Information processing systems, information processing methods, and programs

Abstract

We provide an information processing system that can reduce the number of batteries that need to be managed as inventory. [Solution] According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing system is provided. This information processing system comprises at least one processor capable of executing a program so as to perform the following steps: In the acquisition step, usage information is acquired for each of the first batteries, which are batteries installed and used in a plurality of mobility devices. The batteries further include at least one second battery, which is not installed in a mobility device and is managed as inventory, and which is charged at a charging center and then delivered to a station. The mobility device is configured so that the first battery can be replaced with the second battery at the station. In the delivery control step, the determination of a specific station, which is the station from which the second battery is delivered from the charging center, is controlled according to the usage information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a charging device that charges a battery with electric power generated using renewable energy, the charging device including: a plurality of battery storage units that store the battery; a battery charging unit that charges the battery stored in the battery storage unit; and a control unit that controls the battery charging unit so that charging of the battery is started at different timings for each of the battery storage units.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, since used batteries and charged batteries are exchanged, when users who wish to exchange them concentrate on one exchange station, there may be users who cannot exchange until the batteries are delivered. Also, incidentally, it is necessary to increase the inventory of batteries.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an information processing system or the like that can reduce the number of batteries managed as inventory.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, an information processing system is provided. This information processing system comprises at least one processor capable of executing a program so as to perform the following steps: In the acquisition step, usage information is acquired for each of the first batteries, which are batteries installed in and used in a plurality of mobility devices. The batteries further include at least one second battery, which is not installed in a mobility device and is managed as inventory, and which is charged at a charging center and then delivered to a station. The mobility device is configured so that the first battery can be replaced with the second battery at the station. In the delivery control step, the determination of a specific station, which is the station from which the second battery is delivered from the charging center, is controlled according to the usage information.

[0007] This configuration allows for a reduction in the number of batteries managed as inventory. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a configuration diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2A is a block diagram showing details of Figure 1, and in particular, Figure 2A shows the configuration of server device 2, and Figure 2B shows the configuration of terminal device 3. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of Information Processing System 1. [Figure 4] This is a reference diagram. [Figure 5] This is a reference diagram. [Figure 6] This is a reference diagram. [Figure 7] This is a reference diagram. [Figure 8] This is a reference diagram. [Figure 9] This is a reference diagram. [Figure 10] This is a reference diagram. [Figure 11] This is a reference diagram. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the embodiments below can be combined with each other.

[0010] Incidentally, the program for implementing the software appearing in this embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, or it may be provided so that it can be downloaded from an external server, or it may be provided so that the program is launched on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] Furthermore, in this embodiment, "part" may include, for example, hardware resources implemented by circuits in a broad sense, and the information processing of software that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In addition, various types of information are handled in this embodiment, and these types of information can be represented, for example, by the physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltage and current, the high or low values ​​of signal values ​​as a set of binary bits composed of 0s or 1s, or by quantum superposition (so-called qubits), and communication and calculations can be performed on circuits in a broad sense.

[0012] Furthermore, a circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by combining at least a suitable combination of circuits, circuits, processors, and memory. In other words, it includes application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (for example, simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), etc.

[0013] [Embodiment] 1. Hardware Configuration This section describes the hardware configuration of this embodiment.

[0014] 1.1 Information Processing System 1 Figure 1 is a configuration diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing details of Figure 1, in particular Figure 2A showing the configuration of the server device 2 and Figure 2B showing the configuration of the terminal device 3. The information processing system 1 comprises, for example, a server device 2 and a plurality of terminal devices 3, which are electrically connected. These components will be described further. Here, the system exemplified in the information processing system 1 consists of one or more devices or components. Therefore, it should be noted that the server device 2 alone, or a combination of the server device 2 and terminal devices 3, is included in the information processing system 1. More specifically, the information processing system 1 may include elements selected from the group consisting of the server device 2 and terminal devices 3. Elements that are not selected are not included in the information processing system 1, but are electrically connected to the selected elements as external elements.

[0015] 1.2 Server device 2 As shown in FIG. 2A, the server device 2 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23, and these components are electrically connected via a communication bus 20 inside the server device 2. Each component will be further described below.

[0016] The communication unit 21 preferably uses wired communication means such as USB, IEEE1394, Thunderbolt (registered trademark), and wired LAN network communication. However, wireless LAN network communication, mobile communication such as 3G / LTE / 5G, and BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) communication may be included as needed. That is, it is more preferable to implement it as a collection of these multiple communication means. That is, the server device 2 may communicate various information from the outside via the communication unit 21 and the network.

[0017] The storage unit 22 stores various information defined as described above. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs related to the server device 2 executed by the control unit 23, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily necessary information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to program operations. The storage unit 22 stores various programs, variables, etc. related to the server device 2 executed by the control unit 23.

[0018] The control unit 23 performs processing and control of the overall operation related to the server device 2. The control unit 23 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) not shown. The control unit 23 realizes various functions related to the server device 2 by reading predetermined programs stored in the memory unit 22. That is, information processing by software stored in the memory unit 22 is concretely realized by the control unit 23, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 23. These will be described in more detail in the next section. Note that the control unit 23 is not limited to being a single unit, and may be implemented with multiple control units 23 for each function, or a combination thereof.

[0019] 1.3 Terminal device 3 The information processing system 1 is equipped with multiple terminal devices 3. For example, in the example shown in Figure 1, terminal devices 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, ... 3-n are illustrated. Also, as shown in Figure 2B, each terminal device 3 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a display unit 34, and an input unit 35, and these components are electrically connected within the terminal device 3 via a communication bus 30. The explanation of the communication unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the control unit 33 is the same as the explanation of each part in the server device 2, so it is omitted.

[0020] The display unit 34 may be included in the terminal device 3 housing or it may be an external component. The display unit 34 displays a graphical user interface (GUI) screen that can be operated by the user. This is preferably done by using different display devices such as a CRT display, liquid crystal display, organic EL display, and plasma display, depending on the type of terminal device 3.

[0021] The input unit 35 may be included in the casing of the terminal device 3 or it may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 35 may be integrated with the display unit 34 and implemented as a touch panel. If it is a touch panel, the user can input tap operations, swipe operations, etc. Of course, a switch button, mouse, QWERTY keyboard, etc. may be used instead of a touch panel. In other words, the input unit 35 receives operation input made by the user. This input is transmitted as a command signal to the control unit 33 via the communication bus 30, and the control unit 33 can execute predetermined controls and calculations as needed.

[0022] 2. Functional Configuration This section describes the functional configuration of this embodiment. As mentioned above, information processing by software stored in the memory unit 22 is specifically realized by the control unit 23, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 23. In other words, the information processing system 1 includes at least one processor capable of executing a program so that the following functions are performed.

[0023] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing system 1. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 23 (processor) of the server device 2, which is an example of the information processing system 1, comprises an acquisition unit 231, a transmission unit 232, a reception unit 233, a distribution control unit 234, and a calculation unit 235.

[0024] 3. Overview of Information Processing Methods The acquisition unit 231 acquires usage information for each of the first batteries, which are batteries installed and used in multiple mobility devices. The batteries further include at least one second battery that is not installed in a mobility device and is managed as inventory. The second battery is charged at a charging center and then delivered to a station. The mobility device is configured to allow the first battery to be replaced with the second battery at the station. The delivery control unit 234 controls the determination of a specific station, which is the station from which the second battery is delivered from the charging center, according to the usage information. This configuration allows for a reduction in the number of batteries managed as inventory.

[0025] 4. Details of the information processing method Preferably, the usage information includes first usage information and second usage information. The first usage information is information regarding the current usage of the first battery for each mobility. The second usage information is information regarding the expected usage of the first battery based on past statistics or circumstances. This configuration allows for a more effective reduction in the number of batteries managed as inventory.

[0026] Preferably, the second usage information is information regarding the use of the first battery, including conditions related to the time of year, weather, or event. This configuration allows for a more effective reduction in the number of batteries that need to be managed as inventory.

[0027] Preferably, the transmitting unit 232 further sends a notification to a terminal (e.g., terminal device 3-1) managing a specific station offering to deliver the second battery. The receiving unit 233 receives permission from the terminal (e.g., terminal device 3-1) for the notification. If permission is granted, the delivery control unit 234 decides to deliver the second battery to the specific station. With this configuration, the second battery can be distributed to each station while taking into account the convenience of the station to which it will be delivered. The station may be a public station like a gas station, used by an unspecified number of people, or it may be a station set up by a company in a designated location such as an office. Alternatively, a company may set up stations at multiple offices and share them only within the company, or a company may allow third parties to use them for a fee or free of charge.

[0028] Preferably, the first battery may be removed and charged at the station. This configuration eliminates the need for delivery time from the station to the charging center or from the charging center to the station.

[0029] Preferably, the first battery may be removed and replaced with a third battery located at the station. In this case, the removed first battery may be charged at the station. Alternatively, the removed first battery may be replaced with a second battery delivered from a charging center. This configuration reduces the number of deliveries from the station to the charging center or from the charging center to the station.

[0030] Preferably, a configuration in which a third battery is placed in preparation for the first battery replacement and a configuration in which the second battery is delivered may coexist, and the number of second batteries and third batteries may be fixed to predetermined values. Alternatively, the number of second batteries and third batteries may be varied depending on the time of year, weather, or event being held.

[0031] Preferably, the station manages the used first battery removed from the mobility device. The used first battery is collected at a charging center after the delivery of the second battery, and is charged to become the second battery. The delivery control unit 234 decides to deliver the second battery, obtained by charging the used first battery collected at the first station, to a second station different from the first station. This configuration allows the number of batteries managed as inventory to be kept to a minimum.

[0032] Preferably, when collecting used first batteries to the charging center, efficiency measures are taken to minimize additional costs, such as utilizing joint delivery, using empty trucks that have already transported goods for delivery, or collecting from multiple stations in a single trip. This approach can reduce the costs associated with collection.

[0033] Preferably, when delivering the second battery to the station, efficiency measures are taken to minimize additional costs, such as utilizing shared delivery, using empty trucks that have already transported goods for delivery, or making deliveries to multiple stations in a single trip. Such measures can reduce delivery costs.

[0034] Preferably, the collection of used first batteries and the delivery of second batteries to stations are performed simultaneously. The number of first batteries collected and the number of second batteries delivered may be the same or different. This configuration can reduce delivery costs.

[0035] Preferably, the information processing method comprises each step of the information processing system. This configuration allows for a reduction in the number of batteries managed as inventory.

[0036] Preferably, the program causes the computer to execute each step in the information processing system 1. This configuration allows for a reduction in the number of batteries managed as inventory.

[0037] Figures 4 through 11 are for reference only.

[0038] Furthermore, they may be provided in the following embodiments.

[0039] (1) An information processing system comprising at least one processor capable of executing a program such that the following steps are performed, wherein in the acquisition step, usage information is acquired for each of a first battery which is a battery installed in and used in a plurality of mobilitys, wherein the battery further includes at least one second battery which is not installed in the mobility and is managed as inventory, the second battery is charged at a charging center and delivered to a station after charging, the mobility is configured to be able to replace the first battery with the second battery at the station, and in the delivery control step, the system controls the determination of a specific station which is the station to which the second battery is delivered from the charging center, according to the usage information.

[0040] This configuration allows for a reduction in the number of batteries managed as inventory.

[0041] (2) In the information processing system described in (1) above, the usage information includes first usage information and second usage information, wherein the first usage information is information relating to the current usage of the first battery for each of the mobility devices, and the second usage information is information relating to the usage of the first battery as expected from past statistics or circumstances.

[0042] This configuration allows for a more effective reduction in the number of batteries that need to be managed as inventory.

[0043] (3) In the information processing system described in (2) above, the second usage information is information relating to the use of the first battery, including conditions relating to the time, weather, or event being held.

[0044] This configuration allows for a more effective reduction in the number of batteries that need to be managed as inventory.

[0045] (4) An information processing system according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein in the transmission step, a notification offering to deliver the second battery is sent to a terminal managing the specific station; in the reception step, permission for the notification is received from the terminal; and in the delivery control step, if permission is given, a system is determined to deliver the second battery to the specific station.

[0046] In this configuration, the second battery can be allocated to each station, taking into account the convenience of the station receiving the delivery.

[0047] (5) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the station manages the used first battery removed from the mobility, the used first battery is collected at the charging center after the delivery of the second battery and becomes the second battery by being charged, and in the delivery control step, the system decides to deliver the second battery obtained by charging the used first battery collected at the first station to a second station different from the first station.

[0048] This configuration allows for minimizing the number of batteries managed as inventory.

[0049] (6) An information processing method comprising each step of the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (5) above.

[0050] This configuration allows for a reduction in the number of batteries managed as inventory.

[0051] (7) A program that causes a computer to perform each step of the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (5) above.

[0052] This configuration allows for a reduction in the number of batteries managed as inventory. Of course, this is not always the case.

[0053] Finally, various embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1: Information Processing System 2: Server device 20: Communications bus 21: Communications Department 22: Storage section 23: Control Unit 231: Acquisition Department 232: Transmitter 233: Receiving unit 234: Delivery Control Unit 235: Arithmetic section 3: Terminal device 30: Communications bus 31: Communications Department 32: Storage section 33: Control Unit 34: Display section 35: Input section

Claims

1. An information processing system, A system comprising at least one processor capable of executing a program so that each of the following steps is performed, In the acquisition step, usage information for each of the first batteries, which are installed and used in multiple mobility devices, is acquired. The battery further includes at least one second battery, which is not installed in the mobility and is managed as inventory, the second battery being charged at a charging center and then delivered to a station. The mobility device is configured such that the first battery can be replaced with the second battery at the station. In the delivery control step, the system controls the determination of a specific station, which is the station from which the second battery is delivered from the charging center, according to the usage information.

2. In the information processing system described in claim 1, The aforementioned usage information includes first usage information and second usage information, The first usage information is information regarding the current usage of the first battery for each of the mobility devices. The system wherein the second usage information is information regarding the use of the first battery, which is expected from past statistics or circumstances.

3. In the information processing system described in claim 2, The system wherein the second usage information is information regarding the use of the first battery, including conditions related to the time of year, weather, or event being held.

4. In the information processing system described in claim 1, moreover, In the transmission step, a notification offering to deliver the second battery is sent to the terminal managing the specific station. In the receiving step, permission from the terminal for the notification is received. The delivery control step includes a system that, if the permission is granted, decides to deliver the second battery to the specified station.

5. In the information processing system described in claim 1, The station manages the used first battery removed from the mobility, The used first battery is collected at the charging center after the delivery of the second battery, and becomes the second battery by being charged. The system, in the delivery control step, decides to deliver the second battery, obtained by charging the used first battery collected at the first station, to a second station different from the first station.

6. Information processing method, A method comprising each step of the information processing system described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. It is a program, A program that causes a computer to perform each step in the information processing system described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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