JP4915284B2 - Vehicle management apparatus and vehicle management system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle management device and a vehicle management system, and more particularly to a vehicle management device and a vehicle management system that manage a plurality of vehicles each including a power storage device.

  In recent years, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and the like have been developed and put to practical use as environment-friendly vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a motor and a power supply device for driving the motor.

  Among such vehicles, a hybrid vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine, a storage battery, and a motor as a power source is also considered to be configured so that the battery can be charged from an external power source.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-37703 (Patent Document 1) discloses a hybrid vehicle having an externally chargeable battery.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-37703 JP 2000-285369 A

  For example, a hybrid vehicle that can be externally charged has a fully charged battery in a home or business location, runs mainly using the power charged in the battery, and runs after running out of the power charged in the battery. When the motor is insufficient in torque, it is assumed that the engine is driven using the fuel in the fuel tank.

  However, in business establishments and homes having a plurality of such hybrid vehicles, it is not always necessary to charge to a fully charged state, and there is a possibility that the cost can be further reduced by controlling the amount of charge.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle management apparatus and a vehicle management system that can efficiently operate a plurality of hybrid vehicles.

  In summary, the present invention is a vehicle management device that receives data from a power supply unit that supplies power to a plurality of vehicles each equipped with a power storage device, and a storage device mounted in each of the plurality of vehicles. A data receiving unit, a scheduling unit for scheduling a plurality of vehicles based on data corresponding to the plurality of vehicles received from the data receiving unit and a plurality of vehicle destination information, and a power supply unit based on a result of the scheduling. And a power supply control unit that supplies power to a plurality of vehicles.

  Preferably, at least a part of the plurality of vehicles is a hybrid vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, and the data corresponding to the plurality of vehicles includes information relating to a charging state of a power storage device of the corresponding vehicle, and fuel remaining in the fuel tank. Information about the quantity.

  More preferably, the vehicle management device further includes a storage unit that stores cost information of the vehicle energy source. The scheduling unit performs scheduling based on cost information in addition to data corresponding to a plurality of vehicles and a plurality of vehicle destination information.

  Preferably, the vehicle management device further includes a display device that displays a scheduling result.

  Preferably, the power supply unit and the data reception unit respectively perform power supply and data reception via the same connector that connects each of the plurality of vehicles and the vehicle management device.

  Preferably, each of the plurality of vehicles includes a car navigation device. The scheduling unit transmits route information to each car navigation device of the plurality of vehicles based on the scheduling result.

  According to another aspect, the present invention is a vehicle management system including a plurality of vehicles each mounting a power storage device and a vehicle management device that manages the plurality of vehicles. The vehicle management device corresponds to a power supply unit that supplies power to a plurality of vehicles, a data reception unit that receives data of a storage device mounted in each of the plurality of vehicles, and a plurality of vehicles received from the data reception unit A scheduling unit that schedules a plurality of vehicles based on the data to be transmitted and the plurality of vehicle destination information, and a power supply control unit that supplies power to the plurality of vehicles via the power supply unit based on the scheduling result Including.

  Preferably, at least a part of the plurality of vehicles is a hybrid vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, and the data corresponding to the plurality of vehicles includes information relating to a charging state of a power storage device of the corresponding vehicle, and fuel remaining in the fuel tank. Information about the quantity.

  More preferably, the vehicle management device further includes a storage unit that stores cost information of the vehicle energy source. The scheduling unit performs scheduling based on cost information in addition to data corresponding to a plurality of vehicles and a plurality of vehicle destination information.

  Preferably, the vehicle management device further includes a display device that displays a scheduling result.

  Preferably, the power supply unit and the data reception unit respectively perform power supply and data reception via the same connector that connects each of the plurality of vehicles and the vehicle management system.

  Preferably, each of the plurality of vehicles includes a car navigation device. The scheduling unit transmits route information to each car navigation device of the plurality of vehicles based on the scheduling result.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently operate a plurality of hybrid vehicles at home or business.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle management device 200 installed in a home or office includes a power supply unit 203 that supplies power to a plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N each equipped with a power storage device, and a plurality of vehicles 100A to 100A. A data receiving unit 201 that receives data of a storage device mounted on each of 100N, a plurality of data based on data and a plurality of vehicle destination information corresponding to the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N received by the data receiving unit 201 A scheduling unit 221 that performs scheduling of vehicles, and a power supply control unit 222 that supplies power to the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N via the power supply unit 203 based on the scheduling result.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a vehicle management system including the vehicle management apparatus and the vehicle shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 2, vehicle 100A includes a wheel 308, a motor 306 that drives wheel 308, an inverter 304 that supplies three-phase AC power to motor 306, and a main battery 302 that supplies DC power to inverter 304. Including.

  The vehicle 100A further includes an engine 309, a generator 307 that receives mechanical power from the engine 309 and generates power, an inverter 305 that converts three-phase alternating current output from the generator 307 to direct current, and inverters 304 and 305 And a main control unit 314 that performs control. That is, vehicle 100A is a hybrid vehicle that uses both a motor and an engine for driving, but the present invention can also be applied to an electric vehicle or the like.

  Vehicle 100A has a configuration in which main battery 302 can be charged from the outside. That is, vehicle 100A further includes a connector 324 provided with a terminal for supplying a commercial power supply such as AC 100V from the outside, and a charging AC provided to main battery 302 by converting AC power applied to connector 324 into DC power. / DC converter 310, switch 322 connecting connector 324 and charging AC / DC converter 310, and connector connection detector 320 detecting that charging plug 206 of vehicle management device 200 is connected to connector 324. And a power line communication unit 316.

  Note that switch 322 and connector 324 serve as a coupling portion for electrically coupling vehicle 100A to an external power supply device. By operating the switch 322, the vehicle and the external power source are electrically coupled.

  Main control unit 314 monitors a state of charge (SOC) of main battery 302 and detects connector connection by connector connection detection unit 320. When the charging plug 206 is connected to the connector 324 and the state of charge SOC is lower than a predetermined value, the main control unit 314 causes the switch 322 to transition from the open state to the connected state and operates the charging AC / DC conversion unit 310. The main battery 302 is charged.

  Vehicle management device 200 receives data from a power supply unit 203 that supplies power to a plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N each equipped with a power storage device, and data in a storage device mounted in each of the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N. The receiving unit 201, main control ECU 208, display device 214, input device 212, memory 209, and external communication interface 223 are included.

  The main control ECU 208 operates as the scheduling unit 221 and the power supply control unit 222 described with reference to FIG. That is, main control ECU 208 performs scheduling of a plurality of vehicles based on data corresponding to a plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N received by data receiving unit 201 and a plurality of vehicle destination information, and based on the result of the scheduling. Control is performed to supply power to the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N via the power supply unit 203.

  The power supply unit 203 supplies the AC power source 202, the charging cables 218 and 219, the charging plugs 206 and 207 provided at the ends of the charging cables 218 and 219, and the AC power source 202 to the charging cables 218 and 219, respectively. The switches 204 and 205 to be connected are included. Opening and closing of the switches 204 and 205 is controlled by the main control ECU 208.

  Data receiving unit 201 includes power line communication units 210 and 211 that receive information such as the remaining fuel amount, state of charge SOC, and power supply request from the side of vehicles 100A to 100N.

  The vehicle 100 </ b> A further includes a car navigation device 330, a fuel remaining amount detection unit 332, and a memory 331. The remaining fuel amount detected by the remaining fuel amount detection unit 332 is transmitted from the main control unit 314 to the vehicle management device 200 side via the power line communication unit 316 together with the state of charge SOC of the battery 302. Vehicle management device 200 determines the start and end of power feeding based on the remaining fuel amount and the state of charge SOC.

  When power is supplied from vehicle management device 200 to vehicle 100 </ b> A, main control ECU 208 closes switch 204 to start power supply, and main control unit 314 operates charging AC / DC conversion unit 310 to main battery 302. Charge.

  When the charging is completed, the state of charge SOC of the main battery 302 reaches the target value, and in response to this, the main control unit 314 stops the charging AC / DC conversion unit 310 and changes the switch 322 from the closed state to the open state. Then, the vehicle management apparatus 200 is requested to stop power supply via the power line communication unit 316. Then, main control ECU 208 changes switch 204 from the closed state to the open state.

  In order to enable transmission of information regarding the state of charge and the remaining amount of fuel, vehicle 100A preferably provides information regarding fault diagnosis via charging cable 218 connected between connector 324 and external AC power source 202. A power line communication unit 316 that operates as a transmission unit that transmits to the outside of the vehicle is provided. Power line communications is known as PLC and has recently been used in home communications networks.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for illustrating control related to charging executed in vehicle management device 200. The processing of this flowchart is called and executed from a predetermined main routine every predetermined time or every time a predetermined condition is satisfied.

  2 and 3, when the process is started, in step S1, main control ECU 208 communicates with an external information source such as the Internet using external communication interface 223, and power information (per unit power). Cost or CO2 amount).

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the power information acquired in step S1.
Referring to FIG. 4, at time 6 to 8 o'clock, the power cost per kilowatt hour is K1 (yen), and the CO2 emission amount is M1 (g). From 8:00 to 20:00, the power cost per kilowatt hour is K2 (yen), and the CO2 emission is M2 (g). At the time from 22:00 to 22:00, the power cost per kilowatt hour is K3 (yen), and the CO2 emission amount is M3 (g). From time 22 to 6 o'clock, the power cost per kilowatt hour is K4 (yen), and the CO2 emission amount is M4 (g).

  In this way, information on costs and CO2 emissions that differ depending on the time zone is acquired from the external database. Alternatively, data acquired in advance from an external database via the Internet or the like is stored in the memory 209, and this data may be read from the memory 209 in step S1.

  Subsequently, in step S2 of FIG. 3, the main control ECU 208 communicates with an external information source such as the Internet using the external communication interface 223 to acquire fuel information (cost per unit amount and replenishable location). .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the fuel information acquired in step S2.
Referring to FIG. 5, in gas station G1, the selling price per liter is Q1 (yen), and the location of the gas station is P1. In the gas station G2, the selling price per liter is Q2 (yen), and the location of the gas station is P2. In the gas station G3, the selling price per liter is Q3 (yen), and the location of the gas station is P3. In the gas station G4, the selling price per liter is Q4 (yen), and the location of the gas station is P4. Each of the places P1 to P4 is defined by, for example, latitude and longitude.

  Next, in step S3 of FIG. 3, the main control ECU 208 acquires the schedule of the drivers D1, D2, D3. The drivers D1, D2, D3,... Are, for example, a family at home and an outside employee who uses a vehicle at an office.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the schedule information acquired in step S3.
Referring to FIG. 6, the destination of driver D1 is R1 and the estimated arrival time is T1, and the destination of driver D2 is R2 and the estimated arrival time is T2. The destination of the driver D3 is R3, and the estimated arrival time is T3.

  The schedules of these drivers are input from the input device 212 of FIG. 2 and held in the memory 209 until the start of charging the previous day, for example. In step S3, the schedule is read from the memory 209. Note that the driver schedule may include a plurality of destinations.

  Next, in step S4 in FIG. 3, the main control ECU 208 plans a driving route corresponding to the destinations of the drivers D1, D2, and D3. The travel route plan is normally executed by the car navigation device, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

  Subsequently, in step S5, the main control ECU 208 establishes communication with the main control unit 314 via the power line communication unit 210, the charging cable 218, and the power line communication unit 316, and acquires the vehicle information stored in the memory 331. .

  That is, preferably, at least a part of the plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N is a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine 309 that is an internal combustion engine. The data corresponding to the plurality of vehicles received by the data receiving unit 201 includes information on the state of charge SOC of the main battery 302 that is the power storage device of the corresponding vehicle, and the fuel in the fuel tank detected by the fuel remaining amount detecting unit 332. Information about the remaining amount. These pieces of information are stored in the memory 331 and updated according to the decrease in the fuel and the state of charge.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the vehicle information acquired in step S5.
Referring to FIG. 7, the charging states of vehicles 100A to 100N are SOC (A) to SOC (N), respectively, and the remaining fuel amounts of vehicles 100A to 100N are RF (A) to RF (N), respectively. It has been shown.

  Subsequently, in step S6 of FIG. 3, the main control ECU 208 performs an operation as a scheduling unit.

  More preferably, the vehicle management apparatus 200 further includes a memory 209 that is a storage unit that stores cost information of the vehicle energy source. The scheduling unit performs scheduling based on cost information in addition to data corresponding to a plurality of vehicles and a plurality of vehicle destination information.

  For example, a driving simulation is performed on the total combination of the driving route plan of each of the drivers D1, D2, D3..., The vehicles 100A to 100N, and the charging amount (not charging / full charging / half charging), and the total cost. Or the optimal combination with which CO2 emission amount is reduced is determined.

  In step S7, charging is performed so that each vehicle is in an optimal charging state. For example, if the destination is a place where the vehicle arrives at a high speed, it is only necessary to perform a hybrid drive that operates the engine, so the battery need not be fully charged. In this case, a state of charge SOC of about 20% is sufficient, but it is preferable that the fuel is sufficiently loaded. On the other hand, if the vehicle arrives through an urban area where traffic is likely to be congested, it is more efficient to fully charge the battery because the vehicle is mainly driven as an electric vehicle that does not operate the engine (EV traveling). In this case, it is not necessary to mount a large amount of fuel, and there are cases where energy efficiency is better when the weight of the fuel is smaller. A driving simulation is performed in consideration of such circumstances, and an optimal combination that reduces the total cost or the CO2 emission amount is determined.

  Subsequently, in step S8, the main control ECU 208 sets a travel route in the car navigation device of each vehicle.

  That is, each of the plurality of vehicles 100 </ b> A to 100 </ b> N includes a car navigation device 330. The main control ECU 208 operating as the scheduling unit 221 in FIG. 1 transmits route information to the car navigation devices 330 of each of a plurality of vehicles based on the scheduling result. This transmission is performed via the power line communication units 210 and 316.

  In step S9, the main control ECU 208 instructs the drivers D1, D2, D3,. The display device 214 shown in FIG. 2 is used as the vehicle dispatch indicator.

  That is, the vehicle management apparatus 200 further includes a display device 214 that displays a scheduling result. Thus, each driver can know which vehicle he / she should ride.

  When the process of step S9 ends, the process of this flowchart ends in step S10.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining control related to a refueling instruction for a vehicle with a small remaining fuel amount. Note that the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 8 is called and executed in step S6 of the flowchart of FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 3 and 8, when vehicle information is received by vehicle management apparatus 200 in step S5, whether or not there is a vehicle having a fuel remaining amount equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, 7 liters) in step S21. Is judged. In step S21, if the fuel is not less than the predetermined value, there is no need for refueling, so the process proceeds to step S24, and the control is moved to the flowchart of FIG.

  When there is a vehicle whose fuel remaining amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, 7 liters) in step S21, the process proceeds from step S21 to step S22.

  In step S22, the one that passes near the gas station is selected from the driving route plan of the drivers D1, D2, D3... Temporarily determined in step S4 of FIG. As for the gas station, a station with a low fuel unit price is given priority from the fuel information acquired in step S2.

  In step S23, on the vehicle management apparatus 200 side, the driver is instructed to refuel at the gas station by a vehicle allocation instruction indicator installed in the home or business. At this time, correction for incorporating a gas station in the travel route is performed. On the side of vehicles 100A to 100N, the driver may be notified of a refueling schedule through a vehicle monitor screen of car navigation at the start of traveling.

  When the process of step S23 ends, the process proceeds to step S24, and control is transferred to the main routine of FIG.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, efficient charging can be executed in a home or business office that owns a plurality of externally chargeable hybrid vehicles.

  Preferably, power supply unit 203 and data reception unit 201 perform power supply and data reception via the same connector 324 that connects each of a plurality of vehicles 100A to 100N and vehicle management device 200, respectively.

  Then, on the vehicle management apparatus 200 side, power information and fuel information are collected, and dispatch is determined based on the information. The vehicle management system according to the present embodiment can exchange information more stably than collecting information while the vehicle is running on the vehicle side. In addition, since the exchange of information and the exchange of power can be performed together, there is little timing shift between the two operations, and scheduling can be performed more accurately.

  Furthermore, more sophisticated scheduling is possible by reflecting the cost reflecting the current market conditions of energy. For example, it is possible to optimize by changing the scheduling based on whether it is possible to charge using midnight power or whether the gasoline price is currently rising.

  In addition, route information assigned to the vehicle as a result of scheduling by the vehicle management device is automatically set in the vehicle-side navigation device during charging through the power line. For this reason, the effort required for the car navigation setting of the driver is reduced.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a schematic block diagram for demonstrating embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the detailed structure of the vehicle management system containing the vehicle management apparatus and vehicle shown in FIG. 5 is a flowchart for illustrating control related to charging executed in vehicle management apparatus 200. It is the figure which showed an example of the electric power information acquired by step S1. It is the figure which showed an example of the fuel information acquired by step S2. It is the figure which showed an example of the schedule information acquired by step S3. It is the figure which showed an example of the vehicle information acquired by step S5. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control regarding the fuel supply instruction | indication with respect to a vehicle with little fuel remaining.

Explanation of symbols

  100A to 100N vehicle, 200 vehicle management device, 201 data receiving unit, 202 AC power supply, 203 power supply unit, 204, 205, 322 switch, 206, 207 charging plug, 208 main control ECU, 209, 331 memory, 210, 211 316 Power line communication unit 212 Input device 214 Display device 218 219 Charging cable 221 Scheduling unit 222 Power supply control unit 223 External communication interface 302 Main battery 304 304 305 Inverter 306 Motor 307 Generator , 308 wheels, 309 engine, 310 AC / DC converter for charging, 314 main control unit, 316 power line communication unit, 320 connector connection detection unit, 324 connector, 330 car navigation device, 332 fuel remaining amount Detection unit.

Claims (16)

A power supply unit that supplies power to a plurality of vehicles each mounted with a power storage device;
A data receiving unit for receiving data of a storage device mounted in each of the plurality of vehicles;
A scheduling unit that performs scheduling of the plurality of vehicles based on data and a plurality of vehicle destination information corresponding to the plurality of vehicles received by the data receiving unit;
A power supply control unit that supplies power to the plurality of vehicles via the power supply unit based on a result of the scheduling ,
At least some of the plurality of vehicles are hybrid vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine,
The data corresponding to the plurality of vehicles is
Information on the state of charge of the power storage device of the corresponding vehicle;
Including information on the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank,
The scheduling includes a travel route plan, a charge amount plan, and a vehicle allocation plan for each of the plurality of vehicles . A storage unit for storing cost information of the vehicle energy source;
The scheduling unit, in addition to the data and a plurality of vehicle destination information corresponding to the plurality of vehicles performing the scheduling based on the cost information, the vehicle management device according to claim 1. The vehicle management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cost information includes information on a cost per unit amount of electric power and fuel.   The vehicle management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display device that displays a result of the scheduling.   The power supply unit and the data reception unit respectively perform power supply and data reception through the same connector that connects each of the plurality of vehicles and the vehicle management device. The vehicle management apparatus according to item 1. Each of the plurality of vehicles is
Including car navigation devices,
The vehicle management device according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling unit transmits route information to each car navigation device of the plurality of vehicles based on a result of the scheduling. The vehicle management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling unit determines a travel route so as to include a refueling instruction for a vehicle in which the fuel remaining amount is less than a predetermined value among the plurality of vehicles. The vehicle management device according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling unit assigns a vehicle in which the fuel remaining amount is less than a predetermined value among the plurality of vehicles to a travel route that passes near a gas station. A plurality of vehicles each mounted with a power storage device;
A vehicle management device for managing the plurality of vehicles,
The vehicle management device includes:
A power supply unit for supplying power to the plurality of vehicles;
A data receiving unit for receiving data of a storage device mounted in each of the plurality of vehicles;
A scheduling unit that performs scheduling of the plurality of vehicles based on data corresponding to the plurality of vehicles received from the data receiving unit and a plurality of vehicle destination information;
Look including a power supply control unit supplies power to the plurality of vehicles via the power supply unit based on a result of the scheduling,
At least some of the plurality of vehicles are hybrid vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine,
The data corresponding to the plurality of vehicles is
Information on the state of charge of the power storage device of the corresponding vehicle;
Including information on the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank,
The scheduling includes a travel route plan, a charge amount plan, and a vehicle allocation plan for each of the plurality of vehicles . The vehicle management device includes:
A storage unit for storing cost information of the vehicle energy source;
The vehicle management system according to claim 9 , wherein the scheduling unit performs the scheduling based on the cost information in addition to data corresponding to the plurality of vehicles and a plurality of vehicle destination information. The vehicle management system according to claim 10, wherein the cost information includes information related to a cost per unit amount of electric power and fuel. The vehicle management device includes:
The vehicle management system according to claim 9 , further comprising a display device that displays the scheduling result. And the power supply unit and the A data receiving unit, respectively performing power supply and data received via the same connector for connecting with each of the plurality of vehicles and the vehicle management system, any one of claims 9 to 12 The vehicle management system according to item 1. Each of the plurality of vehicles is
Including car navigation devices,
The vehicle management system according to claim 9 , wherein the scheduling unit transmits route information to each car navigation device of the plurality of vehicles based on a result of the scheduling. The vehicle management system according to claim 9, wherein the scheduling unit determines a travel route so as to include an instruction for refueling a vehicle in which the fuel remaining amount is less than a predetermined value among the plurality of vehicles. 10. The vehicle management system according to claim 9, wherein the scheduling unit assigns a vehicle having a fuel remaining amount less than a predetermined value among the plurality of vehicles to a travel route passing near a gas station. 11.

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