Methods and servers for managing mobile battery pools for multiple stations

Abstract

Method for managing multiple station mobile rechargeable battery pools, wherein information about the multiple stations in which respective mobile rechargeable batteries are provided and information about each of the mobile rechargeable battery pools corresponding to each of the respective multiple stations is managed by a management server (100), comprising the following steps: (a) in response to a selection of a particular location by a device of a particular user corresponding to a particular electric vehicle, the management server (100) performs a process of displaying multiple location information about the multiple stations, determined by reference to a current location of the particular user and the particular location, on a screen of the user device (500) or assists another device in doing so.to perform this process; (b) in response to a selection of a k-th station from among the multiple stations by the user device (500), the management server (100) performs a process of displaying (i) information about at least one or more available (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries contained in a k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, or assists another device, at the current time when the k-th station is selected by the user device, and (ii) information about at least one or more available (k_2)-nd mobile rechargeable batteries contained in the k-th pool of mobile rechargeable batteries corresponding to the k-th station, at an estimated time of arrival when the specific user is expected to arrive at the k-th station,wherein at least one of the one or more available (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries is not currently in the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool, but is expected to arrive in the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool at the estimated time of arrival, via the user's device screen; and (c) in response to a selection by the user device (500) of a specific k-th mobile rechargeable battery for a future need from a variety of mobile rechargeable batteries contained in at least one of the information about the (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries and the information about the (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries, the management server (100) performs a process of sending information about the future need to an administration device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery.or to a provider device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery, by or assists another device in doing so.

Description

FIELD OF REVELATION

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and a server for managing mobile rechargeable battery pools of multiple stations. BACKGROUND OF THE REVELATION

[0002] In recent years, the availability of electric vehicles has increased worldwide. Korea's Post-2020 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan aims to completely eliminate diesel vehicles by 2030 and provide 240,000 electric vehicles by 2020; it also aims to create charging infrastructure such as charging stations for these electric vehicles.

[0003] Consequently, in addition to research and development on electric vehicles, various research and development projects are also being carried out on charging systems for electric vehicles; furthermore, research is constantly being conducted on interchangeable charging systems for the provision of removable batteries (e.g. US patent: 9,925,882).

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary not only to provide a charging service using existing electric vehicle charging modules, but also a charging service using removable batteries. Furthermore, a procedure for managing such removable batteries needs to be developed. SUMMARY OF THE REVELATION

[0005] One of the aims of this disclosure is to solve all of the aforementioned problems.

[0006] Another subject of the present disclosure is not only to provide information about stations capable of providing mobile rechargeable batteries to a user, but also to provide information about available mobile rechargeable batteries to the user.

[0007] Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide the user not only with information about available mobile rechargeable batteries at a current time, but also with information about available mobile rechargeable batteries at an estimated time of arrival when the user is expected to arrive at the station.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives and obtain the desired results presented below, the configuration of the present invention is as follows: According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for managing mobile rechargeable battery pools of multiple stations is provided, wherein information about the multiple stations in which respective mobile rechargeable batteries or accumulators are provided, and Information about each of the mobile rechargeable battery pools, which correspond to each of the respective multiple stations, are managed by a management server, with the following steps: (a) in response to a selection of a particular location by a device of a particular user corresponding to a particular electric vehicle, the Management Server performs a process of displaying multiple location information about the multiple stations determined by reference to a current location of the particular user and the particular location on a screen of the user device or assists another device in performing this process;(b) In response to a selection of a k-th station from among the multiple stations by the user device, the Management Server performs a process of displaying (i) information about at least one or more available (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries contained in a k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, or assists another device to display this information at the current time when the k-th station is selected by the user device, and (ii) information about at least one or more available (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries contained in the k-th pool of mobile rechargeable batteries corresponding to the k-th station, at an estimated time of arrival when the specific user is expected to arrive at the k-th station, on the screen of the user device;and (c) in response to a selection by the user device of a specific k-th mobile rechargeable battery for a future need from a variety of mobile rechargeable batteries contained in at least one of the information about the (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries and the information about the (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries, the management server performs a process of sending information about the future need to a manager device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery or a provider device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery, or assists another device in doing so.

[0009] As an example, in step (b), (b1) in response to a cardinal number of the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time or a cardinal number of the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival being determined to be greater than a predetermined number, the management server selects at least some of the information about the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time and the information about the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival from the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, and (b2) in response to a cardinal number of the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time or a cardinal number of the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival being determined to be less than or equal to the predetermined number,The management server adds another specific mobile rechargeable battery, selected from other mobile rechargeable batteries contained in other mobile rechargeable battery pools corresponding to other stations, by determining that the expected location of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery at the current time or estimated time of arrival is within a predetermined critical distance of the k-th station, to the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool.

[0010] As an example, given that the other specific rechargeable mobile battery was reserved by the specific user with reference to the estimated time of arrival, and then the specific user arrived at the k-th station at the estimated time of arrival without canceling a reservation of the other specific rechargeable mobile battery, (i) in response to a detection that the other specific rechargeable mobile battery cannot be provided to the specific user, (ii) in response to a detection that the other specific rechargeable mobile battery cannot be provided to the specific user, the management server reduces a reliability of the other specific rechargeable mobile battery or a reliability of a provider of the other specific rechargeable mobile battery, and (ii) in response to a detection,that the other specific mobile rechargeable battery can be provided to the specific user, the management server increases the reliability of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery or the reliability of the provider of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery.

[0011] As an example, the method further includes a step in which (d) in response to a detection that a charged capacity of the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery is less than a charged capacity required for the specific electric vehicle to arrive at the specific location, the management server performs or supports another device to (i) perform a process of calculating the (k+1)-th expected time of arrival up to the (k+n)-th expected time of arrival for the specific user to arrive at a (k+1)-th station or(ii) a method of retrieving information about a (k+n)th specific mobile rechargeable battery, which is contained in a (k+1)th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to each (k+1)th station, by reference to the (k+1)th expected time of arrival, and (iii) a process of displaying the information about the (k+1)th specific mobile rechargeable battery via the screen of the user's device.

[0012] As an example, the information on the (k-1)th mobile rechargeable batteries in step (b) includes at least one of (i) information on the remaining capacities of the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time and (ii) information on initial reservations of (k-1)th mobile rechargeable batteries made by initial other users, and wherein the information on the (k-2)th mobile rechargeable batteries includes at least one of (i) information on the remaining capacities of the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival and (ii) information on second reservations of (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries made by second other users after the estimated time of arrival.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a management server is provided for managing multiple station mobile rechargeable battery pools, wherein information about the multiple stations in which respective mobile rechargeable batteries are provided and information about each of the mobile rechargeable battery pools corresponding to each of the respective multiple stations is managed by the management server, which includes: at least a memory that stores instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform, or assist another device in performing, (I) in response to a selection of a particular location by a device of a particular user corresponding to a particular electric vehicle, a process of displaying multiple location information about the multiple stations,which are determined by reference to a current location of the specific user and the specific location, via a screen of the user's device, (II) in response to a selection of a k-th station from among the multiple stations by the user's device, a process of displaying (i) information about at least one or more available (k_1)-st mobile rechargeable batteries contained in a k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, at a current time when the k-th station is selected by the user's device, and (ii) information about at least one or more available (k_2)-nd mobile rechargeable batteries contained in the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, at an estimated time of arrival when the specific user is expected to arrive at the k-th station,via the user device screen, and (III) in response to a selection by the user device of a specific k-th mobile rechargeable battery for a future need, from among a variety of mobile rechargeable batteries included in at least one of the information about the (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries and the information about the (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries, a process of sending information about the future need to a manager device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery, or a provider device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery. List of characters

[0014] The above and other objects and features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, which are given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are used to illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be prepared on the basis of the drawings of the present disclosure by persons skilled in the art without inventive work. Fig. Figure 1 is a drawing that schematically shows an overall configuration of a management server for managing mobile battery pools of multiple stations according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. Figure 2 is a drawing that schematically represents a sequence diagram of a method for managing the mobile battery pools of several stations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B are drawings illustrating the method for managing the mobile battery pools of the multiple stations according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXECUTION FORMS

[0015] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be implemented. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable a person skilled in the art to apply the invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention, although different, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, a particular feature, structure, or property described here in connection with one embodiment may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.Furthermore, it is understood that the position or arrangement of the individual elements within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is therefore not to be understood in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the accompanying claims, interpreted accordingly, together with the full range of equivalents to which the claims entitle. In the drawings, identical numerals refer to the same or similar functionality in the different views.

[0016] To facilitate the execution of the present invention for those skilled in the art, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Fig. Figure 1 is a drawing that schematically shows an overall configuration of a management server 100 for managing mobile battery pools of multiple stations according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the management server 100, which manages the mobile rechargeable battery pools or battery pools for the multiple stations, can include a memory 110 and a processor 120.

[0019] The memory 110 of the management server 100 can store instructions of the processor 120, where the instructions are, in particular, codes that are generated for the purpose of enabling the management server 100 to function in a certain way and can be implemented in the form of executable program instructions by a variety of computer means that can be recorded on computer-readable media. The instructions can execute processes to perform the functions described herein.

[0020] Furthermore, the Management Server 100's processor can include hardware configurations such as an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or a CPU (Central Processing Unit), cache memory, and a data bus, etc. It can also contain an operating system and software that performs specific functions.

[0021] Furthermore, the management server 100, which manages the mobile battery pools of the multiple stations, can communicate with a database 900. The database 900 can comprise at least one storage medium of the type flash memory, hard disk, multimedia microcard (e.g., SD or XD memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), magnetic storage, magnetic disk, or optical disk, but is not limited to these; it can comprise any medium capable of storing data. Moreover, depending on the operating conditions of this disclosure, the database 900 can be installed separately from the management server 100 or installed within the management server 100 for data transfer and recording, and, contrary to the description, can also be implemented separately in two or more databases.

[0022] Additionally, the management server 100 can send and receive necessary information to and from a user device 500 via a communication unit (not shown).

[0023] Furthermore, the Management Server 100 can send and receive necessary information to and from the respective Station Servers 600 via the communication unit (not shown). These Station Servers correspond to the stations that provide mobile rechargeable batteries. The mobile rechargeable battery can be attached to and removed from the interior or exterior of an electric vehicle and can be connected to the vehicle to charge its battery. The mobile rechargeable battery can also be used when the electric vehicle is parked, stopped at a station, or in motion. The Management Server 100 and the Station Servers 600 can be configured as a single server or as separate servers.The procedure described below assumes that the management server 100 and the station servers 600 are configured as separate servers.

[0024] Management Server 100 can register the mobile battery pools, which are created by grouping information about the mobile batteries according to their associated stations, in Database 900. Information about the mobile batteries is received from each of the corresponding Station Servers 600. Furthermore, if necessary, some of the mobile batteries belonging to their respective mobile battery pools can be added to at least one other mobile battery pool. That is, a specific mobile battery can be returned to a specific station to which it belonged, or, if necessary, the specific mobile battery can be returned to a different station.

[0025] In addition, the Management Server 100 can send and receive necessary information to and from other user devices (not shown) via the communication unit (not shown).

[0026] The method for managing the mobile battery pools of the multiple stations according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, which follows the configuration above, is described below with reference to Fig. 2 explained in detail.

[0027] Fig. Figure 2 is a diagram that schematically shows a brief sequence of the procedure for managing the mobile battery pools of the multiple stations according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Initially, in response to a selection of a specific location by the user device 500 of a specific user corresponding to a specific electric vehicle, the Management Server 100 performs a process of displaying multiple location information about the multiple stations, determined by reference to a current location of the specific user and the specific location, on a screen of the user device in a step S210 or assists another device in performing this task.

[0029] The specific location (e.g., a destination location) can be a location entered by the specific user via a keyboard on the device 500, or a location selected by the specific user from among the multiple stations displayed on the device 500, but is not limited to this.

[0030] The locations of the multiple stations can also be situated between the current location and the specific location, or along a route taken by the specific electric vehicle from the current location to the specific location, but they are not limited to this. The stations can, without restriction, provide portable rechargeable batteries, charging services for electric vehicles, and a variety of amenities such as a grocery store, a restaurant, a café, etc.

[0031] Furthermore, in response to a selection of a k-th station from among the multiple stations by the user device 500, the Management Server 100 performs a process or supports another device to (i) display information about at least one or more available (k-1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries contained in a k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station at the current time when the k-th station is selected by the user device, and (ii) display information about at least one or more available (k_2)-nd mobile rechargeable batteries contained in the k-th pool of mobile rechargeable batteries corresponding to the k-th station at an estimated time of arrival when the specific user is expected to arrive at the k-th station, via the screen of the user device 500 in a step of S220.

[0032] In particular, by providing the specific user with information about the mobile batteries currently available, the specific user can reserve at least one of the mobile batteries in advance to avoid an embarrassing situation where all mobile batteries are unavailable when the specific user arrives at the k-th station, for example, because all mobile batteries are in use or were reserved by other users while the specific user was en route to the k-th station. Additional charges may apply, depending on the time it takes the specific user to arrive at the k-th station, which will be explained in detail later.By providing information about available mobile batteries at the estimated time of arrival, the specific user can also check information about immediately available mobile batteries based on the estimated time of arrival, and by referring to this information, the specific user can reserve at least one of the immediately available mobile batteries for use and receive an efficient charging service without loss of time.

[0033] In particular, (i) in response to a cardinal number of the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time or a cardinal number of the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival being determined to be greater than a predetermined number, the management server 100 selects at least some of the information about the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time and the information about the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival from the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool according to the k-th station, and (ii) in response to a cardinal number of the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time or a cardinal number of the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival being determined to be less than or equal to the predetermined number,Management Server 100 adds another specific mobile rechargeable battery, selected from other mobile rechargeable batteries contained in other pools of mobile rechargeable batteries corresponding to other stations, to the k-th pool of mobile rechargeable batteries by determining that an expected location (a location where a vehicle equipped with the other specific mobile rechargeable battery is expected to pass) of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery is within a predetermined critical distance of the k-th station at the current time or the estimated time of arrival.

[0034] For example, if information about the available mobile rechargeable batteries or accumulators contained in the k-th battery pool or accumulator pool at the current time or estimated time of arrival cannot be provided to the specific user because no such batteries are available, if at least some of the h-th mobile rechargeable batteries and m-th mobile rechargeable batteries, each belonging to an h-th mobile rechargeable battery pool and an m-th mobile rechargeable battery pool, belong to an h-th mobile accumulator pool or accumulator pool, respectively, then the information about the available mobile rechargeable batteries or accumulators contained in the k-th battery pool or accumulator pool cannot be provided to the specific user because no such batteries are available, provided that at least some of the h-th mobile rechargeable batteries and m-th mobile rechargeable batteries, each belonging to an h-th mobile rechargeable battery pool and an m-th mobile rechargeable battery pool, respectively, belong to an h-th mobile accumulator pool or accumulator pool.If the at least some of the h-th mobile battery pool and the m-th mobile batteries are expected to be within the predetermined critical distance of the k-th station at the current time or the estimated time of arrival, the Management Server 100 can assign at least some of the h-th mobile batteries and the m-th mobile batteries to the k-th mobile battery pool and provide the information about at least some of the h-th mobile batteries and the m-th mobile batteries to the specific user. After the at least some of the h-th mobile batteries and the m-th mobile rechargeable batteries have been used by the specific user, they can be returned to the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool, but are not limited to doing so.

[0035] Additionally, provided that the other specific mobile rechargeable battery has been reserved by the specific user based on the estimated time of arrival, and then the specific user arrives at the k-th station at the estimated time of arrival without canceling a reservation of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery, (i) in response to a detection that the other specific mobile rechargeable battery cannot be provided to the specific user, (ii) in response to a detection that the other specific mobile rechargeable battery cannot be provided to the specific user, the management server 100 reduces a reliability of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery or a reliability of a provider of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery, and (ii) in response to a detection,that the other specific mobile rechargeable battery can be provided to the specific user, the management server increases the reliability of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery or the reliability of the provider of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery.

[0036] For example, if it is determined that the other specific mobile battery cannot be provided to the specific user, even though the specific user has reserved the other specific mobile battery for use and has arrived at the k-th station at the estimated time of arrival, this may represent that the provider of the other specific mobile battery did not arrive at or before the estimated time of arrival at the k-th station, or arrived late. Therefore, as a deterrent, the reliability of the provider of the other specific mobile battery may be reduced. As an additional incentive, points or mileage may be deducted from the provider's account, or a predetermined fine may be imposed. For example, if the provider arrived late, the number of points or mileage deducted, or the amount of the fine, may vary depending on the provider's delay, but is not limited to these.Otherwise, the detection that the other specific mobile battery is provided to the user, provided that the specific user has reserved the other specific mobile battery for use and has arrived at the k-th station at the estimated time of arrival, can represent that the provider of the other specific mobile battery arrived at the k-th station at or before the estimated time of arrival. Therefore, as a form of incentive, management server 100 can increase the reliability of the provider of the other specific mobile battery. A predetermined number of points or kilometers can be rewarded as an additional incentive, but this is not the only option.

[0037] Furthermore, the information on the (k_1)th mobile batteries includes at least one of (i) information on the remaining capacities of the (k_1)th mobile batteries at the current time and (ii) information on initial reservations of (k_1)th mobile batteries by initial other users, and the information on the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries includes at least one of (i) information on the remaining capacities of the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival and (ii) information on second reservations of (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries made by second other users after the estimated time of arrival.

[0038] This means that it is possible for the specific user not only to check the information about the remaining capacity of at least one of the mobile batteries available at the current time or the estimated time of arrival, but also the information about the mobile battery reservations previously made by other users, in order to enable the specific user to reserve or use one of the mobile batteries.

[0039] Furthermore, the management server 100 can additionally provide at least one (k_3)th mobile battery for the user's device 500. The (k_3)th mobile battery, corresponding to the k-th station, represents at least one battery that is available within a predetermined critical time after the current time or the estimated time of arrival, but is not available at the current time or the estimated time of arrival.

[0040] Subsequently, in response to a selection by the user's device of a specific k-th mobile rechargeable battery for a future need, from among a variety of mobile rechargeable batteries included in at least one of the information about the (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries and the information about the (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries, the management server 100 performs a process of sending information about the future need to an administration device relating to the k-th specific mobile battery, or a provider device relating to the k-th specific mobile battery, in a step S230, or assists another device in doing so.

[0041] The information about future demand may include at least one of the following: (i) information about a specific reservation time, which is information about when the specific user intends to use the k-th specific battery, (ii) information about a specific usage fee, which is information about the usage fee corresponding to the specific reservation time, and (iii) information about a specific prepayment, which is information about whether a prepayment of the specific usage fee has been made.

[0042] The information regarding the specific usage fee can also be determined according to the fee information, which corresponds to a time period from the current time until the specific reservation time. The fee information can be determined differently for each range of time intervals, which are subdivided into segments for each of the specified time intervals. For example, the fee increase rate may not be linear, and a more weighted fee may be applied, such as 1,000 KRW for 1–10 minutes, 2,000 KRW for 11–20 minutes, 4,000 KRW for 21–30 minutes, and 8,000 KRW for 31–40 minutes, but it is not limited to this.

[0043] An exemplary embodiment of the method for managing the mobile battery pools of the multiple stations, as described above, is described below with reference to Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B described.

[0044] Referring to Fig. 3A, if the current location of the specific user is Seoul 310 and the specific location of the specific user is Daejeon 320, then the locations of the respective Yongin Station 330, Cheonan Station 340 and Cheongju Station 350, which are the several stations between Seoul 310 and Daejeon 320, will be displayed on the screen of the user device 500.

[0045] Furthermore, assuming that the specific user selects Cheonan Station 340 at 1:00 PM, a screen as shown in Fig. 3B is shown, displayed on the screen of the user device 500.

[0046] Specifically, the user terminal 500 displays the current time 360 ​​and the estimated time of arrival 370 at the Cheonan station 340 separately, and shows the Cheonan _1 mobile battery list 361 available at the current time 360 ​​and the Cheonan 2 mobile battery list 371 available at the estimated time of arrival 370.

[0047] Additionally, (i) information about remaining capacities 362 of the respective batteries from the Cheonan_1 mobile battery list 361 and (ii) information about first reservations 363 of the respective batteries from the Cheonan_1 mobile battery list 361 are displayed, and (i) information about estimated remaining capacities 372 of the respective batteries from the Cheonan_2 mobile battery list 371 and (ii) information about second reservations 373 of the respective batteries from the Cheonan_2 mobile battery list 371.

[0048] Therefore, the specific user can view the displayed information as shown in Fig. 3B shown, check and determine if he wants to reserve at least one of the mobile batteries, and determine a usage period for the at least one of the mobile batteries.

[0049] On the other hand, steps S210 to S230 are essential for the present invention, but may also include a subsequent step after steps S210 to S230.

[0050] In step S240, in response to a detection that the charged capacity of the k-th specific mobile battery is less than the charged capacity required for the specific electric vehicle to arrive at the specific location, the management server 100 executes or supports another device to perform: (i) a process of calculating the (k+1)-th expected time of arrival up to the (k+n)-th expected time of arrival for the specific user to arrive at a (k+1)-th station or(ii) a method for retrieving information about a (k+n)th specific mobile rechargeable battery, wherein the (k+1)th station to the (k+n)th station are located between the kth station and the specific location, (ii) a method for retrieving information about a (k+1)th specific mobile rechargeable battery contained in a (k+1)th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to each (k+1)th station, by reference to the (k+1)th expected time of arrival, and (iii) a process for displaying the information about the (k+1)th specific mobile rechargeable battery via the screen of the user's device.

[0051] For example, if the location of the k-th station is Daejeon and the charged capacity of the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery is 10 kWh, but arrival at the specific location Busan, which the specific user has determined, requires a charged capacity of 25 kWh, and the current remaining charged capacity of the specific electric vehicle is 10 kWh, then the charged capacity, i.e., 10 kWh, of the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery will be less than the charged capacity required for the specific electric vehicle to arrive in Busan. Therefore, information about mobile rechargeable batteries, which is obtained by reference to a station location, e.g.,the Daegu station, between Daejeon and Busan, and their corresponding estimated time of arrival, will be provided to the specific user so that the specific user is able to charge the additional capacity required for the specific electric vehicle at the Daegu station in order to arrive in Busan.

[0052] The present disclosure has the effect of providing users not only with information about stations capable of managing a large number of mobile batteries, but also with information about the available mobile batteries.

[0053] The present disclosure has the further effect of providing the specific user not only with information about the available mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time, but also with information about the available mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival.

[0054] Furthermore, the embodiments of the present disclosure, as explained above, can be implemented in the form of an executable program instruction by a variety of computer means that can be recorded on computer-readable media. The computer-readable media can store program instructions, data files, and data structures, either alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the media may be components specifically developed for the present disclosure or components that are usable by a person skilled in the art of computer software.Computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, memory cards, solid-state drives, USB flash drives, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floppy disks, and hardware devices such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), and flash memory, which are specifically designed for storing and executing program instructions. Program instructions can include not only machine language code generated by a compiler but also high-level code that can be used by an interpreter, etc., and executed by a computer. The aforementioned hardware device can operate more than one software module to perform the action described in this disclosure, and vice versa. The hardware device can include a processor, such as...A hardware device comprises a CPU or GPU, in combination with a memory device, such as ROM or RAM, for storing program instructions, configured to execute the instructions stored in memory, and a communication component capable of exchanging signals with external devices. Furthermore, the hardware device may include a keyboard, mouse, and any other external input device to receive commands prepared by developers.

[0055] As seen above, the present disclosure has been explained by specific details such as detailed components, limited embodiments, and drawings. While the invention has been shown and described in relation to preferred embodiments, the person skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

[0056] Accordingly, the concept of the present disclosure is not to be limited to the embodiments explained, and the following patent claims as well as anything which contains identical or equivalent modifications according to the patent claims belong to the category of the concept of the present disclosure.

[0057] A method and a server for managing multiple station mobile rechargeable battery pools are thus disclosed, comprising the following steps: (a) in response to a selection of a specific location, the management server displays portions of location information about the stations by referencing the specific user's current location and the specific location; (b) in response to a selection of a k-th station among the stations, the management server displays (i) information about (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries available at a current time, and (ii) information about (k-2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries available at an estimated time of arrival;and (c) in response to a selection of a specific k-th rechargeable mobile battery by the user's device for a future need, the management server sends information about the future need to an administrator's or vendor's device. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] US 9925882

[0003]

Claims

[1] A method for managing multiple station mobile rechargeable battery pools, wherein information about the multiple stations in which respective mobile rechargeable batteries are provided and information about each of the mobile rechargeable battery pools corresponding to each of the respective multiple stations is managed by a management server, comprising the following steps (a) in response to a selection of a particular location by a device of a particular user corresponding to a particular electric vehicle, the Management Server performs a process of displaying multiple location information about the multiple stations determined by reference to a current location of the particular user and the particular location on a screen of the user device or assists another device in performing this process; (b) In response to a selection of a k-th station from among the multiple stations by the user device, the Management Server performs a process of displaying (i) information about at least one or more available (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries contained in a k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, or assists another device, at the current time when the k-th station is selected by the user device, and (ii) information about at least one or more available (k_2)-nd mobile rechargeable batteries contained in the k-th pool of mobile rechargeable batteries corresponding to the k-th station, at an estimated time of arrival when the specific user is expected to arrive at the k-th station, on the user device screen; and (c) In response to a selection by the user device of a specific k-th mobile rechargeable battery for a future need from a variety of mobile rechargeable batteries contained in at least one of the information about the (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries and the information about the (k-2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries, the management server performs a process of sending information about the future need to an administration device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery or to a provider device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery, or assists another device in doing so. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein in step (b), (b1) in response to a cardinal number of the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time or a cardinal number of the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival being determined to be greater than a predetermined number, the management server selects at least some of the information about the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time and the information about the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival from the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, and (b2) in response to a cardinal number of the (k_1)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time or a cardinal number of the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival being determined to be less than or equal to the predetermined number,The management server adds another specific mobile rechargeable battery, selected from other mobile rechargeable batteries contained in other mobile rechargeable battery pools corresponding to other stations, by determining that the expected location of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery at the current time or estimated time of arrival is within a predetermined critical distance of the k-th station, to the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool. [3] The method of claim 2, wherein, provided that the other specific rechargeable mobile battery has been reserved by the specific user with reference to the estimated time of arrival and the specific user has then arrived at the k-th station at the estimated time of arrival without canceling a reservation of the other specific rechargeable mobile battery, (i) in response to a detection that the other specific rechargeable mobile battery cannot be made available to the specific user, the management server reduces a reliability of the other specific rechargeable mobile battery or a reliability of a provider of the other specific rechargeable mobile battery, and (ii) in response to a detection,that the other specific mobile rechargeable battery can be provided to the specific user, the management server increases the reliability of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery or the reliability of the provider of the other specific mobile rechargeable battery. [4] The method of claim 1, further comprising a step: (d) in response to a detection that a charged capacity of the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery is less than a charged capacity required for the specific electric vehicle to arrive at the specific location, the management server performs or supports another device to (i) perform a process of calculating the (k+1)-th expected time of arrival up to the (k+n)-th expected time of arrival for the specific user to arrive at a (k+1)-th station or(ii) a method of retrieving information about a (k+n)th specific mobile rechargeable battery, which is contained in a (k+1)th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to each (k+1)th station, by reference to the (k+1)th expected time of arrival, and (iii) a process of displaying the information about the (k+1)th specific mobile rechargeable battery via the screen of the user's device. [5] Method according to claim 1, wherein in step (b) the information on the (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries comprises at least one of (i) information on the remaining capacities of the (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries at the current time and (ii) information on first reservations of (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries made by first other users, and wherein the information on the (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries comprises at least one of (i) information on the remaining capacities of the (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries at the estimated time of arrival and (ii) information on second reservations of (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries made by second other users after the estimated time of arrival. [6] Management server for managing pools of mobile rechargeable batteries of multiple stations, comprising information about the multiple stations in which respective mobile rechargeable batteries are provided and information about each of the pools of mobile rechargeable batteries corresponding to each of the respective multiple stations, comprising: at least one memory that stores instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute instructions to perform, or assist in performing, another device: (I) in response to a selection of a particular location by a device of a particular user corresponding to a particular electric vehicle, a process of displaying multiple location information across the multiple stations, which are determined by reference to the current location of the specific user and the specific location, via a screen of the user device, (II) in response to a selection of a k-th station from among the multiple stations by the user device, a process of displaying (i) information about at least one or more available (k_1)-th mobile rechargeable batteries, (ii) information about at least one or more available (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries contained in the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, at a current time when the k-th station is selected by the user device, and (ii) information about at least one or more available (k_2)-th mobile rechargeable batteries contained in the k-th mobile rechargeable battery pool corresponding to the k-th station, at an estimated time of arrival, (III) when the specific user is expected to arrive at the k-th station, via the user device screen, and (III) in response to a selection of a specific k-th mobile rechargeable battery by the user device for a future need, among a wide variety of mobile rechargeable batteries, which are contained in at least one of the information about the (k-1)th mobile rechargeable batteries and the information about the (k_2)th mobile rechargeable batteries, a process of sending information about the future need to a manager device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery or a supplier device relating to the k-th specific mobile rechargeable battery.

Images