Charging service management device and computer program and charging service management system and charging service management method

Abstract

To provide a charging service management device, a computer program, a charging service management system, and a charging service management method that enable a user who have not concluded a use contract for a charging service to easily use the charging service.SOLUTION: A charging service management device comprises a control part, the control part acquires a charging request containing identification information of a user who is not concluded to a charging service of a first business operator, determines whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for a charging service of a second business operator different from the first business operator, and if it has determined the user is registered, it outputs instruction information to a charging facility of the first business operator indicating that the charging service of the first business operator is available.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging service management device, a computer program, a charging service management system, and a charging service management method. [Background technology]

[0002] With consideration for the global environment, electric vehicles (EVs) are being supplied all over the world, and the environment for charging EVs is being established accordingly. Charging service providers install charging equipment, and users who have contracted with the charging service provider drive their EV to a location where the charging equipment is installed and connect the EV to the charging equipment to charge the EV.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a charging station that can increase availability by integrating a charging interface for AC charging into a charging station for DC charging of electric vehicles, thereby ensuring charging even when the electric vehicle is not compatible with the charging station for DC charging.

[0004] On the other hand, EV users who do not have enough stored power to reach the charging equipment of a charging service provider with which they have a charging service contract will be unable to move their EV, so it is necessary to be able to charge their EV at charging equipment of charging service providers with which they do not have a charging service contract. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-56378 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in order to allow users who do not have a contract for a charging service to temporarily use the charging facility, it is necessary to implement a temporary payment method for charging the charging fee in the charging facility. Such implementation requires support for various payment methods, which leads to high costs in designing, developing, and operating the charging facility. In addition, it may be difficult to standardize the payment method between competing charging businesses, which may actually reduce convenience for users.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a charging service management device, a computer program, a charging service management system, and a charging service management method that allow users who have not entered into a charging service contract to easily use the charging service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present application includes multiple means for solving the above problem, and to cite one example, a charging service management device is provided with a control unit, which acquires a charging request including identification information of a user who has not signed a contract for a charging service of a first operator, determines whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for a charging service of a second operator different from the first operator, and if it is determined that the identification information is registered, outputs instruction information indicating that the charging service of the first operator is available to the charging equipment of the first operator, and when charging of the user's vehicle is completed at the charging equipment, outputs billing data for the costs incurred in charging the vehicle to a payment server to bill the second operator. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, a user who has not signed a contract for the use of the charging service can easily use the charging service. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the configuration of a charging service management system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of roaming contract information. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of charging service management according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of temporarily stored information. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a charging facility. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a charging facility. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a processing procedure of a contract management server. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a processing procedure of a roaming management server. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a processing procedure of a roaming management server. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the configuration of the charging service management system of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the drawings showing the embodiments. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first example of the configuration of a charging service management system of this embodiment. The first business operator is a charging service business operator with which a specific user who owns or uses an EV (electric vehicle) has not contracted for a charging service, and the second business operator is a charging service business operator with which the user has contracted for a charging service. In this specification, a case is assumed in which a specific user who has not concluded a service contract for the charging service of the first business operator temporarily uses the charging service of the first business operator. The first business operator owns and operates a charging facility 10 and a contract management server 100. In addition, the second business operator owns and operates a charging facility 20 and a contract management server 200. Note that, although FIG. 1 illustrates a first business operator and a second business operator, the present invention is not limited to this, and a third business operator, a fourth business operator, ... may also exist.

[0012] The charging service management system of this embodiment includes a roaming management server 50 as a charging service management device. The charging service management system also includes a charging facility 10 of a first business operator. The roaming management server 50 is connected to the charging facilities 10 and 20 and a verification server 300 via a communication network 1. The charging facility 10 is also connected to a contract management server 100, and the charging facility 20 is connected to a contract management server 200. For convenience, one charging facility 10 and one charging facility 20 are illustrated, but a plurality of each of the charging facilities 10 and 20 may exist.

[0013] The charging equipment 10 includes a controller 11 that controls the entire charging equipment 10, a communication unit 12, and a charging mechanism 13. The controller 11 may be configured with hardware, may be configured with software such as a computer program, or may be configured with a combination of hardware and software.

[0014] The communication unit 12 includes a communication module, and realizes a communication function between the roaming management server 50 and the contract management server 100 .

[0015] The charging mechanism 13 has functions necessary for providing a charging service to an EV, such as a function for charging the EV, a function for monitoring the charging status, and a function for billing for charging fees.

[0016] The contract management server 100 registers (stores) contract information of a contractor who has contracted for a charging service of a first business operator. The contract information includes, for example, personal information of the contractor (e.g., name, age, date of birth, telephone number, email address, credit card number, account number, vehicle identification information of an EV owned or used by the contractor, etc.).

[0017] The charging facility 20 includes a controller 21 that controls the entire charging facility 20 , a communication unit 22 , and a charging mechanism 23 .

[0018] The communication unit 22 includes a communication module, and realizes a communication function between the roaming management server 50 and the contract management server 200 .

[0019] The charging mechanism 23 has functions necessary for providing a charging service to an EV, such as a function for charging the EV, a function for monitoring the charging status, and a function for billing for charging fees.

[0020] The contract management server 200 registers (stores) contract information of the contractor who has contracted for the charging service of the second business operator. The contract information includes, for example, the contractor's personal information (e.g., name, age, date of birth, telephone number, email address, credit card number, account number, vehicle identification information of the EV owned or used by the contractor, etc.

[0021] The roaming management server 50 includes a control unit 51 that controls the entire server, a communication unit 52, a memory 53, a storage unit 54, and a roaming contract DB 56. Note that instead of being provided within the roaming management server 50, the roaming contract DB 56 may be provided in an external data server.

[0022] The control unit 51 is configured by incorporating all or some of a required number of central processing units (CPUs), micro-processing units (MPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and the like.

[0023] The communication unit 52 includes, for example, a communication module, and can transmit and receive information, data, and the like between the charging facilities 10 and 20, the contract management servers 100 and 200, and the verification server 300.

[0024] The storage unit 54 can be configured, for example, with a hard disk or a semiconductor memory, and stores a computer program (program product) 55 and required information.

[0025] The computer program 55 is read by a recording medium reading unit from a recording medium (for example, an optically readable disk storage medium such as a CD-ROM) on which the computer program 55 is recorded, and the read computer program 55 is stored in the storage unit 54. The computer program 55 may also be downloaded from an external device via the communication unit 52 and stored in the storage unit 54.

[0026] The memory 53 can be configured with a semiconductor memory such as a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a flash memory, etc. A computer program 55 can be loaded into the memory 53, and the control unit 51 can execute the computer program 55. The control unit 51 can execute processing defined by the computer program 55. In other words, the processing by the control unit 51 is also the processing by the computer program 55.

[0027] The roaming agreement DB 56 registers (stores) roaming agreement information.

[0028] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of roaming contract information. A roaming contract is a contract for a specific user who has not concluded a service contract for a charging service of a certain operator to temporarily use the charging service of the operator. In this specification, a roaming contract is a contract for a specific user who has concluded a service contract for a charging service of an operator other than a first operator (e.g., a second operator) to temporarily use the charging service of the first operator when he / she has not concluded a service contract for the charging service of the first operator.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 2, the roaming contract information includes information that associates a user's identification information (user identification information) with a charging service (service provider) with which the user has a contract. The user identification information includes personal identification information, name, date of birth, telephone number, email address, etc. Note that the name, date of birth, telephone number, and email address are not required.

[0030] Personal identification information includes official IDs such as the driver's license number recorded on a driver's license, the passport number recorded on a passport, the personal number recorded on a My Number card, or data derived from an official ID, such as an eID stored on a smartphone or tablet, or link information to an eID stored in the cloud. Driver's licenses, passports, My Number cards, etc. are also called ID cards.

[0031] The validation server 300 has a function of validating personal identification information. When the validation server 300 receives a validation request together with the personal identification information from the roaming management server 50, the validation server 300 verifies whether the received personal identification information is valid or not, and returns the validation result to the roaming management server 50. When the personal identification information is in the form of a digital certificate, the validation server 300 verifies the digital certificate using a public key distributed by the issuer of the digital certificate. Note that the roaming management server 50 may have the function of the validation server 300.

[0032] Next, an overview of charging service management according to this embodiment will be described.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an overview of charging service management in this embodiment. When a user who has not signed a contract for a charging service of a first service provider uses the charging facility 10, the charging facility 10 transmits a roaming request including the user's personal identification information read from an ID card carried by the user to the roaming management server 50 (S101). It is assumed that the user has signed a contract for a charging service of a second service provider. The roaming management server 50 verifies the received personal identification information (S102), and if the verification is successful, determines that the personal identification information is registered in the roaming contract (S103). The determination that the personal identification information is registered in the roaming contract is made based on whether the personal identification information is registered (stored) in the roaming contract information stored in the roaming contract DB 56.

[0034] If the personal identification information is registered in the roaming contract, the roaming management server 50 generates a transaction identifier (S104) and temporarily stores the generated transaction identifier, the personal identification information, and a timestamp (S105). The transaction identifier can be generated using, for example, a random number. The timestamp may include, for example, the time when the transaction identifier is generated, or the time when it is determined that the personal identification information is registered in the roaming contract. Note that the generation of a transaction identifier is not essential, but by using the transaction identifier as described below, it is possible to prevent leakage of the personal identification information and improve security.

[0035] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of temporarily stored information. As shown in Fig. 4, the roaming management server 50 can temporarily store the transaction identifier, the personal identification information, and the time stamp in the storage unit 54 in association with each other.

[0036] 3, the roaming management server 50 transmits instruction information, including the generated transaction identifier and indicating that the roaming service is applicable, to the charging facility 10 (S106). The charging facility 10 charges the vehicle (EV) (S107), and when charging is completed, transmits billing data, including the transaction identifier or personal identification information, to the roaming management server 50 in order to charge the charging fee (S108).

[0037] The roaming management server 50 identifies the charging service (business operator) with which the user has a contract based on the transaction identifier or personal identification information included in the billing data (S109), transmits the billing data to the settlement server of the identified charging service (business operator) (S110), and ends the process. Here, the settlement server can be the contract management server 200 of the second business operator. This is because the user has a contract for the charging service of the second business operator, and the contract management server 200 can handle settlement processing for the user.

[0038] As described above, the control unit 51 of the roaming management server 50 acquires a roaming request (charging request) including personal identification information (identification information) of a user who has not signed a contract for the charging service of the first operator, determines whether the acquired personal identification information is registered in a roaming contract for the charging service of an operator other than the first operator (e.g., a second operator), and if it is determined that the information is registered, outputs instruction information indicating that the charging service of the first operator is available to the charging equipment 10 of the first operator, and when charging of the user's vehicle is completed at the charging equipment 10, outputs billing data for the costs incurred in charging the vehicle to a settlement server (e.g., the contract management server 200) to bill the second operator.

[0039] With the above-mentioned configuration, a user who has not signed a contract for the use of the charging service can easily use the charging service. Furthermore, when the user charges a vehicle at the charging facility 10, the charging facility 10 does not need to implement a temporary payment method to enable the user to temporarily use the charging service. The contract management server 200 of a different charging service operator (second operator in this specification) with whom the user has a contract can make payment for the costs related to charging by the user.

[0040] Next, specific processing of the charging facility 10, the contract management server 100, and the roaming management server 50 will be described.

[0041] 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of a processing procedure of the charging facility 10. In the following, for convenience, the processing will be described as being performed by the controller 11. The controller 11 determines whether or not a vehicle is connected (S11), and if a vehicle is not connected (NO in S11), continues the processing of step S11. If a vehicle is connected (YES in S11), the controller 11 acquires vehicle identification information from the vehicle (S12). The vehicle identification information may be a vehicle number or a vehicle serial number, etc.

[0042] The controller 11 transmits a charging start request including the acquired vehicle identification information to the contract management server 100 (S13), and receives a message from the contract management server 100 (S14). The controller 11 determines whether or not the charging service can be provided based on the received message (S15). If the charging service cannot be provided (NO in S15), the controller 11 notifies the user that the charging service has not been contracted, and requests the user to input personal identification information for roaming use (S16). Specifically, the charging facility 10 may request the user to present an ID card. The ID card is assumed to be a driver's license carried by the user, but is not limited to a driver's license and may be a passport or a My Number card, an eID stored in a smartphone or tablet terminal, or link information to an eID stored in the cloud. The personal identification information may be acquired by photographing the user with a camera or the like, reading the information using short-range wireless communication, or reading a two-dimensional barcode to read the eID or link information to the eID.

[0043] The controller 11 acquires the user's personal identification information (S17) and establishes a secret communication path with the roaming management server 50 (S18). The controller 11 transmits a roaming request including the user's personal identification information to the roaming management server 50 (S19), and receives instruction information from the roaming management server 50 (S20). The controller 11 determines whether or not the roaming service is applicable based on the received instruction information (S21), and if the roaming service is applicable (YES in S21), charges the vehicle (S22).

[0044] The controller 11 determines whether the instruction information includes a transaction identifier (S23), and if the transaction identifier is included (YES in S23), it deletes the personal identification information from the settlement-related information related to the charging of the vehicle (e.g., the amount of power used, information necessary for settlement processing, etc.) and adds the transaction identifier (S24), and transmits the billing data with the settlement-related information added to the roaming management server 50 (S25). If the transaction identifier is not included (NO in S23), the controller 11 performs the process of step S25.

[0045] The controller 11 disables the secret communication path with the roaming management server 50 (S26), disconnects the vehicle (S27), and ends the process. If the roaming service is not applicable in step S21 (NO in S21), the controller 11 performs the process of step S26. If the charging service is available in step S15 (YES in S15), the controller 11 charges the vehicle (S28), and performs the process of step S27.

[0046] As described above, the controller 11 or the computer program executed by the controller 11 requests the user to input personal identification information when the user has not yet signed up for the charging service, outputs the input personal identification information to the roaming management server 50, permits charging of the user's vehicle when instruction information indicating that the charging service is available is obtained from the roaming management server 50, and when charging is completed, outputs billing data for the cost required for charging the vehicle to the roaming management server 50. This eliminates the need for the charging facility 10 to incorporate a temporary payment method for temporary use of the charging service in advance, making it possible to reduce the cost required for implementing the temporary payment method and provide the roaming service.

[0047] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a processing procedure of the contract management server 100. The contract management server 100 receives a charging request including vehicle identification information from the charging equipment 10 (S31), and determines whether or not the vehicle identification information is registered in the contract information (S32). If the vehicle identification information is registered in the contract information (YES in S32), the contract management server 100 transmits a message to the charging equipment 10 that the charging service can be provided (S33), and ends the processing. If the vehicle identification information is not registered in the contract information (NO in S32), the contract management server 100 transmits a message to the charging equipment 10 that the charging service cannot be provided (S34), and ends the processing.

[0048] 8 and 9 are diagrams showing an example of a processing procedure of the roaming management server 50. Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 show a processing procedure for enabling a user who has not concluded a service contract for the charging service of the first business operator to temporarily use the charging facility 10 of the first business operator (use through the roaming service). For convenience, the processing will be described below as being performed by the control unit 51. The control unit 51 establishes a secret communication path with the charging facility 10 (S41), and receives a roaming request including personal identification information of the user from the charging facility 10 (S42).

[0049] As described above, the control unit 51 may establish a secret communication path between the charging facility 10 and the charging facility 10, and obtain a charging request (roaming request including personal identification information) from the charging facility 10 via the established secret communication path. This makes it possible to maintain a state in which the personal identification information transmitted from the charging facility 10 cannot be illegally obtained or decoded by a third party other than the concerned party, thereby improving security.

[0050] The control unit 51 transmits the received personal identification information to the verification server 300 (S43) and receives a verification result from the verification server 300 (S44). The control unit 51 determines whether the personal identification information is valid or not based on the verification result (S45). If the personal identification information is valid (YES in S45), the control unit 51 accesses the roaming contract DB 56 and determines whether the personal identification information is registered (stored) in the roaming contract information (S46).

[0051] As described above, the control unit 51 may verify the acquired personal identification information, and if the verification is successful, may determine whether or not the acquired personal identification information is registered in a contract for a charging service of a second business operator. This makes it possible to prevent unauthorized personal identification information from being used.

[0052] If the personal identification information is registered in the roaming contract information (YES in S46), the control unit 51 generates a transaction identifier using random numbers or the like (S47), and temporarily stores the generated transaction identifier, the received personal identification information, and the time stamp in association with each other in the storage unit 54 (S48). The time period for temporary storage can be set appropriately, for example, to about 40 minutes or 60 minutes, and may be erased after this time period has elapsed. This limits the time interval between the verification of the validity of the personal identification information and the reception of the request message, making it possible to prevent a situation in which personal identification information whose validity has been verified in the past is reused even though it has already expired.

[0053] The control unit 51 transmits, to the charging facility 10, instruction information including the generated transaction identifier and indicating that the roaming service is applicable (S49).

[0054] As described above, when the acquired personal identification information is registered in a contract for a charging service of the second business operator, the control unit 51 may generate a transaction identifier associated with the personal identification information and output the generated transaction identifier together with instruction information to the charging facility 10 of the first business operator. This makes it possible to use the transaction identifier instead of the personal identification information, thereby suppressing leakage of the personal identification information regardless of whether it is intentional or negligent, and preventing the personal identification information from being misused by a malicious third party (for example, completing a transaction by impersonation).

[0055] When charging of the user's vehicle is completed using the roaming service at the charging facility 10, the control unit 51 receives billing data from the charging facility 10 (S50).

[0056] As described above, when charging of the user's vehicle is completed at the charging facility 10, the control unit 51 may acquire the transaction identifier together with the billing data from the charging facility 10. Since the transaction identifier can be used instead of the personal identification information, it is possible to prevent the personal identification information from being misused.

[0057] The control unit 51 determines whether or not a transaction identifier is included in the received billing data (S51), and if the billing data includes a transaction identifier (YES in S51), determines whether or not the transaction identifier is temporarily stored in the memory unit 54 (S52). If the transaction identifier is temporarily stored in the memory unit 54 (YES in S52), the control unit 51 determines whether or not the timestamp is within the validity period (S53).

[0058] The validity period of the timestamp can be set appropriately, for example, to 40 minutes, 60 minutes, etc. from the date and time the timestamp was issued. The validity period can be, for example, slightly longer than the charging time of the charging equipment 10 that charges the vehicle. If the charging equipment 10 is a type that sets a maximum charging time (for example, 30 minutes), the validity period can be set to the maximum charging time + a margin time. Also, if the charging equipment 10 is a type that can charge the vehicle battery until it is fully charged, the validity period can be set to the time required for full charging + a margin time. This makes it possible to prevent the charging equipment 10 from being used fraudulently multiple times.

[0059] If the timestamp is within the valid period (YES in S53), the control unit 51 acquires personal identification information from the temporary storage of the storage unit 54 based on the received transaction identifier (S54), and identifies the charging service (business operator) with which the user has a contract from the roaming contract information based on the acquired personal identification information (S55). The control unit 51 transmits billing data to the settlement server to bill the identified charging service (business operator) for the cost required for charging the vehicle (S56). In this case, the settlement server is the contract management server 200 of the second business operator.

[0060] As described above, the control unit 51 may identify the second business operator related to the contract in which the personal identification information corresponding to the transaction identifier is registered based on the acquired transaction identifier, and output the billing data to the payment server to bill the identified second business operator. This eliminates the need for the charging facility 10 to incorporate a temporary payment method for temporary use of the charging service in advance, and reduces the cost required for implementing the temporary payment method.

[0061] The control unit 51 notifies the charging facility 10 of normal termination (S57), invalidates the secret communication path with the charging facility 10 (S58), and ends the process. If the billing data does not include a transaction identifier (NO in S51), the control unit 51 determines whether the personal identification information is valid or not (S59). If the personal identification information is valid (YES in S59), the control unit 51 performs the process of step S55. If the personal identification information is not valid (NO in S45), if the personal identification information is not registered in the roaming contract information (NO in S46), if the transaction identifier is not temporarily stored in the storage unit 54 (NO in S52), if the time stamp is not within the valid period (NO in S53), or if the personal identification information is not valid (NO in S59), the control unit 51 notifies the charging facility 10 that the roaming service is not applicable (S60), and performs the process of step S58.

[0062] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of the configuration of the charging service management system of this embodiment. The difference from the first example illustrated in FIG. 1 is that there is an intermediary business that owns and operates a payment server 400. Unlike the first business and the second business, the intermediary business does not provide a charging service. In the example of FIG. 10, the intermediary business receives billing data related to the charging fee of a user who charges a vehicle at the charging facility 10 using a roaming service on behalf of the second business through the payment server 400, and performs payment. The intermediary business can transmit the fee related to the payment (including, for example, charges based on the billing data, payment agency fees, etc.) to a required server of the second business.

[0063] In the second example, the control unit 51 acquires a roaming request (charging request) including personal identification information (identification information) of a user who has not yet signed a contract for the charging service of the first operator, determines whether the acquired personal identification information is registered in a roaming contract for the charging service of an operator other than the first operator (e.g., a second operator), and if it is determined that the information is registered, outputs instruction information indicating that the charging service of the first operator is available to the charging equipment 10 of the first operator, and when charging of the user's vehicle is completed at the charging equipment 10, outputs billing data for the costs incurred in charging the vehicle to a payment server (e.g., the payment server 400 of the intermediary operator) to bill the second operator.

[0064] (Supplementary Note 1) The charging service management device includes a control unit, which acquires a charging request including identification information of a user who has not signed a contract for a charging service of a first operator, determines whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for a charging service of a second operator different from the first operator, and, if it is determined that the information is registered, outputs instruction information to the charging equipment of the first operator indicating that the charging service of the first operator is available.

[0065] (Supplementary Note 2) In the charging service management device in Supplementary Note 1, when charging of the user's vehicle is completed at the charging equipment, the control unit outputs billing data for the costs incurred in charging the vehicle to a payment server to bill the second business operator.

[0066] (Supplementary Note 3) In the charging service management device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, the control unit establishes a secret communication path between the charging facility and the charging facility, and acquires the charging request from the charging facility via the established secret communication path.

[0067] (Supplementary Note 4) In the charging service management device of any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 3, the control unit verifies the acquired identification information, and if the verification is successful, determines whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for the charging service of the second operator.

[0068] (Supplementary Note 5) In the charging service management device of any one of Supplements 1 to 4, when the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for the charging service of the second operator, the control unit generates a transaction identifier corresponding to the identification information, and outputs the generated transaction identifier together with the instruction information to the charging equipment of the first operator.

[0069] (Supplementary Note 6) In the charging service management device according to Supplementary Note 5, when charging of the user's vehicle at the charging facility is completed, the control unit acquires the transaction identifier together with the billing data from the charging facility.

[0070] (Supplementary Note 7) In the charging service management device of Supplementary Note 6, the control unit identifies a second business operator related to a contract in which identification information corresponding to the transaction identifier is registered based on the acquired transaction identifier, and outputs the billing data to a payment server to bill the identified second business operator.

[0071] (Additional Note 8) The computer program causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring a charging request including identification information of a user who has not signed a contract for a charging service of a first operator, determining whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for a charging service of a second operator different from the first operator, and, if it is determined that the information is registered, outputting instruction information indicating that the charging service of the first operator is available to the charging equipment of the first operator.

[0072] (Addendum 9) The computer program causes a computer to execute a process of requesting input of identification information of the user when the user has not yet signed up for the charging service, outputting the input identification information to a charging service management device, allowing charging of the user's vehicle when instruction information indicating that the charging service is available is obtained from the charging service management device, and outputting billing data for the costs incurred in charging the vehicle when charging is completed.

[0073] (Supplementary Note 10) The charging service management system includes the charging service management device described above and charging equipment of a first business operator, and the charging equipment outputs a charging request including identification information of a user who has not signed a contract for the charging service of the first business operator to the charging service management device.

[0074] (Supplementary Note 11) A charging service management method acquires a charging request including identification information of a user who has not signed a contract for a charging service of a first operator, determines whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for a charging service of a second operator different from the first operator, and if it is determined that the information is registered, outputs instruction information indicating that the charging service of the first operator is available to the charging equipment of the first operator.

[0075] The matters described in each embodiment can be combined with each other. In addition, the independent claims and dependent claims described in the claims can be combined with each other in any and all combinations regardless of the citation format. Furthermore, the claims use a format in which a claim cites two or more other claims (multiple claim format), but this is not limited to this. A multiple claim (multi-multi claim) that cites at least one multiple claim may also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1. Communication Network 10, 20 Charging equipment 11, 21 Controller 12, 22 Communications Department 13, 23 Charging mechanism 50 Roaming Management Server 51 Control section 52 Communications Department 53 Memory 54 Storage section 55 Computer Programs 56 Roaming contract DB 100, 200 Contract management server 300 Validation Server 400 Payment Server

Claims

1. A control unit is provided, The control unit is Acquire a charging request including identification information of a user who has not signed a contract with the first business operator for a charging service; determining whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for a charging service of a second operator different from the first operator; When it is determined that the charging service of the first business operator is registered, instruction information indicating that the charging service of the first business operator is available is output to the charging facility of the first business operator. Charging service management device.

2. The control unit is When charging of the vehicle of the user is completed at the charging facility, billing data for the cost of charging the vehicle is output to a settlement server so as to bill the second business operator. The charging service management device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is Establishing a secret communication path between the charging facility and the charging equipment; acquiring the charging request from the charging facility via the established secret communication path; The charging service management device according to claim 1 .

4. The control unit is Verify the obtained identification information; If the verification is successful, it is determined whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for the charging service of the second business operator. The charging service management device according to claim 1 .

5. The control unit is If the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for the charging service of the second business, a transaction identifier is generated corresponding to the identification information; outputting the generated transaction identifier together with the instruction information to the charging facility of the first business operator; The charging service management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The control unit is When charging of the user's vehicle at the charging facility is completed, the transaction identifier is acquired from the charging facility together with the billing data. The charging service management device according to claim 5 .

7. The control unit is Identifying a second business operator related to a contract in which identification information corresponding to the transaction identifier is registered based on the acquired transaction identifier; outputting the billing data to a payment server to bill the specified second business operator; The charging service management device according to claim 6.

8. Acquire a charging request including identification information of a user who has not signed a contract with the first business operator for a charging service; determining whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for a charging service of a second operator different from the first operator; When it is determined that the charging service of the first business operator is registered, instruction information indicating that the charging service of the first business operator is available is output to the charging facility of the first business operator. A computer program that causes a computer to carry out processing.

9. If the user has not yet signed up for the charging service, the user is requested to input his / her identification information; Outputting the input identification information to a charging service management device; permitting charging of the user's vehicle when instruction information indicating that a charging service is available is obtained from the charging service management device; When charging is completed, outputting billing data for the cost required for charging the vehicle. A computer program that causes a computer to carry out processing.

10. A charging service management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and a charging facility of a first business operator, The charging facility includes: outputting, to the charging service management device, a charging request including identification information of a user who has not yet signed a contract for the charging service of the first business operator; Charging service management system.

11. Acquire a charging request including identification information of a user who has not signed a contract with the first business operator for a charging service; determining whether the acquired identification information is registered in a roaming contract for a charging service of a second operator different from the first operator; When it is determined that the charging service of the first business operator is registered, instruction information indicating that the charging service of the first business operator is available is output to the charging facility of the first business operator. A charging service management method.

Images