Information management system, information management server, information management method, program, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

To provide an information management system, a vehicle information management server, an information management method, a program, and a computer readable storage medium which determine a rank of a user with respect to use of electricity for an electric vehicle.SOLUTION: In a battery management system 100, a management server has a storage unit for storing electricity-fees-related values relating to electricity fees of a plurality of users using electric vehicles for each user, a condition determination unit for determining a condition for use in extracting at least a part of the electricity-fees-related values of the plurality of users stored in the storage unit, and an extraction unit for extracting at least a part of the electricity-fees-related values of the plurality of users stored in the storage unit based on the extraction condition determined by the condition determination unit. The extraction condition includes a condition in which at least one item of (i) a position or an area which the user uses an electric vehicle, (ii) attributes of the position or the area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (iii) attributes of the electric vehicle, and (iv) attributes of the user satisfies a predetermined condition relating to the item.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information management system, a vehicle information management server, an information management method, a program, and a computer-readable storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] A vehicle information management system is known that calculates the fuel efficiency or electricity efficiency of each of a plurality of vehicles and presents a specific user with information indicating that user's fuel efficiency or electricity efficiency as well as information indicating the fuel efficiency or electricity efficiency of other users (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-123518 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, fuel economy or electricity efficiency depends not only on the driving style of the user but also on the vehicle specifications, the environment in which the vehicle is used, etc. Therefore, for a user who is inevitably forced to have higher fuel economy or electricity efficiency than other users, being presented with information showing the fuel economy or electricity efficiency of other users does not necessarily motivate the user to try to reduce fuel economy or electricity efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect of the present invention, an information management system is provided. The information management system includes, for example, a storage unit that stores, for each user, electricity cost-related values ​​related to electricity costs of a plurality of users who use an electric vehicle. The information management system includes, for example, a condition determination unit that determines extraction conditions for extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost-related values ​​of the plurality of users stored in the storage unit. The information management system includes, for example, an extraction unit that extracts at least a portion of the electricity cost-related values ​​of the plurality of users stored in the storage unit based on the extraction conditions determined by the condition determination unit. In the information management system, the extraction conditions include, for example, a condition that at least one of (i) the location or area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (ii) the attributes of the location or area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (iii) the attributes of the electric vehicle, and (iv) the attributes of the user satisfies a predetermined condition related to the item.

[0005] The information management system may further include a sorting unit that sorts at least some of the electricity cost related values ​​of the multiple users extracted by the extraction unit.

[0006] In a second aspect of the present invention, an information management system is provided. The information management system includes, for example, a power information acquisition unit that acquires power information related to the power or amount of power consumed by each of a plurality of users who use a power supply device. The information management system includes, for example, an environment information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information related to the environment in which each of the plurality of users consumes power. The information management system includes, for example, a rating unit that rates at least a portion of the plurality of users. In the information management system, the rating unit includes, for example, an index value determination unit that determines a value of an index related to the power consumption or amount of power consumption of at least a portion of the users based on the power information acquired by the power information acquisition unit. In the information management system, the rating unit includes, for example, a rank determination unit that determines a rank of at least a portion of the users in at least one of a plurality of categories related to the environment in which power is consumed based on the environmental information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit and the value of the index determined by the index value determination unit.

[0007] In the information management system according to the second aspect, the rank may be a rank, a grade, or a class. In the information management system, the environment may be at least one of (i) a geographical location or area where the power supply device is used, (ii) an attribute of the geographical location or area where the power supply device is used, (iii) an attribute of an electrical device that uses power supplied by the power supply device, and (iv) an attribute of each of the multiple users. In the information management system, each of the multiple categories may be classified based on at least one of (i) a geographical location or area where the power supply device is used, (ii) an attribute of the geographical location or area where the power supply device is used, (iii) an attribute of an electrical device that uses power supplied by the power supply device, and (iv) an attribute of each of the multiple users.

[0008] In the information management system, the power supply device may be mounted on a moving object. In the information management system, the index may be an index related to a moving distance of the moving object per unit power consumption, or an index related to deterioration of the power supply device per unit power consumption.

[0009] In the above information management system, the power supply device may be a replaceable power storage device detachably mounted on the mobile body. In the above information management system, the index may be an index related to a travel distance of the mobile body during one replacement of the power supply device, or an index related to deterioration of the power supply device during one replacement of the power supply device.

[0010] The information management system may include a rank notification unit that notifies a first user, the first user being included in at least a portion of the users, of the rank of the first user determined by the rank determination unit. In the information management system, the rank notification unit may notify the first user of information indicating a change in the rank of the first user.

[0011] The information management system may include a history information acquisition unit that acquires history information indicating a usage history of the power supply device by the first user.The information management system may include a timing determination unit that determines a timing for notifying the first user of the rank based on the history information acquired by the history information acquisition unit.In the information management system, the history information acquisition unit may acquire history information from a supply device that supplies energy or an energy source to the power supply device.

[0012] The information management system may include a category extraction unit that extracts, from among a plurality of categories, a category in which the rank of the first user satisfies a predetermined condition. In the information management system, the rank notification unit may notify the first user of information indicating the rank of the first user in the category extracted by the category extraction unit.

[0013] In a third aspect of the present invention, a vehicle information management server is provided. The vehicle information management server includes, for example, a first support arithmetic processing element configured to recognize information indicating a criterion for judging whether the fuel efficiency or electricity efficiency of each of a plurality of vehicles is high or low in accordance with the fuel efficiency or electricity efficiency of each of the vehicles. The vehicle information management server includes, for example, a second support arithmetic processing element configured to cause a predetermined information processing terminal device to recognize and output the information indicating the criterion recognized by the first support arithmetic processing element.

[0014] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information management method. The information management method includes, for example, a storage step of storing, for each user, electricity cost-related values ​​related to electricity costs of a plurality of users who use an electric vehicle in a storage device. The information management method includes, for example, a condition determination step of determining extraction conditions for extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost-related values ​​of the plurality of users stored in the storage step. The information management method includes, for example, an extraction step of extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost-related values ​​of the plurality of users stored in the storage device based on the extraction conditions determined in the condition determination step. In the information management method, the extraction conditions include, for example, a condition that at least one of the following items satisfies a predetermined condition related to the item: (i) a location or area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (ii) an attribute of the location or area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (iii) an attribute of the electric vehicle, and (iv) an attribute of the user.

[0015] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, an information management method is provided. The information management method includes, for example, a power information acquisition step of acquiring power information related to the power or amount of power consumed by each of a plurality of users who use a power supply device. The information management method includes, for example, an environment information acquisition step of acquiring environment information related to the environment in which each of the plurality of users consumes power. The information management method includes, for example, a rating step of rating at least a portion of the plurality of users. In the information management method, the rating step includes, for example, an index value determination step of determining an index value related to the power consumption or amount of power consumption of at least a portion of the users based on the power information acquired in the power information acquisition step. In the information management method, the rating step includes, for example, a rank determination step of determining a rank of at least a portion of the users in at least one of a plurality of categories related to the environment in which the power is consumed based on the environment information acquired in the environment information acquisition step and the index value determined in the index value determination step.

[0016] In a sixth aspect of the present invention, a program is provided. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the above program may be provided. The above program may be a program for causing a computer to function as an information management system according to the first or second aspect. The above program may be a program for causing a computer to execute an information processing procedure in the information management system according to the first or second aspect. The above program may be a program for causing a computer to execute an information management method according to the fourth or fifth aspect.

[0017] The above program may be a program for causing a computer to execute a storage step of storing electricity cost related values ​​related to electricity costs of a plurality of users who use an electric vehicle in a storage device for each user, a condition determination step of determining extraction conditions for extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost related values ​​of the plurality of users stored in the storage step, and an extraction step of extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost related values ​​of the plurality of users stored in the storage device based on the extraction conditions determined in the condition determination step. In the above program, the extraction conditions may include a condition that at least one of (i) the location or area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (ii) attributes of the location or area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (iii) attributes of the electric vehicle, and (iv) attributes of the user satisfies a predetermined condition related to the item.

[0018] A computer-readable storage medium storing the above program may be provided. The computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0019] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of a battery management system 100. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates an example of a ranking process performed by the battery management system 100. [Diagram 3] 13 illustrates an example of a notification process performed by the battery management system 100. [Figure 4] 2 illustrates an example of the internal configuration of a management server 110. [Diagram 5] 13 shows an example of an internal configuration of the category classification section 450. [Figure 6] 13 shows an example of an internal configuration of the ranking unit 460. [Figure 7] 13 shows an example of an internal configuration of a notification unit 470. [Figure 8] An example of the system configuration of a computer 3000 is shown in schematic form. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The present invention will be described below through the embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. In the drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar parts, and duplicate explanations may be omitted.

[0022] [Overview of the Battery Management System 100] An overview of the battery management system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 3. Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of the battery management system 100. Fig. 2 illustrates an example of a ranking process performed by the battery management system 100. Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a notification process performed by the battery management system 100.

[0023] 1, in this embodiment, the battery management system 100 includes a management server 110. The battery management system 100 may further include at least one of a battery station 120 and a battery station 140. The battery management system 100 may include three or more battery stations.

[0024] In this embodiment, at least two of the management server 110, the battery station 120, and the battery station 140 may transmit and receive information to and from each other via the communication network 10. In this embodiment, the battery station 120 is disposed inside the area 12. Furthermore, the battery station 140 is disposed inside the area 14. The areas 12 and 14 may have different geographical ranges. Note that, in addition to the battery station 120, one or more battery stations may be disposed inside the area 12. Furthermore, in addition to the battery station 140, one or more battery stations may be disposed inside the area 14.

[0025] In this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, the battery management system 100 will be explained in detail by taking as an example a case where the user 22 and the user 24 use the battery station 120 on a daily basis, and the user 42 and the user 44 use the battery station 140 on a daily basis. For example, the frequency of use of the battery station 120 by the user 22 and the user 24 is greater than the frequency of use of the battery station 140 by the user 22 and the user 24. In addition, the frequency of use of the battery station 140 by the user 42 and the user 44 is greater than the frequency of use of the battery station 120 by the user 42 and the user 44.

[0026] Note that a user other than user 22 and user 24 may use battery station 120, and a user other than user 42 and user 44 may use battery station 140. At least one of user 22 and user 24 may use battery station 140 from time to time. At least one of user 42 and user 44 may use battery station 120 from time to time.

[0027] For example, the user 22 travels to the location of the battery station 120 using the electric bike 60 in order to use the battery 50 that is being charged in the battery station 120. When the user 22 arrives at the location of the battery station 120, the user 22 removes the used battery 50 attached to the electric bike 60 from the electric bike 60 and stores the used battery 50 in the battery station 120. The user 22 also removes the charged battery 50 stored in the battery station 120 from the battery station 120 and attaches the charged battery 50 to the electric bike 60. This allows the user 22 to use the electric bike 60 with power supplied from the charged battery 50. Other users also use the battery 50 and electric bike 60 in the same manner as the user 22.

[0028] In this embodiment, the battery management system 100 rates at least some of the users 22, 24, 42, and 44. In one embodiment, the battery management system 100 rates all users that are the subject of management. In another embodiment, the battery management system 100 rates users that wish to be rated among the users that are the subject of management. The battery management system 100 does not need to perform a rating process for users that do not wish to be rated among the users that are the subject of management. Furthermore, the battery management system 100 may perform a rating process for users whose intention to rate is unclear, or may not perform the rating process.

[0029] More specifically, the battery management system 100 determines ranks for at least some of the users 22, 24, 42, and 44. In one embodiment, the ranks of the users are represented by a rank order, where the ranks of the users are different from one another. In another embodiment, the ranks of the users are represented by a grade or class, where multiple users may belong to the same grade or class.

[0030] In this embodiment, the battery management system 100 stores information related to the electricity costs of the user 22, the user 24, the user 42, and the user 44 (sometimes referred to as electricity cost-related information) in a storage device for each user. The battery management system 100 determines extraction conditions for extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost-related information of each user stored in the storage device. The above extraction conditions include a condition that at least one of the following items satisfies a predetermined condition related to the item: (i) the location or area where each user uses the electric motorcycle 60, (ii) the attribute of the location or area, (iii) the attribute of the electric motorcycle 60, and (iv) the attribute of each user. The battery management system 100 extracts at least a portion of the electricity cost-related information of multiple users stored in the storage device based on the above extraction conditions. The battery management system 100 may rearrange the extracted electricity cost-related information.

[0031] According to this embodiment, electricity cost related information of electric motorcycles 60 of users who meet specific conditions, or electricity cost related information of electric motorcycles 60 that meet specific conditions, can be extracted from electricity cost related information for all users. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the extracted electricity cost related information is sorted in ascending or descending order based on the value corresponding to the electricity cost, for example. This improves visibility.

[0032] In this embodiment, the battery management system 100 determines ranks for at least some of the users 22, 24, 42, and 44 in each of a plurality of subdivided categories. According to this embodiment, even if a user has difficulty obtaining a high ranking among all users subject to the rating process, he or she may obtain a high ranking in the subdivided category.

[0033] Therefore, the battery management system 100 can encourage more users to take specific actions by appropriately selecting an algorithm for determining the rank of the user. Examples of the above algorithm include an algorithm in which the lower the power consumption, the higher the ranking, and an algorithm in which the lower the deterioration of the battery 50, the higher the ranking.

[0034] For example, if an algorithm is selected that gives a higher ranking to vehicles with lower electricity consumption, it is expected that each user will drive the vehicle so as to reduce electricity consumption. However, for example, a user who uses the battery 50 as a power source for a large vehicle finds it difficult to reduce electricity consumption compared to a user who uses the battery 50 as a power source for a small vehicle. Therefore, it is difficult for a user who uses a large vehicle to maintain his or her motivation to drive the vehicle so as to reduce electricity consumption. According to this embodiment, for example, a rank in the category "for large vehicles" is calculated, so that even a user who uses a large vehicle can maintain his or her motivation to drive the vehicle so as to reduce electricity consumption.

[0035] [Overview of each part of the battery management system 100] In this embodiment, the communication network 10 transmits information between a plurality of communication devices. For example, the communication network 10 transmits information between the management server 110 and at least one of the battery station 120 and the battery station 140. The communication network 10 may be a transmission path for wired communication, a transmission path for wireless communication, or a combination of a transmission path for wireless communication and a transmission path for wired communication.

[0036] The communication network 10 may include a wireless communication network, the Internet, a P2P network, a dedicated line, a VPN, a power line communication line, etc. The communication network 10 may include a wireless packet communication network, the Internet, a P2P network, a dedicated line, a VPN, a power line communication line, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication line, a road-to-vehicle communication line, etc. The communication method in the wireless communication network may be (i) a mobile communication method such as a 3G method, an LTE method, or a 4G method, or (ii) a wireless data communication method such as a short-distance wireless method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), or NFC (Near Field Communication), a wireless LAN method such as WiFi (registered trademark), a wireless MAN method such as WiMAX (registered trademark), or a wireless WAN method.

[0037] In this embodiment, the area 12 and the area 14 may be administrative districts such as cities, towns, and villages, or may be areas inside predetermined virtual boundaries. At least one battery station may be disposed inside each of the area 12 and the area 14.

[0038] In this embodiment, the battery 50 supplies power to the electric motorcycle 60. The battery 50 may be mounted on the electric motorcycle 60. The battery 50 may be mounted on the electric motorcycle 60 so as to be detachable. The battery 50 may be a replaceable power storage device. The battery 50 may be a portable power storage device.

[0039] In this embodiment, the battery 50 is charged by the battery station 120 or the battery station 140. The battery 50 is charged by, for example, at least one of the battery station 120 and the battery station 140. The battery 50 may be stored in at least one of the battery station 120 and the battery station 140.

[0040] The battery 50 may have a storage device (not shown) such as a memory or a hard disk. In this case, the battery 50 may store at least one of the following in the storage device: a history of the riding of the electric motorcycle 60, a history of the operation of the electric motorcycle 60, a history of the power output by the battery 50, and a history of the remaining capacity of the battery 50.

[0041] In this embodiment, the electric bike 60 consumes power supplied by the battery 50. More specifically, the electric bike 60 moves using the power supplied by the battery 50. If the battery 50 has a storage device, the electric bike 60 may store at least one of the traveling history and the operation history of the electric bike 60 in the storage device.

[0042] In this embodiment, the communication terminal 70 is used by each user. The communication terminal 70 may function as an interface between each unit of the battery management system 100 and each user. In one embodiment, the communication terminal 70 accepts input from each user. The communication terminal 70 transmits various requests to the management server 110 based on the input from each user. In another embodiment, the communication terminal 70 outputs information to each user. For example, the communication terminal 70 outputs information received from the management server 110 to each user.

[0043] The communication terminal 70 may be any device capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from each unit (e.g., the management server 110) of the battery management system 100 via the communication network 10, and the details thereof are not particularly limited. Examples of the communication terminal 70 include a personal computer and a mobile terminal. Examples of the mobile terminal include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA (registered trademark), a tablet, a notebook computer or laptop computer, and a wearable computer.

[0044] In this embodiment, the management server 110 executes a rating process (sometimes referred to as a ranking process) in the battery management system 100. The management server 110 may notify each user of the result of the rating process for each user. Details of the management server 110 will be described later.

[0045] The management server 110 may include a first support arithmetic processing element configured to recognize information indicating a criterion for determining whether the fuel consumption or electricity consumption of each of the multiple vehicles is high or low according to the fuel consumption or electricity consumption of each of the multiple vehicles, and a second support arithmetic processing element configured to cause a specific information processing terminal device to recognize and output the information indicating the criterion recognized by the first support arithmetic processing element. The first support arithmetic processing element is configured to recognize, for example, a driving index value that is an index of the driving mode of each vehicle and the fuel consumption or electricity consumption of each of the multiple vehicles, and then recognize a reference value that is a criterion for determining whether the fuel consumption or electricity consumption of each of the multiple vehicles is high or low according to the fuel consumption or electricity consumption of each of the multiple vehicles. The second support arithmetic processing element is configured to recognize, for example, a reference driving index value based on a driving index value of one or more reference vehicles extracted from the multiple vehicles based on the reference value recognized by the first support arithmetic processing element, and then recognize and output reference driving information related to the reference driving index value to the specific information processing terminal device based on communication with the specific information processing terminal device.

[0046] In this embodiment, the battery station 120 and the battery station 140 store one or more batteries 50. Furthermore, the battery station 120 and the battery station 140 charge the one or more batteries 50. The battery station 120 and the battery station 140 may transmit various information related to the one or more batteries 50 stored in each battery station to the management server 110.

[0047] In one embodiment, when the battery 50 is stored in a battery station, the battery station transmits at least one of the following to the management server 110: identification information of the battery 50, identification information of the user who stored the battery 50 in the battery station, information indicating the time when the battery 50 was stored in the battery station, and information indicating the remaining capacity when the battery 50 was stored in the battery station. The battery station may transmit at least the identification information of the user who stored the battery 50 in the battery station, information indicating the time when the battery 50 was stored in the battery station, and the remaining capacity when the battery 50 was stored in the battery station in association with each other to the management server 110.

[0048] In another embodiment, when the battery 50 is removed from the battery station, the battery station transmits at least one of the identification information of the battery 50, the identification information of the user who removed the battery 50 from the battery station, information indicating the time when the battery 50 was removed from the battery station, and information indicating the remaining capacity when the battery 50 was removed from the battery station to the management server 110. The battery station may transmit at least the identification information of the user who removed the battery 50 from the battery station, the information indicating the time when the battery 50 was removed from the battery station, and the remaining capacity when the battery 50 was removed from the battery station in association with each other to the management server 110.

[0049] [Specific configuration of each part of the battery management system 100] Each unit of the battery management system 100 may be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. When at least a part of the components of the battery management system 100 is realized by software, the components realized by the software may be realized by starting a program that specifies the operation of the components in an information management system of a general configuration.

[0050] The program may be stored in a computer-readable medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a memory, or a hard disk, or may be stored in a storage device connected to a network. The program may be installed in a computer constituting at least a part of the battery management system 100 from the computer-readable medium or the storage device connected to the network. Execution of the program may cause the computer to function as at least a part of each unit of the battery management system 100.

[0051] A program that causes a computer to function as at least a part of each part of the battery management system 100 may include modules that define the operation of each part of the battery management system 100. These programs or modules act on a data processing device, an input device, an output device, a storage device, etc. to cause a computer to function as each part of the battery management system 100 or to execute an information processing method in each part of the battery management system 100.

[0052] When the program is loaded into a computer, the information processing described in the program functions as a specific means in which software related to the program works in cooperation with various hardware resources of the battery management system 100. The specific means above performs calculations or processing of information according to the intended use of the computer in this embodiment, thereby constructing the battery management system 100 according to the intended use.

[0053] The information management method in each part of the battery management system 100 has, for example, a storage step in which electricity cost-related information of a plurality of users who use an electric vehicle is stored in a storage device for each user. The above management method has, for example, a condition determination step in which extraction conditions are determined for extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost-related information of the plurality of users stored in the storage step. The above management method has, for example, an extraction step in which at least a portion of the electricity cost-related information of the plurality of users stored in the storage device is extracted based on the extraction conditions determined in the condition determination step. In the above management method, the extraction conditions include a condition that at least one of the following items satisfies a predetermined condition regarding the item: (i) the location or area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (ii) the attribute of the location or area where the user uses the electric vehicle, (iii) the attribute of the electric vehicle, and (iv) the attribute of the user.

[0054] The information management method in each part of the battery management system 100 includes, for example, a power information acquisition step of acquiring power information related to the power or amount of power consumed by each of a plurality of users who use a power supply device. The information management method includes, for example, an environment information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information related to the environment in which each of the plurality of users consumes power. The information management method includes, for example, a rating step of rating at least a portion of the plurality of users. The rating step may include an index determination step of determining a value of an index related to the power consumption or amount of power consumption of at least a portion of the users based on the power information acquired in the power information acquisition step. The rating step may include a rank determination step of determining a rank of at least a portion of the users in at least one of one or more categories related to the environment in which the power is consumed based on the environmental information acquired in the environment information acquisition step and the value of the index determined in the index determination step.

[0055] The area 12 may be an example of a geographical location or region where the power supply device is used. The area 14 may be an example of a geographical location or region where the power supply device is used. The user 22 may be an example of a user and a first user. The user 24 may be an example of a user and a first user. The user 42 may be an example of a user and a first user. The user 44 may be an example of a user and a first user. The battery 50 may be an example of a power supply device and a power storage device. The electric motorcycle 60 may be an example of a vehicle, an electric vehicle, an electric device, and a mobile object. The battery management system 100 may be an example of an information management system. The management server 110 may be an example of an information management system and a vehicle information management server. The battery station 120 may be an example of a resupply device. The battery station 140 may be an example of a resupply device. The information related to the electricity consumption may be an example of an electricity consumption related value.

[0056] In this embodiment, the details of the management server 110 have been described by taking as an example a case in which the management server 110 acquires various statuses relating to each user, each battery, or each electric bike via the battery station 120 or the battery station 140. However, the management server 110 is not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, the management server 110 acquires various statuses relating to each user, each battery, or each electric bike via, for example, the communication terminal 70 of each user. In still other embodiments, when each battery or each electric bike has a communication function, the management server 110 acquires various statuses relating to each user, each battery, or each electric bike via each battery or each electric bike.

[0057] In this embodiment, the battery management system 100 has been described in detail using an example in which the power supply device is a battery 50, and the battery stations 120 and 140 supply electric energy to the battery 50. However, the battery management system 100 is not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, the power supply device may be a power generation device. The power generation device may be a fuel cell. In this case, the battery stations 120 and 140 may supply fuel to the power generation device. Note that electric energy may be an example of energy. Fuel may be an example of an energy source.

[0058] In this embodiment, the battery management system 100 has been described in detail using as an example a case where the electric device is an electric motorcycle 60. However, the electric device is not limited to the electric motorcycle 60. In other embodiments, the electric device may be a moving body powered by an electric motor, or may be a stationary power storage device.

[0059] Examples of the mobile body include automobiles, motorcycles, standing vehicles having a power unit, ships, aircraft, etc. Examples of the automobile include gasoline cars, diesel cars, electric cars, fuel cell cars, hybrid cars, small commuters, electric carts, etc. Examples of the motorcycle include motorbikes, three-wheeled bikes, electric bicycles, etc. Examples of the ship include ships, hovercraft, jet skis, submarines, submersible boats, underwater scooters, etc. Examples of the aircraft include airplanes, airships or balloons, balloons, helicopters, drones, etc.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the battery management system 100 has been described in detail using an example in which the electricity consumption or an index related to the electricity consumption is linked to a user. However, the battery management system 100 is not limited to the present embodiment. In other embodiments, the electricity consumption or an index related to the electricity consumption may be linked to the battery 50 or the electric motorcycle 60. In this case, the information processing using the identification information of the user as a key may be replaced with information processing using the identification information of the battery 50 or the electric motorcycle 60 as a key.

[0061] Next, an example of the ranking process by the battery management system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. In this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the description, an overview of the ranking process will be described using an example in which the ranking change 200 indicates a ranking change of the user 22.

[0062] In this embodiment, a ranking is determined for the user 22 among users who regularly use the battery station 120. In this embodiment, the management server 110 extracts, for example, users who have used the battery station 120 five or more times in the past as users who regularly use the battery station 120.

[0063] In this embodiment, the management server 110 calculates the rank of the user 22 for each evaluation period. The evaluation period is one day. In this embodiment, the management server 110 calculates the rank of the user 22 using the mileage per exchange as an evaluation index. In Fig. 2, the white circles indicate the rank of the user 22 in each evaluation period.

[0064] In this embodiment, the rank is not calculated in the evaluation periods P4 and P6. This indicates that the battery 50 was not replaced. If the battery 50 is replaced multiple times during a single evaluation period, the rank of the user 22 may be calculated by averaging or weighted averaging the distance traveled per replacement.

[0065] In the present embodiment, the rank of each user is determined for a plurality of users who use a single battery station on a daily basis. However, the user ranking process is not limited to the present embodiment. According to another embodiment, for example, the rank of each user is determined for a plurality of users who use a plurality of battery stations on a daily basis.

[0066] In this embodiment, a rank is determined for each user. However, the user ranking process is not limited to this embodiment. According to another embodiment, for example, a plurality of users are treated as a single group, and a rank is determined for each group. This allows, for example, a ranking competition to be realized between a user who uses the battery station 120 on a daily basis and a user who uses the battery station 140 on a daily basis.

[0067] Next, an example of a notification process by the battery management system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. In this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the description, an overview of the notification process will be described by taking, as an example, a case in which the behavior pattern 300 indicates a behavior pattern of the user 22.

[0068] In this embodiment, the management server 110 estimates the behavior pattern of the user 22 by referring to the replacement history of the battery 50 in the battery station 120. The management server 110 may estimate the behavior pattern of the user 22 using a statistical method.

[0069] According to this embodiment, the user 22 leaves home at time t1 and arrives at the workplace at time t2. The user 22 stays at the workplace from time t2 to time t3. The user 22 then leaves the workplace at time t3 and arrives at the battery station 120 at time t4. After exchanging the battery 50 at the battery station 120, the user 22 leaves the battery station 120 at time t5 and arrives at home at time t6.

[0070] It is expected that the motivation of the user 22 will be improved by notifying the user 22 of the ranking process result immediately before the user 22 travels using the electric bike 60. Therefore, in this embodiment, the management server 110 notifies the user 22 of the ranking process result during predetermined periods before time t1, time t3, and time t5.

[0071] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the management server 110 does not notify the user 22 of the results of the ranking process while the user 22 is traveling using the electric motorcycle 60. This allows the user 22 to drive the electric motorcycle 60 more safely.

[0072] [Overview of each part of the Management Server 110] 4 illustrates an example of the internal configuration of the management server 110. In this embodiment, the management server 110 includes, for example, a communication control unit 420, a data collection unit 430, a data storage unit 440, a category classification unit 450, a ranking unit 460, and a notification unit 470.

[0073] In this embodiment, the communication control unit 420 controls communication between the management server 110 and at least one of the battery station 120 and the battery station 140. The communication control unit 420 may control communication between the management server 110 and the communication terminal 70 of each user.

[0074] In this embodiment, the data collection unit 430 collects various types of data. Furthermore, the data storage unit 440 stores the data collected by the data collection unit 430. The data storage unit 440 may store electricity cost-related information of each user.

[0075] The data collection unit 430 may collect various types of data via at least one of the battery station 120 and the battery station 140. The data collection unit 430 may collect various types of data via the communication terminal 70 of each user.

[0076] In one embodiment, the data collection unit 430 acquires information (sometimes referred to as power information) regarding the power [kW] or amount of power [kWh] consumed by each user who uses the battery 50. For example, the data collection unit 430 acquires, from the battery station 120, information indicating the SOC when the user 22 removed the battery 50 from the battery station 120 and information indicating the SOC when the user 22 stored the battery 50 in the battery station 120.

[0077] Furthermore, the data collection unit 430 acquires information indicating the distance traveled by the electric bike 60 from when the user 22 removes the battery 50 from the battery station 120 to when the user 22 stores the battery 50 in the battery station 120. For example, if information indicating the movement history of the electric bike 60 is recorded in a storage device (not shown) provided in the battery 50, the battery station 120 acquires the data stored in the storage device when the battery 50 is stored in the battery station 120. The battery station 120 transmits the information indicating the movement history of the electric bike 60, which has been removed from the storage device of the battery 50, to the management server 110. This allows the data collection unit 430 to acquire information indicating the movement distance of the electric bike 60.

[0078] The method by which the data collection unit 430 acquires information indicating the travel distance of the electric motorcycle 60 is not limited to the above embodiment. In other embodiments, the data collection unit 430 may acquire information indicating the movement history of the communication terminal 70 of the user 22 from the communication terminal 70 of the user 22. The data collection unit 430 may also analyze the movement history of the communication terminal 70 to determine the travel distance of the electric motorcycle 60. For example, the data collection unit 430 considers a period during which the statistics of the movement speed of the communication terminal 70 of the user 22 is greater than a predetermined value as a period during which the user 22 is using the electric motorcycle 50, and determines the travel distance of the electric motorcycle 60 based on the movement history of the communication terminal 70.

[0079] In another embodiment, the data collector 430 acquires information (sometimes referred to as environmental information) about the environment in which each user who uses the battery 50 consumes power. The environmental information may include at least one of (i) information indicating the geographical location or area in which the battery 50 is used, (ii) information indicating attributes of the geographical location or area in which the battery 50 is used, (iii) information indicating attributes of the electric motorcycle 60, and (iv) information indicating attributes of each user.

[0080] Examples of the geographical location or area where the battery 50 is used include identification information of the battery station 120 whose frequency of use by each user is greater than a predetermined value, information indicating the location of the battery station (sometimes referred to as location information), identification information of the area in which the battery station is located, etc. When there are multiple battery stations 120 whose frequency of use by a single user is greater than a predetermined value, (i) the identification information or location information of the battery station 120 whose frequency of use is greatest, the identification information of the area in which the battery station is located, etc. may be used as the geographical location or area in which the battery 50 is used, and (ii) the identification information or location information of all of the multiple battery stations 120, the identification information of all of the areas in which the battery stations are located, etc. may be used as the geographical location or area in which the battery 50 is used.

[0081] Examples of the attributes of the geographical location or area where the battery 50 is used include population, speed limit, degree of traffic congestion, gradient, climate, etc. Examples of the attributes of the electric motorcycle 60 include the type of electric motorcycle 60, the use of the electric motorcycle 60, etc.

[0082] Examples of the user's attributes include the user's power usage, the user's driving pattern, the user's family composition, the user's occupation, age, weight, the presence or absence of a passenger, the number of passengers, the load per trip, and the distance traveled per trip. Examples of the power usage include statistics of the output of the battery 50. Examples of the driving pattern include statistics of the speed of the electric motorcycle 60 and statistics of the acceleration of the electric motorcycle 60. Examples of the statistics include the mean, mode, percentile, range, minimum, maximum, variance, unbiased variance, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis. Examples of the percentile include the first quartile (25th percentile), median (50th percentile), and third quartile (75th percentile).

[0083] In still another embodiment, the data collector 430 acquires information (sometimes referred to as history information) indicating the usage history of the battery 50 by each user. Examples of the history information include (i) information indicating the time when the battery 50 started supplying power, (ii) information associating the time when the battery 50 started supplying power with the position of the battery 50 at that time, (iii) information indicating the time when the battery 50 stopped supplying power, (iv) information associating the time when the battery 50 stopped supplying power with the position of the battery 50 at that time, (v) information indicating the time when the battery 50 was removed from the electric motorcycle 60, and (vi) information associating the time when the battery 50 was removed from the electric motorcycle 60 with the position of the battery 50 at that time.

[0084] The location of the battery 50 may be represented by the location of the user, the location of the electric bike 60, the location of the communication terminal 70, or the location of a battery station. For example, the location where the battery 50 was removed from the electric bike 60 may be the location of the battery station where the battery 50 was stored. Moreover, instead of the time when the battery 50 was removed from the electric bike 60, the time when the battery 50 was stored in the battery station may be used.

[0085] In this embodiment, the category classification unit 450 determines one or more categories to which each user belongs by analyzing various data related to each user collected by the data collection unit 430. Details of the category classification unit 450 will be described later.

[0086] In this embodiment, the ranking unit 460 ranks at least a part of a plurality of users. For example, the ranking unit 460 first determines conditions for evaluating superiority or inferiority between one or more users who are the subject of the ranking process. Next, the ranking unit 460 calculates a score (sometimes referred to as an evaluation score) for evaluating superiority or inferiority between users. Next, the ranking unit 460 determines the rank of each user. At this time, the ranking unit 460 may determine the rank of each user in comparison with all users who are the subject of the ranking process, or may determine the rank of each user in comparison with all other users who belong to the category to which each user belongs. Details of the ranking unit 460 will be described later.

[0087] In another embodiment, the ranking unit 460 first determines extraction conditions for extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost related information of each user stored in the data collection unit 430. The above extraction conditions include a condition that at least one of (i) the location or area where each user uses the electric motorcycle 60, (ii) the attributes of the location or area where each user uses the electric motorcycle 60, (iii) the attributes of the electric motorcycle 60, and (iv) the attributes of each user satisfies a predetermined condition regarding the item. Next, the ranking unit 460 extracts at least a portion of the electricity cost related information of each user stored in the data collection unit 430. Next, the ranking unit 460 rearranges the extracted electricity cost related information. In this way, the ranking unit 460 can rank at least a portion of the multiple users.

[0088] In this embodiment, the notification unit 470 notifies the user of the rank of the user determined by the ranking unit 460. Details of the notification unit 470 will be described later.

[0089] The data collection unit 430 may be an example of a power information acquisition unit, an environmental information acquisition unit, and a history information acquisition unit. The categorization unit 450 may be an example of an environmental information acquisition unit. The ranking unit 460 may be an example of a rating unit. The notification unit 470 may be an example of a rank notification unit. The category may be an example of environmental information.

[0090] 5 illustrates an example of the internal configuration of the category classification unit 450. In this embodiment, the category classification unit 450 includes a behavior pattern determination unit 520, an area attribute determination unit 530, a usage attribute determination unit 540, and a user attribute determination unit 550.

[0091] Each category is classified according to the environment in which the user consumes power. Each category is classified based on at least one of, for example, (i) a geographical location or area in which the battery 50 is used, (ii) attributes of the geographical location or area in which the battery 50 is used, (iii) attributes of the electric bike 60, and (iv) attributes of each of a plurality of users.

[0092] The category classification unit 450 determines one or more categories to which each user belongs by classifying each user based on at least one of, for example, (i) the geographical location or area where the battery 50 is used, (ii) attributes of the geographical location or area where the battery 50 is used, (iii) attributes of the electric motorcycle 60, and (iv) attributes of the user. Examples of categories include vehicle use, stationary use, long distance use, short distance use, personal use, corporate use, family use, single person use, flat land use, mountainous area use, cold area use, warm area use, for residents of a specific administrative division, and repeater use of a specific battery station.

[0093] In this embodiment, the behavior pattern determination unit 520 determines the behavior pattern of each user. For example, the behavior pattern determination unit 520 acquires information indicating at least one of the user's location history and the user's use history of the battery station. The behavior pattern determination unit 520 analyzes at least one of the user's location history and the user's use history of the battery station to determine the user's behavior pattern.

[0094] The user's behavior pattern may be information in which information indicating a time is associated with information indicating an estimated location of the user at the time. The user's behavior pattern may further include information indicating at least one of an estimated speed, an estimated acceleration, and an estimated moving direction of the user at the time.

[0095] The user's position history may be represented by the position history of the battery 50, the electric bike 60, or the communication terminal 70 used by the user. The position history may be information in which information indicating a time is associated with information indicating a position at that time. The position history may be generated using a known self-position estimation technique using a GPS signal, a wireless signal, a rotary encoder, an acceleration detector, or the like.

[0096] The usage history of the battery station may be information in which identification information or location information of the battery station is associated with information indicating the time when the battery station was used. The usage history of the battery station may further include information indicating that the battery 50 was removed from the battery station at the above-mentioned time, or information indicating that the battery 50 was stored in the battery station at the above-mentioned time. The usage history of the battery station may further include information indicating the remaining capacity of the battery 50 at the above-mentioned time.

[0097] In this embodiment, the behavior pattern determination unit 520 classifies the above-mentioned users based on the behavior patterns of the users, thereby determining one or more categories to which the users belong. More specifically, the behavior pattern determination unit 520 determines a geographical location or area in which the battery 50 is used based on the behavior patterns of the users. The behavior pattern determination unit 520 classifies each user based on the geographical location or area in which the battery 50 is used, thereby determining one or more categories to which each user belongs.

[0098] According to one embodiment, the users are classified into each group of battery stations having a usage frequency greater than a predetermined value. In another embodiment, the users are classified into each group of administrative districts including battery stations having a usage frequency greater than a predetermined value. In yet another embodiment, the users are classified into each group of areas having an arbitrary shape including battery stations having a usage frequency greater than a predetermined value.

[0099] In this embodiment, the behavior pattern determination unit 520 transmits information indicating the user's behavior pattern to at least one of the area attribute determination unit 530, the use attribute determination unit 540, and the user attribute determination unit 550. In addition, the behavior pattern determination unit 520 stores in the data storage unit 440 the user's identification information and the identification information of one or more categories to which the user belongs in association with each other.

[0100] In this embodiment, the area attribute determination unit 530 acquires information indicating a geographical location or area where the battery 50 is used from the behavior pattern determination unit 520. The area attribute determination unit 530 determines the attribute of the geographical location or area where the battery 50 is used. The area attribute determination unit 530 determines the attribute of the geographical location or area where the battery 50 is used, for example, by referring to a DB in which the location of any area is associated with an attribute.

[0101] In this embodiment, the area attribute determination unit 530 determines one or more categories to which each user belongs by classifying each user based on the attributes of the geographical location or area where each user uses the battery 50. The area attribute determination unit 530 stores in the data storage unit 440 the identification information of the user and the identification information of each of the one or more categories to which the user belongs in association with each other.

[0102] In this embodiment, the usage attribute determining unit 540 determines the usage of the battery 50. Examples of the usage of the battery 50 include an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a stationary power source. Other examples of the usage of the battery 50 include a large vehicle, a medium-sized vehicle, and a small vehicle. The usage attribute determining unit 540 determines the attribute of the usage of the battery 50. The attribute of the usage of the battery 50 is determined based on statistics of the output of the battery 50, statistics of the outside air temperature of the battery 50, and the like.

[0103] In this embodiment, the usage attribute determining unit 540 determines one or more categories to which each user belongs by classifying each user based on the attribute of the usage of the battery 50. The usage attribute determining unit 540 stores in the data storage unit 440 the identification information of the user and the identification information of each of the one or more categories to which the user belongs in association with each other.

[0104] In this embodiment, the user attribute determination unit 550 acquires information indicating the behavioral pattern of each user from the behavior pattern determination unit 520. The user attribute determination unit 550 determines the attribute of the user based on the behavioral pattern of the user. The user attribute determination unit 550 may determine the above-mentioned attribute of the user by referring to the data collection unit 430. The user attribute determination unit 550 stores the user's identification information and the identification information of one or more categories to which the user belongs in association with each other in the data storage unit 440.

[0105] The behavior pattern determination unit 520 may be an example of an environmental information acquisition unit. The area attribute determination unit 530 may be an example of an environmental information acquisition unit. The use attribute determination unit 540 may be an example of an environmental information acquisition unit. The user attribute determination unit 550 may be an example of an environmental information acquisition unit.

[0106] 6 shows an example of an internal configuration of the ranking unit 460. In this embodiment, the ranking unit 460 includes an evaluation condition determination unit 620, an evaluation score calculation unit 630, and an evaluation unit 640.

[0107] In this embodiment, the evaluation condition determination unit 620 determines conditions for evaluating the rank of each user. For example, the evaluation condition determination unit 620 determines at least one of an evaluation period and an evaluation index. Examples of the evaluation period include one day, one week, and one month. The evaluation index may be an index related to the travel distance of the electric motorcycle 60 per unit of power consumption (sometimes referred to as power consumption [km / kWh]), or an index related to the deterioration of the battery 50 per unit of power consumption.

[0108] Examples of the index related to the travel distance of the electric motorcycle 60 per unit power consumption include an index related to the travel distance of the electric motorcycle 60 during one battery replacement, and an index related to the electricity consumption during the period from when the ignition switch of the electric motorcycle 60 is turned on until the ignition switch of the electric motorcycle 60 is turned off (sometimes referred to as a driving cycle). Examples of the index related to the deterioration of the battery 50 per unit power consumption include an index related to the deterioration of the battery 50 during one battery replacement, and an index related to the deterioration of the battery 50 per one driving cycle.

[0109] The evaluation score calculation section 630 calculates the value of the evaluation index (sometimes referred to as a score) for each evaluation period according to the conditions determined by the evaluation condition determination section 620. The evaluation score calculation section 630 may calculate the score for each evaluation period by referring to the data storage section 440. The evaluation score calculation section 630 may calculate the score for each evaluation period for at least some of the users based on the power information acquired by the data collection section 430.

[0110] When the evaluation index is the amount during which the battery 50 is replaced a predetermined number of times and the number of times the battery 50 is replaced within a single evaluation period is less than the predetermined number of times, the evaluation score calculation unit 630 may not calculate a score. When the evaluation index is the amount during which the battery 50 is replaced a predetermined number of times and the number of times the battery 50 is replaced within a single evaluation period exceeds the predetermined number of times, the evaluation score calculation unit 630 may adjust the score based on an appropriate algorithm.

[0111] The evaluation unit 640 determines the rank of each of the one or more users to be subjected to the ranking process. The evaluation unit 640 determines the rank of each user based on the value of the evaluation index calculated by the evaluation score calculation unit 630. The evaluation unit 640 may determine the rank of each user in at least one of the one or more categories to which each user belongs. The evaluation unit 640 may determine the rank of each user in each of the one or more categories to which each user belongs. Thereby, the rank of the user in at least one of the multiple categories related to the environment in which power is consumed is determined based on the environment in which each user consumes power and the score of each user.

[0112] The evaluation score calculation section 630 may be an example of an index value determination section. The evaluation section 640 may be an example of a rank determination section. The evaluation index may be an example of an index related to power consumption or the amount of power consumption.

[0113] As described above, the ranking method in the ranking unit 460 is not limited to this embodiment. In another embodiment, the ranking unit 460 first determines extraction conditions for extracting at least a portion of the electricity cost related information of each user stored in the data collection unit 430. The above extraction conditions include a condition that at least one of (i) the location or area where each user uses the electric motorcycle 60, (ii) the attribute of the location or area where each user uses the electric motorcycle 60, (iii) the attribute of the electric motorcycle 60, and (iv) the attribute of each user satisfies a predetermined condition related to the item. Next, the ranking unit 460 extracts at least a portion of the electricity cost related information of each user stored in the data collection unit 430. Next, the ranking unit 460 rearranges the extracted electricity cost related information. This determines the rank of each user.

[0114] 7 shows an example of an internal configuration of the notification section 470. In this embodiment, the notification section 470 includes a notification content determination section 720 and a notification timing determination section 730.

[0115] In this embodiment, the notification content determination unit 720 determines the content of the notification. For example, the notification content determination unit 720 determines to create a notification including identification information of a user who is the target of the notification process and information indicating the rank of the user. The notification content determination unit 720 may determine to create a notification including information indicating a change in rank.

[0116] In this embodiment, the notification content determination unit 720 may determine to create a notification including identification information of a user, identification information of at least one of one or more categories to which the user belongs, and information indicating the rank of the user for each category. For example, the notification content determination unit 720 extracts a category in which the rank of the user satisfies a predetermined condition from one or more categories to which the user belongs. The notification content determination unit 720 creates a notification including identification information of the user, identification information of the extracted category, and information indicating the rank of the user in the extracted category.

[0117] The predetermined condition may be that the rank of the user exceeds a predetermined standard. For example, if the rank is a rank, the predetermined condition is that the rank of the user is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. For example, if the rank is a grade or class, the predetermined condition is that the rank of the user is equal to or higher than a predetermined grade or class.

[0118] In one embodiment, the notification content determination unit 720 targets users whose overall rank is below a predetermined standard for notification processing. In another embodiment, the notification content determination unit 720 targets users whose rank fluctuation pattern satisfies a predetermined condition for notification processing. For example, the notification processing targets users whose rank decrease rate is greater than a predetermined value. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of calculations compared to when all users are targets for notification processing. In addition, since notifications are given at a time when motivation is likely to decrease, the effect of the notification is more pronounced. As a result, energy can be used efficiently.

[0119] In this embodiment, the notification timing determination unit 730 determines the timing for transmitting a notification to a user. For example, the notification timing determination unit 730 acquires information indicating the behavior pattern of each user from the behavior pattern determination unit 520.

[0120] As described above, the user's behavior pattern is associated with information indicating a time and information indicating the user's estimated location at that time. In one embodiment, the notification timing determination unit 730 analyzes the user's behavior pattern and determines the time at which the notification is to be sent, which is a time before the time at which the user starts moving, and the length of the period between the time at which the notification is sent and the time at which the user starts moving is shorter than a predetermined value.

[0121] In another embodiment, the notification timing determination unit 730 may analyze the user's behavioral patterns to determine the time at which the notification is to be sent so that the notification is not sent while the user is moving. In yet another embodiment, the notification timing determination unit 730 may control a program running on the communication terminal 70 of the user to be notified so that the notification is not output while the user is moving.

[0122] The notification content determination unit 720 may be an example of a category extraction unit. The notification timing determination unit 730 may be an example of a history information acquisition unit and a timing determination unit. The user who is the target of the notification process may be an example of a first user. The behavior pattern may be an example of history information.

[0123] 8 illustrates an example of a computer 3000 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. For example, the management server 110 is implemented by the computer 3000.

[0124] A program installed on the computer 3000 may cause the computer 3000 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention or one or more "parts" of the apparatus, and / or to perform a process or steps of the process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 3012 to cause the computer 3000 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0125] The computer 3000 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 3012, a RAM 3014, a GPU 3016, and a display device 3018, which are connected to each other by a host controller 3010. The computer 3000 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 3022, a hard disk drive 3024, a DVD-ROM drive 3026, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 3010 via an input / output controller 3020. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 3030 and a keyboard 3042, which are connected to the input / output controller 3020 via an input / output chip 3040.

[0126] The CPU 3012 operates according to a program stored in the ROM 3030 and the RAM 3014, thereby controlling each unit. The GPU 3016 acquires image data generated by the CPU 3012 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 3014 or into the GPU 3016 itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 3018.

[0127] The communications interface 3022 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive 3024 stores programs and data used by the CPU 3012 in the computer 3000. The DVD-ROM drive 3026 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 3001 and provides the programs or data to the hard disk drive 3024 via the RAM 3014. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0128] The ROM 3030 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 3000 upon activation, and / or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 3000. The input / output chip 3040 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 3020 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0129] The programs are provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 3001 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the hard disk drive 3024, the RAM 3014, or the ROM 3030, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 3012. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 3000, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be constructed by realizing an operation or processing of information according to the use of the computer 3000.

[0130] For example, when communication is performed between computer 3000 and an external device, CPU 3012 may execute a communication program loaded in RAM 3014 and instruct communication interface 3022 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of CPU 3012, communication interface 3022 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in RAM 3014, hard disk drive 3024, DVD-ROM 3001, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0131] Furthermore, CPU 3012 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as hard disk drive 3024, DVD-ROM drive 3026 (DVD-ROM 3001), an IC card, etc. to be read into RAM 3014, and perform various types of processing on the data on RAM 3014. CPU 3012 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0132] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and undergo information processing. The CPU 3012 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 3014, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and writes back the results to the RAM 3014. The CPU 3012 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 3012 may search for an entry whose attribute value of the first attribute matches a specified condition from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0133] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on the computer 3000 or in the vicinity of the computer 3000. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the above-described programs to the computer 3000 via the network.

[0134] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. In addition, the matters described for a specific embodiment can be applied to other embodiments to the extent that they are not technically inconsistent. It is clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0135] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and may be realized in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the process in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 10 communication network, 12 area, 14 area, 22 user, 24 user, 42 user, 44 user, 50 battery, 60 electric bike, 70 communication terminal, 100 battery management system, 110 management server, 120 battery station, 140 battery station, 200 fluctuation, 300 behavior pattern, 420 communication control unit, 430 data collection unit, 440 data storage unit, 450 category classification unit, 460 ranking unit, 470 notification unit, 520 behavior pattern determination unit, 530 area attribute determination unit, 540 usage attribute determination unit, 550 user attribute determination unit, 620 evaluation condition determination unit, 630 evaluation score calculation unit, 640 evaluation unit, 720 notification content determination unit, 730 notification timing determination unit, 3000 computer, 3001 DVD-ROM, 3010 host controller, 3012 CPU, 3014 RAM, 3016 GPU, 3018 display device, 3020 I / O controller, 3022 communication interface, 3024 hard disk drive, 3026 DVD-ROM drive, 3030 ROM, 3040 I / O chip, 3042 keyboard

Claims

1. a power information acquisition unit that acquires power information relating to the power or amount of power consumed by each of a plurality of users who use the power supply device; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding an environment in which each of the plurality of users consumes power; a rating unit that rates at least some of the users; Equipped with The rating unit an index value determination unit that determines a value of an index related to the power consumption or the amount of power consumption of the at least some of the users based on the power information acquired by the power information acquisition unit; a rank determination unit that determines a rank of the at least some of the users in at least one of a plurality of categories related to an environment in which power is consumed, based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit and the value of the index determined by the index value determination unit; and and the environmental information includes information indicating a geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used; The information indicating the geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used may be Identification information of a replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device, information indicating the location of the replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device, or identification information of an area where the replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device is located. Information management system.

2. The power supply device is an exchangeable power storage device that is detachably mounted on a mobile body, the replenishment device is an exchange device that receives the power storage device returned from the user and provides a stored power storage device; The indicator is an indicator related to a distance traveled by the mobile object during an exchange period from when the power storage device is provided to the user at the exchange device until when the power storage device provided to the user is received from the user, or an indicator related to deterioration of the power storage device during an exchange period from when the power storage device is provided to the user at the exchange device until when the power storage device provided to the user is received from the user. The information management system according to claim 1 .

3. If the number of times the exchange has been performed in the exchange device is less than a predetermined number of times, the index value determination unit does not determine the value of the index; The information management system according to claim 2 .

4. If the number of times the exchange has been performed in the exchange device exceeds a predetermined number of times, the index value determination unit adjusts the value of the index. The information management system according to claim 2 .

5. The rank determination unit determines the rank of the at least some of the users who regularly use the replenishment device. The information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The rank determination unit determines the ranks of at least some of the multiple users who regularly use a single supply device. The information management system according to claim 5 .

7. When there are a plurality of the supply devices each having a frequency of use by a single said at least some users that is greater than a predetermined value, Identification information of the most frequently used replenishment device, information indicating the location of the most frequently used replenishment device, or identification information of the area in which the most frequently used replenishment device is located is used as information indicating the geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used. The information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Further comprising a rank notification unit that notifies a first user included in the at least some of the users of the rank of the first user determined by the rank determination unit. The information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The rank notification unit notifies the first user of information indicating a change in the rank of the first user. The information management system according to claim 8.

10. The rank notification unit notifies the first user of the rank when the rate of decrease in the rank is greater than a predetermined value. The information management system according to claim 8.

11. The rank notification unit notifies the first user whose rank is below a predetermined standard of the rank. The information management system according to claim 8.

12. A timing determination unit that determines the timing to notify the first user of the rank. Further provided with The information management system according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

13. The power supply device is mounted on a mobile body, The timing determination unit The timing is determined to be a time immediately before the first user moves using the moving object. The information management system according to claim 12.

14. The power supply device is mounted on a mobile body, The timing determination unit a period when the first user is moving using the moving object is not determined as the timing; 14. The information management system according to claim 12 or 13.

15. Further comprising a history information acquisition unit that acquires history information indicating a usage history of the power supply device by the first user; the timing determination unit determines the timing based on the history information acquired by the history information acquisition unit. The information management system according to any one of claims 12 to 14.

16. The replenishment device acquires the history information from the power supply device when replenishing power to the power supply device, the history information acquisition unit acquires the history information from the replenishment device. The information management system according to claim 15.

17. The power supply device is an exchangeable power storage device that is detachably mounted on a mobile body, the replenishment device is an exchange device that receives the power storage device returned from the user and provides a stored power storage device; the exchange device acquires the history information from the power storage device when the power storage device received from the user is stored in the exchange device; the history information acquisition unit acquires the history information from the exchange device. The information management system according to claim 15.

18. The method further comprises a category extraction unit that extracts, from the plurality of categories, a category in which the rank of the first user satisfies a predetermined condition; the rank notifying unit notifies the first user of information indicating the rank of the first user in the category extracted by the category extracting unit; The information management system according to any one of claims 8 to 17.

19. The rank is a ranking, a grade, or a class.

19. The information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. The power supply device is mounted on a mobile body, the index is an index related to a travel distance of the mobile object per unit of power consumption, or an index related to deterioration of the power supply device per unit of power consumption; 20. The information management system of any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. A power information acquisition unit that acquires power information regarding the power or amount of power consumed by each of a plurality of users who use a power supply device; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information regarding an environment in which each of the plurality of users consumes power; a rating unit that rates at least some of the users; Equipped with The rating unit an index value determination unit that determines a value of an index related to the power consumption or the amount of power consumption of the at least some of the users based on the power information acquired by the power information acquisition unit; a rank determination unit that determines a rank of the at least some of the users in at least one of a plurality of categories related to an environment in which power is consumed, based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit and the value of the index determined by the index value determination unit; and and the environmental information includes information indicating a geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used; The information indicating the geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used may be Identification information of a replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device, information indicating the location of the replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device, or identification information of an area where the replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device is located. Information management server.

22. A power information acquisition step of acquiring power information regarding the power or amount of power consumed by each of a plurality of users who use the power supply device; an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information relating to an environment in which each of the plurality of users consumes power; a rating step of rating at least some of the users; and The rating stage comprises: determining a value of an index related to the power consumption or the amount of power consumption of the at least some users based on the power information acquired in the power information acquisition step; determining a rank of the at least some of the users in at least one of a plurality of categories related to an environment in which power is consumed, based on the environmental information acquired in the environmental information acquisition step and the value of the index; the environmental information includes information indicating a geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used; The information indicating the geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used may be Identification information of a replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device, information indicating the location of the replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device, or identification information of an area where the replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device is located. Information management method.

23. A computer comprising: a power information acquisition step of acquiring power information relating to the power or amount of power consumed by each of a plurality of users who use the power supply device; an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information relating to an environment in which each of the plurality of users consumes power; a rating step of rating at least some of the users; Execute The rating stage comprises: determining a value of an index related to the power consumption or the amount of power consumption of the at least some users based on the power information acquired in the power information acquisition step; determining a rank of the at least some of the users in at least one of a plurality of categories related to an environment in which power is consumed, based on the environmental information acquired in the environmental information acquisition step and the value of the index; the environmental information includes information indicating a geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used; The information indicating the geographical location or area in which the power supply device is used may be Identification information of a replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device, information indicating the location of the replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device, or identification information of an area where the replenishment device that replenishes power to the power supply device is located. program.

24. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program described in claim 23.

Images