

In other words, rather than prioritizing the maximum charging current for a single electric vehicle EV, the total current value used for charging the elevator parking facility 50 may be divided by the number of electric vehicles EV stored in the charging storage unit 24, and the resulting value may be assigned to each electric vehicle EV as a charging current and transmitted to the electric vehicles EV, thereby allowing multiple electric vehicles EV to be charged equally simultaneously. For example, suppose that the maximum charging current for each electric vehicle EV is 15 A and the total charging current that can be supplied from the elevator parking facility 50 is 100 A, and 10 electric vehicles EV are to be charged simultaneously. In this case, by specifying a charging current value of 10 A, which is less than the maximum charging current of 15 A, for the 10 electric vehicles EV, it is possible to charge them with a total charging current of 100 A without any waste. Alternatively, if the total charging current that can be supplied from the elevator parking facility 50 is 100 A and five electric vehicles are to be charged simultaneously, the charging current value assigned to each electric vehicle EV may be 20 A. Each electric vehicle EV can be charged within the allocated charging current range (in this example, the maximum value of 15A). If the number of electric vehicles EV to be charged changes, the allocation of charging current values can also be changed.

Furthermore, with the charging device 35 of the elevator-type parking facility 50, as another example, when there is a mixture of electric vehicles EV being charged at 10 A and electric vehicles EV being charged at 15 A, if one electric vehicle EV being charged at 15 A becomes fully charged, the charging control device 33 detects this and instructs the charging controller 32 to increase the charging current value to 15 A for the electric vehicle EV being charged at 10 A, and a new vehicle waiting to be charged can be assigned a charging current value of 10 A and charged. If a vehicle being charged at 10 A becomes fully charged, a new vehicle waiting to be charged can be assigned a charging current value of 10 A and charged.

In other words, if some electric vehicles EV are fully charged and charging is completed while multiple electric vehicles EV are being charged, the current used to charge those electric vehicles EV will be used as surplus power. In this case, the charging control device 33 dynamically changes the charging current instruction value to a value obtained by dividing the total current value of the power used for charging by the number of vehicles being charged simultaneously, and transmits the changed current value from the charging controller 32 to the electric vehicles EV to enable appropriate charging.

Furthermore, for example, if an electric vehicle EV being charged at 15A leaves the elevator-type parking facility 50 and charging stops, excess charging current will be generated. Even when excess charging current is generated in this way, the charging control device 33 can instruct one electric vehicle EV being charged at 10A to increase the charging current value to 15A, and can charge a new electric vehicle EV waiting to be charged by allocating a charging current value of 10A. Furthermore, this excess current may be used to either increase the charging current value of the electric vehicle EV being charged, or to allocate a new charging current value to the electric vehicle EV waiting to be charged.

In other words, even if an electric vehicle EV leaves the parking lot while being charged, the current used to charge that electric vehicle becomes surplus, so the charging control device 33 changes the assigned current instruction value depending on the number of electric vehicles EV to be charged, and transmits the changed current value from the charging controller 32 to the electric vehicles EV, allowing for appropriate charging.

To change the charging current value in this way, the set current value set for each electric vehicle EV can be registered as an initial value in the control circuit of the charging control device 33, and then varied in accordance with the charging control.

The charging control device 33 also monitors the operation of the parking facility itself (for example, the start and end of transport of the charging carrier 45) based on information from the control device 30, and can change the allocation of the charging current value for the electric vehicle EV when there is a change in the charging current value that can be supplied from the parking facility itself for charging the electric vehicle EV. For example, if the charging current value that can be supplied from the parking facility itself for charging increases as transport ends, the allocation can be increased, and if the charging current value that can be supplied decreases as transport begins, the allocation can be decreased.

The charging control device 33 can also manage and register entered electric vehicles EV in a charging queue. The charging queue for electric vehicles EV can be registered in the order in which they arrive, and the registration can be deleted when they leave. Furthermore, electric vehicles EV that are fully charged and for which charging has stopped are deleted from the charging queue. For example, the number of charging carriages 45 can be greater than the number of charging storage units 24, and at least one charging storage unit 24 can be provided. In this case, multiple charging storage units 24 can be shared, and when charging of an electric vehicle EV is complete, the charging carriage 45 can be moved from the charging storage unit 24 to the storage unit 23. In the order of the charging queue, the charging carriage 45 carrying the electric vehicle EV stored in the storage unit 23 can be moved to the charging storage unit 24, where the electric vehicle EV is charged. By rotating the charging carriages 45 in this way, it is possible to charge a large number of electric vehicles EV with a small number of charging storage units 24.

Furthermore, with the elevator-type parking facility 50, the allocation of charging current values can be changed not only when the vehicle is fully charged or when the vehicle enters or leaves the parking lot, but also when a certain amount of time has passed since charging began. For example, power supply to an electric vehicle EV that has been charging for a certain amount of time can be stopped, an instruction can be given to increase the charging current value of an electric vehicle EV that is being charged at 10A to 15A, and a new charging current value of 10A can be assigned to a vehicle waiting to be charged. By using a time-based switching method, charging is not monopolized, and fairness is enhanced. Note that this power supply stop can also be performed by the electric vehicle EV by having the charging control device 33 instruct the electric vehicle EV that is being charged to stop charging via the charging controller 32.

Also, for example, some electric vehicles (EV) may stop charging and switch over if a certain amount of time passes before the vehicle is fully charged. In this case, the electric vehicle (EV) can be registered at the end of the charging queue. Then, when it is its turn, it can be recharged.

In addition, if the current value that can be supplied from the parking facility main body to charge the electric vehicle EV exceeds the charging current value of the electric vehicle EV being charged, and there is a charging carrier 45 that has an electric vehicle EV mounted on it and is not stored in the charging storage section 24, the charging carrier 45 can be moved to the charging storage section 24 and the electric vehicle EV can be charged.

The above-mentioned control is also the case for the elevator-type parking facility 10, and the elevator-type parking facilities 10, 50 incorporate the functions of the charging controller 32 into the charging cart 45 or elevator-type parking facility 10, 50, and the charging control device 33 appropriately allocates the current value of charging power to multiple electric vehicles EV in accordance with changes in the situation, and dynamically communicates the current value of charging power to the electric vehicles EV, allowing the electric vehicles EV to be appropriately charged at the communicated current value.

In other words, the elevator-type parking facilities 10, 50 take advantage of the fact that the electric vehicle EV is equipped with a mechanism that determines the charging current value through signals from the charge controller 32 and the control pilot circuit (hereinafter referred to as "CPLT") specified in the IEC 61851-1 standard, and incorporate an IEC 61851-1 compliant CPLT circuit into the charge control device 33 of the elevator-type parking facilities 10, 50, dynamically transmitting the current value that can be charged to the electric vehicle EV and making it possible to increase or decrease the charging current to the electric vehicle EV.

(Other Modifications)
Depending on the electric vehicle EV, charging may not start even when the charging connector 48 is connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle EV at the entrance/exit section 12 of the elevator-type parking facility 10, 50 (mechanical parking facility) and the charging carrier 45 is stored in the charging storage section 24. This is because the electric vehicle EV detects that the charging connector 48 is connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle EV and starts inputting and outputting signals to and from the charging controller 32, but the charging controller 32 cannot respond because it is not energized.

In such a case, the charging control device 33 may be configured to transmit a signal to the electric vehicle EV that the charging connector 48 has been connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle EV after the charging carrier 45 has been stored in the charging storage section 24 and the carrier-side connection section 46 and the machine-side connection section 25 have been connected to start the current supply. A circuit that notifies the electric vehicle EV that the charging connector 48 has been connected to the charging port of the electric vehicle EV may be included in the EVSE function of the charging controller 32.

The charging control device 33 may also have a built-in sensor and function to detect leakage or overcurrent in the wires supplying charging power to the electric vehicle EV, and a built-in circuit to open or close the wires supplying charging power. In this case, the wires supplying charging power can be closed when charging starts, and opened when charging stops. The charging control device 33 may also have a built-in sensor and function to detect leakage or overcurrent in the wires supplying charging power to the electric vehicle EV, and open the wires if a leakage or overcurrent is detected. The charging control device 33 may also have a sensor to detect whether the electric vehicle EV is charging at the current value transmitted from the CPLT circuit, and if it is different, open the wires supplying charging power to cut off the current.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an elevator-type parking facility 10 was used as an example of a mechanical parking facility, but the mechanical parking facility may be of other types and is not limited to the above embodiment.

Furthermore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of this application, and this application is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

(Summary)
As described above, according to the charging device 35 of the elevator-type parking facility 10, 50 (mechanical parking facility), the charging controller 32 that transmits the charging current value for charging the electric vehicle EV to the electric vehicle EV is provided on the charging carrier 45 or the main body of the elevator-type parking facility 50. This makes it possible for the charging control device 33 to appropriately charge multiple electric vehicles EV at the current value allocated to them. Furthermore, even if the number of electric vehicles EV to be charged increases or decreases, the charging control device 33 controls the total charging current value for the electric vehicles EV so that the remainder is minimized within the current value of power allocated to charging the elevator-type parking facility 10, 50 (mechanical parking facility), making it possible to appropriately charge the electric vehicles EV.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Elevator-type parking facility 11 Parking tower 12 Entry/exit section 16 Hoistway 17 Elevator 23 Storage section 24 Charging storage section 25 Machine-side connection section 30 Control device 31 Power supply line 32 Charging controller 33 Charging control device 40 Carrier 45 Charging cart 46 Carrier-side connection section 47 Charging cable 48 Charging connector 50 Elevator-type parking facility EV Electric vehicle

Claims (10)

a parking facility main body comprising : a plurality of charging carriages each having a carriage-side connection part electrically connectable to a charging port of an electric vehicle and capable of carrying the electric vehicle; a plurality of charging storage parts each having a machine-side connection part and capable of storing the charging carriages; and an equipment control device connected to the machine-side connection parts via a power supply line so as to be able to supply power and configured to control the operation of the plurality of charging carriages, wherein the power supply part and communication information part of the carriage-side connection part are connected to the power supply part and information communication part of the machine-side connection part when the charging carriage is stored in the charging storage part;
a charging controller that transmits, to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit, information on a charging current value to be supplied to the electric vehicle ;
a charging control device that, when a connection between an information and communication unit of the carrier-side connection unit and an information and communication unit of the machine-side connection unit is detected, starts communicating with the charging controller, uses the remainder after subtracting motive power from the total power of the parking facility main body as charging power, and when the charging power fluctuates, allocates a charging current to be supplied to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit in accordance with the fluctuating charging power, and transmits information of the charging current value to the electric vehicle via the charging controller so that the electric vehicle is charged at the allocated charging current value . the number of the charging controllers corresponds to the number of the charging storage units;
The mechanical parking facility according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of charging vehicles is equipped with the charging controller . the number of the charging controllers corresponds to the number of the charging storage units;
The mechanical parking facility according to claim 1, wherein the charging controller is provided in the parking facility body . 4. The mechanical parking facility according to claim 1, wherein the charging control device is configured to determine the charging current value to be allocated to each of the electric vehicles based on information obtained from the facility control device, such as the status of each of the charging vehicles or information on whether each of the charging vehicles is currently charging. The mechanical parking facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charging control device is configured to determine the charging current value to be allocated to each of the plurality of electric vehicles based on the number of electric vehicles stored in the charging storage section, the set current value of each electric vehicle, and the current value that can be supplied to the electric vehicles from the parking facility main body. 6. The mechanical parking facility according to claim 5, wherein the charging control device is configured to monitor the number of the electric vehicles being charged, and when the number of the electric vehicles being charged changes, change the allocation of the charging current value in accordance with the new number of the electric vehicles being charged . 6. The mechanical parking facility according to claim 5, wherein the charging control device is configured to monitor the charging current value of the electric vehicle during charging, and, when charging of the electric vehicle is completed, to allocate the charging current value to the electric vehicle that is about to start charging, or to change the set current value of the electric vehicle during charging . 6. The mechanical parking facility according to claim 5, wherein the charging control device is configured to monitor a current value that can be supplied for charging the electric vehicle, and to change the allocation of the charging current value for the electric vehicle when the current value that can be supplied changes . 6. The mechanical parking facility according to claim 5, wherein the charging control device is configured to issue a command to move the charging vehicle carrying the electric vehicle to the charging storage section when the current value that can be supplied for charging the electric vehicle exceeds the charging current value of the electric vehicle being charged and there is a charging vehicle carrying the electric vehicle that is not stored in the charging storage section . a charging control method by a charging control device of mechanical parking equipment comprising: a charging vehicle that has a vehicle-side connection part that can be electrically connected to a charging port of the electric vehicle and that can carry the electric vehicle; a charging storage part that has a machine-side connection part and that can store the charging vehicle; and a charging controller that sends information about a charging current value to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage part, wherein when the charging vehicle with the electric vehicle loaded on it is stored in the charging storage part, a power supply part and an information communication part of the vehicle-side connection part are connected to a power supply part and an information communication part of the machine-side connection part, and the electric vehicle is charged by supplying power from the machine-side connection part to the vehicle-side connection part ,
When a connection between the information communication unit of the carrier-side connection unit and the information communication unit of the machine-side connection unit is detected, communication with the charging controller is started.
The remainder of the total power of the mechanical parking facility minus the power for driving is used as charging power, and when the charging power fluctuates, a charging current is allocated to be supplied to the electric vehicle stored in the charging storage unit in accordance with the charging power after the fluctuation ; and
a charging controller for controlling the charging of the electric vehicle based on the allocated charging current value, the charging controller transmitting information about the charging current value to the electric vehicle via the charging controller so as to charge the electric vehicle with the allocated charging current value.