Power supply support device

Abstract

To provide a power supply support device preventing a power deficiency state from occurring even if an electric vehicle experiences traffic congestion.SOLUTION: In a system 10, a power supply support device 20 has a control section that acquires congestion prediction information for predicting the congestion of a vehicle occurring for each road and determines the allocation of a power supply vehicle 30 for supplying power to a general vehicle 40 having an external power supply function on the basis of the acquired congestion prediction information. The control section demarcates the tail end of congestion predicted on a certain road on the basis of congestion prediction information, selects a place located in the rear of the demarcated tail end as a power supply spot, and determines allocation of the power supply vehicle 30 to the selected power supply spot.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power supply support device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a dispatch management system that manages the dispatch of a plurality of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) to a power shortage area where a power shortage has occurred.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] It is known that an electric vehicle that stores power supplied from outside the vehicle and travels has a shorter cruising range than a gasoline vehicle. Therefore, for example, when caught in a large-scale traffic jam that exceeds the cruising range, or when stuck due to a sudden change in weather, it has been pointed out that there is a risk of running out of power without being able to charge.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a power supply support device so that an electric vehicle does not run out of power even when caught in a traffic jam.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The power supply support device according to the present disclosure includes a control unit that acquires traffic jam prediction information predicting traffic jams occurring for each road, and determines the allocation of power supply vehicles that supply power to general vehicles having an external power supply function based on the acquired traffic jam prediction information.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the power supply support device according to the present disclosure, even if an electric vehicle is caught in a traffic jam, it is less likely to enter a power outage state.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0011] Referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of the system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0012] The system 10 includes at least one power supply support device 20, at least one power supply vehicle 30, and at least one general vehicle 40. Note that there may be a plurality of power supply support devices 20, power supply vehicles 30, and general vehicles 40, respectively.

[0013] The power supply support device 20 can communicate with the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40 via the network 50. The power supply vehicle 30 may be able to communicate with the general vehicle 40 via the network 50.

[0014] The power supply support device 20 is installed in a facility such as a data center. The power supply support device 20 is, for example, a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system.

[0015] The power supply vehicle 30 is equipped with a battery or a generator. The power supply vehicle 30 is a vehicle that moves to the power supply point P based on an instruction from the power supply support device 20 and provides a charging service to the general vehicle 40. In the following description, the power supply vehicle 30 is assumed to be equipped with a battery.

[0016] The general vehicle 40 is an electric vehicle of any type, such as an HEV, PHEV, BEV, or FCEV. "HEV" is an abbreviation for hybrid electric vehicle. "PHEV" is an abbreviation for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. "BEV" is an abbreviation for battery electric vehicle. "FCEV" is an abbreviation for fuel cell electric vehicle. The general vehicle 40 is a vehicle other than the power supply vehicle 30 and includes vehicles owned by individuals and commercial vehicles. The general vehicle 40 is a private car in the present embodiment, but is not limited thereto, and may be any vehicle as long as it can be charged by the power supplied from the power supply vehicle 30. In the present embodiment, the general vehicle 40 is driven by a driver as the user U, but may be an AV with automated driving at any level. "AV" is an abbreviation for autonomous vehicle. The level of automation is, for example, any one of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE level classification. "SAE" is an abbreviation for Society of Automotive Engineers.

[0017] Network 50 includes the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or a combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. Network 50 may include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or a combination thereof. The wireless network is, for example, an ad hoc network, a cellular network, a wireless LAN, a satellite communication network, or a terrestrial microwave network. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, the outline of this embodiment will be described.

[0019] In electric mobility such as an electric vehicle that can store electric power supplied from outside the vehicle, it is known that the cruising range is shorter than that of a gasoline vehicle. Generally, the cruising range of an electric vehicle is said to be 200 to 600 km. Therefore, when traveling a long distance by an electric vehicle, it is necessary to plan the charging timing at a higher frequency than that of a gasoline vehicle. However, if caught in unexpected traffic jams or the like, or if stuck due to heavy snow or the like, it may not be possible to reach the planned charging location, and there is a possibility of running out of power. The "out-of-power state" refers to a state in which the electric power for running is insufficient in an electric vehicle. In order to charge an electric vehicle stuck in a traffic jam, it is conceivable to dispatch a power supply vehicle into the vehicle queue of the traffic jam, but it is difficult to pass through the vehicle queue during the traffic jam. Furthermore, since charging also takes time, it may cause a new traffic jam. In addition, since the installation of charging stations requires high installation costs, the current situation is that the number and location of installations are limited.

[0020] In the system 10 according to this embodiment, the power supply support device 20 acquires traffic jam prediction information D1 that predicts traffic jams of vehicles occurring for each road, and based on the acquired traffic jam prediction information D1, determines the allocation of the power supply vehicle 30 that supplies power to the general vehicle 40 having an external power supply function.

[0021] According to the present embodiment, when traffic congestion is predicted, the power supply vehicle 30 can be dispatched in advance, and the general vehicle 40 can be easily charged before being involved in the traffic congestion. Therefore, even if the general vehicle 40 is involved in the traffic congestion, it is less likely to run out of power. In addition, since the installation location of the power supply vehicle 30 can be arbitrarily selected according to the traffic congestion situation, the power supply vehicle 30 can be installed at an appropriate location as needed without increasing the number of charging stations. Furthermore, the need to dispatch the power supply vehicle 30 during the traffic congestion is reduced.

[0022] In the present embodiment, the power supply support device 20 dispatches the power supply vehicle 30 near the area where traffic congestion is expected. Specifically, the power supply support device 20 predicts the position of the end E of the traffic congestion and dispatches the power supply vehicle 30 in front of the predicted position. The power supply support device 20 may determine the dispatch of the power supply vehicle 30 when the scale of the traffic congestion is equal to or greater than a certain scale. In addition, the power supply support device 20 may change the charging capacity (power supply possible capacity) of the battery mounted on the power supply vehicle 30 to be dispatched according to the scale of the traffic congestion. Further, the power supply support device 20 may dispatch the power supply vehicle 30 to a commercial facility and provide convenience for the user U of the general vehicle 40 that has been charged from the power supply support device 20 to use the commercial facility.

[0023] With reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the power supply support device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0024] The power supply support device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0025] The control unit 21 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or a GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. The control unit 21 executes processes related to the operation of the power supply support device 20 while controlling each part of the power supply support device 20.

[0026] The storage unit 22 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read only memory. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read only memory. The storage unit 22 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores data used for the operation of the power supply support device 20 and data obtained by the operation of the power supply support device 20. The storage unit 22 may store traffic jam prediction information D1 that predicts traffic jams of vehicles occurring on each road.

[0027] The memory unit 22 may further store map information D2. The map information D2 is a map including roads where traffic jams are predicted and the areas around the roads, and is information indicating a map in which a plurality of commercial facilities F to which the power supply vehicle 30 can be dispatched are mapped.

[0028] The communication unit 23 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication unit 23 receives data used for the operation of the power supply support device 20 and transmits data obtained by the operation of the power supply support device 20. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 23 communicates with the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40.

[0029] The functions of the power supply support device 20 are realized by executing the program according to the present embodiment with a processor as the control unit 21. That is, the functions of the power supply support device 20 are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operation of the power supply support device 20, thereby causing the computer to function as the power supply support device 20. That is, the computer functions as the power supply support device 20 by executing the operation of the power supply support device 20 according to the program.

[0030] The program can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium is, for example, a flash memory, a magnetic recording device, an optical disc, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a ROM. The distribution of the program is performed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable medium such as an SD card, a DVD, or a CD-ROM storing the program. "SD" is an abbreviation for Secure Digital. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program may be stored in the storage of a server and transferred from the server to another computer to distribute the program. The program may be provided as a program product.

[0031] A computer stores, for example, a program stored in a portable medium or a program transferred from a server in a main memory device once. Then, the computer reads the program stored in the main memory device with a processor and executes processing according to the read program with the processor. The computer may directly read a program from a portable medium and execute processing according to the program. The computer may sequentially execute processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred from the server to the computer. Processing may be executed by a so-called ASP type service that realizes functions only by execution instructions and result acquisition without transferring a program from the server to the computer. "ASP" is an abbreviation of application service provider. A program includes information for use in processing by an electronic computer that conforms to the program. For example, data that is not a direct instruction to the computer but has a property that defines the processing of the computer corresponds to "what conforms to the program".

[0032] Some or all functions of the power supply support device 20 may be realized by a programmable circuit or a dedicated circuit as the control unit 21. That is, some or all functions of the power supply support device 20 may be realized by hardware.

[0033] With reference to FIG. 3, the configuration of the power supply vehicle 30 and the configuration of the general vehicle 40 according to the present embodiment will be described. Since the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40 have common components, they will be described using the same drawing. However, the two differ in that the power supply vehicle 30 has a power supply unit 36 and the general vehicle 40 has a power receiving unit 46.

[0034] The power supply vehicle 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, a positioning unit 34, a battery 35, and a power supply unit 36. The general vehicle 40 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, a communication unit 43, a positioning unit 44, a battery 45, and a power receiving unit 46.

[0035] The control units 31 and 41 include at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. The programmable circuit is, for example, an FPGA. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an ASIC. The control units 31 and 41 execute processes related to the operations of the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40 while controlling each part of the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40.

[0036] The storage units 32 and 42 include at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The RAM is, for example, an SRAM or a DRAM. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. The storage unit 32 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. Stored in the storage unit 32 are data used for the operations of the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40, and data obtained by the operations of the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40.

[0037] The communication units 33 and 43 include at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface. The communication units 33 and 43 receive data used for the operations of the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40, and transmit data obtained by the operations of the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40. In the present embodiment, the communication units 33 and 43 communicate with the power supply support device 20. The communication unit 33 of the power supply vehicle 30 may communicate with the general vehicle 40. The communication unit 43 of the general vehicle 40 may communicate with the power supply vehicle 30.

[0038] The positioning units 34 and 44 include at least one GNSS receiver. "GNSS" is an abbreviation for global navigation satellite system. GNSS is, for example, GPS, QZSS, GLONASS, or Galileo. "GPS" is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System. "QZSS" is an abbreviation for Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. The satellites of QZSS are called quasi-zenith satellites. "GLONASS" is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System. The positioning units 34 and 44 measure the positions of the power supply vehicle 30 and the general vehicle 40, respectively. The position is represented by latitude and longitude, etc.

[0039] The batteries 35 and 45 are configured to include rechargeable secondary batteries such as, for example, lithium-ion secondary batteries or nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries. Instead of the secondary batteries, other power storage devices such as supercapacitors may be adopted as the batteries 35 and 45. The batteries 35 and 45 include a control circuit that controls current, voltage, temperature, etc. The battery 35 may be a large battery mounted at the rear of the power supply vehicle 30 or the like. The battery 45 may be disposed at any location within the general vehicle 40, such as under the rear seat or in the cargo compartment of the general vehicle 40.

[0040] The power supply unit 36 is a part that supplies the power of the battery 35 from the power supply vehicle 30 to the general vehicle 40. The power supply unit 36 can be configured to include, for example, a power supply cable and a connector provided at the tip of the power supply cable.

[0041] The power receiving unit 46 receives power supply from the outside to charge the battery 45. The power receiving unit 46 includes a charging port. The charging port includes a charging inlet for connecting the connector of the charging cable from the power supply vehicle 30. The charging port may be disposed at any position such as the upper part of the front grille, the front fender, the rear fender, and the rear bumper of the general vehicle 40.

[0042] Although it has been described that the power supply from the electric vehicle 30 to the general vehicle 40 is performed by contact charging using a power supply cable or the like, it is not limited to this. For example, it may be performed by non-contact charging that wirelessly transmits power using a power transmission coil, a power reception coil, or the like.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 4, the operation of the system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. This operation corresponds to the control method according to the present embodiment.

[0044] In S1 (hereinafter, each step of the flowchart is specified by S and a number), the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 acquires traffic jam prediction information D1 that predicts traffic jams of vehicles occurring for each road. The traffic jam prediction information D1 can be acquired by an arbitrary procedure. For example, the control unit 21 communicates with an external server installed in a traffic information center or the like via the communication unit 23, and acquires the traffic jam prediction information D1 transmitted from the external server, thereby acquiring the traffic jam prediction information D1. Alternatively, when there are a plurality of general vehicles 40 including the general vehicle 40', the control unit 21 may communicate with these plurality of general vehicles 40, predict a traffic jam based on the driving history of each general vehicle 40, etc., and acquire the predicted result as the traffic jam prediction information D1. The traffic jam prediction information D1 includes, for example, identification information of a road R where a traffic jam is predicted to occur, an expected occurrence time, and position information of a start point PS and an end point PT of the traffic jam. The control unit 21 may store the acquired traffic jam prediction information D1 in the storage unit 22.

[0045] In S2, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 demarcates an end E of a traffic jam predicted on a certain road based on the traffic jam prediction information D1 acquired in S1. As an example, it is assumed that the traffic jam prediction information D1 indicates that a traffic jam is predicted to occur from a start point PS1 to an end point PT1 on a certain road R1. The control unit 21 refers to the traffic jam prediction information D1, and for the road R1, demarcates the position indicated by the position information of the end point PT1 indicated by the traffic jam prediction information D1 as the end E of the traffic jam predicted on the road R1.

[0046] In S3, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 selects a power supply point P where the power supply vehicle 30 is to be deployed. The control unit 21 selects, as the power supply point P, a location behind the end E of the traffic jam defined in S2. Here, "behind" means the direction opposite to the direction of traffic flow of the traffic jam.

[0047] The power supply point P where the power supply vehicle 30 is to be deployed may be arbitrarily selected as long as it is a location behind the end E of the traffic jam. In the present embodiment, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 selects the power supply point P according to the following procedure.

[0048] In the first procedure, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 acquires the map information D2. In the present embodiment, the map information D2 is a map including the road R1 where a traffic jam is predicted and the vicinity of the road R1. In the present embodiment, a plurality of commercial facilities F registered as locations where the power supply vehicle 30 can be deployed are mapped on the map shown by the map information D2. Examples of "commercial facilities" include, for example, stores such as shopping centers, supermarkets, convenience stores, discount stores, department stores, mass retailers, toy stores, bookstores, car supply stores, clothing stores, sports supply stores, or fast food restaurants, or places such as banks that sell some products or provide some services. The map information D2 may be acquired in an arbitrary procedure. In the present embodiment, the map information D2 is pre-stored in the storage unit 22, and the control unit 21 acquires the map information D2 by reading the map information D2 from the storage unit 22.

[0049] In the second procedure, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 selects, as the power supply point P, the commercial facility F' that is behind the end E defined in S2 among the plurality of commercial facilities F shown by the map information D2 acquired in the first procedure and is the closest to the end E in terms of distance.

[0050] In S4, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 determines the allocation of the power supply vehicle 30. Specifically, the control unit 21 determines the allocation of the power supply vehicle 30 to the power supply point P selected in S4. The allocation of the power supply vehicle 30 may be determined by any procedure. For example, it is determined by the following procedure. The control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 generates an allocation instruction X for instructing the power supply vehicle 30 to move to the power supply point P. The allocation instruction X includes the position information of the power supply point P. The control unit 21 transmits the generated allocation instruction X to the power supply vehicle 30 via the communication unit 23. The power supply vehicle 30 receives the allocation instruction X via the communication unit 33 and moves to the position indicated by the position information of the power supply point P included in the received allocation instruction X. In this way, the power supply vehicle 30 is allocated to the power supply point P.

[0051] As described above, the power supply support device 20 acquires the traffic jam prediction information D1 that predicts the traffic jam of vehicles occurring for each road, and based on the acquired traffic jam prediction information D1, determines the allocation of the power supply vehicle 30 that supplies power to the general vehicle 40 having an external power supply function.

[0052] According to such a configuration, when a traffic jam is predicted, the power supply vehicle 30 can be allocated in advance. Further, since the power supply vehicle 30 is allocated before the end of the predicted traffic jam on a certain road, the general vehicle 40, which is an electric vehicle, can stop at the power supply point P and charge from the power supply vehicle 30 before being involved in the traffic jam. As a result, the general vehicle 40 is less likely to run out of power even when involved in a traffic jam.

[0053] As a modification example of the present embodiment, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 may determine the allocation of the power supply vehicle 30 when the scale of the traffic jam is equal to or greater than a certain level. The scale of the traffic jam can be represented by, for example, the distance d. For example, the control unit 21 determines whether the distance d from the starting point PS1 to the ending point PT1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1 based on the traffic jam prediction information D1 acquired at S1, and when the distance d is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1, it may determine the allocation of the power supply vehicle 30. The threshold value Th1 may be an arbitrary value, but can be arbitrarily set, for example, a value calculated by multiplying the average cruising range of an electric vehicle (e.g., 200 to 600 km) by a predetermined coefficient.

[0054] Since the number of the power supply vehicles 30 is limited, if the power supply vehicle 30 is allocated every time a traffic jam is predicted, the power supply vehicle 30 may become insufficient. According to this modification example, the power supply vehicle 30 is selectively allocated. Therefore, even when the number of the power supply vehicles 30 is limited, it is possible to efficiently allocate the power supply vehicle 30.

[0055] As a modification example of the present embodiment, when determining the allocation of the power supply vehicle 30 in S4, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 determines the scale of the traffic jam in which the tail end E is defined based on the traffic jam prediction information D1, and may determine the power supply available capacity in the power supply vehicle 30 according to the determined scale of the traffic jam. Specifically, the control unit 21 may increase the charging capacity (power supply available capacity) of the battery 35 in the power supply vehicle 30 as the scale of the traffic jam becomes larger. For example, if the power supply capacity per unit distance is predetermined, the control unit 21 may determine, as the power supply available capacity in the power supply vehicle 30, a value calculated by multiplying the distance representing the scale of the traffic jam by the power supply capacity per unit distance.

[0056] According to this modification example, since the power supply available capacity in the power supply vehicle 30 is determined according to the scale of the traffic jam, it becomes easier to avoid the situation where the power supply available capacity in the power supply vehicle 30 becomes insufficient.

[0057] As a modification example of the present embodiment, assume a case where a commercial facility F' is selected as the power supply point P in S3 and power is supplied to a general vehicle 40'. The control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 may identify the general vehicle 40' that has received power from the power supply vehicle 30 assigned to the commercial facility F', and perform control to present an advertisement AD1 for promoting the commercial facility F' to the user U' of the identified general vehicle 40'. The user U' is, for example, the driver of the general vehicle 40'. Specifically, the control unit 21 may further perform the following processes of S5 and S6.

[0058] In S5, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 identifies the general vehicle 40' that has received power from the power supply vehicle 30 assigned to the commercial facility F' selected as the power supply point P. The general vehicle 40' may be identified by any procedure, but is identified, for example, by the following procedure.

[0059] The control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20, for example, acquires vehicle identification information D3 including a vehicle identifier ID' for identifying the general vehicle 40' that has received power from the power supply vehicle 30, and identifies the general vehicle 40' based on the vehicle identifier ID' indicated by the acquired vehicle identification information D3. The vehicle identification information D3 may be acquired by the power supply support device 20 by any procedure, but in the present embodiment, it is acquired by the following procedure.

[0060] When the control unit 41 of the general vehicle 40 detects that the connector as the power supply unit 36 of the power supply vehicle 30 is connected to the charging port as the power receiving unit 46' of the general vehicle 40', the control unit 41 generates information including the vehicle identifier ID' of the general vehicle 40' as the vehicle identification information D3. The control unit 41 transmits the generated vehicle identification information D3 to the power supply support device 20 via the communication unit 43. The control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 receives the vehicle identification information D3 transmitted from the general vehicle 40' via the communication unit 23. In this way, the control unit 21 acquires the vehicle identification information D3.

[0061] Alternatively, the vehicle identification information D3 may be transmitted from the power supply vehicle 30 to the power supply support device 20. Specifically, when the control unit 31 of the power supply vehicle 30 detects that the connector as the power supply unit 36 is connected to the charging port as the power receiving unit 46' of the general vehicle 40', it may communicate with the general vehicle 40' via the communication unit 33 and receive the vehicle identification information D3 transmitted from the general vehicle 40'. Then, the control unit 31 may transmit the received vehicle identification information D3 to the power supply support device 20 via the communication unit 33.

[0062] In S6, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 performs control to present an advertisement AD1 that advertises the commercial facility F' to the user U of the general vehicle 40' specified in S5. As an example, it is assumed that the vehicle identifier ID' of the general vehicle 40' is pre-linked to the user U' of the general vehicle 40'. The control unit 21 identifies the user U' linked to the vehicle identifier ID' of the general vehicle 40' as the user U' of the general vehicle 40'. The control unit 21 performs control to display a notification N1 as an advertisement AD1' that advertises the commercial facility F' on the terminal device TL' held by the identified user U'. Specifically, the control unit 21 generates a message M1 saying, "Thank you for charging. Currently, thank-you coupons that can be used at the commercial facility F' are being issued!" as the notification N1 and transmits it to the terminal device TL'. The message M1 may include coupon information such as discount coupons. The terminal device TL' displays the message M1 transmitted from the power supply support device 20 on the screen of the terminal device TL'. Alternatively, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 may perform control to communicate with the general vehicle 40' and display the notification N1 on the in-vehicle display of the general vehicle 40'. Specifically, the control unit 21 may transmit the message M1 as the notification N1 to the general vehicle 40'. The general vehicle 40' may present the message M1 transmitted from the power supply support device 20 to the user U' by displaying it on the screen of the in-vehicle display mounted on the general vehicle 40'. Alternatively, the control unit 21 may perform control such that the message M1 as the notification N1 is printed on the receipt issued when the charging of the general vehicle 40 is completed. As another example, the general vehicle 40 may be configured to be able to transmit position information indicating the position of the general vehicle 40 to the power supply support device 20 while being charged by the power supply vehicle 30. Instead of identifying the user U' linked to the vehicle identifier ID' of the general vehicle 40', the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 acquires the position information transmitted from the general vehicle 40' being charged, determines the terminal device at the same position as the position indicated by the acquired position information as the terminal device TL', and may perform control to display the message M1 on the determined terminal device TL'.

[0063] According to this modification example, users U' who have charged from the power supply vehicle 30 to the general vehicle 40 are encouraged to use the commercial facility F'. If the user U' stops by the commercial facility F', the general vehicle 40 will not be caught in traffic jams. Also, for the commercial facility F', there is an advantage that profits are expected due to an increase in the number of visitors. Furthermore, if the number of users U who stop by the commercial facility F' increases, the number of vehicles running on the congested road R1 will decrease, and as a result, it is also conceivable that the congestion will be alleviated. Therefore, the general vehicle 40 is less likely to be caught in traffic jams. As a result, the general vehicle 40 is less likely to be in a power-off state.

[0064] In this embodiment, one or more users U may be registered in the power supply support device 20 in advance. The registration of the user U may be performed in an arbitrary procedure. For example, it may be performed in the following procedure. The user U who intends to use the system 10 performs usage registration using the terminal device TL held by each of them. Specifically, the user U inputs the sign-in information D4 necessary for registration into each terminal device TL. The sign-in information D4 includes, for example, a vehicle identifier ID that identifies the general vehicle 40 driven by each user U. The terminal device TL receives the input of the sign-in information D4 by the user U. The terminal device TL transmits the sign-in information D4 input by each user U to the power supply support device 20.

[0065] The power supply support device 20 acquires the sign-in information D4 transmitted from the terminal device TL. Specifically, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 communicates with the terminal device TL via the communication unit 23 and receives the sign-in information D4 transmitted from the terminal device TL. The control unit 21 stores the received sign-in information D4 in the storage unit 22. In this way, one or more users U who use the system 10 are registered in the power supply support device 20.

[0066] The control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 may notify the registered user(s) U of power supply promotion information D5 for promoting power supply. Specifically, when the control unit 21 acquires traffic jam prediction information D1 in S1, the acquired traffic jam prediction information D1 may be notified to the registered user(s) U as the power supply promotion information D5. For example, the control unit 21 may transmit the traffic jam prediction information D1 to each terminal device TL of the user U via the communication unit 23. Alternatively, when the control unit 21 determines the allocation of the power supply vehicle 30 in S4, the control unit 21 may notify each user U that the power supply vehicle 30 will be allocated to the power supply point P as the power supply promotion information D5. Specifically, the control unit 21 may transmit the position information indicating the position of the power supply point P to the terminal device TL via the communication unit 23 as the power supply promotion information D5. Furthermore, the control unit 21 may perform control to present an advertisement AD2' for promoting the commercial facility F' selected as the power supply point P to each user U. Specifically, the control unit 21 performs control to display a notification N2 as an advertisement AD2' for promoting the commercial facility F' on the terminal device TL held by each registered user U. For example, the control unit 21 generates a message M2 such as "Thank you coupon available for use at commercial facility F' for those who have charged at commercial facility F'!" as the notification N2 and transmits it to each terminal device TL. The message M2 may include coupon preview information such as a discount coupon that can be used at the commercial facility F' after charging. Each terminal device TL displays the message M2 transmitted from the power supply support device 20 on the screen of the terminal device TL. Alternatively, the control unit 21 of the power supply support device 20 may communicate with one or more general vehicles 40 and perform control to display the notification N2 on the in-vehicle display of each general vehicle 40. Specifically, the control unit 21 may transmit the message M2 as the notification N2 to the general vehicle 40. The general vehicle 40 may present the message M2 transmitted from the power supply support device 20 to the user U by displaying it on the screen of the in-vehicle display mounted on the general vehicle 40.

[0067] According to such a configuration, it is widely notified to one or more users U who have registered for use with respect to the system 10 that traffic congestion is predicted and that the power supply vehicle 30 is dispatched to the power supply point P. Therefore, the user U is encouraged to charge in advance at the power supply point P before being involved in traffic congestion. Further, compared with the case where the general vehicle 40' of the user U' after charging is specified and the notification N1 is made, more users U are encouraged to visit the commercial facility F' as the power supply point P, so the number of general vehicles 40 involved in traffic congestion can be further reduced by the number of users U. Also, for the commercial facility F', there is an advantage that more profit can be expected if the number of visiting users U increases. Furthermore, if the number of users U visiting the commercial facility F' increases, the number of general vehicles 40 traveling on the road R1 during traffic congestion decreases, and as a result, it is conceivable that the traffic congestion is alleviated. Therefore, each general vehicle 40 is less likely to be involved in traffic congestion. As a result, the general vehicle 40 is less likely to be in a power shortage state.

[0068] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, a plurality of blocks described in the block diagram may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Instead of executing a plurality of steps described in the flowchart in time series according to the description, each step may be executed in parallel or in a different order according to the processing ability of the device that executes the steps, or as necessary. In addition, changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0069] 10 System 20 Power Supply Support Device 21 Control Unit 22 Storage Unit 23 Communication Unit 30 Power Supply Vehicle 31 Control Unit 32 Storage Unit 33 Communication Unit 34 Positioning Unit 35 Battery 36 Power Supply Unit 40 General Vehicle 41 Control Unit 42 Memory unit 43 Communication unit 44 Positioning unit 45 Battery 46 Power receiving unit 50 Network U User

Claims

1. A power supply support device comprising a control unit that acquires traffic congestion prediction information predicting traffic congestion occurring for each road, and determines the dispatching of a power supply vehicle that supplies power to a general vehicle having an external power supply function based on the acquired traffic congestion prediction information.

2. The control unit defines the end of the traffic congestion predicted on a certain road based on the traffic congestion prediction information, selects a location behind the defined end as a power supply point, and determines the dispatching of the power supply vehicle to the selected power supply point. The power supply support device according to Claim 1.

3. The control unit determines the power supply capacity of the power supply vehicle according to the determined scale by determining the scale of the traffic congestion in which the end is defined based on the traffic congestion prediction information. The power supply support device according to Claim 2.

4. The control unit acquires map information showing a map including the road where the traffic congestion is predicted and the vicinity of the road, on which a plurality of commercial facilities registered as places where the power supply vehicle can be dispatched are mapped. The control unit selects, as the power supply point, a commercial facility behind the end and closest to the end among the plurality of commercial facilities shown in the map information. The power supply support device according to Claim 2 or Claim 3.

5. The control unit identifies a general vehicle that has received power from the power supply vehicle dispatched to the commercial facility selected as the power supply point, and performs control to present an advertisement promoting the commercial facility to the user of the identified general vehicle. The power supply support device according to Claim 4.

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