Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To ensure that highway tolls are properly charged when a user temporarily exits the highway to refuel their vehicle. [Solution] An information processing device is provided, which includes an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating that a vehicle has temporarily exited a highway to receive an energy supply, and a determination unit that determines the highway usage fee for the vehicle based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes providing a parking area equipped with various facilities including a parking lot and a toilet at a location relatively close to an interchange rather than directly providing service facilities on an expressway. Patent Document 1 records the time of departure from the interchange using the information recording function of ETC, and confirms the use of the facility by passing through the ETC provided in the parking area. And it is described that, for example, by passing through the ETC of a predetermined interchange on the expressway within a predetermined time such as 2 hours, it is regarded as using a series of expressways so as not to levy a new toll.

Prior Art Documents

[0007] Furthermore, in a second aspect relating to this disclosure, an information processing method is provided which acquires information indicating that a vehicle has temporarily exited the expressway to receive an energy supply, and determines the expressway usage fee for the vehicle based on the acquired information.

[0008] Furthermore, in a third aspect relating to this disclosure, a program is provided that causes a computer to perform a process of obtaining information indicating that a vehicle has temporarily exited a highway to receive energy, and determining the highway usage fee for the vehicle based on the obtained information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] From one perspective, if a user temporarily exits the highway to refuel their vehicle, the highway toll can be charged appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the information processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of information stored in the vehicle database according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a display screen according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The principles of this disclosure will be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and should be understood as helping those skilled in the art to understand and implement this disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosures described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0012] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Each drawing is merely illustrative for illustrating one or more embodiments. Each drawing may be associated not only with one specific embodiment but also with one or more other embodiments. As those skilled in the art will understand, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings, for example, to create embodiments not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing to illustrate an exemplary embodiment are necessarily required, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any of the drawings may be changed as appropriate.

[0014] (Embodiment 1) <Structure> Referring to Figure 1, the configuration of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. The information processing device 10 has an acquisition unit 11 and a determination unit 12. Each of these units may be realized through the cooperation of one or more programs installed in the information processing device 10 and hardware such as the processor and memory of the information processing device 10.

[0015] The acquisition unit 11 acquires information indicating that the vehicle 20 has temporarily exited the highway and received energy supply. The determination unit 12 determines the toll for using the highway for the vehicle 20 based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 11. Thereby, when the user temporarily exits the highway to supply energy to the vehicle, the toll for using the highway can be appropriately charged.

[0016] (Embodiment 2) <System Configuration> Next, referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 2, the information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 10, vehicles 20A, 20B, 20C, energy suppliers 30A, 30B, 3OC, and ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System) gates 40A, 40B, 40C. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the vehicles 20A to 20C, they are simply referred to as "vehicle(s) 20". Also, when there is no need to distinguish between the energy suppliers 30A to 30C, they are simply referred to as "energy supplier(s) 30". Further, when there is no need to distinguish between the gates 40A to 40C, they are simply referred to as "ETC gate(s) 40".

[0017] [[ID=!2]] In the example of FIG. 2, the information processing device 10, the vehicle 20, the energy supplier 30, and the ETC gate 40 are connected so as to be able to communicate directly or indirectly via the network N. Note that the number of the information processing device 10, the vehicle 20, the energy supplier 30, and the ETC gate 40 is not limited to the example of FIG. 2.

[0018] Examples of the network N include, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication system, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a LAN, and a bus, etc. Examples of the mobile communication system include, for example, the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), the 6th generation mobile communication system (6G, Beyond 5G), the 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), the 3rd generation mobile communication system (3G), etc.

[0019] The information processing device 10 may be a device such as a server, a cloud server, or a personal computer, for example. The information processing device 10 provides various services related to the use of highways and the supply of energy (such as electricity, gasoline, hydrogen, etc.) to the users of the vehicle 20, for example.

[0020] The vehicle 20 is, for example, an automobile capable of traveling on a highway, a motorcycle (motorcycle), etc. The vehicle 20 moves using energy such as electricity, gasoline, or hydrogen. Note that a vehicle 20 that moves using only electricity is also referred to as an electric vehicle (EV, Electric Vehicle) or a battery electric vehicle (BEV, Battery Electric Vehicle). Also, a hybrid vehicle equipped with an external charging function is also referred to as a PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle) or a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Vehicle).

[0021] The energy supplier 30 supplies energy such as electricity, gasoline, or hydrogen to the vehicle 20. Note that an energy supplier 30 that supplies electricity is also referred to as a charging stand, a charging station, a charging spot, or a charging station, etc.

[0022] The ETC gate 40 is installed at the entrance and exit of the highway. By performing wireless communication between the in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle 20 and the ETC gate 40 of the toll booth, the user of the vehicle 20 can pay the highway toll without stopping the vehicle 20.

[0023] <Hardware Configuration> Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device 10 according to an embodiment. In the example in Figure 3, the information processing device 10 (computer 100) includes a processor 101, memory 102, and a communication interface 103. These parts may be connected by a bus or the like. The memory 102 stores at least a portion of the program 104. The communication interface 103 includes an interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0024] When program 104 is executed in cooperation with the processor 101 and memory 102, etc., the computer 100 performs at least some of the processing of embodiments of this disclosure. Memory 102 may be of any type. Memory 102 may, in non-limiting examples, be a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. Memory 102 may also be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. Although only one memory 102 is shown for computer 100, computer 100 may have several physically different memory modules. Processor 101 may be of any type. Processor 101 may include one or more general-purpose computers, dedicated computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and, in non-limiting examples, processors based on multicore processor architectures. Computer 100 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0025] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or in dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some embodiments may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device.

[0026] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions contained in a program module, and is executed on a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods of this disclosure. The program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a specific task or implement a specific abstract data type. The functionality of the program module may be combined or divided among the program module as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program module can be executed on a local or distributed device. On a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0027] Program code for performing the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing device. When the program code is executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations in the flowchart and / or block diagrams it implements are performed. The program code may run entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, partially as a standalone software package, partially on a machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0028] Programs can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-temporary computer-readable media. Non-temporary computer-readable media include various types of tangible recording media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media, magneto-optical recording media, optical disc media, and semiconductor memory. Magnetic recording media include, for example, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, and hard disk drives. Magneto-optical recording media include, for example, magneto-optical disks. Optical disc media include, for example, Blu-ray discs, CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R (Recordable), and CD-RW (ReWritable). Semiconductor memory includes, for example, solid-state drives, mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (random access memory). Programs may also be supplied to a computer using various types of temporary computer-readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Temporary computer-readable media can supply programs to a computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels.

[0029] <Processing> Next, an example of the processing of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the vehicle DB (database) 501 according to the embodiment. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen according to the embodiment.

[0030] In step S101, the acquisition unit 11 acquires information indicating that the vehicle 20 has temporarily left the highway to receive an energy supply. The information indicating that an energy supply has been received may include information indicating at least one of the date and time when the energy was supplied and the amount of energy supplied (electricity or liters of gasoline, etc.). The date and time when the energy was supplied may be, for example, the date and time when the supply of energy from the energy supply unit 30 to the vehicle 20 began. The date and time when the energy was supplied may also be, for example, the date and time when the supply of energy from the energy supply unit 30 to the vehicle 20 was completed. Alternatively, the date and time when the energy was supplied may also be, for example, the date and time when the user of the vehicle 20 paid for the energy supplied from the energy supply unit 30 to the vehicle 20. The acquisition unit 11 may also acquire the information indicating that an energy supply has been received from the energy supply unit 30.

[0031] Information indicating that vehicle 20 temporarily exited the expressway may include the junction (interchange) at which vehicle 20 exited the expressway and the date and time of exit, as well as information on the junction at which vehicle 20 re-entered the expressway and the date and time of entry. The acquisition unit 11 may also acquire information indicating that vehicle 20 temporarily exited the expressway from the ETC gate 40. The expressway exit from which vehicle 20 exited the expressway and the expressway entrance from which vehicle 20 re-entered the expressway may be the same junction or different junctions.

[0032] The acquisition unit 11 may acquire at least one of the following as information for identifying the vehicle 20 (vehicle ID): user identification information of the vehicle 20 in the energy supply system, information based on the vehicle 20's license plate (vehicle registration number plate), and identification information used by a wireless device installed in the vehicle 20. The user identification information of the vehicle 20 in the energy supply system may be, for example, the ID of an account for a membership service provided by the operator of the energy supply unit 30. This account ID may be read by a two-dimensional code reader or card reader, for example, when the user of the vehicle 20 makes payment for the energy supplied from the energy supply unit 30 to the vehicle 20. The two-dimensional code may be displayed on the user of the vehicle 20's smartphone or the like.

[0033] The information based on the license plate of vehicle 20 may be, for example, information read by character recognition from an image captured by a camera installed in conjunction with the energy supply unit 30. Furthermore, the identification information used by the wireless device mounted on vehicle 20 may be, for example, the card number of the ETC card mounted on vehicle 20.

[0034] The acquisition unit 11 may record information indicating that the vehicle 20 temporarily exited the highway to receive energy in the vehicle DB 501. In the example shown in Figure 5, the vehicle DB 501 records the first entrance junction ID, first entry date and time, first exit junction ID, first exit date and time, second entrance junction ID, second entry date and time, second exit junction ID, second exit date and time, and energy supply information, all associated with the vehicle ID.

[0035] The 1st Entrance Junction ID is the identification information for the 1st entrance junction where vehicle 20 first entered the expressway. The 1st Entry Date and Time is the date and time when vehicle 20 passed through the 1st entrance junction. The 1st Exit Junction ID is the identification information for the 1st exit junction where vehicle 20 first exited the expressway. The 1st Exit Date and Time is the date and time when vehicle 20 passed through the 1st exit junction.

[0036] The second entrance junction ID is the identification information of the second entrance junction to which vehicle 20 next entered the expressway. The second entry date and time is the date and time when vehicle 20 passed through the second entrance junction. The second exit junction ID is the identification information of the second exit junction to which vehicle 20 next exited the expressway. The second exit date and time is the date and time when vehicle 20 passed through the second exit junction. The energy supply information may include, for example, the identification information of the energy supplier 30 that supplied energy to vehicle 20, the date and time when the energy was supplied, and information indicating the amount of energy supplied.

[0037] The acquisition unit 11 may determine that the vehicle 20 temporarily left the expressway if the difference between the date and time the vehicle 20 exited the expressway (first exit date and time) and the date and time the vehicle 20 re-entered the expressway (second entry date and time) is within a predetermined time (for example, 1 hour).

[0038] Next, the determination unit 12 determines the highway toll for the vehicle 20 based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (step S102). Here, the determination unit 12 may choose not to include any increase in the highway toll due to the temporary exit from the highway. This allows, for example, a user to temporarily exit the highway for charging or other purposes without worrying about the highway toll incurred by temporarily exiting the highway.

[0039] Furthermore, the determination unit 12 may, for example, periodically (e.g., at the end of each month) bill the ETC card credit card provider for the amount determined in step S102 when withdrawing the highway toll from the user's bank account. The processes described below may be executed in any combination as appropriate.

[0040] (An example of determining a temporary exit fee based on the congestion level of energy supply units at specific facilities that can be used without exiting the highway.) The determination unit 12 may determine the highway toll for the vehicle 20 based on the congestion level of energy supply units at specific facilities that can be used without exiting the highway. This allows for preferential treatment of highway tolls for temporarily exiting the highway, for example, if there are no available charging stations at service areas (SAs) or parking areas (PAs) on the highway. This incentivizes users to use energy supply units near the highway and reduces congestion at energy supply units 30 installed at SAs, etc. The determination unit 12 may also calculate the congestion level as, for example, if the number of available energy supply units 30 is below a threshold, or at least one of the percentage of available energy supply units 30.

[0041] In this case, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire information indicating the usage status of each energy supply unit 30 installed at service areas, etc. The usage status may be, for example, whether the energy supply unit 30 is available or not. The acquisition unit 11 may determine that the energy supply unit 30 is available if, for example, the charging plug has not been connected to the vehicle 20 for a certain period of time (for example, 1 minute) or more. The decision unit 12 may then offer preferential treatment for highway tolls if, among the energy supply units 30 installed at service areas, etc., the number of available energy supply units 30 is below a threshold, or if the percentage of available units is below a threshold, or if at least one of these conditions is met. Examples of preferential treatment may include, for example, waiving the increase in highway tolls due to temporary exit, reducing the increase in highway tolls due to temporary exit (for example, a 200 yen discount), and waiving or reducing the increase in highway tolls due to temporary exit and then granting a specific amount (for example, 200 yen).

[0042] (Example of notifying the user of an energy supply unit 30 that can be temporarily removed and used) The decision unit 12 may also inform the user of vehicle 20 of the location of an energy supply unit that will offer preferential treatment regarding highway tolls for vehicle 20 if the vehicle 20 temporarily exits the highway to receive energy. This can, for example, incentivize users to use energy supply units located near highways, thereby reducing congestion at energy supply units 30 installed at service areas (SAs), etc.

[0043] In this case, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire, for example, the location information of the vehicle 20. The location information of the vehicle 20 may be acquired, for example, by an in-vehicle device or the user's smartphone using a satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System, Global Positioning Satellite). The decision unit 12 may then notify the vehicle of information about an energy supply unit 30 located near the vehicle 20 that will offer preferential treatment regarding the vehicle's highway tolls if the vehicle 20 temporarily exits the highway to receive energy. In this case, the decision unit 12 may notify the vehicle of information indicating the location of an energy supply unit 30 if the remaining energy in the vehicle 20 is below a threshold and the congestion level of an energy supply unit 30 at a specific facility on the highway is above a threshold. The decision unit 12 may also notify the vehicle 20's car navigation system or the user's smartphone of this information.

[0044] In the example shown in Figure 6, the decision unit 12 displays, on the display screen 601 of the vehicle 20, a display object 610 indicating the location of the vehicle 20, and the location and congestion level of each energy supply unit 30 on the map screen. In the example shown in Figure 6, a display object 611 indicating the location and congestion level of energy supply units 30 installed at service areas, etc., is displayed. A display object 612 indicating the location and congestion level of energy supply units 30 that can be used after exiting the expressway is also displayed. Furthermore, the display object 612 indicates that there will be no increase in expressway toll fees due to temporarily exiting the expressway to use the energy supply unit 30.

[0045] (An example of providing preferential treatment for highway tolls when electricity is effectively supplied) The determination unit 12 may determine the highway toll for the vehicle 20 based on at least one of the remaining energy in the vehicle 20 before supply and the amount of energy supplied. This allows for highway toll discounts to be applied when, for example, power is supplied in substance, rather than when the vehicle is only temporarily exiting the highway to make a stop at another facility and then formally supplying power to receive a discount on highway tolls.

[0046] In this case, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire information from, for example, an energy supply unit 30 to which a charging plug is connected to the vehicle 20, or from an on-board unit in the vehicle 20, indicating at least one of the remaining amount of energy in the vehicle 20 before supply and the amount of energy supplied. The determination unit 12 may then offer preferential treatment for highway tolls in at least one of the following cases: when the remaining amount of energy in the vehicle 20 before supply is below a threshold, and when the amount of energy supplied is above a threshold.

[0047] (An example of providing preferential treatment for highway tolls to user accounts of an energy supply system.) The decision unit 12 may grant a reward to the user account of the vehicle 20 in the energy supply system, corresponding to the increased highway toll due to the temporary exit from the highway. This allows, for example, a reward to be granted to the user account of an energy supplier 30 operator that has a partnership with a highway operator. Therefore, it is possible to incentivize users to temporarily exit the highway and use the energy supplier 30.

[0048] In this case, the decision unit 12 may grant the user account of the energy supply system a discount coupon or points for an amount equal to or greater than the increase in highway tolls due to the temporary exit from the highway. These discount coupons or points may be used, for example, to receive a discount or make payments when using the energy supply device 30.

[0049] (Example of reserving an energy supply unit for vehicle 20 when temporarily exiting a highway) The decision unit 12 may have the vehicle 20 reserve an energy supply unit that will reduce or waive the highway toll for the vehicle 20 if the vehicle temporarily exits the highway. This can, for example, incentivize the user to temporarily exit the highway and use the energy supply unit 30.

[0050] In this case, the decision unit 12 may notify the user of an energy supply unit 30 that can be temporarily removed and used, as in the example described above. The decision unit 12 may then notify the energy supply unit 30 designated by the user, including the vehicle ID, using the car navigation system in the vehicle 20 or the user's smartphone. The energy supply unit 30 may then display the notified vehicle ID for a certain period of time (for example, 10 minutes) and prohibit power supply to any vehicle other than the vehicle 20 with that vehicle ID.

[0051] <Variation> The information processing device 10 may be a device contained in a single enclosure, but the information processing device 10 of this disclosure is not limited to this. Each part of the information processing device 10 may be implemented by cloud computing, for example, consisting of one or more computers. The information processing device 10 may also be mounted on a vehicle 20. Furthermore, the information processing device 10 may be built into an energy supply unit 30 or an ETC gate 40.

[0052] Furthermore, at least one of the vehicle 20, the energy supply unit 30, and the ETC gate 40 may perform processing on at least some of the functional units of the information processing device 10. Such information processing devices 10 are also included as examples of the "information processing device" in this disclosure.

[0053] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present disclosure can be made as can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0054] Some or all of the embodiments described above may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following. Some or all of the elements (e.g., configuration and function) described in each appendix dependent on Appendix 1 may also be dependent on other independent appendices of other categories in a similar manner. Some or all of the elements described in any appendix may be applicable to various hardware, software, recording means, systems, and methods for recording software. (Note 1) An acquisition unit that acquires information indicating that a vehicle temporarily exited the highway to receive energy, Based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, a determination unit determines the toll for the use of the expressway for the vehicle, An information processing device having (Note 2) The information indicating that the energy was supplied includes information indicating at least one of the date and time the energy was supplied and the amount of energy supplied. The information processing device described in Appendix 1. (Note 3) The determination unit determines the toll for the vehicle using the expressway based on the degree of congestion of energy supply units at specific facilities that can be used without exiting the expressway. The information processing device described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Note 4) The determination unit determines the toll for the use of the expressway for the vehicle based on at least one of the remaining amount of energy in the vehicle before supply and the amount of energy supplied. The information processing device described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Note 5) The acquisition unit acquires at least one of the user identification information of the vehicle in the energy supply system, information based on the vehicle's license plate, and identification information used by a radio installed in the vehicle. The information processing device described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Note 6) The decision unit grants a reward to the vehicle user's account in the energy supply system, corresponding to the increase in the toll for using the expressway due to the temporary exit from the expressway. The information processing device described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Note 7) The determination unit notifies the vehicle user of information indicating the location of an energy supplier that will provide preferential treatment regarding the toll fees for the expressway when the vehicle temporarily exits the expressway to receive the energy supply. The information processing device described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Note 8) The decision unit, when the vehicle temporarily exits the expressway, will reserve an energy supply unit for the vehicle that will provide preferential treatment regarding the expressway usage fees. The information processing device described in Appendix 7. (Note 9) Information was obtained indicating that the vehicle temporarily left the highway to receive energy supplies. Based on the acquired information, the toll for the use of the expressway for the said vehicle is determined. Information processing methods. (Note 10) Information was obtained indicating that the vehicle temporarily left the highway to receive energy supplies. Based on the acquired information, the toll for the use of the expressway for the said vehicle is determined. A program that instructs a computer to perform a process. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1. Information Processing System 10 Information Processing Devices 11 Acquisition Department 12. Decision Section 20 vehicles 30 Energy supply units 40 ETC gates

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires information indicating that a vehicle temporarily exited the highway to receive energy, Based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, a determination unit determines the toll for the use of the expressway for the vehicle, An information processing device having

2. The information indicating that the energy was supplied includes information indicating at least one of the date and time the energy was supplied and the amount of energy supplied. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The determination unit determines the toll for the vehicle using the expressway based on the degree of congestion of energy supply units at specific facilities that can be used without exiting the expressway. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The determination unit determines the toll for the use of the expressway for the vehicle based on at least one of the remaining amount of energy in the vehicle before supply and the amount of energy supplied. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The acquisition unit acquires at least one of the user identification information of the vehicle in the energy supply system, information based on the vehicle's license plate, and identification information used by a radio installed in the vehicle. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The decision unit grants a reward to the vehicle user's account in the energy supply system, corresponding to the increase in the toll for using the expressway due to the temporary exit from the expressway. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The determination unit notifies the vehicle user of information indicating the location of an energy supplier that will provide preferential treatment regarding the toll fees for the expressway when the vehicle temporarily exits the expressway to receive the energy supply. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The decision unit, when the vehicle temporarily exits the expressway, will reserve an energy supply unit for the vehicle that will provide preferential treatment regarding the expressway usage fees. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. Information was obtained indicating that the vehicle temporarily left the highway to receive energy supplies. Based on the acquired information, the toll for the use of the expressway for the said vehicle is determined. Information processing methods.

10. Information was obtained indicating that the vehicle temporarily left the highway to receive energy supplies. Based on the acquired information, the toll for the use of the expressway for the said vehicle is determined. A program that instructs a computer to perform a process.

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