Charging control system, charging control method, and charging control program

Abstract

To appropriately respond to a request for power saving when power supply and demand are tight by controlling charging of a battery, which is considered to have a relatively low timeliness of power demand.SOLUTION: A charge control system comprises one or a plurality of computer processors. The one or plurality of computer processors comprise: an acquisition unit for acquiring power information related to power utilization rate and state-of-charge information related to state of charge of a battery being charged; a determination unit for determining charging power for the battery on the basis of the power information and the state-of-charge information acquired by the acquisition unit; and a charge control unit for controlling charging of the battery on the basis of the charging power determined by the determination unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0008] , , , , , , ,

[0007]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging control system, a charging control method, and a charging control program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, situations threatening the stable supply of electric power, such as the issuance of power supply-demand tightness warnings and advisories due to earthquakes and adverse weather conditions, and problems with fuel imports, have occurred frequently.

[0003] Therefore, the government and electric power companies call on users to cooperate in power saving, and in response, it is common for users to cooperate in power saving by refraining from using electrical appliances such as air conditioners and lighting.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for realizing a peak shift of power demand by controlling the operation of electrical appliances in consideration of power supply-demand information and the desires of users of electrical appliances.

[0005] However, there are limitations in refraining from using electrical appliances such as air conditioners and lighting, which have a high power demand at timely moments.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] Therefore, the invention in the present disclosure aims to appropriately respond to the power-saving requirement during power supply-demand tightness by controlling the charging of a battery, which has a relatively low-timeliness power demand.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The information processing system of the present invention is a charge control system comprising one or more computer processors, wherein the one or more computer processors comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires power information relating to the power usage rate and charge rate information relating to the charge rate of a battery to be charged; a determination unit that determines the charging power to the battery based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit; and a charge control unit that controls charging to the battery based on the charging power determined by the determination unit.

[0009] The decision unit can decide not to charge the battery if the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition.

[0010] The decision unit can decide not to charge the battery if the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition, or it can decide to charge the battery and / or set the unit price of the battery charging power to a specific value.

[0011] The charging control system may further include a receiving unit that receives charging start instructions and / or charging end instructions from the user, and the charging control unit may start charging the battery in response to a charging start instruction and stop charging the battery in response to a charging end instruction.

[0012] The charging control system may also include a reward-granting unit that provides a reward to the user when the timing of the charging completion instruction meets predetermined conditions.

[0013] The predetermined conditions may be that the timing of the charging completion instruction is when the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition.

[0014] The predetermined conditions may be that the timing of the charging completion instruction is when the power information changes from a state where it does not meet the first condition to a state where it meets the first condition, and the charge rate information changes from a state where it does not meet the second condition to a state where it meets the second condition.

[0015] The first condition for power information is that the power usage rate is above a predetermined value, and the second condition for charge rate information is that the battery charge rate is above a predetermined value.

[0016] The acquisition unit continuously acquires power usage rate and charge rate information when the battery is connected. The determination unit can determine the power to charge the battery in real time based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0017] The charging control system further includes a storage unit that stores a data table in which the charging power to the battery is determined in relation to power information related to the power usage rate and battery charge rate information, and the determination unit can determine the charging power corresponding to the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit by referring to the data table stored in the storage unit.

[0018] The charging control system further includes a storage unit that stores a data table in which the charging power and charging power unit price for the battery are determined in relation to power information related to the power usage rate and the battery's charge rate. The determination unit determines the charging power and charging power unit price corresponding to the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit by referring to the data table stored in the storage unit, and the charging control unit can control the charging of the battery based on the charging power and charging power unit price determined by the determination unit.

[0019] The charging control system is a device having a battery, and may include a battery device connected to a power supply device and a server device that can be connected to the battery device via the Internet.

[0020] The charging control system may include a battery device having a battery, a charging device to which the battery can be connected and which is connected to a power supply device, and a server device that can be connected to the charging device via the Internet.

[0021] The charging control system can be a device having a battery, and includes a battery device connected to a power supply device, an information processing device connectable to the battery device, and a server device connectable to the information processing device via the Internet.

[0022] The charging control system can be a battery device having a battery, and includes a charging device connected to a power supply device, which is a device connectable to the battery, an information processing device connectable to the charging device or the battery device, and a server device connectable to the information processing device via the Internet.

[0023] The battery device can be a smartphone.

[0024] The battery device is an electric vehicle, and the charging device can be a charging device for an electric vehicle.

[0025] The battery device is an electrical product without an Internet connection function, and the charging device can be a smart plug having an Internet connection function.

[0026] The acquisition unit further acquires a plurality of charging rate information regarding the charging rates of a plurality of batteries to be charged, and the determination unit determines the charging power to the plurality of batteries based on the power information acquired by the acquisition unit and the plurality of charging rate information. The charging control unit can control the charging of the plurality of batteries based on the plurality of charging powers determined by the determination unit.

[0027] The determination unit further determines the power supply to the electrical equipment based on the power information acquired by the acquisition unit and the power consumption of one or more electrical equipment without a battery, and the charging control unit controls the charging of the battery and the power supply to the electrical equipment based on the charging power and the power supply determined by the determination unit.

[0028] The charging control method in this disclosure is characterized by causing one or more computer processors to perform an acquisition step of acquiring power information relating to the power usage rate and charging rate information relating to the charging rate of a battery to be charged; a determination step of determining the charging power to the battery based on the power information and charging rate information acquired in the acquisition step; and a charging control step of controlling the charging of the battery based on the charging power determined in the determination step.

[0029] The charging control program in this disclosure is characterized by providing one or more computer processors with an acquisition function to acquire power information relating to power usage rate and charging rate information relating to the charging rate of the battery to be charged, a determination function to determine the charging power to the battery based on the power information and charging rate information acquired by the acquisition function, and a charging control function to control charging to the battery based on the charging power determined by the determination function. [Effects of the Invention]

[0030] According to the present invention, by controlling the charging of batteries, which are considered to have relatively low timeliness in terms of power demand, it is possible to provide a charging control system, a charging control method, and a charging control program that can appropriately respond to the demand for power saving during times of tight power supply and demand. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0031] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of a charging control system in this disclosure. [Figure 2] This diagram shows an example of a charging control system in this disclosure. [Figure 3] This diagram shows an example of a charging control system in this disclosure. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of a charging control system in this disclosure. [Figure 5] This diagram shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server device, charging device, and information processing device in this disclosure. [Figure 6] This diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of the server device in this disclosure. [Figure 7] This is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the charging control system described in this disclosure. [Figure 8] This is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the charging control system described in this disclosure. [Figure 9] This diagram shows another example of the functional configuration of the server device in this disclosure. [Figure 10] This data diagram shows an example of a data table stored in the memory unit in this disclosure. [Figure 11] This is a data configuration diagram showing another example of a data table stored in the storage unit in this disclosure. [Figure 12] This is a conceptual diagram showing an image of the screen displayed on the information processing device in this disclosure. [Figure 13] This is a conceptual diagram showing an image of the screen displayed on the information processing device in this disclosure. [Figure 14] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the scheme of the charging service realized by the charging control system described in this disclosure. [Figure 15] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the equipment configuration of the charging control system described in this disclosure. [Figure 16] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the electrical connections of the testbed in this disclosure. [Figure 17] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the outline of the ICT connectivity of the testbed in this disclosure. [Figure 18] This is a conceptual diagram showing an image of the application screen illustrating the preliminary test results for charging in this disclosure. [Figure 19] This flowchart shows an example of a charge management method for a server device in this disclosure. [Figure 20] This is a circuit diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration for realizing a charging control program executed on a server device in this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] Embodiments of the information processing system described herein will be explained with reference to the drawings.

[0033] The information processing system in this disclosure comprises one or more computer processors.

[0034] As an example, as shown in Figure 1, the charging control system 1000 in this disclosure includes a battery device 100 connected to a power supply device 10 and a server device 200 that can be connected to the battery device 100 via the Internet.

[0035] A battery device is a device having a battery, and such a battery is capable of storing energy. While the battery may store electricity as an example, it may also store other forms of energy, such as heat, by converting electricity into them.

[0036] In the example shown in Figure 1, the battery device 100 can be an information processing device having a processing unit and capable of connecting to the internet, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, or energy storage device, but other battery devices are not excluded.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2 as an example, the charging control system 1000 in this disclosure includes a battery device 100, a charging device 300 to which the battery can be connected and which is connected to a power supply device, and a server device 200 which can be connected to the charging device 300 via the Internet.

[0038] In the example shown in Figure 2, the battery device 100 can be an electric vehicle (EV), electric bicycle, electric assist bicycle, etc., which require a dedicated charging device 300 to charge the battery, but other battery devices are not excluded.

[0039] Alternatively, in the example shown in Figure 2, the battery device 100 may be an electrical product that does not have internet connectivity on its own, but this does not exclude other battery devices. In this case, the charging device 300 may be a smart plug or the like that has internet connectivity.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3 as an example, the charging control system 1000 in this disclosure may include a battery device 100 connected to a power supply device 10, an information processing device 400 connectable to the battery device 100, and a server device 200 connectable to the information processing device 400 via the Internet.

[0041] In this case, the battery device 100 and the information processing device 400 may be connected by short-range wireless communication or the like.

[0042] Furthermore, while the information processing device 400 is described as, for example, a mobile terminal (such as a smartphone or tablet) used by a user, this does not exclude other information processing devices.

[0043] In the example shown in Figure 3, the battery device 100 can be a device without a processing unit, such as a mobile battery, or an electronic device such as earphones or a game console, but this does not exclude other battery devices.

[0044] Although Figure 2 shows an example where the charging device 300 is directly connected to the server device 200 via the internet, the information processing device 400 may be connected to the server device 200 via the internet, as shown in Figure 4. In this case, the information processing device 400 can be connected to either the charging device 300 or the battery device 100.

[0045] Furthermore, while the power supply device 10 described above is assumed to be a commercial power source, a private power generation device such as a solar power generation device or an energy storage device may also be used as the power supply device 10.

[0046] As an example, the smartphone and mobile battery and the power supply unit 10 are connected by a cable via an adapter (such as a USB-AC adapter). Alternatively, the smartphone and mobile battery may be wirelessly charged by placing them near a contactless charging device.

[0047] As an example, the EV and the charging device 300 are connected via a charging cable. Alternatively, as another example, the EV may be placed near the charging device to enable wireless charging.

[0048] In the examples shown in Figures 3 and 4, the user is able to operate at least the charging functions of the battery device 100 and / or the charging device 300 using the information processing device 400.

[0049] Furthermore, the information processing device 400 allows users to check information related to charging operations, as well as the battery device's charge status and power usage rate, in real time via a dedicated application.

[0050] Furthermore, if the battery device 100 is an EV or the like, the reservation of the charging device and payment of fees may be made through the dedicated application described above.

[0051] Furthermore, the server device 200 is not particularly limited as long as it can be connected to various devices via the Internet.

[0052] Here, the hardware configuration of the server device 200 will be described using Figure 5. The server device 200 includes a processor 201, memory 202, storage 203, input / output interface (I / F) 204, and communication interface (Communication I / F) 205. Each component is interconnected via bus B.

[0053] The server device 200 can realize the functions and methods described in this embodiment through the cooperation of the processor 201, memory 202, storage 203, input / output I / F 204, and communication I / F 205.

[0054] The processor 201 executes functions and / or methods realized by code or instructions contained in a program stored in the storage 203. The processor 201 may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc., and may realize each process disclosed in each embodiment by logic circuits (hardware) or dedicated circuits formed on an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)), etc. Furthermore, these circuits may be realized by one or more integrated circuits, and the multiple processes shown in each embodiment may be realized by a single integrated circuit. In addition, LSIs may be referred to as VLSI, Super LSI, Ultra LSI, etc., depending on the degree of integration.

[0055] Memory 202 temporarily stores programs loaded from storage 203 and provides a workspace for processor 201. Memory 202 also temporarily stores various data generated while processor 201 is executing programs. Memory 202 includes, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0056] Storage 203 stores programs. Storage 203 includes, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), flash memory, etc.

[0057] The communication interface 205 is implemented as hardware such as a network adapter, communication software, or a combination thereof, and transmits and receives various types of data over a network. This communication may be performed via wired or wireless connection, and any communication protocol may be used as long as communication between the two devices is possible. The communication interface 205 communicates with other information processing devices over the network. The communication interface 205 transmits various types of data to other information processing devices according to instructions from the processor 201. The communication interface 205 also receives various types of data transmitted from other information processing devices and transmits them to the processor 201.

[0058] The input / output interface 204 includes an input device for inputting various operations to the server device 200, and an output device for outputting processing results processed by the server device 200. The input / output interface 204 may have the input device and output device integrated, or they may be separated into an input device and an output device.

[0059] The input device is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of receiving input from a user and transmitting the information related to said input to the processor 501. The input device includes, for example, hardware keys such as touch panels, touch displays, and keyboards, pointing devices such as mice, cameras (for image-based operation input), and microphones (for voice-based operation input).

[0060] The input device, or control unit, can be one that is appropriate for the type of user terminal. Examples of control units include a touch panel integrated with the display, operation buttons on the user terminal's casing, a keyboard, a mouse, and a controller operated by the user's hand.

[0061] The output device outputs the processing results processed by the processor 201. The output device includes, for example, a touch panel, a speaker, etc.

[0062] One or more computer processors that perform the functions described later in this disclosure may be located in any one of the devices 100, 300, and 400 that constitute the charging control system 1000, or they may be shared among two or more of the devices 100, 200, 300, and 400.

[0063] In the following explanation, as an example, the server device 200 will be described as comprising one or more of the above-mentioned computer processors.

[0064] Next, various functions that can be performed in the charging control system 1000 according to the embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0065] As shown in Figure 6, the one or more computer processors in the charge control system 1000 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure include an acquisition unit 210, a determination unit 220, and a charge control unit 230.

[0066] The acquisition unit 210 acquires power information related to the power usage rate and charge rate information related to the charge rate of the battery to be charged.

[0067] Electricity information regarding electricity usage rates can be obtained from those provided by general power transmission and distribution companies. For example, the "Electricity Forecast" for the Tokyo area provides "Today's Electricity Usage Outlook," which includes "Usage Rate at Peak Demand (Expected Maximum Power / Supply Capacity)" and "Usage Rate at Peak Usage (Expected Power / Supply Capacity)," and "Today's Electricity Usage Status," which includes "Actual Real-Time Electricity Usage Rate (Power Usage / Supply Capacity)" and "Predicted Electricity Usage Rate (Expected Power / Supply Capacity)." In addition, hourly forecasts of electricity usage are also provided.

[0068] The power usage rate in the invention disclosed herein shall be the "actual real-time power usage rate (power consumption / supply capacity)" as described above, but this does not exclude the use of other usage rates.

[0069] The acquisition unit 210 can acquire the above-mentioned electricity usage rate from an API provided by a business operator or other entity that provides the above-mentioned "electricity forecast".

[0070] Alternatively, the acquisition unit 210 may acquire the power usage rate via the battery device 100, the charging device 300, or the information processing device 400.

[0071] The charging information regarding the charge level of the battery to be charged can be obtained from the battery device 100. This charge level is expressed as SOC (State of Charge) [%], with 100% representing a fully charged state and 0% representing a completely discharged state.

[0072] The acquisition unit 210 may acquire the SOC directly from the battery device 100, or it may acquire it via a charging device 300 or an information processing device 400 connected to the battery device 100.

[0073] The timing for acquiring the power information and charge rate information by the acquisition unit 210 can be the timing when the battery is connected to the power supply unit 10 or the charging device 300.

[0074] Furthermore, the acquisition of power information by the acquisition unit 210 may be performed continuously at a frequency close to real time.

[0075] The determination unit 220 determines the charging power to the battery based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit 210.

[0076] The details of the method for determining charging power will be described later, but basically, it is assumed that, when the charge level is constant, the charging power is smaller as the power usage rate increases, and when the power usage rate is constant, the charging power is larger as the charge level decreases.

[0077] However, upper and lower limits shall be set for the power used to charge the battery.

[0078] The charging control unit 230 then controls the charging of the battery based on the charging power determined by the determination unit 220.

[0079] If the battery device 100 is a smartphone, as shown in Figure 7, information regarding the charging power determined based on power information and charge rate information is transmitted to the smartphone 100, and the smartphone 100 can perform charging of the battery based on such information.

[0080] If the battery device 100 is an EV, as shown in Figure 8, it transmits information regarding the charging power determined based on power information and charge rate information to the charging device (EV charger) 300, and the charging device 300 can perform charging of the EV 100's battery based on such information.

[0081] With the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately control the charging of batteries, which are considered to have relatively low timeliness in terms of power demand.

[0082] In particular, by using not only power information but also charge level information, it becomes possible to appropriately respond to demands for energy conservation during times of tight power supply and demand without imposing excessive restrictions on users.

[0083] Furthermore, unlike conventional charging control aimed at preventing degradation, this system utilizes not only charge rate information but also power information, enabling it to appropriately respond to power saving demands during periods of tight power supply and demand.

[0084] Next, we will explain the details of the method for determining the charging power.

[0085] In the first embodiment, the determination unit 220 decides not to charge the battery if the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition.

[0086] For example, the first condition for power information is met when the power usage rate is above a predetermined value.

[0087] The predetermined value referred to here can be, for example, 97%. This corresponds to a situation where the power reserve margin falls below 3%, a level of urgency that would necessitate planned power outages.

[0088] For example, the second condition is met when the charge level information is above a predetermined value.

[0089] The predetermined value referred to here can be, for example, 50%.

[0090] Alternatively, the second condition may be that the charge rate information satisfies when the remaining battery level calculated from the charge rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0091] In such cases, the power demand for charging is judged to be low, so energy conservation takes priority over power demand.

[0092] Therefore, the determination unit 220 determines the charging power to be 0 (i.e., no charging (STOP)).

[0093] Furthermore, the first and second conditions described above may be such that one condition causes the other to change.

[0094] For example, if the first condition is that the power utilization rate is 97% or higher, the second condition becomes that the SOC is 30% or higher. If the first condition is that the power utilization rate is 95% or higher, the second condition becomes that the SOC is 50% or higher.

[0095] Furthermore, the charging control system 1000 in this disclosure may also include a storage unit 240, as shown in Figure 9.

[0096] The memory unit 240 stores a data table in which the power to charge the battery is determined in association with power information related to the power usage rate and battery charge rate information.

[0097] Figure 10 shows an example of such a data table.

[0098] In Figure 10, battery charge level information is represented as SOC (State of Charge) [%], and is divided into three ranks: 0% to less than 30%, 30% to less than 50%, and 50% to less than 100%.

[0099] Furthermore, in Figure 10, the power information is expressed as power usage rate [%], and is divided into four ranks: 0% or more and less than 90%, 90% or more and less than 95%, 95% or more and less than 97%, and 97% or more and less than 100%.

[0100] Furthermore, the charging power is determined for each rank of SOC and power usage rate. Note that the charging power changes depending on the battery condition, so the set charging power is an upper limit.

[0101] This data table may be constructed using data provided by general power transmission and distribution operators and / or the manufacturer of the battery device 100.

[0102] At this time, the determination unit 220 determines the charging power corresponding to the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit 210 by referring to the data table stored in the storage unit 240.

[0103] According to the above configuration, the charging power is reduced as the power usage rate increases, while an appropriate amount of power is charged when the charge rate is lower than a predetermined value. This allows for appropriate responses to power conservation demands during times of tight power supply and demand without imposing excessive restrictions on users.

[0104] In the example above, usage rates and SOCs were ranked into 3 to 4 categories, but the number of such rankings is not particularly limited.

[0105] In the second embodiment, the determination unit 220 determines not to charge the battery if the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition, or determines the unit price of the battery charge and / or the battery charge to a specific value.

[0106] For example, the first condition for power information is met when the power usage rate is above a predetermined value.

[0107] The predetermined value referred to here can be, for example, 97%. This corresponds to a situation where the power reserve margin falls below 3%, a level of urgency that would necessitate planned power outages.

[0108] For example, the second condition is met when the charge level information is above a predetermined value.

[0109] The predetermined value referred to here can be, for example, 50%.

[0110] Alternatively, the second condition may be that the charge rate information satisfies when the remaining battery level calculated from the charge rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0111] In such cases, the power demand for charging is judged to be low, so energy conservation takes priority over power demand.

[0112] Furthermore, as described above, the first and second conditions may be such that one condition causes the other to change.

[0113] For example, if the second condition is that the SOC is 30% or higher, the first condition becomes that the power utilization rate is 97% or higher. If the second condition is that the SOC is 50% or higher, the first condition becomes that the power utilization rate is 95% or higher.

[0114] At this point, the determination unit 220 either determines the charging power to be 0 (i.e., no charging (STOP)) or determines the charging power to the battery and the unit price of the charging power to the battery. The latter is the application of so-called dynamic pricing.

[0115] The determination unit 220, in principle, determines a specific value such that, when the charge rate is kept constant, the unit price of charging power increases as the power usage rate increases, and when the power usage rate is kept constant, the unit price of charging power increases as the charge rate increases.

[0116] However, upper and lower limits shall be set for the specific unit price of the power used to charge the battery.

[0117] The determination unit 220 may set the charging power to a constant value (the maximum charging power that can be charged by the charging device 300) and set only the unit price to a specific value, or it may set the value of the charging power to a specific value that is smaller than the value when the above conditions are not met.

[0118] In other words, the determination unit 220 can be configured to determine both the charging power and the unit price of the charging power.

[0119] At this time, the charging control unit 230 controls the charging of the battery based on the charging power and the charging power unit price determined by the determination unit 220.

[0120] With the above configuration, charging is either disabled when the power usage rate and charging rate are high, or the unit price of charging power is increased, thereby appropriately responding to the demand for power conservation during times of tight power supply and demand without imposing excessive restrictions on users.

[0121] The storage unit 240 stores power information related to power usage and a data table in which the power to charge the battery and the unit price of the power to charge the battery are determined in relation to the battery's charge level.

[0122] Figure 11 shows an example of such a data table.

[0123] In Figure 11, battery charge level information is expressed as SOC (State of Charge) [%], and is divided into three ranks: 0% to less than 30%, 30% to less than 50%, and 50% to less than 100%.

[0124] Furthermore, in Figure 11, the power information is expressed as power usage rate [%], and is divided into four ranks: 0% or more and less than 90%, 90% or more and less than 95%, 95% or more and less than 97%, and 97% or more and less than 100%.

[0125] Furthermore, the charging power and / or unit price are determined for each rank of SOC and power usage rate. Note that the charging power varies depending on the battery condition, so the set charging power is an upper limit.

[0126] This data table may be constructed using data provided by general power transmission and distribution companies and / or EV manufacturers, etc.

[0127] At this time, the determination unit 220 determines the charging power and the unit price of the charging power corresponding to the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit 210 by referring to the data table stored in the storage unit 240.

[0128] In the above example, if the usage rate is 95% or higher and the SOC is 50% or higher, the battery will not be charged, or it will be possible to charge it at 3.0kW for a unit price of 300 yen.

[0129] Similarly, in the above example, if the usage rate is 97% or higher and the SOC is 30% or higher, the battery will either not be charged, or it will be possible to charge it for a unit price of 300 yen.

[0130] Furthermore, the user may be given the option to choose whether or not to perform the above charging.

[0131] Figure 12 shows an image of the selection screen 20 displayed on the user's information processing device 400, indicating whether or not to proceed with charging.

[0132] As shown in Figure 12 as an example, the selection screen 20 displays information 21 and SOC 22 regarding the power shortage, as well as an object 23 for selecting whether to charge and an object 24 for selecting whether not to charge. The object 23 for selecting whether to charge may also display information on the applicable unit price.

[0133] The charging control system 1000 in this disclosure may further include a receiving unit 250, as shown in Figure 9.

[0134] The receiving unit 250 receives a charging start instruction and / or a charging end instruction from the user.

[0135] Such instructions may be received via the user's information processing device 400 or via the charging device 300.

[0136] At this time, the charging control unit 230 starts charging the battery in response to a charging start instruction and stops charging the battery in response to a charging end instruction.

[0137] In this case, the charging control system 1000 may further include a reward-granting unit 260, as shown in Figure 9.

[0138] The reward-granting unit 260 grants a reward to the user when the timing of the charging completion instruction meets predetermined conditions.

[0139] The specified conditions are that the timing of the charging completion instruction is when the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition.

[0140] In other words, it rewards users who attempt to charge their devices but are unable to do so, or who choose not to charge their devices.

[0141] As shown in Figure 11, for example, if the usage rate is 95% or higher and the SOC is 50% or higher, the battery will either not be charged, or it will be possible to charge it for 300 yen per charge. In this case, users who do not choose to charge at 300 yen per charge, i.e., users who do not charge their batteries, will be rewarded.

[0142] Figure 13 shows an image of the reward granting screen 30 that is accessed after selecting object 23 on the selection screen 20 (Figure 12) displayed on the user's information processing device 400, which determines whether or not to perform charging.

[0143] As shown in Figure 13 as an example, the reward granting screen 30 will display information 31 regarding the reward to be granted.

[0144] Furthermore, the reward may be granted in the form of electronic money, points, discount tickets, etc., and linked to the user's information processing device 400.

[0145] This configuration can increase users' willingness to cooperate in saving electricity.

[0146] Alternatively, the specified conditions are that the timing of the charging termination instruction coincides with the timing when the power information changes from a state where it does not meet the first condition to a state where it does, and the charge rate information changes from a state where it does not meet the second condition to a state where it does.

[0147] This would prevent rewards from being given to people who come to charge their devices solely to receive a reward during times of power shortage.

[0148] The acquisition unit 210 continuously acquires power usage rate and charge rate information when the battery is connected, and the determination unit 220 can determine the power to charge the battery in real time based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit 210.

[0149] Generally, power usage is updated every 5 minutes, and the State of Charge (SOC) also increases with charging, so these are acquired at a near real-time frequency. Therefore, the charging power determined by the determination unit 220 may fluctuate during charging. In this case, if it is desired to avoid frequent changes in charging power, hysteresis can be introduced to the changes in charging power.

[0150] In the above example, the case in which the charge level information satisfies the second condition is explained as when the battery's charge level is above a predetermined value, and a charge level of 50% is given as an example of such predetermined value.

[0151] Here, such predetermined value can also be a value determined based on the battery capacity of the EV.

[0152] Since the driving range of an EV depends on its battery capacity, even if the State of Charge (SOC) is the same at 50%, the actual driving range will differ depending on the EV.

[0153] Therefore, the acquisition unit 210 in this disclosure may further acquire information regarding battery capacity from the EV, and the determination unit 220 may determine the power to charge the battery based on the power information, charge rate information, and the battery capacity information acquired by the acquisition unit 210.

[0154] In this case, the larger the battery capacity, the smaller the predetermined value mentioned above becomes.

[0155] Furthermore, the above-mentioned predetermined values ​​may be determined by the user, as the desired charge level may vary from user to user.

[0156] Furthermore, in the above example, the determination unit 220 was described as determining the power to charge the battery based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit 210.

[0157] In addition to the power information and charge rate information mentioned above, time information until the time when the power supply and demand shortage is expected to be resolved may also be used as a parameter to determine the power to charge the battery.

[0158] Specifically, the acquisition unit 210 obtains the time when the power supply and demand shortage will be resolved from the predicted power usage rate (expected power / supply capacity), calculates the time until that time, and uses this as the time information.

[0159] In this case, the shorter the above time, the less power will be charged to the battery.

[0160] As shown in Figure 9, the acquisition unit 210 further acquires multiple charge rate information relating to the charge rate of multiple batteries to be charged, the determination unit 220 determines the charging power to the multiple batteries based on the power information and multiple charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit 210, and the charging control unit 230 can control the charging of the multiple batteries based on the multiple charging power determined by the determination unit 220.

[0161] In other words, the server device 200 can function as a cloud-based hub capable of connecting multiple devices. In this case, the charging control system 1000 described above becomes one specific example of the IoT connection system described below.

[0162] Here, the IoT connectivity system shall consist of an IoT hub and an IoT router.

[0163] The IoT hub will be implemented on the cloud. Specifically, the IoT hub is a managed service hosted in the cloud and functions as a relay for bidirectional communication between IoT applications (hereinafter referred to as "IoT apps") and IoT devices.

[0164] The IoT router is assumed to be located locally and connected to the IoT hub via a WAN (Wide Area Network).

[0165] Specifically, an IoT router enables devices that are not connected to the internet, such as those on a home network, to connect to an IoT hub.

[0166] The IoT hub then has at least one of the first driver or the second driver.

[0167] The first and second drivers are designed to accommodate the differences in specifications between manufacturers of each IoT device.

[0168] The first driver is for connecting the IoT hub to a private cloud to which the first device can connect.

[0169] As an example, it is preferable to connect the first device and the private cloud via a LAN (Local Area Network), and connect the private cloud and the first driver via a WAN.

[0170] The private cloud is provided by the provider of the first device. Multiple private clouds can be connected to an IoT hub. Furthermore, the IoT hub may have multiple first drivers. Also, multiple first devices may be connected to a single private cloud.

[0171] The first device can be a device for which the service provider offers a private cloud. Examples include, but are not limited to, electronic locks with remote locking functionality, AI speakers, and remotely controllable care beds.

[0172] The second driver is for directly connecting the second device to the IoT hub.

[0173] The second device can be connected to an IoT hub on the internet via a WAN (or via a LAN).

[0174] Furthermore, multiple second devices may be connected to a single second driver. Also, an IoT hub may have multiple second drivers.

[0175] The second type of device can be any device for which the service provider does not offer a private cloud. Examples include, but are not limited to, electric fans, air conditioners, windows, curtains, and lighting.

[0176] Furthermore, the IoT router has a third driver. The IoT router may also have multiple third drivers.

[0177] The third driver is for connecting the third device to the IoT router.

[0178] For example, it is preferable to connect the third device and the third driver via LAN, and the IoT router and IoT hub via WAN.

[0179] As mentioned above, the third device can be an IoT device that is not connected to the internet, such as a home network. Furthermore, the third device can be a device that should not be directly connected to the IoT hub for security, privacy, and safety reasons. Examples include, but are not limited to, gas stoves, facial recognition devices, and data loggers for sensor information collection. However, from the perspective of reducing risks during disasters, as will be discussed later, any device may be connected to the IoT router as the third device.

[0180] Thus, the IoT connectivity system of the present invention is a hybrid type of IoT connectivity system that does not directly connect all devices to an IoT hub in the cloud, but rather connects some devices to a local IoT router.

[0181] Based on the above, it becomes possible to easily interconnect not only IoT devices that are directly connected to each other, but also IoT devices that are connected to conventional private clouds.

[0182] This allows for easy interconnection of IoT devices from various manufacturers, unlike the previous system where only IoT devices from specific manufacturers could be connected. Furthermore, by interconnecting IoT devices from various manufacturers, it becomes possible to create unique services that were not possible before.

[0183] The battery device and charging device described above may be examples of the first or second device. Furthermore, the charging device and information processing device may be interpreted as an IoT router.

[0184] Furthermore, the first, second, and third devices may also include electrical appliances that do not have batteries (such as air conditioners, televisions, and rice cookers).

[0185] Therefore, the determination unit 220 in the present invention can further determine the power to be supplied to the electrical equipment based on the power information acquired by the acquisition unit 210 and the power consumption of one or more electrical equipment that does not have a battery.

[0186] The charging control unit 230 then controls the charging of the battery and the supply of power to the electrical equipment based on the charging power and supply power determined by the determination unit 220.

[0187] For example, during times of tight power supply and demand, it is possible to control the power supply to zero so that electrical equipment using more than a predetermined amount of power cannot be used.

[0188] With the above configuration, charging is either disabled when the power usage rate and charging rate are high, or the unit price of charging power is increased, thereby appropriately responding to the demand for power conservation during times of tight power supply and demand without imposing excessive restrictions on users.

[0189] Next, we will disclose the inventors' considerations and test results regarding this system.

[0190] Situations that threaten the stable supply of electricity are occurring frequently, such as the issuance of warnings and advisories regarding tight power supply and demand due to earthquakes and severe weather, as well as problems with fuel imports.

[0191] Furthermore, it is predicted that the areas where output curtailment of variable rewable energy (VRE), such as solar power generation (PV), will be implemented will expand.

[0192] In addition to developing inter-regional interconnection facilities, the electricity demand side will also need to make even greater efforts than before to ensure a balance between supply and demand.

[0193] Furthermore, the introduction of VRE (Variable Real Estate) is essential for future decarbonization.

[0194] However, even with the widespread introduction of both photovoltaic (PV) and wind power generation, it is predicted that a concentrated surplus of electricity will occur during the daytime in many areas, as PV generation is concentrated during the day.

[0195] Effective utilization of VRE (Variable Real Estate) requires not only improving spatial flexibility through the development of inter-regional and local transmission lines, but also securing temporal adjustment capabilities, including on the electricity demand side, to ensure a balance between supply and demand.

[0196] Electric vehicles (EVs) and their charging systems are gaining attention as a new force for adjusting demand.

[0197] Around 2030-2040, major countries such as the EU, North America, China, and India have announced policies to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles and limit new vehicle sales to electric vehicles (EVs) and other electric vehicles.

[0198] Currently, discussions regarding EVs tend to focus on issues such as charging capacity and other factors related to the limited number of charging infrastructures. However, as awareness of autonomous driving grows, EVs have the potential to transform into a different type of vehicle than conventional cars (internal combustion engine vehicles).

[0199] In this context, it is also important to build a system that can control the charging and discharging of EVs using IoT (Internet of Things) technology, based on factors such as electricity supply and demand levels (e.g., electricity forecasts), signals from the capacity market and supply and demand adjustment market, and retail electricity price signals.

[0200] A particularly pressing issue is the importance of operating in conjunction with the electricity usage rates of general power transmission and distribution operators in order to avoid supply and demand shortages.

[0201] The inventors are continuing their research to link the output status and demand of VREs over a wide area, such as within the premises of general power transmission and distribution companies, in order to mitigate output curtailment, and have also built a testbed for EV charging research.

[0202] This disclosure describes an experiment on rudimentary charging amount control based on power usage rates in the Tokyo Electric Power Company area and the State of Charge (SOC) of EVs, using a testbed connected by an IoT-HUB (details described later).

[0203] Testbed Functionality: A very rough overview of the basic functions of a public charging station can be summarized as consisting of four blocks, as shown in Figure 14: user authentication, charging start, charging end, and billing / payment.

[0204] Furthermore, as described above, the charging speed can be controlled in conjunction with the power system during charging.

[0205] Furthermore, there are three types of EV charging: basic charging at home, en route charging during travel, and destination charging at the destination. However, this testbed is based on research that assumes en route charging and destination charging.

[0206] Regarding basic charging, a standard charger has already been installed under the eaves of the experimental house on campus, and together with this testbed, a comprehensive research base for charging will be in place.

[0207] As mentioned earlier, in order to advance the development and research of diverse charging services, the testbed must first be equipped with, or capable of being equipped with, these four basic functions.

[0208] Furthermore, to allow for small-scale social experiments to confirm user acceptance, this testbed will be installed not in a laboratory, but in an area on the university campus accessible to the general public (specifically, the parking lot). For this reason, it is necessary to ensure personal safety and equipment safety in accordance with the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act.

[0209] Furthermore, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism have issued guidebooks for the installation of charging facilities, and in principle, it is necessary to comply with these guidelines.

[0210] While there are standard chargers and fast chargers, we considered the only essential difference between them to be the output power. To ensure safety, we bundled the authentication and billing / payment functions shown in Figure 10 with a standard household charger as the basic configuration for this testbed.

[0211] Authentication and billing / payment solutions already exist in many forms for normal socio-economic activities, such as transportation IC cards, credit cards, and the application of beacons, which became known as a measure against COVID-19 infection. It is desirable that these be combined experimentally.

[0212] Based on this idea, the overall structure was as follows. 1. Use a standard household charger. 2. As an authentication function, it is equipped with an NFC (Near Field Communication) card reader to allow experimentation with various existing solutions. 3. The billing and payment functions will be designed with industry-academia collaboration with actual businesses in mind, and will provide a flexible interface based on that. 4. Install security cameras and collision prevention poles as described in the guidebook above. 5. Integrate with an app to control the charging speed based on external information such as electricity forecasts, the EV's status, and user preferences.

[0213] Figure 15 shows the configuration of the equipment for this testbed.

[0214] Power supply equipment, ICT (Information and Communication Technology) equipment, etc., are housed in the auxiliary equipment box 41 shown in Figure 15. The auxiliary equipment box is basically a weather-resistant steel box, but a weather-resistant plastic box 42 is attached to the side to enable radio communication with the outside.

[0215] Figure 16 shows the system configuration of this testbed.

[0216] Figure 16 shows the basic power supply connection configuration. The single-phase three-wire 200V power line runs from a nearby university building through existing underground conduits and a shared utility tunnel on campus to the circuit breaker in auxiliary equipment box 41.

[0217] The EV charger 43 unit operates at a maximum of 5900W on AC200V and connects to EVs via a CHAdeMO standard connector.

[0218] Although this EV charger 43 does not inherently have an internet connectivity function, it is connected through an infrastructure called IoT-HUB (the IoT hub mentioned above) that was developed and implemented in society by the inventors.

[0219] In addition to a fault current interruption circuit breaker, AC200V is supplied to the charger 43 via a 40A capacity solid-state relay. This relay can be switched ON / OFF by AC100V, and the power to the EV charger can be switched on and off using AC100V from a smart outlet (smart plug) in the auxiliary equipment box, which can be operated via the internet. This EV charger also has a V2H (Vehicle to Home) function, but the V2H function is disabled by installing a CT (current transformer) which acts as a reverse current sensor at the location shown in Figure 16.

[0220] Figure 17 shows the connection status of ICT equipment and small devices. The collision prevention poles 44, installed according to the guidebook, also serve as supports for security surveillance cameras 45. In Figure 17, four collision prevention poles are erected, and each is equipped with a surveillance camera 45 (not shown) capable of photographing at least the license plates of vehicles parked in parking locations (four locations as an example) that can be charged from the charger 43. A surveillance camera (not shown) is also provided to photograph the connector part of the charger 43. The charger 43 is also equipped with an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp that can operate in an IoT-like manner for illumination.

[0221] To enable connectivity for the EV charger 43, an IoT-hub extension device called an IoT-Router is required. Therefore, a Windows mini PC (Personal Computer) is placed inside the auxiliary equipment box 41 to house the driver for this EV charger 43. This mini PC also functions as a controller for the NFC card reader.

[0222] A distinctive feature of the device is the inclusion of a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) gateway. This is essentially a beacon receiver, and various applications are envisioned for the future, such as using a beacon tag pre-installed in the EV to activate the user authentication sequence of the experimental application shown in Figure 14.

[0223] The above ICT equipment, like the EV charger 43, is connected to an IoT-HUB on the internet. By setting up experimental applications that interact with the WEB API (Application Programming Interface) of this infrastructure, various service development research becomes possible.

[0224] In preparation for a small-scale social experiment, 46 signs indicating EV charging spots have been designed and installed to serve as landmarks.

[0225] To address the tight supply and demand situation for electricity, we decided to use the electricity usage rate (hereinafter referred to as the "electricity usage rate") from the electricity forecasts of general power transmission and distribution companies within their respective service areas.

[0226] From a power system perspective, the higher the power usage rate, the lower the charging speed should be. On the other hand, from the perspective of charger users, when an EV's State of Charge (SOC) is high, it is often possible to travel sufficiently without charging, but when the SOC is low, they would like to be charged as much as possible.

[0227] Therefore, in the testbed, charging power is controlled based on the power usage rate and the status of the EV's SOC, which are acquired in real time via the IoT-HUB, as shown in the table in Figure 10.

[0228] Since we could not find an API for electricity usage rates published by Tokyo Electric Power Grid, we temporarily used an API provided by volunteers.

[0229] In this experiment, users do not receive any special compensation for linking their power usage rates. However, if users actually subscribe to these charging services, it is conceivable that such actions could be added as a special clause to the service, and that they could receive special points as a reward for activating them.

[0230] The negawatts in this case are expected to be put up for auction by aggregators in capacity markets and by general power transmission and distribution companies to procure supply capacity.

[0231] To improve the service while gathering insights into user acceptance and usage procedures, a small social experiment was conducted by allowing a limited number of users to use an EV charging system equipped with this function. Users were required to register in advance and first received an explanation of the purpose of this study, including the function linked to power usage rates, in person. At that time, they received an ID and password necessary for user authentication and a beacon tag. Two-factor authentication was implemented because the reception range of the beacon tag used can reach up to several hundred meters, and authentication using only the beacon tag would allow other EVs to charge even when an EV is parked far away in the parking lot.

[0232] The user connects the testbed's charger plug to the EV charger, then uses the experimental app to select either a time-based charge or a full charge as the charging menu for each charge, and presses the start charge button on the app.

[0233] The app then starts charging. During charging, the experimental app allows users to monitor information such as the charger's operating mode, the EV battery's State of Charge (SOC), the charging menu, and power usage in real time. Furthermore, the charging power, SOC, and cumulative charge amount are displayed in time-series graphs.

[0234] The charger can be stopped at any time through manual operation, and may also stop automatically due to in-app logic or when fully charged.

[0235] Figure 18 shows an example of how the response test results linked to real-time power usage are displayed on the app. On the day the test was conducted, the power usage of the API used remained around 90%. Since the EV's SOC was always above 50%, when the power usage exceeded 90% around 13:40 and 14:36, the charging power decreased from 3.0kW to 1.5kW according to the table in Figure 10.

[0236] On the other hand, around 14:18 and 14:43, the power usage rate fell below 90%, and the charging power increased from 1.5kW to 3.0kW. It can also be observed that the increase in SOC and cumulative charging power was slower during the periods when the charging power was 1.5kW compared to the periods when it was 3.0kW.

[0237] Although not implemented in this test, if frequent changes in charging power are to be avoided, it is possible to introduce hysteresis into the changes in charging power.

[0238] In this test implementation, an IoT-HUB can be used to easily link information between EV charging facilities and electricity usage rates.

[0239] By changing the information it connects to, it should be easy to use the adjustment capabilities of EVs for other purposes, such as capacity markets, supply and demand adjustment markets, and preventing imbalances for retailers.

[0240] Next, the charging control method in the embodiment of this disclosure will be described.

[0241] The charging control method in the embodiment of the present disclosure is characterized in that, as shown in Figure 19, one or more computer processors in the charging control system 1000 are made to execute an acquisition step S210, a determination step S220, and a charging control step S230.

[0242] Acquisition step S210 acquires power information regarding power usage rate and charge rate information regarding the charge rate of the battery to be charged. Acquisition step S210 can be performed by the acquisition unit 510 described above.

[0243] The determination step S220 determines the power to charge the battery based on the power information and charge rate information acquired in the acquisition step S210. The determination step S220 can be performed by the determination unit 220 described above.

[0244] The charge control step S230 controls the charging of the battery based on the charging power determined in the determination step S220. The charge control step S230 can be performed by the charge control unit 230 described above.

[0245] The above configuration provides a technical improvement that solves or mitigates at least some of the problems of the conventional technology described above.

[0246] Next, the charging control program in the embodiment of this disclosure will be described.

[0247] The charging control program in the embodiments of this disclosure is characterized by enabling one or more computer processors in the charging control system 1000 to implement an acquisition function, a determination function, and a charging control function.

[0248] The acquisition function retrieves power information related to power usage and charge rate information related to the charge rate of the battery being charged.

[0249] The decision function determines the power to charge the battery based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition function.

[0250] The charging control function controls the charging of the battery based on the charging power determined by the decision function.

[0251] The above functions can be realized by the acquisition circuit 1210, the determination circuit 1220, and the charging control circuit 1230 shown in Figure 20. The acquisition circuit 1210, the determination circuit 1220, and the charging control circuit 1230 are realized by the acquisition unit 210, the determination unit 220, and the charging control unit 230 described above, respectively. Details of each unit are as described above.

[0252] The above configuration provides a technical improvement that solves or mitigates at least some of the problems of the conventional technology described above.

[0253] Furthermore, a computer or mobile phone or other information processing device can be suitably used to function as a server or terminal device according to the above-described embodiment. Such an information processing device can be realized by storing a program describing the processing content that realizes each function of the server or terminal device according to the embodiment in the storage unit of the information processing device, and having the CPU of the information processing device read and execute the program.

[0254] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents.

[0255] Furthermore, the methods described in the embodiments can be distributed by storing the program, which can be executed by a computer, on recording media such as magnetic disks (floppy disks, hard disks, etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, MOs, etc.), and semiconductor memory (ROMs, RAMs, flash memory, etc.), and by transmitting them via communication media. The program stored on the media also includes a configuration program that configures the software means (including not only the executable program but also tables and data structures) to be executed by the computer. The computer implementing this device reads the program recorded on the recording media and, if necessary, constructs the software means using the configuration program, and executes the above-described process by controlling its operation with this software means. The recording media referred to in this specification are not limited to those for distribution, but also include storage media such as magnetic disks and semiconductor memory provided inside the computer or in devices connected via a network. The storage unit may function as, for example, main memory, auxiliary memory, or cache memory. [Explanation of symbols]

[0256] 100 Battery Unit 200 Server Devices 300 Charging device 400 Information Processing Devices 210 Acquisition Department 220 Decision Section 230 Charging Control Unit 240 Storage section 250 Receiver 260 Reward Distribution Department

Claims

1. A charging control system comprising one or more computer processors, The one or more computer processors mentioned above are: An acquisition unit that acquires power information regarding power usage rate and charge rate information regarding the charge rate of the battery to be charged, A determination unit determines the power to charge the battery based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit, Based on the charging power determined by the determination unit, a charging control unit controls the charging of the battery. A charging control system equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned determination unit, If the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition, The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized in that it is determined not to charge the battery.

3. The aforementioned determination unit, If the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition, The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized in that it is decided not to supply charging power to the battery, or the unit price of the charging power to the battery and / or the charging power to the battery is determined to a specific value.

4. The aforementioned charging control system further includes, It includes a receiving unit that receives a charging start instruction and / or a charging end instruction from the user, The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the charging control unit starts charging the battery in response to the charging start instruction and stops charging the battery in response to the charging end instruction.

5. The aforementioned charging control system further includes, The charging control system according to claim 4, further comprising a reward-granting unit that grants a reward to the user when the timing of the charging completion instruction satisfies predetermined conditions.

6. The aforementioned predetermined conditions are: The charging control system according to claim 5, characterized in that the timing of the charging termination instruction is the timing when the power information satisfies the first condition and the charge rate information satisfies the second condition.

7. The aforementioned predetermined conditions are: The charging control system according to claim 6, characterized in that the timing of the charging termination instruction is the timing when the power information changes from a state in which it does not satisfy the first condition to a state in which it satisfies the first condition, and the charge rate information changes from a state in which it does not satisfy the second condition to a state in which it satisfies the second condition.

8. The case in which the aforementioned power information satisfies the first condition is when the power usage rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, The charging control system according to claim 2, 3, or 6, characterized in that the charging rate information satisfies the second condition when the charging rate of the battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

9. The acquisition unit is, The aforementioned power usage rate is continuously acquired, The charge level information is continuously acquired while the battery is connected. The charging control system according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that the determination unit determines the charging power to the battery in real time based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit.

10. The aforementioned charging control system further includes, It includes a storage unit that stores a data table in which the power to charge the battery is determined in association with power information related to power usage rate and battery charge rate information. The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination unit determines the charging power corresponding to the power information and charging rate information acquired by the acquisition unit by referring to the data table stored in the storage unit.

11. The aforementioned charging control system further includes, It includes a storage unit that stores a data table in which power information related to power usage rate and the charging power to the battery and the unit price of charging power are determined in relation to the battery's charge rate. The determination unit determines the charging power and charging power unit price corresponding to the power information and charging rate information acquired by the acquisition unit by referring to the data table stored in the storage unit. The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the charging control unit controls charging to the battery based on the charging power and charging power unit price determined by the determination unit.

12. The aforementioned charging control system is The device having the aforementioned battery, comprising a battery device connected to a power supply device, The aforementioned battery device and a server device that can be connected via the Internet The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized by including the following:

13. The aforementioned charging control system is A battery device having the aforementioned battery, A device to which the aforementioned battery can be connected, comprising a charging device connected to a power supply device, The charging device and a server device that can be connected via the Internet The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized by including the following:

14. The aforementioned charging control system is The device having the aforementioned battery, comprising a battery device connected to a power supply device, An information processing device that can be connected to the aforementioned battery device, The aforementioned information processing device and a server device that can be connected via the Internet The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized by including the following:

15. The aforementioned charging control system is A battery device having the aforementioned battery, A device to which the aforementioned battery can be connected, comprising a charging device connected to a power supply device, An information processing device that can be connected to the charging device or the battery device, The aforementioned information processing device and a server device that can be connected via the Internet The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized by including the following:

16. The charging control system according to claim 12, characterized in that the battery device is a smartphone.

17. The aforementioned battery device is an electric vehicle, The charging control system according to claim 13, characterized in that the charging device is a charging device for an electric vehicle.

18. The aforementioned battery device is an electrical product that does not have an internet connection function. The charging control system according to claim 13, characterized in that the charging device is a smart plug having an internet connection function.

19. The acquisition unit further, Obtain multiple charge rate information regarding the charge rate of multiple batteries to be charged, The determination unit determines the charging power to the plurality of batteries based on the power information and the plurality of charge rate information acquired by the acquisition unit. The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the charging control unit controls charging to the plurality of batteries based on the plurality of charging powers determined by the determination unit.

20. The determination unit further determines the power to be supplied to the electrical equipment based on the power information acquired by the acquisition unit and the power consumption of one or more electrical equipment that does not have a battery. The charging control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the charging control unit controls charging the battery and supplying power to the electrical equipment based on the charging power and supply power determined by the determination unit.

21. One or more computer processors, An acquisition step to obtain power information regarding power usage rate and charge rate information regarding the charge rate of the battery to be charged, A determination step in which the power to charge the battery is determined based on the power information and charge rate information acquired in the acquisition step, A charge control step which controls charging the battery based on the charging power determined in the determination step, A charging control method that enables the execution of this process.

22. One or more computer processors, A function to acquire power information regarding power usage rate and charge rate information regarding the charge rate of the battery to be charged, A determination function that determines the charging power to the battery based on the power information and charge rate information acquired by the acquisition function, A charging control function controls the charging of the battery based on the charging power determined by the aforementioned determination function. A charging control program that makes this possible.

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