Use management device, use management system, program product and use management method of electric scooter

Abstract

The use management device includes: a driving information acquisition unit, which is used to obtain the next planned driving information of the electric scooter; a remaining amount information acquisition unit, which is used to obtain the remaining amount information of the battery; a judgment unit, which judges whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned driving information and the remaining amount information; and a control unit, which executes a permission control to allow the driving of the driving motor when the judgment unit determines that the battery does not need to be charged, and executes a prohibition control to prohibit the driving of the driving motor when the judgment unit determines that the battery needs to be charged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a use management device, a use management system, a program and a use management method for an electric scooter. Background Art

[0002] The following patent document 1 discloses a remote control system for electric vehicles. The remote control system includes: a detection unit arranged in a specified facility such as a charging station for the vehicle; and a remote control device arranged in a specified building capable of communicating with the above-mentioned facility. The detection unit detects the remaining battery capacity of the vehicle based on information received from the vehicle, and sends its detection result to the remote control device. If the remaining battery capacity is below a specified threshold, the remote control device sends control information for charging the battery to the vehicle via the above-mentioned facility. The vehicle that receives the control information uses the contactless charging equipment of the above-mentioned facility to perform the battery charging operation.

[0003] According to the remote control system for electric vehicles disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, as system components, a detection unit in a facility, a remote control device in a building, a communication device between the facility and the building, a communication device between the vehicle and the facility, etc. are required. Therefore, if the remote control system is applied to the battery management of electric scooters such as senior cars (registered trademark), the system configuration becomes complicated.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-3868 Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention provides a technology capable of simply and effectively preventing an electric scooter from running out of power.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an aspect of the present invention relates to a use management device for an electric scooter, which is a use management device for an electric scooter that uses electricity supplied from a battery to drive a travel motor, and includes: a travel information acquisition unit, used to obtain the next planned travel information of the electric scooter; a remaining amount information acquisition unit, used to obtain the remaining amount information of the battery; a judgment unit, which judges whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information; and a control unit, which, if the judgment unit judges that the battery does not need to be charged, executes a permission control to allow the travel motor to be driven, and if the judgment unit judges that the battery needs to be charged, executes a prohibition control to prohibit the travel motor from being driven. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing in simplified form the structure of the electric mobility scooter usage management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing a simplified structure of an external terminal.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of an action plan table stored in the memory of the usage management device.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the processing sequence of the electric mobility scooter and the external terminal.

[0013] Figure 5 It means about Figure 4 The flowchart is a process flow chart showing the contents of the process in the electric mobility scooter, from the process up to the transmission of the prohibition notification in the process sequence shown.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information output unit.

[0015] Figure 7 It means about Figure 4 The flowchart is a flowchart showing the contents of the processing in the external terminal of the notification processing of the prohibition control in the processing sequence shown.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information notification unit.

[0017] Fig. 9 It means about Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the processing contents in the external terminal, from the processing until the lock release command is sent in the processing sequence shown.

[0018] Fig.10 It means about Figure 4 The flowchart of the execution process of the permission control in the processing sequence shown is the processing content in the electric mobility scooter.

[0019] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information output unit.

[0020] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information output unit.

[0021] Fig.13 This is a block diagram showing in simplified form the structure of the electric mobility scooter usage management device according to the first modification.

[0022] Fig.14It is a diagram showing the configuration of a memory and a driving information acquisition unit.

[0023] Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information notification unit.

[0024] Fig.16 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information notification unit.

[0025] Fig.17 This is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the processing sequence of the electric mobility scooter and the external terminal.

[0026] Fig.18 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information output unit.

[0027] Fig.19 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information notification unit.

[0028] Fig. 20 It means about Fig.17 The flowchart of the execution process of the permission control in the processing sequence shown is the processing content in the electric mobility scooter.

[0029] Fig.21 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information output unit.

[0030] Fig. 22 It means about Fig.17 This is a flowchart showing the contents of the lock release notification process in the external terminal in the processing sequence shown.

[0031] Fig.23 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of outputting notification information by the information notification unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] (Basic knowledge of the present invention)

[0033] With the development of an aging society in recent years, electrically driven carts such as the Elderly Car (registered trademark) are becoming more popular. Since an electrically driven cart uses a battery to drive a driving motor, it is necessary to charge the battery before the remaining battery level reaches zero and the battery becomes insufficient. The battery of an electrically driven cart is usually charged by connecting a household socket and the main body of the electrically driven cart with a charging cable.

[0034] However, for elderly people who use electric scooters, charging the battery by themselves is sometimes a heavy burden on the body. In addition, by increasing the battery capacity and improving the charging and discharging efficiency, the maximum operating time of the battery from a fully charged state is extended, and the charging frequency of the battery is reduced, which may lead to forgetting to charge the battery. If the electric scooter is low on power when going out due to forgetting to charge the battery, the electric scooter will not be able to drive, so it is important to take measures to deal with the low power of the electric scooter.

[0035] Next, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is studied. The remote control system of an electric vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes: a detection unit arranged in a specified facility such as a charging station for the vehicle; and a remote control device arranged in a specified building that can communicate with the above-mentioned facility. The detection unit detects the remaining battery of the vehicle based on the information received from the vehicle, and sends its detection result to the remote control device. If the remaining battery is below a specified threshold, the remote control device sends control information for charging the battery to the vehicle via the above-mentioned facility. The vehicle that receives the control information performs a battery charging operation using the contactless charging device of the above-mentioned facility. As described above, according to the remote control system of an electric vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the remaining battery reaches below a specified threshold, the battery is automatically charged by remote control. Thus, the occurrence of insufficient power due to the user forgetting to charge the battery is avoided in advance. However, in this remote control system, if the remaining battery is slightly greater than the above-mentioned threshold, the charging operation is not performed. Therefore, if a long-distance trip is started in this state, there is a possibility that the battery is insufficient when going out. In addition, as the components of the system, a detection unit in the facility, a remote control device in the building, a communication device between the facility and the building, a communication device between the vehicle and the facility, etc. are required, and the system structure is large. Therefore, if you want to transfer the remote control system to the battery management of the electric scooter, the system structure becomes complicated and the system introduction cost increases. Moreover, unlike electric vehicles with multiple purposes such as commuting, shopping and leisure, electric scooters are mostly used in a limited living area around the user's home as a means of mobility in daily life. Therefore, there are many cases where the destination and the action mode for the day of the week are fixed to some extent. In addition, the main users of electric scooters are the elderly. It can be imagined that they will find it difficult to cope with the situation if the battery is low when going out. Therefore, when the battery remaining is small and there is a possibility of low power, it is necessary to forcibly restrict going out.

[0036] In order to solve this problem, the inventor obtained the insight that by managing the planned driving information of the electric scooter, determining whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned driving information and the battery remaining amount information, and prohibiting the driving of the driving motor of the electric scooter when it is determined that charging is needed, it is possible to simply and effectively prevent the electric scooter from running out of power, and came up with the present invention.

[0037] Next, various embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0038] A use management device for an electric scooter involved in one embodiment of the present invention is a use management device for an electric scooter that uses electricity supplied from a battery to drive a travel motor, and includes: a travel information acquisition unit for acquiring the next planned travel information of the electric scooter; a remaining amount information acquisition unit for acquiring the remaining amount information of the battery; a judgment unit for judging whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information; and a control unit for executing a permission control for permitting the driving of the travel motor if the judgment unit judges that the battery does not need to be charged, and executing a prohibition control for prohibiting the driving of the travel motor if the judgment unit judges that the battery needs to be charged.

[0039] According to this configuration, the judgment unit judges whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information, and the control unit performs a prohibition control to prohibit driving the travel motor when the judgment unit judges that the battery needs to be charged. Thus, when it is judged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information that the battery needs to be charged, the driving of the travel motor is prohibited to restrict going out, thereby simply and effectively preventing the electric scooter from running out of power when going out.

[0040] In the above method, it may also include: a sending unit, which sends a prohibition notification indicating that the control unit is executing the prohibition control to a pre-registered external terminal; and a receiving unit, which receives a release command to release the prohibition control from the external terminal, wherein the control unit executes the permission control when the receiving unit receives the release command.

[0041] According to this configuration, since the prohibition notification is sent to the pre-registered external terminal (e.g., the portable terminal of a family member), the holder of the external terminal (e.g., the family member) who has received the prohibition notification can perform the battery charging operation. In addition, when the battery charging is completed, a release command is sent from the external terminal, and when the receiving unit of the electric scooter receives the release command, the control unit performs the permission control, so that the user can use the electric scooter.

[0042] In the above aspect, the transmission unit may further transmit to the external terminal a planned travel distance of the electric scooter for the next travel and a travelable distance based on a current remaining amount of the battery.

[0043] According to this configuration, the planned running distance and the possible running distance of the electric mobility scooter are transmitted to the external terminal. Therefore, by providing this information to the owner of the external terminal, the owner can be promptly prompted to perform battery charging work.

[0044] In the above aspect, the transmission unit may further transmit the planned power consumption of the electric scooter for the next travel and the current remaining power of the battery to the external terminal.

[0045] According to this configuration, the planned usage power and the remaining battery power of the electric mobility vehicle are transmitted to the external terminal. Therefore, by providing this information to the owner of the external terminal, the owner can be promptly prompted to perform battery charging.

[0046] In the above aspect, the control unit may execute the permission control when the remaining amount of the battery reaches or exceeds a planned usage amount for the next running of the electric mobility vehicle after the prohibition control is started.

[0047] According to this configuration, regardless of whether the receiving unit of the electric scooter receives a release command from the external terminal, the control unit performs permission control when the remaining battery power reaches or exceeds the planned power usage. Therefore, even if the release command is not received from the external terminal due to a communication error or the like, the user can use the electric scooter when the battery is fully charged.

[0048] In the above aspect, it may also include: an information output unit for outputting notification information indicating that the control unit is executing the prohibition control.

[0049] According to this configuration, since the information output unit outputs the notification information indicating that the control unit is executing the prohibition control, the user can recognize that the electric mobility scooter is not malfunctioning by checking the notification information.

[0050] In the above aspect, it may also include: an information storage unit for storing pre-created behavior pattern information of the electric scooter, wherein the travel information acquisition unit acquires the planned travel information based on the behavior pattern information.

[0051] According to this configuration, the travel information acquisition unit acquires the planned travel information based on the behavior pattern information stored in the information storage unit. Electric scooters are often used in a limited living area around the user's home as a means of transportation in daily life, so the destination and the behavior pattern for the day of the week are often fixed to some extent. Therefore, the behavior pattern information indicating the behavior pattern can be created in advance, and the travel information acquisition unit can obtain the correct planned travel information that matches the user's behavior pattern by referring to the behavior pattern information.

[0052] In the above method, it may also include: a prediction model storage unit for storing a pre-created action prediction model of the electric scooter, wherein the driving information acquisition unit acquires the planned driving information based on current time information and the action prediction model.

[0053] According to this configuration, the driving information acquisition unit acquires the planned driving information based on the action prediction model stored in the information storage unit (should be the prediction model storage unit). Electric scooters are often used in a limited living area around the user's home as a means of transportation in daily life, so the destination and the action pattern for the day of the week are often fixed to a certain extent. Therefore, a behavior prediction model that predicts the action pattern can be created in advance through machine learning, and the driving information acquisition unit can obtain the correct planned driving information that matches the user's action pattern by referring to the action prediction model.

[0054] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a usage management system for an electric scooter, which uses electricity supplied from a battery to drive a traveling motor, and includes: a traveling information acquisition unit, used to acquire the next planned traveling information of the electric scooter; a remaining amount information acquisition unit, used to acquire the remaining amount information of the battery; a judgment unit, which judges whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned traveling information and the remaining amount information; and a control unit, which, if the judgment unit determines that the battery does not need to be charged, executes a permission control to allow the driving of the traveling motor, and, if the judgment unit determines that the battery needs to be charged, executes a prohibition control to prohibit the driving of the traveling motor.

[0055] According to this configuration, the judgment unit judges whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information, and the control unit performs a prohibition control to prohibit driving the travel motor when the judgment unit judges that the battery needs to be charged. Thus, when it is judged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information that the battery needs to be charged, the driving of the travel motor is prohibited to restrict going out, thereby simply and effectively preventing the electric scooter from running out of power when going out.

[0056] A program according to another embodiment of the present invention allows an information processing device mounted on an electric scooter that drives a running motor using electric power supplied from a battery to function as each of the following units: a running information acquisition unit for acquiring information about the next planned running of the electric scooter; a remaining amount information acquisition unit for acquiring information about the remaining amount of the battery; a judgment unit for judging whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned running information and the remaining amount information; and a control unit for executing a permission control for permitting driving of the running motor if the judgment unit judges that the battery does not need to be charged, and for executing a prohibition control for prohibiting driving of the running motor if the judgment unit judges that the battery needs to be charged.

[0057] According to this configuration, the judgment unit judges whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information, and the control unit performs a prohibition control for prohibiting the driving of the travel motor when the judgment unit judges that the battery needs to be charged. Thus, when it is judged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information that the battery needs to be charged, the driving of the travel motor is prohibited to restrict going out, thereby simply and effectively preventing the electric scooter from running out of power when going out.

[0058] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for managing the use of an electric scooter, which uses electricity supplied from a battery to drive a travel motor, and causes an information processing device mounted on the electric scooter to perform the following steps: obtaining the next planned travel information of the electric scooter; obtaining the remaining amount information of the battery; judging whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information; and, if it is judged that the battery does not need to be charged, executing permission control to allow the travel motor to be driven, and if it is judged that the battery needs to be charged, executing prohibition control to prohibit the travel motor from being driven.

[0059] According to this configuration, the information processing device determines whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information, and executes a prohibition control to prohibit driving the travel motor when it is determined that the battery needs to be charged. Thus, when it is determined that the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information, the driving of the travel motor is prohibited to restrict going out, thereby simply and effectively preventing the electric scooter from running out of power when going out.

[0060] Needless to say, the computer program according to one embodiment of the present invention can be distributed via a computer-readable nonvolatile storage medium such as a CD-ROM, or distributed via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0061] In addition, the embodiments described below all represent a specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, constituent elements, steps, the order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not used to limit the present invention. In addition, among the constituent elements of the following embodiments, the constituent elements not recorded in the independent claims representing the highest concept are described as arbitrary constituent elements. In addition, in all embodiments, each content can also be combined.

[0062] (Implementation Method)

[0063] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail using the drawings. In addition, elements with the same reference numerals in different drawings represent the same or corresponding elements.

[0064] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing in simplified form the structure of a usage management device 1 for an electric mobility scooter according to an embodiment of the present invention. The usage management device 1 manages an electric mobility scooter 100 such as a senior vehicle (registered trademark) or an electric wheelchair. The electric mobility scooter 100 includes the usage management device 1, a battery 2, a charge and discharge control unit 3 as a battery controller for controlling the charge and discharge operation of the battery 2, and a travel motor 4 driven by the power supplied from the battery 2.

[0065] The use management device 1 includes a management unit 11, a memory 12, a driving information acquisition unit 13, a remaining amount information acquisition unit 14, a locking control unit 15, an information output unit 16, and a communication unit 17. The memory 12 is a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory. The information output unit 16 is an LED lighting, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc., which is provided on the operation panel of the driver's seat of the electric scooter 100. However, the information output unit 16 can also be a speaker that outputs sound information.

[0066] The communication unit 17 includes a transmission unit 31 and a reception unit 32. The communication unit 17 can communicate with the external terminal 200 ( Figure 2 ) to communicate with each other wirelessly. The external terminal 200 is, for example, a portable terminal (smartphone or mobile phone, etc.) owned by a family member living with the user of the electric scooter 100. However, the external terminal 200 may also be a fixed terminal such as a desktop PC.

[0067] The management unit 11 includes a judgment unit 21 and a control unit 22. The travel information acquisition unit 13 acquires the next planned travel information of the electric scooter 100. The remaining amount information acquisition unit 14 acquires the current remaining amount information of the battery 2. The judgment unit 21 judges whether the battery 2 needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information. The control unit 22 performs permission control (control to start the driving of the travel motor 4 when the power switch of the electric scooter 100 is pressed) when the judgment unit 21 judges that the battery 2 does not need to be charged, and performs prohibition control (control to prevent the driving of the travel motor 4 from starting even if the power switch of the electric scooter 100 is pressed) when the judgment unit 21 judges that the battery 2 needs to be charged. The details of these processing contents will be described later. The lock control unit 15 controls the on or off of a switch (not shown) located in the power supply path from the battery 2 to the travel motor 4. The switch is turned on under permission control and turned off under prohibition control. The management unit 11, the travel information acquisition unit 13, the remaining amount information acquisition unit 14 and the lock control unit 15 can be implemented as software by an information processing device such as a CPU executing a program read from a non-volatile storage medium such as a ROM, or can be configured as hardware using a dedicated circuit such as an FPGA.

[0068] In addition, in the usage management device 1, the memory 12, the driving information acquisition unit 13, and the management unit 11 may not be provided in the electric scooter 100, but may be provided in an external terminal such as a cloud that can communicate with the electric scooter 100. That is, a usage management system including the usage management device 1 and an external terminal may be configured.

[0069] Figure 2 2 is a diagram showing a simplified structure of an external terminal 200. The external terminal 200 is installed with dedicated application software for sending and receiving information with the use management device 1. The external terminal 200 includes a management unit 41, an information notification unit 42, an operation input unit 43, and a communication unit 44. For example, the information notification unit 42 is a liquid crystal display of the external terminal 200, and the operation input unit 43 is a touch screen of the liquid crystal display. The communication unit 44 can perform wireless communication with the use management device 1 via any communication network such as a public telephone network.

[0070] Figure 31 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an action plan table 60 stored in the memory 12 of the use management device 1. The action plan table 60 is created in advance by the user of the electric scooter 100 or the holder of the external terminal 200, and the data is pre-stored in the memory 12. In this example, the action plan table 60 shows event information accompanying the use of the electric scooter 100 during a week for the user of the electric scooter 100, respectively for the day of the week and the time period. For example, an event of going to the supermarket for shopping is set in the evening of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and an event of going to the clinic for medical treatment is set in the morning of Tuesday and Thursday. In addition, the total driving distance for each day of the week or the total power consumption for each day of the week converted according to the distance is stored in the memory 12 as a part of the action plan table 60 or attached to the action plan table 60. For example, by starting the above-mentioned dedicated application software and specifying the user's home and the destination of each event on the map data, the driving distance and power consumption of each event are automatically calculated. By summing up the travel distance and power consumption on each day of the week, the total travel distance and total power consumption on each day of the week are automatically calculated. The electric scooter 100 is often used as a means of transportation in daily life in a limited living area around the user's home, so the destination and the action pattern for the day of the week are often fixed to some extent. Therefore, an action plan table 60 indicating the action pattern can be created in advance.

[0071] Figure 4 1 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the processing sequence of the electric scooter 100 and the external terminal 200. The electric scooter 100 first obtains the next planned travel information, then obtains the remaining amount information of the battery 2, and then determines the necessity of charging the battery 2 based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information of the battery. If charging is necessary, the electric scooter 100 performs prohibition control and sends a prohibition notification to the external terminal 200.

[0072] The external terminal 200 notifies the owner that the prohibition control is being executed when receiving the prohibition notification from the electric scooter 100. After the owner has fully charged the battery, the owner inputs a lock release command to the external terminal 200. Next, when the external terminal 200 receives the lock release command input from the owner, it sends the lock release command to the electric scooter 100.

[0073] When the electric mobility scooter 100 receives the lock release command from the external terminal 200 , it executes the permission control.

[0074] Figure 5 It means about Figure 4 The flowchart of the processing contents in the electric mobility scooter 100 is a process up to the transmission of the prohibition notification in the processing sequence shown.

[0075] First, in step SP101, the driving information acquisition unit 13 obtains the planned driving information of the electric scooter 100 for the next time (the next day in the following example) at a fixed time every day (for example, 21:00) by referring to the action plan table 60 stored in the memory 12. The planned driving information also includes information on the planned power consumption. In addition, it is also possible to manage in units of events instead of time and day. In this case, the planned driving information about the next event is obtained every time a certain event ends.

[0076] Next, in step SP102 , the remaining amount information acquisition unit 14 acquires the battery remaining amount information indicating the current charge remaining amount of the battery 2 from the battery 2 .

[0077] Next, at step SP103 , the determination section 21 determines the necessity of charging the battery 2 based on the planned travel information input from the travel information acquisition section 13 and the battery remaining amount information input from the remaining amount information acquisition section 14 .

[0078] Specifically, in step SP104, the determination unit 21 compares the planned power usage included in the planned travel information input from the travel information acquisition unit 13 with the battery remaining amount information input from the remaining amount information acquisition unit 14. The determination unit 21 determines that charging is required when the planned power usage is greater than the battery remaining amount, and determines that charging is not required when the planned power usage is less than the battery remaining amount.

[0079] When the determination unit 21 determines that charging is not necessary (step SP104 : No), the control unit 22 permits power supply from the battery 2 to the travel motor 4 the next time the electric scooter 100 is powered on, thereby executing permission control to permit driving of the travel motor 4 , in step SP105 .

[0080] When the determination unit 21 determines that charging is required (step SP104: Yes), then in step SP106, the control unit 22 prohibits the supply of power from the battery 2 to the travel motor 4 when the electric scooter 100 is powered on next time, thereby executing prohibition control to prohibit driving the travel motor 4. If the control unit 22 executes the prohibition control, the information output unit 16 outputs notification information indicating that the control unit 22 is executing the prohibition control.

[0081] Figure 6 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the output method of the notification information of the information output unit 16. When the prohibition control is notified, the information output unit 16 turns on or flashes the warning lamp 71 indicating the locked state, displays a message 72A indicating that the electric scooter 100 is locked and prompts to unlock the electric scooter 100 from the external terminal 200, and displays a graphic 73A indicating that the remaining amount of the battery 2 is low.

[0082] Reference Figure 5, then in step SP107, the transmission section 31 transmits a prohibition notification to the external terminal 200 indicating that the control section 22 has started to execute the prohibition control.

[0083] Figure 7 It means about Figure 4 The flowchart is a flowchart of the processing contents of the notification processing of the prohibition control in the external terminal 200 in the processing sequence shown.

[0084] First, in step SP201, the receiving unit 52 receives the prohibition notification transmitted from the transmitting unit 31 of the electric mobility scooter 100. The receiving unit 52 inputs the received prohibition notification into the management unit 41.

[0085] Next, in step SP202, the management section 41 controls the information notification section 42 to cause the information notification section 42 to output notification information for notifying the holder of the external terminal 200 that the control section 22 is executing the prohibition control.

[0086] Figure 8 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the output method of the notification information of the information notification unit 42. The information notification unit 42 displays a message 81A on the liquid crystal display 80 indicating that the electric mobility scooter 100 is locked and prompting unlocking, and displays an unlock button 82 and a release hold button 83 on the liquid crystal display 80.

[0087] Fig. 9 It means about Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the processing contents in the external terminal 200, including the processing until the lock release command is sent in the processing sequence shown.

[0088] The holder of the external terminal 200 responds Figure 8 The user of the external terminal 200 taps the lock release button 82 after charging is completed. By tapping the lock release button 82, a lock release command is input from the operation input unit 43. The operation input unit 43 inputs the lock release command to the management unit 41.

[0089] The management unit 41 waits for a lock release command to be input from the operation input unit 43. If the lock release command is input from the operation input unit 43 (step SP301: Yes), the management unit 41 controls the transmission unit 51 to transmit the lock release command to the electric mobility scooter 100 in step SP302.

[0090] Fig.10 It means about Figure 4The flowchart of the execution process of the permission control in the processing sequence shown is a process content in the electric mobility scooter 100.

[0091] The receiving unit 32 waits for receiving a lock release command from the external terminal 200. When receiving the lock release command transmitted from the transmitting unit 51 of the external terminal 200 (step SP401: Yes), the receiving unit 32 inputs the received lock release command to the control unit 22.

[0092] Next, in step SP402, the control unit 22 executes permission control for permitting driving of the travel motor 4 in response to the lock release command input from the receiving unit 32. If the control unit 22 executes the permission control, the information output unit 16 outputs notification information indicating that the control unit 22 is executing the permission control.

[0093] Fig.11 1 is a diagram showing an example of the output method of the notification information of the information output unit 16. When the control permission is notified, the information output unit 16 turns off the warning lamp 71, displays a message 72B indicating that the lock is released, and displays a graphic 73B indicating that the remaining amount of the battery 2 is sufficient.

[0094] In the above description, the holder of the external terminal 200 inputs the lock release command from the operation input unit 43 after charging the battery 2 of the electric scooter 100. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and when the electric scooter 100 is used for a short-distance movement different from the action pattern shown in the action plan table 60, the holder may omit charging the battery and input the lock release command from the operation input unit 43. As described above, the lock release command is transmitted from the external terminal 200 to the electric scooter 100, and the control unit 22 performs the permission control. Fig.12 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the output method of the notification information of the information output unit 16. When notifying that the control is allowed without charging the battery 2, the information output unit 16 turns off the warning lamp 71, displays a message 72B indicating that the lock is released, and displays a graphic 73A indicating that the remaining amount of the battery 2 is insufficient.

[0095] According to the use management device 1 involved in this embodiment, the judgment unit 21 judges whether the battery 2 needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information, and the control unit 22 performs a prohibition control to prohibit the driving of the travel motor 4 when the judgment unit 21 judges that the battery 2 needs to be charged. As described above, when it is judged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information that the battery 2 needs to be charged, the driving of the travel motor 4 is prohibited to restrict going out, thereby simply and effectively preventing the electric scooter 100 from running low on power when going out.

[0096] Furthermore, since the prohibition notification is sent to the pre-registered external terminal 200 (for example, a portable terminal of a family member), the holder of the external terminal 200 who has received the prohibition notification can perform the charging operation of the battery 2. Furthermore, when the charging of the battery 2 is completed, etc., a lock release command is sent from the external terminal 200, and when the receiving unit 32 of the electric scooter 100 receives the lock release command, the control unit 22 performs the permission control, so that the user can use the electric scooter 100.

[0097] Furthermore, since the information output unit 16 outputs the notification information indicating that the control unit 22 is executing the prohibition control, the user can recognize that there is no malfunction in the electric scooter 100 by checking the notification information even if the travel motor 4 is not driven.

[0098] In addition, the driving information acquisition unit 13 acquires the planned driving information based on the action plan table 60 (action pattern information) stored in the memory 12 (information storage unit). The electric scooter 100 is often used in a limited living area around the user's home as a means of transportation in daily life, so the destination and the action pattern for the day of the week are often fixed to a certain extent. Therefore, the action plan table 60 indicating the action pattern can be created in advance, and the driving information acquisition unit 13 can obtain the correct planned driving information that matches the user's action pattern by referring to the action plan table 60.

[0099] (First Modification)

[0100] Fig.13 1 is a block diagram showing in simplified form the structure of the electric scooter usage management device 1 according to the first modification. Figure 1 The structure shown in the figure is added with a position detection unit 18 such as a GPS receiver.

[0101] Fig.14 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the memory 12 and the travel information acquisition unit 13. The memory 12 stores the action history information 61 and the action prediction model 62. The travel information acquisition unit 13 includes a prediction model generator 91 and a action predictor 92.

[0102] When the electric scooter 100 is used for a day, a data set of the destination, use time (day of the week and time period), travel distance, and power consumption of each event performed on that day is stored in the memory 12 as the action history information 61. The destination is the name of a facility or the location coordinate information of latitude and longitude detected by the location detection unit 18. By summarizing these data sets for the day of the week and the time period, it is possible to create a data set related to the event. Figure 3 The action plan table 60 shown is similar to the action history information 61 .

[0103] The data set of the accumulated action history information 61 is input as learning data S1 to the prediction model generator 91. The prediction model generator 91 creates an action prediction model 62 that predicts the action of the electric scooter 100 by performing machine learning such as deep learning using a neural network, and stores its data S2 in the memory 12. For example, a combination of action history information 61 of two consecutive days is input to the prediction model generator 91, and the action history information 61 of the first day is used as an explanatory variable, and the action history information 61 of the second day is used as an objective variable. The prediction model generator 91 performs machine learning, so that when the action history information 61 of the current day is input, the action prediction model 62 that can predict the action (planned driving distance and planned power consumption) of the next day can be created. In addition, it is also possible to manage in units of events instead of time days. In this case, the departure time or the return time is used as the usage time instead of the above-mentioned time period.

[0104] As described above, the driving information acquisition unit 13 acquires the planned driving information of the electric scooter 100 for the next day at a fixed time every day (for example, 21:00). The data S3 for the day of the week of the day is input as the current time information to the action predictor 92. The action predictor 92 predicts the action (planned driving distance and planned power consumption) related to the day of the week of the day after the day of the week indicated by the data S3 for the day of the week by referring to the action prediction model 62, and outputs the prediction data S4.

[0105] If the control unit 22 starts to execute the prohibition control, the transmission unit 31 of the electric scooter 100 transmits the action plan information (destination, planned travel distance, and planned power usage) of the electric scooter 100 for the next day and the current state information (remaining amount and drivable distance) of the battery 2 together with the above-mentioned prohibition notification to the external terminal 200. The information notification unit 42 of the external terminal 200 outputs notification information for notifying the control unit 22 that the prohibition control is being executed.

[0106] Fig.15 , 16 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the output method of the notification information of the information notification unit 42. Fig.15 In the example shown, the information notification unit 42 displays on the liquid crystal display 80 a message 81A indicating that the electric mobility scooter 100 is locked and prompting unlocking, a lock unlocking button 82 and a hold release button 83, and text information 84 indicating the action plan information for the next day of the electric mobility scooter 100 and the current state information of the battery 2. The name of a facility is displayed as the destination information.

[0107] exist Fig.16In the example shown, the information notification unit 42 displays the same information on the liquid crystal display 80. Fig.15 The same message 81A, lock release button 82 and release hold button 83, and text information 85 showing the action plan information of the electric scooter 100 for the next day and the current state information of the battery 2. As the destination information, map information showing the location of the destination by a pointer is displayed.

[0108] According to this variation, the transmitter 31 of the electric scooter 100 transmits the planned driving distance and the planned power consumption of the electric scooter 100, as well as the current remaining power and the driving distance of the battery 2, to the external terminal 200. The information notification unit 42 of the external terminal 200 notifies the holder of the external terminal 200 of this information. Thus, the holder can clearly recognize the possibility that the electric scooter 100 is low on power, and thus the holder can be prompted to charge the battery 2 in a timely manner.

[0109] (Second modification)

[0110] Fig.17 1 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the processing sequence of the electric scooter 100 and the external terminal 200. The electric scooter 100 first obtains the next planned travel information, then obtains the remaining amount information of the battery 2, and then determines the necessity of charging the battery 2 based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information of the battery. If charging is necessary, the electric scooter 100 performs prohibition control and sends a prohibition notification to the external terminal 200.

[0111] The external terminal 200 notifies the owner that the prohibition control is being executed upon receiving the prohibition notification from the electric mobility scooter 100. Next, the external terminal 200 waits for the owner to input a lock release command.

[0112] After sending the prohibition notification, the electric scooter 100 waits for the battery 2 to be sufficiently charged or for receiving a lock release command from the external terminal 200. If the battery 2 is sufficiently charged before receiving the lock release command from the external terminal 200, the electric scooter 100 performs permission control and sends the lock release notification to the external terminal 200.

[0113] When receiving the lock release notification from the electric mobility scooter 100 , the external terminal 200 notifies the owner that the lock of the electric mobility scooter 100 has been released.

[0114] The following description will focus on the differences from the above-described embodiment.

[0115] As in the above-described embodiment, when the control unit 22 starts to execute the prohibition control, the information output unit 16 outputs notification information indicating that the control unit 22 is executing the prohibition control.

[0116] Fig.18 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the output method of the notification information of the information output unit 16. When the prohibition control is notified, the information output unit 16 turns on or flashes the warning lamp 71 indicating the locked state, displays a message 72C indicating that the electric scooter 100 is locked and prompts charging of the battery 2 or unlocking from the external terminal 200, and displays a graphic 73A indicating that the remaining amount of the battery 2 is low.

[0117] Furthermore, similarly to the above embodiment, when the control unit 22 starts to execute the prohibition control, the transmission unit 31 of the electric scooter 100 transmits a prohibition notification to the external terminal 200, and the information notification unit 42 of the external terminal 200 outputs notification information for notifying the control unit 22 that the prohibition control is being executed.

[0118] Fig.19 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the output method of the notification information of the information notification unit 42. The information notification unit 42 displays a message 81B on the liquid crystal display 80 indicating that the electric mobility scooter 100 is locked and prompting charging of the battery 2 or unlocking, an unlock button 82, and a hold unlock button 83.

[0119] Fig. 20 It means about Fig.17 The flowchart of the execution process of the permission control in the processing sequence shown is a process content in the electric mobility scooter 100.

[0120] After the control unit 22 starts executing the prohibition control, in step SP501 , the remaining amount information acquisition unit 14 acquires the battery remaining amount information indicating the current charge remaining amount of the battery 2 from the battery 2 .

[0121] Next, in step SP502, the judgment unit 21 judges whether the remaining battery capacity is sufficient for the next trip based on the planned driving information input from the driving information acquisition unit 13 and the battery remaining capacity information input from the remaining capacity information acquisition unit 14, that is, it judges whether the current charge remaining capacity of the battery 2 is greater than the planned usage capacity of the electric scooter 100 for the next time (the next day in this example).

[0122] If the remaining battery power is insufficient for the next travel (step SP502 : No), the processes of steps SP501 and SP502 are repeatedly performed until the battery 2 is sufficiently charged (or until a lock release command is received from the external terminal 200 ).

[0123] In the case where the remaining battery charge is sufficient for the next travel (step SP502: Yes), then in step SP503, the control unit 22 responds that the battery 2 is sufficiently charged for the next travel and performs permission control for allowing the travel motor 4 to be driven. If the control unit 22 performs the permission control, the information output unit 16 outputs notification information indicating that the control unit 22 is performing the permission control. In addition, the transmission unit 31 transmits a lock release notification for notifying that the lock has been released by the permission control to the external terminal 200.

[0124] Fig.21 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the output method of the notification information of the information output unit 16. When the control permission is notified, the information output unit 16 turns off the warning lamp 71, displays a message 72C indicating that the lock is released because the battery 2 is fully charged, and displays a graphic 73B indicating that the remaining amount of the battery 2 is sufficient.

[0125] Fig. 22 It means about Fig.17 The flowchart of the lock release notification process in the illustrated processing sequence is a process content in the external terminal 200.

[0126] First, in step SP601, the receiving unit 52 receives the lock release notification transmitted from the transmitting unit 31 of the electric mobility scooter 100. The receiving unit 52 inputs the received lock release notification to the management unit 41.

[0127] Next, in step SP602, the management unit 41 controls the information notification unit 42 to cause the information notification unit 42 to output notification information for notifying the owner of the external terminal 200 that the lock of the electric mobility scooter 100 has been released.

[0128] Fig.23 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the output form of the notification information of the information notification unit 42. The information notification unit 42 displays a message 81C notifying that the lock is released because the battery 2 is fully charged and a confirmation button 86 on the liquid crystal display 80.

[0129] According to this modification, regardless of whether the receiving unit 32 of the electric mobility scooter 100 receives the lock release command from the external terminal 200, the control unit 22 performs the permission control when the remaining amount of the battery 2 reaches or exceeds the next planned usage amount due to charging. Therefore, even if the lock release command is not received from the external terminal 200 due to a communication error or the like, the user can use the electric mobility scooter 100 when the battery 2 is fully charged.

[0130] Industrial Applicability

[0131] The usage management technology according to the present invention is particularly useful in managing the remaining charge amount of batteries in electric mobility vehicles such as electric vehicles for seniors (registered trademark) or electric wheelchairs.

Claims

1. A use management device for an electric scooter, which uses power supplied from a battery to drive a travel motor, and is characterized in that include: A driving information acquisition unit, used to acquire the next planned driving information of the electric scooter; A remaining amount information acquiring unit, used to acquire the remaining amount information of the battery; a determination unit, which determines whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information; a control unit that performs a permission control for allowing the driving of the travel motor when the determination unit determines that the battery does not need to be charged, and performs a prohibition control for prohibiting the driving of the travel motor when the determination unit determines that the battery needs to be charged; An information storage unit for storing pre-created action mode information of the electric scooter; as well as, a receiving unit that receives, when the prohibition control is being executed, a release command for releasing the prohibition control for movement different from the action pattern information from a pre-registered external terminal, The control unit executes the permission control when the reception unit receives the release command.

2. The use management device of the electric scooter according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: The transmitting unit transmits a prohibition notification indicating that the control unit is executing the prohibition control to the external terminal.

3. The use management device of the electric scooter according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transmitting unit further transmits to the external terminal a planned travel distance of the electric scooter for the next travel and a travelable distance based on the current remaining amount of the battery.

4. The use management device of the electric scooter according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transmitting unit further transmits the planned power consumption of the electric scooter for the next travel and the current remaining power of the battery to the external terminal.

5. The use management device for an electric scooter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The control unit executes the permission control when the remaining amount of the battery reaches or exceeds the planned usage amount of the electric mobility vehicle for the next travel after the prohibition control is started.

6. The use management device for an electric scooter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that Also includes: The information output unit is used to output notification information indicating that the control unit is executing the prohibition control.

7. The use management device for an electric scooter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The travel information acquisition unit acquires the planned travel information based on the action pattern information.

8. The use management device for an electric scooter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that Also includes: A prediction model storage unit is used to store a pre-created behavior prediction model of the electric scooter, wherein: The travel information acquisition unit acquires the planned travel information based on current time information and the behavior prediction model.

9. A management system for the use of an electric scooter, which uses the power supplied from a battery to drive a travel motor, characterized in that include: A driving information acquisition unit, used to acquire the next planned driving information of the electric scooter; A remaining amount information acquiring unit, used to acquire the remaining amount information of the battery; a determination unit, which determines whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information; a control unit that performs a permission control for allowing the driving of the travel motor when the determination unit determines that the battery does not need to be charged, and performs a prohibition control for prohibiting the driving of the travel motor when the determination unit determines that the battery needs to be charged; An information storage unit for storing pre-created action mode information of the electric scooter; as well as a receiving unit that receives, when the prohibition control is being executed, a release command for releasing the prohibition control for movement different from the action pattern information from a pre-registered external terminal, The control unit executes the permission control when the reception unit receives the release command.

10. A program product comprising a program, characterized in that The program causes the information processing device mounted on the electric mobility scooter that drives the travel motor using the electric power supplied from the battery to function as the following units: A driving information acquisition unit, used to acquire the next planned driving information of the electric scooter; A remaining capacity information obtaining unit, used to obtain the remaining capacity information of the battery; a judgment unit, for judging whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned driving information and the remaining amount information; a control unit that, when the determination unit determines that the battery does not need to be charged, performs a permission control that allows the driving of the travel motor, and, when the determination unit determines that the battery needs to be charged, performs a prohibition control that prohibits the driving of the travel motor; An information storage unit for storing pre-created action mode information of the electric scooter; as well as, a receiving unit that receives, while the prohibition control is being executed, a release command for releasing the prohibition control for movement different from the action pattern information from a pre-registered external terminal, The control unit performs the permission control when the receiving unit receives the release command.

11. A method for managing the use of an electric scooter, which utilizes the power supplied from a battery to drive a travel motor, characterized in that: The information processing device mounted on the electric scooter performs the following steps: Acquiring the next planned travel information of the electric scooter; Obtaining remaining capacity information of the battery; determining whether the battery needs to be charged based on the planned travel information and the remaining amount information; When it is determined that the battery does not need to be charged, a permission control is performed to permit the driving of the travel motor, and when it is determined that the battery needs to be charged, a prohibition control is performed to prohibit the driving of the travel motor; Storing pre-created action mode information of the electric scooter; as well as, receiving, while the prohibition control is being executed, a release command for releasing the prohibition control for movement different from the action pattern information from a pre-registered external terminal, When the release command is received, the permission control is performed.

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