CHARGING CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20120161692A1
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yuichi, Shirai, Keisuke, Kashiyama, Masamori, Morii, Shimon
• Application Number:
  US13/333,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20120161692A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/101
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

In a charging control system, electrically-driven vehicles whose charging levels are lower than such a charging level required to drive these electrically-driven vehicles over a necessary minimum drivable distance are charged with a priority, and such an electrically-driven vehicle whose charging level quickly reaches the above-explained charging level among these electrically-driven vehicles is charged with a top priority. Also, in the charging control system, an order for dynamically charging vehicle-purpose batteries is rearranged by monitoring a change in charging environments, for instance, an electrically-driven vehicle is newly coupled to a charger in a half way; a commonly available electric power amount is increased by solar power generation etc.; and a supplyable electric power amount (W) is lowered due to utilization of electricity by a subject other than electrically-driven vehicles.

Claims

1. A charging control system for controlling charging of a plurality of vehicle-purpose batteries equipped in a plurality of electrically-driven vehicles, comprising:

one or more charging-purpose facilities; and

a charging control apparatus for monitoring and controlling charging situations in the charging-purpose facilities, wherein;

the charging-purpose facility is comprised of;

one, or more chargers for charging the vehicle-purpose batteries provided in the electrically-driven vehicles;

a power receiving apparatus for outputting electric power inputted from a power distribution network to the chargers; and

an electric power monitoring apparatus for monitoring a supplyable electric power amount from the power receiving apparatus to the chargers, and electric power consumption amounts in the chargers; and

wherein;

the charging control apparatus is comprised of;

an electric power situation monitoring unit for acquiring condition information of each of the vehicle-purpose batteries from each of the electrically-driven vehicles, and for either acquiring or predicting the power electric consumption amounts in the chargers from the electric power monitoring apparatus;

a charging start/stop judging unit for calculating a charging time until the present charging level reaches a previously set charging level for each of the electrically-driven vehicles, for reserving a charging start instruction and/or a charging stop instruction of each of the electrically-driven vehicles based upon the calculated charging time, the electric power consumption amount predicted by the electric power situation monitoring unit, and the supplyable electric power amount monitored by the electric power monitoring apparatus; and

a charging control instructing unit for transmitting the reserved charging start instruction and/or the reserved charging stop instruction to the electrically-driven vehicle which constitutes a subject vehicle.

2. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the charging start/stop judging unit executes a judging process of the electrically-driven vehicle, in which the charging start/stop judging unit reserves the charging start instruction to the electrically-driven vehicle whose vehicle-purpose battery is not under charging and whose remaining battery capacity is lower than the charging level, and stops charging in case that a predicted electric power consumption amount when charging to the electrically-driven vehicle is started exceeds a supplyable electric power amount (W) to the charger in the facility; and

the charging start/stop judging unit determines issuing of the charging stop instruction of the vehicle-purpose battery of the electrically-driven vehicle under charging, or canceling of the reservation of the electrically-driven vehicle, the charging start instruction of which has been reserved based upon the battery condition information and the supplyable electric power amount (W).

3. The charging control system as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

as to the electrically-driven vehicles in which the vehicle-purpose batteries thereof are under charging, or charging of the vehicle-purpose batteries is being reserved, and furthermore, the remaining battery capacities thereof are higher than, or equal to the charging level, in case that the predicted electric power consumption amounts exceed the supplyable electric power (W) to the chargers within the facility in the order of longer charging times up to full charging, the charging start/stop judging unit reserves the charging stop instruction as to the electrically-driven vehicles.

4. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the charging start/stop judging unit determines the electrically-driven vehicle which should be charged in such a manner that the electrically-driven vehicle whose charging time up to the charging level is short is charged with a top priority within a range where electric power amounts required to charge the vehicle-purpose batteries of the electrically-driven vehicles do not exceed the supplyable electric power amount (W) to the facility.

5. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

since the charging start/stop judging unit sets plural pieces of the charging levels, the charging start instruction and/or the charging stop instruction of each of the electrically-driven vehicles is reserved in response to the plurality of charging levels.

6. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

when an electric power amount required to charge the electrically-driven vehicles coupled to the chargers exceeds the supplyable electric power amount (W) of the facility, the charging start/stop judging unit requests the power distribution network to increase the supplyable electric power amount (W).

7. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the charging control apparatus is provided with charging condition information which includes items as to a charger ID, a charging condition, a remaining capacity of the vehicle-purpose battery, an electric power consumption amount, a charging time, and a drivable distance; and

the electric power situation monitoring unit outputs the charging condition information via an output apparatus which can be confirmed by a user.

8. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the charging control apparatus is provided with setting information which includes any one, or more items of an update interval, a charging level, a supply of electric power from a power distribution network, a supply of electric power from equipments within a facility, a supply of electric power from an electrically-driven vehicle, and a charging plan setting method; and

the electric power situation monitoring unit sets the setting information which is inputted by a user via an input apparatus to the charging control apparatus.

9. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

in case that an electrically-driven vehicle which satisfies a reservation condition cannot be prepared, the electric power situation monitoring unit notifies the situation to a user.

10. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the charging start/stop judging unit rearranges an order for charging the vehicles-purpose batteries of the respective electrically-driven vehicles by considering vehicle reservation information of a user.

11. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the facility is further comprised of;

a facility-purpose battery which stores thereinto electric power as chemical energy and outputs the stored electric power to the chargers, and/or

a solar cell which converts optical energy into electric power by utilizing an opto-electromotive effect and outputs the converted electric power to the chargers; and

the electric power monitoring apparatus monitors supplyable electric power amounts (W) from the power receiving apparatus and the facility-purpose battery, and/or the solar cell.

12. The charging control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

the charging control system is further comprised of;

a plurality of the facilities.