method

Abstract

To improve a technique of providing a charge service.SOLUTION: Disclosed is a method executed by a controller 10 used for the provision of a charge service in which a power charge vehicle CV used for the charge of a vehicle V moves to the vehicle V and charges it. The method includes the steps of: acquiring use date and time information showing date and time when the user wishes to use the charge service; acquiring parking place information showing a parking place included at a facility which is usable for the charge service; acquiring privilege information showing a privilege usable at the facility when the user uses the charge service at the parking place; and notifying the user of the parking place information and the privilege information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, technologies for providing charging services have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which when an electric vehicle runs out of power, a moving body that supplies power moves to the location of the electric vehicle and supplies power.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] It has been considered that a power supply vehicle used for charging a vehicle uses a parking lot annexed to a facility for providing a charging service, and there has been room for improvement in the technology for providing a charging service.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology for providing a charging service.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a method executed by a control device used for providing a charging service in which a power supply vehicle used for charging a vehicle moves to the location of the vehicle and charges, the method including: obtaining usage date and time information indicating a date and time when a user desires to use the charging service; obtaining parking lot information indicating a parking lot annexed to a facility available for the charging service; obtaining privilege information indicating privileges available at the facility when the charging service is used at the parking lot; and notifying the user of the parking lot information and the privilege information.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the technology for providing a charging service is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows a schematic configuration of the system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the system according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows the operation of the control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the operation of the control device according to this modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

[0010] (Summary of the embodiment) Referring to Figure 1, an overview of System 1 according to an embodiment of this disclosure will be described. System 1 comprises a control device 10 and a terminal device 20. The control device 10 and the terminal device 20 are connected to a network 30, including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0011] The system 1 according to this embodiment is used to provide a so-called on-demand charging service. The on-demand charging service is a service in which, upon request from a user who wishes to charge a vehicle V, a power supply vehicle CV capable of charging the vehicle V travels to the vehicle V and performs the charging. Specifically, after the power supply vehicle CV arrives at the vehicle V, the driver of either the vehicle V or the power supply vehicle CV connects the vehicle V and the power supply vehicle CV with a cable and performs the charging work on the vehicle V's battery. After the charging work is completed, the power supply vehicle CV returns to the provider of the charging service.

[0012] In this embodiment, an example of charging a user's vehicle V from a power supply vehicle CV is described, but the form of the on-site charging service is not limited to this. For example, a power supply device equipped with a battery capable of charging vehicle V may be loaded onto a transport vehicle and delivered to vehicle V, and the power supply device may be collected after the charging work is completed.

[0013] The control device 10 is installed in a facility such as a data center. The control device 10 is, for example, a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system.

[0014] The terminal device 20 is held by the user. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a mobile device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet, or a PC. "PC" is an abbreviation for personal computer.

[0015] Network 30 includes the Internet, at least one WAN, at least one MAN, or a combination thereof. "WAN" is an abbreviation for wide area network. "MAN" is an abbreviation for metropolitan area network. Network 30 may also include at least one wireless network, at least one optical network, or a combination thereof. Wireless networks are, for example, ad hoc networks, cellular networks, wireless LANs, satellite communication networks, or terrestrial microwave networks. "LAN" is an abbreviation for local area network.

[0016] The vehicle V is any type of automobile that uses electric power for at least part of its drive, such as a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle). The vehicle V is a vehicle that the user rides in. The vehicle V includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a positioning unit, and can generate vehicle position information indicating the position of the vehicle V and transmit it to an external device.

[0017] The vehicle V and the power supply vehicle CV may be movable by autonomous driving. Autonomous driving includes, for example, levels 1 to 5 defined by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), but is not limited to these and may be arbitrarily defined.

[0018] First, the outline of this embodiment will be described, and the details will be described later. The control device 10 is used to provide a charging service in which the power supply vehicle CV used for charging the vehicle V moves to the vehicle V for charging. The control device 10 acquires usage date and time information indicating the date and time when the user desires to use the charging service, acquires parking lot information indicating a parking lot annexed to a facility that is available for the charging service, and acquires privilege information indicating privileges available at the facility when using the charging service at the parking lot. The control device 10 notifies the user of the parking lot information and the privilege information.

[0019] According to this embodiment, a parking lot annexed to a facility that is temporarily available for the power supply vehicle CV to provide a rush charging service and privileges available at the facility are automatically presented to the user. For the user side, since parking lots of various facilities can be used, the convenience of the rush charging service is improved. For the facility side, the use of privileges makes it easier for users to use the facility, resulting in an effect of increasing the number of facility users. Therefore, it is possible to improve the technology for providing the charging service.

[0020] Next, referring to FIG. 2, each component of the system 1 will be described in detail.

[0021] <Control device 10> The control device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0022] The control unit 11 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. "CPU" is an abbreviation for central processing unit. "GPU" is an abbreviation for graphics processing unit. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA or an ASIC. "FPGA" is an abbreviation for field-programmable gate array. "ASIC" is an abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit. While controlling each part of the control device 10, the control unit 11 executes processing related to the operation of the control device 10.

[0023] The storage unit 12 includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or at least two combinations thereof. The semiconductor memory is, for example, RAM or ROM. "RAM" is an abbreviation for random access memory. "ROM" is an abbreviation for read-only memory. The RAM is, for example, SRAM or DRAM. "SRAM" is an abbreviation for static random access memory. "DRAM" is an abbreviation for dynamic random access memory. The ROM is, for example, EEPROM. "EEPROM" is an abbreviation for electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. The storage unit 12 functions, for example, as a main memory, auxiliary memory, or cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores information used for the operation of the control device 10 and information obtained by the operation of the control device 10. For example, the storage unit 12 may store system programs, application programs, databases, map information, etc. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 30 via the communication unit 13.

[0024] The communication unit 13 includes at least one communication interface. The communication interface is, for example, a LAN interface or an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as LTE, 4G, or 5G. "LTE" is an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution. "4G" is an abbreviation for 4th generation. "5G" is an abbreviation for 5th generation. The communication unit 13 receives data used for the operation of the control device 10 and transmits data obtained by the operation of the control device 10.

[0025] <Terminal device 20>

[0026] The terminal device 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, and an input / output unit 24.

[0027] The hardware configurations of the control unit 21, storage unit 22, and communication unit 23 of the terminal device 20 may be the same as those of the control unit 11, storage unit 12, and communication unit 13 of the control device 10. Further explanation is omitted here.

[0028] The input / output unit 24 includes at least one input / output interface. The input / output interface includes a touchscreen integrated with the display. The input / output unit 24 accepts operations to input information used for the operation of the terminal device 20 and outputs information obtained through the operation of the terminal device 20. Instead of being provided in the terminal device 20, the input / output unit 24 may be connected to the terminal device 20 as an external input device. Any connection method can be used, such as USB, HDMI®, or Bluetooth®. The input / output unit 24 may not be integrated but consist of separate input and output units. In this case, the input unit includes at least one input interface, such as a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, or a microphone. The output unit includes at least one output interface, such as a display or a speaker.

[0029] <Program> The functions of the control device 10 or terminal device 20 are realized by executing the program according to this embodiment on the control unit 11 or control unit 21 or a corresponding processor. In other words, the functions of the control device 10 or terminal device 20 are realized by software. The program causes the computer to execute the operations of the control device 10 or terminal device 20, thereby causing the computer to function as the control device 10 or terminal device 20. That is, the computer functions as the control device 10 or terminal device 20 by executing the operations of the control device 10 or terminal device 20 according to the control program.

[0030] The program can be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable medium. In this embodiment, the non-temporary computer-readable medium is ROM. However, it is not limited to ROM, and non-temporary computer-readable mediums include, for example, magnetic recording devices, optical discs, and magneto-optical recording media. The program is distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM on which the program is stored. "DVD" is an abbreviation for digital versatile disc. "CD-ROM" is an abbreviation for compact disc read only memory. The program may also be stored in the server's storage and distributed by transferring the program from the server to other computers. The program may also be provided as a program product.

[0031] A computer, for example, stores a program stored on a portable medium or a program transferred from a server in its main memory. Then, the computer reads the program stored in the main memory with its processor and executes the processing according to the read program. The computer may also read the program directly from the portable medium and execute the processing according to the program. The computer may also execute the processing according to the received program sequentially each time a program is transferred to the computer from a server. Processing may also be performed by a so-called ASP-type service, which does not transfer programs from the server to the computer, but realizes its function only through execution instructions and result retrieval. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. A program includes information used for processing by an electronic computer that is equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct instruction to the computer but has the nature of defining the computer's processing falls under "equivalent to a program".

[0032] Some or all of the functions of the control device 10 or terminal device 20 may be implemented by a programmable circuit or dedicated circuit as the control unit 11 or control unit 21. In other words, some or all of the functions of the control device 10 or terminal device 20 may be implemented by hardware.

[0033] (Control device operation flow) Referring to Figure 3, the operation of the control device 10 according to this embodiment will be described. This operation corresponds to the method according to this embodiment. In the following, the control device 10 transmits and receives information with each device via the communication unit 13 and the network 30.

[0034] In step S1 of Figure 3, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 acquires usage date and time information indicating the date and time the user wishes to use the charging service.

[0035] Any method may be used to obtain the usage date and time information. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 obtains the usage date and time information by receiving it from the user's terminal device 20. However, it is not limited to this, and the control unit 11 may also obtain the usage date and time information from the vehicle V.

[0036] In step S2, the control unit 11 acquires preference information indicating the user's preferences. Any method may be used to acquire the preference information. The control unit 11 may acquire the preference information by reading it from the storage unit 12. However, it is not limited to this, and the control unit 11 may also acquire the preference information by receiving it from the user's terminal device 20.

[0037] Preference information is information that associates a user's identifier with their preferences. User preferences include sports activities or spectating, music or arts creation or appreciation, driving cars or motorcycles, beauty treatments, travel, eating out, shopping, cooking, games, etc. For example, the control unit 11 may send information indicating a preference inquiry to the terminal device 20, receive the response entered by the user to the terminal device 20, and acquire it as preference information associated with the identifier of the responding user. The user identifier may also be the identifier of the terminal device 20.

[0038] The control unit 11 may also acquire preference information by generating preference information based on the user's purchase history of goods or services. The control unit 11 may acquire information indicating the purchase history by receiving it from the terminal device 20, or by receiving it from the terminal devices of each store that have accumulated sales history associated with the user's identifier. The control unit 11 may determine the category to which the goods or services indicated in the purchase history belong and generate preference information according to that category. For example, the control unit 11 may determine that the categories to which sporting goods, cooking utensils, and cosmetics indicated in the purchase history belong are "sports," "cooking," and "beauty," respectively. Any language analysis technique may be used to determine the category of goods or services. For example, the control unit 11 may generate preference information that identifies the user's preference as "sports" if the number of purchases of goods or services belonging to the category "sports" in the user's purchase history exceeds a predetermined number, or the purchase amount exceeds a predetermined amount.

[0039] In step S3, the control unit 11 selects a facility according to the preference information.

[0040] The control unit 11 first identifies candidate facilities located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle V, based on vehicle location information indicating the vehicle V's current position. These facilities include shops, art galleries, museums, concert halls, theaters, cinemas, zoos, aquariums, amusement parks, libraries, etc. The control unit 11 may identify multiple candidate facilities. Vehicle location information may be included in the usage date and time information, or it may be obtained by the control unit 11 by receiving it directly from the vehicle V. The predetermined distance may be freely set in advance. The control unit 11 determines the category of the identified candidate facilities and selects a facility that belongs to a category corresponding to the user's preferences, i.e., a facility that matches the preference information, which is stored in the memory unit 12 in advance. Any language analysis technique may be used to determine the facility category. The facility category may be the same as the user's preferences indicated by the preference information.

[0041] For example, the control unit 11 may identify the category to which facilities such as sporting goods stores, gyms, and sports bars belong as the "sports" category. Facilities may belong to multiple categories; for example, a sports bar may belong to both the "sports" and "food and drink" categories.

[0042] For example, suppose the candidate facilities are Gym A, Hair Salon B, and Clothing Store C, and the control unit 11 identifies their respective categories as "Sports," "Beauty," and "Shopping." Suppose the user's preference information indicates "Sports." In this case, the control unit 11 selects Gym A from the candidate facilities as the facility corresponding to the preference information. However, the control unit 11 may select multiple facilities.

[0043] In step S4, the control unit 11 acquires information indicating the parking lot adjacent to the selected facility as parking information.

[0044] Any method may be used to obtain parking information. For example, the control unit 11 may obtain parking information by referring to a database indicating the facility's parking lots, which is stored in the storage unit 12 in advance, or it may obtain parking information by communicating with a terminal device used by the facility's employees and receiving the parking information entered by the employees into the terminal device.

[0045] The parking information may include information such as the coordinates on a map indicating the location of the parking lot, the number indicating the parking space, and a landmark indicating the entrance to the parking lot. The parking information indicates a parking space that can accommodate two vehicles, vehicle V and power supply vehicle CV. The parking spaces may be two consecutive spaces, or they may be spaces separated by the reach of the cable provided by power supply vehicle CV. The control unit 11 may, for example, communicate with an external server that manages the facility's parking lot and receive information indicating the number of an available parking space to obtain the parking information. If multiple facilities are selected in step S3, the control unit 11 may obtain parking information for each of the multiple facilities.

[0046] In step S5, the control unit 11 acquires congestion information indicating the degree of congestion at the selected facility for each predetermined time period.

[0047] Any method may be used to obtain congestion information. For example, the control unit 11 may obtain congestion information by receiving it from an external server that provides congestion information for any facility on a map, or it may obtain it by communicating with a terminal device used by facility employees and receiving congestion information entered by the employees into the terminal device.

[0048] The congestion information indicates the degree of congestion for each predetermined time period. The predetermined time period can be freely set, for example, it may be divided into time periods of several hours from the opening time to the closing time of the facility. The degree of congestion may be indicated in stages such as "high," "medium," and "low," or it may be the number of people in the facility, density, etc. If multiple facilities are selected in step S3, the control unit 11 may acquire congestion information for each of the multiple facilities.

[0049] In step S6, the control unit 11 determines, based on the usage date and time information and congestion information, whether the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information falls within a time period in which the degree of congestion is less than a predetermined value.

[0050] The predetermined value can be freely set in advance. The predetermined value may be, for example, a predetermined number of people, density, etc. For example, suppose the predetermined value is "medium" when the degree of congestion is indicated in stages. Suppose the degree of congestion of the restaurant facility indicated by the congestion information is "low" from 9am to 11am, "high" from 11am to 2pm, "medium" from 2pm to 6pm, and "high" from 6pm to 9pm, and the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information is 10am. In this case, the control unit 11 determines that the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information falls within the time period in which the degree of congestion is less than the predetermined value, and the control unit 11 proceeds to step S6. If congestion information is obtained for each of the multiple facilities, the control unit 11 may determine for each of the multiple facilities whether the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information falls within the time period in which the degree of congestion is less than the predetermined value.

[0051] If the control unit 11 determines that the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information does not fall within the time period in which the level of congestion is below a predetermined value, the control unit 11 may return to step S1. After the control unit 11 has determined that the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information for all of the multiple facilities from which congestion information was obtained in step S5 does not fall within the time period in which the level of congestion is below a predetermined value, the control unit 11 may return to step S1.

[0052] In step S7, the control unit 11 obtains the information by generating benefit information that indicates the benefits available at the facility when the charging service is used in the parking lot.

[0053] Any method may be used to generate the reward information. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 generates reward information that includes rewards of higher value the shorter the time required to use the on-demand charging service. Specifically, the control unit 11 first communicates with the vehicle V and receives remaining charge information indicating the remaining charge of the vehicle V's battery. Based on this remaining charge information, the control unit 11 calculates the time required to complete charging and acquires the calculated time as the time required to use the on-demand charging service.

[0054] The benefits specifically include discount coupons for facilities. The control unit 11 may generate benefit information that includes coupons with higher discount rates the shorter the time it takes to use the on-demand charging service. If, in step S6, there are multiple facilities for which the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information falls within a time period in which the level of congestion is below a predetermined value, the control unit 11 may generate benefit information for each of the multiple facilities. However, the control unit 11 may also obtain the benefit information by receiving it directly from terminal devices used by the facility's employees.

[0055] Not limited to the foregoing, the control unit 11 may decide to increase the discount rate of the coupon depending on the type of facility, whether the time required to use the on-demand charging service is longer or shorter. The types of facilities include, for example, retail stores, restaurants, sports and amusement facilities such as batting cages, game centers, and amusement facilities such as karaoke bars. The types of facilities may be set in advance for each facility and stored in the memory unit 12.

[0056] For example, if the type of facility is a retail store or a restaurant, the control unit 11 may decide to increase the discount rate of the coupon the shorter the time it takes to use the on-demand charging service, and generate reward information that includes coupons with high discount rates. If the type of facility is a sports and recreation facility or an amusement facility, the control unit 11 may decide to increase the discount rate of the coupon the longer the time it takes to use the on-demand charging service, and generate reward information that includes coupons with high discount rates.

[0057] Information indicating the degree to which the discount rate will be increased may be pre-set according to the type of facility or the category of facility described above and stored in the memory unit 12. The control unit 11 can read this information from the memory unit 12 and generate benefit information that includes benefits of higher value the shorter or longer the time spent using the charging service in the parking lot.

[0058] In step S8, the control unit 11 notifies the user of parking information and special offer information. After that, the operation of the control device 10 ends.

[0059] Any method may be used to notify the user. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 notifies the user by transmitting parking information and reward information to the user's terminal device 20. However, it is not limited to this, and if the control device 10 has an output unit, the control unit 11 may notify the user by displaying the reward information and parking information via the output unit.

[0060] The control unit 11 may send an inquiry to the terminal device 20 regarding whether to confirm the reservation for the charging service at the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information, in addition to the reward information and parking information. The control unit 21 of the terminal device 20 notifies the user of the reward information, parking information, and the inquiry via the input / output unit 24. The user can input an answer to the inquiry via the input / output unit 24 while viewing the parking information and reward information. At this time, the reward information and parking information may be displayed simultaneously on the map on the input / output unit 24. If parking information and reward information for multiple facilities are received, the control unit 21 may display the parking information and reward information for each of the multiple facilities simultaneously on the map. This allows the user to view multiple parking lots in a list and compare and consider locations for receiving charging services.

[0061] Upon receiving a user response from the terminal device 20, the control unit 11 of the control device 10 may transmit information to a terminal device used by facility employees indicating that the user will use the parking lot for the on-demand charging service at the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information. By displaying this information to employees via the terminal device, employees can understand that the parking lot is scheduled to be used. The control unit 11 may also communicate with the power supply vehicle CV and transmit a signal instructing it to move to the parking lot location indicated by the parking lot information at the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information. Upon receiving this signal, the control unit of the power supply vehicle CV can control its various parts using its automatic driving function to move to the parking lot location.

[0062] As described above, the control device 10 according to this embodiment is used to provide a charging service in which a power supply vehicle CV used to charge a vehicle V moves to the vehicle V to charge it. The control unit 11 of the control device 10 acquires usage date and time information indicating the date and time the user wishes to use the charging service, acquires parking information indicating a parking lot attached to the facility that can be used for the charging service, acquires benefit information indicating benefits that can be used at the facility when the charging service is used in the parking lot, and notifies the user of the parking information and benefit information. According to this embodiment, the parking lot attached to the facility and the benefits that can be used at the facility are automatically presented to the user. It becomes easier to find a place to park the power supply vehicle CV, improving the convenience of the on-demand charging service for the user, and for the facility, it has the effect of increasing the number of facility users by utilizing the vacant parking lot. Thus, it is possible to improve the technology for providing charging services.

[0063] As described above, the control unit 11 acquires preference information indicating the user's preferences, selects a facility according to the preference information, and acquires information indicating the parking lot adjacent to the selected facility as parking information. According to this embodiment, the parking lot of a facility that matches the user's preferences is more likely to be presented to the user, increasing the likelihood that the user will visit the facility while the vehicle V is being charged. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the technology for providing charging services.

[0064] As described above, the control unit 11 acquires congestion information indicating the degree of congestion at the facility for each predetermined time period, and based on the usage date and time information and the congestion information, determines whether the date and time fall within a time period in which the degree of congestion is less than a predetermined value. If the date and time fall within that time period, it notifies the user of parking information and benefit information. According to this embodiment, when the facility is congested and it is difficult to provide parking, the facility can restrict the use of the charging service, enabling flexible parking provision. Therefore, the technology for providing charging services can be improved.

[0065] As described above, the control unit 11 generates reward information that includes higher-value rewards the shorter or longer the time spent using the charging service in the parking lot. According to this embodiment, the facility can encourage users to use the facility while shortening or lengthening the time the parking lot is used for the charging service. Therefore, it is possible to improve the technology for providing the charging service.

[0066] The present invention has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, but it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions, etc., included in each component or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or divided.

[0067] For example, in the above-described embodiment, it is also possible to have an embodiment in which the configuration and operation of the control device 10 are distributed among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. Furthermore, for example, it is also possible to have an embodiment in which some or all of the components of the control device 10 are provided in the vehicle V. For example, a navigation device mounted in the vehicle V may include some or all of the components of the control device 10.

[0068] (modified version) Next, a modified example of the embodiment of this disclosure will be described. The configuration of System 1 and the configuration of each device in this modified example are the same as in the embodiment described above, so their description will be omitted.

[0069] The operation of the control device 10 according to the above embodiment and the operation of the control device 10 according to this modified example are described below. The differences will be explained with reference to Figure 4.

[0070] Steps S21 to S24 in Figure 4 are the same as steps S1 to S4 in Figure 3 according to the embodiment described above, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0071] In step S25 of Figure 4, the control unit 11 acquires facility reservation information indicating whether reservations are possible for each time slot at the selected facility.

[0072] Any method may be used to obtain facility reservation information. For example, the control unit 11 may obtain the information by communicating with a terminal device used by a facility employee and receiving the facility reservation information entered by the employee into the terminal device, or it may obtain the information by receiving the facility reservation information from a management server that manages facility reservations.

[0073] The facility reservation information indicates whether the facility can be reserved for each predetermined time slot. The predetermined time slot can be freely set and may be divided into time slots of several hours from the facility's opening time to its closing time. The facility reservation information may also include the details of the reservation. For example, if the facility is a restaurant, the details of the reservation may include seat reservations, course reservations, etc. If the facility is a beauty salon, the details may include haircut reservations, shampoo reservations, etc. If the facility is an exhibition facility such as an art museum or museum, the details may include guided tour reservations, etc. If multiple facilities are selected in step S23, the control unit 11 may acquire facility reservation information for each of the multiple facilities.

[0074] In step S26, the control unit 11 determines, based on the usage date and time information and the facility reservation information, whether the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information falls within the time slot in which the facility can be reserved.

[0075] For example, suppose the available reservation times for a restaurant seat, as indicated by the facility reservation information, are from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information is 3:00 PM. In this case, the control unit 11 determines that the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information falls within the time slots available for reservations at the facility, and the control unit 11 proceeds to step S27.

[0076] If the control unit 11 determines that the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information does not fall within the time slots available for reservation, the control unit 11 may return to step S1. After the control unit 11 has determined that the date and time indicated by the usage date and time information for all of the multiple facilities for which facility reservation information was obtained in step S25 does not fall within the time slots available for reservation, the control unit 11 may return to step S21.

[0077] Steps S27 to S28 in Figure 4 are the same as steps S7 to S8 in Figure 3 of the embodiment described above, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0078] As described above, in the control device 10 according to this modified version, the control unit 11 acquires facility reservation information indicating whether the facility can be reserved for each predetermined time period, and determines whether the date and time falls within the time period in which the facility can be reserved, based on the usage date and time information and the facility reservation information, and if the date and time falls within that time period, it notifies the user of parking information and special offer information. According to this modified version, the user can avoid a situation where they cannot use the facility because all the reservations are already taken. For the facility, it can be expected that the likelihood of the facility being used by users when reservations are available will increase. Therefore, it is possible to improve the technology for providing charging services. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0079] 1 System 10 Control device 11 Control Unit 12 Storage section 13 Communications Department 20 Terminal devices 21 Control Unit 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 24 Input / output section 30 Networks V Vehicle CV power supply vehicle CV

Claims

1. A method executed by a control device used to provide a charging service in which a power supply vehicle used for charging a vehicle moves to the vehicle and charges it, The system obtains usage date and time information indicating the date and time the user wishes to use the charging service, To obtain parking information indicating a parking lot adjacent to the facility that can be used for the aforementioned charging service, To obtain benefit information indicating the benefits available at the facility when the charging service is used at the aforementioned parking lot, This includes notifying the user of the parking information and the benefit information, The system communicates with the vehicle and receives remaining battery charge information indicating the remaining charge of the vehicle's battery. Based on the remaining charge information, the time required to complete charging is calculated, and the calculated time is obtained as the time required to use the charging service. A method further comprising: generating benefit information including benefits usable at a retail store or restaurant, where the value increases with shorter time periods, if the type of facility is a retail store or restaurant; and generating benefit information including benefits usable at a sports and recreation facility or amusement facility, where the value increases with longer time periods, if the type of facility is a sports and recreation facility or amusement facility.

2. The method according to claim 1, Obtaining preference information that shows the user's preferences, A method further comprising selecting a facility according to the aforementioned preference information and obtaining information indicating a parking lot adjacent to the selected facility as the aforementioned parking information.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, To obtain congestion information indicating the degree of congestion at the aforementioned facility for each predetermined time period, A method further comprising determining, based on the usage date and time information and the congestion information, whether the date and time falls within the time period in which the degree of congestion is less than a predetermined value, and notifying the user of the parking information and the benefit information if the date and time falls within the time period.

4. A method according to claim 1 or 2, To obtain facility reservation information indicating whether the aforementioned facility can be reserved for each specified time period, A method further comprising determining, based on the usage date and time information and the facility reservation information, whether the date and time falls within the time period during which the facility is available for reservation, and if the date and time falls within the time period, notifying the user of the parking information and the benefit information.

Images