CENTER SERVER, CHARGING FACILITY REGISTRATION SYSTEM INCLUDING SAME, AND CHARGING FACILITY REGISTRATION METHOD

• US 20140028257A1
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishida, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,377,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A center server (10) includes a receiver (12) that receives position information transmitted from an electric vehicle that can be charged externally, the position information being on a charging facility at which the electric vehicle has been charged; a processing unit (14); and a storage device (16). The processing unit (14) determines a standard or specification of the charging facility based on the position information received by the receiver (12), and associates standard/specification information indicating the standard or specification of the charging facility with the position information on the charging facility, and stores the associated information in the storage device (16).

Claims

1. A center server comprising:

a receiver that receives position information transmitted from an electric vehicle that is able to be charged externally, the position information being on a charging facility at which the electric vehicle has been charged;

a processing unit; and

a storage device,

wherein the processing unit determines a standard or specification of the charging facility pertaining to the position information received by the receiver, and associates standard/specification information indicating the standard or specification of the charging facility with the position information on the charging facility, and stores the associated information in the storage device.

2. The center server according to claim 1, wherein the standard/specification information includes information relating to whether a power source type of the charging facility is alternate current or direct current, and relating to a magnitude of a power source voltage.

3. The center server according to claim 2, wherein:

the receiver receives the information relating to whether the power source type of the charging facility is alternate current or direct current, and relating to the magnitude of the power source voltage, the information being transmitted from the electric vehicle that transmits the position information on the charging facility; and

wherein the processing unit determines the standard or specification of the charging facility on the basis of the information received by the receiver and relating to whether the power source type of the charging facility is alternate current or direct current, and relating to the magnitude of the power source voltage.

4. The center server according to claim 1, wherein:

the receiver receives identification information of the electric vehicle transmitted from the electric vehicle that transmits the position information on the charging facility; and

wherein the processing unit determines the standard or specification of the charging facility on the basis of the identification information.

5. The center server according to claim 1, wherein:

the processing unit determines whether the charging facility, the position information on which is received by the receiver, is a facility that is able to be used by an unspecified user; and

wherein when the processing unit determines that the charging facility is able to be used by an unspecified user, the processing unit associates the position information with the standard/specification information pertaining to the charging facility, and registers the associated information in the storage device.

6. The center server according to claim 5, wherein:

the receiver receives identification information of the electric vehicle that transmits the position information on the charging facility, from the electric vehicle;

wherein the processing unit determines, on the basis of the identification information of the electric vehicle, whether the position information pertaining to the same charging facility is received from a predefined number of or more electric vehicles; and

wherein when the processing unit determines that the position information pertaining to the same charging facility is received from the predefined number of or more electric vehicles, the processing unit determines that the charging facility is able to be used by an unspecified user.

7. The center server according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit decides an accuracy of the registered information pertaining to each charging facility.

8. The center server according to claim 7, wherein as the number of electric vehicles, from which the receiver receives the position information relating to the same charging facility, increases, the processing unit increases the accuracy of the registered information pertaining to the charging facility.

9. A charging facility registration system comprising:

the center server according to claim 1; and

an on-board device that is installed in the electric vehicle, and that transmits to the center server at least the position information upon completion of charging, in the charging facility, of the electric vehicle on which the on-board device is installed.

10. A charging facility registration method comprising:

receiving, by a center server, position information transmitted from an electric vehicle that is able to be charged externally, the position information being on a charging facility at which the electric vehicle has been charged, and determining, in the center server, a standard or specification of the charging facility, the position information on which is received; and

associating, in the center server, standard/specification information indicating the standard or specification of the charging facility with the position information on the charging facility, and storing the associated information in a storage device.

11. The charging facility registration method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the charging facility, the position information on which is received, is a facility that is able to be used by an unspecified user; and

when it is determined that the charging facility is able to be used by an unspecified user, associating the position information with the standard/specification information pertaining to the charging facility, and registering the associated information in the storage device.