Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The purpose of a server 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is to enable users U to have merits when charging electric vehicles EV.　The server 1 according to one embodiment comprises a charge monitoring unit 24 and an advertisement provision unit 25. The charge monitoring unit 24 monitors a charger ST, sets an electric vehicle EV driven by a battery BT as a target, and detects a state of charging the battery BT as a charging state. When the charger ST has been detected as being in a charging state (charging), the advertisement provision unit 25 provides a user U who uses an electric vehicle EV with an advertisement suitable to the user U on the basis of information obtained from the user U or from the electric vehicle EV.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, certain standards such as charging time and charging capacity are set, and charging is performed in order within those standards so that no electric vehicle remains uncharged. In addition, technologies have been disclosed that offer discounts on the electricity bill of a user who gives a low priority to charging (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-244630 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Advances in charging technology for electric vehicles and other driving devices have shortened the time required for charging. While there are still some users who want to charge quickly, there are also an increasing number of users who are not as reluctant to let others go before them, and it is desirable for each user to enjoy the benefits. Furthermore, although the time required for charging has been shortened, it can be said that the time spent waiting can be boring for users. As such, users have a variety of needs when it comes to charging locations.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide each user with benefits when charging a moving machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a charging monitoring means for monitoring a predetermined charging device and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged for a battery-powered driving device as a charging state; an advertisement providing means for providing a predetermined advertisement to a user of the driving machine when the charging state of the predetermined charging machine is detected; Equipped with.

[0007] An information processing method and a program according to one aspect of the present invention are respectively a method and a program corresponding to the information processing system according to one aspect of the present invention described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, each user can enjoy benefits when charging a moving machine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system including a server that is an embodiment of an information processing device of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server having the hardware configuration of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how charging is scheduled using a smartphone app. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an application screen displayed when reserving charging using a smartphone application. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the completion of a charging reservation made using a smartphone app. [Figure 8] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how an incentive is given to a skipped vehicle among vehicles waiting for charging at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. [Figure 9]2 is a diagram showing how a vehicle is guided in a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. [Figure 10] 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which, even if a vehicle is left unattended at a charging stand disposed at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied, charging can be performed using another cable. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing how the charging status can be checked using a smartphone app. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how an incentive is provided if the vehicle is moved immediately after charging at a charging station is completed. [Figure 13] 2 is a diagram showing a charging stand that supports contactless charging in a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied, which ensures scalability as an evacuation site in the event of a disaster by utilizing space-time synchronization technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system including a server that is an embodiment of an information processing device of the present invention.

[0011] The information processing system shown in Figure 1 is configured by a server 1 managed by an administrator S, one or more chargers ST-1 to ST-p (p is an integer value of 1 or greater) (charging equipment) located at one or more charging stations JS-1 to JS-n (n is an integer value of 1 or greater), and electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m (driving equipment) managed by m users U1 to Um (m is an integer value of 1 or greater), which are connected to user terminals UT-1 to UT-m managed by the users U1 to Um, respectively, so that they can communicate with each other via a predetermined network NW. The charging station JS is a so-called charging spot where a parking space for a vehicle and a charger ST are installed, and one or more chargers ST-1 to ST-Jp are installed in the charging station JS. The driving equipment includes not only the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m that are driven solely by electricity, but also plug-in hybrid vehicles, etc. In other words, the driving equipment may be any equipment that uses the power of a battery or other electrical device.

[0012] The server 1 is an information processing device managed by an administrator S, and communicates with the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m and the user terminals UT-1 to UT-m to exchange information. The administrator S may also be the administrator of the charging stations JS-1 to JS-n. The electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m are equipped with batteries BT-1 to BT-m to be charged, respectively. The electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m are driving devices powered by the batteries BT-1 to BT-m. User terminals UT-1 to UT-m are, for example, smartphones, tablet terminals, laptop computers, etc., which move together with users U1 to Um. However, user terminals UT-1 to UT-m also include in-vehicle navigation systems and the like, as long as they are information processing devices that can accept operations from users U1 to Um and communicate with server 1.

[0013] In the following, when there is no need to distinguish between multiple devices or multiple people, the terms will be referred to as follows: That is, charging stations JS-1 to JS-n are collectively referred to as "charging stations JS." Chargers ST-1 to ST-p are collectively referred to as "chargers ST." Electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m are collectively referred to as "electric vehicles EV." Users U1 to Um are collectively referred to as "users U." Batteries BT-1 to BT-m are collectively referred to as "batteries BT."

[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG.

[0015] The server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an input unit 16, an output unit 17, a memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

[0016] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 12 or a program loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13 . The RAM 13 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

[0017] The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are connected to one another via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. An input unit 16, an output unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20 are connected to the input / output interface 15.

[0018] The input unit 16 is composed of various hardware buttons and the like, and inputs various information in response to user instructions. The output unit 17 is configured with a display such as a liquid crystal display, and displays various images.

[0019] The storage unit 18 is configured with a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like, and stores various data. The communication unit 19 controls communication with other devices (for example, a charger ST or an electric vehicle EV) via a network NW including the Internet.

[0020] The drive 20 is provided as needed. Removable media 31, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, is appropriately attached to the drive 20. Programs read from the removable media 31 by the drive 20 are installed in the storage unit 18 as needed. The removable media 31 can also store various data stored in the storage unit 18 in the same way as the storage unit 18.

[0021] Although not shown, the user terminal UT, the charger ST, and the electric vehicle EV in the information processing system of FIG. 2 also have the hardware configuration shown in FIG.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server having the hardware configuration of FIG.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 18 of the server 1 stores a user DB 41, a charging management DB 42, and an advertisement management DB 43. The user DB41 stores information about the administrator S and the user U (for example, name, user account (user ID and password), information about the user as a member of this service (contract details linked to the user ID (for example, membership contracts based on fees or priorities such as SLOW Pass, NORMAL Pass, FAST Pass, etc.))), and other attributes of the user U. The attributes of the user U include, for example, the user's age, family composition, hobbies, contact information, the specifications of the electric vehicle EV owned (fuel efficiency, charging capacity, etc.), vehicle inspection information (vehicle model, date of first registration, date of next vehicle inspection, etc.), and automobile insurance information (insurance company, premiums, etc.). The advertisement management DB43 stores the date and time, distribution content, distribution requester, distribution time unit price, target users, ID (identification information) of the charging station / charger that distributed, distribution results, etc., which are read out by the advertisement provision unit 25 as needed and provided as advertisements.

[0024] The charging management DB42 stores the usage history of the charging station JS and the charger ST therein (such as the charging date and time, charging amount, payment amount, and incentive information linked to the charger identification information (charger ID)), information on members who are divided into several classes based on the type of contract (for example, SLOW pass, NORMAL pass, FAST pass, etc.), reservation information, etc., linked to the user ID. NORMAL Pass members are registered as regular users (general members) of Charging Station JS. FAST Pass members are preferential members who are given priority access to charging stations when there is a congestion of people waiting to charge at Charging Station JS. This preferential treatment can also be called an incentive. In addition, both NORMAL Pass members and FAST Pass members can receive incentives when they give up their place in the charging queue. The charging management DB 42 stores information about the user U or the electric vehicle EV that has been acquired in advance, linked to a user ID, a vehicle ID, or the like. Specifically, this includes information such as the location of the electric vehicle EV heading towards this charging station JS and the remaining battery charge. The information about the incentive is an incentive, such as points or coupons, that is given to the user U or the electric vehicle EV when the user U or the electric vehicle EV meets the incentive provision conditions (predetermined conditions). The incentive provision condition may be, for example, whether or not the user U has responded to a questionnaire about an advertisement provided to the user U. Alternatively, the incentive provision condition may be whether or not the user has given up their turn to wait in line for charging to another user. In addition, the charging management DB 42 stores information about all chargers ST under the control of the server 1 (device name, device ID, specifications, operation information of each device (charging status (charging), charging completed, waiting for charging (standby, available, etc.)). From the operation information, it is possible to detect whether each charger ST is in a charging status. The charging management DB 42 also stores map information and the like including information on the locations of the charging stations JS (charger ST) (charging station layout information) where the charging stations JS are installed, for providing guidance to the locations of the charging stations JS (charger ST). Guidance conditions are stored in the charge management DB 42. The guidance conditions are, for example, when the remaining charge of the battery BT falls below a predetermined amount, for example, 1 / 5 or less of the amount when fully charged, or when estimated information such as the remaining travel distance and remaining travel time estimated from information on the rate at which the remaining charge of the battery BT decreases falls below a predetermined amount, for example, when the remaining travel distance falls below 50 km. That is, the guidance conditions are conditions for notifying the user U of the nearest charging station JS that can be reached with the current remaining battery power, in order to prevent the vehicle from stopping unintentionally due to a decrease in the remaining battery power.

[0025] 3, when a process related to charging is executed, the CPU 11 of the server 1 functions as a location acquisition unit 21, a remaining battery charge acquisition unit 22, a guidance unit 23, a charge monitoring unit 24, an advertisement provision unit 25, and an incentive provision unit 26. When a process related to charging is executed, each of these units executes the process while writing and / or reading information to the user DB 41, the charge management DB 42, and the advertisement management DB 43 of the storage unit 18.

[0026] The location acquisition unit 21 acquires location information of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m or users U1 to Um (location information such as longitude, latitude, altitude, and travel speed obtained by receiving information from beacons installed on roads by an in-vehicle navigation system or radio waves from a GPS), and stores the information in the charging management DB 42 of the memory unit 18, linking it to the ID of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m.

[0027] The remaining battery charge acquisition unit 22 acquires information relating to the decrease in the battery BT of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m, and stores the information in the charge management DB 42 or the like in association with the ID of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-m. The information regarding the decrease in battery BT includes, for example, remaining charge information of battery BT and information on the rate at which the remaining charge is decreasing, and is stored in the charging management DB42 together with estimated information such as remaining driving distance and remaining driving time estimated from the rate at which the charge is decreasing.

[0028] When the information regarding the decrease in battery BT satisfies the guidance conditions, the guidance unit 23 notifies the user U of the existence of a charging station JS (charger ST) that is located in a location that the electric vehicle EV can reach from the user U's current location with the current remaining battery power (within a range that satisfies the guidance conditions). Specifically, when the acquired information regarding the decrease in the battery BT is, for example, a predetermined amount or less of the remaining charge of the battery BT, or when estimated information such as the remaining driving distance and remaining driving time estimated from the information regarding the rate at which the remaining charge of the battery BT is decreasing is below a predetermined amount, the guidance unit 23 notifies the user U of the presence of a charging station JS (charger ST) within a predetermined range (a location where the vehicle can be driven with the remaining charge) based on the location of the user U or the location of the electric vehicle EV, the information regarding the decrease in the battery BT, and also the location information of the charging station JS. Specifically, when the remaining charge of the battery BT falls below a predetermined amount, for example, 1 / 5 or less of the amount when fully charged, or when estimated information such as the remaining driving distance and remaining driving time estimated from information on the rate at which the remaining charge of the battery BT is decreasing falls below a predetermined amount, for example, the remaining driving distance is 50 km or less, the guidance unit 23 presents, on the application screen of the user terminal UT, charging stations JS (chargers ST) that are present within a driving range from the current position of the electric vehicle EV with the current remaining battery charge, based on the current position of the electric vehicle EV acquired by the position acquisition unit 21, the current remaining battery charge and the rate at which the remaining charge is decreasing of the electric vehicle EV acquired by the remaining battery charge acquisition unit 22, the estimated information such as the remaining driving distance and remaining driving time estimated from the rate at which the remaining charge is decreasing, performance information (fuel efficiency) of the electric vehicle EV of the user U stored in advance in the user DB 41, and map information stored in advance in the charging management DB 42.

[0029] The charge monitoring unit 24 monitors a predetermined charger ST and detects a state in which the battery BT is being charged as a charging state, for an electric vehicle EV driven by the battery BT. Specifically, the charging monitor 24 monitors the operating status of the charger ST (predetermined charger ST) at the location where the electric vehicle EV is stopped, based on information from cameras and object sensors, etc., installed in a charging station JS where multiple chargers ST are present, in addition to information from the charger ST itself. When the charging cable of the charger ST is connected to the electric vehicle EV and charging of the electric vehicle EV is initiated by the charger ST, the charging monitor 24 determines the accuracy of the charging status information received from the charger ST and associates the charging status with the ID of the electric vehicle EV and stores it in the charging management DB 42. The cameras, object sensors, etc. may be used not only to determine and monitor the charging status, but also to monitor the alive status and status of the charger ST itself. Note that the cameras, object sensors, etc. are not essential elements for realizing the present invention.

[0030] When it is detected that a predetermined charger ST is in the process of charging, the advertisement provision unit 25 provides a predetermined advertisement to a user U who uses an electric vehicle EV. Specifically, when it is detected that a specific charger ST is charging, the advertisement providing unit 25 provides the specific advertisement to the user U using the electric vehicle EV by outputting the specific advertisement on the display of the charger ST that is charging and / or on the app screen of the user terminal UT of the user U of the electric vehicle EV. Here, the predetermined advertisement is an advertisement that the user U is interested in, derived from the attributes of the user U and the electric vehicle EV, among the advertisements for presentation that are registered in advance in the advertisement management DB 43. For example, if the next vehicle inspection of the electric vehicle EV is approaching, advertisements from vehicle inspection companies, automobile insurance companies, new car dealers, etc. are provided. For example, the advertisement provision unit 25 may be an AI, which may learn information input from various users U, user terminals UT, and electric vehicles EV visiting the charger ST, as well as information about users U who have responded to questionnaires about the advertisements presented, and the AI ​​may then present advertisements that may be of interest to newly visiting users U.

[0031] The incentive providing unit 26 provides a predetermined incentive to the user U when the user U or the electric vehicle EV satisfies a predetermined incentive providing condition (predetermined condition). The incentive provision condition is satisfied when the user U or the electric vehicle EV answers a questionnaire about an advertisement provided while the battery BT is being charged by the charger ST, for example. Also, when a second user who is already waiting to charge gives up his / her turn to charge to a first user who is a member and wants to charge quickly. Specifically, for example, after a predetermined advertisement is displayed on the application screen of the user terminal UT of the user U, a questionnaire is displayed on the screen, and if the user U answers the questionnaire, the incentive providing unit 26 issues an incentive such as points or a discount coupon to the ID of the user U or the ID of the electric vehicle being charged.

[0032] In this way, the server 1 of this embodiment obtains information about the user U or the electric vehicle EV (family composition, hobbies, vehicle information, etc.) while the user U is parking the electric vehicle EV at the charger ST and charging the battery BT, and provides advertisements that the user U is interested in based on this information, allowing the user U to fill in the wasted time while charging by viewing the advertisements. Also, the administrator S who manages the charging station JS can earn advertising revenue by providing advertisements to the user U. As a result, both the user U and the administrator S can enjoy benefits when charging the electric vehicle EV.

[0033] Next, the operation of the server will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server having the functional configuration of FIG. In this case, in step S1, the location acquisition unit 21 of the server 1 acquires location information of the electric vehicle EV. In step S2, the remaining battery charge acquisition unit 22 acquires, for example, the remaining battery charge as information relating to the decrease in the battery BT of the electric vehicle EV. Other information relating to the decrease in the battery charge may also be acquired, such as the rate at which the remaining battery charge decreases, and this information may be calculated on the server 1 side, as long as it is information relating to the decrease in the battery charge.

[0034] In step S3, the guiding unit 23 determines whether or not the acquired information relating to the decrease in the battery BT satisfies a preset guidance condition. As a result of the determination, if the guidance conditions are met (YES in step S3), in step S4 the guidance unit 23 provides guidance on reachable charging stations JS based on the current position of the electric vehicle EV, information on the decrease in battery BT, and location information of charging stations JS. Specifically, when the acquired remaining charge of the battery BT is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, or when the remaining charge of the battery BT is not equal to or less than the predetermined amount but the remaining travelable distance and remaining travelable time estimated from the rate at which the remaining charge of the battery BT decreases are equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the guidance unit 23 provides guidance (notification) of the existence of a charging station JS (charger ST) that exists within a nearby range that the electric vehicle EV of the user U can reach from the current position indicated by the user's position information with the current remaining battery charge. As a method of providing guidance (notification), a guidance display may be made on the screen of the user terminal UT, or a guidance message may be issued by voice from the user terminal UT.

[0035] Thereafter, the user U follows the instructions to drive the electric vehicle EV to the charging station JS, stops at the location of a charger ST within the charging station JS, connects the cable of the charger ST to the electric vehicle EV, and starts charging.

[0036] In the server 1, the charge monitoring unit 24 monitors the charger ST in step S5, and detects a state in which the battery BT of the electric vehicle EV is being charged as the charging state. If the charging state of the charger ST is detected by the charging monitoring unit 24 (YES in step S5), the advertisement providing unit 25 provides a predetermined advertisement to the user U who uses the electric vehicle EV in step S6. Specifically, the advertisement providing unit 25 delivers a predetermined advertisement to the application screen of the user terminal 2 of the user U, or displays the advertisement on a display disposed on the housing of the charger ST. Then, in step S7, the advertisement provision unit 25 determines whether or not the incentive provision condition is satisfied. As an example of determining whether or not the incentive provision conditions are satisfied, a questionnaire about the provided advertisement is sent to the user U (the user U is requested to respond). If a response to the questionnaire is received from user U as a result of conducting (requesting) the questionnaire, it is determined that the incentive provision conditions have been met. The conditions for determining that the incentive provision conditions have been met may be other conditions, such as when it is detected that user U has viewed the provided advertisement for a certain period of time or more, or the distribution of the advertisement itself may be deemed to have met the conditions. Viewing detection is performed, for example, by capturing an image of user U's face with a camera attached to charger J, and when user U's line of sight can be confirmed for a certain period of time, this is counted as the number of impressions and is determined to be viewing detection. If the incentive provision conditions are met (YES in step S8), an incentive such as points or a coupon is provided to the user U who has met the incentive provision conditions in step S9.

[0037] In this way, according to the operation of this server 1, when the charging state by the charger ST is detected, an advertisement suitable for the user U who uses the electric vehicle EV or an advertisement suitable for the electric vehicle EV managed by the user U is provided, and incentives such as points or coupons are provided to the user U who fulfills the incentive provision conditions, for example, by answering a questionnaire about the advertisement, thereby providing benefits to the user U when charging the electric vehicle EV. Furthermore, by having the user view the advertisement, the manager S of the charging station JS can also earn advertising revenue, and benefits can be enjoyed by all parties involved: the user U, the manager S, and advertisers who can deliver targeted advertisements.

[0038] The various functions of the server will now be described with reference to Figures 5 to 14. Figure 5 shows how charging reservations are made using a smartphone app. FIG. 6 shows an application screen displayed when reserving charging using the smartphone application. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the completion of a charging reservation via the smartphone app. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how an incentive is given to a skipped vehicle among vehicles waiting for charging at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing how a vehicle is guided at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how a vehicle can be charged with another cable even if it is parked at a charging stand located at a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. Figure 11 shows how the charging status can be checked using a smartphone app. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing how an incentive is given if the vehicle is moved immediately after charging at a charging station is completed. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a charging stand that supports contactless charging in a charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing how the charging station to which the information processing system of FIG. 1 is applied ensures scalability as an evacuation site in the event of a disaster by utilizing space-time synchronization technology.

[0039] First, the charging reservation function provided by the server of FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this information processing system, if the user terminal UT that the user U always carries with him or her is, for example, a smartphone (hereinafter referred to as "smartphone"), an application program (hereinafter referred to as "app") provided by the administrator S, who is the provider of this service, is installed on the smartphone, and charging-related functions are provided to the user U on the app screen (hereinafter referred to as "app screen") through communication between the server 1 and the app. However, the app does not necessarily have to be installed on the smartphone, and also includes programs in the form of web apps that can be accessed from a web browser. Below, some of the charging-related functions are explained.

[0040] One of the functions related to charging is a charging reservation function. In the following description, the user terminal UT is assumed to be a smartphone UT. As shown in Figure 5, a user U of an electric vehicle EV can make a reservation for charging at a desired charging station JS by operating the app screen of a smartphone UT before or when entering the charging station JS. In this case, as shown in Figure 6, a selection menu including "NORMAL Pass" and "FAST Pass" is displayed on the app screen of the smartphone UT. By selecting the desired pass from the selection menu, a charging reservation can be made at the charger ST corresponding to the selected pass. For example, by simply selecting the "FAST Pass," which allows priority charging when arriving at the charging station JS, a reservation for charging at the pre-set charging station JS is completed, and a "reservation completed" notification is displayed on the app screen of the smartphone UT, as shown in Figure 7. After charging is completed, payment for the charge is automatically processed based on information such as the amount of charge and charging time. In this way, you can easily complete the entire process from reserving charging at the ST Charger to paying, all from the screen of the app installed on your smartphone.

[0041] When user U selects, for example, "FAST Pass" to make a charging reservation and then arrives at charging station JS, as shown in Figure 8, electric vehicle EV-4 in which user U is riding will travel in the "FAST Pass" exclusive lane, skipping electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3 waiting to be charged, and go to charger ST to be charged. At this time, the skipped electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3 are given incentives 61. The incentives 61 may be points, coupons, or the like. Although points, coupons, and the like are given as examples of incentives here, other incentives may also be given.

[0042] Next, we will explain the guidance function at Charging Station JS. A large number of chargers ST are installed in the charging station JS, and it is difficult for the user U to find the reserved charger ST among the multiple chargers ST-1 to ST-p while moving around the charging station JS. Therefore, within charging station JS, a smartphone app screen 71 is provided, as shown in Fig. 9. The app screen 71 displays in real time a plan view showing the arrangement of chargers ST within charging station JS, the electric vehicle EV driven by user U, a parking space 72 for the charger ST to be reached, and a route 73 connecting the electric vehicle EV and the parking space 72 as the vehicle moves, and also provides audio guidance at the same time. In this example, the route guidance to the charger ST is displayed on the application screen 71, but the route guidance may be displayed on a display other than the application screen 71, such as a display placed in front of the nearest charger ST, a large screen display placed in the space above the charging station JS, or a buried display installed in the ground. Also, the route guidance may be displayed only on the screen or only by audio, in addition to the screen and audio. In this way, with this guidance function, the user U can reach the reserved charger ST without getting lost and searching for the charger ST that he or she has reserved, thanks to the well-designed guidance notification.

[0043] Next, we will explain the twin charging function. As shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of charging cables 81 and 82 are connected to the charger ST. With the above guidance (guidance), when user U parks electric vehicle EV-4 in the parking space of the target charger ST, even if there is an abandoned vehicle EV-5 on the other side of the charger ST after charging, user U can charge his or her electric vehicle EV-4 without any time lag using another charging cable 82 that is prepared separately from the charging cable 81 that the abandoned vehicle is using.

[0044] Thus, with this twin charging function, even if there is a vehicle (such as electric vehicle EV-5) left unattended after charging, the other cable 82 can be used to charge the user's own vehicle (such as electric vehicle EV-4) without any time lag.

[0045] Next, the charging status notification function will be described. While charging at the charger ST, the charging status of the user U's vehicle is displayed (notified) on the application screen of the user U's smartphone UT. 11, during charging, the charge amount of the battery BT is displayed as, for example, "99%" on the application screen 91. Then, when the battery BT is fully charged, the charge amount of the battery is displayed as, for example, "100%" on the application screen 92, and an audio message such as "Charging is complete" is announced. Furthermore, the application screens 91 and 92 may also display the estimated remaining time until full charge, the total amount of power charged since the start of charging, and an estimated cost for the charging.

[0046] In this way, this charging status notification function notifies the user U of the charging and fully charged states, allowing the user U to quickly exit the charging station JS as soon as charging of the battery BT is complete. In addition, the charging station JS can also reduce the number of abandoned vehicles, thereby alleviating congestion at the station while waiting to charge.

[0047] Next, an incentive providing function that provides an incentive to a vehicle that moves within a predetermined time after charging will be described. 12, an incentive 61 is given to a vehicle (electric vehicle EV) or its user U that moves (withdraws) from the parking position of the charger ST within a predetermined time after charging. The incentive 61 is, for example, points or coupons that can be used here. Note that the "predetermined time" after charging is, for example, one minute. The time shown here is just an example, and does not have to be a fixed time, and may be changed depending on the situation. For example, it may be set to a shorter time when there is a mix of vehicles in the station, and a longer time otherwise.

[0048] In this way, according to this incentive granting function, an incentive 61 is granted to a vehicle that moves within a specified time after charging, so that a user U who wants to receive the incentive 61 will quickly leave the charging station JS after charging the battery BT, thereby alleviating congestion at the charging station JS.

[0049] Next, the contactless charging function will be described. As shown in Figure 13, a wireless charging compatible power transmission coil 101 and the like are buried in the road surface of the parking space for the charger ST of the charging station JS, and by moving and parking an electric vehicle EV that is compatible with wireless charging over the power transmission coil 101, a user U can charge the electric vehicle EV without connecting a charging cable.

[0050] Next, we will explain its function as an evacuation site. As shown in Figure 14, this charging station JS has a large site area and is equipped with charging facilities and a communications environment, so it can function not only as a charging point for electric vehicles (EVs), but also as a regional disaster prevention center and evacuation site in the event of a disaster. The communications environment utilizes space-time synchronization technology. This will enable us to contribute to the local community in the event of a disaster.

[0051] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and modifications and improvements within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention are included in the present invention. Furthermore, it is not necessary to include all of the above functions, and it may be configured with only a part of them.

[0052] Furthermore, for example, the above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. In other words, the functional configuration shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient if the information processing device is provided with a function that can execute the above-described series of processes as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example of Figure 3. Furthermore, the locations of the functional blocks and databases are not particularly limited to those of Figure 3 and may be arbitrary. For example, at least some of the functional blocks and databases required to execute various processes may be transferred to a user terminal or the like. Conversely, the functional blocks and databases of the user terminal may be transferred to a server or the like. Furthermore, one functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, a single piece of software, or a combination thereof.

[0053] When a series of processes is executed by software, the programs that make up the software are installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium. The computer may be a computer built on dedicated hardware. The computer may also be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a personal computer.

[0054] The recording medium containing such a program may be composed of not only a removable medium (not shown) that is distributed separately from the device main body in order to provide the program to users, etc., but also a recording medium that is provided to users, etc. in a state where it is pre-installed in the device main body.

[0055] In this specification, the steps describing the program to be recorded on the recording medium include not only processes that are performed in chronological order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed in chronological order but are performed in parallel or individually. In addition, in this specification, the term "system" refers to an overall device that is made up of a plurality of devices, a plurality of means, etc.

[0056] In other words, the information processing device to which the present invention is applied is sufficient as long as it has the following configuration, and can take on a variety of different embodiments. (1) That is, an information processing device to which the present invention is applied (for example, the server 1 in FIG. 3) a charging monitoring means (e.g., the charging monitoring unit 24 in FIG. 3) that monitors a predetermined charging device (e.g., the charger ST in FIG. 3) and detects a state in which a battery (e.g., the battery BT in FIG. 3) is being charged as a charging state for a driving device (e.g., the electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) that is driven by the battery; an advertisement providing means (e.g., advertisement providing unit 25 in FIG. 3) for providing a predetermined advertisement to a user of the driving equipment (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) when the charging state (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) of the predetermined charging equipment (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3 is charging) is detected; Equipped with. When a charger ST is detected to be in a charging state (charging) at a charging location (e.g., charging station JS) where a user (e.g., user U) stops by with a driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in Figure 3), a predetermined advertisement (an advertisement suitable for the user) is provided to the user U who is using the electric vehicle EV based on information obtained from the user U or the electric vehicle EV. In other words, by providing advertisements that interest users during their free time (intervals) while charging, users can fill in the wasted time while charging, and those who manage charging locations (e.g., charging stations) can earn advertising revenue by providing advertisements to users. As a result, both the user and the administrator can enjoy benefits when charging a driving device (for example, the electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3).

[0057] (2) In the information processing device (for example, the server 1 in FIG. 3), an incentive providing means (e.g., incentive providing unit 26 of FIG. 3 ) that provides a predetermined incentive (e.g., points, coupons, etc.) to the user (e.g., user U) or the driving equipment (e.g., electric vehicle EV of FIG. 3 ) when the user (e.g., user U) or the driving equipment (e.g., electric vehicle EV of FIG. 3 ) satisfies a predetermined condition (e.g., the user answers a questionnaire about an advertisement provided while the battery (e.g., battery BT of FIG. 3 ) is being charged by the charger ST of FIG. 3 ); Equipped with. This allows users to make up for wasted time while charging, and also allows those who manage charging locations (e.g., charging station JS) to earn advertising revenue by providing advertisements to users (e.g., user U). Also, for example, if a second user who is waiting to charge ahead of a first user who wants to charge in a hurry lets the first user go first, an incentive can be given to the second user who lets the first user go first, so that the first user can benefit from being able to charge faster, and the second user can benefit from receiving an incentive (for example, points or coupons).

[0058] (3) In the information processing device (for example, the server 1 in FIG. 3), The driving device is a device that moves with the user (for example, an electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ), a position acquisition means (for example, the position acquisition unit 21 in FIG. 3 ) that acquires information indicating the position of the driving device (for example, the electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3 ) or the user as user position information; a battery information acquiring means for acquiring information about a decrease in the battery of the movable device; a battery information acquisition unit (e.g., the remaining battery capacity acquisition unit 22 in FIG. 3) that acquires information about the battery capacity decrease (e.g., remaining capacity of the battery BT, information about the rate at which the remaining battery capacity decreases, etc.) of the driving device (e.g., the electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) when the information about the battery capacity decrease satisfies a guidance condition; a notification means (e.g., the guidance unit 23 in FIG. 3 ) that notifies the user of the presence of the charging device (e.g., the charger ST in FIG. 3 ) that exists within a range that satisfies the guidance condition (e.g., a location that the electric vehicle EV can reach from the current location of the user U with the current remaining battery charge) when the information regarding the decrease in the battery (e.g., the remaining battery charge, the rate at which the remaining battery charge decreases, the remaining distance and remaining time that can be driven estimated from the remaining battery charge, etc.) satisfies the guidance condition; Further provided are: As a result, when the remaining battery power of the driving device (for example, the electric vehicle EV in Figure 3) is low, the user is notified (guided) of a route to the location of the charging device (for example, the charger ST in Figure 3) that can be reached with the remaining battery power, so the user can calmly head to the location of the charging device (for example, the charger ST in Figure 3) and charge within the remaining battery power.

[0059] (4) An information processing method executed by an information processing device (for example, the server 1 in FIG. 3), a charging device monitoring step (e.g., step S5 in FIG. 4) of monitoring a predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged for a battery-powered driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) as a charging state; an advertisement providing step (e.g., step S6 in FIG. 4) of providing a predetermined advertisement to a user (e.g., user U in FIG. 3) using the driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) when the charging state of the predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) is detected; It can include.

[0060] (5) The program is On the computer, a charging device monitoring step (e.g., step S5 in FIG. 4) of monitoring a predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged as a charging state for a battery-powered driving device; an advertisement providing step (e.g., step S6 in FIG. 4) of providing a predetermined advertisement to a user (e.g., user U in FIG. 3) using the driving device (e.g., electric vehicle EV in FIG. 3) when the charging state of the predetermined charging device (e.g., charger ST in FIG. 3) is detected; It is possible to execute a control process including the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 Server, 11 CPU, 12 ROM, 13 RAM, 14 Bus, 15 Input / Output Interface, 16 Input Unit, 17 Output Unit, 18 Memory Unit, 19 Communication Unit, 20 Drive, 31 Removable Media, 21 Location Acquisition Unit, 22 Battery Remaining Amount Acquisition Unit, 23 Guidance Unit, 24 Charging Monitoring Unit, 25 Advertisement Providing Unit, 26 Incentive Providing Unit, BT-1 to BT-m Battery, EV Electric Vehicle, ST, ST-1 to ST-p Charger, S Administrator, U, U1 to Um User, JS, JS-1 to JS-n Charging Station, UT, UT-1 to UT-m User Terminal

Claims

1. a charging device monitoring means for monitoring a predetermined charging device and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged as a charging state for a battery-powered driving device; an advertisement providing means for obtaining information about the driving device when the charging state of the predetermined charging device is detected, and providing a predetermined advertisement corresponding to the obtained information to a user terminal that is driven by power supplied from a source other than the driving device; An information processing device comprising:

2. an incentive providing means for providing a predetermined incentive to the user when the user or the movable machine satisfies a predetermined condition; The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. the driven equipment is equipment that moves with the user; a position acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the position of the movable machine or the user as user position information; a battery information acquiring means for acquiring information about a decrease in the battery of the movable device; a notification means for notifying the user of the presence of the charging device within a range that satisfies a guidance condition when the information regarding the decrease in the battery capacity satisfies the guidance condition; The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

4. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a charging device monitoring step of monitoring a predetermined charging device and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged for a battery-powered driving device as a charging state; an advertisement providing step of acquiring information about the driving device when the charging state of the predetermined charging device is detected, and providing a predetermined advertisement according to the acquired information to a user terminal that is driven by power supplied from a source other than the driving device; An information processing method including:

5. On the computer, a charging device monitoring step of monitoring a predetermined charging device and detecting a state in which a battery is being charged for a battery-powered driving device as a charging state; an advertisement providing step of acquiring information about the driving device when the charging state of the predetermined charging device is detected, and providing a predetermined advertisement according to the acquired information to a user terminal that is driven by power supplied from a source other than the driving device; A program that executes control processing including:

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