Information providing apparatus, information providing method, and program

Abstract

This device provides information relating to a battery exchange station installed in affiliation with a facility, the battery exchange station being capable of exchanging batteries shared by a plurality of users, the information-providing device comprising: a user identification unit for identifying a first user who used the battery exchange station on the basis of the use history of the battery exchange station, and identifying a second user who used the facility on the basis of the usage history of the facility within a prescribed period that is identical or similar to the use history of the battery exchange station; and a user analysis unit for analyzing a tendency relating to matching between the first user and the second user on the basis of the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a battery station for exchanging (lending and returning) mobile batteries used in electric two-wheel vehicles and the like is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, a battery station may be installed within the premises of a facility such as a store in the city. Conventionally, in such a case, it has been expected that the economic effect will be enhanced by the synergistic effect of using the battery station and using the facility.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of the objectives is to provide an information providing apparatus, an information providing method, and a program that can further enhance the synergistic effect of using the battery station and using the facility.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information providing apparatus, information providing method, and program according to this invention adopt the following configuration.

[0007] (1) An information providing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention relates to an information providing apparatus for a battery exchange station that is installed in association with a facility and whose battery that can be exchanged among a plurality of users is replaceable, and based on the usage history of the battery exchange station, identifies a first user who has used the battery exchange station, and based on the usage history of the facility within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery exchange station, identifies a second user who has used the facility, and includes a user identification unit, and a user analysis unit that analyzes a tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user.

[0008] (2) In the aspect of (1) above, the facility is a store that sells goods, and the user identification unit identifies the second user based on the history of electronic settlement using a terminal device performed at the facility.

[0009] (3) In the aspect of (1) or (2) above, the user analysis unit identifies a third user among the first users who has not used the facility based on the difference between the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user.

[0010] (4) In any of the aspects of (1) to (3) above, the user identification unit identifies a fourth user who has returned a battery lent from a first battery exchange station installed at a first facility to a second battery exchange station installed at a second facility that is geographically different from the first facility, and the user analysis unit classifies the behavior pattern of the fourth user based on the behavior history information of the fourth user, which is information including the location information of the first facility and the second facility, and thereby estimates the behavior pattern of the fourth user after visiting the first battery exchange station or the second battery exchange station.

[0011] (5): In the aspect of (4) above, the user analysis unit obtains the appearance frequency of a specific behavior pattern among the behavior patterns estimated for the fourth user within a predetermined period, and further includes an order control unit that changes the order quantity of the product related to the specific behavior pattern sold by the seller of the first facility or the second facility based on the appearance frequency.

[0012] (6): In the aspect of (4) or (5) above, the usage history of the battery exchange station includes information regarding the time zone when the user uses the battery exchange station, and the user analysis unit classifies the behavior pattern of the fourth user into behavior patterns for each time zone based on the time zone when the fourth user uses the first battery exchange station or the second battery exchange station.

[0013] (7): In any of the aspects of (1) to (6) above, the user analysis unit outputs support information for the facility based on the analysis result of the tendency regarding the consistency, and further includes a consideration determination unit that determines the consideration received from the administrator of the facility according to the result of the user analysis unit outputting the support information.

[0014] (8): In the aspect of (7) above, the facility is a store that sells products, and the consideration determination unit increases or decreases the consideration according to the increase or decrease in the sales amount from the sale of the products at the facility after the output of the support information.

[0015] (9) An information providing method according to one aspect of the present invention is an information providing method related to a battery exchange station where a battery shared among a plurality of users can be exchanged. The battery exchange station is installed in association with a facility, and an information providing device identifies a first user who has used the battery exchange station based on the usage history of the battery exchange station, and also identifies a second user who has used the facility based on the usage history of the facility within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery exchange station. The information providing device analyzes a tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user.

[0016] (10) A program according to one aspect of the present invention is related to a battery exchange station installed in association with a facility where a battery shared among a plurality of users can be exchanged. The program causes a computer to identify a first user who has used the battery exchange station based on the usage history of the battery exchange station, identify a second user who has used the facility based on the usage history of the facility within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery exchange station, and analyze a tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] (1)(2)(9)(10) According to the aspects, by identifying a first user who has used the battery exchange station based on the usage history of the battery exchange station, identifying a second user who has used the facility based on the usage history of the facility, and analyzing a tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user, the synergistic effect of using the battery station and using the facility can be further enhanced.

[0018] According to the aspect of (3), by identifying a third user among the first users who did not use the facility based on the difference between the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user, it is possible to recognize a user who did not use the facility among the users who used the battery exchange station.

[0019] According to the aspect of (4), a fourth user who returned a battery lent from a first battery exchange station installed in a first facility to a second battery exchange station installed in a second facility is specified, and the behavior pattern of the fourth user is classified based on the attribute information of the fourth user, whereby the behavior pattern of the fourth user after stopping by the first battery exchange station or the second battery exchange station can be recognized.

[0020] According to the aspects of (5) and (6), the occurrence frequency of a specific behavior pattern among the behavior patterns estimated for the fourth user in a predetermined period is obtained, and the order quantity of a product related to the specific behavior pattern sold by a seller of the first facility or the second facility is changed based on the occurrence frequency, whereby the product can be efficiently sold at the facility.

[0021] According to the aspects of (7) and (8), support information based on the analysis result of the tendency regarding the consistency is output for the facility, and a consideration received from the administrator of the facility is determined according to the result of outputting the support information, whereby the provider of the support information can provide information beneficial for product sales to the administrator of the facility and receive an appropriate consideration for the information provision from the administrator of the facility.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the information providing device, information providing method, and program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] In the following description, a case where the information providing device of the embodiment is applied to a system (battery sharing service system) of a battery sharing service that jointly uses a battery (hereinafter referred to as a "detachable battery") that is detachably mounted on an electric vehicle will be described. The information providing device of the embodiment may be applied to a management server device that manages a battery exchange station that receives a detachable battery and provides (offers) a replacement detachable battery in the battery sharing service system. Also, part or all of the information providing device of the embodiment may be provided as part of the battery exchange station instead of the management server device.

[0025] In the following description, the electric vehicle may include various vehicles that run using the power of a detachable battery, such as a saddle-riding type electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an "electric two-wheeler") or a four-wheeled electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an "electric automobile"). For example, not only two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles, but also three-wheeled vehicles (including vehicles with one front wheel and two rear wheels, as well as vehicles with two front wheels and one rear wheel), and further, assist bicycles, etc., all types of vehicle-like moving bodies that run by an electric motor driven by the power supplied from a detachable battery are included. However, the moving body to which the information providing device of the embodiment is applicable may be a moving body such as a mobile robot, an autonomous driving device, an autonomous driving vehicle, other electric vehicles, a drone flying body, or other electric mobile devices (electric mobility) instead of these vehicle-like moving bodies.

[0026] [1. Overall Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a battery sharing service system 1 of the embodiment. The battery sharing service system 1 includes one or more (for example, a plurality of) battery exchange stations 200 (in FIG. 1, four battery exchange stations 200-1 to 200-4 are illustrated), a management server device 300, and an information providing device 400. The battery exchange station 200, the management server device 300, and the information providing device 400 can communicate with each other via a network NW.

[0027] The battery exchange station 200 includes, for example, a station control device 210 and one or more battery exchange devices 220 (in FIG. 1, two battery exchange devices 220-a and 220-b are illustrated). The station control device 210 and the battery exchange device 220 can communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly. The station control device 210 and the battery exchange device 220 may be configured integrally as one device instead of being separate devices.

[0028] The station control device 210 manages the charging and discharging of the detachable battery 100 in the battery swapping device 220, and the reception and supply of the detachable battery 100 (hereinafter referred to as "swapping of the detachable battery 100"). When a user of the electric vehicle 10 uses the battery swapping station 200, the station control device 210 provides the user with information for swapping the detachable battery 100. For example, the station control device 210 provides the user with information indicating the battery slot 221 for receiving the detachable battery 100 that has been used in the electric vehicle 10 and has a low remaining capacity, and information indicating the battery slot 221 in which another detachable battery 100 to be provided in place of the received detachable battery 100 is housed. Also, for example, the station control device 210 provides the battery swapping device 220 with information regarding the authentication of a user who intends to use the battery swapping station 200. For example, a user can use the battery swapping device 220 when authenticated as a legitimate user by the battery swapping station 200. Note that the battery swapping device 200 may be configured to obtain information regarding user authentication from the station control device 210 each time authentication is performed, or may be configured to store the once-obtained information and use it at the time of subsequent authentication.

[0029] The battery swapping device 220 is a device that performs charging, discharging, and swapping of the detachable battery 100. The battery swapping device 220 has one or more (for example, a plurality of) battery slots 221. The battery slot 221 is a housing portion that houses the detachable battery 100 and enables charging and discharging. In the example shown in FIG. 1, one battery swapping device 220 has eight battery slots 221 and can simultaneously house eight detachable batteries 100. The battery swapping device 220 can simultaneously charge a plurality of detachable batteries 100 (in the example shown in FIG. 1, a maximum of eight detachable batteries 100) housed in a plurality of battery slots 221. In this specification, "simultaneously charge" or "simultaneous charging" is not limited to the case where charging of a plurality of detachable batteries 100 starts simultaneously, and also includes cases where a part of the charging time of one detachable battery 100 and a part of the charging time of another detachable battery 100 are simultaneous.

[0030] Power is supplied to the battery replacement device 220 from an external power source PS. The external power source PS is, for example, a commercial power supply of 100 V AC. The battery replacement device 220 charges the detachable battery 100 received from the user of the electric vehicle 10 according to the control by the station control device 210. When the charging of the detachable battery 100 is completed, the battery replacement device 220 transmits a notification indicating that the charging is completed to the station control device 210. Thereby, the station control device 210 recognizes the detachable battery 100 that can be provided to the user of the electric vehicle 10. The battery replacement device 220 may discharge the remaining power in the detachable battery 100. Details of the battery replacement station 200 will be described later.

[0031] The management server device 300 is connected to the network NW. The network NW includes, for example, one or more of the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), etc. In the present embodiment, the management server device 300 communicates with a plurality of battery replacement stations 200 via the network NW and manages the plurality of battery replacement stations 200. For example, the management server device 300 receives information indicating the state of the battery replacement station 200 (hereinafter referred to as "state information") from each battery replacement station 200, and determines the state of each battery replacement station 200 based on the state information.

[0032] The management server device 300 communicates with a terminal device (not shown) used by an administrator who manages the battery sharing service system 1 directly or via the network NW, and outputs a predetermined notification regarding the state of the battery replacement station 200 to the terminal device. The terminal device is, for example, an installed or notebook personal computer.

[0033] The management server device 300 communicates with a terminal device (not shown) used by a security officer in charge of maintaining the battery exchange station via the network NW, and outputs a predetermined notification regarding the state of the battery exchange station 200 to the terminal device. The terminal device is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. Details of the management server device 300 will be described later.

[0034] The information providing device 400 is a device that provides a support information providing service to subscribers of the battery sharing service. In the present embodiment, as a subscriber of the battery sharing service, a business operator who provides the installation location of the battery exchange station 200 to the service vendor of the battery sharing service is assumed. For example, the service vendor of the battery sharing service may be a manufacturer that manufactures the detachable battery 100, or a supplier that sells the detachable battery 100 purchased from the manufacturer, or a business operator that provides services using the detachable battery 100 provided by the manufacturer or the supplier. In addition to providing the installation location of the battery exchange station 200, the subscriber may be a business operator that provides the battery sharing service to users by the installed battery exchange station 200. The battery exchange station 200 is installed within a site within a predetermined distance from the building, outside a facility such as a store operated by the subscriber, that is, outdoors of the building of the facility or indoors separate from the building.

[0035] In addition, the support information in this embodiment is information for supporting the business of franchisees. More specifically, the support information in this embodiment is information based on the tendency regarding the consistency between the users of the battery exchange station 200 (hereinafter referred to as "first users") and the second users. Here, the second users are the stores of franchisees that provide the installation locations of the battery exchange stations 200, and are the users who have used the installation store SH located within a predetermined range (for example, within the site of the store) from the battery exchange station 200 to be installed. That is, in this case, the consistency between the first users and the second users indicates the tendency of whether the users who have used the battery exchange station 200 will use the installation store SH within the site after such use. Such consistency and various information that can be recognized from the consistency can be useful support information for franchisees in operating the installation stores.

[0036] [2. Configuration of Electric Vehicle] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the electric vehicle 10 according to the embodiment. The electric vehicle 10 travels by the driving force of an electric motor (electric motor) driven by electric power supplied from the detachable battery 100. However, the electric vehicle 10 may be a hybrid electric vehicle that travels by a driving force combining the detachable battery 100 and an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine. The electric vehicle 10 includes, for example, a battery connection part 12, a vehicle control part 14, a traveling driving force output device 16, a vehicle sensor 18, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 20, and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 22.

[0037] The battery connection part 12 is electrically connected to the detachable battery 100 when the detachable battery 100 is mounted on the electric vehicle 10. The battery connection part 12 includes connection terminals of power lines that receive power supply from the detachable battery 100, connection terminals of communication lines that perform data communication between the detachable battery 100 and the vehicle control part 14, and the like.

[0038] The vehicle control unit 14 acquires measurement results from the vehicle sensor 18, acquires a value representing the state of charge (SOC) of the power storage unit 120 from the BMU (Battery Management Unit) 110 provided in the detachable battery 100, and acquires the position of the electric vehicle 10 from the GNSS receiver 22. Based on the acquired data, the vehicle control unit 14 controls the driving force output device 16. The vehicle control unit 14 may transmit the position information of the electric vehicle 10 acquired from the GNSS receiver 22 to the detachable battery 100 via the battery connection unit 12.

[0039] The driving force output device 16 includes, for example, an electric motor, an inverter, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the inverter. The ECU controls, for example, the power supplied from the detachable battery 100 to the electric motor by controlling the inverter. The vehicle sensor 18 includes a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a rotational speed sensor, an odometer, and various other sensors mounted on the electric vehicle 10. The vehicle sensor 18 outputs the measurement results to the vehicle control unit 14.

[0040] The HMI 20 outputs various information to the user of the electric vehicle 10 and receives input operations by the user. The HMI 20 includes, for example, various display devices such as a HUD (Head Up Display) and a meter display unit (which may be a touch panel), a speaker, and the like. The GNSS receiver 22 measures the position of the electric vehicle 10 based on radio waves arriving from GNSS satellites such as GPS satellites.

[0041] [3. Detachable Battery] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the detachable battery 100 of the embodiment. The detachable battery 100 includes, for example, a power storage unit 120, a BMU 110, and a connection unit 150. The BMU 110 includes, for example, a measurement sensor 130 and a storage unit 140.

[0042] The power storage unit 120 is, for example, a battery pack formed by connecting a plurality of single cells in series. The single cells constituting the power storage unit 120 are secondary batteries that can repeat charging and discharging, such as Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIB), nickel-metal hydride batteries, and all-solid-state batteries. Examples of the secondary batteries constituting the power storage unit 120 include lead-acid batteries, sodium-ion batteries, capacitors such as electric double-layer capacitors, or composite batteries combining secondary batteries and capacitors. The configuration of the secondary battery constituting the power storage unit 120 is not particularly limited.

[0043] The BMU 110 controls charging and discharging of the power storage unit 120, performs cell balancing, detects abnormalities in the power storage unit 120, derives the cell temperature of the power storage unit 120, derives the charge and discharge current of the power storage unit 120, estimates the SOC of the power storage unit 120, and so on. The BMU 110 causes the storage unit 140 to store, as battery state information, abnormalities, failures, etc. of the power storage unit 120 grasped based on the measurement results of the measurement sensor 130. The measurement sensor 130 is a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, etc. for measuring the charge state of the power storage unit 120. The measurement sensor 130 outputs measurement results such as the measured voltage, current, and temperature to the BMU 110.

[0044] The storage unit 140 includes, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory. The storage unit 140 stores the above-described battery state information. The storage unit 140 may store identification information (battery ID) assigned to the detachable battery 100. The connection unit 150 is electrically connected to the battery connection unit 12 of the electric vehicle 10 when the detachable battery 100 is mounted on the electric vehicle 10. In this state, the detachable battery 100 supplies the electric power stored in the power storage unit 120 to the electric motor provided in the electric vehicle 10.

[0045] [4. Battery Exchange Station] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the battery exchange station 200 according to the embodiment. In the present embodiment, the station control device 210 includes, for example, a battery management unit 211, a charge / discharge control unit 212, an information output unit 214, and a storage unit 216.

[0046] The battery management unit 211, the charge / discharge control unit 212, and the information output unit 214 are each realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware. Some or all of the functions of these components may be realized by a dedicated LSI. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory provided in the station control device 210, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed in the HDD or flash memory provided in the station control device 210 by mounting the storage medium on a drive device provided in the station control device 210. The storage unit 216 is realized by one or a combination of storage devices such as an HDD, a flash memory, and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0047] The battery management unit 211 manages a plurality of detachable batteries 100 housed in a plurality of battery slots 221. For example, the battery management unit 211 manages the reception (including return) of the detachable battery 100 from the user of the electric vehicle 10, determines whether charging or discharging of the detachable battery 100 is necessary, and supplies (including lending) the charged detachable battery 100 to the user of the electric vehicle 10.

[0048] The charge / discharge control unit 212 controls the charge / discharge of the detachable battery 100 determined to be in need of charging by the battery management unit 211. For example, the charge / discharge control unit 212 controls the AC / DC converter 260 and the DC / DC converter 271 included in the battery exchange device 220 to perform the charge / discharge of the detachable battery 100. The charge / discharge control unit 212 stores the control history regarding the charge / discharge of the detachable battery 100 in the storage unit 216 as control history information I12. The control history regarding the charge / discharge of the detachable battery 100 is an example of information on the operating state of the detachable battery 100. The control history information I12 includes, for example, information in which the charge start time and charge end time of each detachable battery 100 and the number of detachable batteries 100 being charged simultaneously are associated with date and time information. The control history information I12 may also include the discharge start time and discharge end time of the detachable battery 100.

[0049] The information output unit 214 transmits the state information of the battery exchange station 200 including the control history information I12 and the battery state information I13 stored in the storage unit 216 to the management server device 300 at a predetermined period. The predetermined period is, for example, every 10 minutes, but is not limited to the above example. The state information is transmitted to the management server device 300 in association with the station ID I11 stored in the storage unit 216. The station ID I11 is identification information capable of identifying the battery exchange station 200.

[0050] Also, in the present embodiment, the battery exchange device 220 has, in addition to the AC / DC converter 260, a plurality of DC / DC converters 271, a plurality of interface boards (I / F boards) 272, and a control board 273.

[0051] AC / DC converter 260 is supplied with AC power from an external power supply PS. The AC / DC converter 260 converts the AC power supplied from the external power supply PS into DC power and supplies the converted DC power to a plurality of DC / DC converters 271.

[0052] The plurality of DC / DC converters 271 are provided in a one-to-one relationship with the plurality of battery slots 221. The plurality of DC / DC converters 271 are electrically connected in parallel to the AC / DC converter 260. The DC / DC converter 271 is connected to the removable battery 100 housed in the battery slot 221. The DC / DC converter 271 converts the DC power supplied from the AC / DC converter 260 into DC power having a voltage suitable for charging the removable battery 100 and supplies the converted DC power to the removable battery 100.

[0053] The plurality of IF boards 272 are provided in a one-to-one relationship with the plurality of battery slots 221. The IF board 272 is connected to the removable battery 100 housed in the battery slot 221. The IF board 272 communicates with the removable battery 100 and acquires information (for example, battery state information and battery ID) stored in the storage unit 140 of the removable battery 100 from the removable battery 100. The IF board 272 outputs the information acquired from the removable battery 100 to the control board 273.

[0054] The control board (control unit) 273 controls the AC / DC converter 260, the plurality of DC / DC converters 271, and the plurality of IF boards 272.

[0055] [5. Management Server Device] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the management server device 300 according to the embodiment. The management server device 300 includes, for example, an information acquisition unit 310, a station management unit 320, an information providing unit 330, and a storage unit 370.

[0056] The information acquisition unit 310, the station management unit 320, and the information provision unit 330 are each realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as an LSI, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a GPU, or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. Some or all of the functions of these components may be realized by a dedicated LSI. The program may be stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or a flash memory provided in the management server device 300 in advance, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed in the HDD or the flash memory provided in the management server device 300 when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device provided in the management server device 300. The storage unit 370 is realized by one or a combination of storage devices such as an HDD, a flash memory, and a RAM.

[0057] The information acquisition unit 310 acquires the status information transmitted from each battery replacement station 200. For example, the information acquisition unit 310 acquires the control history information I12 and the battery status information I13 transmitted from each battery replacement station 200. In this specification, "acquire" includes not only the case of acquiring by receiving from the outside, but also the case of being generated internally (for example, generated by performing a predetermined calculation on the information received from the outside). The information acquisition unit 310 accumulates the status information acquired from each battery replacement station 200 in the storage unit 370 as status history information I21.

[0058] The station management unit 320 manages each battery replacement station 200 based on the status information acquired from each battery replacement station 200. For example, the station management unit 320 manages the operating status of each battery replacement station 200, the number of detachable batteries 100 received by each battery replacement station 200, the number of detachable batteries 100 provided from each battery replacement station 200, and the like.

[0059] In response to a request from the information providing device 400, the information providing unit 330 provides the status history information I21 to the information providing device 400. Further, the information providing unit 330 may generate usage history information I31 based on the status history information I21 in response to a request from the information providing device 400, and provide the generated usage history information I31 to the information providing device 400.

[0060] The storage unit 370 stores the status history information I21 and the station management information I23. The station management information I23 is management information including the station ID and installation location of each battery replacement station 200.

[0061] [6. Information Providing Device] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the information providing device 400 according to the embodiment. The information providing device 400 includes, for example, an information acquisition unit 410, a user identification unit 420, a user analysis unit 430, an order control unit 440, a consideration determination unit 450, and a storage unit 470.

[0062] The information acquisition unit 410, user identification unit 420, user analysis unit 430, order control unit 440, and consideration determination unit 450 are each realized, for example, when a hardware processor such as a CPU executes a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. Some or all of the functions of these components may be realized by a dedicated LSI. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device including a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory provided in the information providing device 400, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and may be installed in the HDD or flash memory provided in the information providing device 400 when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device provided in the information providing device 400. The storage unit 470 is realized by one or a combination of storage devices such as an HDD, flash memory, or RAM.

[0063] The information acquisition unit 410 acquires usage history information I31 and store usage information I32 and stores them in the storage unit 470. The usage history information I31 is information indicating the usage history of the battery exchange station 200 by each user. For example, based on various information held in the storage unit 216 by the station control device 210 and various information held in the storage unit 370 by the management server device 300, the information acquisition unit 410 generates usage history information I31 for each user for each battery exchange station 200 and stores it in the storage unit 470.

[0064] The store usage information I32 is information indicating the usage history of the installed store SH by each user. For example, the information acquisition unit 410 acquires the store usage information I32 from the POS (Point of Sales) terminal of the installed store SH and stores it in the storage unit 470. Also, for example, the information acquisition unit 410 may acquire the store usage information I32 via the store management terminal TM of the installed store SH. For example, the store usage information I32 may include information about the products purchased by the user, the attribute information of the user who purchased the product (e.g., gender, age, etc.), the time when the user purchased the product, and information about the store.

[0065] The user identification unit 420 identifies the first user who used the battery exchange station 200 based on the usage history information I31 of the battery exchange station 200, and identifies the second user who used the installed store SH (an example of a facility) based on the store usage information I32 regarding the installed store SH. More specifically, the user identification unit 420 identifies the second user based on the usage history of the installed store SH within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery exchange station 200.

[0066] The user analysis unit 430 analyzes the tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user. The user analysis unit 430 generates support information based on the analysis result of the tendency regarding the above consistency and outputs the generated support information.

[0067] The order control unit 440 changes the order quantity of products related to the action patterns that the user can take based on the frequency of the action patterns that the user actually took. The frequency of the action patterns is estimated by the user analysis unit 430 based on the analysis result of the tendency regarding the above consistency.

[0068] The consideration determination unit 450 determines the consideration received from the manager of the installation store SH according to the result of the user analysis unit 430 outputting the support information. In other words, an example of the consideration here can be the service usage fee that the franchisee should pay to the provider of the information providing service for the provision of the support information.

[0069] The storage unit 470 includes a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory, for example. The storage unit 470 stores the above-described usage history information I31 and the store usage information I32.

[0070] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the information providing apparatus 400 regarding the information providing service. First, in the information providing apparatus 400, the information acquisition unit 410 acquires the usage history information I31 and the store usage information I32 (step S101). Subsequently, the user identification unit 420 identifies the first user based on the usage history information I31 acquired in step S101 (step S102). As described above, the first user is a user who has used the battery exchange station 200, and the usage history information I31 is information indicating the usage history of the battery exchange station 200 by the first user.

[0071] Subsequently, the user identification unit 420 identifies the second user based on the store usage information I32 acquired in step S101 (step S103). As described above, the second user is a user who has used the installation store SH of the battery exchange station 200, and the store usage information I32 is information indicating the usage history of the installation store SH by the second user.

[0072] Next, the user analysis unit 430 analyzes the tendency of each match for the first user and the second user identified in steps S102 and S103 (step S104). FIGS. 8 and 9 are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for analyzing the tendency of each match for the first user and the second user. First, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing classifications of users who use the battery exchange station 200 and the store SH where it is installed. FIG. 8 shows users U1 to U3 as users who use the store SH where the battery exchange station 200 is installed or the battery exchange station 200 installed within the range of the site BD of the store SH where the station is installed.

[0073] In this case, user U1 is classified as a first user because, of the battery exchange station 200 and the installation store SH, he only used the battery exchange station 200 and left the premises BD. User U2 is classified as a second user because, of the battery exchange station 200 and the installation store SH, he only used the installation store SH and left the premises BD. On the other hand, user U3 uses the battery exchange station 200, then the installation store SH, and then leaves the premises BD, so he is classified as both a first user and a second user. In other words, in this case, the user analysis unit 430 can recognize that the first user and the second user for user U3 are the same. Here, the user analysis unit 430 further classifies a user whose first user and second user are the same as a third user.

[0074] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship among a first user, a second user, and a third user. In FIG. 9, region G10 represents the set of the first users, and region G20 represents the set of the second users. In this case, region G30 belonging to both regions G10 and G20 becomes the set of the third users. Here, for the first user, the usage history can be identified at the individual level based on the usage history information I31 of the battery exchange station 200. Also, when assuming the usage history information of electronic payment such as electronic money or credit cards as the store usage information I32, the usage history of the store can be identified at the individual level. In such a case, the user analysis unit 430 can recognize the third user by matching the usage history of the battery exchange station 200 with the usage history of the installation store SH.

[0075] However, when the store usage information I32 is such that the usage history cannot be identified at the individual level like a large amount of POS data, the first user and the second user cannot be accurately matched. In such a case, basically, the matching is based on time. For example, the user analysis unit 430 may match the usage time of the battery exchange station 200 by the first user with the usage time of the installation store SH by the second user, and determine the identity between the first user and the second user by determining the validity of the time difference between the two.

[0076] However, in the time-based matching, since the second user is not recognized at the individual level, the identity between the first user and the second user cannot always be accurately analyzed. Therefore, the user analysis unit 430 may perform matching combined with location information as a method for improving the accuracy of time-based matching. In this case, the first user has a user terminal device equipped with a location information acquisition function such as a smartphone or a mobile phone, and the location information of the first user is provided to the information providing device 400 from the user terminal device in a timely manner.

[0077] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a method for identifying a third user by combining location information in addition to usage history information I31 and store usage information I32. In FIG. 10, classification G10 indicates a first user who replaced the detachable battery 100 using the battery exchange station 200, similar to the case of FIG. 9. On the other hand, classification G40 indicates a user who entered the installation store SH as a second user who used the installation store SH. Also, classification G50 indicates a user who purchased a product at the installation store SH. In this case, the user analysis unit 430 can identify, as a third user, a user who belongs to all of classifications G10, G40, and G50, that is, a first user who used the battery exchange station 200 and entered the installation store SH and purchased a product.

[0078] More specifically, the user analysis unit 430 classifies the first user recognized based on the usage history information I31 into a user who entered the installation store SH and a user who did not enter the installation store SH based on the location information. Subsequently, the user analysis unit 430 can identify, as a third user G60, a user for whom corresponding POS data exists among the users who entered the installation store SH by matching the usage history information I31 of the users who entered the installation store SH with the POS data (store usage information I32).

[0079] In addition, in the matching of the usage history information I31 and the store usage information I32 described above, information other than time and location information may be used as the key information for the matching. For example, various attribute information such as the gender and age group of the user may be used as the key information. The various attribute information may be, for example, information included in POS data or user registration information in the battery sharing service. More specifically, the user analysis unit 430 may identify the third user based on the common points between the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user. According to such an analysis result, the administrator of the installation store SH can recognize a user who used the battery exchange station 200 and used the installation store SH.

[0080] On the contrary, from another perspective, the user analysis unit 430 may identify, as third users, those users among the first users who did not use the installation store SH based on the difference between the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user. According to such analysis results, although the administrator of the installation store SH uses the battery replacement station 200, the users who did not use the installation store SH can be recognized. By analyzing the attributes and characteristics of the users thus recognized, the administrator of the installation store SH can efficiently conduct marketing regarding the product sales at the installation store SH.

[0081] Returning to the description of FIG. 7. Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 400 generates support information based on the analysis result of the tendency regarding consistency performed in step S104 (step S105), and outputs the generated support information to the installation store SH (or its administrator) (step S106). For example, the support information may be information indicating the analysis result itself by the user analysis unit 430, or may be information generated based on the analysis result.

[0082] For example, in the information providing apparatus 400 of the present embodiment, the user identification unit 420 identifies a fourth user who has returned the detachable battery 100 lent from the first battery exchange station 200 installed at the first installation store SH to the second battery exchange station 200 installed at a second installation store SH that is geographically different from the first installation store SH. The user analysis unit 430 classifies the behavior pattern of the fourth user based on the behavior history information of the fourth user, thereby estimating the behavior pattern of the fourth user after visiting the first battery exchange station 200 or the second battery exchange station 200. For example, the behavior history information may be information indicating the user's behavior history. As an example, the usage history of the battery exchange station 200, the location information of the user, and the like can be cited. Further, the behavior history information includes the location information of the first installation store SH and the location information of the second installation store SH. The user analysis unit 430 can estimate the behavior pattern of the user moving between the first installation store SH and the second installation store SH based on the behavior history information. Here, the first battery exchange station 200 is an example of the "first battery exchange station", and the second battery exchange station 200 is an example of the "second battery exchange station". Further, the first installation store SH is an example of the "first facility", and the second installation store SH is an example of the "second facility".

[0083] Examples of behavior patterns include commuting to school or work, returning home, and traveling around. For example, assume there is a fourth user who is in their teens and it has been shown that the usage purpose of the detachable battery 100 is a bicycle. Such information can be recognized, for example, based on various attribute information registered by the user in the battery sharing service. Then, for this fourth user, it is recognized based on the behavior history information that they use the first battery exchange station 200 around 8:00 am from Monday to Friday and use the second battery exchange station 200 around 4:00 pm. In this case, the user analysis unit 430 can estimate that the behavior pattern after visiting the first battery exchange station 200 is commuting to school and the behavior pattern after visiting the second battery exchange station 200 is returning home. Such estimation of the behavior pattern may be performed based on the association between the predetermined conditions of the behavior history information and the behavior pattern, or may be performed using a machine learning model that takes the behavior history information as input and outputs the behavior pattern.

[0084] In this way, the user analysis unit 430 may be configured to classify the behavior pattern of the fourth user into time-zone-specific behavior patterns based on the time zone when the fourth user uses the first battery exchange station 200 or the second battery exchange station 200. In this case, assume that the usage history information I31 of the battery exchange station 200 includes information regarding the time zone when the user uses the battery exchange station 200.

[0085] Also, in this case, the information providing apparatus 400 further obtains, by the user analysis unit 430, the appearance frequency of a specific behavior pattern among the behavior patterns estimated for the fourth user within a predetermined period, and the order control unit 440 changes the order quantity of a product related to the specific behavior pattern (hereinafter referred to as "specific product") sold by the seller of the first installation store SH or the second installation store SH based on the appearance frequency of the behavior pattern. By performing such order control, the manager of the installation store SH can appropriately order specific products according to the demand of the users. Note that the order control unit 440 may be configured to order specific products on behalf of the manager of the installation store SH, or may be configured to output order quantity information necessary for the manager of the installation store SH to order specific products.

[0086] Subsequently, the consideration determination unit 450 determines the consideration received from the manager of the installation store SH according to the result of the user analysis unit 430 outputting the support information (step S107). For example, the consideration determination unit 450 may increase or decrease the consideration according to the increase or decrease in the sales amount due to the sale of specific products at the installation store SH after the output of the support information.

[0087] According to the embodiment described above, regarding a battery exchange station where batteries shared among a plurality of users can be exchanged, the battery exchange station is installed adjacent to the facility, and based on the usage history of the battery exchange station, the first user who used the battery exchange station is identified, and based on the usage history of the facility within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery exchange station, the second user who used the facility is identified, and based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user, by analyzing the tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user, the synergistic effect of the use of the battery station and the use of the facility can be further enhanced.

[0088] The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows. A storage medium storing computer-readable instructions, and a processor connected to the storage medium, wherein the processor executes the computer-readable instructions to identify a first user who used the battery exchange station based on the usage history of the battery exchange station installed along with a facility and shared among a plurality of users, and identify a second user who used the facility based on the usage history of the facility within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery exchange station, and analyze a tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user. An information providing device.

[0089] <Modification example> The information providing device 400 may be configured to transmit, as recommended information, services or products that the facility administrator wishes to provide to users such as third users to the user terminal device such as a smartphone used by the user. Further, the information providing device 400 may be configured to determine the attributes of the user when the battery exchange station 200 authenticates the user for the replacement of the detachable battery 100, and notify recommended information according to the attributes. Also, the information providing device 400 may be configured to notify recommended information based on weather information in addition to / replacing the attributes of the user. For example, when there is a user who uses the battery exchange station 200 when the temperature is low, the information providing device 400 determines that the temperature is low based on the weather information, and determines that the user is a male in his 40s who prefers warm canned coffee at low temperatures based on the attribute information of the user (an example of determination based on attributes and not limited thereto). In this case, the information providing device 400 may transmit a discount coupon for canned coffee sold at the installation store SH to the user's terminal device as recommended information for the user.

[0090] As described above, the embodiments for implementing the present invention have been described using the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0091] 1… Battery sharing service system, 10… Electric vehicle, 12… Battery connection part, 14… Vehicle control part, 16… Driving force output device for running, 18… Vehicle sensor, 20… HMI, 22… GNSS receiver, 100… Detachable battery, 110… BMU, 120… Power storage part, 130… Measurement sensor, 140… Memory part, 150… Connection part, 200… Battery exchange station, 210… Station control device, 211… Battery management part, 212… Charge / discharge control part, 214… Information output part, 216… Memory part, 220… Battery exchange device, 221… Battery slot, 260… AC / DC converter, 271… DC / DC converter, 272… Interface board, 273… Control board (control part), 300… Management server device, 310… Information acquisition part, 320… Station management part, 330… Information providing part, 370… Memory part, 400… Information providing device, 410… Information acquisition part, 420… User identification part, 430… User analysis part, 440… Order control part, 450… Consideration determination part, 470… Memory part

Claims

1. An information providing device related to a battery exchange station installed along with a facility and having an exchangeable battery shared among a plurality of users, a user identification unit that identifies a first user who used the battery exchange station based on the usage history of the battery exchange station, and also identifies a second user who used the facility based on the usage history of the facility within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery exchange station; a user analysis unit that analyzes a tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user; An information providing device comprising the above.

2. The facility is a store that sells goods, The user identification unit identifies the second user based on the history of electronic payment using a terminal device performed at the facility, The information providing device according to Claim 1.

3. The user analysis unit identifies a third user among the first users who did not use the facility based on the difference between the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user, The information providing device according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The user identification unit identifies a fourth user who returned a battery lent from a first battery exchange station installed at a first facility to a second battery exchange station installed at a second facility that is geographically different from the first facility, The user analysis unit classifies the behavior pattern of the fourth user based on the behavior history information of the fourth user, which is information including the location information of the first facility and the second facility, and thereby estimates the behavior pattern of the fourth user after stopping by the first battery exchange station or the second battery exchange station, The information providing device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. The user analysis unit obtains the appearance frequency of a specific behavior pattern among the behavior patterns estimated for the fourth user within a predetermined period, The information providing device according to Claim 4, further comprising an order control unit that changes the order quantity of a product related to the specific behavior pattern sold by a seller of the first facility or the second facility based on the appearance frequency. The information providing device according to Claim 4.

6. The usage history of the battery exchange station includes information regarding the time zone when the user used the battery exchange station, The user analysis unit classifies the behavior pattern of the fourth user into behavior patterns for each time period based on the time period when the fourth user uses the first battery replacement station or the second battery replacement station. The information providing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5.

7. The user analysis unit outputs support information for the facility based on the analysis result of the tendency regarding the consistency. The apparatus further includes a consideration determination unit that determines a consideration received from the administrator of the facility according to the result of the user analysis unit outputting the support information. The information providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The facility is a store that sells products. The consideration determination unit increases or decreases the consideration according to an increase or decrease in the sales amount from the sale of the products at the facility after the output of the support information. The information providing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. An information providing method for a battery replacement station capable of exchanging batteries shared among a plurality of users, The battery replacement station is installed in association with a facility. An information providing apparatus identifies a first user who has used the battery replacement station based on the usage history of the battery replacement station, and identifies a second user who has used the facility based on the usage history of the facility within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery replacement station. The information providing apparatus analyzes a tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user. Information providing method.

10. Regarding a battery replacement station installed in association with a facility and capable of exchanging batteries shared among a plurality of users, a program causes a computer to identify a first user who has used the battery replacement station based on the usage history of the battery replacement station, and identify a second user who has used the facility based on the usage history of the facility within a predetermined period that is the same as or close to the usage history of the battery replacement station; and analyze a tendency regarding the consistency between the first user and the second user based on the attribute information of the first user and the attribute information of the second user. be executed.

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