Management system and terminal

Abstract

To achieve a technique for managing a terminal before or after lending in order to further smooth the degree of degradation of a rechargeable battery provided in each of a plurality of terminal.SOLUTION: A management system (1) according to an aspect of the present invention is a management system (1) that performs management related to lending of a plurality of secondary batteries (10) to be lent to a borrower, the management system (1) including a presenting unit (15, 25) that presents information for guiding a terminal (10) determined according to a degree of degradation of a rechargeable battery (11) included in each of the plurality of secondary batteries (10) to be lent next to the terminal (10) to be lent to the borrower among the plurality of secondary batteries (10). terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a management system and a terminal device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, lithium-ion batteries have the property that their capacity decreases with repeated charging and discharging. Therefore, in services that rent out terminal devices equipped with lithium-ion batteries, if the number of times the battery has been charged and discharged reaches a certain threshold, the battery inside the terminal device must be replaced.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that can reduce variations in the deterioration of rechargeable batteries in a plurality of portable information terminals installed in a facility such as a store. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-025848 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the conventional technology such as that of Patent Document 1 merely notifies each terminal uniformly whether or not the use of each terminal is permitted.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problem, and aims to realize a technology for managing terminal devices before or after they are loaned out in order to more smoothly smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries each equipped with in multiple terminal devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one embodiment of the management system of the present invention is a management system that manages the lending of multiple terminal devices to be loaned to loan recipients, and is equipped with a presentation unit that presents information to guide the next terminal device to be loaned, which is determined based on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries each of the multiple terminal devices has.

[0008] A terminal device according to another aspect of the present invention is one of a plurality of terminal devices rented out to a lender, and is equipped with a presentation unit that presents information to guide the lender to rent out a terminal device determined based on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries each of the plurality of terminal devices has next.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is a management system that manages the lending of multiple terminal devices to lenders, and is equipped with a presentation unit that suggests replacing at least some of the terminal devices loaned to each lender depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries each of the multiple terminal devices has.

[0010] Another aspect of the terminal device of the present invention is a management system that manages the lending of multiple terminal devices to be loaned to a loan recipient, and is equipped with a presentation unit that, when any of the terminal devices is loaned to a loan recipient, suggests replacing the terminal device to be loaned to the loan recipient with another terminal device, depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries each of the multiple terminal devices has.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is a management system that manages the lending of multiple terminal devices to be loaned to a loan recipient, and is equipped with a presentation unit that, when any of the terminal devices is loaned to a loan recipient, suggests replacing the terminal device to be loaned to the loan recipient with another terminal device, depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries each of the multiple terminal devices has.

[0012] A management system according to another aspect of the present invention is a management system for managing the lending of a plurality of terminal devices to lenders, and when the plurality of terminal devices to be lent to a first group of lenders are defined as first-type terminal devices and the plurality of terminal devices to be lent to a second group of lenders are defined as second-type terminal devices, the management system includes a first presentation unit that presents information to guide the lender to lend a first-type terminal device, determined according to the degree of deterioration of a rechargeable battery provided in each of the plurality of first-type terminal devices, to next lend the next lender included in the first group of lenders; a second presentation unit that presents information to guide the user so that any of the second type terminal devices determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries equipped in each of the terminal devices is next lent to a lender included in the second group of lenders; and a third presentation unit that suggests replacing at least any of the first type terminal devices lent to lenders included in the first group of lenders and at least any of the second type terminal devices lent to lenders included in the second group of lenders according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries equipped in each of the first and second type terminal devices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a technique for managing terminal devices before or after rental can be realized in order to smooth out the degree of deterioration of rechargeable batteries provided in each of a plurality of terminal devices. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a management system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen display of a terminal device before it is lent to a user. [Figure 3] 1 is an example of a flowchart showing a flow of processing executed by the management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a diagram showing a process in which a display of another terminal device is updated as a result of a terminal device being lent to a user according to Modification 1. FIG. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is an example of a diagram showing an example in which the presentation unit of each terminal device according to Modification 2 displays information indicating to which user the terminal device is to be lent. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display when a terminal device according to Modification 3 is lent to a user. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by a management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a process of exchanging terminal devices; [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of components included in a management system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] 1. Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0016] [1.1. Management system configuration example] The management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 1 is an example of a functional block diagram of the management system 1.

[0017] The management system 1 is a system that manages the lending of multiple terminal devices 10 to lenders, and includes multiple terminal devices 10 and one or more management devices 20. Furthermore, before being lent to a lender, each terminal device 10 is connected to a charger 19 and is located near one another. The following description will be given taking as an example a case where the lender of the terminal device 10 is an individual user, but this is not limited to this and the lender may also be a corporation. In other words, the "user" in the following description may be interpreted as including a corporation, or the following description may be applied by replacing "user" with "borrower."

[0018] The terminal device 10 is a device realized as a smartphone, tablet, portable game console, or the like, and includes a rechargeable battery 11, a control unit 12, a memory unit 13, a communication unit 14, a presentation unit 15, and an input unit 16. The terminal device 10 may also include a gas gauge IC (not shown) or the like (described later).

[0019] The rechargeable battery 11 is a lithium ion battery or the like that supplies power to each part of the terminal device 10, and can be charged by connecting the terminal device 10 to a charger 19. Note that a single charger 19 may be configured to be able to charge the rechargeable batteries 11 of multiple terminal devices 10 simultaneously.

[0020] The battery capacity of the rechargeable battery 11 decreases as it is repeatedly charged and discharged, and the degree of deterioration increases. In other words, the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 increases as the remaining performance of the rechargeable battery 11 decreases.

[0021] In one aspect, the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 is defined by any one of the following values ​​or a combination of these values ​​since the start of use of the rechargeable battery 11. Furthermore, the usage time of the terminal device 10 may be the time during which the terminal device 10 is loaned to a user and is activated, or the time during which the user is actually using the terminal device 10 and the screen display or audio output is being performed. Number of charges (number of charge / discharges) Total charging time Total usage time of the terminal device 10 Accumulative charging or discharging current value, or cumulative charging or discharging current amount -Battery deterioration level obtained from gas gauge IC - The cumulative increase or decrease in battery remaining capacity (%), or the cumulative increase or decrease In the following explanation, we will use as an example a case where the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 is determined by the number of times the rechargeable battery 11 has been charged since it was first used, i.e., the greater the number of times the rechargeable battery 11 has been charged, the greater the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 is considered to have been performed. Note that the number of times the rechargeable battery 11 has been charged may be configured such that, for example, when the remaining battery power of the rechargeable battery 11 has recovered by charging a predetermined amount or more, the rechargeable battery 11 is considered to have been charged once. In the following explanation, information indicating the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 is also referred to as rechargeable battery information. The rechargeable battery information may include the number of times the rechargeable battery 11 has been charged, as described above.

[0022] The control unit 12 is a control device such as a CPU that controls the entire terminal device 10. For example, the control unit 12 performs a process of calculating the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 by referring to the number of times of charging, etc., as described above. The degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery of each terminal device 10 may be calculated by the control unit 22 of the management device 20. When calculating the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11, the control unit 12 may make corrections according to the influence of the climate of the area where the terminal device 10 is used, the time the terminal device 10 has been left in a fully charged state, etc.

[0023] The control unit 12 can also detect whether the terminal device 10 itself is connected to the charger 19. In one aspect, the control unit 12 determines that the terminal device 10 has been rented out to a user when the connection between the terminal device 10 itself and the charger 19 is released. The control unit 12 also determines that the terminal device 10 has been returned when the terminal device 10 itself is reconnected to the charger 19. The renting and returning of two or more terminal devices 10 can be performed simultaneously.

[0024] Although not necessarily limited to this, in many cases, it takes about several hours to several days from lending the terminal device 10 to returning it. In one example of this embodiment, a business lends the terminal device 10 to an employee, and the employee returns the terminal device 10 to a shared space after finishing work.

[0025] The storage unit 13 is a storage device such as a memory that at least temporarily stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 13 stores rechargeable battery information. The control unit 12 updates the rechargeable battery information stored in the storage unit 13 every time the battery is charged or at regular intervals.

[0026] The communication unit 14 is an interface for communicating with the management device 20 and external devices such as other terminal devices 10 via the network 2. For communication between the terminal devices 10 and the management device 20, and for communication between the terminal devices 10, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark), for example, may be used. For example, the communication unit 14 transmits to the management device 20 rechargeable battery information about the rechargeable battery 11 included in the terminal device itself.

[0027] The presentation unit 15 has a display for displaying screen images. For example, the presentation unit 15 presents, on the display, information that guides the user to lend the next terminal device 10 determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 included in each of the multiple terminal devices 10. Information displayed on the display of each terminal device 10 and indicating the order in which the terminal device 10 is to be lent to the user is an example of the guiding information.

[0028] Fig. 2 is an example of a diagram showing a screen display of a terminal device 10 before it is lent to a user. An explanatory diagram 31 of Fig. 2 shows an example in which the presentation unit 15 of each terminal device 10 displays information indicating the order in which the terminal device 10 is to be lent to a user. Each of the terminal devices 10a to 10e is an example of a terminal device 10, and the same applies to a terminal device 10f, etc., described below. In the example of explanatory diagram 31, each terminal device 10 displays information guiding the terminal device 10 marked "1" to be lent to a user next.

[0029] The numbers "1" to "5" displayed on the terminal devices 10a to 10e indicate the order in which the items should be lent to users. However, the order is not limited to being represented by numbers, and may be represented by alphabets, hiragana characters, or the size of figures, etc.

[0030] It is not necessary for all terminal devices 10 to display the guiding information before being lent to a user. In other words, at least some of the displays included in each of the multiple terminal devices 10 may be configured to present the guiding information as the presentation unit 15.

[0031] Furthermore, the display of at least the terminal device 10 that is to be lent next among the multiple terminal devices 10 may be configured to display information indicating the order in which the devices should be lent to the lender. In the above configuration, when two or more terminal devices 10 can be lent simultaneously, it is desirable that two or more terminal devices 10 including the terminal device 10 that is to be lent next display the information.

[0032] Furthermore, the guiding information may be displayed on the displays of the terminal devices 10, the number of which corresponds to the usage history of each terminal device 10, among the plurality of terminal devices 10 before they are rented out. For example, the guiding information may be displayed on more terminal devices 10 during a time period when many terminal devices 10 are rented out, and on fewer terminal devices 10 during a time period when few terminal devices 10 are rented out.

[0033] The present disclosure also includes a configuration in which the presentation unit 15 has an LED and presents the order in which each terminal device 10 is to be rented by the LED's light color, brightness, blinking speed, etc. In the case of the above configuration, the following explanation applies, with "display" being read as "presentation" as appropriate.

[0034] The input unit 16 is a member realized as buttons, a keyboard, etc., and receives user input instructions to the terminal device 10. The presentation unit 15 and the input unit 16 may be configured to be realized as an integrated touch panel.

[0035] The management device 20 functions as a server for the terminal device 10, and includes a control unit 22, a storage unit 23, a communication unit 24, and a presentation unit 25.

[0036] The control unit 22 is a control device such as a CPU that controls the entire management device 20. For example, the control unit 22 determines the order in which the terminal devices 10 should be lent to users by referring to the rechargeable battery information acquired from each of the terminal devices 10. Typically, the control unit 22 determines the order so that terminal devices 10 equipped with rechargeable batteries 11 with a lower degree of deterioration are given priority for lending.

[0037] The storage unit 23 is a storage device such as a memory that at least temporarily stores various information. For example, the storage unit 23 stores information indicating which terminal device 10 is lent to the user.

[0038] The communication unit 24 is an interface that communicates with external devices such as the terminal device 10 via the network 2. For example, the communication unit 24 transmits information indicating the order determined by the control unit 22 to the terminal device 10.

[0039] The presentation unit 25 has a display that displays a screen. For example, the presentation unit 25 may display information indicating which terminal device 10 has been rented out or information indicating which terminal device 10 has been returned. The presentation unit 25 may also display some or all of the information displayed on the presentation unit 15 of each terminal device 10. In a broad sense, the management system 1 may present the above-mentioned information, etc., that guides a user to rent one of the terminal devices 10 to a user next, on at least one of the presentation unit 15 of the terminal device 10 and the presentation unit 25 of the management device 20.

[0040] Note that any one of the terminal devices 10, or one or more terminal devices 10 working together, may be configured to implement some or all of the functions of the management device 20. For example, any one of the terminal devices 10 may refer to rechargeable battery information acquired from the other terminal devices 10, determine the order in which the terminal devices 10 should lend out to users, and share this order.

[0041] [1.2. Example of management system processing] Next, the flow of processing executed by the management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of the processing. The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 3 is started, for example, when a predetermined operation is performed on the management device 20. Furthermore, the processing of the terminal devices 10 described below is executed with each of the terminal devices 10 as the subject or target.

[0042] In S101 (step S101), the control unit 12 of the terminal device 10 before it is lent to a user transmits the acquired rechargeable battery information of the terminal device 10 to the management device 20 via the communication unit 14 in response to a request from the management device 20.

[0043] In S102, the control unit 22 of the management device 20 refers to the rechargeable battery information acquired from the terminal devices 10 and determines the order in which the terminal devices 10 should be lent to users.

[0044] When the process transitions from S106 or S108 to S102, the control unit 22 determines the order for the terminal devices 10 that are not currently lent to users. If all the terminal devices 10 are lent to users, the process of determining the order is not executed, and the determination in S107, which will be described later, continues.

[0045] In S103, the control unit 22 transmits information indicating the order to the terminal device 10 before it is lent to the user. Here, each piece of information received by the terminal device 10 includes at least information indicating the order in which the terminal device 10 is to be lent to the user.

[0046] In S104, the presentation unit 15 of the terminal device 10 displays information indicating the order, i.e., information indicating the order in which the terminal device 10 is to be lent out. As described above, the explanatory diagram 31 of Fig. 2 shows an example in which the presentation unit 15 of each terminal device 10 displays the information.

[0047] In S105, the control unit 12 of the terminal device 10 determines whether the terminal device 10 has been lent to a user. In one aspect, the terminal device 10 before being lent to a user is connected to the charger 19 via a charging cable as shown in FIG. 2 . Also, as shown in FIG. 33, the terminal device 10 is determined to have been lent to a user when the charger 19 is disconnected. In other words, the process of S105 can be said to be a process in which the control unit 12 determines whether the terminal device 10 is connected to the charger 19 or has been disconnected. Note that the terminal device 10 is not limited to being configured to be charged using a charging cable, and may be configured to be charged using wireless charging.

[0048] If the control unit 12 of a terminal device 10 determines that the device has been lent to a user (S105: YES), the process proceeds to S106. On the other hand, if the control unit 12 of any terminal device 10 does not determine that the device has been lent to a user (S105: NO), the process proceeds to S107.

[0049] In S106, the control unit 12 of the terminal device 10 that has been lent to the user transmits information indicating that the device itself has been lent to the user to the management device 20, as shown in the explanatory diagram 34 of Fig. 2. Then, following the processing of S106, the processing of S102 is executed for the terminal device 10 before it was lent to the user. Note that the terminal device 10 that has been lent to the user ends the display of the information indicating the order described above, and controls the display and the like in accordance with the input to the input unit 16.

[0050] Moreover, explanatory diagram 35 shows an example in which the presentation unit 15 of each terminal device 10 displays information indicating the order in S104 when the processes of S102 to S104 are executed following the process of S106. When terminal device 10a, which was displayed as "1" in explanatory diagram 31, is lent to a user, terminal device 10b, which was displayed as "2," becomes "1," and terminal device 10c, which was displayed as "3," becomes "2," and the order in which they should be lent to users moves up by one.

[0051] In this way, in response to the detection that one or more terminal devices 10 have been rented out, the display provided on each of the plurality of terminal devices 10 updates the information indicating the order.

[0052] In S107, the control unit 12 of the terminal device 10 that has been lent to the user determines whether the device has been returned by the user. In other words, the process of S107 is a process in which the control unit 12 determines whether the device has been connected to the charger 19 again.

[0053] If the control unit 12 determines that the terminal device 10 has been returned by the user (S107: YES), the process proceeds to S108. On the other hand, if the control unit 12 of any of the terminal devices 10 that have been lent to the user has not determined that the terminal device 10 has been returned by the user (S107: NO), the process proceeds to S104.

[0054] From another perspective, the process of S104 continues until any one of the terminal devices 10 is lent to a user or returned by the user.

[0055] In S108, the control unit 12 of the terminal device 10 returned by the user transmits information indicating that the terminal device has been returned by the user to the management device 20. Following the processing of S108, the processing from S102 onwards is executed for the terminal devices 10 in the state before being loaned to the user, including the terminal device 10 returned by the user, and the display of each terminal device 10 is updated. Note that the configuration may be such that the processing of S101 is executed following the processing of S108 and the above-described S106.

[0056] The processing of this example makes it possible to realize a technique for managing terminal devices 10 before they are rented out in order to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries 11 included in each of multiple terminal devices 10. This prevents situations in which, for example, when a deteriorated rechargeable battery 11 is replaced, still-usable rechargeable batteries 11 of other terminal devices 10 are also replaced, thereby contributing to reducing unnecessary replacement of rechargeable batteries 11.

[0057] [1.3. Variation 1] Next, a first modified example of this embodiment will be described. Furthermore, aspects of each modified example described below can be applied in combination with other modified examples and each embodiment described later.

[0058] FIG. 4 is an example of a diagram showing a process in which a display of another terminal device 10 is updated as a result of a terminal device 10 being lent to a user according to this modified example.

[0059] The terminal device 10 according to this modification is configured to determine that the terminal device 10 has been rented to a user when an input to start using the terminal device 10 is made via the input unit 16. The button 46 in FIG. 41 is an example of an object for receiving the input to start use.

[0060] As shown in Figs. 41 and 42, when button 46 is pressed, terminal device 10a ends the display of the information indicating the order and displays the initial use screen. Also, as shown in Figs. 43 and 44, the terminal device 10a transmits information indicating that the terminal device has been rented out to a user to the management device 20, and as a result, the displays of the other terminal devices 10 are updated.

[0061] The terminal device 10 may be configured to display the button 46 in response to the disconnection of the terminal device 10 from the charger 19, or may be configured to display the button 46 while the terminal device 10 is being charged.

[0062] In another example embodiment, the terminal device 10 may be configured to determine that the device itself has been rented out to a user when the following conditions are met: When the device itself is out of the range of communication with other terminal devices 10 via Bluetooth When the Wi-Fi to which the device itself is connected becomes different from the Wi-Fi to which other terminal devices 10 are connected The terminal device 10 may be returned when a predetermined input is made to the input unit 16, or may be returned automatically at a predetermined time.

[0063] [1.4. Variation 2] Next, a second modified example of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is an example of a diagram showing an example in which the presenting unit 15 of each terminal device 10 according to this modified example displays information indicating to which user the terminal device 10 is to be lent. In the example of Fig. 5, the presenting unit 15 displays the name of the user on the screen, but it may also be configured to display an ID or the like that identifies the user.

[0064] Furthermore, the management device 20 according to this modification is configured to determine to which user each terminal device 10 should be loaned, by referring to the usage history of each terminal device 10, in a step corresponding to S102 in FIG. 3 . Typically, the management device 20 makes the above-described determination so that a terminal device 10 equipped with a rechargeable battery 11 with a lower degree of degradation is loaned to a user who uses the terminal device 10 for a longer period of time and more frequently. Typically, users who use the terminal device 10 for a longer period of time tend to use it more frequently, and the two terms do not necessarily need to be strictly distinguished and may be interchangeable. Furthermore, each terminal device 10 may identify the user who logged in to its own device and transmit the information about the time the user used the terminal device 10 to the management device 20 at a predetermined timing. Furthermore, the rate at which the rechargeable battery 11 consumes power and the rate at which degradation progresses may vary depending on the brightness setting of the display of the terminal device 10, etc. Therefore, a user who uses the terminal device 10 for a longer period of time or more frequently may be broadly referred to as, for example, a user who uses the terminal device 10 in a manner that causes the rechargeable battery 11 to deteriorate. Furthermore, the terminal device 10 may be configured so that login can be performed by face authentication or fingerprint authentication.

[0065] In addition, this modified embodiment can also be said to be such that each terminal device 10 displays information that guides a certain user who is to be the next to borrow a terminal device 10 to the terminal device 10 that is to be borrowed next.

[0066] As a further derived embodiment, the management system 1 may be configured to include an attendance management device (not shown), and in response to receiving information from the attendance management device indicating that a certain user has clocked in, the management device 20 may turn on the screen display of the terminal device 10 to be lent to the user. In addition, in response to receiving information from the attendance management device indicating that a certain user has clocked in, the management device 20 may automatically transition the terminal device 10 to be lent to the user to a state in which the user is logged in. In addition, these processes may be configured so that information is sent directly from the attendance management device to the terminal device 10 and executed without going through the management device 20.

[0067] [1.5. Variation 3] Next, a third modified example of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is an example of a diagram showing a screen display when a terminal device 10 according to this modified example is lent to a user. Furthermore, the terminal device 10 according to this modified example is configured to determine that the terminal device 10 has been lent to a certain user when the user logs in to the terminal device 10. Furthermore, in the example of Fig. 6, it is assumed that the management device 20 has determined that the terminal device 10g is the terminal device 10 that should be lent to the user "Sato-san" based on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 of each terminal device 10.

[0068] In FIG. 51, information indicating that "Mr. Sato" has successfully logged in to the terminal device 10f is transmitted from the terminal device 10f to the management device 20. Note that in this modified example, it is not essential that the terminal device 10 before being lent to a user displays information for guiding the user to the next terminal device 10 to be lent.

[0069] Next, the management device 20 transmits information indicating that the terminal device 10g is the terminal device 10 to be lent to "Sato-san" to the terminal devices 10f and 10g. As a result, the presentation units 15 of the terminal devices 10f and 10g display the screen shown in FIG. 52. Specifically, the terminal device 10f displays a screen presenting a proposal to exchange the terminal device 10 to be lent to "Sato-san" for another terminal device 10. Furthermore, the terminal device 10g displays a screen presenting a proposal to exchange the terminal device 10 to be lent to "Sato-san" for its own terminal device 10g.

[0070] Furthermore, button 55 included on the display screen of terminal device 10f is an example of an object for accepting an input to refuse the exchange of the lent terminal device 10 and continue lending out terminal device 10f. On the other hand, button 56 included on the display screen of terminal device 10g is an example of an object for accepting an input to agree to exchange the lent terminal device 10 from terminal device 10f for terminal device 10g.

[0071] FIG. 53 shows the process in which "Sato-san" presses button 56 and the terminal device 10 to be lent is changed from terminal device 10f to terminal device 10g. In the process, information required for login is sent from terminal device 10f to terminal device 10g directly or via management device 20, and "Sato-san" is automatically logged in to terminal device 10g. Furthermore, terminal device 10f is automatically logged out.

[0072] Furthermore, when button 55 is pressed, the state in which "Mr. Sato" is logged in to terminal device 10f, i.e., the state in which terminal device 10f is loaned to "Mr. Sato", continues, and terminal device 10g returns to the original screen display illustrated in explanatory diagram 51.

[0073] In the example of Figure 6, if the difference in the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries 11 between terminal device 10f and terminal device 10g is less than a predetermined value, it is more desirable that the management system 1 not perform the processing shown in explanatory diagrams 52 and 53, and that terminal device 10f be lent to "Mr. Sato" as is.

[0074] As described above, the management system 1 according to this modification is configured to include a presentation unit 15 that, when any of the terminal devices 10 is lent to a user, suggests replacing the terminal device 10 to be lent to the user with another terminal device 10, depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries 11 included in each of the multiple terminal devices 10. Note that the presentation unit 25 may also suggest replacing the terminal device 10 to be lent to the user with another terminal device 10.

[0075] 2. Embodiment 2 A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the previous embodiment, and redundant explanations will not be repeated. This also applies to the following embodiments.

[0076] In this embodiment, a mode will be described in which at least some of the terminal devices lent to each user are exchanged with each other depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices.

[0077] [2.1. Management system configuration example] This embodiment also uses the configuration of the management system 1 shown in Fig. 1. However, in the above-described first embodiment, in many cases, the time from lending the terminal device 10 to returning it was about several hours to several days, whereas in this embodiment, in many cases, it is assumed that the terminal device 10 will be lent for more than several days to several years. An example of this embodiment is a service in which the manufacturer of the terminal device 10 rents the terminal device 10 to a business operator.

[0078] Furthermore, since the terminal devices 10 are charged by the users to whom they are lent, the terminal devices 10 are usually not placed near each other even when being charged.

[0079] Furthermore, this aspect of the present embodiment can also be implemented when, for example, the following conditions are met. When the terminal devices 10 are not located within the same base station range or the same Wi-Fi range When the terminal devices 10 are not located within a range where they can communicate with each other via Bluetooth Even if the aspect of the first embodiment is executed, if the terminal device 10 to be lent is not selected as guided, Even when the first embodiment is implemented, the same user always uses a certain terminal device 10. Furthermore, the management device 20 according to this embodiment may be realized as, for example, a personal computer that is used by a business operator via a browser to provide functions related to the above-described services. Although not an essential component, the storage unit 23 of the management device 20 stores information indicating to which user each terminal device 10 is rented.

[0080] [2.2. Examples of management system processing] Next, the flow of processing executed by the management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of the processing. At the start of the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, each terminal device 10 is assumed to be rented to a user who is an employee of the business operator. Furthermore, the processing of the terminal device 10 described below is executed with each terminal device 10 as the subject or target.

[0081] In S201, the control unit 22 of the management device 20 determines whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the lending of the terminal device 10 began or since the most recent determination in S201 was made. If the control unit 22 determines that the predetermined period of time has elapsed (S201: YES), the process of S202 is subsequently executed. If the control unit 22 determines that the predetermined period of time has not elapsed (S201: NO), the determination in S201 is repeated. Note that S201 may be configured to determine whether a predetermined date and time has arrived, or to determine whether the management device 20 has received information from any of the terminal devices 10 indicating that the number of charging attempts has reached a predetermined number of times.

[0082] In S202, the control unit 22 requests the terminal device 10 to transmit rechargeable battery information, and acquires the rechargeable battery information transmitted from the terminal device 10. The rechargeable battery information includes the number of times the terminal device 10 has been charged.

[0083] In S203, the control unit 22 refers to the acquired rechargeable battery information and determines whether or not a combination of terminal devices 10 exists in which the difference in the number of times charged is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. If the control unit 22 determines that such a combination exists (S203: YES), the process of S204 is executed. If the control unit 22 determines that such a combination does not exist (S203: NO), the process from S201 is repeated. Note that S203 may be configured to determine whether or not the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11, which is determined based on something other than the number of times charged, is equal to or greater than a predetermined level.

[0084] In S204, the control unit 22 determines a combination of terminal devices 10 lent to users for exchanging each other, depending on the number of times the terminal devices 10 have been charged. In a broader sense, the control unit 22 determines a combination of terminal devices 10 for exchanging each other, depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries 11 included in each of the terminal devices 10.

[0085] In S205, the control unit 22 transmits an instruction to exchange the terminal devices 10 with each other to the terminal device 10 that instructs the exchange.

[0086] In S206, the presenting unit 15 of the terminal device 10 displays an instruction to exchange the terminal device 10 with any terminal device 10 that has been lent to another user and that has been instructed by the management device 20.

[0087] The processing of S203 to S206 will be further explained with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is an example of a diagram for explaining the processing of exchanging terminal devices 10 with each other.

[0088] In the example of FIG. 8, the number of times the terminal devices 10a to 10e have been charged is 250, 200, 150, 100, and 50, respectively. From another perspective, the terminal device 10a has the highest user usage frequency, and the terminal device 10e has the lowest user usage frequency. In this case, if the predetermined number of times described in S203 is 30, for example, the difference in the number of times the terminal devices 10a and 10b have been charged is 50, so the determination in S203 is "YES" and the process proceeds to S204. However, it is desirable that the exchange of the terminal devices 10 is performed so that the number of times the terminal devices 10 have been charged is smoothed. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 8, in S204 to S206, it is determined and displayed that the terminal devices 10a and 10e owned by each user will be exchanged, and that the terminal devices 10b and 10d owned by each user will be exchanged. As a result, for example, the presentation unit 15 of the terminal device 10a displays on the screen a text saying, "Swap with terminal device 10e!" The presentation unit 15 may also display on the screen a text specifying the user who owns the terminal device 10 to be exchanged, such as, "Swap with Mr. / Ms. X's terminal device 10e!" The presentation unit 15 may also have a speaker and be configured to output an instruction to exchange the terminal device 10 by voice. The presentation unit 25 of the management device 20 may also display an instruction to exchange at least some of the terminal devices 10 lent to the users.

[0089] Furthermore, the control unit 22 of the management device 20 has determined that the terminal device 10c will not be replaced with any other terminal device 10, and therefore does not transmit to the terminal device 10c an instruction to replace the terminal device 10. Therefore, the instruction to replace the terminal device 10 is not displayed on the terminal device 10c.

[0090] In S207, the control unit 12 of the terminal device 10 transmits to the management device 20 information indicating that the exchange between the terminal devices 10 has been completed.

[0091] The control unit 12 of the terminal device 10 may determine that the exchange of the terminal devices 10 has been completed by a predetermined input to the input unit 16, or by a user personally logging in to the exchanged terminal device 10. If the exchange of the terminal devices 10 has not been completed, the control unit 12 may periodically display an instruction to exchange the terminal devices 10 on the presentation unit 15.

[0092] In S208, the control unit 22 of the management device 20 updates the information stored in the memory unit 23, which indicates to which user each terminal device 10 is rented, based on the information received from the terminal device 10.

[0093] The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is repeatedly executed until the period for which the business operator rents the terminal device 10 ends, for example.

[0094] According to the processing of this example, a technique for managing terminal devices 10 after they are rented out can be realized in order to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries 11 provided in each of the multiple terminal devices 10.

[0095] 3. Embodiment 3 A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below, which is a combination of the first and second embodiments described above.

[0096] [3.1. Example of management system configuration] This embodiment also uses the configuration of the management system 1 shown in Fig. 1. However, the management system 1 includes multiple management devices 20 that cooperate with each other, and the management devices 20 and terminal devices 10 are arranged in a unique manner.

[0097] A representative example of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is an example diagram for explaining the arrangement of each component included in the management system 1 according to this embodiment. However, Fig. 9 does not show the charger 19 and other components connected to the terminal device 10.

[0098] In the example of FIG. 9, "Company B" rents a total of 14 terminal devices 10 from, for example, the manufacturer of the terminal devices 10 for periods ranging from several days to several years, and distributes them at each of its branches. Specifically, four, five, and five terminal devices 10 are distributed at the "Tohoku Branch," "Kansai Branch," and "Kyushu Branch," respectively. Furthermore, at each branch, the terminal devices 10 are lent to users at the branch for a period ranging from several hours to several days from the time of rental until return. In many cases, the users at each branch are employees of the branch, but they may also be customers.

[0099] Furthermore, before being loaned to a user, each terminal device 10 is connected to a charger 19 and is located near each other at each branch office. As in the example of the first embodiment, when the connection between the terminal device 10 and the charger 19 is released, it is determined that the terminal device 10 has been loaned to a user, and the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 is determined by the number of times it has been charged.

[0100] [3.2. Examples of management system processing] The management system 1 of this embodiment executes the processing shown in the flowchart of Figure 3 for the terminal devices 10 at each branch office in Figure 9, and executes the processing shown in the flowchart of Figure 7 for the terminal devices 10 between branches.

[0101] For example, the management system 1 applies the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 to the terminal devices 10 in the "Tohoku Branch." This smooths out the number of times the terminal devices 10 in the "Tohoku Branch" are charged. The same applies to the number of times the terminal devices 10 in the "Kansai Branch" and "Kyushu Branch" are charged. Note that information for smoothing the number of times the terminal devices 10 are charged within a certain branch may be configured to be displayed on the management device 20 in the "head office," but it is preferable that it is not displayed on the terminal devices 10 and management devices 20 of other branches. For example, the order in which the terminal devices 10 in the "Tohoku Branch" should be loaned to users should not be displayed on the terminal devices 10 in the "Kansai Branch" and "Kyushu Branch," at least.

[0102] On the other hand, if the frequency of use of the terminal device 10 is high at one branch and low at another branch, the difference in the number of times the terminal device 10 is charged between the branches will become larger. Therefore, the management system 1 applies the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 to, for example, the terminal device 10 at the "Tohoku Branch" and the terminal device 10 at the "Kansai Branch." As a result, for example, if four of the terminal devices 10 at the "Tohoku Branch" are exchanged with four of the five terminal devices 10 at the "Kansai Branch" via mail or the like, the number of times the terminal devices 10 are charged between the branches will be smoothed. The same applies to the number of times the terminal devices 10 are charged between other branches. Note that information for smoothing the number of times the terminal devices 10 are charged between certain branches may be displayed on the management device 20 at the "head office," but it is preferable that the information not be displayed on the terminal devices 10 and management devices 20 at other branches where the terminal devices 10 are not exchanged. For example, information regarding instructions to exchange the terminal device 10 of the "Tohoku Branch" with the terminal device 10 of the "Kansai Branch" should not be displayed on the terminal device 10 of the "Kyushu Branch" at least.

[0103] The management system 1 according to this embodiment has been described above. Explained more broadly, the management system 1 according to this embodiment includes the following first to third presentation units 15 (or 25), where the plurality of terminal devices 10 rented to a first group of lenders are defined as first-type terminal devices 10, and the plurality of terminal devices 10 rented to a second group of lenders are defined as second-type terminal devices 10. Here, the users at each branch office are an example of the first or second group of lenders, and the terminal devices 10 located at each branch office are an example of the first or second-type terminal devices 10. Furthermore, the first to third presentation units 15 may all be separate components, or any two of them may be the same component, or they may all be the same component.

[0104] The first presentation unit 15 presents information that guides one of the first type terminal devices 10, determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 that each of the plurality of first type terminal devices 10 has, to be next lent to a user included in the first group of loan recipients.

[0105] In addition, the second presentation unit 15 presents information to guide the next lending of one of the second type terminal devices 10, determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery 11 provided in each of the plurality of second type terminal devices 10, to a user included in the second group of lending destinations.

[0106] That is, the first and second presenting units 15 present information for smoothing the number of times the terminal device 10 has been charged for each branch office, and present information corresponding to the flowchart of FIG.

[0107] In addition, the third presentation unit 15 presents a suggestion to replace at least one of the first type terminal devices 10 loaned to users included in the first group of loan recipients and at least one of the second type terminal devices 10 loaned to users included in the second group of loan recipients, depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries 11 provided in each of the first type and second type of terminal devices 10.

[0108] That is, the third presentation unit 15 presents information for smoothing the number of times the terminal device 10 is charged between branches, and presents information corresponding to the flowchart of FIG.

[0109] According to the processing of this example, it is possible to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries 11 of all of the terminal devices 10 used in different locations, i.e., 14 terminal devices 10 in the example of Fig. 9. Furthermore, in order to further smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries 11 provided in each of the multiple terminal devices 10, it is possible to realize a technology for managing the terminal devices 10 before or after lending them out.

[0110] [4. Software implementation example] The functions of the terminal device 10 and the management device 20 (hereinafter referred to as "devices") can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the device, and a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the device (especially each part included in the control unit**).

[0111] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The control device and storage device execute the program to realize each function described in each of the above embodiments.

[0112] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0113] In addition, some or all of the functions of each control block can be realized by a logic circuit. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each control block is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of each control block can be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0114] Furthermore, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0115] 〔summary〕 A management system (1) according to a first aspect of the present invention is a management system for managing the rental of a plurality of terminal devices (10) to be rented to rental parties, and is configured to include a presentation unit (15, 25) that presents information to guide the next rental of a terminal device determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery (11) provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices. This configuration realizes a technology for managing terminal devices before they are rented out in order to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices.

[0116] The management system according to Aspect 2 of the present invention may be configured to include the plurality of terminal devices in Aspect 1, and at least some of the displays included in each of the plurality of terminal devices may present the guiding information as the presentation unit. According to the configuration, for example, the guiding information is presented only on some of the displays, which contributes to reducing power consumption.

[0117] The management system according to aspect 3 of the present invention may be configured in the above aspect 2 such that the display of at least the next terminal device to be lent out among the plurality of terminal devices displays information indicating the order in which the devices should be lent out to the lender. This configuration has the effect of making it easier for the lender to know the next terminal device to be lent out.

[0118] The management system according to aspect 4 of the present invention may be configured such that, in response to detecting that one or more of the terminal devices have been rented out in the above-described aspect 3, the display provided on each of the plurality of terminal devices updates the information indicating the order. This configuration has the effect of making it easier for each of the renters to know which terminal device is to be rented out next, for example, when terminal devices are rented out to multiple renters at intervals.

[0119] The management system according to aspect 5 of the present invention may be configured in any one of aspects 2 to 4 to display the guiding information on the displays of a number of terminal devices among the plurality of terminal devices before they are rented out, the number corresponding to the usage history of each terminal device. According to the above configuration, the guiding information can be displayed on an appropriate number of terminal devices.

[0120] The management system according to aspect 6 of the present invention may be configured in the manner as in aspect 1 or 2, wherein the presentation unit presents information indicating to which lender each of the plurality of terminal devices should be lent. This configuration has the effect of making it easier for each lender to understand the terminal device that should be lent to them.

[0121] A terminal device (10) according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is one of a plurality of terminal devices to be rented to a lender, and is configured to include a presentation unit (15) that presents information to guide the lender to rent out a terminal device determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery (11) provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices. This configuration realizes a technology for managing terminal devices before they are rented out in order to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices.

[0122] A management system (1) according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is a management system for managing the rental of a plurality of terminal devices (10) to be rented to rental parties, and is configured to include a notification unit (15, 25) that prompts the rental party to replace at least some of the terminal devices rented to each rental party according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery (11) provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices. According to the above configuration, a technology for managing terminal devices after rental can be realized in order to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices.

[0123] A terminal device (10) according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is one of a plurality of terminal devices rented to a lender, and is configured to include a prompting unit (15) that prompts the lender to replace the terminal device rented to the lender and any of the terminal devices rented to other lenders according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries (11) included in each of the plurality of terminal devices. This configuration realizes a technology for managing terminal devices after they are rented out in order to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries included in each of the plurality of terminal devices.

[0124] A management system (1) according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is a management system for managing the lending of a plurality of terminal devices (10) to be lent to a lender, and is configured to include a presentation unit (15, 25) that, when any of the terminal devices is lent to a lender, presents a suggestion to replace the terminal device to be lent to the lender with another terminal device according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery (11) provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices. With the above configuration, a technology for managing terminal devices when they are lent can be realized in order to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices.

[0125] The management system (1) according to aspect 11 of the present invention is a management system for managing the lending of a plurality of terminal devices (10) to lenders, and includes a first presentation unit (15, 25) that presents information to guide a first type of terminal device determined according to the degree of deterioration of a rechargeable battery (11) provided in each of the plurality of first type terminal devices so that the next terminal device to be lent to a lender included in the first group of lenders is a first type of terminal device, and a second type of terminal device to be lent to a lender included in the first group of lenders, when the plurality of terminal devices to be lent to a first group of lenders are defined as first type terminal devices and the plurality of terminal devices to be lent to a second group of lenders are defined as second type terminal devices. The system is configured to include a second presentation unit (15, 25) that presents information guiding the next lending of any of the second-type terminal devices determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the terminal devices to a lender included in the second group of lenders, and a third presentation unit (15, 25) that presents information guiding the next lending of any of the second-type terminal devices to a lender included in the first group of lenders, according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the first and second types of terminal devices.With this configuration, it is possible to smooth out the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries of multiple terminal devices used in different locations, for example.

[0126] The terminal device 10 and management device 20 according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the control program that realizes the terminal device 10 or management device 20 on a computer by causing the computer to operate as each part (software element) of the terminal device 10 or management device 20, and the computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0127] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 1 Management System 10, 10a to 10g Terminal equipment 11 Rechargeable batteries 12, 22 Control section 13, 23 Storage section 14, 24 Communications Department 15, 25 Display unit 16 Input section 19 Charger 20 Management device

Claims

1. A management system for managing the lending of a plurality of terminal devices to lenders, A management system comprising: a presentation unit that presents information to guide the user to rent out a terminal device determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices next.

2. The plurality of terminal devices are provided, The management system according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the displays included in each of the plurality of terminal devices serves as the presentation unit to present the guidance information.

3. 3. The management system according to claim 2, wherein a display of at least one of the plurality of terminal devices that is to be lent next displays information indicating the order in which the terminal devices should be lent to the lenders.

4. In response to detecting that one or more of the terminal devices have been rented, The management system according to claim 3 , wherein a display provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices updates the information indicating the order.

5. 4. The management system according to claim 2, wherein the guidance information is displayed on the displays of a number of terminal devices corresponding to the usage history of each terminal device among the plurality of terminal devices before they are rented out.

6. The presentation unit 3. The management system according to claim 1, further comprising: displaying information indicating to which lender each of the plurality of terminal devices should be lent.

7. A terminal device constituting one of a plurality of terminal devices rented to a lender, A terminal device comprising: a presentation unit that presents information that guides the user to rent out a terminal device determined according to the degree of deterioration of a rechargeable battery provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices next.

8. A management system for managing the lending of a plurality of terminal devices to lenders, A management system comprising a presentation unit that presents a suggestion to replace at least some of the terminal devices rented to each rental destination depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the plurality of terminal devices.

9. A terminal device constituting one of a plurality of terminal devices rented to a lender, A terminal device having a presentation unit that presents a suggestion that the device itself, which has been rented to a certain lender, and any of the terminal devices rented to other lenders be replaced depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the multiple terminal devices.

10. A management system for managing the lending of a plurality of terminal devices to lenders, A management system comprising a presentation unit that, when any of the terminal devices is loaned to a loan recipient, suggests replacing the terminal device to be loaned to the loan recipient with another terminal device, depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries each of the multiple terminal devices has.

11. A management system for managing the lending of a plurality of terminal devices to lenders, When the plurality of terminal devices lent to the first group of lenders are defined as first-type terminal devices, and the plurality of terminal devices lent to the second group of lenders are defined as second-type terminal devices, a first presentation unit that presents information to guide the next lending of any one of the first-type terminal devices determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery included in each of the plurality of first-type terminal devices to a lending destination included in the first group of lending destinations; a second presentation unit that presents information to guide the next lending of any one of the second-type terminal devices determined according to the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable battery included in each of the plurality of second-type terminal devices to a lending destination included in the second group of lending destinations; A management system comprising: a third presentation unit that presents a suggestion to replace at least one first-type terminal device loaned to a lender included in the first group of lenders and at least one second-type terminal device loaned to a lender included in the second group of lenders, depending on the degree of deterioration of the rechargeable batteries provided in each of the first-type and second-type terminal devices.

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