Processing system

Abstract

To ensure efficient energy operation.SOLUTION: A processing system includes a plurality of vehicles having a motor for driving and a battery for storing power supplied to the motor for driving, a plurality of charging targets, and a processing unit having one or more processors and one or more memories connected to the processors. The processors of the processing unit execute processes including: obtaining surplus power information, being information on surplus power of each of the plurality of vehicles; extracting, based on the surplus power information, a specified vehicle, being a vehicle having surplus power from among the plurality of vehicles; obtaining power demand information, being information on power demand of each of the plurality of charging targets; extracting, based on the power demand information, a specified charging target, being a charging target having power demand from among the plurality of charging targets; and transmitting to the specified vehicle specified driving route information, being information indicating a specified driving route passing through the specified charging target as a driving route of the specified vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technology related to a virtual power plant (VPP) has been proposed to realize efficient energy management. In a virtual power plant, multiple types of distributed power sources are integrated and controlled. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a technology related to a virtual power plant including a vehicle has been proposed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-166418 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, techniques relating to virtual power plants including vehicles have been proposed, but new proposals for achieving more efficient energy management are desired.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a processing system capable of realizing efficient energy management. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: A plurality of vehicles each including a driving motor and a battery that stores electric power supplied to the driving motor; Multiple charging targets, a processing unit having one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the processors; Equipped with The processor of the processing device is acquiring surplus power information that is information about surplus power of each of the plurality of vehicles; extracting a specific vehicle having surplus power from among the plurality of vehicles based on the surplus power information; Acquiring power demand information which is information on power demand of each of the plurality of charging targets; Extracting a specific charging target that is a charging target having an electric power demand from among the plurality of charging targets based on the electric power demand information; Transmitting specific travel route information to the specific vehicle, the specific travel route being information indicating a specific travel route that passes through the specific charging target as a travel route of the specific vehicle; Perform the process including: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, efficient energy management can be achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the equipment control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the server according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing performed by the server according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an extraction result of a specific vehicle and specific equipment according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a specific travel route determined by the server according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing performed by the control device for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a specific travel route determined by the server according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is different from the example shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific dimensions, materials, numerical values, etc. shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0010] <Processing system configuration> The configuration of a processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a processing system 1. The processing system 1 is a system for realizing a virtual power plant. As shown in Fig. 1, the processing system 1 includes a vehicle 10, a facility 20, and a server 30. The vehicle 10, the facility 20, and the server 30 are capable of communicating with each other via a wireless communication network N1.

[0012] The facility 20 corresponds to an example of a charging target according to the present invention. However, as described later, the charging target is not limited to the facility 20. The server 30 corresponds to an example of a processing device according to the present invention. The server 30 corresponds to an aggregator that performs integrated control of energy resources in a virtual power plant.

[0013] In addition, in Fig. 1, one vehicle 10 is shown for ease of understanding, but in reality, the processing system 1 includes a plurality of vehicles 10. In addition, in Fig. 1, one facility 20 is shown for ease of understanding, but in reality, the processing system 1 includes a plurality of facilities 20.

[0014] 1, the vehicle 10 includes a driving motor 11, a battery 12, a navigation device 13, and a control device 14. For example, the vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle that includes the driving motor 11 as a drive source. However, the vehicle 10 may be a hybrid vehicle that includes an engine as a drive source in addition to the driving motor 11.

[0015] The traction motor 11 outputs power to be transmitted to wheels of the vehicle 10, and is, for example, a three-phase AC motor. The traction motor 11 is driven using electric power from a battery 12 to output power.

[0016] The battery 12 is capable of charging and discharging electric power. As the battery 12, for example, a lithium ion battery, a lithium ion polymer battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, a nickel cadmium battery, or a lead storage battery is used, but other batteries may also be used. The battery 12 stores the electric power supplied to the driving motor 11.

[0017] The navigation device 13 provides route guidance to the driver of the vehicle 10. For example, the navigation device 13 provides guidance on a driving route from the current position of the vehicle 10 to a destination desired by the user in response to an input operation by the driver of the vehicle 10. The navigation device 13 has a function of visually displaying information, and displays various information related to route guidance. Examples of information displayed by the navigation device 13 include the current position of the vehicle 10, the driving route to be guided, the location of the destination, the distance on the driving route from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the destination, and the time required to reach the destination. The navigation device 13 can obtain information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10 based on a signal transmitted from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite.

[0018] The control device 14 has one or more processors 14a and one or more memories 14b connected to the processor 14a. The processor 14a includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 14b includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM is a storage element that stores programs and computation parameters used by the CPU. The RAM is a storage element that temporarily stores data such as variables and parameters used in processing executed by the CPU.

[0019] The control device 14 communicates with each device in the vehicle 10. The communication between the control device 14 and each device is realized, for example, by using CAN (Controller Area Network) communication.

[0020] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device 14 of the vehicle 10. For example, as shown in FIG.

[0021] Various processes including the processes described below performed by the communication unit 141 or the control unit 142 may be executed by the processor 14a. In detail, the various processes are executed by the processor 14a executing a program stored in the memory 14b. The function of the storage unit 143 is realized by the memory 14b. However, the functions of the control device 14 may be divided among multiple devices, or multiple functions may be realized by one device.

[0022] The communication unit 141 communicates with the server 30 via the communication network N1.

[0023] The control unit 142 performs various processes for controlling the operation of each device in the vehicle 10. For example, the control unit 142 controls the operation of the driving motor 11. For example, the control unit 142 acquires various information such as the remaining capacity from the battery 12. For example, the control unit 142 controls the operation of the navigation device 13.

[0024] In particular, the control unit 142 can execute automatic driving that automatically drives the vehicle 10 without the driving operation by the driver of the vehicle 10. In the automatic driving, a driving route is set, and the vehicle 10 automatically drives to the destination along the driving route. The driving route set in the automatic driving is determined based on the input operation of the driver of the vehicle 10.

[0025] For example, in the automatic driving, the control unit 142 automatically controls the speed of the vehicle 10 without depending on the acceleration / deceleration operation by the driver by controlling the driving motor 11, etc. Also, in the automatic driving, the control unit 142 automatically controls the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 without depending on the acceleration / deceleration operation by the driver by controlling the steering mechanism, etc. of the vehicle 10. Note that the automatic driving may be a control that handles all driving operations by the driver, or may be a control that handles only some of the driving operations.

[0026] The storage unit 143 stores various types of information. The information stored in the storage unit 143 is used in processing performed by the communication unit 141 or the control unit 142. For example, the communication unit 141 transmits the information stored in the storage unit 143. For example, the control unit 142 uses the information stored in the storage unit 143 to control the operation of each device in the vehicle 10.

[0027] 1, the facility 20 includes a battery 21 and a control device 22. Examples of uses of the facility 20 include various uses such as commercial and industrial uses.

[0028] The battery 21 is capable of charging and discharging power. As the battery 21, for example, a lithium ion battery, a lithium ion polymer battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, a nickel cadmium battery, or a lead storage battery is used, but other batteries may also be used. The battery 21 stores the power to be supplied to each device in the facility 20.

[0029] The control device 22 includes one or more processors 22a and one or more memories 22b connected to the processors 22a. The processor 22a includes, for example, a CPU. The memory 22b includes, for example, a ROM and a RAM.

[0030] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device 22 of the facility 20. For example, as shown in FIG.

[0031] Various processes including the processes described below performed by the communication unit 221 or the control unit 222 may be executed by the processor 22a. In detail, the various processes are executed by the processor 22a executing a program stored in the memory 22b. The function of the storage unit 223 is realized by the memory 22b. However, the functions of the control device 22 may be divided among multiple devices, or multiple functions may be realized by one device.

[0032] The communication unit 221 communicates with the server 30 via the communication network N1.

[0033] The control unit 222 performs various processes for controlling the operation of each device in the facility 20. For example, the control unit 222 controls the operation of each device by outputting a control command to each device in the facility 20. For example, the control unit 222 acquires various information such as the remaining capacity from the battery 21.

[0034] The storage unit 223 stores various information. The information stored in the storage unit 223 is used in processing performed by the communication unit 221 or the control unit 222. For example, the communication unit 221 transmits the information stored in the storage unit 223. For example, the control unit 222 uses the information stored in the storage unit 223 to control the operation of each device in the facility 20.

[0035] 1, the server 30 includes one or more processors 30a and one or more memories 30b connected to the processors 30a. The processor 30a includes, for example, a CPU. The memory 30b includes, for example, a ROM and a RAM.

[0036] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the server 30. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the server 30 includes a communication unit 301, a processing unit 302, and a storage unit 303.

[0037] Various processes including the processes described below performed by the communication unit 301 or the processing unit 302 may be executed by the processor 30a. In detail, the various processes are executed by the processor 30a executing a program stored in the memory 30b. The function of the storage unit 303 is realized by the memory 30b. However, the functions of the server 30 may be divided among multiple devices, or multiple functions may be realized by one device.

[0038] The communication unit 301 communicates with the vehicle 10 and the facility 20 via the communication network N1.

[0039] The processing unit 302 performs various processes. In particular, the processing unit 302 performs processes for integrated control of energy resources in a virtual power plant.

[0040] The storage unit 303 stores various types of information. The information stored in the storage unit 303 is used in processing performed by the communication unit 301 or the processing unit 302. For example, the storage unit 303 stores information received by the communication unit 301. For example, the communication unit 301 transmits the information stored in the storage unit 303. For example, the processing unit 302 uses the information stored in the storage unit 303 to perform various types of processing.

[0041] <Processing system operation> The operation of the processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0042] As described above, the processing unit 302 of the server 30 performs processing for integrated control of energy resources in a virtual power plant. In the processing system 1, as described later, the processing performed mainly by the server 30 is improved to realize efficient energy management by the virtual power plant including the vehicle 10 as an energy resource.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the server 30. The processing flow shown in Fig. 5 is executed repeatedly at preset time intervals, for example.

[0044] When the process flow shown in FIG. 5 starts, first, in step S101, the communication unit 301 acquires surplus power information from each of the multiple vehicles 10.

[0045] The surplus power information is information on surplus power of the vehicle 10. For example, the surplus power of the vehicle 10 corresponds to power obtained by subtracting the power required to travel to the destination along the travel route in autonomous driving from the current remaining capacity of the battery 12 of the vehicle 10. For example, the surplus power information of each vehicle 10 is transmitted from the communication unit 141 of each vehicle 10 to the communication unit 301 of the server 30 at predetermined time intervals.

[0046] After step S101, in step S102, the processing unit 302 extracts a specific vehicle 10 that has surplus power from among the multiple vehicles 10.

[0047] In step S102, the processing unit 302 extracts a specific vehicle based on the surplus power information acquired in step S101. For example, the processing unit 302 determines whether or not the current remaining capacity of the battery 12 of each vehicle 10 is greater than the power required to travel to the destination along the travel route in autonomous driving based on the surplus power information of each vehicle 10. Then, the processing unit 302 extracts, as a specific vehicle, a vehicle 10 whose current remaining capacity of the battery 12 is greater than the power required to travel to the destination along the travel route in autonomous driving.

[0048] After step S102, in step S103, the communication unit 301 acquires power demand information from each of the multiple facilities 20.

[0049] The power demand information is information on the power demand of the facility 20. The power demand of the facility 20 indicates how much power the facility 20 requires, and corresponds to, for example, the power obtained by subtracting the current remaining capacity from the target remaining capacity of the battery 21 of the facility 20. The target remaining capacity of the battery 21 may be the remaining capacity when fully charged, or may be smaller than such remaining capacity. For example, the power demand information of each facility 20 is transmitted from the communication unit 221 of each facility 20 to the communication unit 301 of the server 30 at a predetermined time interval.

[0050] After step S103, in step S104, the processing unit 302 extracts specific equipment, which is equipment 20 having power demand, from the multiple equipment 20. The specific equipment corresponds to an example of a specific charging target according to the present invention. The specific charging target is a charging target having power demand.

[0051] In step S104, the processing unit 302 extracts specific equipment based on the power demand information acquired in step S103. For example, the processing unit 302 determines whether the current remaining capacity of the battery 21 of each equipment 20 is smaller than the target remaining capacity based on the power demand information of each equipment 20. Then, the processing unit 302 extracts equipment 20 in which the current remaining capacity of the battery 21 is smaller than the target remaining capacity as specific equipment.

[0052] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the extraction result of specific vehicles and specific facilities. In Fig. 6, for ease of understanding, four vehicles 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, and three facilities 3, 20a, 20b, and 20c, are shown. However, the number of vehicles 10 and facilities 20 included in the processing system 1 may actually be greater than that shown in the example of Fig. 6.

[0053] In Fig. 6, vehicles 10 extracted as specific vehicles in step S102 are shown by solid lines, and vehicles 10 not extracted as specific vehicles in step S102 are shown by dashed lines. Furthermore, facilities 20 extracted as specific equipment in step S104 are shown by solid lines, and facilities 20 not extracted as specific equipment in step S104 are shown by dashed lines. In the example of Fig. 6, vehicles 10a and vehicles 10c are extracted as specific vehicles, and equipment 20a is extracted as specific equipment. Below, as an example, a case where the extraction results of the specific vehicles and specific equipment are the results of Fig. 6 will be described.

[0054] 5, in step S105, the processing unit 302 determines a specific travel route. The specific travel route means a travel route that passes through a specific facility as a travel route of a specific vehicle. As described later, in the processing system 1, by having the specific vehicle travel the specific travel route, charging of the battery 21 of the specific facility is realized by using the power of the battery 12 of the specific vehicle.

[0055] In step S105, the processing unit 302 determines a specific travel route for each of the extracted specific vehicles. Hereinafter, the specific travel route determined for the vehicle 10a extracted as the specific vehicle in the example of FIG.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 6, in the vehicle 10a, a travel route R1 is currently set in the autonomous driving mode. The travel route R1 is a travel route connecting the current position of the vehicle 10a and a destination P1. For example, information indicating the travel route currently set in the autonomous driving mode of each vehicle 10 is transmitted from the communication unit 141 of each vehicle 10 to the communication unit 301 of the server 30 at a predetermined time interval. Therefore, the server 30 can grasp the current travel route R1 of the vehicle 10a.

[0057] In step S105, the processing unit 302 sets an area including the current travel route R1 of the vehicle 10a, for example, based on the current travel route R1 of the vehicle 10a. For example, the processing unit 302 sets an area having a predetermined width D1 centered on the current travel route R1 of the vehicle 10a. The size of the width D1 may be changed by the driver of the vehicle 10a. Then, the processing unit 302 extracts a specific facility that exists within the above area. In the example of FIG. 6, the facility 20a is extracted as such a specific facility. In this case, the processing unit 302 determines a travel route that passes through the facility 20a as the specific travel route of the vehicle 10a.

[0058] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a specific travel route R2 determined by the server 30. As shown in FIG. 7, the specific travel route R2 is a travel route along which the vehicle 10a travels from the current position to the destination P1 after passing through the facility 20a. As described above, the processing unit 302, for example, first extracts specific facilities that exist in the vicinity of the current travel route R1 of the vehicle 10a, which is a specific vehicle. Then, the processing unit 302 determines a travel route that passes through the specific facilities thus extracted as the specific travel route R2 of the vehicle 10a. As described later, the vehicle 10a, which is a specific vehicle, can stop at the facility 20a, which is a specific facility, by traveling the specific travel route R2. Therefore, the battery 21 of the facility 20a can be charged using the power of the battery 12 of the vehicle 10a.

[0059] 5, in step S106, the processing unit 302 calculates the travel time of the specific travel route. In step S106, the processing unit 302 calculates the travel time of each specific vehicle for the specific travel route.

[0060] For example, in the examples of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the processing unit 302 calculates the travel time of the specific travel route R2 of the vehicle 10a. The travel distance of the specific travel route R2 is longer than the travel distance of the current travel route R1. Therefore, the processing unit 302 calculates the travel time of the specific travel route R2 to be longer than the travel time of the current travel route R1. In detail, the processing unit 302 calculates the total time of the time required for the vehicle 10a to stop at the facility 20a and charge the battery 21 of the facility 20a and the time required for the vehicle 10a to actually travel and move along the specific travel route R2 as the travel time of the specific travel route R2. Note that, when the surplus power of the vehicle 10a is insufficient for the power demand of the facility 20a, the processing unit 302 calculates the time required for the surplus power of the vehicle 10a to be consumed in charging the facility 20a as the time required for charging the battery 21 of the facility 20a.

[0061] After step S106 in Fig. 5, in step S107, the communication unit 301 transmits the specific driving route information and the driving time information to the specific vehicle, and the processing flow shown in Fig. 5 ends. The specific driving route information is information indicating the specific driving route. The driving time information is information indicating the driving time of the specific driving route. In step S107, the processing unit 302 transmits the specific driving route information and the driving time information to each specific vehicle.

[0062] For example, in the examples of FIGS. 6 and 7, the communication unit 301 transmits specific travel route information indicating the specific travel route R2 of the vehicle 10a and travel time information indicating the travel time of the specific travel route R2 to the vehicle 10a, which is a specific vehicle.

[0063] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the control device 14 of the vehicle 10. The processing flow shown in Fig. 8 starts when specific travel route information and travel time information are transmitted from the server 30 to the vehicle 10. In other words, the processing flow shown in Fig. 8 is executed by the control device 14 of the specific vehicle.

[0064] When the process flow shown in FIG. 8 starts, first, in step S201, the control unit 142 proposes a change in the driving route to the driver of the vehicle 10.

[0065] 6 and 7, the control unit 142 of the vehicle 10a proposes to the driver of the vehicle 10a to change from the current driving route R1 to a specific driving route R2. The control unit 142 makes the proposal by, for example, displaying information indicating the change in the driving route on the navigation device 13. However, the control unit 142 may make the proposal by using sound output instead of or in addition to displaying the information.

[0066] When the change of the travel route is proposed in step S201, the driver performs an operation to decide whether to accept or reject the change of the travel route using the input device of the vehicle 10. The control device 14 of the vehicle 10 accepts the operation. In this way, the control device 14 of the vehicle 10 can determine whether the change of the travel route is accepted by the driver.

[0067] Here, in step S201, in detail, the control unit 142 of the vehicle 10a notifies the driver of the vehicle 10a of information indicating the route of the specific travel route R2 and information indicating the travel time of the specific travel route R2 in the above proposal. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 10a can determine whether to accept or reject the change of the travel route after understanding the route of the specific travel route R2 and the travel time of the specific travel route R2.

[0068] After step S201 in FIG. 8, in step S202, the control unit 142 determines whether or not the change in the travel route has been approved by the driver.

[0069] If the driver agrees to the change in the travel route (YES in step S202), the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if the driver rejects the change in the travel route (NO in step S202), the process proceeds to step S205.

[0070] If the determination in step S202 is YES, in step S203, the control unit 142 changes the traveling route.

[0071] Specifically, the control unit 142 changes the travel route set in the autonomous driving from the currently set travel route to the specific travel route proposed by the server 30. For example, in the examples of Figs. 6 and 7, the control unit 142 of the vehicle 10a changes the travel route set in the autonomous driving of the vehicle 10a from the current travel route R1 to the specific travel route R2. As a result, the vehicle 10a travels by autonomous driving from the current point to the destination P1 after passing through the facility 20a. Therefore, the vehicle 10a can stop at the facility 20a, which is the specific facility, and charge the battery 21 of the facility 20a using the power of the battery 12 of the vehicle 10a.

[0072] After step S203 in FIG. 8, in step S204, the communication unit 141 transmits information to the server 30 indicating that the change of the travel route has been approved, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 8 ends.

[0073] When the information indicating that the change of the travel route has been accepted is transmitted to the server 30, the processing system 1 may perform various processes. Hereinafter, as an example, various processes performed when the information indicating that the change of the travel route has been accepted is transmitted to the server 30 in the vehicle 10a will be described. For example, in this case, the server 30 may transmit the information to the facility 20a that is scheduled to be charged by the vehicle 10a. Also, for example, in this case, the server 30 may erase information regarding the travel route of the vehicle 10a from the storage unit 303. Also, for example, in this case, the vehicle 10a may stop transmitting surplus power information and information indicating the currently set travel route to the server 30 until the vehicle 10a arrives at the destination P1. Also, for example, in this case, the facility 20a may stop transmitting power demand information to the server 30 until the charging of the battery 21 of the facility 20a is completed.

[0074] If the determination in step S202 in FIG. 8 is NO, in step S205, the control unit 142 maintains the traveling route without changing it.

[0075] Specifically, the control unit 142 maintains the travel route currently set in the autonomous driving without changing it to the specific travel route proposed by the server 30. For example, in the examples of Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the control unit 142 of the vehicle 10a maintains the travel route R1 currently set in the autonomous driving of the vehicle 10a without changing it to the specific travel route R2. In this case, the vehicle 10a travels by autonomous driving from the current position toward the destination P1 without passing through the facility 20a. Therefore, the battery 21 of the facility 20a is not charged using the power of the battery 12 of the vehicle 10a.

[0076] After step S205 in FIG. 8, in step S206, the communication unit 141 transmits information to the server 30 to the effect that the change of the travel route has been rejected, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 8 ends.

[0077] When information indicating that the refusal of the travel route has been accepted is transmitted to the server 30, various processes may be performed in the processing system 1. Hereinafter, as an example, various processes performed when information indicating that the change of the travel route has been rejected in the vehicle 10a is transmitted to the server 30 will be described. For example, in this case, the server 30 may determine a specific travel route in which a specific vehicle other than the vehicle 10a passes through the facility 20a, and may propose a change of the travel route to the specific vehicle. Also, for example, in this case, the server 30 may erase information regarding the travel route of the vehicle 10a from the storage unit 303. Also, for example, in this case, the vehicle 10a may stop transmitting surplus power information and information indicating the currently set travel route to the server 30 until the vehicle 10a arrives at the destination P1.

[0078] As described above, in the processing system 1, the server 30 acquires surplus power information, which is information on surplus power of each of the multiple vehicles 10, and extracts a specific vehicle that is a vehicle having surplus power from the multiple vehicles 10 based on the surplus power information. The server 30 also acquires power demand information, which is information on the power demand of each of the multiple charging targets, and extracts a specific charging target that is a charging target having power demand from the multiple charging targets based on the power demand information. Then, the server 30 transmits specific travel route information, which is information indicating a specific travel route that passes through the specific charging target as a travel route of the specific vehicle, to the specific vehicle. This makes it possible to encourage the specific charging target to be charged by the specific vehicle. Therefore, the charging of the charging target can be smoothly performed using the battery 12 of the vehicle 10, taking into account the surplus power status of each vehicle 10 and the power demand status of each charging target. Therefore, it is possible to realize efficient energy operation by a virtual power plant including the vehicle 10 as an energy resource.

[0079] In the above, an example of the process performed in the processing system 1 has been described with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 8. However, the process performed in the processing system 1 may be a process obtained by applying various modifications to the above example.

[0080] For example, in the example of Fig. 7 above, only one facility 20a is extracted as the specific facility existing in the vicinity of the current travel route R1 of the vehicle 10a, which is a specific vehicle. Here, there are cases where a plurality of facilities 20 are extracted as the specific facility existing in the vicinity of the current travel route R1 of the vehicle 10a, which is a specific vehicle. Such an example will be described below.

[0081] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a specific travel route R2 determined by the server 30 that is different from the example shown in Fig. 7. In the example shown in Fig. 9, in addition to the facility 20a, facilities 20b and 20c are also extracted as specific facilities. In addition to the facility 20a, facilities 20b and 20c are also present within an area having a predetermined width D1 centered on the current travel route R1 of the vehicle 10a. Therefore, the processing unit 302 determines a travel route that passes through all the facilities 20, 20a, 20b, and 20c, as the specific travel route R2 of the vehicle 10a.

[0082] In this case, the processing unit 302 first determines the priority of charging for each of the facilities 20a, 20b, and 20c, which are the multiple specific facilities. For example, the smaller the scale of the facility 20, the higher the priority of charging the facility 20 is set by the processing unit 302. For example, when the power demand amounts match among the multiple facilities 20, the processing unit 302 sets the priority of charging the facility 20 with a smaller scale higher than the priority of charging the facility 20 with a larger scale. Note that the processing unit 302 can estimate that the scale of the facility 20 is smaller, for example, as the maximum power usage per unit time of the facility 20 is smaller. For example, information indicating the maximum power usage per unit time of each facility 20 is transmitted from the communication unit 221 of each facility 20 to the communication unit 301 of the server 30 at a predetermined time interval.

[0083] Then, the processing unit 302 determines the passing order of the facilities 20a, 20b, and 20c, which are the multiple specific facilities, on the specific travel route R2 based on the priority. For example, the processing unit 302 determines the specific travel route R2 so that the facility 20 with a high charging priority is passed before the facility 20 with a low charging priority. In the example of FIG. 9, among the facilities 20a, 20b, and 20c, the facility 20b has the highest priority, the facility 20a has the second highest priority, and the facility 20c has the lowest priority. Therefore, the processing unit 302 determines the specific travel route R2 so that the vehicle 10a passes through the facility 20b first, then the facility 20a, and finally the facility 20c. This prevents the surplus power of the battery 12 of the vehicle 10a from running out during charging the facility 20 with a high charging priority.

[0084] Also, for example, in the above, an example has been described in which the vehicle 10 that receives the specific driving route information transmitted from the server 30 can perform automatic driving. However, the vehicle 10 that receives the specific driving route information may not be able to perform automatic driving. For example, in the vehicle 10 that receives the specific driving route information, automatic driving may be stopped by the driver's operation. In this case, if the driver of the vehicle 10 agrees to change the driving route, the control unit 142 of the vehicle 10 may set the specific driving route to the driving route set in the navigation device 13. Thereby, the vehicle 10 is caused to travel along the specific driving route proposed by the server 30, and charging of the specific equipment by the battery 12 of the vehicle 10 can be realized. Also, for example, even when the specific driving route information is transmitted to the vehicle 10 that does not have an automatic driving function, the control unit 142 of the vehicle 10 may set the specific driving route to the driving route set in the navigation device 13.

[0085] Also, for example, in the above description, an example has been described in which the charging target is the facility 20. However, the charging target may be any target that is charged using the battery 12 of the vehicle 10. For example, the charging target may be a moving object such as the vehicle 10. However, in this case, the server 30 needs to be able to grasp the position of the moving object to be charged, and therefore, for example, a condition that the moving object is stopped for a long period of time needs to be satisfied.

[0086] Also, for example, in the above example, the driving route of the specific vehicle is set to the specific driving route only when the driver agrees to the change of the driving route. However, in a case where the specific vehicle is set to omit the driver's confirmation of the change of the driving route, the control unit 142 may forcibly set the driving route of the specific vehicle to the specific driving route without asking the driver whether or not to agree to the change of the driving route.

[0087] <Effects of the treatment system> The effects of the processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0088] In the processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the processor 30a of the server 30 executes a process including acquiring surplus power information, which is information on surplus power of each of the vehicles 10, extracting a specific vehicle having surplus power from among the vehicles 10 based on the surplus power information, acquiring power demand information, which is information on the power demand of each of the multiple charging targets, extracting a specific charging target having power demand from among the multiple charging targets based on the power demand information, and transmitting specific travel route information, which is information indicating a specific travel route passing through the specific charging target as a travel route of the specific vehicle, to the specific vehicle. This can encourage the specific vehicle to charge the specific charging target. Therefore, the charging of the charging target can be smoothly performed using the battery 12 of the vehicle 10, taking into account the surplus power status of each vehicle 10 and the power demand status of each charging target. Therefore, efficient energy management can be realized by a virtual power plant including the vehicle 10 as an energy resource.

[0089] In the processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the processor 14a of the control device 14 of the vehicle 10 preferably executes processing including performing automatic driving for automatically driving the vehicle 10 without the driving operation by the driver of the vehicle 10, and setting the specific driving route as a driving route set in the automatic driving when specific driving route information is received. This allows the specific vehicle to stop at the specific charging target by automatic driving, and to charge the specific charging target using the power of the battery 12 of the specific vehicle.

[0090] Furthermore, in the processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the processor 14a of the control device 14 of the vehicle 10 receives the specific travel route information, it is preferable to execute processing including setting the specific travel route as a travel route set in the navigation device 13. This allows the specific vehicle to stop at the specific charging target through route guidance by the navigation device 13, and the specific charging target can be charged using the power of the battery 12 of the specific vehicle.

[0091] In addition, in the processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the processor 30a of the server 30 preferably executes a process including transmitting to the specific vehicle, in addition to the specific driving route information, driving time information indicating the driving time of the specific driving route. This allows the driver of the specific vehicle to determine whether to accept or reject the change of the driving route after understanding the route of the specific driving route and the driving time of the specific driving route. Therefore, the driving route can be changed while appropriately reflecting the driver's intention.

[0092] In addition, in the processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the specific travel route preferably passes through a plurality of specific charging targets, and the processor 30a of the server 30 preferably executes a process including determining a charging priority for each of the plurality of specific charging targets and determining a passing order of each of the plurality of specific charging targets on the specific travel route based on the priority. This allows the specific travel route to be optimized according to the charging priority of each specific charging target. For example, it is possible to prevent the surplus power of the battery 12 of the specific vehicle from running out during charging of the specific charging target with a high charging priority, and to improve the certainty that charging of the specific charging target with a high charging priority is completed.

[0093] The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modified or altered examples within the scope of the claims also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0094] For example, the processes described herein using flowcharts do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown in the flowcharts, and additional process steps may be employed or some process steps may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1 Processing System 10 Vehicles 10a Vehicle 10b Vehicle 10c Vehicle 10d Vehicle 11. Driving motor 12 Battery 13 Navigation devices 14 Control device 14a Processor 14b Memory 20 Equipment (charging target) 20a Equipment (for charging) 20b Equipment (charging target) 20c Equipment (for charging) 21 Battery 22 Control device 22a Processor 22b Memory 30 Servers 30a processor 30b Memory 141 Communications Department 142 Control section 143 Storage section 221 Communications Department 222 Control section 223 Storage section 301 Communications Department 302 Processing section 303 Storage section D1 width N1 Communications Network P1 Destination R1 Route R2 Specific driving route

Claims

1. A plurality of vehicles each including a driving motor and a battery that stores electric power supplied to the driving motor; Multiple charging targets, a processing unit having one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the processors; Equipped with The processor of the processing device is acquiring surplus power information that is information about surplus power of each of the plurality of vehicles; extracting a specific vehicle having surplus power from among the plurality of vehicles based on the surplus power information; Acquiring power demand information which is information on power demand of each of the plurality of charging targets; Extracting a specific charging target that is a charging target having an electric power demand from among the plurality of charging targets based on the electric power demand information; Transmitting specific travel route information to the specific vehicle, the specific travel route being information indicating a specific travel route that passes through the specific charging target as a travel route of the specific vehicle; Perform a process that includes Processing system.

2. The vehicle includes a control device having one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the processors; The processor of the control device Executing an automatic driving operation to automatically drive the vehicle without a driving operation by a driver of the vehicle; When the specific driving route information is received, the specific driving route is set as a driving route to be set in the automatic driving. Perform a process that includes The processing system of claim 1 .

3. The vehicle is a navigation device that provides route guidance to a driver of the vehicle; A control device having one or more processors and one or more memories connected to the processors; Equipped with the processor of the control device executes a process including, when receiving the specific travel route information, setting the specific travel route as a travel route set in the navigation device. The processing system of claim 1 .

4. the processor of the processing device executes a process including transmitting, to the specific vehicle, in addition to the specific travel route information, travel time information that is information indicating a travel time of the specific travel route. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the specific travel route passes through a plurality of the specific charging targets, The processor of the processing device is determining a charging priority for each of the plurality of specific charging targets; determining a passing order of each of the plurality of specific charging targets on the specific travel route based on the priority; Perform a process that includes The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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