Information processing device, method, and program

Abstract

To improve a technique for predicting a power demand amount.SOLUTION: A control unit of an information processing device 20 determines whether a vehicle 10 including a battery 11 for traveling is going to enter a target area T, acquires or estimates an arrival time of the vehicle 10 at the target area T and a departure time of the vehicle 10 from the target area T when determining that the vehicle 10 is going to enter the target area T, and adds a necessary charge amount of the battery 11 to a power demand amount of a target period in the target area T when a charge period of the battery 11 in the target area T is included in a target period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a method, and a program Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for predicting the amount of power demand. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for predicting the future amount of charging for electric vehicles in a given area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-134160 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was room for improvement in the technology for forecasting electricity demand.

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

[0006] An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: An information processing device including a control unit, The control unit is determining whether a vehicle having a battery for driving enters a target area; If it is determined that the vehicle is entering the target area, obtaining or estimating an arrival time of the vehicle to the target area and a departure time of the vehicle from the target area; When the charging period of the battery in the target area is included in a target period, the required charging amount of the battery is added to the power demand amount for the target period in the target area.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises: A method executed by an information processing device, comprising: Determining whether a vehicle having a battery for running enters a target area; if it is determined that the vehicle is entering the target area, obtaining or estimating an arrival time of the vehicle to the target area and a departure time of the vehicle from the target area; and adding a required charging amount of the battery to an amount of power demand in the target area during the target period when a charging period of the battery in the target area is included in the target period; Includes.

[0008] A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: On the computer, Determining whether a vehicle having a battery for running enters a target area; if it is determined that the vehicle is entering the target area, obtaining or estimating an arrival time of the vehicle to the target area and a departure time of the vehicle from the target area; and adding a required charging amount of the battery to an amount of power demand in the target area during the target period when a charging period of the battery in the target area is included in the target period; Execute the command. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the technology for predicting power demand can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0012] An overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG.

[0013] The system 1 includes a vehicle 10 and an information processing device 20. The vehicle 10 and the information processing device 20 are connected to a network 30 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0014] The vehicle 10 is any vehicle having a battery 11 for driving. The vehicle 10 is, for example, a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), or a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV), but is not limited to these. The vehicle 10 may be driven by a driver, or may be automated at any level. The level of automation is, for example, any of levels 1 to 5 according to the level classification of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The vehicle 10 may be a vehicle dedicated to Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

[0015] The information processing device 20 is a computer such as a server that belongs to a cloud computing system or other computing system.

[0016] The network 30 includes the Internet, at least one wide area network (WAN), at least one metropolitan area network (MAN), or any combination thereof. The network 30 may include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or any combination thereof. The wireless network may be, for example, an ad-hoc network, a cellular network, a local area network (LAN), a satellite communication network, or a terrestrial microwave network.

[0017] The present embodiment will be outlined with reference to FIG.

[0018] The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 determines whether the vehicle 10 having the battery 11 for traveling enters the target area T. If the control unit 21 determines that the vehicle 10 enters the target area T, it estimates the arrival time of the vehicle 10 to the target area T and the departure time of the vehicle 10 from the target area T. If the charging period of the battery 11 in the target area T is included in the target period, the control unit 21 adds the required charging amount of the battery 11 to the power demand for the target period in the target area T.

[0019] In a city block or the like, if an excessive demand for electricity arises after the completion of an electricity trading contract, it becomes necessary to purchase additional electricity, but purchasing electricity after the completion of the electricity trading contract becomes expensive. For example, if there is an increase in the demand for charging the battery 11 for driving of the vehicle 10 parked in the target area T, it may become necessary to purchase additional electricity after the completion of the electricity trading contract. According to this embodiment, even if the demand for charging the battery 11 for driving of the vehicle 10 tends to increase, the required charging amount of the battery 11 for driving of the vehicle 10 is added in advance to the electricity demand of the target area T. Therefore, the technology for predicting the electricity demand can be improved.

[0020] The configuration of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0021] The information processing device 20 includes a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, and a storage unit 23.

[0022] The control unit 21 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or any combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The programmable circuit is, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The dedicated circuit is, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The control unit 21 executes processes related to the operation of the information processing device 20 while controlling each part of the information processing device 20.

[0023] The communication unit 22 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard, a wired LAN standard, or a wireless LAN standard, but is not limited to these, and may correspond to any communication standard. The communication unit 22 receives data used in the operation of the information processing device 20, and transmits data obtained by the operation of the information processing device 20.

[0024] The storage unit 23 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or any combination thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The RAM is, for example, a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The ROM is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit 23 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 23 stores data used in the operation of the information processing device 20 and data obtained by the operation of the information processing device 20. In this embodiment, the data used in the operation of the information processing device 20 includes a system program, an application program, a database, map information, and the like.

[0025] The operation of the information processing device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. This operation corresponds to a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] In this example, a BEV 10 that visits the target area T from outside the target area T and is parked in a parking lot or the like provided in the target area T from the time of the visit until the next departure will be described as an example of the vehicle 10 having a battery 11 for driving. Also, in this example, the target period will be described as the next weekday on which steps S100 to S107 described later are performed. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. Note that the number of BEVs 10 may be determined arbitrarily, and when there are multiple BEVs 10, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 may execute steps S100 to S107 described later for each BEV 10.

[0027] Step S100: The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 determines whether or not the BEV 10 will enter the target area T during the target period. If it is determined that the BEV 10 will enter, the process proceeds to step S101. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the BEV 10 will enter, the process ends.

[0028] Specifically, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 acquires history information from the BEV 10 via the communication unit 22, such as the departure point, departure time, arrival point, arrival time, driving route, and battery level (SOC; State Of Charge) at the departure time for one trip when the user commuted by the BEV 10 in the past (for example, around 9:00). Then, the control unit 21 judges whether the BEV 10 will enter the target area T on the next weekday based on the acquired history information. In this example, when the control unit 21 finds from the history information that the BEV 10 always visits the target area T around 9:00 on weekdays (for example, 9:00 ± 5 minutes), it judges that the BEV 10 will also visit the target area T around 9:00 on the next weekday.

[0029] Step S101: The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the arrival time of the BEV 10 into the target area T.

[0030] Specifically, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the arrival time of the BEV 10 into the target area T based on the history information acquired in step S100. In this example, when the control unit 21 determines from the history information that the arrival time of the BEV 10 into the target area T is always around 9:00, it estimates that the arrival time of the BEV 10 into the target area T on the next weekday will also be around 9:00.

[0031] Step S102: The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the remaining battery power of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the arrival time estimated in step S101.

[0032] Specifically, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the arrival time estimated in step S101 based on the history information acquired in step S100. In this example, when the control unit 21 determines from the history information that the remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the arrival time is always about 20% (e.g., 20%±5%), the control unit 21 estimates that the remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the arrival time on the next weekday will also be about 20%. Alternatively, when the control unit 21 predicts that the remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the departure time on the next weekday will be different from the usual remaining battery level due to overnight charging or the like, the control unit 21 may estimate the remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the arrival time based on the predicted remaining battery level and the travel route for the next weekday estimated from the history information acquired in step S100.

[0033] Step S103: The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the departure time of the BEV 10 from the target area T.

[0034] Specifically, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the departure time of the BEV 10 from the target area T based on the history information acquired in step S100. In this example, when the control unit 21 determines from the history information that the departure time of the BEV 10 from the target area T is always around 17:00 (for example, 17:00 ± 5 minutes), the control unit 21 estimates that the departure time of the BEV 10 from the target area T on the following weekday will also be around 17:00. It is assumed that the BEV 10 is parked in a parking lot provided within the target area T from the time it arrives at the target area T until it departs from the target area T.

[0035] Here, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 may estimate the departure time based on schedule information of the user of the BEV 10 instead of the above-mentioned history information. Specifically, the control unit 21 acquires the schedule information of the user of the BEV 10 from an application that enables the creation of a schedule using the Internet via the communication unit 22. Then, the control unit 21 specifies the travel distance from a parking lot in the target area T, which is the current location, to the destination of the next schedule from the acquired schedule information. Then, the control unit 21 estimates the departure time from the target area T from the specified travel distance.

[0036] Step S104: The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the desired remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the departure time estimated in step S103.

[0037] Specifically, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the desired remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the departure time estimated in step S103 based on the history information acquired in step S100. In this example, if the remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the departure time is always about 90% (e.g., 90%±5%), the control unit 21 estimates that the remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the departure time on the next weekday will also be about 90%.

[0038] Here, when the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 estimates the departure time from schedule information of the user of the BEV 10 instead of the above-mentioned historical information, the control unit 21 may calculate the desired remaining battery level of the battery 11 of the BEV 10 at the departure time from the travel distance identified by the above-mentioned method.

[0039] Step S105: When the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 determines that charging of the battery 11 is necessary based on a comparison between the remaining battery capacity estimated in step S102 and the desired remaining battery capacity estimated in step S104, it determines a charging period for the battery 11.

[0040] Specifically, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 acquires the free capacity of the battery 11 from the BEV 10 via the communication unit 22. Then, the control unit 21 calculates the required charging amount by an arbitrary method based on the acquired free capacity of the battery 11, the remaining battery capacity (SOC) estimated in step S102, and the desired remaining battery capacity (SOC) estimated in step S104. Then, the control unit 21 determines the charging period of the battery 11 based on the calculated required charging amount. In this example, the control unit 21 determines that the battery 11 needs to be charged from 9:00 to 16:00 on the following weekday in order to recover the remaining battery capacity (SOC) of the BEV 10 by about 70%, from about 20% at the arrival time to about 90% at the departure time on the following weekday. Then, the control unit 21 determines the charging period of the battery 11 to be from 9:00 to 16:00 on the following weekday.

[0041] Here, when the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 determines that charging of the battery 11 is not necessary based on a comparison between the remaining battery charge estimated in step S102 and the desired remaining battery charge estimated in step S104, the control unit 21 may decide to discharge the battery 11 during the target period. Note that the power discharged from the battery 11 may be consumed appropriately in a house, a business establishment, or the like within the target area T.

[0042] Step S106: The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 judges whether the charging period of the battery 11 is included in the target period. If it is judged that the charging period is included in the target period, the process proceeds to step S107. On the other hand, if it is not judged that the charging period is included in the target period, the process ends.

[0043] In this example, since the target period is the next weekday (between 0:00 and 23:59) and the charging period is between 9:00 and 16:00 on the next weekday, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0044] Step S107: The control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 adds the required charge amount of the BEV 10 to the power demand amount of the target area T in the target period.

[0045] Specifically, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 adds the required charging amount of the BEV10 calculated in step S105 to the electricity demand in the target area T for the next weekday (excluding the required charging amount of the BEV10) that has been calculated or obtained in advance by any method and notified to the electricity retailer.

[0046] As described above, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 according to this embodiment determines whether or not the vehicle 10 having the battery 11 for traveling enters the target area T. Then, when the control unit 21 determines that the vehicle 10 is entering the target area T, it estimates the arrival time of the vehicle 10 at the target area T and the departure time of the vehicle 10 from the target area T. Then, when the charging period of the battery 11 in the target area T is included in the target period, the control unit 21 adds the required charging amount of the battery 11 to the power demand for the target period in the target area T.

[0047] According to this configuration, even if the charging demand for the battery 11 for driving the vehicle 10 tends to increase, the required charging amount for the battery 11 for driving the vehicle 10 is added in advance to the power demand in the target area T. Therefore, the technology for predicting the power demand can be improved.

[0048] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0049] As a modified example, an embodiment in which the configuration and operation of the information processing device 20 are distributed among a plurality of computers that can communicate with each other is also possible. Also, for example, an embodiment in which some or all of the components of the information processing device 20 are provided in the vehicle 10 is also possible. For example, a car navigation device mounted in the vehicle 10 may include some or all of the components of the information processing device 20.

[0050] As a modified example, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 may determine a time period during which the battery 11 of the vehicle 10 is discharged and a time period during which the battery 11 of the vehicle 10 is charged, among the time periods from the arrival time to the departure time, based on the target period, the charging period, and the required charge amount in the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, the control unit 21 may determine to discharge the battery 11 of the vehicle 10 in a time period during which the power demand in the target area T is at its peak. In this example, it is assumed that the estimated remaining battery amount at the arrival time (e.g., 9:00) is 20%, the estimated remaining battery amount at the departure time (e.g., 15:00) is 70%, the target period is between 14:00 and 15:00 on the following weekday, and the power demand in the target area T is at its peak between 14:00 and 14:30 on the following weekday. In this case, for example, the control unit 21 may determine to charge the battery 11 of the vehicle 10 by an arbitrary charge amount (e.g., up to SOC=100%) that exceeds the required charge amount, in the time period from the arrival time to the start time of the target period (e.g., 9:00 to 14:00). Then, the control unit 21 may determine to discharge from the battery 11 of the vehicle 10 the difference between an arbitrary charge amount exceeding the required charge amount and the required charge amount (e.g., a charge amount corresponding to SOC=30%) during the target period (from 14:00 to 15:00) including the time period when the power demand is at its peak. Note that the difference may be appropriately determined by the user so that additional purchase of power does not occur after the power trading contract in the target area T is completed.

[0051] As a modified example, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 may acquire the above-mentioned arrival time, departure time, and desired remaining battery level from the user via an application running on a smartphone, tablet, or the like, instead of estimating them. The application is installed on a smartphone, tablet, or the like, and provides a service for managing the driving status of the vehicle 10 and the charging status of the battery 11 based on input from the user of the vehicle 10. Instead of estimating the above-mentioned remaining battery level of the battery 11 at the arrival time, the control unit 21 may acquire the remaining battery level of the battery 11 at the arrival time from the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 22 when the vehicle 10 is connected to a charging facility provided in the target area T.

[0052] In addition, as a modified example, when an event or the like is held in the target area T during the target period, the vehicle 10 that does not usually visit the target area T may irregularly visit the target area T. In this case, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 may estimate the arrival time of the vehicle 10 to the target area T based on the start time of the event or the like, may estimate the departure time of the vehicle 10 from the target area T based on the end time of the event or the like, or may estimate the number of vehicles 10 visiting the target area T based on the number of visitors to the event or the like. Here, the start time, end time, and number of visitors to the event or the like can be acquired by the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 from any server or the like managed by the event operator or the like via the communication unit 22. The remaining battery level may be appropriately calculated based on the distance between the target area T and the location information of the home or the like of the user of the vehicle 10 acquired by the control unit 21 in any manner.

[0053] As a modified example, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 20 may calculate the storable capacity of all batteries in the target area T, including the batteries 11 for driving possessed by each vehicle 10 parked in the target area T. Specifically, the control unit 21 acquires the free capacity and remaining battery power of the stationary batteries in the target area T at the start time of the target period (for example, 9:00 on the following weekday) from the stationary batteries via the communication unit 22. Also, the control unit 21 acquires the free capacity and remaining battery power of the batteries 11 of each vehicle 10 parked in the target area T at the start time of the target period (for example, 9:00 on the following weekday) in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. Then, based on the acquired free capacity and remaining battery power of the stationary batteries and the free capacity and remaining battery power of the batteries 11 of each vehicle 10, the control unit 21 calculates the storable capacity of all batteries, which is the sum of the storable capacity of the stationary batteries in the target area T and the storable capacity of the batteries 11 of the vehicles 10 parked in the target area T. The storage capacity of all of these batteries can be used to store surplus electricity generated by solar power in the target area T.

[0054] As a modified example, an embodiment is also possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing contents for realizing each function of the information processing device 20 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 System 10 Vehicle (BEV) 20 Information processing device 21 Control section 22 Communications Department 23 Memory section 30 Network

Claims

1. An information processing device including a control unit, The control unit is determining whether a vehicle having a battery for driving enters a target area; When it is determined that the vehicle is entering the target area, history information indicating a first remaining battery level of the battery at a past arrival time of the vehicle into the target area and a second remaining battery level of the battery at a past departure time of the vehicle from the target area is acquired; estimating a third battery remaining amount at a future arrival time of the vehicle into the target area and a fourth battery remaining amount at a future departure time of the vehicle from the target area based on the history information; determining, based on a comparison between the third remaining battery amount and the fourth remaining battery amount, at least a portion of a period from the future arrival time to the future departure time as a charging period; If the charging period is included in a target period that is a time period for predicting a future power demand in the target area, adding a required charging amount of the battery to the power demand in the target period in the target area; determining the charging period when the third battery remaining amount is less than the fourth battery remaining amount; The information processing device determines to discharge the battery when the third battery remaining amount is equal to or greater than the fourth battery remaining amount.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The target period includes a time period during which the power demand peaks, the control unit determines, based on the target period, the charging period, and the required charging amount, a time period during the charging period excluding the peak time period as a time period during which the battery is charged; The information processing apparatus determines the peak time period during the charging period as a time period during which the battery is discharged.

3. A method executed by an information processing device, comprising: Determining whether a vehicle having a battery for running enters a target area; acquiring, when it is determined that the vehicle is entering the target area, history information indicating a first remaining battery level of the battery at a past arrival time of the vehicle into the target area and a second remaining battery level of the battery at a past departure time of the vehicle from the target area; estimating a third remaining battery level at a future arrival time of the vehicle into the target area and a fourth remaining battery level at a future departure time of the vehicle from the target area based on the history information; determining, based on a comparison between the third remaining battery amount and the fourth remaining battery amount, at least a part of a period from the future arrival time to the future departure time as a charging period; adding a required charge amount of the battery to the power demand of the target period in the target area when the charging period is included in a target period that is a time period for predicting a future power demand of the target area; determining the charging period when the third battery remaining amount is less than the fourth battery remaining amount; and determining to discharge the battery if the third battery level is greater than or equal to the fourth battery level.

4. The method according to claim 3, The target period includes a time period during which the power demand peaks, The method includes determining, based on the target period, the charging period, and the required charging amount, a time period during the charging period excluding the peak time period as a time period during which the battery is to be charged; The method further comprising determining the peak time period during the charging period as a time period during which the battery is discharged.

5. On the computer, Determining whether a vehicle having a battery for running enters a target area; acquiring, when it is determined that the vehicle is entering the target area, history information indicating a first remaining battery level of the battery at a past arrival time of the vehicle into the target area and a second remaining battery level of the battery at a past departure time of the vehicle from the target area; estimating a third remaining battery level at a future arrival time of the vehicle into the target area and a fourth remaining battery level at a future departure time of the vehicle from the target area based on the history information; determining, based on a comparison between the third remaining battery amount and the fourth remaining battery amount, at least a part of a period from the future arrival time to the future departure time as a charging period; adding a required charge amount of the battery to the power demand of the target period in the target area when the charging period is included in a target period that is a time period for predicting a future power demand of the target area; determining the charging period when the third battery remaining amount is less than the fourth battery remaining amount; and determining to discharge the battery when the third battery remaining amount is equal to or greater than the fourth battery remaining amount.

6. The program according to claim 5, The target period includes a time period during which the power demand peaks, The computer includes: determining a time period during the charging period, excluding the peak time period, as a time period during which the battery is to be charged, based on the target period, the charging period, and the required charging amount; and The program further causes the program to determine, within the charging period, a time period during which the peak occurs as a time period during which the battery is discharged.

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