Information providing device

Abstract

To provide an information providing device capable of precisely providing information on a utilization situation of a charge spot and wait time after arrival.SOLUTION: An information providing device includes: a charge spot detection part 41 for detecting a charge spot 110; a time detection part 42 for calculating required time until the charge spot 110 is reached; a charge spot utilization determination part 43 for determining whether the charge spot 110 is utilized; a charge completion time prediction part 44 for calculating charge completion prediction time of another vehicle 120 that is utilizing the charge spot 110; an occupant absence time measurement part 45 for measuring absence time of an occupant of another vehicle 120; and a control part 4 for setting time obtained by subtracting required time from charge completion prediction time to wait time when the charge spot 110 selected by an occupant of a vehicle 1 is being utilized, and setting it to wait time by adding required time to wait time when absence time of the occupant of another vehicle 120 exceeds a first predetermined ratio of charge completion prediction time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an information providing apparatus related to information on a charging spot for charging an electric vehicle. The apparatus selects other vehicles that may arrive at the charging spot targeted by the own vehicle earlier than the own vehicle from the required time for the own vehicle to arrive, and provides information on other vehicles that may arrive at the targeted charging spot with a slight time difference with respect to the own vehicle.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in such an information providing apparatus, since electric vehicles other than the own vehicle existing within a predetermined range of a circle having the required time centered on the charging spot as the radius are specified, electric vehicles that do not actually stop at the charging spot are also specified. Even though the targeted charging spot is a charging spot where there are no other vehicles, there is a possibility that the targeted charging spot may be changed. In addition, since other vehicles that are already charging at the charging spot are not considered, there is a possibility that a waiting time may occur after arriving at the charging spot.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information providing apparatus that can accurately provide information on the usage status of a charging spot and the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an information providing device that acquires state information of other electric vehicles and utilization information of charging spots through communication and provides predetermined information to passengers. The device includes a charging spot detection unit that detects at least one of the charging spots, a time detection unit that calculates the required time until reaching the charging spot, a charging spot utilization determination unit that determines whether the charging spot is being used by another vehicle, a charging completion time prediction unit that predicts the charging completion time of another vehicle using the charging spot and from the current time until charging is completed calculates the predicted charging completion time, and a passenger absence time measurement unit that measures the absence time of the passengers of another vehicle using the charging spot. When the selected charging spot by the passenger of the host vehicle is being used by another vehicle and the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicle is longer than the required time until the host vehicle reaches the charging spot, the control unit subtracts the required time from the predicted charging completion time and displays the result as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot. from when the person has left the vehicle until the current time If the absence time exceeds a predetermined first ratio of the predicted charging completion time, the control unit adds a predetermined time to the waiting time and displays the result as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot. when the occupant of the other vehicle is not in the other vehicle That is, the present invention is provided with a control unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately provide information on the utilization status of charging spots and the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] An information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is an information providing apparatus that acquires state information of other electric vehicles and usage information of charging spots through communication and provides predetermined information to passengers. The information providing apparatus includes a charging spot detection unit that detects at least one charging spot, a time detection unit that calculates the required time until reaching the charging spot, a charging spot usage determination unit that determines whether the charging spot is being used by other vehicles, a charging completion time prediction unit that predicts the charging completion time of other vehicles using the charging spot and calculates a predicted charging completion time, a passenger absence time measurement unit that measures the absence time of passengers in other vehicles using the charging spot, and a control unit that, when the charging spot selected by the passenger of the own vehicle is being used by other vehicles and the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicles is longer than the required time until the own vehicle reaches the charging spot, displays the time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot, and when the absence time exceeds a predetermined first ratio of the predicted charging completion time, adds a predetermined time to the waiting time and displays it as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot.

[0010] Thereby, the information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can accurately provide information on the usage status of the charging spot and the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot.

Example

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. In FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 equipped with an information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an information display unit 2, a communication unit 3, and a control unit 4.

[0012] The information display unit 2 is composed of, for example, a monitor device, a lamp, etc., and provides various information to the driver.

[0013] The communication unit 3 communicates with a server device 100 outside the vehicle, a roadside communication device installed near the road, etc., to transmit and receive information.

[0014] The control unit 4 is composed of a computer unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an input port, and an output port.

[0015] In the ROM of this computer unit, a program for causing the computer unit to function as the control unit 4 is stored together with various control constants, various maps, and the like. That is, by the CPU executing the program stored in the ROM, the computer unit functions as the control unit 4.

[0016] Various sensors such as the communication unit 3 described above are connected to the input port of the control unit 4.

[0017] On the other hand, various controlled objects such as the information display unit 2 and the communication unit 3 described above are connected to the output port of the control unit 4.

[0018] The control unit 4 provides various information to the driver through the information display unit 2 based on information from the server device 100 outside the vehicle.

[0019] The server device 100 is composed of a computer unit including a CPU (not shown), a RAM, a ROM, a storage device such as a hard disk, and an input / output port.

[0020] In the hard disk device of the server device 100, a program for causing the computer unit to function as the server device 100 is stored. That is, by the CPU executing the program stored in the hard disk device, the computer unit functions as the server device 100.

[0021] The server device 100 stores the information received from the charging spot 110 in the hard disk device, and transmits the stored information to the control unit 4 in response to a request from the control unit 4 of the information providing device.

[0022] The charging spot 110 is a charging base for charging an electric vehicle. The charging spot 110 includes a communication unit 111 and a control unit 112.

[0023] The communication unit 111 communicates with the server device 100, other vehicles 120, the position information acquisition device 130, etc. via communication media such as wired communication, wireless communication, and short-range wireless communication to transmit and receive information.

[0024] The communication unit 111 communicates with other vehicles 120 being charged via a charging cable to acquire information such as the charging state of the battery of the other vehicle 120.

[0025] The other vehicle 120 is provided with an occupant absence determination unit 121. The occupant absence determination unit 121 determines whether there is an occupant in the other vehicle 120 and transmits the information to the control unit 112. The occupant absence determination unit 121 determines whether there is an occupant in the other vehicle 120, for example, by a seating sensor provided on the seat of the other vehicle 120.

[0026] The position information acquisition device 130 held by the occupant acquires the current position and transmits the information to the control unit 112. The position information acquisition device 130 is, for example, built into the vehicle key of the other vehicle 120 or configured by a smartphone application.

[0027] The control unit 112 transmits the state information received from the other vehicle 120, the position information acquisition device 130, etc. via the communication unit 111 to the server device 100 via the communication unit 111. The control unit 112 transmits information on whether the external charger of the charging spot 110 is connected to the other vehicle 120 to the server device 100 via the communication unit 111.

[0028] The server device 100 stores in the hard disk device the status information such as the charging status of the other vehicle 120, the information on whether there is an occupant in the other vehicle 120, and the position information of the occupant of the other vehicle 120, which is received from the control unit 112 of the charging spot 110, and the usage information on whether the external charger of the charging spot 110 is connected to the other vehicle 120, and transmits the stored information to the control unit 4 in response to a request from the control unit 4 of the information providing device.

[0029] In this embodiment, the control unit 4 acquires information such as status information and usage information from the server device 100, and provides information such as the availability status of the charging spot 110 and the estimated waiting time from the arrival at the charging spot 110 until charging can start to the driver.

[0030] Therefore, the control unit 4 includes a charging spot detection unit 41, a time detection unit 42, a charging spot usage determination unit 43, a charging completion time prediction unit 44, an occupant absence time measurement unit 45, and a distance measurement unit 46.

[0031] The charging spot detection unit 41 detects at least one charging spot 110 within a predetermined distance around the vehicle 1, for example. The charging spot detection unit 41 detects the charging spot 110 from the information of the navigation system mounted on the vehicle 1, for example. The charging spot detection unit 41 may detect the charging spot 110 within a distance arbitrarily set by the occupant of the vehicle 1. Further, the charging spot detection unit 41 may calculate the travelable distance of the vehicle 1 from the charging state of the battery of the vehicle 1, and detect the charging spot 110 within the travelable distance of the vehicle 1 and within a distance arbitrarily set by the occupant of the vehicle 1.

[0032] The time detection unit 42 calculates, for example, the time required for the vehicle 1 to reach the charging spot 110 detected by the charging spot detection unit 41. The time detection unit 42 calculates, for example, the time required for the vehicle 1 to reach the charging spot 110 from the information of the navigation system mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0033] The charging spot usage determination unit 43 determines, for example, whether the charging spot 110 detected by the charging spot detection unit 41 is being used by another vehicle 120. The charging spot usage determination unit 43 determines, for example, based on the information obtained from the server device 100 whether the charging spot 110 is being used by another vehicle 120. For example, when the external charger of the charging spot 110 is connected to another vehicle 120, the charging spot usage determination unit 43 determines that the charging spot 110 is being used by another vehicle 120, and when the external charger of the charging spot 110 is not connected to another vehicle 120, the charging spot usage determination unit 43 determines that the charging spot 110 is not being used by another vehicle 120.

[0034] The charging completion time prediction unit 44 calculates, for example, a predicted charging completion time by predicting the time until the charging of the other vehicle 120 is completed at the charging spot 110 detected by the charging spot detection unit 41 and being used by the other vehicle 120. The charging completion time prediction unit 44 calculates the predicted charging completion time, for example, based on the charging state of the battery of the other vehicle 120 being charged obtained from the server device 100. Also, the control unit 112 of the charging spot 110 may calculate the predicted charging completion time and transmit the information to the server device 100.

[0035] The passenger absence time measurement unit 45 measures, for example, the absence time of the passengers of the other vehicle 120 being charged at the charging spot 110 detected by the charging spot detection unit 41 and being used by the other vehicle 120. The passenger absence time measurement unit 45 measures the absence time of the passengers of the other vehicle 120 being charged, for example, based on the information of the passenger absence determination unit 121 of the other vehicle 120 being charged obtained from the server device 100. Also, the control unit 112 of the charging spot 110 may measure the absence time of the passengers of the other vehicle 120 being charged and transmit the information to the server device 100.

[0036] The distance measurement unit 46 measures, for example, at the charging spot 110 detected by the charging spot detection unit 41, the distance between the other vehicle 120 being charged and its occupant at the charging spot 110 being used by the other vehicle 120. The distance measurement unit 46 measures, for example, the distance between the other vehicle 120 being charged and its occupant based on the position information of the position information acquisition device 130 held by the occupant of the other vehicle 120 obtained from the server device 100. Also, the control unit 112 of the charging spot 110 may measure the distance between the other vehicle 120 being charged and its occupant and transmit the information to the server device 100.

[0037] The control unit 4 detects, for example, the charging spots 110 within a predetermined distance around the vehicle 1 according to the request of the occupant of the vehicle 1 and causes the information display unit 2 to display them.

[0038] The control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the driving route to one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of the vehicle 1. Also, when the selection of the charging spot 110 is changed by the operation of the occupant of the vehicle 1, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the driving route to the new charging spot 110.

[0039] The control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display whether or not one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of the vehicle 1 is being used by the other vehicle 120.

[0040] When one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of the vehicle 1 is being used by the other vehicle 120, if the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicle 120 is longer than the required time until the vehicle 1 reaches the charging spot 110, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display, as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot, the time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time.

[0041] When one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of vehicle 1 is being used by another vehicle 120, if the occupant of the other vehicle 120 being charged is not in the other vehicle 120, and if the absence time of the occupant exceeds a predetermined first ratio of the predicted charging completion time, the control unit 4 adds a predetermined time to the waiting time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time, and causes the information display unit 2 to display it as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot.

[0042] When one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of vehicle 1 is being used by another vehicle 120, if the occupant of the other vehicle 120 being charged is not in the other vehicle 120, the closer the absence time of the occupant is to the predicted charging completion time, the control unit 4 increases the time added to the waiting time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time.

[0043] When one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of vehicle 1 is being used by another vehicle 120, if the occupant of the other vehicle 120 being charged is not in the other vehicle 120, the longer the distance between the occupant and the charging spot 110, the control unit 4 increases the time added to the waiting time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time.

[0044] When the vehicle 1 is traveling towards one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of vehicle 1, if the charging spot 110 is being used by another vehicle 120, and the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicle 120 is longer than the required time until vehicle 1 reaches the charging spot 110 and a waiting time occurs, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display a charging spot 110 for which the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicle 120 is shorter than the required time until vehicle 1 reaches the charging spot 110 and for which no waiting time occurs, and notifies the occupant.

[0045] At this time, if there is no charging spot 110 for which no waiting time occurs, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the charging spot 110 with the shortest waiting time and notifies the occupant.

[0046] While the vehicle 1 is traveling towards one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the vehicle 1's occupant, if the waiting time of that charging spot 110 exceeds a predetermined first time or a predetermined second ratio with respect to the predicted charging completion time, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the charging spot 110 with the next shortest waiting time and notifies the occupant.

[0047] At this time, if the difference between the waiting time of one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the vehicle 1's occupant and the waiting time of the charging spot 110 with the next shortest waiting time exceeds a predetermined second time, the control unit 4 does not notify the occupant.

[0048] When the notified charging spot 110 is selected by the operation of the vehicle 1's occupant, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the driving route to the selected charging spot 110.

[0049] The waiting time display process by the information providing device according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 2. Note that the waiting time display process described below is executed when detection of the charging spot 110 by the occupant of the vehicle 1 is requested.

[0050] In step S1, the control unit 4 detects the charging spots 110 within a distance arbitrarily set by the occupant of the vehicle 1. After executing the process of step S1, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S2.

[0051] In step S2, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the detected charging spots 110 and selects one charging spot 110. After executing the process of step S2, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S3.

[0052] In step S3, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the travel route to the selected charging spot 110, and calculates the required time until arrival at the selected charging spot 110. After executing the process of step S3, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S4.

[0053] In step S4, the control unit 4 determines whether the selected charging spot 110 is being used by another vehicle 120.

[0054] If it is determined that the selected charging spot 110 is being used, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S5. If it is determined that the selected charging spot 110 is not being used, the control unit 4 ends the waiting time display process.

[0055] In step S5, the control unit 4 predicts the charging completion time of another vehicle 120 at the selected charging spot 110. After executing the process of step S5, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S6.

[0056] In step S6, the control unit 4 determines whether the predicted charging completion time is longer than the required time until vehicle 1 arrives at the selected charging spot 110.

[0057] If it is determined that the predicted charging completion time is longer than the required time, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S7. If it is determined that the predicted charging completion time is not longer than the required time, the control unit 4 ends the waiting time display process.

[0058] In step S7, the control unit 4 determines whether there is an occupant in another vehicle 120 that is charging at the selected charging spot 110.

[0059] When it is determined that there is an occupant in another vehicle 120 being charged at the selected charging spot 110, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S8. When it is determined that there is no occupant in another vehicle 120 being charged at the selected charging spot 110, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S9.

[0060] In step S8, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display, as the waiting time, the time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time. After executing the process of step S8, the control unit 4 ends the waiting time display process.

[0061] In step S9, the control unit 4 determines whether the absence time of the occupant in another vehicle 120 being charged at the selected charging spot 110 exceeds a predetermined ratio of the predicted charging completion time.

[0062] When it is determined that the absence time of the occupant exceeds the predetermined ratio of the predicted charging completion time, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S10. When it is determined that the absence time of the occupant does not exceed the predetermined ratio of the predicted charging completion time, the control unit 4 executes the process of step S8.

[0063] In step S10, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display, as the waiting time, the time obtained by adding a predetermined time to the time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time. After executing the process of step S10, the control unit 4 ends the waiting time display process.

[0064] Thus, in this embodiment, the control unit 4 determines whether one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of the vehicle 1 is being used by another vehicle 120. When the charging spot 110 is being used by another vehicle 120, if the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicle 120 is longer than the required time until the vehicle 1 reaches the charging spot 110, the information display unit 2 is caused to display, as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot, the time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time. When the occupant of the other vehicle 120 being charged is not in the other vehicle 120, if the absence time of the occupant exceeds a predetermined first ratio of the predicted charging completion time, a predetermined time is added to the waiting time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time, and the information display unit 2 is caused to display this as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot.

[0065] Accordingly, since it is determined whether there is another vehicle 120 actually being charged based on the information from the charging spot 110, it is possible to reliably determine whether the other vehicle 120 is at the charging spot 110.

[0066] Also, when the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicle 120 is longer than the required time until the arrival of the vehicle 1, by displaying the waiting time, it becomes possible for the occupant of the vehicle 1 to change the charging spot 110 to which they go as needed, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a waiting time after arriving at the charging spot 110.

[0067] Furthermore, when the predicted charging completion time is short and the time during which the occupant is not in the other vehicle 120 being charged exceeds a predetermined first ratio of the predicted charging completion time, for example, when the predicted charging completion time is 10 minutes and the absence time is 8 minutes, it is expected that the occupant of the other vehicle 120 has left the vehicle for a long time, such as in the toilet, so a predetermined time is added to the waiting time and displayed.

[0068] Also, by setting the addition condition of the waiting time as a ratio with respect to the predicted charging completion time, when the predicted charging completion time is long, since there is a high possibility that the occupant will return before the charging is completed even if they have left the vehicle for a long time, it is possible to suppress adding the waiting time more than necessary and provide a more accurate waiting time.

[0069] Further, while the vehicle 1 is traveling toward one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of the vehicle 1, if the waiting time of the charging spot 110 exceeds a predetermined first time or a predetermined second ratio with respect to the predicted charging completion time, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the charging spot 110 with the next shortest waiting time and notifies the occupant.

[0070] Thereby, when heading toward an unused charging spot 110, if the charging spot 110 is used by another vehicle 120 during the journey and a waiting time occurs, it is possible to provide the occupant with a charging spot 110 where no waiting time occurs, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a waiting time after arriving at the charging spot 110.

[0071] Further, when there is no charging spot 110 where no waiting time occurs, the control unit 4 causes the information display unit 2 to display the charging spot 110 with the shortest waiting time and notifies the occupant.

[0072] Thereby, when there is no charging spot 110 where no waiting time occurs, by providing the occupant with the charging spot 110 with the shortest waiting time, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a waiting time after arriving at the charging spot 110.

[0073] Further, when one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of the vehicle 1 is being used by another vehicle 120, if the occupant of the other vehicle 120 being charged is not in the other vehicle 120, the closer the absence time of the occupant is to the predicted charging completion time, the control unit 4 increases the time added to the waiting time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time.

[0074] The closer the absence time of the occupant of the other vehicle 120 being charged is to the predicted charging completion time, the higher the possibility that the absence time of the occupant exceeds the predicted charging completion time. Therefore, in that case, the waiting time is added longer.

[0075] In addition, when the absence time of the occupant exceeds the predicted charging completion time, the longer the exceeded time is, the shorter the time added to the waiting time becomes. As a result, when the occupant returns after the waiting time is extended by adding time and the charging spot 110 becomes available, it is possible to suppress the occupant of vehicle 1 from feeling discomfort due to a sudden significant decrease in the waiting time, and to suppress an increase in the deviation between the displayed waiting time and the actual waiting time.

[0076] In addition, when one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of vehicle 1 is being used by another vehicle 120, and when the occupant of the other vehicle 120 being charged is not in the other vehicle 120, the longer the distance between the occupant and the charging spot 110 is, the more the time added to the waiting time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time is increased.

[0077] The farther the occupant of the other vehicle 120 being charged is from the other vehicle 120, the longer the time until returning to the vehicle becomes. Therefore, the waiting time can be set taking into account the time to return to the vehicle, and the waiting time can be set accurately.

[0078] In addition, when the vehicle 1 is traveling toward one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the occupant of vehicle 1, and when the waiting time of that charging spot 110 exceeds a predetermined first time or a predetermined second ratio with respect to the predicted charging completion time, the information display unit 2 is caused to display a charging spot 110 with a shorter waiting time next to that charging spot 110 and notify the occupant.

[0079] When the waiting time becomes significantly longer than the predicted charging completion time, it is less likely that the occupant will return immediately. Therefore, even if the occupant arrives at the charging spot 110, further waiting time may occur, and there is a possibility that a longer waiting time will occur than at the charging spot 110 with a shorter waiting time next to that charging spot 110. Therefore, in such a case, by providing a charging spot 110 with a shorter waiting time next to that charging spot 110, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of further waiting time.

[0080] Further, while the control unit 4 is traveling toward one charging spot 110 selected by the operation of the vehicle 1 occupant, if the waiting time at the charging spot 110 exceeds a predetermined first time or a predetermined second ratio with respect to the predicted charging completion time, and if the difference between the waiting time at the charging spot 110 and the waiting time at the charging spot 110 with the next shortest waiting time exceeds a predetermined second time, no notification is given to the occupant.

[0081] Even if the waiting time at the charging spot 110 becomes longer than expected, if the waiting time at the charging spot 110 with the next shortest waiting time becomes too long, it is highly likely that waiting at the charging spot 110 will result in a shorter waiting time. Therefore, the route guidance to the charging spot 110 is maintained.

[0082] In addition, when the external charger of the charging spot 110 is connected to another vehicle 120, the charging spot utilization determination unit 43 determines that the charging spot 110 is being used by the other vehicle 120. When the external charger of the charging spot 110 is not connected to the other vehicle 120, the charging spot utilization determination unit 43 determines that the charging spot 110 is not being used by the other vehicle 120.

[0083] Since it is determined whether the other vehicle 120 is using the charging spot 110 based on the presence or absence of connection to the external charger of the charging spot 110, it is possible to reliably determine whether the other vehicle 120 is using the charging spot 110.

[0084] In this embodiment, an example in which the control unit 4 makes various determinations and calculations based on the information acquired from the server device 100 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Various determinations and calculations may be performed by an off-vehicle device based on the information of the server device 100 and the charging spot 110, and the determination results and calculation results may be received by the communication unit 3, and various controls may be performed using the received determination results and calculation results.

[0085] While embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it is apparent that modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is intended that all such modifications and equivalents be included in the following claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0086] 1 Vehicle 2 Information display unit 3 Communication unit 4 Control unit 41 Charging spot detection unit 42 Time detection unit 43 Charging spot utilization determination unit 44 Charging completion time prediction unit 45 Occupant absence time measurement unit 46 Distance measurement unit 100 Server device 110 Charging spot 120 Other vehicle 121 Occupant absence determination unit 130 Position information acquisition device

Claims

1. An information providing device that obtains, via communication, the state information of other electric vehicles and the usage information of charging spots, and provides predetermined information to passengers, comprising: a charging spot detection unit that detects at least one of the charging spots; a time detection unit that calculates the time required to reach the charging spot; a charging spot usage determination unit that determines whether the charging spot is being used by another vehicle; a charging completion time prediction unit that predicts the charging completion time of another vehicle using the charging spot and calculates the predicted charging completion time from the current time until charging is completed; a passenger absence time measurement unit that measures the absence time from when the passenger of another vehicle using the charging spot leaves the vehicle until the current time; a control unit that, when the charging spot selected by the passenger of the host vehicle is being used by another vehicle and the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicle is longer than the time required for the host vehicle to reach the charging spot, displays, as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot, the time obtained by subtracting the required time from the predicted charging completion time, and when the absence time exceeds a predetermined first ratio of the predicted charging completion time when the passenger of the other vehicle is not in the other vehicle, adds a predetermined time to the waiting time and displays it as the waiting time after arriving at the charging spot.

2. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, while traveling toward the charging spot selected by the passenger of the host vehicle, when the charging spot is being used by another vehicle and the predicted charging completion time of the other vehicle is longer than the required time, displays the charging spot for which the predicted charging completion time is shorter than the required time.

3. The information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit, when there is no charging spot for which the predicted charging completion time is shorter than the required time, displays the charging spot with the shortest waiting time.

4. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit increases the time added to the waiting time as the difference between the absence time from when the passenger of the other vehicle using the charging spot leaves the vehicle until the current time and the predicted charging completion time becomes smaller.

5. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit increases the time added to the waiting time as the distance between the passenger of the other vehicle using the charging spot and the charging spot becomes longer.

6. When the waiting time of the selected charging spot for the occupant of the host vehicle exceeds a predetermined first time or a predetermined second ratio with respect to the predicted charging completion time, the control unit causes the charging spot with the next shortest waiting time to be displayed next to the current charging spot. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. When the difference between the waiting time of the charging spot and the waiting time of the charging spot with the next shortest waiting time exceeds a predetermined second time, the control unit does not provide information. The information providing device according to claim 6.

8. When an external charger of the charging spot is connected to another vehicle, the charging spot utilization determination unit determines that the charging spot is being used by another vehicle. When the external charger of the charging spot is not connected to another vehicle, the charging spot utilization determination unit determines that the charging spot is not being used by another vehicle. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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