Management device, management method, and program

Abstract

Provided is a management device comprising: an acquisition unit which acquires, as payment status information pertaining to a battery sharing service, payment status information including one or both of a loan payment status of an apparatus to be used of a user and the status of payment for the battery sharing service of the user; a stop processing unit which, when the payment status information indicates non-payment by the user, executes stop processing for disabling user authentication for the user, wherein the battery sharing service is for renting a battery detachable for the apparatus to be used, which is mounted and used on the apparatus to be used and can be detached from the apparatus to be used, at a battery exchange station including an authentication interface for the user authentication.

Description

Management device, management method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a management device, a management method, and a program.

[0002] In recent years, research and development has been conducted on secondary batteries that contribute to energy efficiency in order to ensure that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and advanced energy. In this regard, an information processing device has been disclosed that remotely controls the activation of a mobility vehicle via a network when a user leasing the vehicle falls behind on lease payments (Patent Document 1).

[0003] International Publication No. 2016 / 167350

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, if the communication conditions of the network are poor, if the communication function of the communication terminal installed in the mobility is turned off for the above-mentioned control via the network, or if the communication device is intentionally removed by the user of the mobility, it may not be possible to restrict the activation of the mobility.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a management device, a management method, and a program that can deal with delinquency effectively at low cost, and by extension, contribute to energy efficiency by facilitating the distribution of secondary batteries.

[0006] (1): A management device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires payment status information related to a battery sharing service, the payment status information including one or both of the loan payment status of the user's target device and the payment status of the user's fee for the battery sharing service, and a stop processing unit that, if the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, executes a stop process to disable user authentication for the user, and the battery sharing service is a service in which batteries that are detachable from the target device and used by being attached to the target device are rented out at a battery exchange station that has an authentication interface for user authentication.

[0007] (2): In the above aspect (1), the payment status information is the loan payment status of the user's target device, and the acquisition unit acquires information indicating that the delinquency of the user for whom the suspension process was performed has been resolved from the loan provider device used by the loan provider to which the loan is paid, and when the suspension processing unit acquires information indicating that the delinquency has been resolved, it executes a resume process to enable the user authentication for that user.

[0008] (3) In the above aspect (2), an information providing unit is further provided that provides the loan business operator device with suspension processing-related information relating to the suspension processing.

[0009] (4): In the above aspect (3), the information providing unit calculates the average or cumulative value of the period from when the suspension process is performed until the delinquency is resolved by the user making a payment, and provides the average or cumulative value to the loan provider device as the suspension process-related information.

[0010] (5): In the above aspect (3), if the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, the system further includes a notification processing unit that sends and outputs notification information notifying the user of the suspension process to the user's terminal device prior to the suspension process, and the information providing unit calculates an average value or cumulative value for the period from the transmission of the notification information to the user making payment and resolving the arrears, and provides the average value or cumulative value to the loan business operator device as suspension process-related information.

[0011] (6): In the above aspect (3), if the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, the system further includes a notification processing unit that, prior to the suspension process, transmits and outputs notification information notifying the user of the suspension process to the user's terminal device, and the information providing unit provides the loan business operator device with the cumulative value of one or both of the number of times the notification information has been sent and the number of times information indicating that the user for whom the suspension process has been performed has been resolved as suspension process-related information.

[0012] (7): In any of the above aspects (1) to (6), the payment status information is the loan payment status of the user's target equipment, and the system further includes a calculation unit that calculates an incentive for the operator of the management device based on information indicating the occurrence of a delinquency event related to the user's delinquency.

[0013] (8) In the above aspect (7), the calculation unit calculates the incentive based on the degree of improvement in the user's delinquency situation over a certain monitoring period.

[0014] (9): In any of the above aspects (1) to (6), the payment status information is the loan payment status of the user for the target device, and the system further includes a calculation unit that calculates the rate that the loan company to which the loan is paid should apply to the loan for the target device based on information indicating the occurrence status of a delinquency event related to the user's delinquency.

[0015] (10) In the above aspect (9), the calculation unit calculates the rate based on the degree of improvement in the user's delinquency status over a certain monitoring period.

[0016] (11): Another aspect of the present invention is a management method in which a management device acquires payment status information regarding a battery sharing service, the payment status information including one or both of the loan payment status of the user's target device and the payment status of the user's fee for the battery sharing service, and if the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, a suspension process is executed to make user authentication impossible for the user, and the battery sharing service is a service in which batteries that are detachable from the target device and attached to the target device for use are rented out at a battery exchange station equipped with an authentication interface for user authentication.

[0017] (12): Another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a processor of a management device to acquire payment status information regarding a battery sharing service, the payment status information including one or both of the loan payment status of the user's target device and the payment status of the user's consideration for the battery sharing service, and if the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, execute a suspension process to make user authentication impossible for the user, wherein the battery sharing service is a service that lends out batteries that are detachable from the target device and are attached to the target device for use at a battery exchange station that has an authentication interface for the user authentication.

[0018] According to the above aspects (1) to (12), it is possible to deal with delinquency effectively at low cost.

[0019] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a battery exchange system 1. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an electric vehicle 10. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a removable battery 100. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a battery exchange station 200. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a service server 300. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a user management table 382. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a status table 384. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the functions of the management device. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a delinquency management table 386. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the processing of an incentive / rate calculation unit 348. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram when the service server and the management device are separate devices. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how a loan business operator device is equipped with an incentive / rate calculation unit and forms a management system MS.

[0020] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of a management device, a management method, and a program of the present invention will be described. The management device is a device that performs a suspension process for service usage when a delinquency related to the battery sharing service occurs. The battery sharing service is a service in which batteries that are detachable from target devices and used by being attached to the target devices (hereinafter referred to as "detachable batteries") are rented out from battery exchange stations equipped with an interface for user authentication. The battery sharing service is provided by one or more battery exchange stations and a service server that communicates with them. Hereinafter, the detachable batteries and the provider of the battery sharing service are collectively referred to as the battery exchange system. The management device may be a virtual machine built into the service server, or may be a device separate from the service server. In either case, the management device may be a device built on the cloud.

[0021] The target device is, for example, an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle may be a so-called electric vehicle that is driven only by a removable battery, or a hybrid vehicle that also has an internal combustion engine. The electric vehicle may also include various types of vehicles, such as two-wheeled vehicles and four-wheeled vehicles. Although the removable battery can be used for purposes other than electric vehicles, the following description will be limited to the target device being an electric vehicle.

[0022] [Overall Configuration] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a battery exchange system 1. The battery exchange system 1 includes, for example, a plurality of removable batteries 100, a plurality of battery exchange stations 200, and a service server 300. A user's terminal device 50, the plurality of battery exchange stations 200, and the service server 300 are capable of communicating with each other via a network NW. An electric vehicle 10 may be communicatively connected to the network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

[0023] The battery exchange station 200 is a device that charges and exchanges (accepts returns and lends out) the removable battery 100 that is the driving source of the electric vehicle 10. The removable battery 100 is attached to the electric vehicle 10 in a detachable manner.

[0024] The electric vehicle 10 is propelled by an electric motor driven by power supplied from a power storage unit 120 (described below) of a removable battery 100. FIG. 1 shows a saddle-ride type electric vehicle (electric two-wheeled vehicle) 10-1 and an in-cabin type electric vehicle (electric four-wheeled vehicle) 10-2. For example, the electric vehicle 10-1 can be equipped with two removable batteries 100, and the electric vehicle 10-2 can be equipped with three removable batteries 100. In this manner, the number of removable batteries that can be installed varies depending on the type and shape of the electric vehicle 10. Furthermore, different removable batteries may be usable depending on the vehicle model. In the following description, the electric two-wheeled vehicle 10-1 will mainly be referred to as the "electric vehicle 10."

[0025] 2 is a configuration diagram of the electric vehicle 10. The electric vehicle 10 includes, for example, a battery connection unit 12, a vehicle control unit 14, a driving force output device 16, vehicle sensors 18, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 20, an electric vehicle GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 22, and a vehicle-side communication unit 24.

[0026] The battery connector 12 is electrically connected to a connector 150 (described later) of the removable battery 100 when the removable battery 100 is attached to the electric vehicle 10. The battery connector 12 includes, for example, a connection terminal (battery terminal) for a power line for receiving power from the removable battery 100, and a connection terminal for a communication line for performing data communication between the removable battery 100 and the vehicle control unit 14.

[0027] The vehicle control unit 14 acquires measurement results from the vehicle sensors 18, acquires a value representing the state of charge (SOC) of the power storage unit 120 from a BMU (Battery Management Unit) 110 (described later) of the removable battery 100, and acquires the position of the electric vehicle 10 from the GNSS receiver 22. Based on the acquired data, the vehicle control unit 14 controls the driving force output device 16 in response to an operation on an operator (not shown) or by autonomous driving. The vehicle control unit 14 may output the position information of the electric vehicle 10 acquired from the GNSS receiver 22 to the removable battery 100 via the battery connector 12.

[0028] The driving force output device 16 includes, for example, an electric motor, an inverter, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the inverter. The ECU controls the power supplied to the electric motor from the removable battery 100, for example, by controlling the inverter. In this way, the ECU controls the driving force (torque) output by the electric motor to the drive wheels. The driving force output device 16 also controls the output frequency of the inverter to be lower than the rotation speed of the drive wheels, thereby causing the electric motor to operate as a regenerative brake and converting the braking energy of the drive wheels into electrical energy to charge the removable battery 100.

[0029] The vehicle sensors 18 include various sensors such as a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a rotational speed sensor, an odometer, and the like, which are mounted on the electric vehicle 10. The vehicle sensors 18 output the measurement results to the vehicle control unit 14.

[0030] The HMI 20 outputs various information to the user of the electric vehicle 10 and accepts input operations by the occupant. The HMI 20 includes, for example, various display devices (which may be touch panels) such as a HUD (Head Up Display) and a meter display unit, a speaker, and the like.

[0031] The GNSS receiver 22 measures the position of the electric vehicle 10 based on radio waves received from GNSS satellites such as GPS satellites.

[0032] The vehicle-side communication unit 24 communicates with the service server 300 via the network NW. The vehicle-side communication unit 24 transmits, for example, position information of the electric vehicle 10 measured by the GNSS receiver 22 to the service server 300 together with a vehicle ID as identification information for identifying the vehicle at any timing. In the present invention, the vehicle-side communication unit 24 may be omitted.

[0033] The terminal device 50 is a terminal device used by a user, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. An application program provided by a business operator that operates the battery exchange service or a general-purpose browser runs on the terminal device 50.

[0034] 3 is a configuration diagram of the detachable battery 100. The detachable battery 100 includes, for example, a power storage unit 120, a BMU 110, and a connection unit 150. The BMU 110 also includes a measurement sensor 130 and a memory unit 140.

[0035] The BMU 110 controls charging and discharging of the power storage unit 120, performs cell balancing, detects abnormalities in the power storage unit 120, derives the cell temperature of the power storage unit 120, derives the charge / discharge current of the power storage unit 120, and estimates the SOC of the power storage unit 120. The BMU 110 stores abnormalities, failures, etc. of the power storage unit 120, which are identified based on the measurement results of the measurement sensor 130, in the memory unit 140 as battery state information.

[0036] The power storage unit 120 is, for example, a battery pack in which a plurality of cells are connected in series. The cells constituting the power storage unit 120 are, for example, lithium-ion secondary batteries (LIBs), nickel-metal hydride batteries, all-solid-state batteries, etc.

[0037] The measurement sensor 130 is a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, etc. for measuring the state of charge of the power storage unit 120. The measurement sensor 130 outputs the measurement results of the measured voltage, current, temperature, etc. to the BMU 110.

[0038] The storage unit 140 includes a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory. The storage unit 140 stores battery status information. The storage unit 140 may also store a battery ID assigned to the removable battery 100.

[0039] The connection unit 150 is electrically connected to the battery connection unit 12 when the removable battery 100 is attached to the electric vehicle 10. Furthermore, when the removable battery 100 is accommodated in one of a plurality of slots 210 present in the battery exchange station 200, the connection unit 150 is electrically connected to the battery exchange station 200 and receives a supply of power from the battery exchange station 200 to charge the power storage unit 120. The connection unit 150 includes, for example, a power line connection terminal (battery terminal) and a communication line connection terminal, etc., corresponding to the battery connection unit 12 and the battery connection unit 220 (described below).

[0040] 4 is a configuration diagram of the battery exchange station 200. The battery exchange station 200 includes, for example, a plurality of slots 210, a plurality of battery connectors 220, a charger 230, a display unit 235, an authentication interface 240, a station-side authentication processor 245, a communication unit 250, and a controller 260.

[0041] Each of the multiple slots 210 is provided with a battery connection section 220. The battery connection section 220 is electrically connected to the connection section 150 of the removable battery 100 when the removable battery 100 is housed in the battery housing section. The battery connection section 220 includes, for example, a connection terminal (battery terminal) for a power line for supplying power to the removable battery 100, and a connection terminal for a communication line for performing data communication (e.g., serial communication) between the removable battery 100 and the control section 260.

[0042] The charger 230 is connected to the power storage unit 120 of the removable battery 100 via the plurality of battery connectors 220. A charger 230 may be provided for each of the plurality of battery connectors 220, or may be a common configuration for the plurality of battery connectors 220. The charger 230 converts the power supplied from the power source into, for example, direct current and supplies it to the power storage unit 120.

[0043] The display unit 235 is, for example, a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display unit 235 may also be a touch panel. The display unit 235 displays various information when a user uses the battery exchange station 200 and receives input of predetermined information (for example, authentication information) from the user.

[0044] The authentication interface 240 reads authentication information and other information from a medium (user card) held by the user. The authentication information includes, for example, a user ID and a password. The user card is, for example, a contactless IC card. Alternatively, the user card may be a contact IC card. Furthermore, a user card may be issued for each electric vehicle 10 used by the user. In this case, the authentication information may include information such as how many removable batteries 100 the user uses. Furthermore, the medium held by the user may be an electronic device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. Furthermore, the authentication interface 240 may acquire the authentication information not only through communication but also by optically reading information from a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark). The authentication interface 240 outputs the read authentication information to the control unit 260.

[0045] The communication unit 250 is a communication interface such as a terminal adapter, an Ethernet (registered trademark) communication device, a Wi-Fi adapter, or various wireless communication devices, and communicates with the service server 300 via the network NW.

[0046] The control unit 260 includes, for example, an exchange control unit 262, a charging control unit 264, a station-side authentication processing unit 266, a battery information upload unit 268, a usage information upload unit 270, and a storage unit 280. These components except for the storage unit 280 are implemented by a hardware processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), executing a program (software). Some or all of the functions may be implemented by hardware, such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware. The above-mentioned program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the battery exchange station 200, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD, CD-ROM, or memory card, and installed in the storage device of the battery exchange station 200 by inserting the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) into a drive device, card slot, etc.

[0047] The storage unit 280 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 280 stores information such as battery information 284. The battery information 284 includes battery IDs assigned to the removable batteries 100 held in the battery exchange station 200 and SOC information for each removable battery 100.

[0048] Based on the authentication result by the station-side authentication processing unit 245, the replacement control unit 262 controls the acceptance of the return of the used removable battery 100 mounted on the electric vehicle 10 and the lending of the charged removable battery 100. For example, the replacement control unit 262 opens the slot 210 for storing the used removable battery 100 when returning, and opens the slot 210 in which the charged removable battery 100 is stored when lending. The replacement control unit 262 may also query the service server 300 to determine whether the stored used removable battery 100 is a regular (genuine) removable battery.

[0049] The charging control unit 264 controls the charger 230 so that the power storage unit 120 is charged to a predetermined state of charge (for example, a predetermined SOC) based on the state of charge of the power storage unit 120 and other information acquired via a signal line from the removable battery 100. The SOC of the power storage unit 120 is, for example, sequentially transmitted to the charging control unit 264, and the charging control unit 264 associates the battery ID and SOC information of the removable battery 100 with each other and stores them in the storage unit 280 as battery information 284.

[0050] The station-side authentication processing unit 266 transmits information such as the user ID read by the authentication interface 240 to the service server 300 using the communication unit 250 and obtains the authentication result from the service server 300. The service server 300 determines whether the user ID is that of a properly registered user, and transmits information indicating whether the user authentication is successful or unsuccessful to the battery exchange station 200. Instead of communicating with the service server 300 and verifying the user ID and the like each time the authentication interface 240 reads information, the service server 300 may transmit a list of authorized users to the battery exchange station 200 in advance, and the station-side authentication processing unit 266 may perform partial authentication processing itself by verifying the information such as the user ID read by the authentication interface 240 against the authorized user list. In this case, the user list is transmitted as updated information from the service server 300, for example, once a day and each time a user who is not eligible for authentication is added, and is stored in the storage unit 280 for use.

[0051] If the user authentication is successful, the station-side authentication processing unit 266 passes that information to the replacement control unit 262. In this case, the replacement control unit 262 opens slots 210 equal to the number of removable batteries 100 used by the user, and after used removable batteries 100 are accommodated in those slots, unlocks the slots 210 so that charged removable batteries 100 can be removed.

[0052] The battery information uploading unit 268 counts the number of removable batteries 100 that have been fully charged (number of charged batteries) at any given time, for example, and transmits this to the service server 300 together with its own station ID and battery ID.

[0053] The usage information upload unit 270 transmits the usage status of the battery exchange station 200 for each user and its own station ID as usage information to the service server 300 at any timing. The usage status may include, for example, the user ID, card ID, the battery ID of the returned removable battery 100, the battery ID of the rented removable battery 100, the date and time of exchange (date and time of use), etc.

[0054] [Service Server] Figure 5 is a configuration diagram of the service server 300. The service server 300 includes, for example, a communication unit 310, an authentication unit 320, a distribution unit 330, an acquisition unit 340, a notice processing unit 342, a stop processing unit 344, an information provision unit 346, an incentive / rate calculation unit 348, and a storage unit 380. Of these components, the components other than the communication unit 310 and the storage unit 380 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of the functions may be realized by hardware such as an LSI, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a GPU, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The above-mentioned program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the battery exchange station 200, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD, CD-ROM, or memory card, and installed in the storage device of the service server 300 by inserting the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) into a drive device, card slot, or the like. The communication unit 310 is a communication interface similar to the communication unit 250. The storage unit 380 is an HDD, flash memory, RAM, or the like. The storage unit 280 stores information such as a user management table 382, ​​a battery status table 384, and a delinquency management table 386, for example.

[0055] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user management table 382. The user management table 382 contains information in which, for example, a user ID and a card ID are associated with a password, expiration date, number of mountable batteries, usable battery type, status, loaned battery ID, usage history, detailed information, and the like. For example, the user ID (or card ID) and password are examples of information required for user authentication. The expiration date is set, for example, when registering for use of the battery exchange system 1 or when paying the usage fee. The expiration date may be, for example, a fixed period (e.g., one year from the time of registration or renewal), or may be a deadline set in association with the expiration date (vehicle inspection date) of the electric vehicle 10 (a vehicle renewal inspection established by the government, etc.). The number of mountable batteries is the number of batteries that can be mounted on the electric vehicle 10 associated with the card ID. The usable battery type is information such as the type, size, and model number of the removable battery 100 that can be used by the electric vehicle 10 associated with the card ID. The status is information indicating the usage status of the card ID. The loaned battery ID is identification information of the removable battery 100 currently loaned to the electric vehicle 10 associated with the card ID. The usage history is information related to the past usage history of the battery exchange system 1 associated with the user ID and the card ID. The usage history includes, for example, the station ID of the battery exchange station 200 used and information such as the date and time of use. The usage history may also include, for example, information uploaded by the usage information upload unit 270. The detailed information includes, for example, personal information such as the user's address, age, and gender obtained at the time of user registration. The detailed information may also include performance information and vehicle model information of the electric vehicle 10 associated with the card ID. The performance information of the electric vehicle 10 may, for example, be the mileage when one charged removable battery 100 is installed.

[0056] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the status table 384. The status table 384 contains information regarding the status of multiple battery exchange stations 200 managed by the battery exchange system 1. The status table 384 may include, for example, information uploaded by the battery information upload unit 268. The status table 384 contains, for example, information associating a station ID with the number of charged batteries in the battery exchange station 200 associated with the station ID, the location of the battery exchange station 200, and the operator ID of the operator that operates the battery exchange service using the battery exchange station 200 identified by the station ID. If the uploaded information includes the remaining time required to charge each removable battery 100 as described above, the status table 354 may also include information regarding the number of removable batteries 100 currently being charged and the remaining time for each removable battery 100. The status table 354 may also include performance information for the removable batteries 100. Performance information for the removable batteries 100 includes, for example, the amount of power consumed when fully charged, the number of times the battery has been charged, and the degree of deterioration.

[0057] As described above, the authentication unit 320 authenticates the user based on the information sent from the battery exchange station 200. If the information sent from the battery exchange station 200 includes the user ID, password, etc. registered in the user management table 382 and there is no abnormality in the status, etc., the authentication unit 320 transmits information indicating that authentication is permitted to the battery exchange station 200 using the communication unit 310. Otherwise, the authentication unit 320 transmits information indicating that authentication is not permitted to the battery exchange station 200 using the communication unit 310.

[0058] The distribution unit 330 distributes various information to the user's terminal device 50 based on the information registered in the battery status table 384. The distributed information may include information such as the number of charged removable batteries 100 at each battery exchange station 200 and the number of users currently exchanging batteries.

[0059] The acquisition unit 340, the notice processing unit 342, the stop processing unit 344, and the information providing unit 346 together correspond to the management device in the claims. The management device utilizes the delinquency management table 386. These functions will be described below with reference to FIG. 8.

[0060] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the functions of the management device. In the figure, the loan provider device 400 is a device (server, terminal device) used by a business that provides a loan when an electric vehicle 100 is sold on loan. Although not shown, the service server 300 and the loan provider device 400 can communicate via a network NW. The acquisition unit 340 acquires payment status information related to the battery sharing service, including one or both of the loan payment status of the user's electric vehicle 10 and the payment status of the user's consideration (usage fee) for the battery sharing service. In the following description, the payment status information is assumed to be exclusively the loan payment status of the user's electric vehicle 10. In this case, the acquisition unit 340 acquires payment status information from the loan provider device 400, for example ((1) in the figure).

[0061] If the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, the notice processing unit 342 sends and outputs notice information notifying the user of the suspension process to the user's terminal device 50 ((2) in the figure) prior to the suspension process (described later) by the suspension processing unit 344.

[0062] If a certain period of time has passed since the notice information was sent and information indicating that the delinquency has been resolved is not obtained from the loan provider device 400 during that period, the suspension processing unit 344 performs suspension processing to disable user authentication for the user ((3) in the figure). For example, the suspension processing unit 344 disables user authentication by rewriting the status item in the user management table 382 to information indicating "suspension of use" or "delinquent payments," etc.

[0063] When the suspension processing unit 344 receives information from the loan provider device 400 indicating that the delinquency has been resolved after the suspension processing ((4) in the figure), it executes a restart process to enable user authentication for the user ((5) in the figure). For example, the suspension processing unit 344 enables user authentication by rewriting the status item in the user management table 382 to information indicating "authentication enabled" or the like.

[0064] The information providing unit 346 provides the loan business operator device 400 with suspension processing-related information related to the suspension processing ((6) in the figure). For example, the information providing unit 346 calculates an average value or a cumulative value for the period from when the suspension processing is performed until the delinquency is resolved, and provides the average value or cumulative value to the loan business operator device 400 as suspension processing-related information. The information providing unit 346 may also calculate an average value or a cumulative value for the period from when the advance notice information is sent until the delinquency is resolved, and provide the average value or cumulative value to the loan business operator device 400 as suspension processing-related information. The information providing unit 346 may also provide the loan business operator device 400 with the cumulative value of one or both of the number of times advance notice information is sent and the number of times information indicating that the user's delinquency has been resolved is obtained, as suspension processing-related information.

[0065] The information provider 346 generates suspension processing-related information by referencing the delinquency management table 386. FIG. 9 shows an example of the contents of the delinquency management table 386. The delinquency management table 386 contains information indicating the occurrence status of each delinquency event, and stores the date and time of occurrence of delinquency events such as the occurrence of delinquency, the transmission of advance notice information, suspension processing, follow-up contact from the loan servicer to the user, debt collection notice from the loan servicer to the user, delinquency resolution, and vehicle repossession, as well as the period between these events. The information provider 346 updates each item in the delinquency management table 386 based on information acquired from the loan servicer device 400 and the processing history of the advance notice processor 342 and the suspension processor 344. The information provider 346 then generates various pieces of information to be included in the suspension processing-related information by performing appropriate statistical processing on the information stored in the delinquency management table 386.

[0066] The incentive / rate calculation unit 348 calculates either or both of an incentive to be paid from the loan business operator to the operator of the management device and a new rate to be applied by the loan business operator, based on the delinquency management table 386 or suspension processing related information generated based on the delinquency management table 386. The incentive / rate calculation unit 348 calculates either or both of the incentive and the rate, based on the delinquency management table 386 collected and updated during a certain monitoring period, or suspension processing related information generated based on the delinquency management table 386.

[0067] 10 is a diagram illustrating the processing of the incentive / rate calculation unit 348. For example, the incentive / rate calculation unit 348 extracts the same number of delinquency cases (100 in the figure) before and after the application of the present invention, and determines the incentive and rate based on the subsequent occurrence rate of delinquency events. For example, if the monitoring period is from the occurrence of delinquency to the collection of the electric vehicle (monitoring period A), the improvement rate according to the present invention is approximately 70% (1 - (13 / 41) ≒ 0.7), and if the monitoring period is from the occurrence of delinquency to follow-up contact by the loan servicer (monitoring period B), the improvement rate according to the present invention is 25% (1 - (60 / 80) = 0.25).

[0068] When monitoring period A is adopted, the incentive / rate calculation unit 348 allocates, for example, an estimated cost reduction of 0.7CA obtained by multiplying the loan business operator's estimated burden CA during monitoring period A by 0.7, using predetermined allocation rates αS, αR, and αU. For example, αS + αR + αU = 1. The incentive / rate calculation unit 348 determines αS × 0.7CA as the incentive to be paid from the loan business operator to the operator of the management device, αR × 0.7CA as the loan business operator's profit, and αU × 0.7CA as the loan rate reduction amount, and transmits these to loan business operator device 400.

[0069] When monitoring period B is adopted, the incentive / rate calculation unit 348 allocates, for example, an estimated cost reduction of 0.25CB obtained by multiplying the loan company's estimated burden CB during monitoring period B by 0.25, using predetermined allocation rates βS, βR, and βU. For example, βS + βR + βU = 1. The incentive / rate calculation unit 348 determines βS × 0.7CA as the incentive to be paid from the loan company to the operator of the management device, βR × 0.7CA as the loan company's profit, and βU × 0.7CA as the loan rate reduction amount, and transmits these to loan company device 400.

[0070] Regarding the reduction of the loan rate, it may be reduced uniformly for all users, but a new loan rate may also be determined so that, for example, more is returned to users who have no history of default.

[0071] If the present invention is provided, a user who is the subject of the suspension process (hereinafter referred to as a suspended user) will no longer be able to borrow a charged removable battery 100, which raises concerns about fraudulent behavior, such as borrowing someone else's user card to borrow a charged removable battery 100, or a third party attempting to borrow a charged removable battery 100 on behalf of a suspended user. In response to this, the probability of detecting such fraudulent behavior can be improved by monitoring each user's usage history to see whether many removable batteries 100 have been borrowed in a short period of time.

[0072] According to the embodiment described above, payment status information regarding the battery sharing service is obtained, and if the payment status information indicates that a user is in arrears, a suspension process is executed to make user authentication impossible for that user, thereby making it possible to deal with arrears effectively and at low cost.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, the management device may be a device separate from the service server. Figure 11 is a configuration diagram in which the service server 300 and the management device are separate devices. As shown in the figure, the management device (here, management device 500) may include an acquisition unit 340, a notice processing unit 342, a suspension processing unit 344, and an information providing unit 346, store a delinquency management table 386 in a memory unit, and communicate with the service server 300 and the loan provider device 400 via the network NW to acquire necessary information.

[0074] Furthermore, a management system may be configured by having loan provider device 400 include the functions of incentive / rate calculation unit 348 (at least the function of calculating the rate). Figure 12 is a diagram showing how a loan provider device (here, loan provider device 400A) includes incentive / rate calculation unit 348 and configures management system MS. Even in this case, the management device may be a device separate from the service server.

[0075] The above embodiment can be expressed as follows: A management system made up of two or more devices, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires payment status information related to a battery sharing service, the payment status information including one or both of a loan payment status of a target device of use by a user and a payment status of a fee for the battery sharing service by the user; and a stop processing unit that, when the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, executes a stop process to make user authentication of the user impossible, wherein the battery sharing service is a service in which batteries that are attached to the target device and used and are detachable from the target device of use are rented out at a battery exchange station that has an authentication interface for the user authentication, and wherein components including the acquisition unit and the stop processing unit are distributed among the two or more devices.

[0076] The above embodiment can also be expressed as follows: A management device comprising: a storage medium for storing computer-readable instructions; and a processor connected to the storage medium, wherein the processor executes the computer-readable instructions to: acquire payment status information related to a battery sharing service, the payment status information including one or both of a loan payment status for a target device of a user and a payment status for the battery sharing service by the user, and if the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, execute a suspension process to make user authentication of the user impossible, wherein the battery sharing service is a service in which batteries that are detachable from the target device and used by being attached to the target device are rented out at a battery exchange station having an authentication interface for the user authentication.

[0077] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0078] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Electric vehicle 50 Terminal device 100 Removable battery 200 Battery exchange station 240 Authentication interface 266 Station-side authentication processing unit 300 Service server 310 Communication unit 320 Authentication unit 330 Distribution unit 340 Acquisition unit 342 Advance notice processing unit 344 Stop processing unit 346 Information provision unit 348 Incentive / rate calculation unit 386 Delinquency management table 400, 400A Loan business operator device 500 Management device

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires payment status information related to the battery sharing service, the payment status information including one or both of a payment status of a loan for a target device of the user and a payment status of a fee for the battery sharing service of the user; a stop processing unit that executes a stop processing for disabling user authentication for the user when the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears; Equipped with The battery sharing service is a service in which a battery to be detachably attached to the target device is rented out at a battery exchange station having an authentication interface for user authentication. Management device.

2. The payment status information is the payment status of the loan for the target device of the user, The acquisition unit further acquires information indicating that the delinquency of the user for which the suspension process was performed has been resolved from a business device used by a loan business operator to which the loan is to be paid, the stop processing unit, when the acquisition unit acquires information indicating that the delinquency of the user has been resolved, executes a restart process to enable the user authentication of the user. The management device according to claim 1 .

3. an information providing unit that provides the business operator device with stop processing-related information related to the stop processing; The management device according to claim 2.

4. the information providing unit calculates an average value or an accumulated value of the period from when the suspension process is performed until the delinquency is resolved by the user making a payment, and provides the average value or the accumulated value to the business device as the suspension process related information. The management device according to claim 3.

5. and a notice processing unit that, when the payment status information indicates the delinquency of the user, transmits notice information notifying the user of the suspension process to the terminal device of the user and outputs the notice information prior to the suspension process being executed by the suspension processing unit; the information providing unit calculates an average value or a cumulative value of the period from when the notice information is sent until the delinquency is resolved by the user making a payment, and provides the average value or the cumulative value to the business operator device as the suspension processing related information. The management device according to claim 3.

6. and a notice processing unit that, when the payment status information indicates the delinquency of the user, transmits notice information notifying the user of the suspension process to the terminal device of the user and outputs the notice information prior to the suspension process being executed by the suspension processing unit; The information providing unit provides the business device with, as the stop processing related information, a cumulative value of one or both of the number of times the notice information was transmitted by the notice processing unit and the number of times information indicating that the user's delinquency has been resolved was acquired by the acquisition unit. The management device according to claim 3.

7. The method further comprises: a calculation unit that calculates an incentive for an operator of the management device based on information indicating the occurrence status of a delinquency event related to the delinquency of the user. The management device according to claim 1 .

8. the calculation unit calculates the incentive based on a degree of improvement in the delinquency situation of the user over a certain monitoring period. The management device according to claim 7.

9. The payment status information is the payment status of the loan for the target device of the user, Further, the loan company that is the payment recipient of the loan calculates a rate to be applied to the loan of the target device based on information indicating the occurrence status of a delinquency event related to the delinquency of the user. The management device according to claim 1 .

10. the calculation unit calculates the rate based on the degree of improvement in the delinquency situation of the user over a certain monitoring period. The management device according to claim 9.

11. The information providing unit generates the suspension processing related information by referring to a delinquency management table, In the delinquency management table, the date and time of occurrence of at least one of the occurrence of the delinquency, the sending of the advance notice information, the suspension process, the follow-up contact from the loan business operator to the user, the debt collection notice from the loan business operator to the user, the resolution of the delinquency, and the collection of the target equipment to be used is registered as the date and time of occurrence of a delinquency event related to the delinquency of the user. The management device according to claim 5 .

12. A calculation unit is further provided which calculates an incentive for an operator of the management device based on information indicating the occurrence status of the delinquency event related to the delinquency of the user, the calculation unit calculates the incentive based on the delinquency management table collected and updated during a certain monitoring period or the suspension processing related information generated based on the delinquency management table. The management device according to claim 11.

13. A method for managing a battery sharing service, comprising: acquiring payment status information relating to the battery sharing service, the payment status information including one or both of a payment status of a loan for the target device of the user and a payment status of the consideration for the battery sharing service by the user; and if the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, executing a suspension process to disable user authentication for the user, The battery sharing service is a service in which a battery to be detachably attached to the target device is rented out at a battery exchange station having an authentication interface for user authentication. Management method.

14. A processor of the management device acquiring payment status information relating to the battery sharing service, the payment status information including one or both of a payment status of a loan for the device to be used by the user and a payment status of the consideration for the battery sharing service by the user; If the payment status information indicates that the user is in arrears, a suspension process is executed to disable user authentication for the user. A program for: The battery sharing service is a service in which a battery to be detachably attached to the target device is rented out at a battery exchange station having an authentication interface for user authentication. program.