Proxy System

Abstract

To easily implement a substitute for charging and discharging of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A processor of a control device of a substitute system executes processing including: when it is determined that a vehicle is present at a delivery destination, acquiring SOC of an on-vehicle battery and connection state information representing whether or not a charge / discharge connector is connected to a charging port; and determining, based on the SOC and the connection state information, whether or not to set a substitute for attachment with a content that a deliverer visiting the delivery destination for delivering a product attaches the charge / discharge connector to the charging port, or a substitute for detachment with a content that the deliverer visiting the delivery destination for delivering the product to detach the charge / discharge connector from the charging port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an agency system that substitutes for the charging and discharging of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a management system that provides an agency service for substituting the charging of an electric vehicle. In such Patent Document 1, an agent who substitutes for the charging of an electric vehicle temporarily stores the electric vehicle of the orderer who places the charge order. Then, the agent moves the stored electric vehicle to a charging facility and substitutes for the charging.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, since the agent temporarily stores the electric vehicle of the orderer and moves the electric vehicle to the charging facility, the substitution of the charging of the electric vehicle becomes large-scale. For this reason, the orderer cannot easily order the substitution of the charging in daily life, and it is difficult to use the agency service.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an agency system that can easily realize the substitution of the charging and discharging of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, an agency system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle having an in-vehicle battery and a charging port electrically connected to the in-vehicle battery, A charge-discharge connector that is detachable from the charging port and can supply power from outside the vehicle to the vehicle or supply the power of the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle, A control device, and is provided with, The control device includes, One or more processors, One or more memories connected to the processor, and has, The processor is configured to, Determine whether the vehicle is present at the delivery destination when a delivery person delivers a product to the delivery destination; When it is determined that the vehicle is present at the delivery destination, obtain the state of charge (SOC) of the in-vehicle battery and connection state information indicating whether the charge-discharge connector is connected to the charging port, and based on the SOC and the connection state information, determine whether to set a proxy service for attaching the charge-discharge connector to the charging port by the delivery person who visited the delivery destination due to the delivery of the product, or a proxy service for removing the charge-discharge connector from the charging port by the delivery person who visited the delivery destination due to the delivery of the product; A proxy system that executes a process including the above.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily realize proxy charging and discharging of a vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific dimensions, materials, numerical values, etc. shown in such embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0010] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an agency system 1 according to the first embodiment. The agency system 1 includes a vehicle 10, off-vehicle electrical equipment 12, a terminal device 14, a delivery service provider server 16, and an agency management server 18.

[0011] Vehicle 10 has an in-vehicle battery 20 that supplies power to a drive source. The in-vehicle battery 20 is, for example, a lithium-ion battery or the like, and is a secondary battery capable of charging and discharging. Vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) having the in-vehicle battery 20.

[0012] The off-vehicle electrical equipment 12 includes a power conversion device 30, a cable 32, a charging / discharging connector 34, and electrical equipment 36. The power conversion device 30 is electrically connected to a power system 38. The power system 38 is an example of a power source outside vehicle 10. One of the two ends of the cable 32 is connected to the power conversion device 30. The charging / discharging connector 34 is provided at the other of the two ends of the cable 32. As will be described later, the charging / discharging connector 34 is detachable from the charging port 40 of vehicle 10.

[0013] The power conversion device 30 converts the power supplied from the power system 38 and supplies the converted power to the charging / discharging connector 34 through the cable 32. In a state where the charging / discharging connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40, the power conversion device 30 can supply power to vehicle 10 through the charging / discharging connector 34. For example, the power conversion device 30 converts commercial AC power of the power system 38 into DC power and supplies it to vehicle 10. Note that the power conversion device 30 may convert commercial AC power of the power system 38 into AC power of a predetermined frequency and supply it to vehicle 10. In that case, vehicle 10 may be provided with a device that converts the supplied AC power into DC power.

[0014] The electrical equipment 36 is, for example, various electrical loads such as lighting or electrical appliances installed in a building such as a house. Note that the electrical equipment 36 is not limited to the illustrated electrical loads, and may be, for example, a household storage battery or the like. The electrical equipment 36 is electrically connected to the power conversion device 30. For example, the electrical equipment 36, the power conversion device 30, and the charging / discharging connector 34 are provided at the home of the owner of vehicle 10.

[0015] The power system 38 supplies power to the electrical equipment 36 through the power conversion device 30. Also, when the charging and discharging connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40, the power conversion device 30 can supply the power of the power system 38 to the vehicle 10 through the charging and discharging connector 34 as described above. Further, when the charging and discharging connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40, the power conversion device 30 can receive the power of the in-vehicle battery 20 of the vehicle 10 through the charging and discharging connector 34. The power conversion device 30 can convert the power received from the vehicle 10 and supply the converted power to the electrical equipment 36. Also, the power conversion device 30 can convert the power received from the vehicle 10 and supply the converted power to the power system 38.

[0016] That is, by being connected to the vehicle 10, the charging and discharging connector 34 can supply the power outside the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 or supply the power of the vehicle 10 to the outside of the vehicle 10. The power supplied to the vehicle 10 from outside the vehicle 10 is charged to the in-vehicle battery 20. Also, the power of the in-vehicle battery 20 is discharged to the outside of the vehicle 10 and consumed by the electrical equipment 36 or the power system 38 outside the vehicle 10.

[0017] Here, the charging and discharging connector 34 serves as both an interface for supplying the power outside the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 and an interface for supplying the power of the vehicle 10 to the outside of the vehicle 10. However, a charging connector for supplying the power outside the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 and a discharging connector for supplying the power of the vehicle 10 to the outside of the vehicle 10 may be provided separately. In that case, for the charging port 40 as well, a charging port corresponding to the charging connector and a charging port corresponding to the discharging connector may be provided separately.

[0018] Hereafter, supplying the power of the in-vehicle battery 20 to the outside of the vehicle 10 may be referred to as discharging or power feeding. Also, charging the in-vehicle battery 20 with the power outside the vehicle 10 may be referred to as charging of the vehicle 10, and discharging from the in-vehicle battery 20 to the outside of the vehicle 10 may be referred to as discharging of the vehicle 10. Further, charging and discharging of the vehicle 10 may be collectively referred to as charge and discharge of the vehicle 10.

[0019] The power conversion device 30 can switch between charging and discharging of the vehicle 10. For example, the power conversion device 30 may have a user interface such as an operation unit for switching between charging of the vehicle 10 and discharging of the vehicle 10. The user can connect the charge and discharge connector 34 to the vehicle 10 and operate the operation unit to select charging or discharging.

[0020] Note that the power conversion device 30 may communicate with the vehicle 10 through the charge and discharge connector 34 and acquire the SOC (State Of Charge) of the in-vehicle battery 20 of the vehicle 10. Then, the power conversion device 30 may automatically select charging when the SOC is less than a preset threshold value, and may automatically select discharging when the SOC is greater than or equal to the threshold value. The threshold value is set to a value that can distinguish, for example, whether the current SOC is a sufficiently high value. The threshold value is set to, for example, 50%, but is not limited to the exemplified value and may be set to any value. If it is less than the threshold value, there is a high possibility that charging is relatively required, and if it is greater than or equal to the threshold value, there is a high possibility that discharging is relatively permitted.

[0021] The vehicle 10 includes, in addition to the in-vehicle battery 20, a charging port 40, a communication unit 42, a voltage sensor 44, a current sensor 46, a connection sensor 48, a navigation device 50, and a vehicle control device 52.

[0022] The charging port 40 can be connected to the charge-discharge connector 34. The charging port 40 is electrically connected to the in-vehicle battery 20. When the charge-discharge connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40, the in-vehicle battery 20 is electrically connected to the power conversion device 30 through the charging port 40 and the charge-discharge connector 34. Thereby, as described above, power can be supplied from the power conversion device 30 to the in-vehicle battery 20, and power can be supplied from the in-vehicle battery 20 to the power conversion device 30.

[0023] The communication unit 42 can establish communication with the proxy management server 18 through a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network, for example. Further, the communication unit 42 may be able to communicate with the terminal device 14.

[0024] The voltage sensor 44 detects the voltage of the input / output terminals of the in-vehicle battery 20. The current sensor 46 detects the current of the input / output terminals of the in-vehicle battery 20. The connection sensor 48 detects the attachment / detachment of the charge-discharge connector 34 at the charging port 40. The connection sensor 48 outputs a connection flag indicating whether the charge-discharge connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40 to the vehicle control device 52.

[0025] The navigation device 50 can acquire the position information of the own vehicle by, for example, GPS. Further, the navigation device 50 can acquire road information indicating the traffic congestion situation of the road and weather information indicating the weather at the position of the own vehicle.

[0026] The vehicle control device 52 includes one or more processors 54 and one or more memories 56 connected to the processor 54. The memory 56 includes a ROM in which programs and the like are stored and a RAM as a work area. The processor 54 of the vehicle control device 52 functions as a vehicle control unit 58 in cooperation with the programs included in the memory 56 and controls the entire vehicle 10.

[0027] For example, the vehicle control unit 58 derives the SOC of the in-vehicle battery 20 based on the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 44. Further, the vehicle control unit 58 derives the charging current supplied to the in-vehicle battery 20 from outside the vehicle 10 based on the current detected by the current sensor 46. Further, the vehicle control unit 58 receives a connection flag from the connection sensor 48 and manages the connection flag. Further, the vehicle control unit 58 can acquire the position information, road information, and weather information of the host vehicle from the navigation device 50.

[0028] The terminal device 14 is an electronic device such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a personal computer, for example. The terminal device 14 may be a portable electronic device or a stationary electronic device. The terminal device 14 is managed by the owner of the vehicle 10, for example, and the user of the terminal device 14 is assumed to be the owner of the vehicle 10. The terminal device 14 includes a communication unit 60, a user interface 62, and a terminal control device 64.

[0029] The communication unit 60 can establish communication with the proxy management server 18 or the delivery service provider server 16 through a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network, for example. Further, the communication unit 60 may be capable of communicating with the vehicle 10.

[0030] The user interface 62 includes an output device such as a display that presents various information to the user, and an input device such as a touch panel that receives the user's input operation, for example.

[0031] The terminal control device 64 includes one or more processors 66 and one or more memories 68 connected to the processor 66. The memory 68 includes a ROM in which programs and the like are stored, and a RAM as a work area. The processor 66 of the terminal control device 64 functions as a terminal control unit 70 in cooperation with the programs included in the memory 68, and controls the entire terminal device 14.

[0032] For example, in response to a user's input operation, the terminal control unit 70 makes a communication connection to the delivery service provider server 16 through the communication unit 60. As will be described later, the delivery service provider server 16 is managed by, for example, an operator who operates an online shopping site. The terminal control unit 70 can perform a process of ordering a product sold on the online shopping site in response to a user's input operation on the online shopping site.

[0033] Here, the owner of the vehicle 10 can charge or discharge the vehicle 10 by connecting the charge and discharge connector 34 to the charging port 40. However, some owners of the vehicle 10 may find such charging or discharging operations troublesome.

[0034] Also, a delivery person of a delivery service provider who delivers products may visit the building of the delivery destination of the products in order to deliver the products. Examples of the delivery service provider include an operator who delivers products ordered through an online shopping site or the like to the home of the person who placed the order. Note that the delivery service provider is not limited to this example, and may be any delivery service provider who delivers various products, such as a newspaper delivery service provider or a food delivery service provider. And when the owner of the vehicle 10 places an order for a product, the delivery person of the delivery service provider may visit the home of the owner of the vehicle 10 who is the person who placed the order.

[0035] Therefore, in the proxy system 1 of the present embodiment, when such a delivery person of a delivery service provider visits the home of the owner of the vehicle 10 along with the delivery of a product, the delivery person attaches the charge and discharge connector 34 to the charging port 40 on behalf of the owner of the vehicle 10. When the charge and discharge connector 34 is attached to the charging port 40, charging or discharging of the vehicle 10 is executed. Or, in the proxy system 1 of the present embodiment, when such a delivery person of a delivery service provider visits the home of the owner of the vehicle 10 along with the delivery of a product, the delivery person removes the charge and discharge connector 34 from the charging port 40 on behalf of the owner of the vehicle 10.

[0036] Hereinafter, when the delivery person attaches the charge-discharge connector 34 to the charging port 40 on behalf of the owner of the vehicle 10, it may be referred to as proxy attachment. Also, when the delivery person removes the charge-discharge connector 34 from the charging port 40 on behalf of the owner of the vehicle 10, it may be referred to as proxy removal. Further, the attachment of the charge-discharge connector 34 to the charging port 40 and the removal of the charge-discharge connector 34 from the charging port 40 may be collectively referred to as the attachment and detachment of the charge-discharge connector 34. Also, the proxy in this embodiment means performing on behalf of the owner of the vehicle 10.

[0037] The owner of the vehicle 10 performs an input operation regarding whether to request a proxy service for the attachment and detachment of the charge-discharge connector 34 by the delivery person, considering the delivery timing, for example, at the time of ordering the goods. Note that the input regarding whether to request the proxy service is not limited to the time of ordering the goods and may be performed at any timing until the goods are delivered, for example. Also, in the case of a regular contract such as newspaper delivery, for example, it may be determined at the time of the contract whether to request the proxy service. Note that it may be possible to appropriately change whether to request the proxy service at the time of contract renewal or the like.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a proxy service for the attachment and detachment of the charge-discharge connector 34 by a delivery company. In the example of FIG. 2, it is assumed that the delivery company is a newspaper delivery company. As shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the owner of the vehicle 10 routinely moves the vehicle 10 outside the home between 7:00 and 15:00 and stops the vehicle 10 at home at 15:00.

[0039] Suppose that a newspaper delivery person delivered the evening edition to the home of the owner of vehicle 10 at 4:00 p.m. At this time, together with the delivery of the evening edition, the delivery person performs the substitution of attaching the charging and discharging connector 34 to the charging port 40 of the vehicle 10. At this time, the delivery person may perform an input operation of selecting charging among charging and discharging while attaching the charging and discharging connector 34 to the power conversion device 30. Note that even if the delivery person does not perform the input operation of selecting charging, the power conversion device 30 may automatically select charging based on the SOC of the vehicle 10. Thereby, charging of the vehicle 10 is executed at night.

[0040] Suppose that the charging of the vehicle 10 is performed at night and is completed by 6:00 a.m. And suppose that a newspaper delivery person delivered the morning edition to the home of the owner of vehicle 10 at 6:00 a.m. At this time, together with the delivery of the morning edition, the delivery person performs the substitution of removing the charging and discharging connector 34 from the charging port 40 of the vehicle 10. Thereby, the charging and discharging connector 34 will be removed before 7:00 a.m. when the owner of the vehicle 10 moves the vehicle 10 outside the home.

[0041] In this way, by having the delivery person of the delivery company perform the attachment and detachment of the charging and discharging connector 34, the annoyance for the owner of the vehicle 10 to perform the attachment and detachment of the charging and discharging connector 34, in other words, to perform the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10, can be reduced. Also, by having the delivery person perform the substitution of the attachment and detachment of the charging and discharging connector 34 together with the delivery of the goods, for example, compared with a service that professionally performs the substitution of the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10, the substitution of the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10 can be easily realized. Further, since there is no need to entrust the vehicle 10 to a company that performs the substitution of the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10, the owner of the vehicle 10 can easily request the substitution of the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10.

[0042] Hereinafter, after explaining the configurations of the delivery company server 16 and the substitution management server 18 that realize such a substitution service, the flow of operations related to the substitution system 1 will be described in detail.

[0043] Returning to FIG. 1, the delivery service provider server 16 is a server managed by a delivery service provider whose business is the delivery of goods. The delivery service provider may conduct not only the delivery business of goods but also, for example, the operation of an online shopping site. The delivery service provider server 16 manages, for example, an online shopping site and manages the delivery of goods ordered on the online shopping site to a predetermined delivery destination.

[0044] The delivery service provider server 16 includes a communication unit 80, a storage device 82, and a delivery control device 84. The communication unit 80 can establish communication with the terminal device 14 and the proxy management server 18 through a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network.

[0045] The storage device 82 is composed of non-volatile memory elements. Various types of information related to delivery are stored in the storage device 82. For example, information for identifying the orderer of the goods, information for identifying the vehicle 10 owned by the orderer of the goods, location information of the delivery destination, etc. are stored in the storage device 82.

[0046] The delivery control device 84 includes one or more processors 86 and one or more memories 88 connected to the processor 86. The memory 88 includes a ROM in which programs and the like are stored and a RAM as a work area. The processor 86 of the delivery control device 84 cooperates with the programs included in the memory to control the entire delivery service provider server 16. Also, the processor 86 of the delivery control device 84 functions as a delivery management unit 90 by executing a program. The delivery management unit 90 executes processes related to the delivery of goods.

[0047] For example, when the delivery departure time indicating the time when the delivery person departs for the delivery destination arrives, the delivery management unit 90 transmits information indicating the same to the proxy management server 18. Upon receiving the information, the proxy management server 18 determines whether to set up an installation proxy or a removal proxy, and transmits the determination result to the delivery service provider server 16. The delivery management unit 90 transmits the received determination result to the delivery terminal device carried by the delivery person who actually performs the delivery. Thereby, the delivery person can, together with the delivery of the commodity, execute the proxy attachment and detachment of the charge and discharge connector 34 at the delivery destination.

[0048] The proxy management server 18 is a server that manages the proxy service related to the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10. The proxy management server 18 includes a communication unit 100, a storage device 102, and a control device 104.

[0049] The communication unit 100 can establish communication with the vehicle 10 and the delivery service provider server 16 through a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network. Further, the communication unit 100 may be able to communicate with the terminal device 14.

[0050] The storage device 102 is composed of non-volatile memory elements. Various types of information related to the management of the proxy service are stored in the storage device 102. For example, the storage device 102 stores usage setting information indicating settings related to the usage of the proxy service such as whether to wish to use the proxy service related to the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10. The usage setting information may include charging setting information for wishing to use the proxy for charging among the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10, or discharging setting information for wishing to use the proxy for discharging among the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10.

[0051] The control device 104 includes one or more processors 106 and one or more memories 108 connected to the processor 106. The memory 108 includes a ROM in which programs and the like are stored, and a RAM as a work area. The processor 106 of the control device 104 cooperates with the programs included in the memory 108 to control the entire proxy management server 18. Also, the processor 106 of the control device 104 functions as a proxy management unit 110 by executing a program. The proxy management unit 110 manages whether to request a delivery operator to proxy the attachment and detachment of the charge and discharge connector 34, and manages the content of the request.

[0052] For example, when a delivery person delivers a product to a delivery destination, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the vehicle 10 exists at the delivery destination. The vehicle 10 here is the vehicle 10 owned by a user who uses the proxy service and is the vehicle 10 specified when the product to be delivered is ordered. More specifically, the proxy management unit 110 acquires the location information of the delivery destination from the delivery operator server 16. The proxy management unit 110 communicates with the vehicle 10 and acquires the current location information of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10. When the location information of the delivery destination and the location information of the vehicle 10 match within a predetermined allowable error range, the proxy management unit 110 determines that the vehicle 10 exists at the delivery destination.

[0053] When the proxy management unit 110 determines that the vehicle 10 exists at the delivery destination, it acquires the current SOC and the current connection state information of the in-vehicle battery 20 in the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 through the communication unit 100. The connection state information is information indicating whether the charge and discharge connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40 of the vehicle 10. Then, based on the SOC and the connection state information, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether to set a proxy attachment for the delivery person who visits the delivery destination due to the delivery of the product to attach the charge and discharge connector 34 to the charging port 40, or a proxy detachment for the delivery person who visits the delivery destination due to the delivery of the product to remove the charge and discharge connector 34 from the charging port 40.

[0054] More specifically, when the SOC is less than a predetermined threshold value and the connection status information indicates that the charging / discharging connector 34 is not connected to the charging port 40, the proxy management unit 110 sets a proxy installation. As a result, the owner of the vehicle 10 requests the proxy installation from the delivery provider. Also, when the SOC is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value and the connection status information indicates that the charging / discharging connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40, the proxy management unit 110 sets a proxy removal. As a result, the owner of the vehicle 10 requests the proxy removal from the delivery provider.

[0055] Hereafter, the state where the charging / discharging connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40 may be referred to as "connected", and the state where the charging / discharging connector 34 is not connected to the charging port 40 may be referred to as "not connected".

[0056] Also, when the SOC is less than a predetermined threshold value and the connection status information indicates that the charging / discharging connector 34 is connected to the charging port 40, the proxy management unit 110 estimates the charging completion time, which is the time when the charging of the vehicle 10 is scheduled to be completed. The proxy management unit 110 determines whether the charging completion time is after the delivery designated time specified by the orderer of the product. If the charging completion time is after the delivery designated time, the proxy management unit 110 changes the delivery designated time to after the charging completion time and sets a proxy removal. As a result, when the delivery person visits the delivery destination according to the changed delivery designated time, the delivery person removes the charging / discharging connector 34 from the charging port 40 of the vehicle 10.

[0057] Also, if the charging completion time is after the delivery designated time, the proxy management unit 110 may determine whether the delivery time of the product can be adjusted. If the proxy management unit 110 determines that the delivery time of the product can be adjusted, the proxy management unit 110 changes the delivery designated time to after the charging completion time and sets a proxy removal. On the other hand, if the proxy management unit 110 determines that the adjustment of the delivery time of the product is impossible, the proxy management unit 110 does not change the delivery time and does not set a proxy installation or a proxy removal.

[0058] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a proxy pattern. In FIG. 3, an SOC, connection state information, charge / discharge setting, proxy content, and status are associated with each other. The SOC and the connection state information are the SOC and the connection state information at the timing of determining the proxy content. The threshold value is set to a value that can distinguish whether the SOC is a sufficiently high value. The threshold value is set to, for example, 50% or the like, but is not limited to the exemplified value and may be set to any value. If it is less than the threshold value, there is a high possibility that charging is relatively required, and if it is equal to or greater than the threshold value, there is a high possibility that discharging is relatively permitted. The charge / discharge setting indicates whether a charge setting or a discharge setting is set. The status indicates an example of the state of charging or discharging.

[0059] As shown in pattern A of FIG. 3, when the SOC is less than the threshold value, the connection state information indicates non-connection, and a charge setting is made, the proxy management unit 110 determines to set attachment proxy. In this case, charging is started by actually attaching the charge / discharge connector 34 to the charging port 40.

[0060] As shown in pattern B of FIG. 3, when the SOC is less than the threshold value, the connection state information indicates non-connection, and a discharge setting is made, the proxy management unit 110 determines not to set proxy for attachment / detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34. That is, in this case, even if the delivery person visits the delivery destination by delivering the product, the delivery person does not attach or detach the charge / discharge connector 34 to / from the charging port 40. Since the attachment / detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34 is not performed, discharging from the in-vehicle battery 20 to the outside of the vehicle 10 is not performed.

[0061] As shown in pattern C of FIG. 3, when the SOC is less than the threshold value, the connection status information indicates that it is in the connected state, and the charging setting is enabled, the proxy management unit 110 determines that it can be estimated that charging is in progress, so it determines not to set the proxy for attaching / detaching the charge and discharge connector 34. However, when the SOC is less than the threshold value, the connection status information indicates that it is in the connected state, and the charging setting is enabled, if the delivery time can be adjusted, the proxy management unit 110 changes the designated delivery time. Then, since the delivery staff will visit the delivery destination after the charging is completed by changing the designated delivery time, the proxy management unit 110 determines to set the removal proxy.

[0062] As shown in pattern D of FIG. 3, when the SOC is less than the threshold value, the connection status information indicates that it is in the connected state, and the discharge setting is enabled, the proxy management unit 110 determines that it can be estimated that the discharge has been completed, so it determines to set the removal proxy.

[0063] As shown in pattern E of FIG. 3, when the SOC is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the connection status information indicates that it is not connected, and the charging setting is enabled, the proxy management unit 110 determines not to set the proxy for attaching / detaching the charge and discharge connector 34. Since the charge and discharge connector 34 is not attached / detached, charging from outside the vehicle 10 to the in-vehicle battery 20 is not performed.

[0064] As shown in pattern F of FIG. 3, when the SOC is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the connection status information indicates that it is not connected, and the discharge setting is enabled, the proxy management unit 110 determines to set the attachment proxy. In this case, when the charge and discharge connector 34 is actually attached to the charging port 40, the discharge is started.

[0065] As shown in pattern G of FIG. 3, when the SOC is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the connection status information indicates that it is in the connected state, and the charging setting is enabled, the proxy management unit 110 determines that it can be estimated that the charging has been completed, so it determines to set the removal proxy.

[0066] As shown by pattern H in FIG. 3, when the SOC is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the connection status information indicates that it is in a connected state, and the charge / discharge setting is enabled, the proxy management unit 110 determines that it can be estimated that the device is discharging, and thus decides not to set the proxy for the attachment / detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34.

[0067] In this way, the details of the proxy content can be determined according to the conditions of the SOC, the connection status information, and the charge / discharge setting. Note that when the charge / discharge setting is not enabled, the proxy management unit 110 may decide not to set the proxy.

[0068] Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8 below, the operation flow of the proxy system 1 will be described. Hereinafter, an example will be given in which a delivery provider operates an online shopping site and delivers a product to a delivery destination designated by a person who placed an order for the product on the online shopping site. The person who placed the order for the product uses a proxy service for charging or discharging the vehicle 10 owned by the person. The delivery person of the delivery provider uses the proxy service to proxy the attachment / detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34 to the vehicle 10 of the person who placed the order.

[0069] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation flow of the terminal device 14 at the time of placing an order for a product. The user operates the terminal device 14 owned by the user to access the online shopping site of the delivery provider. When the communication with the delivery provider server 16 is established, the terminal device 14 displays a predetermined page of the online shopping site of the delivery provider on the display.

[0070] The terminal control unit 70 of the terminal device 14 receives an operation for placing an order for a product by the user on the online shopping site (S10). Thereby, the terminal control unit 70 can acquire product information, which is information about the product. The product information may include, for example, the type of the product, the dimensions of the packaging material for packaging the product, and the like.

[0071] Next, the terminal control unit 70 receives an operation related to the setting of the delivery of the product (S11). As a result, the terminal control unit 70 can acquire delivery information, which is information related to the delivery. The delivery information may include, for example, information identifying the orderer or the recipient of the product, the delivery destination of the product, the specified delivery time, etc. The specified delivery time is the delivery time specified by the orderer of the product.

[0072] Next, the terminal control unit 70 receives an operation related to the setting of the proxy request (S12). As a result, the terminal control unit 70 can acquire proxy setting information, which is information related to the setting of the proxy request. The proxy setting information includes, for example, information on whether or not to request the proxy for the attachment / detachment of the charging / discharging connector 34. Further, the proxy setting information may include information identifying the vehicle 10 that is the partner for the attachment / detachment of the charging / discharging connector 34. Further, the proxy setting information may include charging setting information indicating a desire to charge among charging / discharging, or discharging setting information indicating a desire to discharge among charging / discharging. That is, the user can make a display of intention as to whether to request the proxy for the attachment / detachment of the charging / discharging connector 34 related to the charging of the vehicle 10, or whether to request the proxy for the attachment / detachment of the charging / discharging connector 34 related to the discharging of the vehicle 10.

[0073] Next, the terminal control unit 70 transmits various types of information such as product information, delivery information, and proxy setting information to the delivery service provider server 16 (S13). When the delivery service provider server 16 receives the various types of information, it stores the received information in the storage device 82 and arranges for the product. Note that the terminal control unit 70 may also transmit part or all of the information transmitted to the delivery service provider server 16 to the proxy management server 18.

[0074] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation flow of the delivery management unit 90 and the proxy management unit 110 when delivering a product.

[0075] The delivery management unit 90 of the delivery service provider server 16 determines whether the current time has reached the delivery departure time indicating the time when the delivery person departs for the delivery destination (S20). The delivery departure time may be set based on, for example, the time required for delivery estimated from the position of the delivery source of the product and the position of the delivery destination, and the designated delivery time. If the current time has not reached the delivery departure time (NO in S20), the delivery management unit 90 waits until the current time reaches the delivery departure time.

[0076] If the current time has reached the delivery departure time (YES in S20), the delivery management unit 90 transmits information indicating that the delivery departure time has arrived to the proxy management server 18 (S21). At this time, the delivery management unit 90 may transmit product information, delivery information, and proxy setting information to the proxy management server 18.

[0077] When the proxy management unit 110 of the proxy management server 18 receives each piece of information from the delivery service provider server 16, it acquires the position information of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 specified based on the information specifying the vehicle 10 included in the proxy setting information (S30). For example, the proxy management unit 110 communicates with the specified vehicle 10 and requests the vehicle 10 to transmit current position information. The vehicle 10 acquires current position information by, for example, the GPS of the navigation device 50 and transmits the acquired position information to the proxy management server 18. In this way, the proxy management unit 110 can acquire the current position information of the vehicle 10.

[0078] Next, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the vehicle 10 is present at the delivery destination (S31). More specifically, the proxy management unit 110 determines that the vehicle 10 is present at the delivery destination when the acquired current position information of the vehicle 10 and the position information of the delivery destination match within a predetermined allowable error range.

[0079] If it is determined that the vehicle 10 is not present at the delivery destination (NO in S31), the proxy management unit 110 determines not to perform proxy settings (S32) and proceeds to the process of step S37.

[0080] When it is determined that the vehicle 10 is at the delivery destination (YES in S31), the proxy management unit 110 performs a proxy determination process (S33). The proxy determination process is a process of determining whether to perform proxy based on the SOC and connection status information. The proxy determination process will be described in detail later.

[0081] After the proxy determination process, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether it is determined to perform proxy in the proxy determination process (S34). If it is determined not to perform proxy in the proxy determination process, the proxy management unit 110 proceeds to the process of step S37.

[0082] If it is determined to perform proxy in the proxy determination process, the proxy management unit 110 performs a process of setting the placement location of the product (S35). For example, the product information received from the delivery service provider server 16 includes dimension information of the packaging material for packaging the product. The proxy management unit 110 refers to the dimension information and determines whether the product can be accommodated in the mailbox. When the proxy management unit 110 determines that the product can be accommodated in the mailbox, it sets the placement location to accommodate the product in the mailbox.

[0083] Also, the information for identifying the vehicle 10 obtained from the delivery service provider server 16 includes rooftop tent information indicating whether there is a rooftop tent around the vehicle 10. When the proxy management unit 110 determines that the product cannot be accommodated in the mailbox and determines that there is a rooftop tent around the vehicle 10, the proxy management unit 110 sets the placement location to accommodate the product in the rooftop tent.

[0084] When the delivery person executes the proxy upon receiving the proxy request, the delivery person will approach the vehicle 10. Therefore, the delivery person can efficiently perform the delivery of the product and the proxy for the attachment and detachment of the charge and discharge connector 34 by accommodating the product in the rooftop tent existing around the vehicle 10.

[0085] In addition, when the proxy management unit 110 determines that the product cannot be accommodated in the mailbox and there is no rooftop tent around the vehicle 10, it may be set to directly deliver the product to the recipient or the like.

[0086] Next, the proxy management unit 110 performs a process of setting the proxy fee for the proxy (S36) and proceeds to the process of step S37. The proxy management unit 110 may set the proxy fee in consideration of the busy situation of the delivery provider, the weather, the traffic congestion situation on the road, or the like.

[0087] For example, the delivery management unit 90 generates busy information that classifies the busy situation into multiple levels based on, for example, the number of delivery staff executing the delivery work, the number of delivery staff waiting, or the number of delivery scheduled items. The proxy management unit 110 may obtain the busy information from the delivery provider server 16 and set the proxy fee higher as the degree of busyness indicated by the busy information is greater.

[0088] In addition, the proxy management unit 110 estimates the delivery route based on the position of the delivery origin and the position of the delivery destination. The proxy management unit 110 transmits the information of the delivery route to the vehicle 10. The vehicle control unit 58 uses the navigation device 50 to obtain road information indicating the congestion situation on the delivery route and weather information indicating the weather on the delivery route, and transmits them to the proxy management server 18. The proxy management unit 110 may refer to the road information and set the proxy fee higher as the road is more congested. In addition, the proxy management unit 110 may refer to the weather information and set the proxy fee higher, for example, as the weather is bad such as rain.

[0089] In step S37, the proxy management unit 110 transmits the proxy content to the delivery provider server 16 (S37). The proxy content includes, for example, information indicating the presence or absence of the proxy. In addition, when the proxy is performed, the proxy content may include information indicating which of the installation proxy for charging, the installation proxy for discharging, or the removal proxy is to be performed. In addition, when the proxy is performed, the proxy content may include the setting information of the placement location of the product and the information indicating the proxy fee.

[0090] When the delivery management unit 90 of the delivery service provider server 16 receives the agency details, it transmits the agency details to the delivery terminal device carried by the delivery person who actually makes the delivery (S40). When the delivery terminal device receives the agency details, it notifies the delivery person of the agency details, such as by displaying the agency details on the display. As a result, the delivery person who actually makes the delivery can grasp the agency details.

[0091] Figures 6, 7, and 8 are flowcharts for explaining the flow of the agency determination process (S33). "A" in Figure 6 is connected to "A" in Figure 7. "B" in Figure 6 is connected to "B" in Figure 8.

[0092] As shown in Figure 6, when the agency determination process starts, the agency management unit 110 acquires the current SOC of the in-vehicle battery 20 of the vehicle 10 determined to be present at the delivery destination from the vehicle 10 (S50). For example, the agency management unit 110 transmits a request for transmitting the SOC to the vehicle 10. The vehicle control unit 58 of the vehicle 10 derives the current SOC based on the voltage acquired by the voltage sensor 44 and transmits the derived SOC to the agency management server 18. As a result, the agency management unit 110 can acquire the current SOC.

[0093] Next, the agency management unit 110 acquires the current connection status information from the vehicle 10 (S51). For example, the agency management unit 110 transmits a request for transmitting the connection status information to the vehicle 10. The vehicle control unit 58 of the vehicle 10 acquires the current connection status information based on the connection flag by the connection sensor 48 and transmits the acquired connection status information to the agency management server 18. As a result, the agency management unit 110 can acquire the current connection status information.

[0094] Next, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the current SOC acquired from the vehicle 10 is less than a predetermined threshold (S52). The predetermined threshold is set to a value that can distinguish whether the current SOC is a sufficiently high value. The predetermined threshold is set to, for example, 50%, but is not limited to the exemplified value and may be set to any value.

[0095] If the current SOC is less than the predetermined threshold, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the acquired current connection status information indicates that the connection is in progress (S53).

[0096] If the current connection status information does not indicate that the connection is in progress, that is, if the current connection status information indicates that the connection is not established (NO in S53), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether a charging setting is made in the proxy setting information (S54).

[0097] If a charging setting is made (YES in S54), the proxy management unit 110 determines to set the proxy installation for charging (S55), and ends the proxy determination process.

[0098] If no charging setting is made (NO in S54), the proxy management unit 110 determines not to perform the proxy setting (S56), and ends the proxy determination process.

[0099] Also, in step S53, if the current connection status information indicates that the connection is in progress (YES in S53), the proxy management unit 110 moves from "A" in FIG. 6 to "A" in FIG. 7, and proceeds to the process of step S60 shown in FIG. 7.

[0100] In step S60 shown in FIG. 7, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether a charging setting is made in the proxy setting information (S60).

[0101] When charging settings are made (YES in S60), the proxy management unit 110 estimates the charging completion time, which is the time when charging is expected to be completed (S61). For example, the proxy management unit 110 transmits a transmission request for the target SOC and charging current for charging to the vehicle. The vehicle control unit 58 derives the charging current based on the current detected by the current sensor 46. Also, the target SOC is set in advance in the vehicle control unit 58. The vehicle control unit 58 transmits the target SOC and the charging current to the proxy management server 18 in response to the transmission request from the proxy management unit 110. The proxy management unit 110 estimates the charging completion time based on the received target SOC and charging current and the current SOC obtained in step S50.

[0102] Next, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the charging completion time is after the delivery designated time (S62). The delivery designated time is included in the delivery information obtained from the delivery service provider server 16.

[0103] Note that the orderer of the product is not limited to the mode of designating the delivery designated time at the time of ordering the product. For example, the delivery time zone may be designated, or the delivery date may be designated. When the delivery time zone is designated, the proxy management unit 110 may regard the final time in the designated delivery time zone as the delivery designated time and execute the process of step S62. Also, when the delivery date is designated, the proxy management unit 110 may regard the final deliverable time on the designated date as the delivery designated time and execute the process of step S62.

[0104] When the charging completion time is before the delivery designated time (NO in S62), the proxy management unit 110 determines that removal proxy is to be set because it is estimated that charging will be completed by the time the delivery person moves to the position of the vehicle 10 (S65), and ends the proxy determination process.

[0105] If the charging completion time is after the delivery specified time (YES in S62), it is presumed that charging will not be completed by the time the delivery person moves to the position of vehicle 10. Therefore, in this case, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the delivery time can be adjusted (S63). The determination of whether the delivery time can be adjusted may be made, for example, based on the type of product to be delivered. For example, if the product to be delivered is a product for which it is not preferable to delay the delivery, such as food or fresh food, the proxy management unit 110 may determine that the adjustment of the delivery time is not possible. On the other hand, for example, if the product to be delivered is a product for which the quality is less affected even if the delivery is delayed, such as canned goods or daily necessities, the proxy management unit 110 may determine that the adjustment of the delivery time is possible.

[0106] If it is determined that the delivery time can be adjusted (YES in S63), the proxy management unit 110 sets the delivery specified time to be changed to after the charging completion time (S64). At this time, the proxy management unit 110 may set the delivery specified time to be changed to the charging completion time, or may set the delivery time to be changed to any time after the charging completion time. By changing the delivery specified time to after the charging completion time, the time when the delivery person arrives at the position of vehicle 10 becomes after the charging completion time, and it is presumed that charging is completed when the delivery person arrives at the position of vehicle 10. Therefore, when the proxy management unit 110 changes the delivery specified time to after the charging completion time, it determines that removal proxy is set (S65), and ends the proxy determination process.

[0107] On the other hand, if it is determined that the adjustment of the delivery time is not possible (NO in S63), since it is presumed that charging will not be completed by the time the delivery person moves to the position of vehicle 10, the proxy management unit 110 determines not to perform proxy setting (S66), and ends the proxy determination process.

[0108] Also, in step S60, if no charging setting is made (NO in S60), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether a discharge setting is made in the proxy setting information (S67).

[0109] When the discharge setting is made (YES in S67), the proxy management unit 110 determines to set the removal proxy (S68) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0110] When the discharge setting is not made (NO in S67), the proxy management unit 110 determines not to set the proxy (S69) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0111] Also, in step S52 of FIG. 6, when the current SOC is not less than a predetermined threshold value, that is, when the current SOC is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value (NO in S52), the proxy management unit 110 moves from "B" in FIG. 6 to "B" in FIG. 8 and proceeds to the process of step S70 shown in FIG. 8.

[0112] In step S70 shown in FIG. 8, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the acquired current connection state information indicates that it is connected (S70).

[0113] When the current connection state information does not indicate that it is connected, that is, when the current connection state information indicates that it is not connected (NO in S70), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether a discharge setting is made in the proxy setting information (S71).

[0114] When the discharge setting is made (YES in S71), the proxy management unit 110 determines to set the attachment proxy for discharge (S72) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0115] When the discharge setting is not made (NO in S71), the proxy management unit 110 determines not to set the proxy (S73) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0116] Also, in step S70, when the current connection state information indicates that it is connected (YES in S70), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether a discharge setting is made in the proxy setting information (S74).

[0117] When the discharge setting is made (YES in S74), the proxy management unit 110 determines not to perform the proxy setting (S75) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0118] When the discharge setting is not made (NO in S74), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether a charge setting is made in the proxy setting information (S76).

[0119] When the charge setting is not made (NO in S76), the proxy management unit 110 determines not to perform the proxy setting (S75) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0120] When the charge setting is made (YES in S76), the proxy management unit 110 determines to set the removal proxy (S77) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0121] As described above, the proxy management unit 110 of the proxy system 1 according to the first embodiment determines whether the vehicle 10 exists at the delivery destination when the delivery person delivers the product to the delivery destination. When the proxy management unit 110 determines that the vehicle 10 exists at the delivery destination, it acquires the SOC of the in-vehicle battery 20 and the connection state information indicating whether the charge and discharge connector 34 is connected to the charge port 40. The proxy management unit 110 determines whether to set the attachment proxy or the removal proxy based on the SOC and the connection state information. For the attachment proxy, the delivery person who visits the delivery destination by delivering the product attaches the charge and discharge connector 34 to the charge port 40. For the removal proxy, the delivery person who visits the delivery destination by delivering the product removes the charge and discharge connector 34 from the charge port 40.

[0122] In the proxy system 1 according to the first embodiment, since the delivery person delivers the product and also executes the proxy for attaching and detaching the charge and discharge connector 34 at the delivery destination of the product, it is possible to easily realize the proxy for charging and discharging the vehicle 10.

[0123] (Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, one SOC threshold is set to determine whether to set up a proxy installation or proxy removal, regardless of whether the proxy is for charging or for discharging. In contrast, in the second embodiment, a charging SOC threshold is set to determine whether to set up a proxy installation or proxy removal for charging, and a discharging SOC threshold is set to determine whether to set up a proxy installation or proxy removal for discharging.

[0124] The charging threshold is set to a value greater than the discharging threshold. The charging threshold is set to, for example, 90%, but is not limited to the exemplified value and may be set to any value that allows for distinguishing whether charging is necessary or not. The discharging threshold is set to, for example, 10%, but is not limited to the exemplified value and may be set to any value that allows for distinguishing whether discharging is necessary or not.

[0125] 9 is a diagram showing proxy patterns according to the second embodiment. As shown in pattern a in FIG. 9, when charging is set, the SOC is less than the charging threshold, and the connection status information indicates no connection, the proxy management unit 110 determines to set proxy attachment. In this case, charging starts when the charge / discharge connector 34 is actually attached to the charging port 40.

[0126] As shown in pattern b in Figure 9, when charging is set, the SOC is less than the charging threshold, and the connection status information indicates that the battery is connected, the proxy management unit 110 can infer that charging is in progress and therefore determines not to set up proxy attachment / detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34. However, in this case, if the delivery time can be adjusted, the proxy management unit 110 changes the specified delivery time. Then, the proxy management unit 110 determines to set up proxy detachment because changing the specified delivery time means that the delivery person will visit the delivery destination after charging is completed.

[0127] 9, when charging is set, the SOC is equal to or greater than the charging threshold, and the connection status information indicates no connection, the proxy management unit 110 determines not to set proxy connection / detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34. Because the charge / discharge connector 34 is not connected / detached, charging of the in-vehicle battery 20 from outside the vehicle 10 is not performed.

[0128] As shown in pattern d in Figure 9, if charging is set, the SOC is equal to or greater than the charging threshold, and the connection status information indicates that the device is connected, the proxy management unit 110 can infer that charging has finished, and therefore decides to set up removal proxy.

[0129] 9, when discharging is set, the SOC is less than the discharging threshold, and the connection status information indicates no connection, the proxy management unit 110 determines not to set proxy connection / detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34. Because the charge / discharge connector 34 is not connected / detached, discharging from the in-vehicle battery 20 to the outside of the vehicle 10 is not performed.

[0130] As shown in pattern f in Figure 9, if discharging is set, the SOC is less than the discharging threshold, and the connection status information indicates that the device is connected, the proxy management unit 110 can infer that discharging has ended, and therefore decides to set up removal proxy.

[0131] 9, when discharging is set, the SOC is equal to or greater than the discharging threshold, and the connection status information indicates no connection, the proxy management unit 110 determines to set proxy attachment. In this case, discharging begins when the charge / discharge connector 34 is actually attached to the charging port 40.

[0132] As shown by pattern h in Figure 9, when discharging is set, the SOC is equal to or greater than the discharging threshold, and the connection status information indicates that the battery is connected, the proxy management unit 110 can infer that discharging is in progress, and therefore determines not to set up proxy connection / detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34.

[0133] 9 correspond to patterns A, C, E, and G in FIG. 3, respectively, and patterns e, f, g, and h in FIG. 9 correspond to patterns B, D, F, and H in FIG. 3, respectively.

[0134] In the second embodiment, there are two thresholds, a charging threshold and a discharging threshold, and therefore the specific content of the proxy determination process (S33) in Fig. 5 differs from that in the first embodiment. Therefore, the flow of the proxy determination process (S33) according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 12 below. Note that, since the processes other than the proxy determination process (S33) are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted in the second embodiment.

[0135] 10, 11, and 12 are flowcharts illustrating the flow of the proxy determination process (S33) according to the second embodiment. "C" in Fig. 10 connects to "C" in Fig. 11. "D" in Fig. 10 connects to "D" in Fig. 12.

[0136] 10, when the proxy determination process is started, the proxy management unit 110 acquires the current SOC of the on-board battery 20 of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 that is determined to be at the delivery destination (S100). Next, the proxy management unit 110 acquires current connection status information from the vehicle 10 (S101).

[0137] Next, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether or not a charging setting is made in the proxy setting information (S102). If a charging setting is made (YES in S102), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether or not the current SOC acquired from the vehicle 10 is less than a predetermined charging threshold (S103).

[0138] If the current SOC is less than the predetermined charging threshold (YES in S103), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the current connection status information indicates that the device is connected (S104).

[0139] If the current connection status information does not indicate that the device is connected, that is, if the current connection status information indicates that the device is not connected (NO in S104), the proxy management unit 110 determines that an installation proxy for charging should be set up (S105), and terminates the proxy determination process.

[0140] If the current connection status information indicates that the connection is in progress (YES in S104), the proxy management unit 110 moves from "C" in FIG. 10 to "C" in FIG. 11, and proceeds to the processing of step S110 shown in FIG.

[0141] 11, the proxy management unit 110 estimates the charging completion time (S110). Next, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the charging completion time is after the specified delivery time (S111). If the charging completion time is before the specified delivery time (NO in S111), the proxy management unit 110 determines to set up removal proxy (S114) because it is estimated that charging will be completed by the time the delivery person moves to the location of the vehicle 10, and ends the proxy determination process.

[0142] If the charging completion time is after the specified delivery time (YES in S111), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the delivery time can be adjusted (S112). If it is determined that the delivery time can be adjusted (YES in S112), the proxy management unit 110 changes the specified delivery time to a time after the charging completion time (S113). Then, the proxy management unit 110 determines to set removal proxy (S114) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0143] If it is determined that the delivery time cannot be adjusted (NO in S112), it is estimated that charging will not be completed by the time the delivery person moves to the location of the vehicle 10, so the agency management unit 110 determines not to set up agency (S115) and terminates the agency determination process.

[0144] In step S103 of FIG. 10, when the current SOC is not less than a predetermined charging threshold, that is, when the current SOC is not less than the predetermined charging threshold (NO in S103), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the current connection status information indicates that it is connected (S106).

[0145] When the current connection status information does not indicate that it is connected, that is, when the current connection status information indicates that it is not connected (NO in S106), the proxy management unit 110 determines not to perform proxy setting (S107) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0146] When the current connection status information indicates that it is connected (YES in S106), the proxy management unit 110 determines to set removal proxy (S108) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0147] In step S102, when it is determined that no charging setting has been made (NO in S102), the proxy management unit 110 moves from "D" in FIG. 10 to "D" in FIG. 12 and proceeds to the process of step S120 shown in FIG. 12.

[0148] In step S120 shown in FIG. 12, the proxy management unit 110 determines whether a discharge setting has been made in the proxy setting information (S120). When a discharge setting has been made (YES in S120), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the current SOC acquired from the vehicle 10 is less than a predetermined discharge threshold (S121).

[0149] When the current SOC is less than the predetermined discharge threshold (YES in S121), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the current connection status information indicates that it is connected (S122).

[0150] When the current connection status information does not indicate that it is connected, that is, when the current connection status information indicates that it is not connected (NO in S122), the proxy management unit 110 determines not to perform proxy setting (S123) and ends the proxy determination process.

[0151] If the current connection status information indicates that the connection is in progress (YES in S122), the proxy management unit 110 determines that removal proxy should be set (S124), and ends the proxy determination process.

[0152] In step S121, if the current SOC is not less than the predetermined discharge threshold, i.e., if the current SOC is greater than or equal to the predetermined discharge threshold (NO in S121), the proxy management unit 110 determines whether the current connection status information indicates that the connection is in progress (S125).

[0153] If the current connection status information does not indicate that the device is connected, that is, if the current connection status information indicates that the device is not connected (NO at S125), the proxy management unit 110 determines that an attachment proxy for discharging should be set (S126), and terminates the proxy determination process.

[0154] If the current connection status information indicates that the connection is in progress (YES in S125), the proxy management unit 110 determines that proxy settings will not be made (S127), and ends the proxy determination process.

[0155] In step S120, if the discharge setting has not been made (NO in S120), the proxy management unit 110 determines that the proxy setting is not to be made (S128), and ends the proxy determination process.

[0156] In the proxy system 1 of the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the delivery person delivers the goods and also performs the attachment and detachment of the charge / discharge connector 34 at the delivery destination of the goods, making it possible to easily perform the charging and discharging of the vehicle 10.

[0157] In addition, in the proxy system 1 of the second embodiment, the proxy attachment or detachment for charging is set based on the charging threshold value, and the proxy attachment or detachment for discharging is set based on the discharging threshold value. Therefore, in the proxy system 1 of the second embodiment, each of the setting of the proxy attachment or detachment for charging and the setting of the proxy attachment or detachment for discharging can be set at an SOC suitable for charging or discharging. As a result, in the proxy system 1 of the second embodiment, it becomes possible to execute charging or discharging more effectively.

[0158] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that they also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0159] For example, in the above embodiment, the delivery service provider server 16 that functions as the delivery management unit 90 and the proxy management server 18 that functions as the proxy management unit 110 are provided separately. However, the delivery service provider server 16 may include the functions of the proxy management server 18.

[0160] In the above embodiment, a determination is made as to whether to set proxy attachment or detachment at the timing when the delivery departure time is reached. However, the proxy management unit 110 may make a determination as to whether to set proxy attachment or detachment at the timing when the estimated arrival time at which the delivery person is scheduled to arrive at the delivery destination is reached. Further, the proxy management unit 110 may make a determination as to whether to set proxy attachment or detachment at an arbitrary timing between the delivery departure time and the estimated arrival time. Further, when the proxy management unit 110 can grasp the delivery departure time in advance, the proxy management unit 110 may make a determination as to whether to set proxy attachment or detachment before the delivery departure time.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0161] 1 Proxy system 10 Vehicle 20 Vehicle-mounted battery 34 Charge and discharge connector 40 Charging port 104 Control device 106 Processor 108 Memory

Claims

1. A vehicle having an in-vehicle battery and a charging port electrically connected to the in-vehicle battery, A charge and discharge connector that is detachable from the charging port and can supply the power of the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle or supply the power outside the vehicle to the vehicle, A control device, Comprising, The control device, One or more processors, One or more memories connected to the processor, Having, The processor, When a delivery person delivers a product to a delivery destination, determining whether the vehicle is present at the delivery destination, When it is determined that the vehicle is present at the delivery destination, obtaining the state of charge (SOC) of the in-vehicle battery and connection state information indicating whether the charge and discharge connector is connected to the charging port, and based on the SOC and the connection state information, determining whether to set a proxy attachment for the delivery person who visited the delivery destination due to the delivery of the product to attach the charge and discharge connector to the charging port, or a proxy removal for the delivery person who visited the delivery destination due to the delivery of the product to remove the charge and discharge connector from the charging port, A proxy system that executes a process including.

2. The processor, When the SOC is less than a predetermined threshold and the connection state information indicates that the charge and discharge connector is not connected to the charging port, setting the proxy attachment, When the SOC is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold and the connection state information indicates that the charge and discharge connector is connected to the charging port, setting the proxy removal, The proxy system according to claim 1, which executes a process including.

3. The processor, When the SOC is less than a predetermined threshold and the connection state information indicates that the charge and discharge connector is connected to the charging port, estimating a charge completion time which is the time when the charging of the vehicle is expected to be completed, Determining whether the charge completion time is after a delivery designated time which is the delivery time designated by the orderer of the product, If the charge completion time is after the delivery designated time, changing the delivery designated time to after the charge completion time and setting the proxy removal, The proxy system according to claim 1 or 2, which executes a process including.

4. The processor, If the charging completion time is after the delivery specified time, determine whether the delivery time of the product can be adjusted. If it is determined that the delivery time of the product can be adjusted, change the delivery specified time to after the charging completion time and set the removal agency. If it is determined that the adjustment of the delivery time of the product is impossible, do not change the delivery specified time and do not set the installation agency and the removal agency. The proxy system according to claim 3, which executes a process including this.

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