Method

Abstract

To improve a technique used for a self-propelled power supply service.SOLUTION: The information processing apparatus 20 receives, from the user, designation of one or more power supply conditions under which the user requests power supply to the vehicle of the user. Next, the information processing apparatus 20 determines the date and time at which the one or more power supply conditions are predicted to be satisfied as the scheduled power supply date and time. Next, information processing device 20 notifies the user of the scheduled power supply date and time. Next, when information processing device 20 receives, from the user, a request for changing the scheduled power supply date and time, information processing device 20 notifies the user of one or more vacant time frames selected, based on the dispatch cost of the power-supplying vehicle, from among a plurality of vacant time frames in which the power-supplying vehicle can be dispatched. Then, the information processing apparatus 20 changes the scheduled power supply date and time to a vacant time frame selected by the user from among the one or more vacant time frames.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technology used for a rush-to-stop power supply service that supplies power from a power supply vehicle when, for example, an electric vehicle (EV) runs out of power. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that when a server receives a rescue request from an EV that has run out of power, the server notifies a vehicle that complies with the same standard as the EV that has run out of power, out of multiple vehicles that can supply power to an external device, of the rescue request. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-139845 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was room for improvement in the technology used for emergency power supply services.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology used for emergency power supply services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method comprises: A method executed by an information processing device used to provide a power supply service that dispatches a power supply vehicle to supply power to a user's vehicle, comprising: receiving, from the user, designation of one or more power supply conditions under which the user requests power supply to the vehicle; determining a date and time when the one or more power supply conditions are predicted to be satisfied as a scheduled power supply date and time; notifying the user of the scheduled power supply date and time; When a request to change the scheduled power supply date and time is received from the user, notifying the user of one or more available time slots selected from a plurality of available time slots in which the power supply vehicle can be dispatched in the operation plan based on a dispatch cost of the power supply vehicle; and modifying the operation plan so as to change the scheduled power supply date and time to an available time slot selected by the user from among the one or more available time slots; Includes: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the technology used for emergency power supply services is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0010] (Outline of the embodiment) An overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices 10 and an information processing device 20. The plurality of terminal devices 10 and the information processing device 20 are communicably connected to a network 30 including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0011] The terminal device 10 is a computer such as a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 is used by, for example, a user who uses an emergency power supply service. The terminal device 10 may be a computer installed in the user's vehicle.

[0012] The information processing device 20 is, for example, a computer such as a server device, etc. The information processing device 20 is capable of communicating with a plurality of terminal devices 10 via a network 30.

[0013] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. An information processing device 20 used to provide a rapid power supply service that dispatches a power supply vehicle to supply power to a user's vehicle accepts from a user one or more power supply conditions that the user requests to supply power to the user's vehicle. Next, the information processing device 20 determines the date and time when the one or more power supply conditions are predicted to be satisfied as the scheduled power supply date and time. Next, the information processing device 20 notifies the user of the scheduled power supply date and time. Next, when the information processing device 20 accepts from the user a request to change the scheduled power supply date and time, the information processing device 20 notifies the user of one or more available time slots selected from multiple available time slots in which a power supply vehicle can be dispatched based on the dispatch cost of the power supply vehicle. Then, the information processing device 20 changes the scheduled power supply date and time to the available time slot selected by the user from the one or more available time slots.

[0014] A conceivable approach for emergency power supply services is to automatically determine the scheduled power supply date and time based on the power supply conditions pre-specified by the user, without receiving a request from the user each time. When this approach is adopted, the user may not always be able to predict the scheduled power supply date and time, and therefore may request a change to the scheduled power supply date and time once determined. However, if the user is allowed to freely select a power supply date and time from all available time slots of the power supply vehicle when changing the scheduled power supply date and time, the cost of dispatching the power supply vehicle may increase. Therefore, it is desirable to determine the power supply vehicle operation plan to reduce the dispatch cost of the power supply vehicle and efficiently supply power, for example, by supplying power to multiple users' vehicles in a single trip. To address this issue, according to this embodiment, when a request for a change to the scheduled power supply date and time is received from the user, only one or more available time slots selected based on the dispatch cost from among the multiple available time slots of the power supply vehicle are presented to the user. Therefore, for example, it is possible to present the user with only available time slots that meet the user's desired power supply conditions and do not excessively increase the dispatch cost. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the technology used in emergency power supply services is improved in that it can reduce the increase in the cost of dispatching power supply vehicles due to changes in the scheduled power supply date and time, compared to, for example, a method in which all of the multiple available time slots are presented to the user.

[0015] Next, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0016] (Terminal Device Configuration) 1, the terminal device 10 communicates with an information processing device 20 via a network 30. The terminal device 10 also includes, for example, a display that outputs information as images, or a speaker that outputs information as sounds, etc. The terminal device 10 also includes one or more input devices that detect input operations by a user, such as physical keys, capacitive keys, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch screen that is integrated with the display of the output unit 12, or a microphone.

[0017] (Configuration of information processing device) As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit .

[0018] The communication unit 21 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 30. The communication interfaces correspond to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but are not limited to these and may correspond to any communication standard. In this embodiment, the information processing device 20 communicates with each terminal device 10 via the communication unit 21 and the network 30.

[0019] The storage unit 22 includes one or more memories. Each memory included in the storage unit 22 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores any information used in the operation of the information processing device 20. For example, the storage unit 22 may store a system program, an application program, embedded software, etc. In this embodiment, the storage unit 22 stores an operation plan for the power supply vehicle.

[0020] The "operation plan of the power supply vehicle" is a schedule of the power supply service to be performed by each of one or more power supply vehicles used in the emergency power supply service. The operation plan of the power supply vehicle may include, for example, schedule information such as what time and where each of the one or more power supply vehicles is scheduled to supply power on a certain day.

[0021] The control unit 23 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The dedicated circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 23 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 20.

[0022] (Operation flow of information processing device) The operation of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0023] S100: The control unit 23 of the information processing device 20 receives from the user designation of one or more power supply conditions under which the user requests power supply to the user's vehicle.

[0024] Specifically, the control unit 23 receives, from the terminal device 10 via the network 30 and the communication unit 21, a designation of one or more power supply conditions for requesting power supply to the user's vehicle, which the user inputs using the user's terminal device 10. Note that the designation of one or more power supply conditions by the user may be input using a form displayed on the display of the terminal device 10, but is not limited to this, and any method may be adopted.

[0025] The "one or more power supply conditions" may include (1) a first condition indicating that the remaining battery charge is within a specified numerical range, for example, between 20% and 90%, (2) a second condition indicating that the scheduled power supply date and time is on a specified day of the week and / or during a specified time period, and (3) a third condition indicating that the user's vehicle is located at a specified power supply point.

[0026] In setting the first condition, the user may specify only the lower limit of the numerical range, with the upper limit being determined in advance by the business operator, or the user may specify the lower and upper limits of the numerical range.

[0027] S101: The control unit 23 determines the date and time when one or more power supply conditions are predicted to be satisfied as the scheduled power supply date and time.

[0028] For example, the one or more power supply conditions may include a first condition and a second condition. In this case, the control unit 23 may receive the remaining battery charge of the user's vehicle from the vehicle. Next, the control unit 23 may predict the future remaining battery charge of the vehicle from the remaining battery charge received from the vehicle, and specify the date and time when the first condition and the second condition are predicted to be satisfied. Then, when it is possible to assign one or more power supply vehicles to the time period based on the operation plan of the power supply vehicle, the control unit 23 may determine the specified date and time as the scheduled power supply date and time. Note that when there are multiple dates and times that can be used as the scheduled power supply date and time, the control unit 23 may determine the latest date and time among the dates and times as the scheduled power supply date and time. Alternatively, the control unit 23 may determine the earliest date and time among the dates and times as the scheduled power supply date and time.

[0029] Whether any of one or more power supply vehicles can be allocated may be based on the allocation cost of the power supply vehicle. The "allocation cost" of the power supply vehicle may be calculated based on factors such as the driving distance, driving time, and the charging time or number of battery replacements of the battery installed in the power supply vehicle. Specifically, the calculation may be such that the longer the driving distance or driving time, the higher the allocation cost, or the longer the battery charging time or the more battery replacements. For example, if the one or more power supply conditions include a third condition that the power supply point is "Kichijoji," the control unit 23 may determine, as an allocable power supply vehicle, a power supply vehicle scheduled to supply power in "Tachikawa," which is relatively close to "Kichijoji," so as to shorten the driving distance.

[0030] S102: The control unit 23 determines an operation plan for the power supply vehicle so that power is supplied to the vehicle on the scheduled power supply date and time.

[0031] Specifically, the control unit 23 adds the scheduled power supply date and time determined in S101 to the operation plan of the power supply vehicle stored in the storage unit 22.

[0032] S103: The control unit 23 notifies the user of the scheduled power supply date and time.

[0033] Specifically, the control unit 23 transmits the scheduled power supply date and time determined in S101 to the user's terminal device 10 via the communication unit 21 and the network 30. Then, the terminal device 10 notifies the user of the scheduled power supply date and time by displaying the scheduled power supply date and time received from the information processing device 20 on the screen of the terminal device 10. Note that the notification to the user can be performed at any timing, such as on a predetermined day of the week of the scheduled power supply date and time or a predetermined time before the scheduled power supply date and time. Also, the notification to the user may be performed multiple times.

[0034] When notifying the user of the scheduled power supply date and time, the control unit 23 may have the user confirm whether the scheduled power supply date and time is acceptable. The user may be asked to confirm by providing, for example, a button indicating that there is no problem, such as an "OK" button, and a button indicating that another date and time is desired, on the screen displaying the power supply date and time of the terminal device 10, but any method may be adopted, without being limited to this.

[0035] There may be multiple "buttons indicating a desire for another date and time." For example, the terminal device 10 may provide an "Earlier" button for requesting a date and time that is a predetermined period earlier, such as two days, than the scheduled power supply date and time, and a "Later" button for requesting a date and time that is a predetermined period later than the scheduled power supply date and time. The terminal device 10 may also provide a "Skip" button for requesting a change to the day of the week and / or time period specified in the second condition within a predetermined period after the scheduled power supply date and time, such as one week later. The predetermined period may be specified by the user on the screen of the terminal device 10.

[0036] The buttons displayed on the screen of the terminal device 10 may differ depending on the conditions. For example, if there is no available time slot earlier than the scheduled power supply date and time, the "Earlier" button may be hidden, and if there is no available time slot later than the scheduled power supply date and time, the "Later" button may be hidden. Also, for example, if it is predicted that the remaining battery charge in the future will not satisfy the first condition, the "Later" button or the "Skip" button may be hidden.

[0037] The control unit 23 may execute S103 without executing S102, or may execute S102 only when the user presses the "button indicating that there is no problem."

[0038] S104: The control unit 23 receives a request from the user to change the scheduled power supply date and time.

[0039] Specifically, it is assumed that the control unit 23 receives a request to change the scheduled power supply date and time from the user when the user presses the "button indicating that a different date and time is desired" in S103. Alternatively, the control unit 23 may provide an interface for requesting a change to the scheduled power supply date and time on the screen of the terminal device 10, and the control unit 23 may receive the change request when the user requests a change to the scheduled power supply date and time using the interface.

[0040] S105: The control unit 23 notifies the user of one or more available time slots selected based on the cost of allocating the power supply vehicle from among a plurality of available time slots in which the power supply vehicle can be allocated.

[0041] Specifically, the control unit 23 notifies the user of one or more available time slots other than the scheduled power supply date and time notified to the user in S103, which are selected by adding conditions based on a request to change the scheduled power supply date and time from the user received in S104 to the processing described in S101.

[0042] For example, when the user presses the "Earlier" button on the screen of the terminal device 10, the control unit 23 may select one or more available time slots that are a predetermined period before the scheduled power supply date and time and that satisfy the process described in S101. Also, when the "Later" button is pressed, for example, the control unit 23 may select one or more available time slots that are a predetermined period after the scheduled power supply date and time and that satisfy the process described in S101 within the same week as the scheduled power supply date and time. Alternatively, when the "Skip" button is pressed, for example, the control unit 23 may select one or more available time slots that are a predetermined period after the scheduled power supply date and time and that satisfy the process described in S101 in the following week.

[0043] Then, the control unit 23 notifies the user of the one or more available time slots by displaying the one or more available time slots on the screen of the terminal device 10 of the user.

[0044] S106: The control unit 23 changes the scheduled power supply date and time to an available time slot selected by the user from one or more available time slots.

[0045] Specifically, the control unit 23 provides an interface on the screen of the user's terminal device 10 that allows the user to select one time slot from one or more available time slots. The interface can employ various methods, such as a method of directly selecting one or more available time slots on the screen. When the user selects one time slot, the control unit 23 changes the one time slot to the scheduled power supply date and time, and updates the operation plan of the power supply vehicle stored in the storage unit 22 accordingly.

[0046] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0047] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration and operation of the information processing device 20 may be distributed among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. Also, for example, an embodiment in which some or all of the components of the information processing device 20 are provided in the terminal device 10 may be possible. For example, the terminal device 10 may include some or all of the components of the information processing device 20.

[0048] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 23 may calculate the increase in vehicle dispatch costs when the scheduled power supply date and time is changed for each of the multiple available time slots, and when a request to change the scheduled power supply date and time is received from a user, may notify the user of one or more available time slots from the multiple available time slots where the increase is less than a threshold value.

[0049] Specifically, the control unit 23 calculates the vehicle dispatch cost for each of the plurality of available time slots based on the vehicle dispatch cost calculation method described in S101, and calculates the increase in the vehicle dispatch cost by calculating the difference from the vehicle dispatch cost at the scheduled power supply date and time before the change. Then, the control unit 23 notifies the user of only those available time slots whose increase is less than a threshold value from among the one or more available time slots selected in S105. Note that the threshold value may be changeable.

[0050] Alternatively, the control unit 23 may notify the user of a predetermined number of available time slots from among a plurality of available time slots in ascending order of the increase amount. Note that the predetermined number may be changeable.

[0051] Also, for example, an embodiment is possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 System, 10 Terminal device, 20 Information processing device, 21 Communication unit, 22 Memory, 23 Control unit, 30 Network

Claims

1. A method executed by an information processing device used to provide a power supply service that dispatches a power supply vehicle to supply power to a user's vehicle, comprising: receiving, from the user, designation of one or more power supply conditions under which the user requests power supply to the vehicle; determining a date and time when the one or more power supply conditions are predicted to be satisfied as a scheduled power supply date and time; notifying the user of the scheduled power supply date and time; When a request to change the scheduled power supply date and time is received from the user, notifying the user of one or more available time slots selected from a plurality of available time slots in which the power supply vehicle can be dispatched based on a dispatch cost of the power supply vehicle; and changing the scheduled power supply date and time to an available time slot selected by the user from the one or more available time slots; A method comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, The one or more power supply conditions are: a first condition indicating that the remaining battery charge is within a specified range; A second condition indicating that the scheduled power supply date and time falls on a specified day of the week; and a third condition indicating that the vehicle is located at a designated power supply point; A method comprising:

3. 3. The method of claim 2, predicting a future remaining battery charge of the vehicle; Further comprising: The information processing device determines, as the scheduled power supply date and time, a date and time when the first condition and the second condition are predicted to be satisfied.

4. 10. The method of claim 1, The method, wherein the dispatch cost is calculated based on a travel distance of the power supply vehicle, a travel time of the power supply vehicle, and a charging time or number of replacement times of a battery installed in the power supply vehicle.

5. 10. The method of claim 1, calculating an increase in the vehicle dispatch cost when the scheduled power supply date and time is changed to each of the plurality of available time slots; Further comprising: The method, when the information processing device receives a request from the user to change the scheduled power supply date and time, notifies the user of the one or more available time slots from among the plurality of available time slots in which the increase amount is less than a threshold.

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