JP2025112090A - Vehicle Information Management System - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent multiple vehicles from concentrating at a specific charging point.SOLUTION: In a vehicle information management system which proposes a charging plan for a battery 20 mounted on a vehicle 10 which travels by driving a motor 81 with electric power charged in the battery 20, a center server 100 includes: a proposal section which enumerates multiple combinations of charging points enabling multiple vehicles 10 to reach respective target SOC by the time the multiple vehicles arrive at respective destinations; a calculation section which selects one of the combinations of charging points enumerated by the proposal section and calculates a required charging demand at each charging point assuming that the multiple vehicles 10 charge at the charging points included in the selected combination; and a search section which searches for an optimal charging route composed of a combination of charging points such that, based on the required charging demand at each charging point calculated by the calculation section, the charging demand at each charging point in each time period does not exceed the electric power supply capacity limit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle information management system.

For example, Patent Document 1 states that "when the vehicle's remaining battery charge is low, the system notifies the driver of a route with a non-contact power supply device with high power supply capacity and a recommended speed; and when the vehicle's remaining battery charge is high, the system recommends a route with a non-contact power supply device with low power supply capacity."

JP 2022-68042 A

In Patent Document 1, if multiple vehicles select the recommended charging route, there is a possibility that multiple vehicles will concentrate at a specific power supply point. Furthermore, even if Patent Document 1 recommends a charging route with low power supply capacity when the remaining battery charge is high, it is conceivable that the driver of the vehicle will psychologically select a charging route with high power supply capacity in preparation for running out of power. This could result in multiple vehicles concentrating at a specific power supply point, causing an excessive power supply load at that power supply point, which could prevent the vehicle from receiving power as planned and result in the vehicle running out of power.

In light of these circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle information management system that can prevent multiple vehicles from concentrating at a specific power supply point.

The present invention relates to a vehicle information management system that includes an on-board terminal mounted on a vehicle that runs by driving a motor with power stored in a battery, and a control device that transmits a charging plan for power supply to the on-board terminal. The vehicle is equipped with a cable-connected power supply system that supplies power to the battery from a contact-type charging station via a charging cable, and a contactless power supply system that contactlessly supplies power transmitted from a contactless power supply device to the battery. The control device includes a proposal unit that lists multiple combinations of power supply points that can supply power to multiple vehicles so that each vehicle reaches its target SOC by the time the vehicles arrive at their destinations, a calculation unit that selects one of the multiple combinations of power supply points listed by the proposal unit and calculates the required charge amount for each power supply point when the multiple vehicles are powered using the selected combination of power supply points, and a search unit that searches for an optimal solution charging route consisting of a combination of power supply points such that the required charge amount for each power supply point in each time period does not exceed the power supply capacity limit, based on the required charge amount for each power supply point calculated by the calculation unit.

The above configuration makes it possible to propose an optimal charging route that prevents multiple vehicles from concentrating at a specific power supply point (such as a power supply station with a contact-type charging stand or a road where a contactless power supply device is installed).

The vehicle information management system of the present invention makes it possible to prevent multiple vehicles from concentrating at a specific power supply point.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a vehicle information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 10 is a flowchart illustrating a charging plan proposal function. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a time chart illustrating a charging plan.

The vehicle information management system shown in Figure 1 includes an on-board terminal 30 in a vehicle 10, a center server 100, a contact-type charging stand 200, a charging infrastructure information server 300, a contactless power supply device 400, and a communication network 500.

The vehicle 10 is an electrically powered vehicle (e.g., a BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle) that runs by driving a motor 81 with power stored in a battery 20, and for long-distance driving, it is essential to charge the battery 20 using an external power source (a charging station 200 or a non-contact power supply device 400).

The vehicle 10 is equipped with a PCU 80, a motor 81, and a motor ECU 82. The PCU 80 converts the DC power output from the battery 20 into three-phase AC power. The motor 81 is driven by the three-phase AC power output from the PCU 80 to rotate the wheels W. The motor ECU 82 is a motor control unit that controls the output of the PCU 80 in response to the driving operation of the driver (or user) of the vehicle 10.

The in-vehicle terminal 30 is an in-vehicle information and communication terminal device associated with the vehicle 10, and although not described in detail, it is equipped with a control device consisting of a microcomputer, a memory device that stores information such as map information, facility information, and various vehicle characteristics, a vehicle position detection unit consisting of a GPS unit that detects the current position coordinates of the vehicle based on radio waves from GPS satellites and a gyro sensor that detects the direction of travel of the vehicle 10, a touch panel display device using liquid crystal or organic electroluminescence, etc., a speaker that emits audio, and a wireless communication unit that communicates with the outside world via the wireless base station 510.

The center server 100 mainly comprises a microcomputer equipped with a processor such as a CPU or FPGA, memory such as RAM or ROM, and storage devices such as an EPROM or HDD, and functions as a navigation server installed in a vehicle information center.

The contact-type charging station 200 is installed on the road along which the vehicle 10 travels, or at roadside rest facilities or public facilities.

The charging infrastructure information server 300 is installed in the charging infrastructure center and is primarily comprised of a microcomputer.

A number of non-contact power supply devices 400 are installed consecutively in a predetermined area of the road along which the vehicle 10 travels. This area is also referred to as a non-contact power supply lane.

The communication network 500 is the Internet or the like, which connects the in-vehicle terminal 30, the center server 100, the charging infrastructure information server 300, and the contactless power supply device 400 so that they can communicate with each other. A wireless base station 510 is connected to the communication network 500, and the in-vehicle terminal 30 is connected to the communication network 500 via this wireless base station 510.

The vehicle 10 also has two power supply systems: a cable-connected power supply system and a contactless power supply system. The cable-connected power supply system supplies power to the battery 20 from the charging stand 200 via a charging cable 110, and includes a power inlet 50, a charger 51, and a charging ECU 52. The power inlet 50 is a connection port for the connection plug 111 of the charging cable 110. The charger 51 converts the power supplied to the power inlet 50 into power for charging the battery 20, and charges the battery 20. The charging ECU 52 is a charging control device that controls charging of the battery 20 by the charger 51.

The non-contact power supply system receives power transmitted from the non-contact power supply device 400 in a non-contact manner and supplies it to the battery 20, and is equipped with a non-contact power receiving device 60.

The contactless power receiving device 60 receives power contactlessly from a contactless power supply device 400 installed on the road. The output of the charger 51, which is the output of the cable-connected power supply system, and the output of the contactless power receiving device 60 are each connected to the input terminals of a selector switch 70, and either output is selectively connected to the charging path to the battery 20.

The battery 20 is provided with an SOC detector 71. The SOC detector 71 detects the SOC, which is a value that indicates the amount of electrical energy that can be output from the battery 20 (also known as the remaining battery charge), and outputs a signal representing the SOC to the CAN communication line 72 at a predetermined interval.

When charging the battery 20, the remaining battery charge detected by the SOC detector 71 is obtained via the CAN communication line 72, and the charger 51 is operated to charge the battery 20 until the remaining battery charge reaches a target value set by the driver (e.g., fully charged). The charging ECU 52 switches the selection state of the selector switch 70 so that the cable-connected power supply system is electrically connected to the battery 20 when the connection plug 111 of the charging cable 110 is attached to the power receiving port 50. The charging ECU 52 switches the selection state of the selector switch 70 so that the contactless power supply system is electrically connected to the battery 20 when the connection plug 111 of the charging cable 110 is not attached to the power receiving port 50. The power receiving port 50 is provided with a detection switch 53 for detecting whether the connection plug 111 is connected. The charging ECU 52 inputs the detection signal from the detection switch 53 to determine whether the connection plug 111 is connected or not, and controls the switching of the selector switch 70.

The non-contact power supply device 400 includes an AC power source 401, a high-frequency converter 402, an electromagnetic induction coil 403, a primary resonance coil 404, a variable capacitor 405, a communication device 406, a power supply ECU 407, which is a power supply control device, and an external communication device 408.

The AC power source 401 is, for example, a system power source supplied by a power company. The high-frequency conversion device 402 converts the power supplied from the AC power source 401 into power of a predetermined frequency and outputs the converted power to the electromagnetic induction coil 403. The electromagnetic induction coil 403 is arranged coaxially with the primary resonance coil 404 and is magnetically coupled to the primary resonance coil 404 through electromagnetic induction. The electromagnetic induction coil 403 outputs the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency conversion device 402 to the primary resonance coil 404 through electromagnetic induction. The primary resonance coil 404 is an LC resonance coil that is configured to transmit power to the vehicle 10 by resonating with the secondary resonance coil 61 of the non-contact power receiving device 60 mounted on the vehicle 10 via an electromagnetic field. The variable capacitor 405 is provided to change the electrostatic capacitance of the resonance system formed by the primary resonance coil 404 and the secondary resonance coil 61 of the non-contact power receiving device 60. The communication device 406 is provided to receive the position of the vehicle 10 to be supplied with power, specifically the position of the secondary resonance coil 61 of the non-contact power receiving device 60 mounted on the vehicle 10, and the detected value of the speed of the vehicle 10. The communication device 406 receives the detected values of the position and speed of the vehicle 10 wirelessly transmitted from the communication device 66 provided in the non-contact power receiving device 60. When power is supplied from the non-contact power supply device 400 to the vehicle 10, the power supply ECU 407 changes the capacitance of the resonance system formed by the primary resonance coil 404 and the secondary resonance coil 61 of the non-contact power receiving device 60 in accordance with the detected values of the position and speed of the vehicle 10 received by the communication device 406. When the distance between the primary resonance coil 404 and the secondary resonance coil 61 of the non-contact power receiving device 60 changes, the capacitance between the primary resonance coil 404 and the secondary resonance coil 61 changes, thereby changing the resonant frequency of the resonance system. The power supply ECU 407 controls the variable capacitor 405 in accordance with the detected values of the position and speed of the vehicle 10 to adjust the capacitance of the resonance system so that the resonant frequency of the resonance system approaches the frequency of the high-frequency power generated by the high-frequency conversion device 402. The power supply ECU 407 adjusts the capacitance of the variable capacitor 405 so that it decreases as the vehicle speed increases, and decreases as the vehicle 10 moves farther away from the non-contact power supply device 400, i.e., the distance between the primary resonant coil 404 and the secondary resonant coil 61 increases.

In addition, the external communication device 408 transmits information indicating the operating status of the non-contact power supply device 400 to the charging infrastructure information server 300 via the communication network 500 at a predetermined interval. In this case, the external communication device 408 transmits the operating status information (information indicating whether power supply is possible) together with an identification ID that identifies the non-contact power supply device 400.

The non-contact power receiving device 60 also includes a secondary resonance coil 61, an electromagnetic induction coil 62, a rectifier 63, a DC/DC converter 64, a charging ECU 65 which is a charging control device, and a communication device 66.

The secondary resonant coil 61 is an LC resonant coil that resonates with the primary resonant coil 404 of the non-contact power supply device 400 via an electromagnetic field, thereby enabling it to receive power from the non-contact power supply device 400. The electromagnetic induction coil 62 is arranged coaxially with the secondary resonant coil 61 and is magnetically coupled to the secondary resonant coil 61 through electromagnetic induction. The electromagnetic induction coil 62 extracts the power received by the secondary resonant coil 61 through electromagnetic induction and outputs the power to the rectifier 63. The rectifier 63 rectifies the AC power output from the electromagnetic induction coil 62 and outputs the rectified power to the DC/DC converter 64. The DC/DC converter 64 converts the power rectified by the rectifier 63 to a voltage level for charging the battery 20 and outputs it to the battery 20. When receiving power from the non-contact power supply device 400, the charging ECU 65 drives the DC/DC converter 64 to charge the battery 20. The charging ECU 65 also acquires information indicating the vehicle speed and vehicle position from the CAN communication line 72 and outputs the acquired information indicating the vehicle speed and vehicle position to the communication device 66. The communication device 66 wirelessly transmits the information indicating the vehicle speed and vehicle position to the external communication device 408 of the non-contact power supply device 400.

Vehicle 10 is equipped with multiple vehicle ECUs (not shown), which are electronic control devices that control the vehicle state. Each vehicle ECU, including charging ECUs 52, 65 and motor ECU 82, and SOC detector 71, are connected to CAN communication line 72 and transmit various vehicle information (e.g., mileage information, SOC information, vehicle diagnostic information, various request information, etc.) to CAN communication line 72. Therefore, the vehicle ECUs of each vehicle 10 are configured to be able to share vehicle information via CAN communication line 72. In addition, on-board terminal 30 is connected to CAN communication line 72 and transmits the vehicle information transmitted to CAN communication line 72 in accordance with a predetermined procedure to center server 100.

The center server 100 transmits service information useful to the driver to the in-vehicle terminal 30 based on vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 30 and external information acquired from outside.

The in-vehicle terminal 30 and center server 100 have the functions of setting a recommended route from the departure point to the destination and presenting the recommended route to the driver. The configuration related to these functions is described below.

The in-vehicle terminal 30 performs the following processes: sending vehicle information (e.g., current location information, SOC information, electricity consumption information, vehicle diagnostic information, etc.) and various request commands to the center server 100 together with a vehicle ID (an ID that identifies the vehicle 10 or the in-vehicle terminal 30); guiding the vehicle 10 to a destination set by the driver based on map information stored in the storage device and the vehicle's location detected by the vehicle location detection unit; acquiring driving route information (recommended route information) and detailed information related to the driving route information (recommended route information) sent from the center server 100; and providing the driving route information (recommended route information) and detailed information related to the driving route information (recommended route information) to the driver using the display device, speaker, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the center server 100 includes a communication control unit 101, a vehicle information management unit 102, a map information management unit 103, a charging infrastructure information management unit 104, and an information creation and provision unit 105. The communication control unit 101 connects to the communication network 500 and controls communications. The vehicle information management unit 102 stores and manages vehicle information together with driver information. The map information management unit 103 stores and manages road map information. The charging infrastructure information management unit 104 stores and manages information related to charging facility infrastructure. The information creation and provision unit 105 creates and provides useful information to drivers.

The charging infrastructure information server 300 collects the latest operating status from specific power supply points (power supply stations equipped with charging stands 200 and non-contact power supply lanes on roads equipped with non-contact power supply devices 400) and creates charging infrastructure information that indicates the operating status of each power supply point. This allows the charging infrastructure center equipped with the charging infrastructure information server 300 to know which non-contact power supply devices 400 are operating within its jurisdiction. The charging infrastructure information server 300 then transmits the created charging infrastructure information to the center server 100 in real time via the communication network 500.

In the center server 100, the charging infrastructure information management unit 104 stores and updates the latest charging infrastructure information transmitted from the charging infrastructure information server 300. The charging infrastructure information management unit 104 of the center server 100 stores the position of each power supply point on the map in association with the map information stored in the map information management unit 103. The charging infrastructure information management unit 104 also stores power supply capacity information for each contactless power supply device 400. This power supply capacity information sets the amount of power that can be supplied to the vehicle 10 when the vehicle 10 passes through a contactless power supply lane at a predetermined vehicle speed.

In this embodiment, if the center server 100 were to recommend to multiple vehicles 10 charging routes that make effective use of the power supply capacity of each area to the destination based on the charging states of the multiple vehicles 10, taking into account the charging infrastructure environment, such as the charging states of the multiple vehicles 10 and the presence or absence of power supply points to the destination, and if multiple vehicles 10 were to travel along the recommended charging route, they might gather at specific power supply points (power supply stations equipped with contact-type charging stands 200 or contactless power supply lanes on roads), preventing them from receiving power as planned and causing the vehicles to run out of power, the center server 100 is equipped with a function to suggest charging routes that can prevent multiple vehicles 10 from gathering at the specific power supply points.

Specifically, the functions of the center server 100 will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

In step S1, multiple combinations of power supply points and power supply amounts at those points that will achieve a target SOC (e.g., 20%) at the destination are listed based on the current SOC (e.g., 60%). This step S1 corresponds to the proposal section in the claims.

For example, as shown in Table 1, all possible combinations of charging stations 200 and contactless power supply lanes that multiple vehicles 1, 2, 3, ... will use to reach their destination are listed. Specifically, Ptn1-2 in Table 1 represents "a route in which vehicle 10 charges with power supply amount 1A1 in power supply lane A1 and power supply amount 1C1 in power supply lane C1 to reach the destination." Other Ptn1-1, Ptn1-3, ..., Ptn2-1, ..., Ptn3-1, ... in Table 1 also represent power supply modes in the same manner as above.

In step S2, a predetermined combination is selected from each vehicle 10. Here, it is possible to select based on, for example, the degree of match with the optimal solution (low cost function).

Then, in step S3, a charging plan time chart is created for the scheduled charging time and scheduled charging duration for each vehicle 10 using the combination selected.

For example, in Table 1, for Ptn1-2 and Ptn2-1, the charging plan time charts will be as shown in Figures 3(a) and (b). Here, if there are time periods where the scheduled charging times and scheduled charging times for each vehicle 10 overlap at the power supply point and there are restrictions on simultaneous power supply on the charging supply side, the charging plan time chart will be modified as shown in Figures 3(c) and (d).

In step S4, the charging plan time charts for each vehicle 10 are added together for the selected combination, and the charging request amount (also called the required power amount) for each power supply point is calculated. This step S4 corresponds to the calculation unit in the claims.

In step S5, as shown in Figure 3(e), under the constraint that "the charging request amount at each power supply point at each time does not exceed the power supply capacity limit," a search is made for an optimal charging route using a multi-objective optimization algorithm with the following indices. This step S5 corresponds to the search unit in the claims.

(Estimated arrival time - Shortest estimated arrival time) × αi
・Charging fee × βi
SOC when the destination is reached × γi
Here, α, β, and γ are weighting coefficients, i is a driver, and α, β, and γ are set for each request of the driver i of the vehicle 10.

For example, in step S4, which is a procedure for considering Ptn1-2 and Ptn2-1, a graph of the "requested charging amount to point A1 at each time" is calculated, as shown in Figure 3(e). A power shortage is avoided by searching for a charging plan time chart under the constraint that this does not exceed the power supply capacity limit.

Furthermore, in terms of power transmission efficiency, using a contact-type charging station 200 is more efficient than using a contactless power supply device 400 to obtain the same amount of charge, and as the charging time is shorter, the fee tends to be cheaper. However, if charging stations 200 are concentrated in one location, the amount of power that can be supplied per unit time from one charging station 200 to each vehicle decreases, and the longer charging time further extends the arrival time. Therefore, in order to search for a charging route that takes into account each driver's requests, such as "I don't mind a longer arrival time in exchange for a higher charging fee" or "I don't mind a higher charging fee, but I don't want to extend the arrival time," these requests are included in the index of the optimization evaluation function, and a weighting can be set for each driver i.

In step S6, it is determined whether the search for the optimal charging route has converged. If the determination is negative (NO), steps S2 to S5 are repeated, but if the determination is positive (YES), the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, the obtained result (optimal solution charging route) is notified to the driver as the recommended route (or recommended charging route). It should be noted that, for example, when searching for the recommended route, it is possible to use a system for pre-booking the use of charging stations along the recommended route in combination, in which case the driver of vehicle 10 will be relieved of concerns about running out of power and will be more likely to follow the recommended route.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to propose a charging route that prevents multiple vehicles 10 from concentrating at a specific power supply point (a power supply station equipped with a contact-type charging stand 200 or a non-contact power supply lane on a road). This makes it possible to set the driver's intention, such as prioritizing arrival time or charging, when searching for a charging route for each of multiple vehicles 10, thereby preventing multiple vehicles 10 from concentrating at a specific power supply point and placing an excessive power supply load at that power supply point. As a result, it is possible to prevent multiple vehicles 10 from running out of power because they are unable to receive power as planned.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and their equivalents. For example, in Figure 2, an embodiment in which step S6 is eliminated, step S7 is replaced with a new step S6, and the processing of this step S6 is changed to "notify the driver of the discovered charging route" is also included in the present invention.

The present invention can be suitably used in vehicle information management systems.

10...vehicle, 20...battery, 30...in-vehicle terminal, 60...contactless power receiving device, 71...SOC detector, 72...CAN communication line, 81...motor, 100...center server, 101...communication control unit, 102...vehicle information management unit, 103...map information management unit, 104...charging infrastructure information management unit, 105...information creation and provision unit, 110...charging cable, 200...charging stand, 300...charging infrastructure information server, 400...contactless power supply device.

Claims (1)

A vehicle information management system including an on-board terminal mounted on a vehicle that runs by driving a motor with power charged in a battery, and a control device that transmits a charging plan related to power supply to the battery to the on-board terminal,
The vehicle includes a cable-connected power supply system that supplies power to the battery from a contact-type charging station via a charging cable, and a contactless power supply system that supplies power transmitted from a contactless power supply device to the battery in a contactless manner,
The control device includes: a proposing unit that lists a plurality of combinations of power supply points that can supply power so that each of the plurality of vehicles reaches a target SOC by the time the vehicles arrive at their respective destinations;
a calculation unit that selects one of the combinations of power supply points listed by the proposal unit, and calculates a required charging amount for each power supply point that is required when a plurality of vehicles are supplied with power using the selected combination of power supply points;
a search unit that searches for an optimal solution charging route consisting of a combination of power supply points such that the requested charging amount to each power supply point in each time period does not exceed a power supply capacity limit, based on the requested charging amount to each power supply point calculated by the calculation unit.