JP2006158087A - Charging system for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform the management of an electric vehicle driven by a battery at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: A battery-assisted bicycle 300 is driven by power fed from the battery 302, and comprises a charging plug 430 connected to an adapter 240 of a stand unit 230 of a charging station 200 for feeding power to the battery 302. A plurality of protrusions that indicate the vehicle are formed at the charging plug 430. The charging station 200 comprises a reading part 236 that detects the protrusions as the identification information of the battery assisted bicycle 300 when the charging plug 430 is connected to the adapter 240. The battery assisted bicycle 300 is managed based on the vehicle identification information read from the reading part 236 of the charging station 200 by a concentrated management center. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric vehicle charging system for an electric vehicle that requires periodic charging when used.

  Conventionally, as a charging system having an electric vehicle such as a battery-assisted bicycle or a self-propelled electric motorcycle that charges a dedicated battery from an AC power source to reduce a load of a human stepping force, for example, a vehicle charging system disclosed in Patent Document 1 It has been known.

The electric vehicle charging system disclosed in Patent Literature 1 charges a battery included in a battery-assisted bicycle through a centralized charging control device and a charging terminal device installed in a bicycle parking lot or the like. In this system, the charging terminal device has a charging cord connected to the battery-assisted bicycle and an anti-theft lock that prevents the theft of the battery-assisted bicycle, and charging starts when the anti-theft lock locks the bicycle. To do. By connecting a plurality of such charging terminal devices to the centralized charging control device, the electric vehicle charging system charges a plurality of electric vehicles.
Japanese Patent No. 3469908

  However, in the conventional charging system for electric vehicles of Patent Document 1, only the configuration for controlling the charging voltage of the charging terminal device when charging the electric vehicles is described, and the management of the electric vehicles to be used is not described. .

  In addition, when considering the management of an electric vehicle in such a charging system for electric vehicles, in order to realize the use at a low running cost, parts caused by failures and aging caused by the use of many users generated in the electric vehicle The need for replacement, etc. must be considered. In other words, a system that can manage an electric vehicle without replacement of complicated labor and costs associated with the replacement of parts in the electric vehicle is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle charging system that can easily and inexpensively manage an electric vehicle driven by a battery.

  The charging system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention includes an electric vehicle that is driven by power supplied from a battery, a charging device that is connected to the electric vehicle and that charges the battery, and the electric vehicle via the charging device. A management device that manages lending of the vehicle, wherein the electric vehicle is connected to the charger, and is provided in the connection portion and is identified as the electric vehicle when connected to the charger An identification information detection unit that detects the vehicle identification unit as vehicle identification information of the electric vehicle when the connection unit is connected to the charger. And the management device employs a configuration for managing the electric vehicle based on the vehicle identification information detected by the identification information detection unit.

  According to this configuration, when the connection unit is connected to the charging device, the vehicle identification unit provided in the connection unit is detected as vehicle identification information by the identification information detection unit. In other words, the management device manages the electric vehicle to be used based on the identification information detected at the time of connection by the operation of connecting the connection unit performed when using the electric vehicle to the charging device. Therefore, the management device can identify the connected electric vehicle only by connecting the connection unit to the charging device, and can easily manage the lending.

  In addition, since the management device identifies the electric vehicle based on the vehicle identification information detected when the connection unit is connected to the charging device, the management device is configured to charge each of the charging devices when a plurality of charging devices are provided. The connection state of the electric vehicle in the apparatus can be managed. That is, it is possible to identify and manage which electric vehicle is connected to which charging device.

  In addition, since the vehicle identification unit is provided in the connection part, it is necessary to change the configuration on the management device and charging device side when exchanging components such as the vehicle main body and the battery excluding the connection part on the electric vehicle side. There is no need to change only the parts to be replaced in the electric vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to easily manage the electric vehicle at a low cost without requiring troublesome work when replacing parts in the electric vehicle.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an electric vehicle driven by a battery can be easily managed at low cost.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an electric vehicle charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. An electric vehicle charging system (hereinafter, “charging system”) 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes charging stations (charging devices) 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, electric vehicles 300-1 to 300-7, And a central management center (management device) 500.

  Here, the charging system 100 charges users who have contracted to use the electric vehicles 300-1 to 300-7 via the charging stations 200-1 to 200-3 that are installed apart from each other. The electric vehicles 300-1 to 300-7 are lent out. It is desirable that the charging stations 200 are installed at predetermined locations apart from each other. Here, it is assumed that the charging station 200 is installed in the apartment house A, the station square, and the apartment house B, which are provided apart from each other.

  In the charging system 100, the centralized management center 500 manages the usage status of users who use the electric vehicle 300 via the charging stations 200-1 to 200-3. Specifically, the central management center 500 identifies the vehicle by connecting the charging plug (connecting portion) 430 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the electric vehicle 300 to the charging station 200, and uses this identified information. Based on this, the usage status of the user who uses the electric vehicle 300 is managed. In the charging system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the charging stations included in the charging system 100 are illustrated as three charging stations 200-1 to 200-3. A station may be provided. The charging system 100 may have one charging station 200, but it is preferable that the charging system 100 has at least two charging stations 200.

  The electric vehicle is a vehicle that includes a battery and a motor that is driven by power supplied from the battery, and travels by the rotation of the motor. The electric vehicle may be any vehicle as long as it is electrically driven using a motor. For example, the electric vehicle may be an electric motorcycle, an electric tricycle, an electric four-wheel vehicle, or the like. Further, the vehicle is not limited to a battery-assisted bicycle, and may travel using the output of a motor as an auxiliary.

  In this embodiment, the electrically powered vehicle 300 in the charging system 100 is an electrically assisted bicycle that reduces the load applied to the pedal by the user by the rotational drive of the motor. Hereinafter, the electric vehicle 300 will be described as the battery-assisted bicycle 300. In the present embodiment, front, rear, left, and right mean front, rear, left, and right when viewed in the state of being seated on the seat of the battery-assisted bicycle 300.

  First, the charging station 200 in the charging system 100 will be described. The charging stations 200 included in the charging system 100 have substantially the same basic configuration. Therefore, here, the charging station (first charging station) 200-1 set in the apartment house A will be described as an example.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an apartment house A charging station (charging station) and an electric vehicle (power-assisted bicycle) in the charging system shown in FIG.

  In the housing complex A charging station 200, a plurality of management units 210 and battery charger units 230 (230-1 to 230-13 in FIG. 1) for battery-assisted bicycles are integrally connected in series via a connection adapter (not shown). It is formed by doing. The charger units 230-1 to 230-13 shown in FIG. 2 have the function of a charging stand that charges the connected battery-assisted bicycle 300, and each has the same basic configuration and function. Therefore, hereinafter, the charger unit (hereinafter referred to as “stand unit”) 230-1 to which the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected will be described, and the configuration of the other stand units 230-2 to 230-13 will be omitted. .

  The charging station 200 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 charges the battery 302 of the electric vehicle 300 via the charging cable 410 and manages the charging. In addition, charging station 200 can receive information from centralized management center 500 as well as transmit information of connected electric vehicle 300 to centralized management center 500.

  The charging station 200 may be configured in any way as long as it charges the battery 302 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 via the charging cable 410. Here, it is assumed that the batteries 302 of the plurality of battery-assisted bicycles 300 installed in the apartment house A such as an apartment and parked are charged. The management unit 210 and the stand unit 230 are fixed to a wall surface of a parking space that is partitioned in an apartment house (not shown).

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining functions of the charging station shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected to the charging station 200.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the management unit 210 includes a card reader (user identification unit) 211, a display device 213, a notification device 214, a parking system control device (hereinafter referred to as “unit control device”) 215, A communication device 217 is included.

  The card reader 211 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 reads the user ID from an IC card in which a user ID for identifying the user is stored, and outputs the information to the unit controller 215.

  The display device 213 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is configured by a liquid crystal display panel having a touch panel function and the like to the system user (user) by display information input from the unit control device (control unit) 215. On the other hand, various information is displayed for visual recognition. In addition, since the display device 213 has a touch panel (selection unit) function, when a plurality of pieces of information to be selectively selected by the user are displayed using the touch panel, one of them is selected, and the information is displayed. Output to the unit controller 215. In addition, an information display command from the central management center 500 can be output to the unit controller 215 using the touch panel of the display device 213.

  The notification device 214 shown in FIG. 3 notifies the user of predetermined information based on a command from the unit control device 215. The notification device 214 includes, for example, a sound generation device that generates sound based on an input signal from the unit control device 215, or a light emitting device that emits a predetermined color, specifically an alarm device.

  The unit control device 215 shown in FIG. 3 is connected to each device of the stand unit 230 to be coupled through a signal connector (not shown) that connects the signal line and the units. These devices are a unique information reading unit (vehicle identification information) for reading unique information (vehicle identification information) of the charger 231, the release button 233, the adapter 240, the fixing member (fixing unit) 234 and the charging plug 430 connected to the adapter 240. An identification information detection unit (hereinafter referred to as a “reading unit”) 236 and the like.

  The unit control device 215 has an AC / DC power supply (not shown). The AC / DC power supply converts AC power received from a cable (not shown) into DC power, and outputs the DC power to the devices 211, 213, 214, and 217 of the management unit 210. To drive.

  The unit control device 215 has a storage unit 215a, reads a program stored in the storage unit 215a, and performs various arithmetic processes and control processes using data stored in the storage unit 215a.

  The storage unit 215a stores a program necessary when the charging station 200 charges the battery-assisted bicycle 300, a program necessary when the central management center 500 manages via the charging station 200, a data table, and the like. ing. The storage unit 215a stores stand unit identification information (hereinafter referred to as “unit identification information”) and a stand unit number in association with each other. This unit identification information is a number used when the unit control device 215 and the controller device 237 communicate with each other, and is a number uniquely assigned to all the stand units 230 in the charging system 100. . The unit number is given together with information indicating the charging station to which the stand unit indicated by the unit number belongs, and means “stand name”.

  By this unit number, the unit controller 215 can identify the stand unit 230 to which the user can use (borrowable) the battery-assisted bicycle 300. This unit number is normally assigned in order so that the number increases from the stand unit 230 close to the management unit 210. The operation of storing the association between the unit number and the unit identification information may be performed by the system administrator when the system is constructed, but is not limited thereto. For example, each time the configuration of the charging system 100 is changed, the unit control device 215 of the management unit 210 acquires unit identification information from the controller device 237 of each connected stand unit 230, and the stand unit identification. A unit number uniquely corresponding to the information may be assigned and stored in the storage unit 215a.

  The unit control device 215 outputs a control signal and the like to the adjacent stand unit 230 via the signal line, and receives information from the battery management device 330 and information of each stand unit 230 via the stand unit 230.

  The received information is appropriately stored in the storage unit 215a, and is transmitted to the central management center 500 via the communication device 217 together with the information previously stored in the storage unit 215a. The information received from the battery management device 330 via the controller device 237 includes, for example, a charging state signal indicating the charging state of the battery 302, a state where charging of the battery 302 is completed, that is, a standby indicating a lending standby state. Signal etc. are mentioned. Examples of the information from the stand unit 230 include a release signal output from the stand unit 230 when the release button 233 is pressed, vehicle identification information from the reading unit 236, and the like.

  That is, the unit control device 215 transmits all information including user information (information obtained from the battery-assisted bicycle 300 via the stand unit 230) to the battery-assisted bicycle 300 to the central management center 500 (see FIG. 1). To do.

  Here, specific functions of the unit control device 215 will be described in more detail.

  The unit control device 215 transmits a transmission command signal instructing to transmit the identification information of the battery 302, the charge amount information, the charging history, and the vehicle identification information to the controller devices 237 of all the stand units 230. Here, the charge amount information includes a charge amount of the battery, a capacity of the battery, and a charge ratio (remaining power amount) represented by a charge amount with respect to the capacity of the battery.

  The unit control device 215 receives a transmission signal including vehicle identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 connected to the stand unit 230, identification information of the battery 302, charge amount information, and stand unit identification information from the controller device 237. .

  Specifically, when the charging plug 430 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected to the adapter 240 of the connected stand unit 230, the unit controller 215 demodulates the transmission signal from the controller device 237, thereby Various information is received from the bicycle 300. The various information includes battery identification information received from the battery 302 mounted on the battery-assisted bicycle 300, charge amount information, vehicle identification information received from the charging plug 430, and the like.

  The unit control device 215 detects the identification information of the battery 302, the charge amount information, and the vehicle identification information, and stores them in the storage unit 215a in association with the stand unit 230 to which the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected. The data is transmitted to the central management center 500 via 217. Thus, the central management center 500 can confirm that the predetermined battery-assisted bicycle 300 has been properly returned.

  The unit controller 215 also starts charging the charger 231 by inserting the charging plug 430 of the vehicle into the adapter 240 when the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected to the adapter 240 of the connected stand unit 230. Send instructions.

  Furthermore, the unit control device 215 determines the appropriateness of the user by checking the registered user ID (“card No.”) with the user ID read from the IC card via the card reading device 211.

  The user ID read from the IC card is transmitted to the central management center 500 from the unit controller 215 after being read by the card reader 211. That is, when the IC card information is input from the card reading device 211, the unit control device 215 transmits the information to the central management center 500 and collates it with the registered user ID.

  The user ID registered on the management side may be stored in advance as a table in the storage unit 215a in the unit control device 215. If the user table to be used is stored in the storage unit 215a, the unit control device 215 can collate the user ID. That is, it is not necessary to have access time to the central management center 500 which is generated for verification after the card reader 211 reads the information on the IC card.

  In this way, the unit control device 215 compares the user ID from the IC card with the data from the central management center 500 or the data in the storage unit 215a, and determines whether the user to be used is a registered user. To do. If it is determined that the user is a registered user, unit control device 215 stores the vehicle identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle desired by the user in storage unit 215a in association with the user registration number. Furthermore, the unit control device 215 transmits information stored in the storage unit 215a and information received from the controller device 237 to the central management center 500 via the communication device 217.

  Further, the unit control device 215 identifies the stand unit 230 that has sent the charge state signal, and when the charge state signal indicates that the battery 302 is fully charged, A command signal for terminating charging is transmitted.

  Then, after the end of the user's suitability determination, the unit control device 215 identifies the stand unit 230 to which the charged battery 302 is connected based on the charge state signal, and makes the stand unit 230 available to the user. Control to inform.

  Specifically, the unit controller 215 gives the display unit 213 as display information a stand unit number corresponding to the stand unit identification information of the stand unit 230 that has been charged.

  In addition, the unit control device 215 provides the notification device 214 with a stand unit number corresponding to the stand unit identification information of the stand unit 230 that has been charged.

  The unit controller 215 locks / unlocks the charging plug 430 inserted into the adapter 240 by controlling the operation of the fixing member 234 of the stand unit 230.

  Specifically, the unit control device 215 controls the operation of the fixing member 234 of the stand unit 230 based on the charge state signal, and can use the release button 233 of the available stand unit 230 after performing the user's suitability. (Here, it can be pressed). When the user presses the release button 233 of the predetermined stand unit 230, the release buttons 233 of the stand units 230 other than the stand unit for which the release button 233 is pressed are controlled to be unavailable.

  Further, the unit control device 215 detects that the charging plug 430 is pulled out from the adapter 240 by detecting information indicating the pressing state input from the release button 233.

  The unit control device 215 may be configured to unlock the charging plug 430 by the fixing member 234 without pressing the release button 233 of the stand unit 230 to which the available battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected.

  In this case, the stand unit 230 includes a sensor that detects a state in which the charging plug 430 is inserted into the adapter 240 and both are electrically connected, and outputs the detected state to the unit control device 215.

  In the unit control device 215 configured as described above, the fixing members 234 in all the stand units 230 to which the available battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected are unlocked. Then, when the user pulls out the charging plug 430 of the desired battery-assisted bicycle 300 from the adapter 240, the unit control device 215 detects that the charging plug 430 has been pulled out by the sensor of the stand unit 230. Next, in the unit control device 215 that detects that the charging plug 430 has been pulled out, the fixing member 234 of the stand unit 230 other than the stand unit 230 from which the charging plug 430 has been pulled out is operated. As a result, the unit control device 215 simultaneously locks the charging plugs 430 fitted to the adapters 240 other than the stand unit 230 to which the battery-assisted bicycle 300 to be used is connected. Therefore, the charging plug 430 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 other than the battery-assisted bicycle to be used cannot be pulled out, and the rental of vehicles other than the battery-assisted bicycle to be used can be prevented.

  Further, when the unit control device 215 detects that the charging plug 430 is pulled out from the predetermined adapter 240 (including the case where information indicating the pressing state of the release button 233 is detected), the adapter from which the charging plug 430 is pulled out The vehicle information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 connected to 240 and the user ID are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 215a and transmitted to the central management center 500.

  Further, when the connection information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 that is input via the stand unit 230 is not input, the unit control device 215 performs a notification to that effect via the notification device 214. Specifically, after the charging plug 430 is inserted into the adapter 240, vehicle identification information is not detected from the reading unit 236 even after a predetermined time has elapsed, or information is not input from the battery-assisted bicycle side, etc. Is mentioned. In these cases, the management side of the unit control device 215 or the like does not perform the lending end process and continues to be charged for the user of the target battery-assisted bicycle 300. Can be urged. That is, when the connection information of the charging plug 430 is not input and only the return recognition information by the IC card is input, the management side can be notified by issuing a notification to that effect to the user. In this case, it can be realized by using the timer of the stand unit 230 itself or the charger 231.

  Furthermore, the unit control device 215 gives the actual travelable distance or actual travelable time of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 used by the user, which is calculated by the central management center 500, to the display device 213 as display information. This is executed when the user desires to disclose the usage information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 by using the touch panel of the display device 213 and the unit control device 215 outputting a command to that effect to the central management center 500. Is done.

  Next, the stand unit 230 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the stand unit 230 includes a charger 231 and an adapter 240 by being electrically connected to the charger 231 and being electrically connected to the charging plug 430 to be inserted.

  Further, the stand unit 230 includes a fixing member 234 that can fix the charging plug 430 inserted into the adapter 240, a release button 233 that releases the fixing state of the charging plug 430 by the fixing member 234, 236).

  The charger 231 has an AC / DC power supply (not shown). The AC / DC power supply converts AC power received from a cable (not shown) into DC power, and outputs the DC power to each device of the stand unit 230, for example, the fixing member 234, the release button 233, and the reading unit 236. Accordingly, the release button 233, the fixing member 234, and the reading unit 236 are driven.

  The charger 231 is connected to the battery 302 mounted on the battery-assisted bicycle 300 via the charging cable 410 when the charging plug 430 is inserted into the adapter 240, and supplies power to the battery 302.

  Specifically, in the charger 231, when the charging plug 430 of the charging cable 410 is inserted into the adapter 240, the controller device 237 communicates between the CPUs, detects the state of the battery 302, and performs charging as necessary. Start.

  For this reason, since the user can charge the battery-assisted bicycle 300 by a simple operation of inserting and connecting the charging plug 430 to the adapter 240, the user's work load is reduced.

  In addition, the charger 231 receives a charge state signal (charge amount information) indicating the identification information of the charger 231, the remaining power amount (presence / absence of power amount) from the battery management device 330 or the progress of charging, etc. Every time, the data is transmitted to the unit control device 215 of the management unit 210 via the controller device 237.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an adapter in the stand unit. The adapter 240 shown in FIG. 4 has a housing 240a having a shape in which the charging plug 430 provided in each battery-assisted bicycle 300 can be inserted and removed through the opening 241. Specifically, the housing 240 a has a hollow portion 241 a that opens through an opening 241 corresponding to the outline of the insertion portion 432 of the charging plug 430, and the hollow portion 241 a is arranged to open to the front side of the stand unit 230. (See FIG. 1). The internal shape of the housing 240a, that is, the shape of the hollow portion 241a is a substantially isosceles trapezoidal shape in front view corresponding to the outline of the insertion portion 432 of the charging plug 430.

  Further, when the charging plug 430 is inserted into the housing 240a, the adapter 240 is fixed so as to be able to protrude and retract from the side wall 242 facing the surface where the notch 434 (see FIG. 5) of the charging plug 430 is formed. A plunger 234a of the member 234 is disposed.

  The fixing member 234 is an electromagnetic solenoid, and the main body is disposed outside the side wall part 242, and the plunger 234 a that moves forward and backward from the main body moves from the side wall part 242 toward the inside of the adapter 240 from the inner surface 242 a of the side wall part 242. Move in the direction of separation.

  The plunger 234a protrudes from the inner surface 242a, so that the plunger 234a is fitted into the notch 434 (see FIG. 5) of the inserted charging plug 430. Thereby, the charging plug 430 is fixed in the state inserted in the adapter 240 and electrically connected.

  In addition, a plurality of through holes (not shown) are formed in one side surface of the housing 240a of the adapter 240, here, the side wall portion 243 constituting the upper bottom portion, and the contact member 2361 of the reading unit 236 is formed in these through holes. It is inserted.

  The reading unit 236 reads the vehicle identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 having the charging plug 430 from the charging plug 430 inserted into the housing 240 a of the adapter 240 and electrically connected to the adapter 240.

  In the present embodiment, the reading unit 236 includes a contact member 2361 and a reading main body unit 2362 that is disposed on the outer surface side of the side wall portion 243 and is provided so that the contact member 2361 inserted through the side wall portion 243 protrudes and retracts. Have.

  The contact member 2361 is provided so as to be able to advance and retract from the reading main body portion 2362 side toward the internal space (hollow portion 241a) of the housing 240a. Here, the contact member 2361 is urged from the reading main body 2362 toward the hollow portion 241a and protrudes from the reading main body 2362.

  Here, a plurality of contact members 2361 are provided, and the number and arrangement of these contact members with respect to the reading main body portion 2362 are the number and arrangement positions of the convex portions 436 provided at different positions and locations for each charging plug 430 to be inserted. It corresponds to. In addition, the convex part 436 is a vehicle identification part which shows the specific information of the charging plug 430, ie, the vehicle identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 having the charging plug 430, depending on the combination of the number and the arrangement position with respect to the charging plug 430. .

  As described above, the contact member 2361 that protrudes into the housing 240a is charged at a portion exposed in the housing 240a when the charging plug 430 is inserted into the adapter 240 (hollow portion 241a), in particular, the tip portion is charged. It contacts the convex part 436 of the plug 430 and moves backward. When the adapter 240 and the charging plug 430 are electrically connected and both are fixed, the contact member 2361 is held in a retracted state by the corresponding convex portion 436.

  The reading main body 2362 is formed of, for example, a switch board or the like, and detects the contact member 2361 that has moved backward against the urging force among the plurality of contact members 2361. Specifically, when the charging plug 430 is inserted into the adapter 240 and the electrical connection state between the two is detected, the contact member 2361 retracting toward the reading main body 2362 is detected.

  In this way, the reading main body 2362 detects the number and positions of the contact members 2361 that are retracted, whereby the reading unit 236 reads the unique information of the charging plug 430 to be inserted, that is, the identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300. This unique information (vehicle identification information) is transmitted to the controller device 237.

  The controller device 237 (see FIG. 3) performs various controls and processes in the stand unit 230. That is, the controller device 237 exchanges information between the devices 231, 233, 234, 237, and 236 of the stand unit 230 and the unit control device 215, and exchanges information between the unit control device 215 and the battery management device 330. . Further, the controller device 237 performs control of charging the battery 302 using a direct current received from an alternating current direct current power supply.

  Specifically, the controller device 237 receives a display signal, charger control information, and a time signal from the management unit 210 (specifically, the unit control device 215), performs predetermined processing, and outputs it.

  That is, the controller device 237 performs a predetermined process on the charge state signal received from the charger 231 and outputs it to the management unit 210 (specifically, the unit control device 215). In addition, when the controller device 237 receives a command signal to end charging from the unit control device 215, the controller device 237 performs control to end charging of the battery 302 of the charger 231.

  Further, the controller device 237 performs predetermined processing on the battery identification information, the failure information, the charger control information, and the charging frequency / use information received from the battery management device 330 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300, and the charger 231 and the management unit 210 ( Unit controller 215). The information transmitted from the battery management device 330 side is mainly information related to the battery 302. Based on the information, the degree of wear of the battery 302 itself is determined, and the replacement time of the battery 302 is determined. It becomes an indicator.

  That is, the controller device 237 receives the transmission signal transmitted from the battery management device 330 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300, demodulates the transmission signal, detects and stores the battery identification information, the remaining power amount, and the vehicle identification information. is doing.

  Further, the controller device 237 can obtain the electrically connected information from the supply current amount of the charger 231 by inserting the charging plug 430 into the adapter 240, and obtain the obtained information from the unit control device 215 of the management unit 210. Output to.

  Further, the controller device 237 controls the operation of the fixing member 234 based on a command from the unit control device 215, and the charging plug 430 inserted into the adapter 240 is electrically connected to the adapter 240. Fix it.

  Specifically, when power is being supplied from the charger 231 by connecting the charging plug 430 to the adapter 240, the controller device 237 advances the plunger 234a of the fixing member 234 to fix the charging plug 430. . That is, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected to the stand unit 230 in a locked state via the adapter 240 and the charging plug 430.

  Further, the controller device 237 releases the fixed state of the charging plug 430 by the plunger 234a of the fixing member 234 according to a command from the unit control device 215 based on detection of the pressing state of the release button 233 (see FIGS. 2 to 4). ).

  Charging plug 430 is provided at the distal end portion of charging cable 410 that is led out from in-vehicle unit 420 of electric vehicle charging cable device (hereinafter referred to as “charging cable device”) 400 included in battery-assisted bicycle 300.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the charging plug.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the charging plug 430 has an insertion portion 432 that is formed corresponding to the shape (hollow portion 241a) of the housing 240a of the adapter 240 and is inserted into the housing 240a.

  The insertion portion 432 is electrically connected to the charging cable 410 and a terminal (not shown) in the adapter 240 when the insertion portion 432 is inserted into the housing 240a (see FIG. 4). A connection terminal 432a is provided.

  Further, the insertion portion 432 is formed with a convex portion 436 that is inserted into the housing 240a and presses a predetermined contact member 2361 in the reading portion 236 when the connection terminal 432a is connected to a terminal in the housing 240a. . Here, the convex portion 436 is formed on the side wall surface orthogonal to the distal end surface of the insertion portion 432, which is a position corresponding to the formation position of the contact member 2361 in the adapter 240, specifically, the upper surface of the insertion portion 432.

  The convex portion 436 is formed in a hemispherical shape protruding from the insertion portion 432 to the upper surface, and is formed at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the insertion portion 432. The predetermined positions where the convex portions 436 are formed are different for each charging plug 430, and the charging plug 430 (specifically, the insertion portion 432) has a specific shape depending on the position and number.

  Thus, since the number and position of the convex portions 436 formed in the insertion portion 432 form unique information of the charging plug 430, the convex portion 436 is unique for each battery-assisted bicycle 300 including the charging plug 430. Vehicle identification information is provided. Therefore, on the adapter 240 side to which the charging plug 430 is connected, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 having the charging plug 430 can be identified for each vehicle by the reading unit 236 reading the convex portion 436 of the charging plug 430.

In addition to the connection terminal 432a and the protrusion 436, the insertion portion 432 of the charging plug 430 includes
A notch 434 that is engaged with the plunger 234a of the adapter 240 (see FIG. 4) is formed. When the charging plug 430 is electrically connected to the adapter 240, the notch 434 is formed at a position corresponding to the formation position of the plunger 234 a in the housing 240 a of the adapter 240 in the insertion portion 432.

  Here, the notch 434 is formed on the outer surface of the insertion portion 432 that is orthogonal to the distal end surface of the insertion portion 432 and different from the surface on which the convex portion 436 is formed, and is disposed in the vicinity of the connection terminal 432a. .

  Because of the positional relationship between the two, when the charging plug 430 and the adapter 240 (see FIG. 4) are electrically connected, the plunger 234a is formed in the notch 434 in the vicinity of the connection portion between the connection terminals of both. It will be engaged, and both electrical connection can be performed more firmly.

  As described above, since the charging plug 430 and the adapter 240 are held firmly connected by the engagement state between the notch 434 and the plunger 234a, the reading unit 236 accurately determines the number and position of the convex portions 436. Can be read. Therefore, the management side (the centralized management center 500 and the charging station 200) accurately reads the vehicle identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 connected to the predetermined adapter 240 via the reading unit 236, and accurately reads the battery-assisted bicycle 300. Can manage.

  The notch 434 is formed in the charging plug 430. For this reason, it is not necessary to make the main body part of the charging cable 410 provided with the charging plug 430 into a structure for fixing both, and the structure which fixes the charging cable 410 and the charging station 200 can be formed easily. The charging plug 430 is provided at the distal end portion 410 a of the charging cable 410.

  The charging cable 410 electrically connects the charging station 200 and the battery 302 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 via the charging plug 430 to charge the battery 302 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Further, the charging cable 410 locks the battery-assisted bicycle 300 as a wire lock when not charging. Specifically, the charging cable 410 electrically connects the charger 231 (see FIG. 3) of the stand unit 230 and the battery 302. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the charging cable 410.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the charging cable 410 includes a signal line 412, a power line (power line) 414, a reinforcing member 416 disposed along the signal line 412 and the power line 414, and a covering material 418.

  The signal line 412 and the power line 414 are connected to the battery 302 (see FIG. 3) via the in-vehicle unit 420 on the base end side while one end, here, the distal end is connected to the connection terminal 432 a of the charging plug 430. It is connected.

  The reinforcing member 416 is fixed to the charging plug 430 at one end, that is, the distal end side of the charging cable 410, and is fixed to the in-vehicle unit 420 at the proximal end side. The reinforcing member 416 is provided to give rigidity to the charging cable 410 itself and make it difficult to disconnect, and reinforces the charging cable body. As the reinforcing member 416 in this embodiment, for example, a steel wire that is a metal material is used, and as the signal line 412 and the power line 414, for example, a copper wire is used.

  The covering material 418 is made of a material such as vinyl chloride (Vinyl Chloride). The covering material 418 integrally covers the reinforcing member 416 together with the signal line 412 and the power line 414.

  As the reinforcing member 416, a member having a tensile strength higher than that of the charging cable main body (signal line 412, power line 414, covering material 418) is selected. Preferably, the material that forms the reinforcing member 416 is selected such that the tensile strength of the material itself is larger than the tensile strength of the material (for example, copper) that forms the signal line 412 and the power line 414 that are the conductive members of the charging cable 410. .

  Further, the reinforcing member 416 may be used in any way as long as it has flexibility, increases the rigidity of the charging cable 410 itself, and has a function of wire locking. In this embodiment, the covering material 418 covers the signal line 412 and the power line 414. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a covering material that covers the signal line 412 and the power line 414 may be used as the reinforcing member. In this case, since the charging cable 410 is configured by covering the signal line 412 and the power line 414 with the reinforcing member, the rigidity of the charging cable 410 itself can be increased, and the signal line 412 and the power line 414 are further disconnected. It becomes difficult to do.

  As described above, the charging cable 410 in which the charging plug 430 is provided at the distal end portion 410 a of the cable body constitutes the charging cable device 400 together with the charging plug 430 and the in-vehicle unit 420 fixed to the battery-assisted bicycle 300.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the in-vehicle unit 420 in the charging cable device 400. In FIG. 7, while showing the locking state of the charging cable apparatus 400, in order to demonstrate the internal structure, the surface cover of the vehicle-mounted part 420 is removed.

  The in-vehicle unit 420 is fixed to the frame of the battery-assisted bicycle 300, and in this embodiment, is fixed to the handle post 316 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the in-vehicle unit 420 is formed in a rectangular flat plate box shape, and has a fixed socket portion 440 for inserting the charging plug 430 and fixing the inserted charging plug 430.

  The front wheel 304 is locked by inserting and fixing the charging plug 430 through the wheel, here the front wheel 304, to the fixed socket portion 440. Accordingly, when the rear wheel 308 (see FIG. 2) is locked, the frame of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 may be fixed at a position near the rear wheel 308. For example, you may fix to the rear fender 313, the seat stay 315, etc.

  The in-vehicle unit 420 includes a key cylinder 460 that locks and unlocks the charging plug 430 inserted into the fixed socket unit 440 in addition to the fixed socket unit 440.

  The base end portion 410b of the charging cable 410 is inserted into the box-shaped in-vehicle unit 420 from one side surface (see FIG. 7). The base end portion 410b is electrically connected to a battery power cable (hereinafter referred to as “power cable”) 450 using solder plating at a connection fixing portion 422 disposed in the in-vehicle unit 420.

  The connection fixing portion 422 itself is fixed to the in-vehicle unit 420 by a fastening member 422a such as a screw, so that the charging cable 410 and the power cable 450 are fixed to the in-vehicle unit 420. The power cable 450 is led out from the lower surface of the in-vehicle unit 420 and connected to the battery 302 (see FIG. 2).

  The fixed socket portion 440 is provided inside the rectangular box-shaped in-vehicle unit 420 and communicates with an opening formed on a side surface adjacent to one side surface (here, the lower surface) of the in-vehicle unit 420.

  The fixed socket portion 440 corresponds to the shape of the insertion portion 432 of the charging plug 430. Here, the fixed socket portion 440 is formed so that the plug insertion portion 432 of the charging plug 430 can be inserted and removed through an opening formed on the side surface of the in-vehicle portion 420. That is, the accommodating portion of the fixed socket portion 440 has substantially the same shape as the hollow portion 241a of the housing 240a of the adapter 240.

  Then, in the fixed socket portion 440, when the insertion portion 432 is inserted, a fixed pin 462 that can be protruded and retracted into the fixed socket portion 440 is formed on the inner surface portion facing the notch portion 434 of the inserted insertion portion 432. Is arranged.

  The fixing pin 462 is provided in the key cylinder 460, and is formed so as to be able to protrude and retract from the other end portion of the cylinder main body portion 466 provided with a key hole 464 at one end portion. Here, the cylinder body 466 is disposed so that the other end faces the fixed socket 440 and is adjacent to the fixed socket 440, and one end faces the outside from the upper surface of the in-vehicle unit 420.

  The fixing pin 462 is orthogonal to the insertion direction toward the notch 434 of the plug insertion part 432 inserted into the fixing socket part 440 by inserting the key 468 into the key hole 464 of the key cylinder 460 and turning. Projecting in the direction and engaging the notch 434. As the fixing pin 462 engages with the notch 434 in this manner, the charging plug 430 is fixed to the fixing socket 440.

  Further, by rotating the key 468 inserted in the key hole 464 in the reverse direction, the fixing pin 462 is retracted from the inside of the fixing socket portion 440 and the engaged state with the notch portion 434 is released. That is, the fixed state of the charging plug 430 is released, and the charging plug 430 can be pulled out from the fixed socket portion 440.

  In this embodiment, the tip of the fixing pin 462 is such that the edge on the opening side of the fixed socket 440 protrudes into the fixed socket 440 more than the edge on the back of the fixed socket 440. Is configured to be small. That is, the front end surface of the fixing pin 462 is inclined so as to be separated from the inner side surface of the fixing socket portion 440 where the fixing pin 462 protrudes and protrudes from the opening side of the fixing socket portion 440 toward the back side. Thus, even when the fixing pin 462 protrudes into the fixed socket portion 440, the insertion portion 432 of the charging plug 430 can be inserted without hindering the insertion operation.

  The key cylinder 460 causes the fixing pin 462 to appear and retract by rotating the key 468 inserted in the key hole 464 in the circumferential direction. Here, the key cylinder 460 is configured so that the fixed pin 462 can be advanced and retracted in the cylinder axis direction. In the key cylinder 460, the key 468 inserted into the key hole 464 is pulled out from the key hole 464 when the fixing pin 462 is in a protruding state, that is, when the key 468 is rotated in one direction and is positioned at the locking position. be able to. In the key cylinder 460, the key 468 is not pulled out from the key hole 464 when the key 468 is rotated in the other direction and positioned at the unlocked position.

  The battery-assisted bicycle 300 (see FIG. 2) including the charging cable device 400 configured as described above includes a battery 302 and a motor 303 that is driven by power supplied from the battery 302.

  The battery 302 is provided in the main body of the battery-assisted bicycle 300, and is stored in a storage unit 306 disposed along the seat tube 311 between the seat tube 311 and the rear fender 313. In addition, the motor 303 is disposed below the storage unit 306 and in the vicinity of the chain wheel 314.

  In the battery-assisted bicycle 300, the seat stay 315 extends while descending from the upper end portion of the seat tube 311 and is connected to the rear end 317 at the rear end portion 315b.

  The battery-assisted bicycle 300 further includes a battery management device 330 that manages the battery 302 and a motor control device 340 as shown in FIG.

  The battery management device 330 transmits information based on the signal from the battery 302 to the controller device 237 of the stand unit 230 at regular intervals via the charger 231. Here, the information based on the signal from the battery 302 includes, for example, stored battery identification information, battery failure information, charger control information, number of times of charging / use information, and current charge amount including remaining power amount. Information etc. Note that the battery management device 330 may be configured to transmit charge amount information including battery identification information and the current remaining power amount in response to a transmission command signal from the charger controller device 237.

  The motor control device 340 uses electric power managed by the battery management device 330 and drives and controls the motor 303 based on a signal from the battery management device 330. Note that the battery management device 330 and the motor control device 340 are disposed in the storage unit 306 in this embodiment.

  The battery-assisted bicycle 300 configured in this way supplies power to the battery 302 and is managed by the centralized management center 500 by connecting the charging plug 430 to the adapter 240 of the stand unit 230 in each charging station 200. .

  FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the central management center 500 of the charging system 100 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 8, the central management center 500 includes a communication unit 520 that communicates with a charging station (here, first to third charging stations) 200 using a communication line. The central management center 500 includes a management control unit 550 that manages the usage status of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 using information obtained through the communication unit 520 and controls the operation of the central management center 500. The central management center 500 further includes a storage unit (information storage unit) 570 that stores usage information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300.

  The communication unit 520 transmits and receives signals (information) to and from the communication device 217 of each charging station 200 using one or more types of wireless communication methods or wired communication methods. The communication unit 520 is connected to the management control unit 550.

  The management control unit 550 transmits / receives information to / from each stand unit 230 via the communication unit 520.

  Specifically, the management control unit 550 manages the stand unit 230 of each charging station 200 based on identification information corresponding to the stand unit number of the stand unit 230 input by the unit control device 215 of the management unit 210.

  In addition, the management control unit 550 collates the user ID input through the communication unit 520 from the stand unit 230 that requests the collation of the user ID and the registered user ID (“card No.”). Then, the user's suitability is determined.

  The user ID from the stand unit 230 is read from the IC card by the stand unit 230 via the card reader 211 (see FIG. 3). Then, the management control unit 550 transmits the determined appropriate information of the user to the stand unit 230 (charging station 200) that requested the verification of the user ID.

  In addition, the management control unit 550 receives information regarding the connected battery-assisted bicycle 300 and information regarding the disconnected battery-assisted bicycle 300 from the stand unit 230. That is, when the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected to the stand unit 230 in the charging station 200, the management control unit 550 inputs the user ID used for the information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 in association with it. In addition, when the connection of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is released from the predetermined stand unit 230, the management control unit 550 inputs the information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 and the user ID that uses the vehicle in association with each other. . These associated information is based on the charging plug 430 connected to the adapter 240 of the stand unit 230.

  Further, the management control unit 550 receives information on the stand unit 230 to which the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected, information on charging the battery-assisted bicycle 300 by the stand unit 230, and manages each information.

  Then, the management control unit 550 registers the input information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300, the user information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300, the information of the stand unit 230 to which the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected, and the like. Information is managed in association with each other and stored in the storage unit 570.

  As described above, the management control unit 550 integrates the battery-assisted bicycle 300 and the user information input from each charging station 200 obtained through the communication unit 520, and uses the storage unit 570 to use the battery-assisted bicycle 300. As usage information. For example, the central management center 500 having the management control unit 550 can identify where the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected in each charging station 200 connected via the communication network based on the vehicle identification information. it can. The central management center 500 can easily identify which user is using which battery-assisted bicycle 300.

  In addition, the management control unit 550 uses the rental fee and the return time when the registered user uses the battery-assisted bicycle having the vehicle identification information associated with the user, Calculate the total usage fee. Note that the management control unit 550 may have a function of calculating a usage fee and a cumulative usage fee based on the remaining power amount of the battery 302 in the battery-assisted bicycle 300 used by the user.

  The travel capability includes the travelable distance and the travelable time, and the actual travel capability includes the actual travelable distance and the actual travelable time. These may be anything that can serve as a reference for comparison as the running capacity of the battery-assisted bicycle 300. In the following description, the description will be made using the travelable distance or travelable time and the actual travelable distance or actual travelable time. The calculated actual travelable distance or actual travelable time is stored in the storage unit 570 by the management control unit 550 in association with the registered user usage information.

  Further, the management control unit 550 associates the calculated actual travelable distance or actual travelable time with the stand unit number corresponding to the stand unit identification information received from the controller device 237, and requests charging as display information. Transmit to station 200.

  In addition, the management control unit 550 extracts the individual usage information from the integrated usage information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300, stores the extracted individual usage information in the storage unit 570, and transmits the information to the charging station 200 that is requested.

  The storage unit 570 stores a program for managing the battery-assisted bicycle 300 by the charging station 200 executed by the management control unit 550, a data table calculated by the management control unit 550, and the like.

  The storage unit 570 stores correspondence relationships between vehicle identification information, battery 302 identification information, charge amount information, and a travelable distance or a travelable time (not shown).

  Further, the storage unit 570 includes data such as user information, vehicle identification information associated with the user information, usage contents when the user uses the vehicle, charges calculated based on the usage contents, and a cumulative total of the charges. Is stored as a table.

  In this embodiment, the storage unit 570 uses the vehicle rental time, the usage time based on the return time, and the management control unit 550 based on the usage time as the usage contents when the user uses the battery-assisted bicycle. Data such as a charge calculated every time and a total of the charge are stored.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data table stored in the storage unit 570. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a member table as an example of a usage condition table, and FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a fee condition table as an example of a lending condition table. FIG. 9C is a diagram showing an example of an integrated battery-assisted bicycle usage status table, and FIG. 9D is a diagram showing an example of an individual fee table as individual usage information.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the storage unit 570 stores, as shown in FIG. 9A, an ID card number (“card No.”) corresponding to a “user” who uses the charging system, a “member type”, and a charge. A member table in which a “room number” such as a building where the system is installed is associated is stored.

  “Card No.” in this member table is set as appropriate for each user who joins the charging system 100. In FIG. 9A, in correspondence with the user “A”, the user “B”, the user “C”,. “160283”, card no. “160284”, card no. “160285”,... Are associated with each other.

  Further, “user” is associated with “member type” which is a condition desired by a user who joins with “card No.”. “Membership types” are divided into a plurality of types, and here, in addition to “general” members and “regular” members shown in FIG. 9A, there are “family” members shown in FIG. 9B. It is supposed to be. Each “user” is associated with an address or a residence. Here, as shown in FIG. 9A, the user “A” is associated with “A308” as a room number as living in the room 308 of the apartment house A. The user “B” is associated with the room number “A208”, and the user “C” is associated with the room number “B408” as living in the room 408 of the apartment house B. In this way, in the member table shown in FIG. 9A, specifically, the card “No. “160283”, the room number “A308”, and the member type “general” are associated with each other.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the storage unit 570 is provided for each “member type” classified according to each member type (“general” member, “family” member, “periodic” member). The charge condition table in which the charge system is associated with the charge (“amount”) is stored.

  Specifically, the “general member” (corresponding to “general” in FIG. 9A) is a user who wants a normal fee condition, for example, a fee condition of 100 yen per usage time. “Family member” (corresponding to “Family” in FIG. 9A) is a user who desires a fee condition for use by a family member, and is cheaper than a general member. For example, a fee of 50 yen per usage time Condition.

  Further, the “regular member” (corresponding to “regular” in FIG. 9A) is a user who desires a fee condition for paying the charges in a lump sum, for example, a charge condition for paying the fees in a lump on a monthly basis. For example, it is 1500 yen per month. In this case, the battery-assisted bicycle can be used without limitation on a monthly basis.

  In this way, a plurality of “member types” are associated with a fee structure corresponding to the usage content, and by setting a plurality of “member types”, the user can select a desired usage condition from a plurality of usage conditions. You can select and contract.

  In addition, the charge system corresponding to each member here is "per hour" and "batch monthly fee", but it is not limited to this. Also good. For example, the usage amount per watt may be set, and the corresponding fee structure may be set for each member. In the case of this configuration, the unit controller 215 determines the usage fee and usage fee of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 based on the rental time, return time, and remaining battery power used when the registered user uses the battery-assisted bicycle. The total is calculated.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9C, the storage unit 570 integrates the battery-assisted bicycle used by the user, the time for starting use and the return operation (“operation date”), the operation location, and the operation type. And stored as a vehicle usage table.

  For example, in the table of FIG. 9C, the user of the card number “160283” (corresponding to the user “A”) is “○ 9: 10 on March 1” of the housing complex A charging station 200-1. Data indicating that the lending operation of the battery-assisted bicycle (vehicle “No. 4”) connected to the stand “1-01” has been stored. Further, in the table of FIG. 9C, the user of the card number “160284” (corresponding to the user “B”), on the 1st of May, at 9:25, the stand “ Data indicating that the lending operation of the battery-assisted bicycle (vehicle “No. 8”) connected to “3-08” has been stored.

  Further, in FIG. 9C, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 of the vehicle “No. 4” is returned to the stand 2-05 of the station charging station 200-2 at 12:05 on the same month. Is stored. That is, the user with the card number “160283” borrows a battery-assisted bicycle (vehicle “No. 4”) at the apartment house A charging station 200-1 and returns it to the station-front charging station B 200-2.

  In addition, the battery-assisted bicycle of the vehicle “No. 8” is stored with data indicating that it has been returned to the stand 2-04 of the station-front charging station 200-2 at “13:25” on the 1st of the same month. Yes. That is, the user with the card number “160284” borrows a battery-assisted bicycle (vehicle “No. 8”) at the apartment house B charging station 200-3 and returns it to the station-front charging station B200-2.

  Thus, in the centralized management center 500, when the rented battery-assisted bicycle 300 is returned, the user can be identified from the returned vehicle, so the user card number at the time of return is not input and stored. There is no need. Note that the management control unit 550 can calculate the usage time of each user's battery-assisted bicycle from the vehicle usage table shown in FIG.

  In addition, the storage unit 570 stores a fee associated with the individual information for each user, calculated by the management control unit 550 based on the data stored in the vehicle usage table, and the total of the fee. Note that the charge associated with the individual information for each user and the accumulated charge are calculated by the management control unit 550 based on the usage time of the battery-assisted bicycle in the data in the storage unit 570.

  For example, in FIG. 9D, the card No. A vehicle use table of the user “160283” (resident in room 308 of the apartment house A) is shown. This card No. The user of “160283” borrows “No. 4 car” from the stand 1 of the housing complex A (first) charging station 200-1 at “9:08” on “January 1” as the usage status of the battery-assisted bicycle. ing. Then, the user returns the vehicle to the stand 1 of the station (second) charging station 200-2 at “9:18” on the same day.

  Furthermore, the same user borrows "No. 6 car" from the stand 1 of the station square (second) charging station 200-2 at "18:56" on the same day, and collective housing A (first) charging station at "19:08". It is returned to the stand 1 of 200-1.

  Similarly, the user borrows “No. 2 car” from “Stand 1” of the apartment house A (first) charging station 200-1 at “9:08” on “March 2”, and at “9:18”. It is returned to the station 2 in front of the station (second) charging station 200-2. Furthermore, the user rents “No. 12 car” from the stand 2 of the station square (second) charging station 200-2 at “18:56” on the same day and collects the housing complex A (first) charging station at “21:56”. It is returned to the stand 1 of 200-1.

  And these card No. Each vehicle information used by the user of “160283” is associated with the usage time and fee of the same vehicle, the total is calculated, and these are collectively stored as individual information.

  The individual use information is transmitted from the central management center 500 to the requested charging station 200 when the user requests it via the charging station 200 after or before using the battery-assisted bicycle 300 to display the display device. 213 may be displayed. Thereby, the user can grasp | ascertain the utilization condition of a battery-assisted bicycle when using a battery-assisted bicycle.

  Next, an operation when the user of the charging system 100 borrows and returns the battery-assisted bicycle 300 will be described.

  First, the user brings an IC card storing a user ID for identifying the user closer to the card reader 211 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) provided in the predetermined charging station 200. Then, the card reader 211 reads the user ID from the IC card and gives it to the unit controller 215. The unit control device 215 transmits the received user ID to the central management center 500 (see FIG. 1) via the communication device 217. In the central management center 500, the input user ID is collated with a previously stored (registered) member user ID (for example, “card No.” in the member table shown in FIG. 9A), Check whether the user is an appropriate user, that is, a member.

  When it is confirmed that the user is an appropriate user, information to that effect is transmitted from the central management center 500 to the charging station 200 to which the user ID has been transmitted. At the charging station 200 to which the verification information of the user ID is transmitted, the unit control device 215 is based on a charging state signal received from a charger to which the vehicle is connected (for example, the charger 231 of the stand unit 230-1). The stand unit (for example, the stand unit 230-1) to which the battery 302 that has been charged is connected is identified.

  In addition, the unit control device 215 identifies the stand unit 230 to which the battery 302 capable of traveling a distance corresponding to the amount of charge is connected while being charged. The stand unit 230 is identified using a unit number assigned to each.

  In this manner, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 having a battery in a fully charged state or the battery-assisted bicycle 300 that can travel a predetermined amount even when the battery is being charged is hereinafter referred to as “available vehicle”.

  Then, the unit control device 215 transmits a signal for turning on the display lamp included in the stand unit to which the available vehicle is connected, to the stand unit 230 via the signal code. Receiving this signal, the controller device 237 of the stand unit 230-1 performs control to cause the display lamp included in the stand unit 230-1 to shine. Further, the unit control device 215 enables the operation of the release button 233 of the stand unit 230 to which an available vehicle is connected.

  Next, the user presses the release button 233 of the stand unit 230 to which the vehicle that is desired to be rented among the rentable vehicles whose display lamps are shining, and the charging plug 430 is fixed by the fixing member 234. Release, that is, unlock.

  At this time, the unlocked stand unit information, the vehicle identification information of the charging plug 430 of the rented vehicle, the battery identification information mounted on the unlocked vehicle, and the like are stored in the storage unit 215a of the unit control device 215. .

  Through the above operation, the user can use the battery-assisted bicycle 300 by removing the charging plug 430 included in the charging cable device 400 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 used from the adapter 240 of the stand unit 230.

  As described above, when the charging plug 430 is pulled out, information about the charging plug being pulled out is transmitted to the unit control device 215 via the charger 231, the reading unit 236, and the controller device 237.

  The unit control device 215 includes a user ID (“card No.”), vehicle identification information of the rented vehicle, and unit information of the stand unit 230 having the unlocked adapter 240 (“stand name” shown in FIG. 9). And the rented time are related to each other and transmitted to the centralized management center 500 via the communication device 217.

  In the charging station 200, when it is not possible to confirm that the user is an appropriate user in the vehicle lending operation, or when the user ID check itself has not been received, the unit control device 215 determines the available electric motors. Information on the auxiliary bicycle 300 (the name of the stand unit to which the vehicle is connected) is not displayed on the display device 213. At this time, even if the release button 233 is pressed, the fixed state by the fixing member 234 is not released. That is, the user cannot remove the charging plug 430 from the adapter 240. When forcibly withdrawing, the management unit 210 senses an abnormality and sounds an alarm. Thereby, an illegal act such as theft of the rental electric vehicle can be prevented.

  When the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is used, the charging cable 410 is held by being inserted into the bag of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 or by being directly inserted into the fixed socket portion 440 while charging. .

  In addition, when the user-assisted bicycle is temporarily parked in the city or the like, the charging cable 410 is removed from the fixed socket portion 440, and the charging cable 410 is passed through a wheel, for example, the front wheel 304, and then fixed. Insert into socket 440. Then, the charging plug 430 is fixed to the fixed socket portion 440 by rotating the key 468.

  By this operation, the charging cable device 400 is formed into a circle shape by the in-vehicle unit 420 and the charging cable 410 provided with the reinforcing member 416, and the wheel (here, the front wheel) 304 is restrained. As a result, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 itself cannot run. Then, by removing the key 468 from the keyhole 464, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 can be prevented from being stolen.

  Next, when the user returns the battery-assisted bicycle 300, the user first parks the battery-assisted bicycle 300 in front of the stand unit 230 and connects the charging plug 430 to the adapter 240. Then, the fixing member 234 fixes the charging plug 430 to the adapter 240 according to a command from the management unit 210. Thus, the charger 231 and the battery 302 in the storage unit 306 are electrically connected via the charging plug 430 and the adapter 240.

  On the stand unit 230 side, the reading unit 236 detects vehicle identification information from the convex portion 436 of the connected charging plug 430, and outputs the detected vehicle identification information to the controller device 237.

  The CPU of the battery management device 330 that manages the battery 302 in the storage unit 306 transmits information about the battery 302 and the like to the controller device 237 of the stand unit 230 via the charging cable 410 and the charger 231. Here, the information related to the battery 302 includes, for example, battery identification information, battery failure information, charger control information, number of times of charging / use information, and the like.

  The controller device 237 performs predetermined processing on the received information and transmits the information to the unit control device 215 of the management unit 210.

  The unit control device 215 receives the vehicle identification information from the charging plug 430 and the battery identification information received from the battery management device 330 in the storage unit 306, and transmits the vehicle identification information to the central management center 500 via the communication device 217.

  The central management center 500 collates the identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 being rented stored in the storage unit 570 with the vehicle identification information transmitted from the charging station 200, and has a matching rented identification information. Confirm that has been returned. Then, the return information is stored in the storage unit 570 and transmitted to the charging station that requested the verification. On the central management center 500 side, the vehicle usage status of the user is managed using the vehicle usage table in the storage unit 570. For this reason, when the charging plug 430 is connected to the adapter 240 of the predetermined stand unit 230, the central management center 500 can confirm which user has used the battery-assisted bicycle 300 returned.

  The charging station 200 calculates charges by associating the obtained IC card number (user ID), rented vehicle number, usage time, etc. with the central management center 500, and bills the user who owns the IC card. It can be performed. Specifically, the central management center 500 calculates the usage time using the rental time of the corresponding vehicle stored in the storage unit 570 and the return time of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 used by the user, and corresponds to the usage time. Then, the usage fee is calculated and transmitted to the charging station 200 as individual usage information. Receiving this, the charging station 200 informs the user by displaying via the display device 213.

  In the central management center 500, the management control unit 550 stores the remaining power amount of the battery 302 when the battery-assisted bicycle 300 used by the user is lent based on the information transmitted from the charging station 200. The amount of power used is calculated using the amount of remaining power in the battery 302 when read from and returned.

  In the central management center 500, the management control unit 550 calculates the usage fee based on the calculated usage time and the fee table (see FIG. 9B), and stores it in correspondence with the user information used ( (See FIG. 9C). As described above, the central management center 500 stores user information, a usage fee for each battery-assisted bicycle corresponding to the user information, and a cumulative total of the usage fees.

  As a result, the administrator side uses the accumulated usage fee (see FIG. 5) for the user who owns the IC card associated with the user information after using it for a predetermined period based on the information stored in the central management center 500. 9 (d)).

  In addition, after passing the charging cable 410 derived from the in-vehicle unit 420 through the wheels of the battery-assisted bicycle 300, more specifically, after passing through the spokes of the wheels, the charging plug 430 is connected to the adapter 240 and fixed. It may be fixed by the member 234. Thereby, the theft of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 itself during charging can be prevented.

  In addition, the charger 231 starts charging the battery 302 via the charging cable 410 and transmits a charging state signal indicating that charging is being performed to the unit controller 215 via the controller device 237 at regular intervals. .

  According to the charging system 100, the vehicle identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 to be connected can be recognized by connecting the charging plug 430 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 to the adapter 240 of the charging station 200.

  That is, since the charging plug 430 is provided with different formation positions and the number of convex portions 436 for each charging plug 430, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 including the charging plug 430 has different shapes. It has become. That is, in the charging plug 430, vehicle identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 including the charging plug 430 is formed. Even if the charging plug 430 is connected to the adapter 240 of the stand unit 230 of any charging station 200, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 having the charging plug 430 is identified on the charging station 200 side. Therefore, the central management center 500 can monitor and manage the usage status of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 in a wide range where the charging station 200 is installed via the charging station 200.

  In the bicycle parking lot provided with the charging station 200, when the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is parked, the fixing member 234 electrically connects the charging plug 430 to the adapter 240 by inserting the charging plug 430 into the adapter 240. Secure with. That is, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is connected to the charging station 200 via the charging cable 410 in which the charging cable itself is reinforced by the reinforcing member 416. Therefore, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 can be parked in a state where the battery 302 can be reliably charged, and the battery-assisted bicycle 300 itself can be prevented from being stolen. Further, even during charging, the charging cable 410 can be prevented from being disconnected from the adapter 240 due to an external load such as mischief.

  Further, according to the battery-assisted bicycle 300 including the charging cable device 400, it is possible to prevent theft even when temporarily parked in a city or on a road different from the bicycle parking lot. In the battery-assisted bicycle 300, the charging plug 430 provided at the tip of the charging cable 410 is inserted between the spokes of the wheel and then inserted into the fixed socket portion 440. Thereby, the charging plug 430 is fixed to the fixed socket portion 440 by the fixing pin 462, and is locked so that the front wheel 304 does not rotate. At this time, the key 468 is removed from the keyhole 464.

  That is, in the battery-assisted bicycle 300, the charging cable 410 forms a locking device together with the in-vehicle unit 420, the fixed socket unit 440, and the key cylinder 460 in addition to the function as the charging cable 410. Therefore, even when the currently used battery-assisted bicycle 300 is temporarily parked, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 is locked without using a separate locking device for restraining the battery-assisted bicycle 300, and the battery-assisted bicycle 300 itself is stolen. Is prevented.

  Thus, in the charging system 100, the charging plug 430 is fixed to the adapter 240 of the stand unit 230 by the fixing member 234 while being electrically connected. Thereby, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 including the battery 302 and the stand unit 230 can be firmly connected via the charging cable reinforced by the reinforcing member 416.

  That is, the charging cable 410 itself is not easily disconnected, and even when the charging cable 410 is pulled by an external force such as a third party's mischief, the charging cable 410 has the reinforcing member 416 and thus is not easily disconnected. It is difficult to come off from the unit 230. Therefore, even when the battery 302 is being charged through the charging cable 410 connected to the stand unit 230, the battery-assisted bicycle 300 itself can be prevented from being stolen and charged reliably.

  Further, if the charging plug 430 is passed through the front wheel 304 and then connected to the adapter 240 and fixed, it becomes difficult for a third party to move the battery-assisted bicycle 300.

  Furthermore, according to the charging system 100, in the charging station 200, the unit controller 215 detects the charging state of the battery 302 connected via the charging cable 410, and the fixing member 234 is based on the detected charging state. To control the operation. For this reason, according to the charge amount of the battery 302 of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 connected via the charging cable 410, it can be lent to the user.

  In the present embodiment, the vehicle identification information of the battery-assisted bicycle 300 provided in the charging plug 430 is formed by providing the convex portion 436 on the side surface of the insertion portion 432 inserted into the adapter 240, but this is not restrictive. That is, the charging plug 430 has a vehicle identification function of an electric vehicle including the charging plug 430, and is configured as long as the vehicle information is transmitted to the management side only by connecting to the adapter 240. May be. In this case, the configuration of the reading unit 236 provided on the adapter side is also made to correspond thereto.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a charging plug and an adapter of the charging system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the adapter of the charging system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the charging plug inserted into the adapter of the charging system. The charging system according to the second embodiment is different from the charging system 100 according to the first embodiment only in the configuration of the charging plug (connecting unit) 430 and the reading unit (identification information detecting unit) 236 provided on the adapter 240 side. Other configurations are similar. Therefore, only different configurations will be described below with reference to the drawings, and descriptions of other configurations will be omitted.

  An adapter 600 shown in FIG. 10A is provided in the stand unit 230 in the charging station 200, and a housing 602 of the adapter 600 has a shape into which a charging plug 700 (see FIG. 10B) can be inserted. A reading unit (identification information detecting unit) 650 is arranged on the upper surface.

  When the charging plug 700 is inserted into the housing 602 and disposed at a position where the charging plug 700 is electrically connected, the reading unit 650 reads unique information that the charging plug 700 has, that is, vehicle identification information.

  The charging plug 700 shown in FIG. 10B includes an IC chip (vehicle identification unit) 710 instead of the protrusion 436 that forms unique information of the charging plug 700, that is, vehicle identification information. This IC chip 710 detects information only by the reading unit 650.

  In the charging system according to the second embodiment, in the configuration of the charging system 100, the adapter 600 is provided in the stand unit 230 instead of the adapter 240, and the charging plug 700 is provided in the battery-assisted bicycle 300 in place of the charging plug 430. . Therefore, when the charging plug 700 is positioned in the housing 602 at a position where the plunger 234a of the fixing member 234 can be engaged with the notch 434 of the charging plug 700, the unique information is obtained from the IC chip 710 provided in the charging plug 700. That is, the vehicle identification information is read.

  That is, by inserting the charging plug 700 into the housing 602 of the adapter 600, the reading unit 650 can read vehicle identification information from the IC chip 710 and identify the connected battery-assisted bicycle.

  According to the configuration of the second embodiment, an IC chip 710 storing vehicle identification information is built in the charging plug 700. Therefore, when different vehicle identification information is given to each of the plurality of charging plugs 700, it is only necessary to change the information stored in the built-in IC chip 710 without changing the shape of each charging plug 700. .

  An electric vehicle charging system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an electric vehicle driven by power supplied from a battery, a charging device connected to the electric vehicle and having a charger for charging the battery, and the charging A management device that manages lending of the electric vehicle via a device, and the electric vehicle is provided in the connection portion and connected to the charger, and is connected to the charger. And the vehicle identification unit identified as the electric vehicle, and the charging device detects the vehicle identification unit as vehicle identification information of the electric vehicle when the connection unit is connected to the charger. And the management device adopts a configuration for managing the electric vehicle based on the vehicle identification information detected by the identification information detection unit.

  According to this configuration, when the connection unit is connected to the charging device, the vehicle identification unit provided in the connection unit is detected as vehicle identification information by the identification information detection unit. In other words, the management device manages the electric vehicle to be used based on the identification information detected at the time of connection by the operation of connecting the connection unit performed when using the electric vehicle to the charging device. Therefore, the management device can identify the connected electric vehicle only by connecting the connection unit to the charging device, and can easily manage the lending.

  In addition, since the vehicle identification unit is provided in the connection part, it is necessary to change the configuration on the management device and charging device side when exchanging components such as the vehicle main body and the battery excluding the connection part on the electric vehicle side. There is no need to change only the parts to be replaced in the electric vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to manage the electric vehicle easily and at low cost without requiring troublesome work when replacing parts in the electric vehicle.

  In the charging system for an electric vehicle according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above configuration, the vehicle identification unit includes a plurality of projections or depressions provided in the connection unit, and the identification information detection unit includes the charge When the connection part is connected to a container, the vehicle identification information is detected from the formation position of the convex part or the concave part with respect to the connection part.

  According to this configuration, the plurality of convex portions or concave portions provided in the connection portion constitutes a vehicle identification portion, and detection of the formation position of the convex portions or concave portions is detection of vehicle identification information used for management of the electric vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to have a vehicle identification portion having a unique shape with a simple configuration simply by changing the position of the convex portion or the concave portion formed in the connection portion.

  The charging system for an electric vehicle according to a third aspect of the present invention has the above-described configuration, wherein the vehicle identification unit is incorporated in the connection unit and is readable by the identification information detection unit. The information storage unit stores information, and the identification information detection unit is configured to detect the identification information from the information storage unit when the connection unit is connected to the charger.

  According to this configuration, since the management device can manage the electric vehicle based on the identification information detected from the information storage unit by the identification information detection unit, only the identification information of the information storage unit built in the connection unit is changed. With a simple configuration, the connection can have a unique vehicle identification.

  The electric vehicle charging system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention employs a configuration in which, in the above configuration, a plurality of the charging devices are provided, and the plurality of charging devices are arranged at different locations.

  According to this configuration, the management device is an electric motor that is used by being connected to the charging device based on the vehicle identification information detected from the identification information detection units of the plurality of charging devices arranged at different places. The vehicle can be managed. In other words, even when an electric vehicle borrowed from a certain charging device is returned to another charging device, it is used between the charging devices based on vehicle identification information detected when connected to each charging device. Electric vehicles can be identified.

  In the electric vehicle charging system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described configuration, the management device stores a storage unit that stores a charge set in advance corresponding to a usage time of the electric vehicle, and the identification information. A charge setting means for calculating a rental time of the electric vehicle actually lent, and setting a rental charge corresponding to the rental time based on the calculated rental time and a charge of the storage means; The structure which has is taken.

  According to this configuration, the management device can calculate the fee of the actually rented electric vehicle based on the identification information detected by the identification information detection unit of the charging device.

  The charging system for an electric vehicle according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the above-described configuration, wherein the charging device includes a user identification unit that identifies a user who uses the electric vehicle, and the electric vehicle disconnects from the charger. And a control unit that outputs the identification information of the released electric vehicle together with the information of the user identified by the user identification unit to the management device, and the management device includes the charging device The user information and the identification information output from are associated with each other and managed as usage information of the electric vehicle.

  According to this configuration, when the electrically powered vehicle is disconnected from the charger in the charging device, the management device associates the identification information of the electrically powered vehicle with the information of the user of the electrically powered vehicle. It can be managed as usage information. Therefore, the electric vehicle can be easily managed in association with the user to use by simply connecting or disconnecting the electric vehicle to the charging device.

  The charging system for an electric vehicle according to the present invention is useful as an effect that can easily and inexpensively manage an electric vehicle driven by a battery.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the charging system for electric vehicles which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. A perspective view showing a charging station and an electric vehicle in the electric vehicle charging system Block diagram for explaining the function of the charging station shown in FIG. Perspective view of adapter in stand unit Perspective view showing the charging plug Cross section of charging cable The figure which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted part in a charging cable apparatus The figure which shows the structure of the centralized management center of the charging system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows an example of the data table memorize | stored in a memory | storage part The figure which shows the charge plug and adapter of the charging system for electric vehicles which concern on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Charging system 200 Charging station 210 Management unit 215a Storage unit 230 Stand unit 231 Charger 233 Release button 234 Fixing member 234a Plunger 236, 650 Reading unit 240, 600 Adapter 240a Housing 241a Hollow part 300 Electric auxiliary bicycle 302 Battery 303 Motor 410 Charging Cable 430, 700 Charging plug 432 Insertion part 434 Notch part 436 Convex part 500 Centralized management center 520 Communication part 550 Management control part 570 Storage part 602 Housing 710 IC chip 2361 Contact member 2362 Reading body part

Claims (6)

An electric vehicle driven by power supplied from a battery;
A charging device connected to the electric vehicle and having a charger for charging the battery;
A management device for managing rental of the electric vehicle via the charging device,
The electric vehicle includes a connection unit connected to the charger, and a vehicle identification unit that is provided in the connection unit and is identified as the electric vehicle when connected to the charger.
The charging device includes an identification information detection unit that detects the vehicle identification unit as vehicle identification information of the electric vehicle when the connection unit is connected to the charger.
The said management apparatus manages the said electric vehicle based on the said vehicle identification information detected by the said identification information detection part, The charging system for electric vehicles characterized by the above-mentioned. The vehicle identification part is composed of a plurality of convex parts or concave parts provided in the connection part,
The said identification information detection part detects the said vehicle identification information from the formation position of the said convex part or recessed part with respect to the said connection part, when the said connection part is connected to the said charger. Electric vehicle charging system. The vehicle identification unit is an information storage unit that stores the identification information of the electric vehicle that is built in the connection unit and is readable by the identification information detection unit,
The electric vehicle charging system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information detection unit detects the identification information from the information storage unit when the connection unit is connected to the charger. A plurality of charging devices;
The charging system for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of charging devices are arranged at different places. The management device
Storage means for storing a fee set in advance corresponding to the usage time of the electric vehicle;
A fee for calculating a rental time of the electric vehicle actually lent based on the identification information, and setting a rental fee corresponding to the rent time based on the calculated rental time and the charge of the storage means Setting means;
The charging system for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: The charging device includes a user identification unit that identifies a user who uses an electric vehicle;
A control unit that outputs identification information of the released electric vehicle together with the information of the user identified by the user identification unit to the management device when the electric vehicle is disconnected from the charger; Have
The charging system for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the management device manages the user information output from the charging device and the identification information in association with each other as usage information of the electric vehicle.

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