System, method, and program

Abstract

This system for receiving and managing reservation information of a reservation target comprises: a reception unit that receives the reservation information including a selection condition for selecting a reservation target to be used by a user from among reservation target candidates and importance information designating the importance of the selection condition; and a storage unit that stores the selection condition and the importance information in association with each other. This method for receiving and managing reservation information of a reservation target comprises: a step for receiving the reservation information including a selection condition for selecting a reservation target to be used by a user from among reservation target candidates and importance information designating the importance of the selection condition; and a step for storing the selection condition and the importance information in association with each other.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technique for utilizing a storage battery of an electric vehicle as a distributed energy resource according to the operation status of the electric vehicle. Patent Document 2 describes an adjustment system for managing the lending of objects and spaces among users. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-050126 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2018 / 167943 Problems to be Solved

[0003] It is desired that a user can appropriately select a reservation target to be used from among reservation target candidates. General Disclosure

[0004] In a first aspect of the present invention, a system is provided. The system receives and manages reservation information of reservation targets. The system includes a reception unit that receives the reservation information, where the reservation information includes a selection condition for selecting a reservation target to be used by a user from among reservation target candidates and importance information for specifying the importance of the selection condition. The system includes a storage unit that stores the selection condition and the importance information in association with each other.

[0005] The above system may include a reservation mediation unit that mediates conflicting reservations by excluding selection conditions with a lower importance when a reservation for a first reservation target conflicts.

[0006] In any of the above systems, when a reservation for the first reservation target conflicts, the reservation mediation unit may mediate the conflicting reservation by selecting a second reservation target that meets the excluded selection condition from among reservation target candidates.

[0007] In any of the above systems, the reservation target may be a vehicle.

[0008] In any of the above systems, the selection conditions may include at least one of conditions for selecting the usage period of the vehicle, conditions for selecting the vehicle type, and conditions for selecting a specific vehicle.

[0009] In any of the above systems, the vehicle may be an electric vehicle equipped with a battery. The selection conditions may include conditions for selecting the usage period of the vehicle. The usage period may be either a first period in which the battery is used to exchange power with the power network or a second period in which the vehicle is operated. When the first period and the second period conflict for a first vehicle, the reservation mediation unit may determine the first vehicle as the vehicle for exchanging power with the power network and determine a second vehicle as the vehicle to be operated.

[0010] In any of the above systems, the reservation information may further include priority information indicating the priority of each of a plurality of selection conditions.

[0011] In any of the above systems, the reservation information may further include essential information indicating whether the reservation is essential. When the essential information indicating that the reservation is not essential is included in the reservation information, the reservation mediation unit does not have to assign a reservation target to the user when there is no reservation target that meets the selection conditions among the reservation target candidates.

[0012] Any of the above systems may include a transmission unit that transmits a notification indicating that the reservation target has been changed to the user who had reserved the changed reservation target when the reservation target is changed by the reservation mediation unit mediating conflicting reservations.

[0013] In a second aspect of the present invention, a method is provided. The method receives and manages reservation information for a reservation target. The method includes a step of receiving the reservation information, where the reservation information includes a selection condition for a user to select a reservation target from among reservation target candidates, and importance information for specifying the importance of the selection condition. The method includes a step of storing the selection condition and the importance information in association with each other.

[0014] In a third aspect of the present invention, a program is provided. The program causes a computer to function as the above-described system.

[0015] The above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the features of the present invention. Also, sub-combinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 1 conceptually shows a usage pattern of the system 5 in one embodiment. The system 5 includes a power generation device 80, a plurality of vehicles including vehicles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e, power control devices 40 and 41, integrated management devices 50 and 51, vehicle management devices 60 and 61, a power control device 140, and a server 180.

[0019] The power consumer 70 and the power generation device 80 are connected to the power network 90. The power generated by the power generation device 80 can be supplied to the power consumer 70 through the power network 90. The power network 90 is, for example, a power grid.

[0020] Vehicles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e are electric vehicles each including a battery 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, and 12e for storing driving power for vehicle travel. In the present embodiment, vehicles 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d may be collectively referred to as "vehicle 10", and batteries 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d may be collectively referred to as "battery 12".

[0021] The vehicle 10 is deployed at the business office 30. The business office 30 functions as a base for the vehicle 10 to park. The vehicle 10 may be, for example, a commercial vehicle and may be a vehicle for transporting goods such as products handled at the business office 30. Power is supplied to the business office 30 through the power network 90.

[0022] The power control device 40, the integrated management device 50, and the vehicle management device 60 are provided in the workplace 30. The vehicle 10 is provided to be communicable with the vehicle management device 60 through a mobile communication network or the like. The workplace 30 has a local power network within the workplace, and can perform power transfer with the battery 12 provided in the vehicle 10 through the charge / discharge device provided in the workplace 30. That is, the vehicle 10 can be used for energy management in the workplace 30. The battery 12 provided in the vehicle 10 can perform power transfer with the power network 90 through the power network within the workplace 30. The power control device 40 controls the charging and discharging of the vehicles 10 deployed in the workplace 30 so as to at least meet the power demand within the workplace 30.

[0023] The power control device 40, the integrated management device 50, and the vehicle management device 60 are managed, for example, in the workplace 30. The power control device 40 and the integrated management device 50 are provided to be communicable with each other through a communication line. The integrated management device 50 and the vehicle management device 60 are provided to be communicable with each other through a communication line. The integrated management device 50 and the vehicle management device 60 may be provided outside the workplace 30. The integrated management device 50 and the vehicle management device 60 may be provided to be communicable with each other through a communication line such as the Internet. One or both of the integrated management device 50 and the vehicle management device 60 may be realized by a server such as a cloud server.

[0024] The vehicle management device 60 determines the departure time and arrival time of the vehicle 10 from the workplace 30. The integrated management device 50 adjusts the departure time and arrival time of the vehicle 10 from the workplace 30 so as to meet the power demand in the workplace 30. For example, the integrated management device 50 adjusts the departure time and arrival time of the vehicle 10 from the workplace 30 so that peak shaving of the power demand in the workplace 30 can be performed. The vehicle management device 60 manages the vehicle 10 based on the schedule of the vehicle 10 adjusted by the integrated management device 50. The power control device 40 controls the charging and discharging of the battery 12 provided in the vehicle 10 based on the schedule of the vehicle 10 adjusted by the integrated management device 50.

[0025] The vehicle 10e is deployed at the business office 31. The business office 31 functions as a base for the vehicle 10e to park. The vehicle 10e may be a commercial vehicle similar to the vehicle 10, and may be a vehicle for transporting goods such as products handled at the business office 30. Power is supplied to the business office 31 through the power network 90. The power control device 41, the integrated management device 51, and the vehicle management device 61 are provided at the business office 31.

[0026] At the business office 31, the power control device 41, the integrated management device 51, and the vehicle management device 61 correspond to the power control device 40, the integrated management device 50, and the vehicle management device 60. The power control device 41, the integrated management device 51, and the vehicle management device 61 perform the same control as the power control device 40, the integrated management device 50, and the vehicle management device 60, except that the control target and / or management target is the business office 31 and / or the vehicle 10e. Therefore, the description of the control regarding the power control device 41, the integrated management device 51, the vehicle management device 61, and the vehicle 10 is omitted.

[0027] The power control device 140 communicates with the power control device 40 and the power control device 41 through the communication network 190, and oversees the overall power control at the business office 30 and the business office 31. For example, the power control device 140 collects information regarding power supply and demand from the power control device 40 and the power control device 41, and controls the power control device 40 and the power control device 41 to minimize the power cost for the entire business office 30 and the business office 31 by performing overall adjustment of power supply and demand including power trading with the power network 90.

[0028] The power control device 140 is connected to the server 180 through the communication network 190. The server 180 is, for example, a server used by a power aggregator. The server 180 conducts power trading in the power market. The power control device 140 can provide the server 180 with the power resources aggregated and held by the business office 30 and the vehicles deployed at the business office 30. The power control device 140 controls the charging and discharging of the batteries of the respective vehicles in which the power control devices 40 and 41 are deployed at the business office 30 and the business office 31 to provide the power agreed upon by the server 180. For example, the power control device 140 controls the charging and discharging of the battery 12 by the power control device 40 and the power control device 40 according to the demand from the server 180 to provide the power corresponding to the demand.

[0029] In relation to FIGS. 2 to 6 etc., the control mainly related to the business office 30 will be described. Specifically, the control related to the power control device 40, the integrated management device 50, the vehicle management device 60, and the vehicle 10 will be described. However, the control related to the business office 30 can be applied to the control related to the business office 31.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows an example of the system configuration of the vehicle management device 60. The vehicle management device 60 includes a processing unit 200, a storage unit 280, and a communication unit 290.

[0031] The processing unit 200 controls the communication unit 290. The communication unit 290 is responsible for communication between the vehicle 10 and the integrated management device 50. The processing unit 200 is realized by an arithmetic processing device including a processor. The storage unit 280 is realized by respectively including a non-volatile storage medium. The processing unit 200 performs processing using the information stored in the storage unit 280. The processing unit 200 may be realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus, etc. The vehicle management device 60 may be realized by a computer.

[0032] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the vehicle management device 60 is implemented by a single computer. However, in other embodiments, the vehicle management device 60 may be implemented by a plurality of computers. At least some functions of the vehicle management device 60 may be implemented by one or more servers such as a cloud server.

[0033] The processing unit 200 includes a reception unit 210 and a planning unit 220. The reception unit 210 receives reservation information for a reservation target. The reservation information includes selection conditions for selecting the vehicle 10 to be used by the user from among the vehicles 10, and importance information for designating the importance of the selection conditions. The selection conditions include at least one of, for example, conditions for selecting the usage period of the vehicle 10, conditions for selecting the vehicle type, and conditions for selecting a specific vehicle 10. The selection conditions are the conditions specified when the user selects the vehicle to be reserved from among the candidate vehicles 10 for reservation. The importance information is the information specified when the user selects the vehicle to be reserved from among the candidate vehicles 10 for reservation. The storage unit 280 stores the selection conditions and the importance information in association with each other. The vehicle 10 in this embodiment is an example of a reservation target candidate and a reservation target.

[0034] Based on the information stored in the storage unit 280, the planning unit 220 makes a usage plan for the vehicle 10. For example, based on the selection conditions stored in the storage unit 280, the planning unit 220 formulates a vehicle allocation plan indicating which user will use the vehicle 10.

[0035] The communication unit 290 transmits the vehicle allocation plan to the integrated management device 50. The communication unit 290 may further transmit at least a part of the reservation information to the integrated management device 50. As will be described later, when the vehicle 10 to be used by the user is changed by mediating conflicting reservations, the communication unit 290 may transmit a notification indicating that the vehicle 10 has been changed to the user for whom the changed vehicle 10 was reserved.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows an example of the system configuration of the integrated management device 50. The integrated management device 50 includes a processing unit 300, a storage unit 380, and a communication unit 390.

[0037] The processing unit 300 controls the communication unit 390. The communication unit 390 is responsible for communication between the power control device 140 and the integrated management device 50. The processing unit 300 is realized by an arithmetic processing device including a processor. The storage unit 380 is realized by including a non-volatile storage medium respectively. The processing unit 300 performs processing using the information stored in the storage unit 380. The processing unit 300 may be realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus, etc. The integrated management device 50 may be realized by a computer.

[0038] In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the integrated management device 50 is realized by including a single computer. However, in other embodiments, the integrated management device 50 may be realized by a plurality of computers. At least some functions of the integrated management device 50 may be realized by including one or more servers such as a cloud server.

[0039] The processing unit 300 includes a reception unit 310 and a reservation mediation unit 320.

[0040] The reception unit 310 receives reservation information for reservation targets. The reservation information includes selection conditions for the user to select the vehicle 10 to be used from among the vehicles 10, and importance information for specifying the importance of the selection conditions. The selection conditions may include at least one of, for example, conditions for selecting the usage period of the vehicle 10, conditions for selecting the vehicle type, and conditions for selecting a specific vehicle. The reception unit 310 may acquire the reservation information input to the vehicle management device 60 through the vehicle management device 60 and the communication unit 390. The storage unit 380 stores the selection conditions and the importance information in association with each other.

[0041] Thereby, when a conflict occurs in the reservation of the vehicle 10 selected from the selection conditions, it becomes easy to mediate the conflict based on the importance of the selection conditions. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the conflict of reservations, improve the convenience of the user, and maintain the operation rate of the service using the vehicle 10.

[0042] When there is a conflict in reservations for the first vehicle, the reservation mediation unit 320 mediates the conflicting reservations by excluding selection conditions with a lower importance. The reservation mediation unit 320 may mediate the conflicting reservations by excluding selection conditions with a predetermined low importance when there is a conflict in reservations for the first vehicle. The reservation mediation unit 320 may mediate the conflicting reservations by preferentially excluding selection conditions with a lower importance when there is a conflict in reservations for the first vehicle. As a result, it becomes possible to exclude selection conditions with a lower importance and search for other vehicles 10.

[0043] When there is a conflict in reservations for the first vehicle, the reservation mediation unit 320 mediates the conflicting reservations by selecting a second vehicle that meets the excluded selection conditions from among the vehicles 10. As a result, it is possible to assign an alternative vehicle to a user with a lower importance of selection conditions, so that the utilization rate of the service using the vehicles 10 can be kept high while minimizing the disadvantages to the user.

[0044] The selection conditions may include conditions for selecting the usage period of the vehicle. The usage period may be either a first period in which the battery 12 is used to transfer power to and from the power network or a second period in which the vehicle is operated. The power network is, for example, the power network within the business office 30 and / or the power network 90. When the first period and the second period conflict for the first vehicle, the reservation mediation unit 320 determines the first vehicle as the vehicle for transferring power to and from the power network and determines the second vehicle as the vehicle to be operated. As a result, the battery 12 can be actively assigned for energy management such as peak shaving in the business office 30.

[0045] The reservation information may further include priority information indicating the priority of each of the plurality of selection conditions. The reservation mediation unit 320 may select the selection conditions to be excluded when selecting the vehicle 10 based on the priority information.

[0046] The reservation information may further include essential information indicating whether a reservation is mandatory. When the essential information indicating that the reservation is not mandatory is included in the reservation information, the reservation mediation unit 320 does not have to assign the vehicle 10 to the user when the vehicle 10 that meets the selection criteria is not among the vehicles 10.

[0047] When the vehicle 10 is changed by the reservation mediation unit 320 mediating conflicting reservations, the communication unit 390 may send a notification indicating that the vehicle 10 has been changed to the user for whom the changed vehicle 10 was reserved. The communication unit 390 may also send a notification indicating that the vehicle 10 has been changed through the vehicle management device 60.

[0048] FIG. 4 shows the execution sequences of the power control device 40, the integrated management device 50, and the vehicle management device 60. The process of FIG. 4 represents the process from formulating the next-day power plan and vehicle allocation plan the day before to executing various controls according to the formulated plans.

[0049] As control related to the power control device 40, in S4010, at least one of the user of the power control device 40 and the power control device 140 sets the constraint conditions related to the power plan at the business office 30 and notifies the power control device 40. The power control device 140 may set the constraint conditions at the business office 30 so as to minimize the overall power cost at the business offices 30 and 31. Note that the user is a person or system that inputs information related to power management to the power control device 40 at the business office 30. The constraint conditions are conditions that are restrictive in formulating the power plan. The constraint conditions may include constraints necessary to meet the power demand. The constraint conditions include, for example, the current status of the power generation amount, the current status of the power consumption amount, and information related to the power price. The power generation amount is, for example, the power generation amount of the power generation device 80. The power consumption amount is the power consumption amount at the business office 30. The power price includes the power purchase price and the power selling price. The power purchase price is a condition related to the amount charged as consideration for the business office 30 receiving power from the power network 90, for example. The power selling price is a condition related to the amount obtained as consideration for the business office 30 supplying power to the power network 90, for example.

[0050] In S4012, the power control device 40 formulates a power plan for the next day at the business office 30. The power plan includes the power consumption amount for each time period in a day. According to the power plan, it is determined how much power is consumed in each time period at the business office 30. The power consumption amount for each time period on the next day may be predicted from environmental information such as weather information on the next day and past performance data. The power plan may include peak shaving information for performing peak shaving. The peak shaving information may include information indicating how much power consumption should be suppressed in which time period at the business office 30. The peak shaving information may include information indicating how much power should be received from the outside in which time period at the business office 30.

[0051] The power control device 40 may formulate an optimal power plan for the business office 30. For example, the power control device 40 may formulate a power plan so that the amount of power received from the power network 90 at the business office 30 is minimized. The power control device 40 may formulate a power plan so that the amount of money charged as the price for receiving power from the power network 90 at the business office 30 is minimized. The power control device 40 may formulate a power plan so that the amount of money obtained as the price for supplying power to the power network 90 at the business office 30 is maximized. Thus, the power control device 40 formulates an optimal power plan as the power plan for the next day at the business office 30 based on the constraint conditions. According to this power plan, the amount of power that needs to be received from the outside in each time period on the next day is determined. The amount of power that needs to be received from the outside may be supplied from the battery 12 provided in the vehicle 10 parked at the business office 30. The power control device 40 transmits the formulated power plan to the integrated management device 50.

[0052] As control related to the vehicle management device 60, in S4210, the user inputs reservation information regarding the vehicle allocation of the vehicle 10. The details of the reservation information will be specifically described in relation to FIG. 5. The user of the vehicle management device 60 is a person, a system, or the like that uses the vehicle 10. The reservation information includes conditions that can be constraints in formulating the vehicle allocation plan. The reservation information includes, for example, the departure place and the destination, the departure time and the arrival time at the destination, and the type, capacity, and weight of the load to be loaded on the vehicle 10. Based on the departure place and the destination, it is determined where the vehicle 10 needs to travel from which place to which place. The departure time is, for example, the time when the vehicle 10 departs from the business office 30, and the arrival time is, for example, the time when the vehicle 10 arrives at the business office 30. A time adjustment allowance indicating the time allowed for changing the departure time and the arrival time of the vehicle 10 may be set for the departure time and the arrival time. The reservation information input in S4210 is transmitted to the vehicle management device 60 and also transmitted to the integrated management device 50 through the vehicle management device 60.

[0053] In S4212, the planning unit 220 of the vehicle management device 60 formulates the vehicle allocation plan for the next day at the business office 30 based on the constraint conditions notified by the user. For example, the planning unit 220 determines the vehicle 10 to be used for transporting people or loads, the driving route of the vehicle 10, and the driving speed of the vehicle 10 so that the transport demand determined by the reservation information is satisfied. The vehicle management device 60 transmits the formulated vehicle allocation plan to the integrated management device 50.

[0054] In S4110, the reception unit 310 of the integrated management device 50 receives the power plan transmitted from the power control device 40, the reservation information and the vehicle allocation plan transmitted from the vehicle management device 60.

[0055] In S4112, when the vehicle 10 is operated according to the vehicle allocation plan, the reservation mediation unit 320 of the integrated management device 50 determines whether the power plan at the business office 30 is satisfied. For example, from the vehicle allocation plan, the period during which the vehicle 10 is predicted to be present at the business office 30 is determined. When it is predicted that the vehicle 10 present at the business office 30 during the period when the business office 30 needs to receive power supply from the outside can receive power from the battery 12 provided in the vehicle 10, the reservation mediation unit 320 determines that the power plan is satisfied.

[0056] When the reservation mediation unit 320 determines that the power plan cannot be satisfied when allocating vehicles according to the vehicle allocation plan, it determines how to modify the vehicle allocation plan so that the power plan can be satisfied. For example, the reservation mediation unit 320 determines the adjustment amounts of the departure time and arrival time of the vehicle 10 in the vehicle allocation plan.

[0057] The integrated management device 50 transmits correction information including the determined adjustment amounts for the departure time and arrival time to the vehicle management device 60. When the planning unit 220 of the vehicle management device 60 receives the correction information, it corrects the vehicle allocation plan formulated in S4212 based on the correction information (S4213). For example, the planning unit 220 corrects the vehicle allocation plan to satisfy the reservation information based on the adjustment amounts for the departure time and arrival time received from the integrated management device 50. The vehicle management device 60 transmits the correction result of the vehicle allocation plan to the integrated management device 50. The integrated management device 50 and the vehicle management device 60 repeat the processes of S4112 and S4213 to determine an executable vehicle allocation plan. In S4213, the planning unit 220 determines the operation route of the vehicle 10, and determines whether the vehicle 10 can arrive at the business office 30 without power shortage based on the SOC and power consumption rate of the vehicle 10 while complying with the departure time and arrival time specified in the reservation information, thereby determining an executable vehicle allocation plan. Also, in S4112, the reservation mediation unit 320 comprehensively considers the power cost reduction amount of the business office 30 obtained when power is transferred between the battery 12 and the business office 30 according to the determined power plan, and the operation cost and operation rate of the vehicle 10 required when the vehicle 10 operates according to the vehicle allocation plan, and determines that the vehicle allocation plan is executable on the condition that it is determined that overall profit can be obtained.

[0058] When the vehicle allocation plan is determined, the mediation result including the vehicle allocation plan is transmitted to the power control device 40. When the power control device 40 receives the mediation result from the integrated management device 50, it reflects the mediation result in the power plan (S4014), and notifies the user of the power plan determined by reflecting the mediation result (S4015). In S4016, the user and the power control device 140 execute control according to the notified power plan. In S4018, the user and the power control device 140 perform performance processing related to the execution of the power plan. For example, the user performs a process of collecting and inputting power management performance data including the actual power consumption data in each time period. In S4020, the power control device 40 manages the performance data input from each of the user and the power control device 140 as history information. Note that the power control device 40 may use the history information managed by the power control device 40 when formulating a power plan later.

[0059] The vehicle management device 60 determines the vehicle allocation plan finally determined in S4213 (S4214), and notifies the user of the determined vehicle allocation plan through the communication unit 290. In S4216, the user executes the operation control of the vehicle 10 according to the notified vehicle allocation plan. In S4218, the user performs performance processing related to the execution of the vehicle allocation plan. For example, the user performs a process of collecting and inputting running performance data including the running data of each vehicle 10 and the remaining capacity of the battery 12. In S4220, the vehicle management device 60 manages the running performance data input from the user as history information. Note that the vehicle management device 60 may use the history information managed by the vehicle management device 60 when formulating a vehicle allocation plan later.

[0060] FIG. 5 shows a list of a plurality of reservation information stored in the integrated management device 50 and the vehicle management device 60 in a tabular format. Each reservation information includes information indicating "user", "reservation necessity", "time change", "vehicle change", "vehicle type change", "vehicle designation", "vehicle type designation", "departure place", "destination", "departure time", "arrival time", "stay time", and "priority". Among the information included in the reservation information, "vehicle designation", "vehicle type designation", "departure place", "destination", "departure time", "arrival time", and "stay time" are examples of selection conditions for the vehicle 10 used by the user. "Time change", "vehicle change", and "vehicle type change" are examples of importance information for designating the importance level of the selection conditions.

[0061] "User" is identification information of a person who uses the vehicle 10. "Reservation necessity" is information indicating whether or not it is essential to allocate the vehicle 10 to the user. "High" in "necessity" indicates that it is necessary to allocate the vehicle 10 to the user. "Low" in "necessity" indicates that it is not necessary to allocate the vehicle 10 if there is no vehicle 10 that satisfies the specified selection conditions. That is, "necessity" is information indicating whether or not it is necessary to allocate the vehicle 10 when there is no vehicle 10 that satisfies the selection conditions. "Necessity" is an example of essential information indicating whether or not a reservation is essential.

[0062] "Time change" is information indicating whether or not it is allowed to change the selection conditions regarding the usage period. The selection conditions regarding the usage period are "departure time", "arrival time", and "stay time" which will be described later. "Not allowed" in "time change" indicates that it is not allowed to change the selection conditions regarding the usage period. "Allowed" in "time change" indicates that it is allowed to change the selection conditions regarding the usage period. "Time change" is an example of importance information for designating the importance level of the selection conditions regarding the usage period.

[0063] "Vehicle change" is information indicating whether it is permitted to change the selection conditions regarding the vehicle to be used. The selection conditions regarding the vehicle to be used are the "vehicle specification" described later. "Not allowed" for "vehicle change" indicates that changing the selection conditions regarding the vehicle is not permitted. "Allowed" for "vehicle change" indicates that changing the selection conditions regarding the vehicle to be used is permitted. "Vehicle change" is an example of importance information specifying the importance of the selection conditions regarding the vehicle to be used.

[0064] "Vehicle type change" is information indicating whether it is permitted to change the selection conditions regarding the type (vehicle type) of the vehicle to be used. The selection conditions regarding the vehicle type are the "vehicle type specification" described later. "Not allowed" for "vehicle type change" indicates that changing the selection conditions regarding the vehicle type is not permitted. "Allowed" for "vehicle type change" indicates that changing the selection conditions regarding the vehicle type is permitted. "Vehicle type change" is an example of importance information specifying the importance of the selection conditions regarding the vehicle type.

[0065] "Vehicle specification" is specified when it is desired to use a specific vehicle 10. "Vehicle specification" is the identification information of the vehicle 10 that is desired to be used.

[0066] "Vehicle type specification" is specified when it is desired to use a vehicle of a specific vehicle type. "Vehicle type specification" is the identification information of the vehicle type.

[0067] "Departure location" indicates the departure location of the vehicle 10. "Destination" indicates the destination where the vehicle 10 travels.

[0068] "Departure time" is the time when the vehicle 10 is scheduled to depart from the departure location. "Arrival time" is the time when the vehicle 10 is scheduled to arrive at the destination. "Stay time" indicates the length of time the vehicle 10 stays at the destination. As an example, the "stay time" in Figure 5 indicates the length of time staying at the destination in minutes. The "stay time" is not included in the reservation information when the destination is the office 30.

[0069] "Priority" is an example of priority information indicating the priority of each of a plurality of selection conditions. Specifically, "priority" is information indicating the priority order of selection conditions allowed to be changed. More specifically, "priority" is information indicating the priority of selection conditions (time specification) regarding departure time, arrival time, and stay time, selection conditions of "vehicle specification", and selection conditions of "vehicle type specification" among the selection conditions for which "yes" is specified by "time change", "vehicle change", or "vehicle type change".

[0070] In the example of FIG. 5, according to the reservation information of user A, it is reserved to depart from the office at 12:45, arrive at the location of branch 1 at 12:55, stay at the location of branch 1 for 10 minutes, depart from the location of branch 1 at 13:05, and use vehicle 10d to arrive at office 30 at 13:15. In this reservation, it is specified that time change is not allowed, vehicle change and vehicle type change are not allowed. In this reservation, since the essentiality "low" is specified, if the selection conditions of time specification or vehicle type specification are not met, it is specified that it is not necessary to assign vehicle 10 to user A, that is, the reservation may be cancelled.

[0071] In the example of FIG. 5, according to the reservation information of user B, it is reserved to depart from the office at 14:30, arrive at the location of customer 1 at 14:40, stay at the location of customer 1 for 10 minutes, depart from the location of customer 1 at 14:50, and use vehicle 10d to arrive at office 30 at 15:00. In this reservation, it is specified that time change is not allowed, vehicle change is allowed, and vehicle type change is not allowed. In this reservation, since the essentiality "high" is specified, it is specified that the assignment of vehicle 10 to user B is essential.

[0072] In the example of FIG. 5, according to the reservation information of user C, it is reserved to use vehicle 10d to leave the office at 15:45, arrive at the location of customer 2 at 15:55, stay at the location of customer 2 for 10 minutes, leave the location of customer 2 at 16:05, and arrive at office 30 at 16:15. In this reservation, it is specified that time changes are allowed, vehicle changes are allowed, and vehicle type changes are not allowed. In addition, in this reservation, it is specified that the selection conditions regarding vehicle designation have a higher priority than the selection conditions regarding time designation. Since the essentiality level "high" for user C is specified in this reservation, it is specified that the allocation of vehicle 10 to user C is essential.

[0073] When a conflict occurs in the reservation, the reservation mediation unit 320 mediates the conflicting reservations based on the reservation information. For example, the reservation mediation unit 320 adjusts the conflicting reservations by adjusting the departure time and the arrival time. The reservation information may further include, as selection conditions, information indicating a time adjustment allowance amount indicating the time during which a change in the departure time and / or the arrival time can be allowed. The reservation mediation unit 320 may adjust the conflicting reservations by adjusting the departure time and / or the arrival time within the range of the time adjustment allowance amount.

[0074] FIG. 6 shows the vehicle allocation plan and the power plan before the mediation is performed, and the vehicle allocation and the power plan after the mediation of the vehicle allocation plan and the power plan is performed.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 6, in the vehicle allocation plan before mediation formulated by the vehicle management device 60, as indicated by reference numerals 601 and 602, vehicle 10a is planned to be used during the period from 13:00 to 14:00 and the period from 15:30 to 16:30. Further, as indicated by reference numerals 603 and 604, vehicle 10b is planned to be used during the period from 13:30 to 15:00 and the period from 15:30 to 16:45. Further, as indicated by reference numerals 605 and 606, vehicle 10c is planned to be used during the period from 13:00 to 14:00 and the period from 14:30 to 16:00. Further, as indicated by reference numerals 607, 608, and 609, vehicle 10d is planned to be used during the period from 12:45 to 13:15, the period from 14:30 to 15:00, and the period from 15:45 to 16:15.

[0076] In addition, as shown by reference numeral 610 in FIG. 6, in the power plan formulated by the power control device 40, during the period from 13:00 to 16:00, it is planned to be used for supplying power from the battery 12 to the business office 30 for peak shaving of the business office 30. For vehicle 10, the reservation based on the power plan and the reservation based on the vehicle allocation plan conflict. Therefore, the reservation mediation unit 320 mediates the reservation based on the power plan and the reservation based on the vehicle allocation plan as follows.

[0077] Here, in the power plan, as a selection condition other than the use period for selecting the vehicle 10 to be used, the amount of power to be supplied from the battery 12 is specified, and it is assumed that a setting is made indicating that it is not allowed to change the time for using the vehicle 10 (time change: not allowed). In this case, the reservation mediation unit 320 selects vehicle 10d as the vehicle 10 that can supply the specified amount of power from the battery 12 during the specified period and has the shortest overlapping period between the use period of vehicle 10 according to the vehicle allocation plan and the use period of vehicle 10 according to the power plan.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 5, in the reservation of user A for vehicle 10d, changes to the vehicle to be used, the vehicle type, and the usage time are not allowed. However, since the reservation necessity level of user A is "low", the reservation mediation unit 320 determines that it is possible to cancel the reservation of user A for vehicle 10d.

[0079] Furthermore, in the reservation of user B for vehicle 10d, changing the vehicle to be used is allowed, while changing the usage time is not allowed. Since there is no reservation for vehicle 10a during the period from 14:30 to 15:00, the reservation mediation unit 320 determines that it is possible for user B to change the vehicle to be used during the period from 14:30 to 15:00 to vehicle 10a.

[0080] Furthermore, in the reservation of user C for vehicle 10d, changes to the vehicle to be used and the usage time are allowed, while the priority of vehicle designation is higher than the priority of time designation. Therefore, the reservation mediation unit 320 determines that it is possible to change the usage time of vehicle 10d by user C from 16:00 to 16:30.

[0081] Based on the above, the reservation mediation unit 320 cancels the reservation for user A without allocating vehicle 10d, changes the vehicle to be used for user B's reservation for vehicle 10d to vehicle 10a as shown by reference numeral 618, and changes the usage time for user C's reservation for vehicle 10d from 16:00 to 16:30 as shown by reference numeral 619. Thus, it is determined to supply power from the battery 12d of vehicle 10 to the business office 30 based on the power plan during the period from 13:00 to 16:00 as shown by reference numeral 620. Then, through the communication unit 290 of the vehicle management device 60, user A is notified that the reservation has been canceled, user B is notified that the vehicle to be used has been changed to vehicle 10a, and user C is notified that the usage time of vehicle 10d has been changed from 16:00 to 16:30. As a result, it becomes possible to effectively utilize the battery 12 of vehicle 10 for peak shaving of the business office 30 within the range acceptable to user A, user B, and user C.

[0082] According to the system 5 of this embodiment, when the vehicle allocation plan and the power plan cannot be reconciled, it is possible to adjust by changing the selection conditions with low importance within the range acceptable to the user so that the reservation of the power plan can be incorporated. As a result, without significantly changing the vehicle allocation plan, the opportunity to use the battery 12 of the vehicle 10 for energy management at the business office 30 can be expanded.

[0083] In the system 5 described above, a form of mediating the conflict between the reservation of the vehicle 10 according to the vehicle allocation plan and the reservation of the vehicle 10 according to the power plan has been described. However, it can also be applied to a form of mediating the conflict of the reservation of the vehicle 10 only according to the vehicle allocation plan. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 has been taken as an example of the reservation target for explanation, but the reservation target is not limited to vehicles and may be any article, any facility, any service, or the like.

[0084] FIG. 7 shows an example of a computer 2000 in which a plurality of embodiments of the present invention can be embodied in whole or in part. The program installed in the computer 2000 causes the computer 2000 to function as the system 5 according to the embodiment or each part of the system 5, or as a device such as the power control device 40 and the vehicle management device 60 or each part of the device, and execute operations associated with the system or each part of the system or the device or each part of the device, and / or execute the process according to the embodiment or the stages of the process. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 2012 to cause the computer 2000 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the processing procedures and blocks of the block diagrams described herein.

[0085] The computer 2000 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 2012 and a RAM 2014, which are interconnected by a host controller 2010. The computer 2000 also includes a ROM 2026, a flash memory 2024, a communication interface 2022, and an input / output chip 2040. The ROM 2026, the flash memory 2024, the communication interface 2022, and the input / output chip 2040 are connected to the host controller 2010 via an input / output controller 2020.

[0086] The CPU 2012 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 2026 and the RAM 2014, thereby controlling each unit.

[0087] The communication interface 2022 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The flash memory 2024 stores programs and data used by the CPU 2012 in the computer 2000. The ROM 2026 stores a boot program or the like executed by the computer 2000 at activation, and / or a program dependent on the hardware of the computer 2000. The input / output chip 2040 may also connect various input / output units such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a monitor to the input / output controller 2020 via input / output ports such as a serial port, a parallel port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, a monitor port, a USB port, an HDMI (registered trademark) port.

[0088] The program is provided via a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or memory card, or via a network. RAM 2014, ROM 2026, or flash memory 2024 are examples of computer-readable storage media. The program is installed in flash memory 2024, RAM 2014, or ROM 2026 and executed by CPU 2012. The information processing described in these programs is read by computer 2000, resulting in cooperation between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The apparatus or method may be configured by realizing the operation or processing of information according to the use of computer 2000.

[0089] For example, when communication is executed between computer 2000 and an external device, CPU 2012 may execute a communication program loaded in RAM 2014 and instruct communication interface 2022 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Communication interface 2022 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in a recording medium such as RAM 2014 and flash memory 2024 under the control of CPU 2012, transmits the read transmission data to the network, and writes the received data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0090] Also, CPU 2012 may cause all or a necessary part of a file or database stored in a recording medium such as flash memory 2024 to be read into RAM 2014 and execute various types of processing on the data on RAM 2014. CPU 2012 then writes back the processed data to the recording medium.

[0091] Various types of information such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases may be stored in a recording medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 2012 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 2014, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branch, unconditional branch, search / replacement of information, etc. described in this specification and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and write back the result to the RAM 2014. Further, the CPU 2012 may search for information in files, databases, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 2012 searches for an entry that matches the condition in which the attribute value of the first attribute is specified from among the plurality of entries, reads the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtains the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0092] The program or software module described above may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 2000. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium. The program stored in the computer-readable storage medium may be provided to the computer 2000 via a network.

[0093] The program installed in the computer 2000 that causes the computer 2000 to function as the integrated management device 50 may act on the CPU 2012 or the like to cause the computer 2000 to function as each part of the integrated management device 50. The information processing described in these programs functions as each part of the integrated management device 50, which is a specific means by which software and the various hardware resources described above cooperate, when read into the computer 2000. Then, by these specific means, by realizing the calculation or processing of information according to the purpose of use of the computer 2000 in the present embodiment, a specific integrated management device 50 corresponding to the purpose of use is constructed.

[0094] The program installed in the computer 2000 that causes the computer 2000 to function as the vehicle management device 60 may act on the CPU 2012 or the like to cause the computer 2000 to function as each part of the vehicle management device 60. The information processing described in these programs functions as each part of the vehicle management device 60, which is a specific means by which software and the various hardware resources described above cooperate, when read into the computer 2000. Then, by these specific means, by realizing the calculation or processing of information according to the purpose of use of the computer 2000 in the present embodiment, a specific vehicle management device 60 corresponding to the purpose of use is constructed.

[0095] Various embodiments have been described with reference to block diagrams and the like. In a block diagram, each block may represent (1) a stage of a process in which an operation is performed or (2) each part of an apparatus having a role of performing an operation. The specific stages and parts may be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a programmable circuit supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuit may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include an integrated circuit (IC) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include a reconfigurable hardware circuit including memory elements such as logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), etc.

[0096] The computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions executable by an appropriate device. As a result, the computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein constitutes at least a part of a product including instructions that can be executed to provide means for performing the operations specified in the processing procedure or block diagram. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include floppy (registered trademark) disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray (RTM) discs, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0097] Computer-readable instructions may include any combination of one or more programming languages, including assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages, either source code or object code described in the programming language.

[0098] Computer-readable instructions may be provided locally or via a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc., to a processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, and executed to provide means for performing the described processing steps or operations specified in the block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0099] As described above, the present invention has been described using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that forms with such changes or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0100] In the claims, the description, and the drawings, the execution order of each process such as the operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the apparatus, system, program, and method shown is not explicitly indicated as "earlier" or "preceding" etc. in particular, and it should be noted that it can be realized in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flows in the claims, the description, and the drawings, even if "first," "next," etc. are used for convenience of explanation, it does not mean that it is essential to implement in this order.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0101] 5 System 10 Vehicle 12 Battery 30, 31 Business Office 40, 41 Power Control Device 50, 51 Integrated Management Device 60, 61 Vehicle Management Device 70 Power Consumer 80 Power Generation Device 90 Power Network 140 Power Control Device 180 Server 190 Communication Network 200 Processing Unit 210 Reception Unit 220 Planning Unit 280 Storage Unit 290 Communication Unit 300 Processing Unit 310 Reception Unit 320 Reservation Mediation Unit 380 Storage Unit 390 Communication Unit 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 618, 619, 620 Reference Signs 2000 Computer 2010 Host Controller 2012 CPU 2014 RAM 2020 Input / Output Controller 2022 Communication Interface 2024 Flash Memory 2026 ROM 2040 Input / Output Chip

Claims

1. A system for receiving and managing reservation information for reservation targets, comprising: a reception unit that receives the reservation information, wherein the reservation information includes selection conditions for a user to select a reservation target from reservation target candidates and importance information for designating the importance of the selection conditions; a storage unit that stores the selection conditions and the importance information in association with each other; a reservation mediation unit that mediates competing reservations by excluding selection conditions with lower importance when a reservation for a first reservation target conflicts; A system comprising:

2. When a reservation for the first reservation target conflicts, the reservation mediation unit mediates the competing reservations by selecting a second reservation target that meets the excluded selection conditions from among the reservation target candidates. The system according to claim 1.

3. The reservation target is a vehicle. The system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The selection conditions include at least one of conditions for selecting a usage period of the vehicle, conditions for selecting a vehicle type, and conditions for selecting a specific vehicle. The system according to claim 3.

5. The vehicle is an electric vehicle equipped with a battery, The selection conditions include conditions for selecting a usage period of the vehicle, The usage period is either a first period for using the battery to exchange power with a power network or a second period during which the vehicle is operated. When the first period and the second period conflict for a first vehicle, the reservation mediation unit determines the first vehicle as the vehicle for exchanging power with the power network and determines a second vehicle as the vehicle to be operated. The system according to claim 3.

6. The reservation information further includes priority information indicating the priority of each of a plurality of selection conditions. The system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The reservation information further includes essential information indicating whether the reservation is essential. When the essential information indicating that the reservation is not essential is included in the reservation information, the reservation mediation unit does not assign a reservation target to the user when there is no reservation target that meets the selection conditions among the reservation target candidates. The system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. A transmitting unit that, when the reservation target is changed by the reservation mediation unit mediating conflicting reservations, transmits a notice indicating that the reservation target has been changed to the user for whom the changed reservation target was reserved The system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the same

9. A method for receiving and managing reservation information of a reservation target, comprising: A receiving unit provided in the system receives the reservation information, and the reservation information includes a selection condition for a user to select a reservation target to be used from among reservation target candidates and importance information specifying the importance of the selection condition; a step; A storage unit provided in the system stores the selection condition and the importance information in association with each other; a step; When a reservation conflicts with respect to a first reservation target, a reservation mediation unit provided in the system mediates the conflicting reservation by excluding a selection condition with a lower importance; a step A method comprising the same

10. A program for causing a computer to function as the system according to claim 1 or 2 when executed by the computer

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