Information processing method and information processing system

Abstract

To provide an information processing method capable of improving the use efficiency of a moving body mounted with a battery, and an information processing system.SOLUTION: The information processing method uses a computer to acquire a plan that represents at least multiple points where a moving body 80 will move to and stay at, to determine candidate charging points where a battery installed in the moving body can be charged from the points around the multiple points shown on the plan or points on a path of movement passing through the multiple points, to acquire a reservation status of a charging station associated with the candidate charging point, to determine reservation contents based on the reservation status of the charging station, and to output the reservation contents. Each of the multiple points is a place where the moving body is stopped for business purposes, the determination of the candidate charging point includes the selection from the surrounding points shown in the plan or points on the movement route. The plan includes the planned staying time at each of the multiple points. The selection is made based on the planned staying time at each of the multiple points.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method and an information processing system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for efficiently using an electric vehicle by predicting a required charging time, making a reservation application for charging to a charging station to reduce a waiting time for charging, and managing a reservation scheduling of the charging station.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional technology as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the utilization efficiency of a moving body equipped with a battery, such as an electric vehicle, may be suppressed. For example, due to the occurrence of a restraint time for charging the battery, there is a possibility that the use of the electric vehicle may be interrupted and the utilization efficiency may decrease.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing method and an information processing system capable of improving the utilization efficiency of a moving body equipped with a battery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing method according to the present disclosure is an information processing method performed by a computer, which includes obtaining a plan indicating at least a plurality of points where a moving object is scheduled to move and stay, determining a charging candidate location where the battery mounted on the moving object can be charged from points around the plurality of points indicated by the plan or points on a moving route passing through the plurality of points, obtaining a reservation status of a charging station associated with the charging candidate location, determining reservation details from the reservation status of the charging station, outputting the reservation details, each of the plurality of points is a place to stop for business, the determination of the charging candidate location includes a selection from the points around the plurality of points indicated by the plan or points on the moving route, the plan includes the staying time scheduled at each of the plurality of points, and the selection is made based on the staying time scheduled at each of the plurality of points.

[0007] The information processing method according to the present disclosure is an information processing method performed by a computer, which includes obtaining a plan indicating at least a plurality of points where a moving object is scheduled to move and stay, determining a charging candidate location where the battery mounted on the moving object can be charged from the plurality of points indicated by the plan, obtaining a reservation status of a charging station associated with the charging candidate location, determining reservation details from the reservation status of the charging station, outputting the reservation details, each of the plurality of points is a place to stop for business, the plan includes the staying time scheduled at each of the plurality of points, and when it is determined that the remaining amount of the battery falls below a predetermined amount by consuming power to travel to a first point among the plurality of points, the charging candidate location is determined so that charging is performed at a second point where staying is scheduled before the first point.

[0008] The information processing method according to the present disclosure uses a computer to obtain a plan that at least indicates a plurality of points where a moving object is scheduled to move and stay, determine a charging candidate location where the battery mounted on the moving object can be charged from the plurality of points indicated by the plan, obtain the reservation status of a charging station associated with the charging candidate location, determine reservation details from the reservation status of the charging station, output the reservation details, each of the plurality of points is a place to stop for business, the determination of the charging candidate location includes a selection from the plurality of points indicated by the plan, the plan includes the stay time scheduled at each of the plurality of points, and the selection is made for a point where the stay time scheduled at each of the plurality of points is longer than a predetermined time.

[0009] The information processing method according to the present disclosure uses a computer to obtain a plan that at least indicates a plurality of points where a moving object is scheduled to move and stay, determine a charging candidate location where the battery mounted on the moving object can be charged from the plurality of points indicated by the plan, obtain the reservation status of a charging station associated with the charging candidate location, and determine reservation details from the reservation status of the charging station.

[0010] Note that these general or specific aspects may be implemented by a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be implemented by any combination of a system, device, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] The information processing method and information processing system according to the present disclosure can improve the utilization efficiency of a moving object equipped with a battery.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments described below.

[0014] (Background Leading to the Present Disclosure) With the recent spread of electric vehicles, mobile bodies equipped with batteries such as electric vehicles have come to be used in the transportation industry such as the delivery business and the taxi business. On the other hand, since the cruising range of such mobile bodies is shorter than that of gasoline vehicles or diesel vehicles, it is necessary to charge the battery at a high frequency. However, charging the battery takes a longer time than the time it takes for a gasoline vehicle or a diesel vehicle to refill fuel. For this reason, in a mobile body that uses the electric power stored in the battery as driving energy, it is necessary to devise a battery charging method in order to effectively utilize the cruising range.

[0015] Patent Document 1 discloses a method of predicting the charging time required for an electric vehicle battery and reducing the waiting time for charging by making a reservation application for charging to a charging station. However, in the prior art such as Patent Document 1, the actual business content such as a delivery plan is not considered in predicting the charging time required for the battery. For this reason, there is a problem that the business may be interrupted during battery charging, resulting in a decrease in business efficiency.

[0016] Here, in the transportation industry, if the battery of a mobile body can be charged at a place where it has to stop for business, it can be charged in parallel with the business without interrupting the business, leading to effective utilization of the cruising range. Note that the place where it has to stop for business is, for example, a delivery destination, a rest place, a parking lot for waiting for passengers, and the like.

[0017] From the above, the present inventors have found, as a result of intensive studies, an information processing method and an information processing system that can improve the utilization efficiency of a mobile body equipped with a battery.

[0018] An information processing method according to an aspect of the present disclosure uses a computer to obtain a plan indicating at least a plurality of points where a moving object is scheduled to move and stay, determine a charging candidate location where a battery mounted on the moving object can be charged from the plurality of points indicated by the plan, obtain a reservation status of a charging station associated with the charging candidate location, and determine a reservation content from the reservation status of the charging station.

[0019] According to this, in order to determine the reservation content from the reservation status of the charging candidate location determined based on the plan, it is possible to move the moving object based on the plan so that no waiting time due to charging occurs. Therefore, the plan can be efficiently executed. For this reason, the utilization efficiency of the moving object equipped with the battery can be improved.

[0020] In addition, since the charging reservation for charging the battery of the moving object is automatically determined, the user can charge the battery of the moving object without searching for a charging station for charging the battery. For this reason, the user can reduce moving the moving object to search for a charging station, and can reduce the power consumption of the moving object.

[0021] Also, the plan is obtained by being received from a plan creation server in the acquisition of the plan, the reservation status is obtained by being received from a charging station management server in the acquisition of the reservation status, and the information processing method may further transmit the reservation content to the charging station management server.

[0022] Also, the determination of the charging candidate location may include a selection from at least one of the plurality of points indicated by the plan and points around the plurality of points.

[0023] For this reason, it is possible to select a charging candidate location not only from the plurality of points indicated by the plan but also from points around the plurality of points. In this way, since the number of points to be used as charging candidate locations can be increased, a charging station suitable for the moving object can be effectively selected. Also, it is possible to easily charge at the timing when the moving object should be charged.

[0024] Further, the plan includes the stay times scheduled at each of the plurality of locations, and the selection may be made based on the stay times scheduled at each of the plurality of locations.

[0025] Therefore, a location where charging can be performed in sufficient time can be selected as a charging candidate location.

[0026] Also, in the selection, the charging candidate locations may be selected so that the remaining amount of the battery transitions between the upper limit and the lower limit of the charging capacity.

[0027] Therefore, it is easy for the user to operate the battery so that the battery does not deteriorate.

[0028] Furthermore, a first determination is made as to whether the charging station can be reserved based on the reservation status. If it is determined in the first determination that the charging station cannot be reserved, the plan is changed, and a second determination is made as to whether the changed charging station associated with the changed charging candidate location determined from the changed plan can be reserved. If it is determined in the second determination that the changed charging station can be reserved, the changed plan may be transmitted to the plan creation server.

[0029] According to this, since the plan is changed with priority given to charging the moving body, it is possible to reduce the situation where the remaining amount of the battery runs out and the moving body stops.

[0030] Also, in the change, the plurality of locations in the plan are rearranged. In the second determination, it is determined whether the rearranged charging station associated with the rearranged charging candidate location determined from the plurality of locations rearranged in the change can be reserved. If it is determined in the second determination that the rearranged charging station can be reserved, the changed plan indicating at least the rearranged plurality of locations may be transmitted to the plan creation server.

[0031] According to this, in order to prioritize charging the moving body and rearrange a plurality of points in the plan, it is possible to reduce the situation where the moving body stops due to the battery running out.

[0032] In addition, in the above change, the stay time at at least one of the plurality of points in the plan may be changed.

[0033] According to this, in order to prioritize charging the moving body and change the stay time at at least one of the plurality of points in the plan, it is possible to reduce the situation where the moving body stops due to the battery running out.

[0034] Furthermore, authentication information used for authentication of the reservation content between the charging station and the moving body may be generated, and the authentication information may be transmitted to the charging station management server and the terminal possessed by the user of the moving body.

[0035] Therefore, it is possible to easily permit the charging of the moving body by the charging station during the reserved time period. Also, this can prevent the charging station from being used by an unspecified number of users.

[0036] Furthermore, charging performance information of the moving body at the charging station may be received from the charging station management server, a utilization result of the charging station may be calculated based on the charging performance information, and the utilization result may be transmitted to the terminal possessed by the user of the moving body.

[0037] Therefore, it is possible to easily calculate the utilization result and notify the utilization result to the user of the moving body.

[0038] Furthermore, a gain given to the administrator of the charging station may be determined based on the charging performance information, and the gain may be transmitted to the charging station management server or the terminal possessed by the administrator.

[0039] According to this, since the gain determined according to the charging achievement information is transmitted to the administrator of the charging station, the use of the information processing system can be promoted.

[0040] Note that these general or specific aspects may be implemented by a system, a device, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be implemented by any combination of a system, a device, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0041] Hereinafter, an information processing method and an information processing system according to an aspect of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0042] Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, among the components in the following embodiments, the components not described in the independent claims indicating the most general concept are described as optional components.

[0043] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.

[0044] [1-1. Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the information processing system according to Embodiment 1.

[0045] Specifically, in FIG. 1, the information processing system 10 includes a planning server 1, a reservation application server 2, a charging station management server 3, charging station terminals 4 to 6, and operation terminals 7 and 8. The information processing system 10 includes the reservation application server 2 among these components.

[0046] The planning server 1 creates business plans such as delivery plans and sales plans as plans. The planning server 1 is, for example, an information processing device configured by a computer. The planning server 1 may be composed of a plurality of devices.

[0047] The reservation application server 2 acquires a plan from the planning server 1 and makes a reservation application for charging at a charging station according to the acquired plan. Specifically, the reservation application server 2 uses the acquired plan to determine reservation details for charging, which are composed of a charging station and a charging time zone, and makes a reservation application for charging by sending the reservation details to the charging station management server 3. When determining the reservation details, the reservation application server 2 inquires about the reservation status of charging at the desired charging station to the charging station management server 3, and determines the charging time zone for reservation within the range of the chargeable time zone of the desired charging station. When the reservation is accepted at the desired charging station due to the reservation application for charging, the reservation application server 2 sends the determined reservation details to the operation terminal 7 or the operation terminal 8.

[0048] Note that the reservation application server 2 may send the determined reservation details to the operation terminal 7 or the operation terminal 8 via the planning server 1. That is, in this case, the reservation application server 2 sends the determined reservation details to the planning server 1, and the planning server 1 sends the reservation details received from the reservation application server 2 to the operation terminal 7 or the operation terminal 8.

[0049] Also, according to the reservation details of the reservation application for charging, after a person uses a charging station to charge the mobile body 80, the reservation application server 2 receives charging performance information including the charging time required for charging the mobile body 80 from the charging station management server 3. Thereby, the reservation application server 2 calculates the usage fee using the charging time included in the charging performance information, and bills the usage fee by sending the calculated usage fee to the planning server 1. If there is a user entity using the mobile body 80 separately from the person who charged the mobile body 80, the reservation application server 2 may bill the usage fee by sending the usage fee to the terminal possessed by the user entity instead of sending the usage fee to the planning server 1.

[0050] Note that the reservation application server 2 is an information processing device composed of, for example, a computer. The reservation application server 2 may be composed of a plurality of devices.

[0051] The charging station management server 3 manages the reservation status of a plurality of charging stations. The charging station management server 3 accepts charging reservations by exchanging information with the reservation application server 2. The charging station management server 3 is an information processing device composed of, for example, a computer. The charging station management server 3 may be composed of a plurality of devices.

[0052] The charging terminals 4 to 6 for charging are charging stands for charging a mobile body equipped with a battery. The charging terminal 4 for charging is installed in an apartment. The charging terminal 5 for charging is installed in a detached house. The charging terminal 6 for charging is installed in other buildings. The charging terminals 4 to 6 for charging are distinguished as apartments, detached houses, etc. depending on the installation location.

[0053] The operation terminal 7 is a terminal operated by a person engaged in business. The operation terminal 8 is a terminal mounted on a mobile body 80 such as an electric vehicle driven by a person engaged in business. The operation terminal 7 is an information processing device composed of, for example, a portable terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a laptop PC (Personal Computer), or a computer including a desktop PC. The operation terminal 8 is an information processing device composed of, for example, a computer such as a car navigation system. The operation terminal 8 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. A plan created for the corresponding mobile body 80 in the plan creation server 1 is transmitted to the operation terminals 7 and 8. The operation terminals 7 and 8 display a screen showing the content of the plan based on the received plan. Thereby, the user can advance the plan by moving the mobile body 80 according to the plan included in the content of the displayed screen.

[0054] Note that the plan creation server 1 and the reservation application server 2 are communicably connected to each other via a network. Also, each of the plan creation server 1 and the reservation application server 2 and each of the operation terminals 7 and 8 are communicably connected to each other via a network. Further, the reservation application server 2 and the charging station management server 3 are communicably connected to each other via a network. Also, the charging station management server 3 and each of the charging station terminals 4 to 6 are communicably connected to each other via a network. Note that in the information processing system 10, as the network for transmitting and receiving information, for example, a general-purpose network such as the Internet may be used, or a dedicated network such as a dedicated line may be used.

[0055] Note that hereinafter, the mobile body 80 will be described by taking an electric vehicle as an example, but it is not limited to an electric vehicle and may be an electric motorcycle, a flying body that flies by a battery, or a ship that advances by a battery.

[0056] Next, the functional configuration of the reservation application server 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0057] FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the functional configuration of the reservation application server 2.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 2, the reservation application server 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an input reception unit 23, a display unit 24, and a communication unit 25.

[0059] The control unit 21 includes a plan acquisition unit 211, a charging candidate location determination unit 212, a reservation status acquisition unit 213, a reservation content determination unit 214, a reservation application unit 215, an authentication information generation unit 216, a charging performance management unit 217, a usage fee settlement unit 218, and a privilege granting unit 219. The control unit 21 executes processing in each component for each of the plurality of mobile bodies 80. Hereinafter, as processing for one of the plurality of mobile bodies 80, the functions of each processing unit will be described.

[0060] The plan acquisition unit 211 acquires a plan 222 that at least indicates points where the mobile body 80 is scheduled to move and stay. The plan includes, for example, the stay times scheduled at each of a plurality of points. The plan acquisition unit 211 acquires the plan 222, for example, by receiving it from the plan creation server 1 using the communication unit 25. The plan 222 acquired by the plan acquisition unit 211 is stored in the storage unit 22.

[0061] Also, the plan acquisition unit 211 may acquire the plan 222 from the plan creation server 1 by transmitting a plan request to the plan creation server 1 at a predetermined first timing. The predetermined first timing may be, for example, the timing when the plan creation server 1 completes the creation of the plan 222 corresponding to the mobile body 80 to be processed, or the timing before a predetermined time of the start time when the operations according to the plan 222 start within a predetermined time unit such as one day, or a fixed timing within a predetermined time unit. The predetermined first timing may be one timing or a plurality of timings within a predetermined time unit. Also, the plan 222 may be transmitted from the plan creation server 1 to the reservation application server 2 at the predetermined first timing. In this case, the plan acquisition unit 211 may not need to transmit a plan request to the plan creation server 1. Note that the details of the plan 222 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0062] The charging candidate location determination unit 212 determines a charging candidate location where the battery mounted on the mobile body 80 can be charged from a plurality of locations indicated by the plan acquired by the plan acquisition unit 211. The charging candidate location determination unit 212 determines the charging candidate location by selecting the charging candidate location from at least one of the plurality of locations indicated by the plan 222 and the locations around the plurality of locations. The locations around the plurality of locations are locations included in a predetermined range based on each of the plurality of locations, for example, locations included in a circle with a radius r1 centered on each of the plurality of locations. Specifically, the charging candidate location determination unit 212 may determine the charging candidate location based on the charging station information 223 including the specifications of the charging stations installed at at least one of the plurality of locations and the locations around the plurality of locations. The specifications of the charging station are, for example, the number of charging ports of the charging station, the charging standard, and the like. The charging candidate location determination unit 212 is not limited to selecting the charging candidate location from at least one of the plurality of locations indicated by the plan and the locations around the plurality of locations, and may select a location on the movement route passing through the plurality of locations as the charging candidate location. In this way, when a location on the movement route is selected as the charging candidate location, the selected charging candidate location may be used as a rest place.

[0063] The charging station information 223 may be acquired from the charging station management server 3 via the communication unit 25, or may be stored in the storage unit 22 in advance. When the charging station information 223 is acquired from the charging station management server 3, it is stored in the storage unit 22. Details of the charging station information 223 will be described later with reference to FIG. 8.

[0064] In addition, the charging candidate location determination unit 212 may select the charging candidate location based on the stay time scheduled at each of the plurality of locations indicated by the plan 222. For example, the charging candidate location determination unit 212 may determine, as the charging candidate location, a location among the plurality of locations where the stay time is longer than the threshold value T1.

[0065] The reservation status acquisition unit 213 acquires the reservation status 224 of the charging station associated with the charging candidate location determined by the charging candidate location determination unit 212. For example, the reservation status acquisition unit 213 acquires the reservation status 224 of the charging station associated with the charging candidate location by receiving it from the charging station management server 3 using the communication unit 25. The reservation status 224 includes, for example, the reservation time slots in which each mobile body has reserved charging at the charging station corresponding to the reservation status 224 among the time slots after the current time. Also, the reservation status 224 may include, for example, the chargeable time slots which are the time slots after the current time excluding the reservation time slots. The reservation status acquisition unit 213 may acquire the reservation status 224 from the charging station management server 3 by transmitting a request for the reservation status 224 to the charging station management server 3 after the charging candidate location is determined by the charging candidate location determination unit 212. Details of the reservation status 224 will be described later with reference to FIG. 9.

[0066] When the reservation status acquisition unit 213 acquires the reservation status 224, the reservation content determination unit 214 determines the reservation content 225 from the reservation status 224. Specifically, the reservation content determination unit 214 determines the charging time slot to be reserved within the range of the chargeable time slots of the charging station at the determined charging candidate location. For example, the reservation content determination unit 214 calculates the chargeable time slots by excluding the reservation time slots in the time slots after the current time, and determines, as the charging time slot to be reserved, the time slot during which it is planned to stay at the charging candidate location in plan 222 among the calculated chargeable time slots. Thereby, the reservation content determination unit 214 determines the reservation content 225 including the charging station to be charged and the charging time slot for which the charging station is to be reserved. Also, the reservation content determination unit 214 may determine the reservation content 225 further including information regarding the charging standard indicating whether it is normal charging or rapid charging. Note that when the chargeable time slots are included in the reservation status 224, the reservation content determination unit 214 may omit the calculation of the chargeable time slots. Details of the reservation content 225 will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

[0067] The reservation application unit 215 applies for a reservation by transmitting the reservation details 225 determined by the reservation details determination unit 214 to the charging station management server 3 using the communication unit 25. Note that the reservation details 225 do not necessarily have to be transmitted to the charging station management server 3 by the reservation application unit 215, and the reservation details 225 may be transmitted to the charging station management server via another device.

[0068] When the reservation application result received by the communication unit 25 indicates that the reservation has been accepted at the charging station, the authentication information generation unit 216 generates authentication information 226 used for authenticating the reservation details 225 between the charging station and the mobile body 80. In this case, the authentication information generation unit 216 may transmit the reservation details of the reservation accepted at the charging station to the operation terminals 7 and 8. The operation terminals 7 and 8 can thereby display the reservation details, and the user can execute charging of the mobile body 80 at the charging station specified by the reservation details.

[0069] Also, the authentication information generation unit 216 transmits the generated authentication information 226 to the charging station management server 3 and the operation terminals 7 and 8 of the users of the mobile body 80 via the communication unit 25. The authentication information 226 transmitted to the charging station management server 3 is transmitted by the charging station management server 3 to the charging terminal of the charging station where the charging reservation application was made. Note that the authentication information generation unit 216 may transmit the authentication information 226 to the charging terminal of the charging station where the reservation application was made instead of transmitting the authentication information 226 to the charging station management server 3.

[0070] As a result, the authentication information 226 for permitting the charging according to the reservation is transmitted to the operation terminal 7 or the operation terminal 8 of the user of the mobile body 80 and the charging station to which the user applied for charging, so that it is possible to easily permit the charging of the mobile body 80 by the charging station during the reserved time period. Also, this can prevent an unspecified number of users from using the charging station. Details of the authentication information 226 will be described later with reference to FIG. 11.

[0071] The charging performance management unit 217 receives usage performance information 227 of the mobile body 80 at the charging station from the charging station management server 3 via the communication unit 25. The charging performance management unit 217 manages the received usage performance information 227 by, for example, storing and accumulating it for each mobile body. The charging performance management unit 217 may delete the usage performance information 227 indicating charging performance for which the settlement of usage fees has already been completed or for which a predetermined period has elapsed. That is, the charging performance management unit 217 manages the usage performance information 227 by deleting old information or adding newly acquired information to the usage performance information 227 stored for each mobile body.

[0072] Further, the charging performance management unit 217 may obtain the usage performance information 227 from the charging station management server 3 by sending a request for the usage performance information 227 to the charging station management server 3 at a predetermined second timing. The predetermined second timing may be, for example, a fixed timing within a predetermined time unit such as one day. The predetermined second timing may be one timing within a predetermined time unit, or may be a plurality of timings. Also, the usage performance information 227 may be sent from the charging station management server 3 to the reservation application server 2 at a predetermined second timing. In this case, the charging performance management unit 217 may not need to send a request for the usage performance information 227 to the charging station management server 3. Details of the usage performance information 227 will be described later with reference to FIG. 12.

[0073] The usage fee calculation unit 218 calculates the usage result of the charging station based on the usage result information 227 received by the charging performance management unit 217. The usage fee calculation unit 218 may calculate the usage result according to the time required for charging included in the usage result information 227, or may calculate the usage result according to the power consumption amount required for charging included in the usage result information 227. The usage fee calculation unit 218 may calculate the usage result according to the unit fee determined for each of a plurality of pre-divided time zones, the time required for charging, or the power consumption amount required for charging. Also, the usage fee calculation unit 218 may calculate the usage result according to whether rapid charging or normal charging has been performed. The usage fee calculation unit 218 may calculate the usage fee as the usage result, or may calculate usage points that substitute for the usage fee. Also, after calculating the usage result, the usage fee calculation unit 218 requests the user of the mobile body 80 to be processed to settle the usage result by transmitting the calculated usage result to the operation terminal 7 or the operation terminal 8 possessed by the user. For this reason, the calculation of the usage result can be facilitated, and the usage result can be notified to the user of the mobile body.

[0074] The privilege granting unit 219 determines the content of the privilege as the gain granted to the administrator of the charging station based on the usage result information 227 received by the charging performance management unit 217. The privilege granting unit 219 transmits the determined privilege content to the charging station management server 3 or the terminal possessed by the administrator of the charging station. The privilege content may be, for example, a discount on the delivery fee by the delivery operator when the user of the mobile body 80 is a delivery operator. Also, the privilege content may be, for example, a discount on the price of goods or services when the user is a business operator engaged in the sales business of goods or services. Thereby, the use of the information processing system 10 can be promoted for the administrator of the charging station.

[0075] Note that the control unit 21 does not necessarily have the authentication information generation unit 216, the charging performance management unit 217, the usage fee calculation unit 218, and the privilege granting unit 219.

[0076] The control unit 21 is realized by, for example, a processor that executes a predetermined program and a memory that stores the predetermined program. The control unit 21 is not limited to being realized by a processor and a memory, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit. That is, each component of the control unit 21 may be realized by a software program stored in the memory being executed by the processor, or may be realized by dedicated hardware.

[0077] Note that a function equivalent to that of the control unit 21 may be provided in a manager terminal, which is a terminal separately operated by a manager for emergency situations. In this case, the manager can directly operate the control unit 21 by operating the manager terminal. Note that a secure communication method with minimal room for being affected by a third party is adopted for the communication method between the manager terminal and the control unit 21.

[0078] The storage unit 22 stores user information 221, a plan 222, charging station information 223, reservation status 224, reservation details 225, authentication information 226, and usage record information 227. The storage unit 22 is realized by a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a flash memory. The storage unit 22 stores information received from an external device, information received by the input reception unit 23, information generated by each process of the control unit 21, and the like.

[0079] The user information 221 is information about a pre-registered user.

[0080] FIG. 3 is a data table showing an example of the user information 221. As shown in FIG. 3, the user information 221 includes a user ID that is an ID uniquely identifying the user, a user name, a user address, a user terminal type, and a user email address. The user terminal type is information for identifying, for example, whether the terminal owned by the user is a mobile terminal such as the operation terminal 7 or an in-vehicle terminal such as the operation terminal 8.

[0081] The plan 222 is a business plan created by the planning server 1.

[0082] Figure 4 is a data table showing an example of Plan 222. As shown in Figure 4, Plan 222 includes a user ID, an arrival time, a departure time, a business content, a business location name, and a business location address. In Plan 222, multiple locations are indicated for the business location name and the business location address. Also, in Plan 222, for the arrival time and the departure time, the stay time scheduled at each of the multiple locations is indicated. The stay time is the time period from the arrival time to the departure time. Plan 222 may further include an item for the stay time. Plan 222 is a plan related to the operation of the moving body 80. Plan 222 is, for example, a business plan such as a delivery plan or a sales plan. Note that the reservation application server 2 generates reservation details for a charging station by analyzing Plan 222 so that charging can be performed without interrupting the business.

[0083] Figure 5 is a data table showing an example of a delivery plan as one specific example of Plan 222. In the case of a delivery plan, examples of the business content include delivery, collection, loading, unloading, rest, inspection, waiting for goods, etc. The business content in Figure 5 uses delivery as an example.

[0084] Figure 6 is a data table showing an example of a sales plan as one specific example of Plan 222. In the case of a sales plan, examples of the business content include sales, business talks, contracts, rest, waiting, etc.

[0085] The charging station information 223 is information about the charging station that the reservation application server 2 queries for the reservation status or makes a reservation application for.

[0086] FIG. 7 is a data table showing an example of charging station information 223. As shown in FIG. 7, the charging station information 223 includes a charging station ID which is an ID uniquely identifying the charging station, a name of the installation location, an address of the installation location, the number of charging ports, and a charging standard. The charging standard is information regarding the characteristics of the charging station required when using the charging station, such as whether it supports rapid charging and the type of plug. Note that as the charging station information, when there is an operating time zone during which the charging station can be used (that is, when there is a time zone during which the charging station cannot be used), it may include the start time of business and the end time of business. Thereby, the time zone from the start time of business to the end time of business can be identified as the operating time zone during which the charging station can be used, and the time zone from the end time of business to the next start time of business can be identified as the time zone during which the charging station cannot be used. The charging station information may further include a usage fee in consideration of the case where the usage fee differs for each charging station. By using the charging station information 223, the control unit 21 can search for a charging station associated with the location where the operation is performed or a location around the said location. Also, the control unit 21 can further select a charging candidate location by narrowing down among the plurality of searched charging stations according to the time zone of staying at the location where the operation is performed, the charging standard corresponding to the mobile body 80, etc.

[0087] The reservation status 224 is information regarding the reservation status of the charging station.

[0088] FIG. 8 is a data table showing an example of the reservation status 224. As shown in FIG. 8, the reservation status 224 includes a charging station ID, a port number, a charging start time, and a charging end time. Note that the port number is a charging port ID for identifying each of the plurality of charging ports when there are a plurality of charging ports at the charging station. By using the reservation status 224, the control unit 21 can grasp the operating status of the charging station and determine the reservation content of charging that does not cause a charging wait. Also, the control unit 21 can extract a characteristic operating pattern associated with the charging station by analyzing the accumulated reservation status 224, and realize the determination of the reservation content of charging that takes into account the operating pattern of the charging station in advance.

[0089] The reservation content 225 is information regarding the reservation content applied to the charging station.

[0090] FIG. 9 is a data table showing an example of the reservation content 225. As shown in FIG. 9, the reservation content 225 includes a reservation ID that uniquely identifies the reservation content, a charging station ID, a port number, a charging start time, and a charging end time. Note that the reservation content 225 may include a reservation establishment possibility indicating whether the reservation has been established as a result of the reservation application. When there is a certain pattern such as weekly in the business, the control unit 21 may identify the regular pattern business by using the past reservation content 225 without analyzing the content of the business plan, and determine the reservation content of charging according to the identified business.

[0091] The authentication information 226 is information that enables the user to charge the mobile body 80 at the charging station according to the established reservation.

[0092] FIG. 10 is a data table showing an example of the authentication information 226. As shown in FIG. 10, the authentication information 226 includes an authentication ID that uniquely identifies the authentication, a reservation ID, a user ID, a charging stand ID, and an authentication key. Note that each item included in the authentication information 226 may be different according to the authentication form.

[0093] The usage record information 227 is information regarding the usage record of the mobile body 80 by the user of the charging station used for implementing the settlement of usage fees or the determination and granting of privileges.

[0094] FIG. 11 is a data table showing an example of the usage record information 227. As shown in FIG. 11, the usage record information 227 includes a usage record ID, a reservation ID, a user ID, a charging stand ID, a port number, a charging start time, and a charging end time. Note that the usage record information 227 may not include a reservation ID in order to leave the information regarding the usage as a usage record even when there is usage without a reservation.

[0095] The input reception unit 23 has functions such as receiving a command from an operator of the reservation application server 2 to directly drive the control unit 21, and receiving a command from the operator to manage the information stored in the storage unit 22. The management of the information stored in the storage unit 22 includes deletion of various information stored in the storage unit 22, addition, rearrangement of the storage locations of various information, rearrangement of the names of various information, and the like. Further, the input reception unit 23 may have a function of receiving a command for performing maintenance management of the reservation application server 2.

[0096] The display unit 24 displays an operation method for causing each processing unit of the control unit 21 of the reservation application server 2 to execute its function, or the stored information in the storage unit 22. Further, the display unit 24 may display the operation information of the reservation application server 2. Further, the display unit 24 may display, as necessary, the execution result of the process executed by the control unit 21 based on the input information received by the input reception unit 23 or the information received from an external device. The display unit 24 is realized by a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, for example.

[0097] The communication unit 25 communicates with each device inside the reservation application server 2 or external devices such as the plan creation server 1, the charging station management server 3, and each terminal 4 to 8. The communication unit 25 is realized by a communication IF (Interface) for connecting to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or a wired LAN.

[0098] [1-2. Operations] Next, the operations in the information processing system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

[0099] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of operations in the information processing system 10 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operations of the reservation application server 2 in the operations of FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a charging reservation when the mobile body 80 performs a delivery operation according to the delivery plan shown in FIG. 5.

[0100] First, the operation of the information processing system 10 before charging will be described.

[0101] The planning server 1 creates a plan 222 and transmits the created plan to the reservation application server 2 (S1). In the plan 222, as shown in FIG. 5, the scheduled movement of the moving body 80 is indicated. Accordingly, the user of the moving body 80 drives the moving body 80 according to the content of the plan 222. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the user drives the moving body 80 and departs from the departure place at the departure time t1, which is 10:00, and moves along a route with a distance D1 to the detached house A. It takes 20 minutes to move the distance D1.

[0102] Then, the user arrives at the detached house A at the arrival time t2. The user stops at the detached house A for 3 minutes for the delivery service of delivering the luggage P1 to the detached house A. At the departure time t3 after 3 minutes, the user drives the moving body 80 and departs from the detached house A, and moves along a route with a distance D2 to the condominium B. It takes 27 minutes to move the distance D2.

[0103] Then, the user arrives at the condominium B at the arrival time t4. The user stops at the condominium B for 13 minutes for the delivery service of delivering the luggage P2 to 4 to the condominium B. At the departure time t5 after 13 minutes, the user drives the moving body 80 and departs from the condominium B, and moves along a route with a distance D3 to the detached house C. It takes 47 minutes to move the distance D3.

[0104] Then, the user arrives at the detached house C at the arrival time t6. The user stops at the detached house C for 3 minutes for the delivery service of delivering the luggage P5 to the detached house C. At the departure time t7 after 3 minutes, the user drives the moving body 80 and departs from the detached house C and moves to the next delivery destination.

[0105] Next, an example of the operation of the reservation application server 2 in the operation of the information processing system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

[0106] When the reservation application server 2 receives the plan 222 (S1a), it determines a charging candidate location from at least one of a plurality of locations indicated by the business location name or business location address in the plan 222 and the vicinity of the plurality of locations (S2). For example, the reservation application server 2 extracts a detached house A, an apartment B, and a detached house C as a plurality of locations in the plan 222, and determines the apartment B where the stay time at each location is longer than the threshold value T1 (for example, 10 minutes) as the charging candidate location. Since the detailed description of the process of determining the charging candidate location has been described as the function of the charging candidate location determination unit 212, it is omitted.

[0107] When the reservation application server 2 determines the charging candidate location, it requests the reservation status 224 from the charging station management server 3 that controls the charging station installed at the determined charging candidate location (S3). Thereafter, the reservation application server 2 receives the reservation status 224 from the charging station management server 3 (S4). Thereby, the reservation application server 2 acquires the reservation status 224 for the charging station installed at the charging candidate location from the charging station management server 3. Since the detailed description of the process of acquiring the reservation status 224 has been described as the function of the reservation status acquisition unit 213, it is omitted. The reservation status transmitted from the charging station management server 3 includes information regarding the available time zone of the charging station so that the reservation application server 2 can determine the reservation details.

[0108] When the reservation application server 2 acquires the reservation status 224, it determines the reservation details 225 from the reservation status 224 (S5). Since the detailed description of the process of determining the reservation details 225 has been described as the function of the reservation details determination unit 214, it is omitted.

[0109] When the reservation application server 2 determines the reservation details 225, it applies for a reservation by transmitting the determined reservation details 225 to the charging station management server 3 (S6). Thereafter, the reservation application server 2 receives the reservation application result from the charging station management server 3 (S7).

[0110] When the reservation application result received by the reservation application server 2 indicates that the reservation has been accepted at the charging station, the reservation application server 2 generates authentication information 226 used for authenticating the reservation details 225 between the charging station and the moving body 80, and transmits the generated authentication information 226 to the plan generation server and the charging station management server 3 (S8). Since the detailed description of the process of generating the authentication information and the process of transmitting the authentication information has been described as the function of the authentication information generation unit 216, it is omitted.

[0111] Next, the operation of the information processing system 10 after charging will be described.

[0112] The reservation application server 2 receives the usage record information 227 of the moving body 80 at the charging station from the charging station management server 3 (S9). Since the detailed description of the process of receiving the usage record information has been described as the function of the charging record management unit 217, it is omitted.

[0113] Based on the received usage record information 227, the reservation application server 2 (i) calculates the usage result and (ii) determines the privilege content (S10). Then, the reservation application server 2 transmits the determined privilege content to the charging station management server 3 (S11), and transmits the calculated usage result to the plan generation server 1 (S12). Since the detailed description of the process of calculating and transmitting the usage result has been described as the function of the usage fee settlement unit 218, it is omitted. Also, since the detailed description of the process of determining and transmitting the privilege content has been described as the function of the privilege granting unit 219, it is omitted.

[0114] [1-3. Effects, etc.] According to the information processing method according to this embodiment, a computer is used to obtain a plan indicating at least a plurality of points where the moving body 80 is scheduled to move and stay, determine a charging candidate location where the battery mounted on the moving body can be charged from the plurality of points indicated by the plan, obtain the reservation status of the charging station associated with the charging candidate location, and determine the reservation content from the reservation status of the charging station. That is, in the information processing method, in order to determine the reservation content from the reservation status of the charging candidate location determined based on the plan, the movement of the moving body based on the plan can be performed so that no waiting time due to charging occurs. Therefore, the plan can be executed efficiently. For this reason, the utilization efficiency of the moving body equipped with the battery can be improved.

[0115] Also, in the information processing method according to this embodiment, the determination of the charging candidate location includes a selection from at least one of the plurality of points indicated by the plan and the points around the plurality of points. For this reason, not only the plurality of points indicated by the plan but also the points around the plurality of points can be selected as the charging candidate location. In this way, since the number of points that can be used as the charging candidate location can be increased, a charging station suitable for the moving body can be effectively selected. Also, it is easy to charge at the timing when the moving body should be charged.

[0116] Also, in the information processing method according to this embodiment, the plan includes the staying time scheduled at each of the plurality of points. And the selection is made based on the staying time scheduled at each of the plurality of points. For this reason, a point where charging can be performed for a sufficient time can be selected as the charging candidate location.

[0117] (Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 will be described.

[0118] In the information processing system 10 according to Embodiment 2, the planning server 1 may further transmit the state of the battery provided in the moving body 80 to the reservation application server 2. Thereby, the charging candidate location determination unit 212 of the control unit 21 in the reservation application server 2 selects a charging candidate location from at least one of a plurality of locations indicated by the plan 222 and locations around the plurality of locations so that the remaining battery level indicated by the received battery state transitions between the upper limit Th1 and the lower limit Th2 of the charging capacity. The upper limit Th1 is a value that promotes battery degradation when the battery is charged to be equal to or higher than the upper limit Th1, and is a value of, for example, 80 to 90% of the remaining amount with respect to the capacity of the fully charged battery. The lower limit Th2 is a value that promotes battery degradation when the battery is consumed to be equal to or lower than the lower limit Th2, and is a value of, for example, 10 to 20% of the remaining amount with respect to the capacity of the fully charged battery.

[0119] Next, when the charging candidate location determination unit 212 determines that the remaining battery level falls below the lower limit Th2 by consuming power to travel to the first location at the next arrival location, the charging candidate location determination unit 212 may determine the charging candidate location so that charging is performed at a second location that is scheduled to stay before the first location. The second location may be any location that is scheduled to stay before the first location in the order of stays in the plan, and does not necessarily have to be a location that is scheduled to stay immediately before the first location. That is, the second location may be a location that is scheduled to stay two or more locations before the first location in the order of stays in the plan.

[0120] Further, when the charging candidate location determination unit 212 determines that the remaining battery level exceeds the upper limit Th1 by performing charging until departure at the first location to stay next, the charging candidate location determination unit 212 may determine the charging candidate location so that charging is performed at a third location that is scheduled to stay after the first location without performing charging at the first location. The third location may be any location that is scheduled to stay after the first location in the order of stays in the plan, and does not necessarily have to be a location that is scheduled to stay immediately after the first location. That is, the third location may be a location that is scheduled to stay two or more locations after the first location in the order of stays in the plan.

[0121] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of a process of determining a charging candidate area so that the remaining battery level falls between the upper limit Th1 and the lower limit Th2. In FIG. 15, times t1 to t6 correspond to times t1 to t6 in FIG. 14. That is, FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a process of determining a charging candidate area when the mobile body 80 performs a delivery operation according to the delivery plan shown in FIG. 5.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 15, during the travel times from time t1 to t2, from time t3 to t4, and from time t5 to t6, the moving body 80 is in a driving state and thus consumes the battery. On the other hand, during the stay times from time t2 to t3 and from time t4 to t5, since there are a detached house A and an apartment B where charging stations are installed respectively, it is possible to charge. Also, if charging is not performed at the detached house A and the apartment B, as shown by the dashed line, it is predicted that the remaining battery level will fall below the lower limit Th2 during the travel time from time t5 to t6. For this reason, the charging candidate location determination unit 212 determines either the detached house A or the apartment B as the charging candidate location. Incidentally, since the stay time from time t4 to t5 exceeds the threshold value T1 and the stay time from time t2 to t3 is equal to or less than the threshold value T1, the apartment B is selected as the charging candidate location. When normal charging is performed at the apartment B, as shown by the solid line, since the remaining battery level is higher than the lower limit Th2 even after the travel during the travel time from time t5 to t6 is completed, normal charging at the apartment B is determined as the reservation content. On the other hand, for example, when the moving body 80 and the charging station of the apartment B support rapid charging, if rapid charging is selected, the remaining battery level changes as shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 15, and thus the remaining battery level exceeds Th1 at time t5. Therefore, for charging at the apartment B, normal charging is adopted instead of rapid charging. In this way, the reservation application server 2 may determine the reservation content in consideration of the transition of the remaining battery level at the upper and lower limits by switching between normal charging and rapid charging. Note that within the same stay time period, the charging type such as normal charging and rapid charging may be switched, or the presence or absence of charging such as charging start and charging stop may be switched. Furthermore, a combination of switching the charging type and switching the presence or absence of charging may be made.

[0123] Also, the state of the battery may be not limited to the remaining battery level, but may be the deterioration state of the battery, the temperature of the battery predicted at the time of reaching each location associated with the plan, etc.

[0124] FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of operations in the information processing system 10 according to Embodiment 2. In FIG. 16, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 12 in Embodiment 1 are given to the same processes as those in FIG. 12 in Embodiment 1.

[0125] First, the plan generation server 1 transmits a plan 222 (S1) and transmits the state of the battery of the mobile body 80 (S21).

[0126] When the reservation application server 2 receives the battery state, it selects a charging candidate location from at least one of a plurality of locations indicated by the plan 222 and locations around the plurality of locations so that the remaining battery level indicated by the received battery state transitions between the upper limit Th1 and the lower limit Th2 of the charging capacity (S22).

[0127] Then, the reservation application server 2 performs steps S3 to S5.

[0128] After step S5, when the reservation application server 2 cannot calculate the charging time zone, it transmits calculation impossible information indicating that the charging time zone cannot be calculated to the plan generation server 1 (S23). At this time, the reservation application server 2 may transmit battery state information that is the cause of the inability to set the charging time zone.

[0129] The processes of steps S6 to S12 performed after step S23 are the same as those in Embodiment 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0130] According to the information processing method according to the present embodiment, in the selection, the charging candidate location is selected so that the remaining battery level transitions between the upper limit and the lower limit of the charging capacity. Therefore, the user can easily operate the battery so that the battery does not deteriorate.

[0131] (Embodiment 3) Embodiment 3 will be described.

[0132] In the information processing system 10 according to the third embodiment, when the reservation application server 2 determines that a charging station is not reservable based on the reservation status acquired from the charging station management server 3, it may change the plan.

[0133] The reservation application server 2 makes a first determination as to whether a charging station is reservable based on the reservation status acquired from the charging station management server 3. Then, when the reservation application server 2 determines in the first determination that a charging station is not reservable, it changes the plan and makes a second determination as to whether the changed charging station associated with the changed charging candidate location determined from the changed plan is reservable. Next, when the reservation application server 2 determines in the second determination that the changed charging station is reservable, it transmits the changed plan to the plan creation server 1. That is, since the reservation application server 2 gives priority to charging the mobile body and changes the plan, it can reduce the situation where the mobile body stops due to the remaining battery level running out.

[0134] For example, as a change to the plan, the reservation application server 2 may rearrange a plurality of points in the plan. The rearrangement of the plurality of points includes changing the order in which a plurality of points in the plan for one mobile body are visited. In this way, by changing the order of visits, the reservation application server 2 can visit, for example, during a time slot when reservation is possible at the charging station of the determined charging candidate location, and thus can charge during the visited time slot.

[0135] Also, the rearrangement of the plurality of points includes swapping a plurality of points among a plurality of plans for a plurality of mobile bodies among the plurality of plans. In this way, by swapping a plurality of points among a plurality of plans, the reservation application server 2 can aggregate the tasks distributed among the plurality of mobile bodies and can move the mobile bodies efficiently.

[0136] In this case, in the second determination, the reservation application server 2 determines whether it is possible to reserve the reorganized charging station associated with the reorganized charging candidate location determined from the plurality of locations reorganized in the change. And when it is determined in the second determination that it is possible to reserve the reorganized charging station, the reservation application server 2 transmits to the plan creation server 1 the plan changed by being reorganized, which indicates at least the plurality of reorganized locations. That is, the reservation application server 2 gives priority to charging the mobile body and reorganizes the plurality of locations in the plan, so that it is possible to reduce the situation where the mobile body stops due to the depletion of the battery remaining amount.

[0137] Also, for example, the reservation application server 2 may change the stay time at at least one of the plurality of locations in the plan as a change to the plan. For example, when it is determined in the first determination that it is not possible to reserve the charging station, by increasing the stay time at the location corresponding to the charging station, the mobile body 80 can be charged in the time zone next to the time zone in which the charging station has already been reserved. In this case, the reservation application server 2 may increase the stay time at the location scheduled to stay before the location corresponding to the charging station. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the mobile body 80 from becoming immobile due to the depletion of the remaining amount of the battery of the mobile body 80.

[0138] FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation in the information processing system 10 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 17, the same reference numerals as those given to the processing in FIG. 12 in the first embodiment are given to the same processing.

[0139] First, steps S1 to S4 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the description is omitted.

[0140] After step S4, when the reservation application server 2 determines that it is not possible to reserve the charging station based on the reservation status, it changes the plan and determines the reservation content according to the changed plan (S31). The detailed description of the process of changing the plan is omitted because it has been described above.

[0141] The reservation application server 2 transmits the changed plan to the plan creation server 1 (S32).

[0142] Since the processing of steps S6 to S12 performed after step S32 is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0143] In each of the above embodiments, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. Here, the software that realizes the information processing method, information processing system, etc. of each of the above embodiments is the following program.

[0144] That is, this program causes a computer to execute, using the computer, an information processing method of acquiring a plan indicating at least a plurality of points where a moving body is scheduled to move and stay, determining a charging candidate location where a battery mounted on the moving body can be charged from the plurality of points indicated by the plan, acquiring a reservation status of a charging station associated with the charging candidate location, and determining a reservation content from the reservation status of the charging station.

[0145] As described above, the information processing method and information processing system according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure have been described based on the embodiments. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. As long as the gist of the present disclosure is not deviated from, various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art applied to these embodiments or forms constructed by combining components in different embodiments may also be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Industrial Applicability

[0146] The present disclosure is useful as an information processing method, an information processing system, etc. that can improve the utilization efficiency of a moving body equipped with a battery.

Explanation of Signs

[0147] 1 Planning Server 2 Reservation Application Server 3 Charging Station Management Server 4 - 6 Terminals for Charging 7, 8 Operation Terminals 21 Control Unit 22 Memory Unit 23 Input Reception Unit 24 Display Unit 25 Communication Unit 80 Mobile Object 211 Plan Acquisition Unit 212 Charging Candidate Location Determination Unit 213 Reservation Status Acquisition Unit 214 Reservation Content Determination Unit 215 Reservation Application Unit 216 Authentication Information Generation Unit 217 Charging Performance Management Unit 218 Usage Fee Settlement Unit 219 Privilege Granting Unit 221 User Information 222 Plan 223 Charging Station Information 224 Reservation Status 225 Reservation Content 226 Authentication Information 227 Usage Record Information

Claims

1. An information processing method performed by a computer, comprising: obtaining a plan indicating at least a number of points along which the mobile object intends to travel and stay; determining candidate charging locations where a battery mounted on the mobile object can be charged from locations in the vicinity of the plurality of locations indicated in the plan or from locations on a travel route that passes through the plurality of locations; Acquire a reservation status of a charging station associated with the charging candidate site; determining reservation details based on the reservation status of the charging station; Output the reservation details, Each of the plurality of locations is a location where the vehicle stops for business purposes; The determination of the charging candidate site includes selection from the surrounding sites or sites on the travel route indicated by the plan; the plan includes a planned dwell time at each of the plurality of locations; The selection is based on the planned dwell time at each of the plurality of locations. Information processing methods.

2. The selection is performed based on a location where the planned stay time at each of the plurality of locations is longer than a predetermined time. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

3. In the selection, a candidate charging site is selected such that a remaining charge of the battery changes between an upper limit and a lower limit of a charging capacity. The information processing method according to claim 2 .

4. moreover, performing a first determination of whether the charging station can be reserved based on the reservation status; When it is determined in the first determination that the charging station cannot be reserved, the plan is changed; performing a second determination of whether or not a changed charging station associated with the changed charging candidate site determined from the changed plan is available for reservation; outputting the changed plan when it is determined in the second determination that the changed charging station can be reserved; The information processing method according to claim 1 .

5. moreover, In the change, the plurality of points in the plan are rearranged; In the second determination, it is determined whether or not a rearranged charging station associated with a rearranged charging candidate site determined from the plurality of sites rearranged in the change can be reserved; When it is determined in the second determination that the charging stations after the rearrangement can be reserved, the plan changed by rearrangement indicating at least the rearranged plurality of locations is output. The information processing method according to claim 4.

6. The change includes changing a stay time at at least one of the plurality of points in the plan. The information processing method according to claim 4.

7. a plan acquisition unit that acquires a plan indicating at least a plurality of points where a moving object is scheduled to move and stay; a charging candidate site determination unit that determines a charging candidate site where a battery mounted on the moving object can be charged from a site in the vicinity of the plurality of sites indicated in the plan or a site on a moving route that passes through the plurality of sites; a reservation status acquisition unit that acquires a reservation status of a charging station associated with the charging candidate site; a reservation content determination unit that determines reservation content based on a reservation status of the charging station; a communication unit that outputs the reservation details, Each of the plurality of locations is a location where the vehicle stops for business purposes; The determination of the charging candidate site includes selection from the surrounding sites or sites on the travel route indicated by the plan; the plan includes a planned dwell time at each of the plurality of locations; The selection is based on the planned dwell time at each of the plurality of locations. Information processing system.

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