Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To reduce the chances of a vehicle V being unable to travel while reducing the cost of recharging.SOLUTION: An information processor 1 includes: a storage unit 12 that stores location data indicating the location of charging facilities that can charge a rechargeable battery of the vehicle V and travel distance data indicating the relationship between a remaining amount of electric power in the rechargeable battery and a distance that the vehicle V can travel; and a planning unit 132 that creates a vehicle travel plan including a scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle referring to the location data and travel distance data. When creating the travel plan, the planning unit 132 preferentially determines a time period when market transaction prices of electricity is relatively low as a scheduled recharging date and time in response to a public announcement of the market transaction prices of electricity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles that run on electricity stored in a storage battery have been known. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that instructs a vehicle to move to the nearest charging point when the remaining charge of the storage battery falls below a predetermined value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-44235 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If the vehicle is unable to travel to a charging point when the remaining charge of the storage battery falls below a predetermined value, the storage battery of the vehicle cannot be charged.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to reduce the probability that a vehicle running on electricity stored in a storage battery will be unable to run while reducing the cost of charging. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a plan creation unit that creates a driving plan for the vehicle, including a scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle, based on driving range information indicating a distance the vehicle can travel based on the remaining power of a storage battery of the vehicle, and when creating the driving plan, the plan creation unit, in response to the publication of a market trading price of electricity, prioritizes determining a time period when the market trading price is relatively low as the scheduled charging date and time. The information processing device may further include an acquisition unit that acquires the market trading price, and the plan creation unit may determine the scheduled charging date and time in response to the acquisition of the market trading price by the acquisition unit.

[0007] An information processing method of a second aspect of the present invention includes a step executed by a computer to create a driving plan for the vehicle, including a scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle, based on driving range information indicating a distance the vehicle can travel based on the remaining power in the vehicle's storage battery, and in the step of creating the driving plan, in response to the publication of the market trading price of electricity, prioritizes a time period when the market trading price is relatively low as the scheduled date and time for charging.

[0008] A third aspect of the program of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute a step of creating a driving plan for the vehicle, including a scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle, based on driving range information that indicates a distance the vehicle can travel based on the remaining power in the vehicle's storage battery, and in the step of creating the driving plan, prioritizes determining a time period when the market trading price of electricity is relatively low as the scheduled date and time for charging, in response to the publication of the market trading price of electricity. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the probability that a vehicle that runs on power stored in a storage battery will be unable to run, while suppressing the cost required for charging. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system S. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a driving plan displayed on the vehicle terminal 2. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing device 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of remaining distance data. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen for a driver to reserve charging equipment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle allocation management unit 134. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the vehicle terminal 2 when the scheduled charging date and time approaches. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the information processing device 1 to create a driving plan. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow when the information processing device 1 acquires vehicle dispatch request data. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [Outline of Information Processing System S] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system S. The information processing system S is a system that enables a driver of a vehicle V that runs using power stored in a storage battery to know when to charge the storage battery of the vehicle V. The vehicle V is an electric vehicle that runs with passengers on board, such as a taxi or bus, but may also be an electric vehicle that runs for the business of the operator itself. The following description will focus on the case where the vehicle V is a taxi.

[0012] The information processing system S includes an information processing device 1, a vehicle terminal 2, a user terminal 3, and a reservation server 4. The vehicle terminal 2 is a terminal installed in a vehicle V. The vehicle terminal 2 is a computer that the driver of the vehicle V can operate and view displayed information on, and is, for example, a tablet or smartphone. The vehicle terminal 2 transmits and receives data to and from the information processing device 1 via a network N and a wireless communication line W. The network N is, for example, the Internet.

[0013] The user terminal 3 is a terminal used by a user riding in the vehicle V, and is, for example, a tablet or a smartphone. The user terminal 3 transmits and receives data to and from the information processing device 1 via the network N and a wireless communication line W. When the user inputs the date and time at which he or she wishes to ride in the vehicle V, the planned boarding location, and the planned disembarking location into the user terminal 3, the user terminal 3 transmits vehicle dispatch request data including the input information to the information processing device 1.

[0014] The information processing device 1 is a device for assisting a business operator that manages the vehicle V in creating a driving plan for the vehicle V, and is, for example, a computer managed by the business operator or a server managed by another business operator that provides services to the business operator. The driving plan is created, for example, on a daily basis, and includes the locations and times at which the vehicle V will travel during that day.

[0015] When the information processing device 1 receives vehicle dispatch request data from the user terminal 3, it transmits vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle terminals 2 of at least some of the vehicles V registered in advance to confirm whether or not a vehicle can be dispatched. The vehicle terminal 2 displays that it has received the vehicle dispatch request data, and when the driver performs an operation to accept the vehicle dispatch request, the vehicle terminal 2 transmits vehicle dispatch acceptance data indicating that a vehicle can be dispatched to the information processing device 1. When the information processing device 1 receives the vehicle dispatch acceptance data, it determines a vehicle dispatch schedule that indicates the date and time of dispatch, the planned boarding location, and the planned disembarking location, in association with the vehicle V. The information processing device 1 creates a driving plan for the vehicle V based on the vehicle dispatch schedule, for example.

[0016] If vehicle V is an electric vehicle, it needs to be charged when the remaining power of the storage battery installed in vehicle V (hereinafter referred to as "remaining power") becomes low. However, even if the driver realizes that the vehicle needs to be charged when the remaining power becomes low, he or she may not be able to charge the vehicle immediately if, for example, the vehicle is carrying a passenger or vehicle V has a destination to head to. Furthermore, when the vehicle becomes able to be charged, it is assumed that there are no charging facilities nearby. As a result, problems may arise such as the vehicle not being dispatched on the scheduled date and time, or the vehicle running out of power while carrying the user who requested the vehicle, becoming unable to drive.

[0017] Therefore, in order to prevent such problems from occurring, the information processing device 1 of this embodiment is characterized by creating a driving plan that includes information for the driver to understand the location of the charging facility where the vehicle V is scheduled to be charged (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "scheduled charging location") and the scheduled charging date and time, and providing this driving plan to the driver or manager of the vehicle V.

[0018] 1, an information processing device 1 transmits and receives data to and from one or more vehicle terminals 2 provided in one or more vehicles V2 via a network N and a wireless communication line W. The information processing device 1 creates a charging schedule based on the remaining power of each of the one or more vehicles V, and notifies the one or more vehicle terminals 2 of a driving plan including a vehicle dispatch plan and a charging schedule.

[0019] The vehicle terminal 2 displays the driving plan received via the network N and the wireless communication line W. By displaying the driving plan including the charging schedule on the vehicle terminal 2, even if the driver of the vehicle V is not aware of the timing for charging, the driver can realize that the time to charge is approaching and move to a location where charging equipment is installed (for example, a taxi office, commercial facility A, or commercial facility B) to charge the vehicle. The driving plan is created taking into consideration the dispatch schedule, so by having the driver move to a charging equipment based on such a driving plan, it is possible to avoid a situation where the vehicle V has to be charged while carrying a passenger.

[0020] The triangles (△) shown at the taxi offices, commercial facility A, and commercial facility B in FIG. 1 indicate charging facilities. Reservation information for these charging facilities is managed by a reservation server 4. The reservation information associates identification information for the charging facility, the reservation date and time, and identification information for the vehicle V to be charged (hereinafter referred to as "reserved vehicle"). The information processing device 1 may reserve the charging facility by transmitting the reservation information to the reservation server 4 based on the created charging schedule.

[0021] The charging equipment is configured to charge the reserved vehicle at the reserved date and time. For example, the charging equipment acquires identification information of vehicle V in response to being connected to vehicle V via a charging cable, and starts charging vehicle V if the acquired identification information matches the identification information included in the reservation information. The charging equipment may perform this authentication by acquiring the identification information of vehicle V via short-range wireless communication, or may perform authentication using the driver's IC card. If the charging equipment determines, as a result of authentication, that vehicle V is a vehicle that has previously signed a specific contract, it may charge vehicle V at a rate lower than the usual rate.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a driving plan displayed on the vehicle terminal 2. The screen shown in FIG. 2 includes a schedule of the actual vehicle traveling with passengers on board and a charging schedule. "Rapid" in the charging schedule indicates that rapid charging is planned, and "normal" indicates that normal charging, which requires a longer charging time than rapid charging, is planned. By the information processing device 1 creating such a driving plan and the vehicle terminal 2 displaying the driving plan, it is possible to prevent the vehicle V from running out of remaining power when it is time to travel with passengers on board. In the following description, the section of the actual vehicle that has been reserved may be referred to as the "reserved driving section."

[0023] Although the actual vehicle schedule is also shown in the driving plan shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle terminal 2 may display a screen showing only the charging schedule. The configuration and operation of the information processing device 1 and an example of transition of the screen of the driving plan displayed by the vehicle terminal 2 will be described in detail below.

[0024] [Configuration of information processing device 1] 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 has an acquisition unit 131, a plan creation unit 132, a reservation unit 133, and a vehicle dispatch management unit 134.

[0025] The communication unit 11 includes a communication interface for the information processing device 1 to transmit and receive data to and from the vehicle terminal 2 or the user terminal 3. The communication unit 11 inputs data indicating the remaining power of the vehicle V received from the vehicle V to the acquisition unit 131. The communication unit 11 transmits data indicating the driving plan created by the plan creation unit 132 to the vehicle terminal 2.

[0026] The communication unit 11 inputs the vehicle allocation request data received from the user terminal 3 to the vehicle allocation management unit 134, and transmits the vehicle allocation request data input from the vehicle allocation management unit 134 to the vehicle terminal 2. The communication unit 11 inputs the vehicle allocation acceptance data received from the vehicle terminal 2 in response to the vehicle allocation request data to the vehicle allocation management unit 134. Furthermore, the communication unit 11 transmits the reservation data for the charging facility input from the reservation unit 133 to the reservation server 4 that manages the charging facility.

[0027] The storage unit 12 has storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 stores the travel plan created by the plan creation unit 132 in association with the identification information of the vehicle V. The storage unit 12 also stores various data used by the plan creation unit 132 to create the travel plan.

[0028] The memory unit 12 stores, for example, the locations of charging facilities that can charge the storage battery of the vehicle V. Specifically, the memory unit 12 stores the names of facilities where the charging facilities are installed and the addresses or latitude and longitude of the facilities. The memory unit 12 may further store the types and number of charging facilities installed at each facility.

[0029] The memory unit 12 also stores drivable distance data indicating the relationship between the remaining power level of the storage battery of the vehicle V and the distance that the vehicle V can travel. The memory unit 12 may store the drivable distance data in association with identification information of the vehicle V, or may store the drivable distance data in association with the type of the vehicle V. The memory unit 12 may store the drivable distance data for each combination of the type of the vehicle V and the specifications of the storage battery installed in the vehicle V.

[0030] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of remaining distance data. In the remaining distance data shown in Fig. 4, the horizontal axis shows the remaining power, and the vertical axis shows the remaining distance. The remaining power is shown as a percentage of the power when fully charged, for example. In the example shown in Fig. 4, it is assumed that the vehicle V can travel 1 km with power equivalent to 1%.

[0031] The memory unit 12 may store the driving history of the vehicle V for past days. In the driving history, the date and time are associated with the driving route of the vehicle V. The driving history may include the date and time and location where passengers boarded the vehicle V, and the date and time and location where passengers disembarked. The memory unit 12 may store the past charging history of the vehicle V. The charging history includes the date and time of charging and the type of charging (rapid charging or normal charging).

[0032] The storage unit 12 may store at least one reserved driving section along which the vehicle V should travel. Specifically, when the communication unit 11 receives vehicle allocation acceptance data from the vehicle terminal 2 of the vehicle V that transmitted the distribution request data in response to receiving the vehicle allocation request data from the user terminal 3, the storage unit 12 stores vehicle allocation schedule data indicating the reserved driving section from the planned boarding location to the planned disembarking location in association with the date and time of vehicle allocation indicated in the distribution request data.

[0033] The control unit 13 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 12 to function as an acquisition unit 131, a plan creation unit 132, a reservation unit 133, and a vehicle allocation management unit 134.

[0034] The acquisition unit 131 acquires remaining power data indicating the remaining power of the storage battery of the vehicle V. The acquisition unit 131 acquires the remaining power data periodically from the vehicle V, for example, but may also acquire the remaining power data from an external device that stores the remaining power data acquired from the vehicle V. The acquisition unit 131 acquires the remaining power data, for example, before the driver of the vehicle V starts work for the day. The acquisition unit 131 notifies the plan creation unit 132 of the acquired remaining power data.

[0035] The acquisition unit 131 may acquire location data indicating the current location of the vehicle V, data indicating the occupancy status, and travel history data indicating at least the travel distance. The data indicating the occupancy status is data indicating whether the vehicle V is empty, occupied with passengers, or in a deadhead state. The acquisition unit 131 notifies the plan creation unit 132 of these data.

[0036] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 131 may acquire instructions for creating a driving plan from an external device. The external device is, for example, a computer used by a manager of the vehicle V, but may also be the vehicle terminal 2.

[0037] The plan creation unit 132 creates a travel plan for the vehicle V. The plan creation unit 132 references the travelable distance data stored in the memory unit 12 and identifies the distance that the vehicle V can travel before charging with the remaining power indicated by the remaining power data acquired by the acquisition unit 131, thereby creating a travel plan for V that includes information for identifying the charging facility at which the vehicle V will charge and the scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle V. The information for identifying the charging facility includes at least one of the name of the facility where the charging facility is installed, the address of the location where the charging facility is installed, and numbers or text unique to the charging facility.

[0038] The plan creation unit 132 transmits the created driving plan to the vehicle terminal 2 via the communication unit 11, or displays it on a display or a computer connected to the information processing device 1. That is, the plan creation unit 132 enables the driver of the vehicle V or the manager of the vehicle V to check the driving plan by viewing a screen such as that shown in Fig. 2. The plan creation unit 132 may notify the reservation unit 133 and the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 of the driving plan.

[0039] The plan creation unit 132 may create a driving plan based on the result of predicting the remaining power at each time point by predicting the driving distance of the vehicle V within a predetermined period. The plan creation unit 132 predicts the driving distance of the vehicle V within a predetermined period based on, for example, a vehicle dispatch schedule or a past driving history, and predicts the remaining power at each time point.

[0040] When the memory unit 12 stores the reserved travel section of the vehicle V, the plan creation unit 132 creates a travel plan that includes the reserved travel section stored in the memory unit 12. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a travel plan is created that includes a reserved travel section from company J to company K starting at 10:30 and a reserved travel section from company L to company M starting at 13:30.

[0041] The plan creation unit 132 creates a driving plan that includes a scheduled charging date and time for a period excluding the time while the vehicle V is traveling through the reserved travel section so that the vehicle V can continue traveling through the reserved travel section. Furthermore, if it is expected that there will be insufficient remaining power before traveling through the reserved travel section, the plan creation unit 132 creates a driving plan that includes a scheduled charging date and time that is determined so that the power required for the vehicle to travel through the reserved travel section remains in the storage battery at the time the vehicle starts traveling through the reserved travel section. For example, the plan creation unit 132 creates a driving plan in which a scheduled charging date and time is set before traveling through the reserved travel section begins.

[0042] In order to create a driving plan that includes the scheduled charging date and time, the plan creation unit 132 first refers to the available driving distance data stored in the memory unit 12, and thereby identifies the distance that the vehicle V, with the remaining power amount indicated by the remaining power data acquired by the acquisition unit 131, can travel before charging at a charging facility. The plan creation unit 132 compares the identified available driving distance with the distance of the reserved driving section, and thereby determines whether the vehicle V can travel the reserved driving section without charging before starting to travel the reserved driving section.

[0043] If the specified travelable distance is shorter than the distance of the reserved travel section, the plan creation unit 132 determines that the vehicle V cannot travel the reserved travel section unless charging is performed before travel on the reserved travel section begins, and sets the scheduled charging date and time to a time slot before travel on the reserved travel section begins.If the specified travelable distance is equal to or greater than the distance of the reserved travel section and determines that the vehicle V can travel the reserved travel section without charging before travel on the reserved travel section begins, the plan creation unit 132 may not set the scheduled charging date and time to a time slot before travel on the reserved travel section begins.

[0044] However, even if travel in the reserved travel section has finished, if the vehicle V cannot move from the point where the reserved travel section ends to the point where the charging facility is located, the vehicle V will be unable to travel. Therefore, if the identified travelable distance is shorter than the distance of the reserved travel section plus the distance from the point where the reserved travel section ends to the point where the charging facility is located, the plan creation unit 132 may set the scheduled charging date and time to a time slot before travel in the reserved travel section starts.

[0045] It is also possible that the vehicle V may move to the start position of the reserved travel section before starting travel on the reserved travel section, or may travel on other sections before starting travel on the reserved travel section. Even if the travelable distance is equal to or greater than the distance of the reserved travel section, if a large amount of power is consumed traveling on such other sections, there is a risk of running out of power while traveling on the reserved travel section.

[0046] Therefore, the plan creation unit 132 may use the result of predicting the cumulative travel distance for the time period leading up to the start of travel in the reserved travel section based on the travel history of the vehicle V for which the travel plan is to be created to determine whether to set the scheduled charging date and time for the time period before the start of travel in the reserved travel section. That is, the plan creation unit 132 may predict the cumulative travel distance for each of multiple times on the target day for which the travel plan is to be created based on the travel history, and create a travel plan that includes the scheduled charging date and time determined based on the predicted cumulative travel distance and the remaining travel distance indicated by the remaining travel distance data. The plan creation unit 132 may predict the cumulative travel distance using statistical values ​​of the travel history of multiple vehicles V different from the vehicle V for which the travel plan is to be created.

[0047] Specifically, if the distance that can be traveled before reaching the charging facility is shorter than the sum of the predicted cumulative travel distance and the distance of the reserved travel section, the plan creation unit 132 sets the scheduled charging date and time to a time slot before travel in the reserved travel section begins. If the distance that can be traveled before reaching the charging facility is shorter than the sum of the predicted cumulative travel distance, the distance of the reserved travel section, and the distance from the end of the reserved travel section to the point where the charging facility is located, the plan creation unit 132 may set the scheduled charging date and time to a time slot before travel in the reserved travel section begins. In this way, by creating a travel plan in which the plan creation unit 132 sets the scheduled charging date and time taking into account the travel distance before and after the scheduled travel section, it is possible to prevent situations from occurring in which the vehicle V cannot travel.

[0048] The plan creation unit 132 may transmit a notification regarding charging to the vehicle terminal 2 of the vehicle V when a predetermined time has passed until the scheduled charging date and time. The predetermined time is, for example, 30 minutes. The notification regarding charging indicates the location of the charging facility and the time when charging should start. When the vehicle terminal 2 receives the notification, it displays the content of the notification on a display or outputs it as audio. By understanding such a notification, the driver can start traveling so as to arrive at the facility where the charging facility is located by the scheduled charging date and time. However, if the notification audio is output while the driver is actually driving the vehicle, it can be a nuisance to passengers. Therefore, the vehicle terminal 2 may only display the content of the notification without outputting the notification audio when the driver is actually driving the vehicle.

[0049] If the timing at which the plan creation unit 132 sends the notification is too late, a situation may occur in which the driver does not arrive at the charging facility by the scheduled charging date and time even if the driver starts moving toward the charging facility after understanding the content of the notification. Therefore, for example, when the plan creation unit 132 determines that there is a possibility that the vehicle V will not be able to arrive at the location where the charging facility is located by a date and time that is a predetermined margin time (for example, 15 minutes) before the scheduled charging date and time, the plan creation unit 132 may send a notification regarding charging at that time even if it is earlier than the predetermined time until the scheduled charging date and time.

[0050] Specifically, the plan creation unit 132 first calculates the time required for the vehicle V to travel from the current location to a facility with charging equipment. If the plan creation unit 132 determines that the calculated time is longer than the time from the current time to 15 minutes before the scheduled charging date and time, it transmits a notification regarding charging to the vehicle terminal 2 of the vehicle V. By operating in this manner, the plan creation unit 132 can reduce the probability that the vehicle V will not be able to reach a facility with charging equipment by the scheduled charging date and time.

[0051] Incidentally, when the plan creation unit 132 creates a travel plan, it is assumed that the travel distance and travel location predicted based on the past travel history of the vehicle V may differ from the actual travel distance and travel location of the vehicle V. Therefore, the plan creation unit 132 may update the travel plan based on the actual travel record of the vehicle V acquired via the acquisition unit 131. The plan creation unit 132 updates the travel plan, for example, every time the vehicle V switches between being occupied and being empty. As an example, when the plan creation unit 132 determines that the vehicle V will not be able to arrive at the charging facility by the scheduled charging date and time, it updates the travel plan and notifies the vehicle terminal 2 of the updated travel plan. The plan creation unit 132 may notify the reservation unit 133 and the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 of the updated travel plan.

[0052] When the plan creation unit 132 determines that the travel distance indicated by the travel history of the vehicle V is greater than the predicted travel distance assumed when creating the travel plan and that there is a possibility that the vehicle V will not be able to travel the planned travel section, the plan creation unit 132 may update the travel plan to bring forward the planned charging date and time. By operating the plan creation unit 132 in this manner, it is possible to reduce the risk of being unable to travel the planned travel section.

[0053] Conversely, if the plan creation unit 132 determines that the travel distance indicated by the travel history of the vehicle V is shorter than the predicted travel distance assumed when creating the travel plan and that the vehicle V can travel the planned travel section without charging before starting travel on the planned travel section, the plan creation unit 132 may delay the planned charging date and time or cancel the plan to charge. The plan creation unit 132 may notify the reservation unit 133, described later, that the plan has been canceled, and cancel the reservation of the charging facility. By operating the plan creation unit 132 in this manner, it is possible to prevent time loss caused by the vehicle V stopping at a charging facility to charge.

[0054] The plan creation unit 132 may update the driving plan in response to a change in the driving state from an actual vehicle state in which a passenger is on board the vehicle V to an empty vehicle state in which no passenger is on board the vehicle V, based on the data indicating the driving state input from the acquisition unit 131. By operating in this manner, the plan creation unit 132 can prevent the driver's concentration from decreasing due to the driving plan being updated while the vehicle is on board.

[0055] However, the greater the number of rapid charges, the more likely the storage battery is to deteriorate. Therefore, in order to reduce the number of rapid charges as much as possible, the plan creation unit 132 may create a driving plan that includes a plan for normal charging when it determines, based on the past driving history, that a sufficient charging time can be secured. When it determines, based on the past charging history stored in the memory unit 12, that the deterioration level of the storage battery of the vehicle V is below a predetermined level, the plan creation unit 132 may create a driving plan that reduces the frequency of rapid charging compared to when the deterioration level of the storage battery is at or above the predetermined level. By creating such a plan by the plan creation unit 132, deterioration of the storage battery can be suppressed.

[0056] The plan creation unit 132 may determine the scheduled charging date and time based on the price of electricity. The price of electricity fluctuates depending on the balance between supply and demand. Furthermore, the amount of electricity generated by solar power generation and wind power generation fluctuates depending on the weather. The plan creation unit 132 may preferentially determine, as the scheduled charging date and time, a time period in which the price of electricity is estimated to be equal to or lower than a threshold based on these fluctuating factors. If the market trading price of electricity is published every morning, the plan creation unit 132 may, in response to the publication of the market trading price of electricity, determine, as the scheduled charging date and time, a time period in which the market trading price is relatively low. Specifically, the plan creation unit 132 may determine the scheduled charging date and time in response to the acquisition of the market trading price by the acquisition unit 131. By operating the plan creation unit 132 in this manner, the cost required for charging can be reduced.

[0057] The reservation unit 133 makes a reservation for charging of the vehicle V at a charging facility where the vehicle V is expected to be charged on the scheduled charging date and time, based on the driving plan created by the plan creation unit 132. The reservation unit 133 reserves the charging facility by transmitting reservation information including identification information of the vehicle V and the scheduled charging date and time to the reservation server 4 via the communication unit 11. The reservation unit 133 may make a reservation for charging of the vehicle at the charging facility when a predetermined instruction is received from the driver of the vehicle V who has viewed the driving plan.

[0058] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen that allows the driver to reserve charging equipment. FIG. 5(a) shows the screen displayed on the vehicle terminal 2 at 11:50. In FIG. 5(a), the rapid charging that was scheduled to start at 10:00 has ended, as indicated by the dashed line. In the charging plan shown in FIG. 5(a), charging is scheduled to start at 12:30, but if it looks like vehicle V will be able to arrive at the charging equipment location earlier than planned, it is expected that the driver will want to start charging earlier.

[0059] When the driver presses the "Book Now" button, the screen changes to that shown in Figure 5(b), and when the driver presses the "Book Now" button again, the vehicle terminal 2 sends reservation request data to the information processing device 1.

[0060] When the reservation unit 133 receives reservation request data via the communication unit 11, it reserves a charging facility that is available for reservation among the charging facilities that are closest to the current location of the vehicle V at the time the reservation request data is received. When the reservation is completed, the reservation unit 133 transmits reservation completion data including the name of the facility where the charging facility is installed and the reservation time to the vehicle terminal 2. The reservation unit 133 may calculate the scheduled time at which the vehicle V will arrive at the charging facility based on the distance from the current location of the vehicle V to the charging facility, and set the calculated time as the reservation time.

[0061] When the vehicle terminal 2 receives the reservation completion data, it displays a screen indicating that the reservation has been established, as shown in Fig. 5(c). When a button "Head to charging location" is pressed on the screen of Fig. 5(c), the vehicle terminal 2 may display a route from the current location of the vehicle V to the charging location.

[0062] The reservation unit 133 may change the reservation content when an update to the driving plan makes it impossible for the vehicle to arrive at the reserved charging facility at the reserved time. For example, if the charging facility has been reserved for the scheduled charging date and time indicated in the driving plan before the update, the reservation unit 133 changes the date and time of the reservation to the scheduled charging date and time indicated in the updated driving plan.

[0063] The vehicle allocation management unit 134 determines a vehicle V to be allocated when it receives vehicle allocation request data from the user terminal 3. Specifically, the vehicle allocation management unit 134 transmits a vehicle allocation request to the vehicle V based on a vehicle allocation request from a user who wishes to ride in the vehicle V (i.e., a user who uses the user terminal 3). More specifically, when the vehicle allocation management unit 134 receives vehicle allocation request data from the user terminal 3 via the communication unit 11, it transmits the vehicle allocation request data to the vehicle terminal 2 of a vehicle V that can pick up the user in the desired riding section from the desired riding date and time indicated in the vehicle allocation request data.

[0064] If vehicle V is dispatched when the desired ride date and time is close to or overlaps with the scheduled charging date and time of vehicle V, vehicle V may not be able to charge as planned, which may cause disruptions to its travel. Therefore, the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 transmits vehicle dispatch request data to vehicle V on the condition that the travel period of vehicle V in the desired ride section does not overlap with the scheduled charging date and time.

[0065] As an example, the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 transmits the vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle V on the condition that the desired ride section indicated in the dispatch request data is between the current location of the vehicle V and the charging facility where the vehicle V is scheduled to charge, as indicated in the travel plan. The vehicle dispatch management unit 134 may transmit the vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle V on the condition that the direction from the boarding location to the disembarking location matches the direction from the current location to the scheduled charging location.

[0066] 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the vehicle dispatch management unit 134. Fig. 6A shows a case where the desired boarding section is between the current location of the vehicle V and the planned charging location, and the direction from the boarding location to the disembarking location matches the direction from the current location to the planned charging location. In such a case, even if the vehicle V picks up the user in the desired boarding section, it is considered that this will not have a significant impact on the time required to arrive from the current location to the planned charging location, and therefore the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 transmits vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle V.

[0067] 6(b) shows a case where the desired boarding section is between the current location of the vehicle V and the planned charging position, but the direction from the boarding position to the disembarking position does not match the direction from the current location to the planned charging position. In such a case, if the vehicle V picks up the user in the desired boarding section, it will have a significant impact on the time required to arrive at the planned charging position, so the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 does not transmit distribution request data to the vehicle V. However, if the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 determines that the vehicle V will arrive at the planned charging position by the planned charging date and time even if the vehicle V picks up the user in such a desired boarding section, it may transmit the vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle V.

[0068] 6(c) shows a case where the desired ride section is not between the current location of vehicle V and the planned charging location. In such a case, if vehicle V picks up the user in the desired ride section, it is considered that this will have a significant impact on the time required to arrive at the planned charging location from the current location, and therefore, the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 does not transmit vehicle dispatch request data to vehicle V.

[0069] In this way, even if the desired ride section indicated in the ride request is between the current location of vehicle V and the charging facility where vehicle V is scheduled to charge as indicated in the travel plan, if the travel time required from the current location to the charging facility by vehicle V through the desired ride section will be longer than a predetermined time, the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 may not transmit the ride request data to vehicle V. The predetermined time is, for example, 10% of the time required from the current location to the charging facility.

[0070] The predetermined time may be the difference between the scheduled time when the vehicle V is to arrive at the scheduled charging position and the scheduled charging date and time. In other words, if it is expected that the vehicle V will be delayed by more than a certain amount of time from the time when the vehicle V is to arrive at the scheduled charging position due to the vehicle V picking up the user in the desired riding section, the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 will not transmit the vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle V. By operating in this manner, the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 can prevent the vehicle V from being late for the scheduled charging date and time.

[0071] Incidentally, there may be cases where the driver wants to prioritize picking up passengers over arriving at the scheduled charging location by the scheduled charging date and time. Therefore, when the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 receives a notification from the vehicle terminal 2 based on the driver's operation that the driver wishes to accept a vehicle dispatch, the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 may transmit vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle terminal 2 even if the desired ride section indicated in the vehicle dispatch request data is not between the current location of the vehicle V and the charging facility where the vehicle V is scheduled to be charged, as indicated in the travel plan.

[0072] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the vehicle terminal 2 when the scheduled charging date and time is approaching. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the vehicle terminal 2 displays a screen indicating that the scheduled charging date and time is approaching. When the driver presses a button labeled "Head to charging location" on this screen, the vehicle terminal 2 displays a map showing the route from the current location to the scheduled charging location, as shown in FIG. 7(b). On this screen, the vehicle terminal 2 displays a "Resume vehicle dispatch reception" button for setting the resumption of vehicle dispatch reception. When the driver presses the "Resume vehicle dispatch reception" button, the vehicle terminal 2 transmits vehicle dispatch request notification data to the information processing device 1. When the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 receives the vehicle dispatch request notification data, it transmits vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle terminal 2 even if the scheduled charging date and time is approaching.

[0073] [Processing flow in information processing device 1] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the information processing device 1 to create a driving plan. The flowchart shown in Fig. 8 starts when the information processing device 1 receives an instruction to create a driving plan from an external device. The information processing device 1 may start the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8 from a predetermined time before the vehicle V starts traveling, regardless of an instruction from the external device. Furthermore, the information processing device 1 may repeat the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8 after the vehicle V starts traveling.

[0074] The acquisition unit 131 selects a vehicle V for which a driving plan is to be created, and acquires remaining power data of the selected vehicle V (S11). Next, the plan creation unit 132 refers to the remaining power data stored in the storage unit 12 and identifies the distance that the vehicle V can travel based on the remaining power data (S12). The plan creation unit 132 also refers to the dispatch schedule data associated with the vehicle V and stored in the storage unit 12, thereby identifying the planned driving section and the time at which the vehicle V should travel along the planned driving section (S13).

[0075] Next, the plan creation unit 132 determines whether or not charging of the vehicle V is required before traveling the planned traveling section, based on the travelable distance identified in S12 and the details of the planned traveling section identified in S13 (S14). Specifically, the plan creation unit 132 calculates the distance that the vehicle V is predicted to travel from when it starts traveling until it starts traveling the planned traveling section, for example, based on the past traveling history of the vehicle V. The plan creation unit 132 determines whether or not charging of the vehicle V is required before traveling the planned traveling section, based on whether or not the travelable distance obtained by subtracting the calculated distance from the travelable distance identified in S12 is longer than the distance of the planned traveling section.

[0076] If the plan creation unit 132 determines that the remaining driving distance is shorter than the distance of the planned driving section or the distance of the planned driving section plus a predetermined margin and that the vehicle V will not be able to drive the planned driving section, it sets the scheduled charging date and time before the planned driving section (S15).If the plan creation unit 132 determines that the remaining driving distance is equal to or greater than the distance of the planned driving section or the distance of the planned driving section plus a predetermined margin and that the vehicle V will be able to drive the planned driving section, it sets the scheduled charging date and time after the planned driving section (S16).

[0077] Next, the reservation unit 133 determines whether the probability that the driver will charge on the scheduled charging date and time is equal to or higher than a threshold (S17). For example, the reservation unit 133 calculates the probability to be higher the shorter the possible driving distance at the time when driving on the scheduled driving section is started. As an example, the reservation unit 133 sets the probability to 100% if the possible driving distance at the time when driving on the scheduled driving section is started is zero, and sets the probability to 70% if the possible driving distance at the time when driving on the scheduled driving section is started is the same as the distance of the scheduled driving section.

[0078] When the reservation unit 133 determines that the accuracy is equal to or greater than a threshold (for example, equal to or greater than 70%) (YES in S17), it reserves a charging facility within a predetermined range from the location where the vehicle V is predicted to be before starting to travel the planned travel section (S18). When the reservation unit 133 determines that the accuracy is less than the threshold (NO in S17), it does not reserve a charging facility.

[0079] The control unit 13 determines whether or not it is necessary to create a driving plan for the other vehicle V (S19). If it is necessary to create a driving plan for the other vehicle V (YES in S19), the control unit 13 repeats the processes from S11 to S19. If it is not necessary to create a driving plan for the other vehicle V (NO in S19), the control unit 13 ends the process of creating a driving plan.

[0080] 9 is a flowchart showing the processing flow when the information processing device 1 acquires vehicle dispatch request data. When the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 acquires the vehicle dispatch request data (S21), it selects one vehicle V from a plurality of pre-registered vehicles V (S22). The vehicle dispatch management unit 134 refers to the driving plan stored in the memory unit 12 in association with the vehicle V, and determines whether the vehicle V is scheduled to be charged within a first predetermined time before the desired boarding time indicated in the vehicle dispatch request data and within a second predetermined time after the desired boarding time (S23).

[0081] The first predetermined time is the sum of the time required for charging and the time required to travel from the charging location to the desired boarding location, e.g., 60 minutes. The second predetermined time is the sum of the time required for riding from the desired boarding location to the desired disembarking location and the time required to travel from the desired disembarking location to the location of the charging facility.

[0082] When the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 determines that the vehicle V is scheduled to charge (YES in S23), it determines whether the desired ride section indicated by the ride request data is on the way that the vehicle V is traveling to the charging facility (S24). When the ride section is on the way that the vehicle V is traveling to the charging facility (YES in S24), the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 determines whether the vehicle V will arrive in time for the reserved time at the charging facility even if it picks up passengers in the ride section (S25). When the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 determines that the vehicle V will arrive in time for the reserved time, it transmits vehicle dispatch request data to the vehicle V (S26). When the vehicle dispatch management unit 134 receives vehicle dispatch acceptance data from the vehicle V (YES in S27), it ends the vehicle dispatch process.

[0083] If the vehicle allocation management unit 134 determines in S23 that there is no charging schedule (NO in S23), it transmits vehicle allocation request data to the vehicle V. If the vehicle allocation management unit 134 determines NO in S24, S25, and S27, it returns to S22, selects another vehicle V, and repeats the processes from S23 to S27.

[0084] [Effects of information processing device 1] As described above, the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment refers to drivable distance data indicating the relationship between the remaining power of the storage battery mounted on the vehicle V and the distance the vehicle V can travel, and identifies the distance the vehicle V can travel before charging at a charging facility, thereby creating a driving plan that includes the location of the charging facility where the vehicle V will charge and the scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle V. The information processing device 1 creates such a driving plan, and the driver is able to understand the driving plan, allowing the driver to charge the vehicle V at an appropriate time. As a result, the probability that the vehicle V will be unable to travel can be reduced.

[0085] The present invention has been described above using embodiments. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the gist thereof. For example, all or part of the device can be configured in a functionally or physically distributed or integrated manner in any unit. Specifically, the information processing device 1 may not have the reservation unit 133 and the dispatch management unit 134, and another device may have the reservation unit 133 and the dispatch management unit 134, and the information processing device 1 may operate in cooperation with the other device. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination combine the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1. Information processing equipment 2 Vehicle terminal 3. User terminal 4 Reservation Server 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Acquisition Department 132 Planning Department 133 Reservation Department 134 Vehicle Dispatch Management Department

Claims

1. a plan creation unit that creates a driving plan for the vehicle, the driving plan being a plan regarding driving of the vehicle based on drivable distance information indicating a distance that the vehicle can travel based on a remaining amount of power in a storage battery of the vehicle, the driving plan including a scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle; When creating the travel plan, the plan creation unit, in response to the publication of the market trading price of electricity, determines a time period in which the market trading price is relatively low as the scheduled charging date and time with priority. Information processing device.

2. further comprising an acquisition unit for acquiring the market trading price; the plan creation unit determines the scheduled charging date and time in response to the acquisition unit acquiring the market transaction price. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The plan creation unit creates the driving plan including a dispatch plan for the vehicle. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The plan creation unit creates the driving plan including charging locations for the vehicle. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. The computer executes creating a driving plan for the vehicle, the driving plan being a plan for driving the vehicle based on drivable distance information indicating a distance that the vehicle can travel based on a remaining amount of power in a storage battery of the vehicle, the driving plan including a scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle; In the step of creating the driving plan, in response to the publication of the market trading price of electricity, a time period when the market trading price is relatively low is preferentially determined as the scheduled charging date and time. Information processing methods.

6. On the computer, creating a driving plan for the vehicle, the driving plan including a scheduled date and time for charging the vehicle, based on drivable distance information indicating a distance that the vehicle can travel based on the remaining power of a storage battery of the vehicle; In the step of creating the driving plan, a program for determining the scheduled charging date and time by giving priority to a time period when the market trading price of electricity is relatively low, in response to the publication of the market trading price of electricity.

Images